Sony have confirmed that Gran Turismo 4 will not meet its latest release window of spring 2004. Originally the game was due to be out in time for Christmas before subsequently slipping into this year. We spoke to Sony and they now expect the game to hit the shops in June or July, with July being the most likely. GT4 will be great, this we know, but it would also great to get our blinking mitts on it. Oh well.

Speaking of getting our mitts on all things good in gaming (or not, as the case may be), rumours abound that Halo 2 will also slip into the second half of 2004, rather than its expected spring showing. Microsoft are remaining tight-lipped, as you'd expect, and offering up "when it's ready." This suggests to us that it's more than a couple of months away, which does point towards a summer release, at best.

So, can the game that's probably the most eagerly awaited title for 2004 bring us any solace? Um, we doubt it. Back in October, Vivendi confirmed that Half-Life 2 would miss its original pre-Christmas release due to the mess caused by the and put it back to at least April 2004. Developers Valve recently announced the imminent arrival of the software development kits, which enable gamers to build their own mods.

As you'd imagine, this has fuelled speculation that the game could well follow shortly after. Talking to Vivendi, we didn't get that impression: with a sense of inevitability, we got a big fat 'TBC'. What are the chances of Half-Life 2 sitting on our machines before the summer? Looking around the office, we don't see anyone holding their breath...