President Barack Obama announced today at a press conference that the overarching directive on the gaming plans are part of the Administration’s commitment to its STEM program, an initiative for focusing on science, technology engineering and maths education.

Among the participating private-backed initiatives is a two-year focus on science on Sesame Street as well as a variety of video-game initiatives.

“Our industry’s lifeblood is the energy and innovation of new, emerging developers,” Michael Gallagher, president of the Electronic Software Association, the industry’s lobbying group, said in a press release today. “To create the next generation’s epic titles and incredibly immersive storylines, we need America’s youth to have strategic and analytic thinking skills along with complex problem-solving abilities. It is my hope that it will produce games that will have a lasting impact on the STEM skills our nation’s students so desperately need.”

The Sony LittleBigPlanet initiative, Game Changers, is part of a $US2 million 2010 Digital Media and Learning Competition funded by the MacArthur foundation. It involves Sony donating 1000 PlayStation 3s and copies of LittleBigPlanet to libraries and community organisations. Participants will strive to create levels that involve science, technology, engineering and maths.

A second program, called the Stem National Video Game Competition, was also announced. It is a three-pronged $US300,000 contest encouraging entrants to create the best browser video games that teach the STEM disciplines for a trio of age ranges: 4-8, 8-12 and 12-16. This competition is intended to reach “historically underserved populations including girls and minority students,” according to an ESA press release. Specifics for this contest will be announced in early 2010, with winners showcased at E3 in June.

The gaming initiatives announced today are backed by the Information Technology Industry Council, an advocacy group. Microsoft and the Games4Change group are also both involved in these plans, according to the ESA release.

More details about both contests will be announced in the next few weeks, according to the ESA.

Estavillo’s suing Microsoft for an RROD on his 360, claiming that a disability means he can afford neither a new console nor a “well over $US100 fee to fix it.” He’s looking for $US75,000 on that complaint, because of the “undue stress” he’s suffered since the machine’s failure, plus the “sadness he will have in the mean time of finding one he can afford.” Allllllllright. Next.

Nintendo of America isn’t so holy in this either. Estavillo complains that a Wii firmware update disabled his homebrew channel. Basically, he’s bitching that it prevents him from unlocking a character in Super Mario Galaxy and for that he wants $US5,000 for obstructing his “pursuit of happiness.”

In his suit Estavillo says he depends on games for his emotional well being because he suffers from depression, OCD, panic disorder, Crohn’s disease and agoraphobia, the latter of which you might recall was his basis for suing Sony after it banned him for being a jackass on PSN. A judge threw out that lawsuit, a judgment which he has appealed. There’s obviously no stopping this guy.

Banned Resistance Gamer Targets Microsoft and NOA in Latest Suits [Game Politics]

Well, not literally STFU, but one imagines that’s heavily implied with this kind of boilerplate, uttered by a Microsoft spokesperson on Friday to Canada’s Financial Post.

“Piracy is illegal and modifying an Xbox 360 is a violation of the Xbox Live Terms of Use. Microsoft is well within its legal rights to ban these users from Xbox Live.”

No suit’s been filed, remember. I think the firm involved in this saw the claims that a million XBL users were caught in the blast and went beating the bushes figuring at least some lucrative percentage of those were innocent. While Microsoft hasn’t specified the total number of pirates banz0red, it’s cast doubt on rumours that it was, in fact, seven figures’ worth.

Microsoft Stands Firm in Face of Possible Lawsuit Over Xbox Live Bans [Financial Post]

Tom Burt, who owns #203 of the all-electric sports car made by the Silicon Valley company, wrote on Tesla’s “Customer Blog”:

A team of sound engineers from Microsoft Game Studios (some working on Forza, some on Project Gotham Racing) asked if I was willing to take my Roadster to a track so they could record a variety of sounds. Some time ago they had the opportunity to record Tesla motor noises when a prototype was being run on a dyno at Tesla. But the teams were excited about the prospect of recording other sounds, particularly tire skid and squeal noises, without the interference of loud engine and exhaust noise. Of course I said “yes.”

Burt provided pics of his miked-up ride, which you can see above. (There are more at the link).

