NexGen Wars Update: Xbox 360 leads, Wii catching up

Last July, Nexgenwars.com went on line to provide an "unbiased account" of how the three next-gen consoles are faring in the market. Back then Xbox 360 was the only one available with almost 4 million units sold. Today, after its two competitors finally launched, the sales figures are really heating up.

Based on NexGen estimates, Xbox 360 has now sold over 9 million (28%) since it launched over a year ago. Unless it sells another million within the next few days, MS will miss its 2006 sales target of 10 million

Nintendo is way, way, way off its target of moving 9 million Wii consoles by the end of the year. So far Wii sales is at 1,956,724 units (17%) since it launched. But then again, only 2 million units of the console have been released so far.

Lagging behind the two is Sony's PS3 at 792,619 units sold. Back in August Sony boldly predicted it will top Xbox 360 sales. Unfortunately, Sony didn't manufacture enough PS3s to go around to break Xbox 360's record.

Stay tuned for the final 2006 sales figures which we will post a few days from now.

(c) www.qj.net

Are people swapping PS3s for Wiis?

Jason McMaster has a report up over at GigaGamez saying that people are trading in their Sony PS3's for Nintendo Wiis. Even they were a bit skeptical at first when Tony Conrad, CEO and Founder of Sphere first pointed it out to them, but they started to believe the claim a bit when they did a little research through craigslist.org.

They decided to look up some of the hottest cities on craiglist: Austin, New York, and San Francisco. In Austin six people wanted to trade in their PS3s. In New York 18 people wanted to trade-in their big black box. In San Francisco, 48 different people want to trade in their PS3s for a Wii. This despite the price difference between the two.

McMaster spends some time speculating why people are willing to trade in at a loss. He wonders whether or not this has to do with with the fact that while most of the people who camped out for a Nintendo Wii did so for maybe four hours, PS3 lines were plagued with greedy eBayers and shootings.

McMaster has a few other theories but the scenario that he paints that we think is most reasonable is the eBay scenario. Here's his words:

Another scenario could be that they’re trading the PS3s, which are dropping in price on eBay, for the Wii to try and flip it right before the holidays. This theory is given credit by a few traders looking for two Wiis for a 60 GB PS3. That would definitely be a profit gain situation.

Can't get a PS3 and you really want one? Buy two Wiis. Can't get a Wii but you managed to snag a big black box through eBay? Trade it in and get two. To each his own.

(c) www.qj.net

IBM Corp: True winner of the console war

The triumvirate of next-generation consoles are all out. The war is now on. And IBM Corporation is sitting comfortably on its fortune at the backstage. As all of you might be aware, it was this company who developed the Power chip that powers Xbox 360 and Wii, as well as the Cell chip found inside the PlayStation 3.

The videogame deals earned IBM up to US$ 2.9 billion last year and US$ 2.5 billion in 2004. At the end of 2006, which by the way is just few days away, the company is expected to see about US$ 3.7 billion in sales of chips and associated design services. Aside from the actual sales, IBM has formed a new "technology collaboration solutions" unit that is expected to post US$ 4 billion in revenue this year.

This is actually a glaring contrast to status of the company before the deals. Prior to 2004, IBM was struggling to attract enough outside chip-making work to cover the enormous cost of manufacturing. As a result, their hardware division suffered a lost of US$ 252 million in 2003. The head of the said division, William Zeitler, couldn't hide his astonishment:

I think of this at the same stage of development that outsourcing was in the early '90s. There were a lot of people skeptical and now it represents a large part of IBM's portfolio. We had exactly the right proposition at exactly the right time. Ten years ago it would have been inconceivable that all the game processors would have used IBM product. Nobody would have thought of it because all we had was standard things.

Now that they've conquered the videogame market, IBM is looking on new prospects. They reported that possible future application of the chip includes computers for medical imaging, defense and complex simulations. Currently, IBM is expecting to ink a deal with companies like Mercury Computing Systems and Toshiba.

(c) www.qj.net

Enable Tabs in the Wii Web Browser

TeamDSX Writes:

The future version of Wii Tabs will have bookmark capabilities, and maybe a weather bug type feature in the bar.

There may also be customizable skins or something like that so it'll match the Wii.

Wii Tabs support can be found at http://team-dsx.net/wiitabs/support and you can post a comment on your problem.

Here are some of the things people have been saying about our Beta release so far:

Kotaku - "Pretty nifty tool, just be sure to favorite that site as you will have to visit it first to enable the tabbing."

Go Nintendo - "Awesome find, I just added this to my favorites!"

Play-Nintendo - "have come out with some handy tabs for the internet channel on the Wii!"

Max Console - "All you have to do is visit http://team-dsx.net/wii with your Wii and click on the tab that will pop up! It is just that simple."

