I can just imagine how the Kinect would vastly improve gathering resources in Mass Effect 3: "New! Now with added mine pick motion!"

News Blips:

A Mass Effect 3 box art screenshot showing the sentence "Better with Kinect sensor" hints at motion-sensing support for the science-fiction role-playing game. NeoGAF users spotted the image, now removed, on the EA Store website yesterday evening. Neither BioWare nor EA have officially announced any plans incorporating the Kinect with the upcoming title, but here's hoping for the gaming industry's first alien ass-grabbing simulator.

The Windows 8 interface employs a startlingly different tile-based look. Microsoft Director of Program Management Jensen Harris presented a walkthrough of the operating system's start screen in a YouTube video, demonstrating the app-like program icons and touch support. Thankfully, the hard drive's file system remains fully accessible, allowing PC gamers to continue tweaking game data files in peace. 

LucasArts promises an improvement for its slipping game quality. "We're a company with tremendous potential," president Paul Meegan told MCV. "I think people look at it and wonder why it hasn't done better in recent years." Meegan called the company's franchises "some of the most beloved and powerful brands in entertainment" but acknowledged that "we haven't always done a good job of making games. We should be making games that define our medium, that are competitive with the best of our industry, but we're not. That has to change." Step one: Move away from the dead cow droid with that milk bucket, LucasArts.

The PlayStation Store returns after wallowing in hacker hell. The resumption of service includes a small avalanche of new content including game DLC, Rock Band songs, downloadable titles (such as Sega Rally Online Arcade), demos, avatars, videos, music, and themes. Sony's Welcome Back program -- intended for customers who stuck it through the company's recent troubles -- still isn't live, but PS Store Director Grace Chen said that it's in the final stages of testing and will be available soon.

Got any hot news tips? Send 'em over to tips@bitmob.com.