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GameSpot is reporting that analysts at Merril Lynch Japan are estimating that it will cost Sony $494 (54,000 Yen) for every PlayStation 3 console built for launch. If Sony launches the console at the same price that they have launched their previous consoles at ($399 in the US, 44,800 Yen in Japan), Sony will lose roughly $1.2 Billion at launch.
Losing money on game console hardware is nothing new, and has been considered to be status quo for many years. Typically, the console manufacturer will take a loss on the hardware in order to get a compelling feature set into homes, and then make up the difference on the royalties from the manufacture of the game software, which can be significant.
The only significant spoiler in this business is Nintendo, who rarely loses much (if any) money on their console hardware. It is estimated that Nintendo only lost $3 per unit sold at the launch of GameCube, and through manufacturing modifications and optimizations, had eliminated that loss in under six months. Sony was still losing significant money on the PlayStation 2 hardware (as was Microsoft on its Xbox console) up until last year.
If you’re looking for a hot deal on a game console and want to really get more than your money’s worth, you can’t do better than buying a console at launch, when the cost is being largely subsidized by the manufacturer.
Read More 
| GameSpot
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AnandTech has a thorough analysis of the CPU performance of both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles, including some choice information from confidential developer sources. The verdict? Looks like the CPUs in these two upcoming game consoles are severely hamstringed by a deeply pipelined CPU architecture and poor branch prediction.
Xbox 360’s CPU uses three custom-designed IBM PowerPC cores. While the PlayStation 3’s “Cell” processor only uses one of these same cores, the rest of the chip is dedicated to an array of SPE units that end up being fairly useless in practice. Of the two, apparently the developers are finding the Xbox 360’s Xenon CPU the more useful of the two. The real killer comes on page four of the analysis, when the revelation comes that if either console maker had used an Athlon X2 or Pentium D CPU, they’d have far better performance.
The saving grace in both cases are the rocket-fast GPUs, which will allow the games to look fantastic, and that’s all most gamers will end up caring about once the console is hooked up to their computer monitor or high-def TV. But it appears that any advances in physics or AI will be delayed for another console generation.
Read More | AnandTech*
*AnandTech has pulled the article sourced here from their website due to concerns that it may have compromised one of their confidential sources.
Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Finally Drops For PSP
Posted by Oscar M. Cantu Categories: Driving, Portable/Mobile, Wireless,
Rockstar’s latest offering is finally available for the PSP after being pushed back. The game is much like its bigger brothers with slight modifications such as a new quick race mode and wireless multiplayer. Overall the game seems to be just like the original version – slow load time and all. Racing fans of all ages will definitely not be disappointed when on the go with this game. Tackle on the career mode and trick out your ride or do a quickie whenever you want – no need to coax it either. The game is out now and can be yours in exchange for $49.99.
Compare Prices | Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition
Looks like more and more video games are trying to get on the big screen. No, I don’t mean the HDTV sets gamers are snapping up in anticipation of the 360 launch – we’re talking Hollywood here. Max Payne will be turned into a movie thanks to 20th Century Fox. If you don’t remember the story, or don’t know it, then this quick little re-cap will do:
The story, as THR reminds us, centers around a New York cop, Max Payne, whose wife and baby are murdered by criminals high on a new drug called Valkyr. Without much left to live for, Payne joins the DEA and goes undercover with the mob to discover the source of the drug. Framed by the murder of his partner, Max is hunted down by both the mob and the cops in his one-man war on crime.
No word yet on the exact date it will be released. Who do you think should play the lead role?
Read More | FilmForce
Ghost Recon 3’s Official Name: Advanced Warfighter
Posted by Oscar M. Cantu Categories: Action, First Person Shooters, Internet, Nintendo Gamecube, PC, PlayStation 2, Strategy, Xbox, Xbox 360,
Tom Clancy’s latest creation finally has an official name – Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. The game will feature a new way to lead your team and will have advanced technology in all aspects of the equipment used. The game will be released this holiday season for every major console including the PC – sorry, no Mac version. Each version will offer something exclusive to that console – reminds me of Soul Calibur. Here’s a little snip of the background to the game:
The game is set in the year 2013 in Mexico City, which has been overthrown by an insurgence of rebels. The famed Ghosts must head into the capital to squash a rebellion and retake control of the metropolis. Gamers will lead their squad on missions to “save the president of the United States, recover stolen nuclear codes, and eliminate a vicious band of renegade soldiers hell-bent on unleashing catastrophe.”
Read More | Gamespot
PSP Hacking At Gnomedex 5.0
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Mods/Hacks, Portable/Mobile, Retro,
Philip “pt” Torrone gave a demo of how to hack the PSP, including the ones with the latest firmware on it, at Gnomedex. When when PSP came out, first version was 1.0 in Japan. People were interested in creating their own games. Sony then upgraded the firmware, and you wouldn’t be able to play homebrew games on the memory stick. Until a week and a half ago, your only option for running these apps was having a 1.0 firmware PSP. We are getting close to seeing UMDs dumped to Memory Stick.