Wii-Volution - "This is a rather important feature I felt was missing for the Opera Browser."

So thank you everyone for your support. If you like what we do then you can support us by donating OR if you don't want to do that, then you can vote for us on a bunch of Topsites that reset monthly. The vote page is http://team-dsx.net/vote

Don't forget to spread the word on Wii Tabs. A video demo will be made also for people that need to figure out how it works, or are confused about something.

(c) http://team-dsx.net

Live Reaching Out, Falling Short

by Jason McMaster

XBox Live is consistently heralded as the finest console gaming network. The Playstation Network is new to the scene, and doesn’t really offer as much as Live does in the way of connectivity… then again, it’s free. Nintendo’s network is still in the works, with the company opening new channels as it goes on. So, why is it so hard to reach out to the gamers when you have a quality product without much actual competition? The answer is perception.

Analyst David Cole, President of DFC Intelligence, had this to say about playing online games:

“A lot of casual gamers are intimidated by online in general, both in terms of the technology and the human competition. That’s changing, but it still has a ways to go.”

One of the major problems that a gaming network can run into is the idea of playing against complete strangers. There’s a certain mass-market appeal to playing online with friends, co-workers and family in a friendly or lightly competitive environment. That same appeal just isn’t there when playing against a 15-year-old who has logged 500 man-hours into the latest game just so he can call you names and question your mother’s virtue.

Microsoft tried to take steps to help sort out the different kind of players by having categories that you can choose that suit your amount of playtime and devotion, but there’s only so much that can do. Whoever figures out a way to make the online realm a more friendly place to take your console experience will be the company that controls the market. Until then, you can just mute the other players.

(c) www.gigagamez.com

PS3 or Wii: A Developer’s Conundrum

by Jason McMaster

Ernest Adams, Freelance Writer, Game Designer and contributor, has written another entry for his series, “The Designer’s Notebook,” about the PS3 and Wii. The question he poses in this column is “which will developers want to work on?” I believe that’s something we’d all like to know. Adams, in his column, says:

“For a long time, I’ve had a theory that there’s always room for two-and-a-half game consoles in the market – that is, two main contenders battling for first place and an also-ran that survives but never stands a chance of doing better than third. Being either first or second is normally good enough to guarantee healthy sales and long-term survival. The more critical question is, who will be the also-ran?”

He then goes on to discuss the merits of the Wii and PS3 from a developer’s standpoint. The PS3, he says, has computing power, and there’s no doubt that it’s the most powerful console ever made, whereas the Wii has interactivity on its side, with the Wii remote. He then puts forth a theory on the final outcome:

“So who, at the end of the day, will be the also-ran in this generation of consoles? On the global scale, I’d say it could well be neither the PS3 or the Wii, but the Xbox 360. The PS3 will win over the hardcore gamers who have to have the fastest, most amazing machine available. The Wii will skim off the younger players and those who don’t have as much money to spend.
Both have the advantage of being made in Japan, so they’ll crowd the Xbox right out of that market. In the US and Europe, it’s harder to say, but I see the Xbox’s early start as more of a liability than a benefit. They’ve racked up several million sales, but they can no longer claim to be the latest, greatest thing – especially as the PS3 plays Blu-Ray disks out of the box, but HD-DVD is only available for the Xbox as an add-on. The Dreamcast got an early start too, and look how that ended.”

It definitely could turn out that way, but who can really say at this point? What about the hardcore gamers who don’t want to spend $600 dollars to play Madden or FIFA? Surely that demographic isn’t completely covered by the Wii. Who knows if the Wii will even still be going strong this time next year? Maybe the “wow” factor will have worn off in regard to the controller. Each system has individual strengths.

The biggest advantage Microsoft has isn’t claiming to be “the latest and greatest”, but having a second generation of games that look great and play even better. One reason being that they’ve had their dev-kits (early versions of consoles for use by development houses for testing games) out longer, and another is their development tools are of higher quality. That’s what coming out first gets for you.

Sony has its name and the fact that it really has developed a powerful machine. I was skeptical of the PS3 at first, especially after spending so much time following it up to release and listening to the Sony Corporation say one bizarre thing after another, but they’ve really produced a high quality console. The fact that you can display movies and games at 1080p is pretty great as well as being able to swap out the hard drive. The weak launch titles may not do much for initial sales, but when the PS3 starts seeing some quality titles, it’s going to be something else.

Finally, Nintendo. What else can you say about them? Zelda, Mario Brothers, Metroid and Pokemon are all ridiculously popular and will always sell a system. They are currently making a profit on every Wii sold and have been in the black for years. Nintendo may not razzle-dazzle, but they’re not going anywhere.

