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Rumor: PS3 Controller Named Sixaxis?
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, PlayStation 3, Rumors,
Since Sony has removed the rumble from their Playstation 3 controller, the “Dual Shock” moniker no longer applies. 1up did some digging through some trademark filings, and found an unusual one coming from Sony Computer Entertainment Japan. A request for the word “SIXAXIS” was made, and while the descriptors of the usage of the trademark seem incredibly varied, the new design of the controller and the “six-axis” motion sensitivity would seem to make this a good fit.
Read More 
| 1up
Gallery: Rumor: PS3 Controller Named Sixaxis?
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More Rumors Circle About Xbox 360 HD DVD
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Rumors, Xbox 360,
New rumors have surfaced via Digitimes that Microsoft is planning to include an integrated HD-DVD drive in the Xbox 360. The rumors have the new Xbox surfacing as early as the first half of 2007, according to the unnamed sources within the Taiwan optical drive industry.
Microsoft’s smackdown and denial of the rumors should hit soon, since the company has been adamant that HD DVD would only be for games. The last time this was suggested by Toshiba, Microsoft was quick to issue a denial. There are a number of reasons why this would be a bad idea on Microsoft’s part. First, they would splinter the market between those that have the HD DVD and those that don’t. Second, the cost of the HD DVD drive would make this prohibitive. While absorbing a loss on each Xbox 360 console makes sense to Microsoft while building a user base, the loss is mitigated by the fact that Microsoft gets license fees from game publishers for every game sold. Adding an HD DVD drive only adds to the loss, without adding more to the bottom line. Third, while Sony is launching with a Blu-Ray drive, they haven’t shown yet that this is the course that the consumer wants to take. Microsoft has time to sit back and evaluate the market and decide later as things develop. Fourth, the backlash from existing consumers would be great if Microsoft released an updated console within the first 18 months of the console’s life span.
Read More | Digitimes
Gallery: More Rumors Circle About Xbox 360 HD DVD
Apple Releases PacMan, Tetris, Zuma for iPod: $4.99 a pop
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Corporate News, Hardware, Portable/Mobile, Retro,
Well, it looks as though all of those rumors of Apple trying to hire games industry professionals may not have been all that far off. Today, during the “It’s Showtime” keynote at the Yerba Buena center in San Francisco, Apple announced that they will be releasing iPod-compatible versions of Tetris, Zuma, Mah-Jong, Texas Holdem, Cubis 2, and other games on the iTunes store for $4.99 a piece.
It’s not clear whether these games will only be compatible with the iPod phat yet, or if they’ll also work with the nano. However, Steve J did mention that all of the games should be compatible with the 5G video iPods y’all already have. This is good news, since Apple also announced during their presentation that they’re updating the whole iPod product line - including a “5.5G” video iPod with 60% brighter screen, iPod nanos in colored aluminum enclosures, and a re-designed iPod Shuffle. We’ll update this story with more information as it becomes available on the Apple website.
UPDATE 1: Apple’s website has been updated, indicating that the iGames are compatible only with the 5G iPod or the newly-released 60% brighter 5.5G iPods. iPod nanos are not supported. We’ve downloaded some of these games from the iTunes Store (went very smoothly - this is Apple after all) and will have full reviews up shortly. It’s looking like at least some of these are worth the $5.00 download.
Read More | AppleInsider
Gallery: Apple Releases PacMan, Tetris, Zuma for iPod: $4.99 a pop
Sony Confirms Contents, Pricing For PSP Entertainment Bundle
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, PSP,
After discussing plans to release a new bundle for the PSP in an attempt to highlight the multimedia capabilities of the console, Sony today officially announced the details of the PSP Entertainment Bundle. The bundle will be officially available on September 13th, and will include the standard black PSP, ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin’ Trails, the UMD Movie Lords of Dogtown, and a 1 GB memory stick. The whole package retails for $249.99, which seems like a decent deal compared to the retail costs of each component.
The 1 GB memory stick is nice, but the “free” game and UMD movie seem like questionable choices. Lords of Dogtown got mixed reviews and has been available on DVD for nearly a year. While ATV Offroad Fury got decent reviews when it was released, the game was one of the first released for the PSP. ATV is also plagued with pretty horrendous load times, which may sour the out-of-box experience for the new PSP user somewhat. If Sony were truly serious about taking marketshare from Nintendo they could have upped the included content with things that gamers would actually want; a PSP bundled with Lumines would be much more appealing. As it stands, the “free” pack-ins feel more like they were intended to entice the Holiday purchase by a family member that doesn’t know any better. It is interesting that Sony will launch this bundle on the same day that Nintendo will release their Onyx Black and Coral Pink Nintendo DS consoles.
Read More | Gamasutra
Gallery: Sony Confirms Contents, Pricing For PSP Entertainment Bundle
$50 Off Xbox 360 Platinum System at CompUSA This Week
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Hardware, Hot Deals, Xbox 360,
There’s no question… gaming is getting to be a more expensive habit by the year. Fortunately, with Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo about to be in fierce competition for king of the next-gen mountain, we can expect to see some much-needed price drops soon. The rebate below, which brings the price for the Xbox 360 Platinum system to a mere $350, might be a trial by Microsoft to see just how many more units they can ship with a lower pricepoint. Then again, it might just be that most people don’t think of going to CompUSA for console gaming, and they’re overstocked with Xbox 360 systems. Either way - you win!
