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1 Million PS3s Shipped To US
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Corporate News, Hardware, PlayStation 3,
At the opening of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Sony announced that 1 million Playstation 3 consoles were shipped to North America by the end of 2006. Despite shipping 197,000 consoles at launch, half of their promised supply, it appears that Sony has caught up with their production goals for the system and have ensured a stead supply of hardware to the North American market. This appears to have resulted in pockets of availability across the country as demand has somewhat cooled in some markets. It will be interesting to see how Playstation 3 sales figures change as supply increases to the market; the Xbox 360, the Wii, and the older Playstation 2 all sold well this holiday season. As supply increases, the true demand for each console will be revealed.
Read More 
| Yahoo News
Gallery: 1 Million PS3s Shipped To US
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Xbox-Scene has further details about the hardware modifications needed for the Xbox 360 to support HDMI. The site has hardware shots of a prototype Xbox 360 board with HDMI support added, along with a video showing the port in action. One of the most frustrating things about the rumors of HDMI support has been how coy Microsoft has been about adding this connection to the console. Early on, the message from the company was that 1080P and HDMI would not be necessary for HD gaming. Now that the Playstation 3 hit the market, however, 1080P mysteriously becomes an available option and an Xbox 360 with HDMI surfaces.
If Xbox-Scene’s information is reliable, then the reason why Microsoft has not been forthright about HDMI support in the Xbox 360 becomes clear; the original Xbox 360 had no chance of supporting a digital output because their vaunted scaler chip, ANA, would only support analog signals. The new Xbox 360 has an updated scaler, HANA, which probably enables digital scaling and HDMI support. Apparently, when Microsoft says that they will “provide an HDMI port to consumers when it makes sense,” that means they will do it when the competition supports it and by offering new hardware, rather than an upgrade to existing users. One also has to wonder if this ties in at all into Microsoft’s efforts to expand the Xbox 360’s multimedia capabilities; content providers may be shying away from the platform without a secure connection with HDCP enabled.
Read More | Xbox-Scene
Gallery: More Xbox 360 HDMI Details
Xbox 360 Revision 2 Specs Leaked
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Rumors, Xbox 360,
Gamers knew that Microsoft has been planning a cooler, more efficient version of the Xbox 360 CPU for future versions of the console. However, according to Engadget, the modifications to the console don’t end there. An Xbox insider leaked the upcoming changes, which include the new CPU, an HDMI port, and a new 120 GB drive. The fact that the HDMI port is integrated into the box suggests that there will be no HDMI cable coming for early adopters of the Xbox 360, and a bundled 120 GB drive for the same price as the original Xbox 360 Premium kit this early in the console’s life cycle would be enough to cause anguish for recent purchasers of the console. With no real details as to pricing and bundle availability, gamers will have to wait and see how Microsoft handles this release; the company will have to weigh alienating their existing customer base while enticing new customers to buy.
Read More | Engadget
Gallery: Xbox 360 Revision 2 Specs Leaked
Anonymous Hacker Shows Xbox 360 Exploit
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Mods/Hacks, Xbox 360,
Videos have surfaced of what appears to be an Xbox 360 hack being used to run custom code on the console. At the 23C3 Hacker Congress in Germany, an anonymous hacker brings an Xbox 360 with some kind of hardware modification on stage and proceeds to demonstrate running custom code via an exploit that appears to exist in Ubisoft’s King Kong. The video uploaded to YouTube eventually shows a moving logo apparently offering Linux and OS X on the console, “coming soon.” No other details have been released at this point, so it is hard to gauge the feasibility of the hack. Having this hack appear at the 23C3 Hacker Congress event hosted by the Chaos Computer Club gives this demonstration more weight than a random Internet video, but homebrew developers are taking a wait-and-see stance at this point until more details surface.
Read More | Xbox-Scene
Gallery: Anonymous Hacker Shows Xbox 360 Exploit
While the Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii both had one year warranties (15 months for the Wii when registered), the Xbox 360 had trailed with a mere 90 day warranty. Now, Microsoft has extended the warranty on all Xbox 360 consoles, past and present, to one full year. Those users who have had to have their consoles repaired in the past will qualify for reimbursement of those fees.
The early Xbox 360 consoles were somewhat notorious for their failure rate. While Microsoft initially downplayed this issue, eventually they owned up to the problems and offered free repairs and a warranty extension for those users. Some complaints on the Internet indicate there are still problems with some Xbox 360 consoles shipped.