“Who’s going to win this generation?”, seems to be the question that everyone is asking. The real answer, as of right now at least, is “who cares?” What we need to do, as consumers and enthusiasts, is buy your favorite console, get the games you want to play and enjoy it. We’re in the golden age right now, people, and we should be savoring every moment of it.

(c) www.gigagamez.com

KUTARAGI PROMISES MORE EXPENSIVE PS3!

WTF is he talking about?! Ken Kutaragi, yes, Ken "The Rag" Miyagi, has promised an "AV-centric PS3." So instead of buying a PS3 for gaming, it would be for enhanced audio and graphics capabilities instead. Obviously Ken mentioned that it would be a lot more expensive than the current PS3 which is damn expensive already. Speculation around the announcement is guessing at an expected price tag of about $2,500. The new PS3 would include a "power supply unit, anti-shake insulator, twice the main memory, and 2x HDMI to split sound and video output." Does Sony need more money to make up the more than generous hit each PS3 unit is causing them? Does Sony think quadrupling the price will solve their problems? Fuck it, let's make a Sony Porsche. But it doesn't drive, it just plays movies in 1080a. The 'a' stands for aggressive - if your friends buy anything less impressive then 1080 progressive Sony products, it drives over to their houses and pisses oil on their living room floor to short circuit the competition.

Why not release a $1 million dollar PS4 right ow, but only release 10 of them? That way when 10 rich bastards buy them they get to show off graphics the 360 can't compete with anytime soon, plus the extra 10 million helps cover the PS3 sales losses. Work with me Sony, I'm trying my hardest to help you out here. If I have to watch you make a $2,500 PS3 just to see another 16 year old pimp smashing-my-PS3 video a littler bit of the gamer inside me will die.

(c) www.thelastboss.com

Xbox 360 Cables & Adapters Buyers Guide

by Nino Marchetti

Out of the box, your Xbox 360 generally comes with decent cabling and battery charging options (for the wireless controller in the Premium bundle). To power gamers who don’t mind putting down some spare change for better cables and adapters, a world of third party accessories are available which can provide much better experiences than the standard Microsoft gear. Microsoft itself even makes some great cabling and adapters for a few extra dollars. To get some great ideas on some of the better Xbox 360 cables and adapters on the market, check out our list below.

Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter
You want to connect your Xbox 360 to Xbox Live but lack an Ethernet connection in your turn-of-the-century home. Before you consider ripping out the walls and installing a home network, think about setting up a wireless network with the Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter as part of the package. This adapter plugs into the back of your gaming console and offers dual-band 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz Wireless A/B/G home network options. Company Website; Check Prices

Nyko Charge Station 360
The Nyko Charge Station 360 lets you enjoy a lot of extra wireless gaming via your wireless controller by charging dual battery packs. These batteries, which come with the charging station, charge up in four hours and you can tell their charging status via individual LED lights. Each battery provides an average of 25 hours of game play. Company Website; Check Prices

Monster GameLink 360 Monster Cable 10’ Component Video/Fiber Optic Cable Kit
Why settle for the standard AV cables which come with your Xbox 360 when you can invest some cash and get some top notch component and fiber optic cables from Monster Cable? The Monster Cable GameLink 360 10’ Component Video/Fiber Optic Cable Kit lets you experience high definition video and digital surround sound on your home entertainment system as it is meant to be with A/V technologies such as silver content solder connections and double shielding of 100% mylar foil and 95% copper braid. Company Website; Compare Prices

JoyTech Control Center 540C
Tired of reaching behind your rat’s nest of wires to disconnect the Xbox 360 and other high definition components from your A/V receiver? The Joytech Control Center 540C has four component video and a host of other audio/video ports of various types which you plug into, using your Control Center to connect to your home theatre setup. There’s also a built-in five port Ethernet hub, customizable backlit LCD display for naming each input and a remote control for switching. Company Website

Microsoft Xbox 360 Quick Charge Kit
Microsoft has their own take on the dual rechargeable battery charging station via their Xbox 360 Quick Charge Kit. This charging solution does not need to plug into your Xbox 360 and offers the ability to charge two batteries in under four hours. One battery comes with the Quick Charge Kit and offers up to 25 hours of play per charge. Company Website; Compare Prices

(c) reviews.digitaltrends.com

No software drought for Wii, pledges Fils-Aime

Big titles on the way next year

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has promised that the Wii will not suffer from a lack of software titles as other Nintendo consoles have done in the past.

Speaking to Newsweek, Fils-Aime highlighted three games - Zelda: Twilight Princess ("arguably the best game we've ever made"), Metroid Prime 3 and Super Mario Galaxy - as examples of key titles for the Wii.

He said that Metroid was down for a release "early in 2007", while Mario Galaxy will be "strategically" timed "to make sure that we continue driving momentum through 2007".