Just hurry! This offer is only available through CompUSA’s online store (free shipping, of course), and lasts only until September 16th.
Read More | CompUSA.com via Consumerist
Gallery: $50 Off Xbox 360 Platinum System at CompUSA This Week
Sony Announces PS3 Ratio, PSP Bundle
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, PlayStation 3, PSP,
According to a report on GameDaily, Sony has started to set down the details of their Playstation 3 product launch this November. The ratio of PS3 Premium to Core units was announced, with the $600 Premium consoles taking up roughly 80 percent of the launch quantities. While final assembly of the console isn’t scheduled until the end of September, Sony still believes they will be able to ship another 800,000 units by the end of the year to the United States. Given that Sony plans on having 2.4 million consoles shipped by the end of 2006, this would indicate that Japan will see another 1.1 million Playstation 3 consoles delivered between November 11 and December 31. If Sony can’t scale up Blu-Ray diode production to match demand, though, this number would be in jeopardy.
Sony also announced that they planned to focus on highlighting the PSP’s non-gaming features, and they planned to release a new bundle by the end of the year. No pricing was set on the bundle.
Read More | GameDaily
Gallery: Sony Announces PS3 Ratio, PSP Bundle
IBM today announced that they have made the first shipment of “Broadway” processors for Nintendo’s Wii processor, according to a report on Gamasutra. The shipments come out of IBM’s East Fishkill fabrication plant. The CPU utilizes IBM’s Silicon on Insulator technology that provides a reduction in power consumption of over 20 percent over the “Gekko” processor in the Gamecube. The news from IBM suggests that Nintendo is well on the way towards making their production goals for the Wii.
Read More | Gamasutra
Gallery: IBM Announces Shipment Of Wii Processors
Pink Godzilla Dev Kit- Videogame Development For Everyone
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Accessories, Casual, Hardware, Portable/Mobile, Simulation,
For those out there that haven’t had the chance to make it to Seattle’s Penny Arcade Expo, you might think the event’s entirely focused on the latest and greatest videogames. Truth be told, the event’s meant to be inclusive of all forms of gaming, including table-top and card games (although these get substantially less press). I was not so excited about visiting the Magic-obsessed hordes in the card gaming area, but boy am I glad I did… for that’s where I discovered Pink Godzilla.
Pink Godzilla might just be the nerdiest concept ever - it’s a card game about developing videogames, with lots of puns and in-jokes that only hardcore gamers will get. It’s also a helluva lot of fun. The general idea is that you have to collect cards to develop videogames and thereby score points. Each game requires a title (for instance, “Pinky Gear Solid”, or my personal favorite “Dance Dance Team Ninja Supressors 2”), characters to star in the game, and accessories (like key-tars for music games or combos for fighting games). Along the way, you can add special features to your game like easter eggs or powered-up accessories, and lots of points are awarded for making the best game around!
You can purchase the Pink Godzilla Dev Kit through the link below. I for one highly recommend it - I’m not usually a cardgamer, but this one is just too much fun to ignore.
Read More | PinkGodzillaGames.com
Gallery: Pink Godzilla Dev Kit- Videogame Development For Everyone
European Sony Fans Have Had Enough, ThisIsWaiting.com Launches
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Hardware, Internet, PlayStation 3, Politics,
It took less than 24 hours, and now gamers the world ‘round to have a place to vent their PS3 frustrations in Photoshop form. Parodying the marketing slogan for the PlayStation 3, “This is Living”, ThisIsWaiting.com gives users the ability to upload their own anti-Sony images and have them appear on the front page.
It should be noted that the owners of ThisIsWaiting.com appear to also own the wii60.com domain, which has been encouraging users for a while to get a Wii and Xbox 360 for the price of a PS3. So, obviously, these folks are a bit biased. Still, there’s some hilarity to be seen on the frontpage, and some creative venting of anger.
Read More | ThisIsWaiting.com
Gallery: European Sony Fans Have Had Enough, ThisIsWaiting.com Launches
Sony Can’t Produce Enough PS3’s, US Will Only See 400K at Launch
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Corporate News, Hardware, PlayStation 3,
Remember all those articles about blue laser diode shortages and low Cell processor yields? Well, it looks like there may have been something to them. This morning, Sony posted the staggering announcement that their estimates for PS3 production by year end have been cut in half, from 4 million to 2 million. How is Sony going to deal with this shortage and distribute them amongst the various continents? In short, they can’t. The European PS3 launch has now been pushed back another 4 months, to March 2007. But the bad news isn’t just for our European friends… North America will only see 400,000 PS3’s for launch, and Japan will get a measly 100,000.
It should be interesting to see what this means in the end - if demand for the PS3 remains high, then this could give retailers a chance to reap extra profits by forcing bundles and other cost increases on consumers. It might not be so outlandish to expect the earlier-reported $1000 PS3 bundles here in the states. Then again, if retailers push the price too high, or if supply shortages are severe, then demand could wane drastically and many of those kiddies with dreams of PS3s dancing in their heads could see a Wii60 in their stocking instead on Christmas morning.
Read More 
| International Herald Tribune
Read More | Sony Press Releases
Gallery: Sony Can’t Produce Enough PS3’s, US Will Only See 400K at Launch
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