You use an application called PSP Swap Tool. It tells you to put an app on one Memory Stick, and the other file on another. You insert the Memory Stick, and you can choose from a myriad of installed emulators. He scrolls through and finds a game he wants to play. He hits X to start it up, and then switches cards during the loading screen. The chess game starts up to a round of applause. He does it again, and this time starts the Commodore 64 OS on the PSP. You can check the tutorials at MakeZine.
Area 51 Xbox Review
Posted by Oscar M. Cantu Categories: Features, First Person Shooters, Reviews, Xbox,
There has been mixed reviews about Midway’s latest FPS Area 51. Some hold this game as just another shooter while others go as far as claiming this is the next Halo. Want the truth? The truth may be harder to uncover and the road to it certainly isn’t without its share of conspiracies add that to a montage of people and creatures out to kill you in more ways than bullets can. According to the box, the U.S. Army has received a distressed call from; you’ve guessed it, Area 51 where a viral outbreak has forced the facility to shut down and a quarantine to be called. You play the part of Ethan Cole, a specialist in a HAZMAT team who has been sent in to investigate the mess. Easier said than done, right?
Click to continue reading Area 51 Xbox Review
Microsoft Planning to Split Xbox 360 Userbase?
Posted by Rob Stevens Categories: Corporate News, Features, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360,
It’s hard to tell for certain, several months before the launch of Xbox 360, what Microsoft has planned for their “2.0” console. However, recent statements made by none other than BillG himself point to a console that will be constantly evolving in terms of specs and capabilities ... something that has spelled danger for consoles past.
At a recent event in Tokyo, held jointly with HD-DVD standard bearer Toshiba, Microsoft reiterated their commitment to the standard. Microsoft and Toshiba have a cross-licensing deal which extends back to April of this year, which has resulted in Toshiba being one of the leaders in Media PC and Tablet PC development. The stakes in the next-generation DVD battle are huge, and having Microsoft as an ally would certainly add a certain amount of credibility to the format.
At this same event, Bill Gates stated that while the initial shipments of the Xbox 360 would contain a standard DVD drive, they are considering putting HD-DVD drives in future versions of the console, as well as other alternatives. “We are looking at whether future versions of Xbox 360 will incorporate an additional capability of an HD DVD player or something else.”
Typically, consumers don’t like to hear that it’s possible that their hardware will be obsolete the moment it is released, and is part of the reason why Sony is throwing as much hardware at the PlayStation 3 as possible and eating the cost, including Blu-Ray support, the other format competing with HD-DVD as the standard for high-definition movie content. By including the drive at launch, not only does Sony “future-proof” the machine, but they can possibly propel Blu-Ray to the forefront in the standards race, giving them an competitive advantage. The success of the PlayStation 2 is widely credited towards including DVD movie playback. In fact, in the first year of the PlayStation 2, more movie content was attached to PS2 sales than were game software. It also helped that the PS2 was a fairly inexpensive DVD player upon its release.
What is baffling is that considering what is at stake, and Microsoft’s close ties to Toshiba, why Toshiba is not supplying the drives at no- or low-cost to Microsoft, in an effort to simply get the hardware into consumers homes and get a head start on Sony. Given Microsoft’s willingness to add the hardware at a later date, potentially skewing the installed base and giving no competitive advantage to Toshiba, it is truly strange that Toshiba isn’t willing to eat the cost now to guarantee themselves an early leadership position.
It’s important to note that this won’t necessarily impact people planning to use the Xbox 360 solely for game play, but for those buying into Microsoft’s philosophy of turning the game console into a media component in the living room, it’s a potentially hazardous decision. Announcing the decision this close to the Xbox 360 launch may even cause some consumers to wait until the HD-DVD capability is included, by which point Sony may already have the Blu-Ray capable PlayStation 3 in the marketplace.
This is not the first time that confusion has been expressed over the specs of the Xbox 360. Initial photographs released indicated a 40GB hard drive attached to the machine, but the final specs released at E3 showed the storage device as 20GB, but that the drive is upgradeable to higher capacities later.
Read More | GamesIndustry.biz
Actiontec 54g Wireless Game Adapter Detailed Review
Posted by Sparky Categories: Accessories, Features, Reviews, Wireless,
Actiontec was kind enough to send Gear Live one of their new 54mbps wireless game adapters for review.The wireless game adapter functions as an Ethernet to 802.11g bridge enabling you to get your game system (PS2 or Xbox) or other Ethernet enabled device online wirelessly. It’s a very cool concept, but unfortunately the Actiontec has a few minor implementation issues. Check out the full review after the jump.
Click to continue reading Actiontec 54g Wireless Game Adapter Detailed Review
Quake for Mobile Phones
Posted by Edwin Soto Categories: First Person Shooters, Portable/Mobile,
One of the most famous games that sparked the FPS genre is coming to a mobile phone near you. Planned to be release on 3D enabled phones in Korea, ID has hired Bare Naked Productions to develop the application for mobile technology.
Read More | MobileMag
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