"How do I answer the question, "Will there be no drought," and "How will we make sure that there are fantastic titles for Wii?" The answer is Zelda, Metroid and Mario. Which is a pretty darn good lineup," Fils-Aime concluded.

When then asked if he'd repeat George Bush's infamous "read my lips" pledge to deliver games at a steady pace, the NoA president added, "I thought I just did."

Speaking to MTV News recently, Fils-Aime said that Metroid Prime 3: Corruption would be the next big first party title after WarioWare: Smooth Moves (January) and Mario Party 8 (March), while Mario Galaxy would arrive sometime between March and Christmas 2007.

(c) www.gamesindustry.biz

Consoles in 2007

2007 is going to be a very interesting year for the console wars. Nintendo is off to a fantastic start with the Wii, and it appears the system built specifically to appeal to non-gamers and broaden the market has done just that—everyone who plays one says it's fun and wants one. That initial enthusiasm doesn't always translate into sales, though, much less extended sales. Once the talk shows and morning shows and news updates about the "hot holiday items" wear off, will those non-gaming masses still care? Will the idea of possibly purchasing or trying out this thing even cross their minds? Will Nintendo be able to keep the hot titles flowing fast enough to keep the core gaming demographic interested? After all, Zelda was a huge hit at launch, but nothing else has done very well, and the critical reception for other Wii titles is fairly poor. Nintendo's job throughout 2007 will be to keep the Wii fresh, keep it in the mainstream press as much as possible, and target it toward an expanding market that reaches beyond core gamers. It also has to prove that the sad reputation of the GameCube—only 2 or 3 Nintendo franchise games a year really worth getting for it—won't hold true. Nintendo needs to crank out the Wii hits, and bring forth plenty of great exclusive games from third-party publishers. That's not an easy task.

Sony has its work cut out for it. Despite the company's protests, everybody knows (and sales records have confirmed) that shipments have been below expectation and Sony has to make desperate improvements to increase supply. With a major region launch coming in the Spring (that usually requires stockpiling hundreds of thousands of units), that's going to be tough. The PS3 is at a price disadvantage, and Sony is already taking a big loss on each unit sold. It will be hard for them to reduce the price, but that needs to happen quickly. Many of the hot PS3 exclusives, like Metal Gear Solid 4 and Final Fantasy XIII, are only maybe going to be done in time for a 2007 release. In short, Sony has precious little time to lower the PS3's price, fix all the little software flaws and glitches, add competitive online features to better stack up against Xbox Live, and release totally awesome exclusive games. Sony will be very busy in 2007.

Oddly enough, Microsoft seems to be in the best position moving into 2007. Its approach is less risky than Nintendo's and less reliant on shaking up the buying habits of millions of non-gamers. Thanks in part to some software delays (like Forza Motorsport 2, the lineup of exclusive titles for 2007 looks very good. Even the first six months of the year has several potential blockbusters in store. Thanks in part to Blue Dragon and some other imminent releases, Japan is starting to take notice of the Xbox 360. Sales are still not stellar and it is doubtful that we'll see a huge explosion in Japanese Xbox 360 sales in 2007, but the numbers should climb from "insignificant" to "a meaningful part of the business." And then there's Halo 3, part of a franchise so big that it will probably be responsible for millions of 360 purchases alone. Grand Theft Auto 4 will ship simultaneously on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, taking a very important feather out of Sony's cap. What was once an exclusive to Sony's platform and a big system-seller will now be available on both platforms, and the 360 will be the less expensive of the two ways to jump into the game.

Microsoft is entering the second year of production for the Xbox 360. Costs are already under control, with analysts claiming that Microsoft is already breaking even (or better) on each unit sold. With a move to smaller, cooler, more energy efficient 65 nanometer processors assumed to happen in the first half of 2007, the time is ripe for an Xbox 360 price cut. This is going to be hard for Sony to match with the PlayStation 3. Exciting things are afoot with Xbox Live. Microsoft added a video marketplace this year: Will that expand to music in 2007? Will there be a subscription model? The XNA Game Studio Express program that lets common programmers make Xbox 360 games without buying expensive development kits was just released. In 2007, we should see some sort of method for all Xbox 360 users to sample these homebrew projects. If this takes off, it could be a major point of differentiation between platforms.

Microsoft's main challenge is going to be making sure that launching early doesn't turn around to bite them. It has to remind consumers that the Xbox 360 is every bit as "next-generation" as the PlayStation 3 and convince them that the lower price does not mean inferior graphics or gameplay. The Xbox 360 has to continue to be seen as the "hot new thing" or risk being increasingly pushed aside along with the previous generation PS2, GameCube, and Xbox. It also has to make good on many of its release dates, and avoid pushing big franchises back to 2008.