Burt is listed on Microsoft’s official site as a corporate vice president and deputy general counsel for litigation. The Tesla Roadster did appear in PGR 4 (released 2007). Of course, why would they re-record the engine note if it wasn’t needed for a new game? It could also be that Burt misspoke or misunderstood who was asking for the audio.

We’ve reported on rumours of PGR 5 in development in the past, so this is not exactly surprising. Still, I’ve emailed Microsoft to notify them of Burt’s comments and ask them for one.

Microsoft Executive Confirms PGR5 in the Works [Kokugamer via GameStooge]

“We didn’t release the number,” Xbox Live GM Marc Whitten told VentureBeat. “I cannot explain to you why people would think it was a million people. It wasn’t a million people”.

So those who had money on it being one million, sorry. You’re out. Until the cold day in hell Microsoft actually discloses the figures, though, those with money on it being 999,999 or 1,000,001, you’re still in the running!

Microsoft’s Xbox Live chief on banning modders and browsing Facebook photos on TV [VentureBeat]

The first will be Saints Row 2, only a few short months after the release of the first Saints Row on GoD. If you didn’t get Saints Row 1, get this one, it’s much better.

The second is LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures, which arrives just in time to undermine the release of LEGO Indy 2, what with the older game blessed with the absence of any Crystal Skull content.

And while they’re being offered to celebrate Thanksgiving, those outside the US aren’t being overlooked, as both titles will be available in most other places on Earth as well.

A job advertisement for Microsoft Game Studios is looking for somebody to work “with an experienced team at MGS and the world-class developers at Epic to drive the success of Gears of War and Shadow Complex in the highly competitive and fascinating world of interactive entertainment”.

Exciting. We’d have pointed out the Gears part too, but news of more Gears of War games is like news of the sun’s rising.

Microsoft hunts producer for new Epic games [Develop]

Neil Thompson, the UK chief, told GamesIndustry.biz that “We’re still very much in the baking on Natal and there’s a lot of things to get decided on it.” That goes for word that the unit would be either £50 (about $90) or even as low as £30 (about $54), with as many as 14 titles available at launch and five million units shipped. In the face of such specifics, which were said to come from Microsoft visits with developers, Thompson basically offered a general, “nuh-uh.”

“No. They weren’t accurate, they were rumours,” Thompson said of MCV’s report. “I’ve got nothing more to say about it. We’re still very much in the baking on Natal and there’s a lot of things to get decided on it.”

GamesIndustry.biz says it will later have further in-depth interviews with both Thompson and Microsoft Europe boss Chris Lewis, but it doesn’t sound like either are going much further on this subject.

Microsoft Dismisses Natal Launch Rumours [GamesIndustry.biz via GamersReports]

Between the new social features, the upcoming season of 1 vs 100, and Halo Waypoint, there’s a lot happening on Xbox Live that you can’t participate in without an Xbox Live Gold membership. Whether you are broke, indifferent or simply averse to paying $US50 a year to play games online, you’ll be able to give these new features a spin when Microsoft hosts Free Xbox Live Weekends later this month. Everyone except Europe will have full access to all Gold membership benefits from November 20-23.

Europeans have to wait a little longer, but their weekend is longer as well, running from November 25-30.

Upcoming Free Xbox LIVE Weekends [Major Nelson]

Players can download the “Hyundai Genesis Coupe Car Pack” for free today, adding three different versions of the 300-horsepower Genesis Coupe to their car rosters. The pack includes the Rhys Millen Racing Red Bull Hyundai Genesis Coupe, the HKS Genesis Coupe, and a unique Forza Motorsport 3 Genesis Coupe. I’d say it’s a coupe coup, if I was much cornier than I already am.

Following up the free DLC in December is a paid “Hot Holidays Car Pack”, featuring a selection of 2010’s most eagerly anticipated super and purpose-built race cars. Turn 10 will be slowly revealing the content of the pack leading up to the December 8th release, but it will definitely include the new Ferrari 458 Italia, with the 2010 Audi S4 accompanying the pack as a free sample. Keep an eye on Forzamotorsport.net to see what 400 Microsoft points will net you come next month.