Microsoft’s press release announces the warranty extension as a customer satisfaction measure. This may be in response to Xbox 360 issues, but also as a way to address implied reliability issues by the gap in warranty length compared to the other consoles. For whatever the reason, this a good thing for Xbox 360 owners.
The full press release continues after the jump.
Click to continue reading Xbox 360 Gets Warranty Extension
Gallery: Xbox 360 Gets Warranty Extension
PS3 Bluetooth Remote Ships
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Accessories, Hardware, PlayStation 3,
The Playstation 3 Bluetooth remote is starting to appear in retail stores, according to online reports. A member of the NeoGAF forums was apparently able to purchase the remote from an EBGames in Richmond, VA. The remote retails for $24.99. Physically, the device looks fairly slim. Those consumers that play a Blu-Ray movies often will welcome the dedicated buttons on the remote. Given that the Playstation 3 relies on Bluetooth for its controllers, this may be the only dedicated remote available for a while. There are a couple of larger pictures available in the forum post.
Read More | NeoGAF
Gallery: PS3 Bluetooth Remote Ships
Nintendo Offering Free Wiimote Strap Replacements
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Nintendo, Wii,
Nintendo of America is offering free strap replacements for those with the original Wiimote straps. The company has already been slipstreaming in the new straps into the supply chain, so not everyone will need to have a replacement sent. Those needed a replacement can fill out an online form with their address and their Wii console serial number. Nintendo believes that the replacement should arrive within 5 to 9 days.
Read More | Nintendo
Gallery: Nintendo Offering Free Wiimote Strap Replacements
December 10 Media Create Hardware Sales Numbers Released
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, Hardware, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360,
Media Create’s hardware sales numbers for the week ending December 10th have been released, and the Xbox 360 received a considerable bump due to the release of Blue Dragon for the console, moving 35,343 units during the week. This number is the highest the console has seen since launch, and the numbers are respectable but not spectacular. The top selling console this week was the DS Lite, selling 309,630 units. The Wii followed behind with 85,439, and the Playstation 3 came in third with 50,171. One assumes that the Wii and PS3 numbers are heavily constrained by supply. Coming up after the Xbox 360 are the Playstation 2 at 30,460 consoles and the PSP at 28,930 units.
The DS Lite just continues to absolutely dominate console sales in Japan. Microsoft has to be somewhat happy with the bump in sales in Japan. Considering that the Blue Dragon bundle is an insanely great deal on the hardware and software included, the company may be paying a heavy price for this improvement in sales. If Microsoft can ride the wave to further success the cost might be worth it for the company, but if this is a temporary blip, one has to wonder if anything can turn around the console in Japan.
Read More | Media Create
Gallery: December 10 Media Create Hardware Sales Numbers Released
Hori Announces Two Joysticks For PS3
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Accessories, Hardware, PlayStation 3,
Premium controller manufacturer Hori announced that on February 8, 2007, the company would be offering two new joysticks for the Playstation 3. The sticks will be updated USB editions of their existing “Fighting Stick” and “Real Arcade Pro” series. Both sticks will offer turbo modes and button layouts ideal for a number of fighting games. With the upcoming release of Virtua Fighter 5 and Tekken: Dark Resurrection, gamers will need a solid joystick. While Hori’s Fighting Stick 3 will be cheaper at 5,229 Yen ($48), the hard core will want the durability and action of the Real Arcade Pro 3, retailing for 8,379 Yen ($72).
Read More | Game Watch
Gallery: Hori Announces Two Joysticks For PS3
Unofficial USB Network Dongle For Wii Found
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Mods/Hacks, Nintendo, Wii,
Wii owners with wireless networks have support out of the box, but those still operating with wired networks have had only a couple options: either purchase the USB WiFi dongle for one of their PCs, or wait for Nintendo’s official USB wired network adapter. Now, there is a third option. Some forum members from Nintendo’s official forums have found a USB network adapter that will work with the Wii. According to posts on the forum, the KINAMAX USB 2.0 to RJ45 Fast Ethernet 10/100 Base-T Network Adapter will work correctly when connected to the USB port of the Wii. The adapter runs about $20, and should be a good option for those too impatient to wait for an official solution from Nintendo. One of the forum members has uploaded a video showing the adapter in action to YouTube, linked above. Of course, as a non-official solution, users with this adapter should not expect to get any support from Nintendo should any issues arise.
Read More | Nintendo Forums via Game|Life
Gallery: Unofficial USB Network Dongle For Wii Found
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