The big unknowns? What will Microsoft do with the hardware? Will the next iteration of the Xbox 360 be more than just less expensive? Will it be quieter? Will it include built-in Wi-Fi, a bigger hard drive, or an HDMI port?

(c) www.extremetech.com

Xbox Video Download Service Succeeding By -- Gasp -- Being Decent

Movie download sites and services are playing out to a more predictable storyline than the most trite Hollywood flick: one after another, they all suck. Their offerings are plagued by restrictive copy protection, poor site design and usability and other drawbacks, while many of them apparently ignore their biggest problem for many people -- it's difficult to download a movie then watch it on a TV set rather than a computer. It's hardly surprising to learn, then, that Amazon's movie-download store (which covers all the bases when it comes to these problems) continues to struggle, while the Xbox Live video download service is apparently doing quite well. While the Xbox service isn't perfect, it does offer a few significant benefits, namely that the machines are typically hooked up to a TV, and that it also offers HD content. The HD video appears to be a big draw, because despite its $1 higher price and significantly longer download time, HD content is more popular than the same content in standard definition. While there are only 3.5 million Xbox 360s in the US, video content is selling as well as, or better than on the download sites, which are available to far more PC users. While it may be news to the download site owners, it's hardly surprising that users will flock to services that offer a good user experience.

(c) www.techdirt.com

Microsoft extends Xbox 360 warranty to 1 year

 by Declan McCullagh

Just in time for last-minute holiday shoppers, Microsoft has extended the Xbox 360's warranty from 90 days to one year, bringing it in line with the warranty lengths of rival game consoles from Sony and Nintendo.

The extension is retroactive, meaning that someone who bought an Xbox 360 in the United States or Canada and paid for repairs within the last year is eligible for reimbursement. In many other countries, a one-year warranty already is standard.

"Customer satisfaction is a central focus and priority for the Xbox 360 system," Jeff Bell, a marketing vice president at Microsoft, said in a statement Friday.

Microsoft also said reimbursement checks for repairs done in the last 12 months will be sent out automatically in about 10 weeks. Contact information for warranty questions is available on the Xbox support site.

Microsoft has been the target of an online petition--with 3,382 signatures as of Friday--calling for a retroactive warranty extension to one year. The petition claims that Xbox 360 systems frequently failed after the original 90-day warranty and that customers were unreasonably required to pay between $50 and $129 for repairs.

Nintendo's Wii comes with a standard one-year warranty, with a free 90-day extension if customers register their consoles on the company's Web site. Sony's PlayStation 3 comes with a one-year warranty.

Some credit cards, including American Express and Visa, extend the manufacturer's warranty if a product is bought using that card.

(c) www.news.com.com

Wii internet channel launches: free for now

by Thomas Ricker

You've got your Wii weather, now check the Wii Internet channel. Right on schedule, Mario's elves have been marching 'round the globe dropping little messages into consoles to let owners know that their trial version of the Opera-based browser is ready to download. It's free for now, with the final version scheduled to pop in March. After June 2007, it'll cost you 500 Wii points. Welcome to the living room Opera!

(c) www.engadget.com

Wii still leads brand perception study

The latest update to BrandIntel's ongoing brand perception survey of the new crop of video game consoles finds the Nintendo Wii leading the pack. The data is compiled from criteria including general appeal, purchase intent and brand image in order to track consumer impressions. The Wii was the most talked-about console, leading the Sony PlayStation 3 by 12 percent and generating more than double the amount of conversations than the older Microsoft Xbox 360 does. Factors like price and the fun-to-play factor helped the Wii maintain the lead, although perceptions had cooled as availability has been limited.

More bad news for Sony as the PS3 continues to generate negative conversations due to the high price tag, plague-filled development and launch, and the highly debated merits of the graphics. In particular, conversations about the graphic capability of the console rank lower than those for the Xbox 360. On that same token, the Xbox 360 has indeed benefited from the shortage of Wii consoles, and its strong lineup of games has generated positive consumer discussion.

(C) www.fiercegamebiz.com

Sony exec: nobody will ever tap full power of PS3

In an interview with MTV, Sony executive Phil Harrison talked about the PlayStation 3 and where his company was planning on taking their latest game console.

To start off with, Harrison talked about how excited he was about the new possibilities offered by the online capabilities of the new generation of game machines. "The video-game business for the past 20 years was about shipping closed experiences," he said. Somebody made a game. Gamers bought it. They played it. End of story. Now comes a new trend, he said, where "the start of the relationship with the consumer is when you launch the game."

A cynical person might comment that the "relationship" being referred to is simply one where the consumer continues to empty his pocket on a monthly basis by purchasing extra add-ons and unlockable content for the games they have already paid for. However, there are plenty of possibilities afforded to consoles by the inclusion of online access. Many of these have already been explored for some time by the PC platform, such as the development of communities based around popular games.

Harrison talked about some of the problems his industry faces, such as the relentless attack on the morality of gaming by publicity-seeking politicians, and the struggle for the industry to be taken seriously as a legitimate art form. "I fervently believe that the biggest challenge we face is that our industry is referred to as 'video games,' and games are supposed to be fun," he said, echoing the words of Doug Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). He defended games such as Grand Theft Auto by saying that "games should deal with fear, should deal with comedy and with death. They should deal with peril, with drug offenses."

Harrison saved his most interesting comment for last. In discussing the future of the PS3, he stressed that developers are not currently using the machine to its full capacity. In fact, he stated that the current crop of games are using "less than half" of the machine's power, and that "nobody will ever use 100 percent of its capability." Of course, it is common at the beginning of a new console's life for games to not make full use of the power of the hardware: it takes some time for developers to learn the best tricks and techniques for squeezing every last bit of calculating power from any new platform. But to claim that nobody could ever make full use of the system's power, ever, seems a bit hyperbolic. Some developers, at least, will be wanting to tap the full power of the Cell, such as IBM's high-end customers in the HPC market. Some of this knowledge is bound to leak over to the game development world.

The major reason Harrison wants to hype up the "unlimited" potential of the PS3's architecture is to downplay comparisons between games running on Sony's console and Microsoft's Xbox 360. The two systems are not completely dissimilar: they both contain a PowerPC core running at 3.2 GHz, both have similarly-clocked GPUs, and both come with 512 MB of RAM. The 360 adds two additional cores running simultaneously, whereas the PS3's "Cell" architecture eschews the extra cores in favor of seven smaller "Synergistic Processing Units" (SPUs) that act as vector processors with a separate instruction set and a tiny amount of on-board memory. Whether or not two extra cores are equivalent to seven SPUs is a matter that has not yet been adequately resolved: many have argued that the Cell architecture has more theoretical potential power, but whether this will translate into significantly better-looking games is still unknown. Many games still don't take full advantage of the Xbox 360, either, and as the two heavyweights battle it out, it will be fascinating to watch what developers on both sides can accomplish. Still, in the end it is more about whether or not the games will be fun, and thus the race is on to sell as many systems as possible in order to create a larger market to encourage widespread third-party developer support.

(C) www.arstechnica.com

Pink PS2 will be a hit this Christmas, says GAME

 by Ellie Gibson

More stocks arriving as demand ramps up

The Nintendo Wii may be the most sought after console of the moment, but according to GAME there's another system in demand - the pink version of the PlayStation 2.

The retailer said that one of every two consumers buying a PS2 during the launch week of the new model picked pink, leading to initial stock shortages.

"The popularity of the pink PlayStation 2 has been overwhelming," said marketing director Anna Macario.

"In the autumn, a range of pink consoles were released - however we�re seeing a real demand for the Pink PlayStation 2. We�re now back in stock of the pink console in stores, so we�re hoping to fully satisfy the demand in time for Christmas."

GAME is currently offering a pink PS2 bundle with two matching controllers, a memory card, Singstar Popworld and microphones for GBP 129.99.

[Thanks goes to www.gamesindustry.biz for this article]

HD DVD vs. Xbox Live Marketplace: Why There's No Big Difference

How can an Xbox Live WMV encoded video which has 720p/1080i and only 6.5 Megabits per second (VBR) compare to an HD DVD, which has the potential to go up to 1080p and 36.55 Megabits per second? It can, and it turns out there's not as much difference between the two as you might think.

By recording and comparing two clips, one HD DVD and one XBL WMV, Brandon Wirtz and Jake Ludington came to the conclusion that there's really no noticible difference between the two if you don't have a 1080p TV that's been correctly calibrated. Other than the fact that Windows Media Encoded files can't display true blacks because it's calibrated for NTSC color space instead of ATSC color space, there ain't that much to report.

In short, unless you're a true videophile that spent hours calibrating your TV, have a 1080p set, and have a theatre-lit room, you probably won't notice the difference. – Jason Chen

[original post: www.gizmodo.com]

Nintendo Recalls 3.2M Wii Wrist Straps, 200,000 DS and DS Lite Power Adapters

All Wii Remotes are recalled

Nintendo today announced that the company will replace some 3.2 million Wii Remote wrist straps after receiving numerous reports of the straps braking sending the controller flying. Nintendo will allow customers to exchange their failure-prone wrist straps with a new beefier strap that is about double the thickness of the original.

There have been numerous reports of straps breaking sending remotes through TVs, windows and other expensive items. Nintendo responded to the Wii Remote madness by issuing a response in writing concerning the proper use of the remote. A few days later, Nintendo began making revisions to the Wii Remote in the form of a beefier wrist strap.

The new wrist strap is already included with the latest machines shipped, but Nintendo estimates that it may have to replace up to 3.2 million wrist straps, costing the company several million dollars. The old straps, which were found to be especially prone to breaking, had a 0.6 millimeter string diameter, while the new replacement strap features a diameter of 1 millimeter.

"People tended to get a bit excited, especially while playing Wii sports, and in some cases the control would come loose from their hands," company spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa said. "The new strap will be almost twice as thick."

Nintendo has setup an online replacement form for Wii customers so that they can get replacements for their Wii Remote straps. Shipments will begin on December 21 and it will take 5 to 9 days to receive replacements.

The company also announced today that it is recalling 200,000 AC adapters for the DS and DS Lite in the Japanese market.

[original post: http://dailytech.com]

Sony patents LED-infused, motion-tracking controller

While the PS4 might be "just around the corner," and Nintendo's Wiimote is sure to give you all the (potentially dangerous) controller flinging fits you can handle, it appears that Sony's giving the whole "controller innovation" thing another go. Sure, Sony's faced its fair share of lawsuits (hasn't everyone?), and had noticeable trouble with Dual Shock in particular, but the less-than-revolutionary SIXAXIS controller is apparently lacking a heavily-desired feature: motion tracking. We're fairly certain that Sony is watching its toes to make sure the next lawsuit to hit doesn't come from the big N, but its latest patent describes a "handheld controller having detectable elements for tracking purposes," which admittedly sounds awfully familiar. The design looks simply like a revamped version of the current SIXAXIS, with embedded LEDs on the front of the device and an "external camera (Sony's sensor bar patent?) to capture the movements" of the user. After combing through the patent jargon, there's little doubt that the goal here is to deliver a controller that allows gamers to maneuver and react with more than just button mashes, but whether or not this development will actually be realized (or if games / lawyers will end up supporting it) remains to be seen.

[original post: www.engadget.com]

Nintendo Investigating Wii Strap Problem

The Associated Press
By YURI KAGEYAMA
December 07, 2006

Nintendo's president acknowledged Thursday the just-launched Wii video-game machine may have a problem with a strap that secures its trademark wandlike remote-controller to the player's wrist.

President Satoru Iwata also said Nintendo may raise its sales target for the Wii, which is selling out at retailers since it went on sale in recent weeks in the U.S. and Japan.

The console from the maker of the Pokemon and Super Mario games is locked in a fierce three-way battle with Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360.

'We are investigating,' Iwata said of reports about the Wii's strap coming off as players swung around the controller, at times causing the remote to fly out of their hands.

Players use the Wii remote like a tennis racket, sword and other devices to play games.

'Some people are getting a lot more excited than we'd expected,' Iwata said. 'We need to better communicate to people how to deal with Wii as a new form of entertainment.'

The company has not decided on any specific measures to change the strap, Nintendo spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa said.

Iwata said he first wants to see how Christmas sales go before revising Nintendo's sales target for 6 million Wii consoles by the end of March.

'I'm not ruling that out entirely, but it's premature to say it now,' he said at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Tokyo.

Nintendo has delivered more machines so far to consumers than Sony Corp. has, partly because of Sony's production problems.

Nintendo has shipped about 400,000 Wii machines in Japan and more than 600,000 in North America. The machine went on sale Thursday in Australia and is set to go on sale Friday in Europe.

Sony readied just 100,000 PlayStation 3 machines for the Japan launch, and 400,000 consoles for its U.S. debut. Its European launch has been pushed back until March.

Sony has promised 2 million PS3 machines by the end of the year, while Nintendo is targeting 4 million in global shipments of Wii during the same period. Both Sony and Nintendo are projecting selling 6 million by the end of March.

Selling machines in numbers is crucial in the gaming business because hot-selling formats attract software companies to make more games, which in turn boost machine sales.

Iwata denied that Nintendo was competing against Sony. It's more important to attract novice players and to reach out to older people and others usually not associated with games, he said.

Analysts say Wii appeals to inexperienced players and has a price advantage at 25,000 yen or $250 _ about half of the PlayStation 3.

Analysts expect Wii to mount a serious challenge to market-leader Sony, which has sold more than 200 million PlayStation series machines worldwide over the years, although they say the verdict on next-generation machines is still out for a couple of years.

Sony is expecting to rack up 200 billion yen ($1.7 billion) in red ink in its game unit for the fiscal year ending March 2007, much of it in startup costs for PlayStation 3.

Nintendo is forecasting profit of 100 billion yen ($845 million) for the fiscal year, as Wii buoys earnings in the second half.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[original post: www.topix.net]

Blu-ray DVD drive no bonus for some PS3 buyers

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Gamers love Sony Corp.'s (6758.T)new PlayStation 3 for its graphic capabilities and firepower,but the advanced Blu-ray DVD drive is annoying some by raisingthe cost, slowing production and forcing them to buy into aformat they've not yet aligned with.

Sony's move to put a Blu-ray drive into the PS3 video gameconsole is part of the Japanese giant's plan in a high-stakesnext-generation DVD format war that recalls the fierceBetamax-VHS battle, which Sony's Betamax lost.

This time, Sony's Blu-ray is competing against a rivalToshiba Corp.-backed (6502.T) format known as HD-DVD.

Sony said Blu-ray is part of its long term plan to positionits machine as a home entertainment hub, but some experts saythe strategy may be backfiring.

Yankee Group analyst Michael Goodman said that whiledie-hard gamers will buy the PS3 at any cost early on, buyerswho come to the product later will be more price-sensitive.

"Blu-ray is adding $150 to $200 to the product. They'vecreated something that is not for today's market. It's not amarket driver, it's only driving the price higher," he said.

Cymfony, a company which culls trends from posts onInternet sites, reported that positive discussions about HD-DVDwere 46 percent higher than Blu-ray in a survey of almost18,000 posts on blogs, discussion boards and consumer reviewsites from October 1 to November 30.

"Negative Blu-ray conversation indicated a lack of consumertrust in Sony, as well as gamer displeasure with sellingBlu-ray in association with PlayStation 3," said Jim Nail, aspokesman for Cymfony, which culls trends from posts on socialmedia sites.

Hollywood and electronics makers are hoping high-definitionDVDs, with better picture quality and interactive features,will reignite the slowing market for DVD sales. But the formatwar, technical issues and the advent of digital video-on-demandservices are creating hurdles for the new DVDs and players.

Andy Parsons, a spokesman for the Blu-ray Disc Association,called the launch of the PS3 a "turning point" for the format.

"Blu-ray's here to stay. The likelihood of people usingPS3s as DVD players is significant, particularly when you'retalking about millions of consoles Sony expects to sell," hesaid.

There is a good precedent for Blu-ray -- Sony's PlayStation2, currently the dominant game console with more than 106million sold, helped push the standard DVD format. The PS2 cameto market in 2000, about three years after the DVD was firstlaunched.

"We think the same will happen with the PS3 and Blu-ray,"Parsons said.

In the gaming console war this holiday season, Sony's PS3,priced at around $600, faces two main competitors in MicrosoftCorp's (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) Xbox 360 at around $400 and Nintendo Co Ltd's(7974.OS) Wii for about $250.

Microsoft recently added an optional HD-DVD player andbegan offering full-length film and TV downloads inhigh-definition via its Xbox Live online gaming service.

Mark Knox, a spokesman for the HD-DVD consortium, saidoffering HD-DVD as an add-on was an important distinction.

"We know that every HD-DVD drive being sold to Xbox usersis being used to watch films. They're not being forced to buyit," he said. "Every PS3 includes a Blu-ray drive, but thatdoesn't mean every gamer wants to watch a movie on PS3."

John Davison, editorial director of 1Up Network, a gamingnetwork with 13 million monthly unique visitors, said mostgamers are not interested in viewing films on the PS3.

"PS3 will live and die by the games it plays. The fact it'sa DVD player is a bonus, but not why people bought it," hesaid.

[original post: www.hitech-news.info]

Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver Reviewed

Three things are combining to make this Xbox 360 wireless receiver for Windows a fantastic buy. First, it's only $19.99. Second, Xbox 360 controllers like the Wireless racing wheel and even the standard ones are great. Most importantly, DirectX 10 and Vista's "Games for Windows" branding requirement is forcing every game developer to support all Xbox 360 controllers via Direct X. That means just about every game will have real 360 controller support.

As for the device itself, it connects via USB and can handle any combination of four controllers or headsets. Even new controllers like the Mad Catz arcade stick should be supported. Did we mention it's only $19.99? – Jason Chen

[source: www.gizmodo.com]

Wii Multiplayer In Q2 2007

Nintendo of America’s top guy Reggie Fils-Aime stated in an interview that online Wii gaming won’t be available until Q2 2007. He implied that the first of the multiplayer enabled games will start to drop in March and that there should be something of an onslaught following that.

I’m not really sure how I feel about this. Six months after launch seems like a particularly long time for Wii owners to have to wait for one of the most standard features of next gen consoles: Online multiplayer action.

It sort of bugs me that companies launch products just to get them out of the door and then customers have to wait months just to get the features they were promised.

[source: http://crunchgear.com]