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IDG Analysts Predict Console Sales Through 2010
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360,
Analyst group IDG has released their latest hardware and software sales projections for the North American and Western European territories, and Next Generation has summarized some of the predictions for the North American market.
IDG believes that in the short term, the Xbox 360 will benefit from general hardware shortages for the Playstation 3 and the Wii; the 2006 sales numbers bear this out, with the Playstation 3 moving just short of 1 million units in 2006, and the Wii moving about 1.1 million. This does seem somewhat at odds with other Wii sales numbers; current Nintendo projections have 1 million consoles available at launch alone, with an additional 100,000+ units shipping to retailers each week. Pre-order numbers for retailers also have been much larger for the Wii than the Playstation 3. It looks like console supply shortages will be the largest impact on Playstation 3 sales.
Still, despite these problems, IDG predicts that the Playstation 3 will overtake the Xbox 360 in the North American market by 2010. It is unclear what “winning” the console war will mean to either Sony or Microsoft, since the lead will be effectively split in this territory. Microsoft’s inability to penetrate the Japanese market may give Sony the edge globally.
The Wii predictions seem on the small side. IDG claims that the bundled Wii Sports may reduce software attach rate, but Next Generation’s excerpts otherwise give little reason behind the software sales projections. They could be basing their numbers on a growth path over the Wii, but the unknown factor will be how well Nintendo does with their “Blue Ocean” strategy to grow the video game market.
Read More 
| Next Generation
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More Wii Remote Questions Answered
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Nintendo, Wii,
After ComputerAndVideogames ran down an extended preview of the Wii remote, there were still some lingering questions. Now, a few of those questions are explored. ComputerAndVideogames tackled battery life and power for the Wii controller; Nintendo believes that the remote should last 60 hours without the pointing function, 30 hours with. ComputerAndVideogames also discusses the pointing capabilities of the remote, saying that the remote doesn’t function as a light gun, but instead operates like a virtual mouse. They don’t rule out this functionality, but it was not present in any of the games tested. Other topics raised include calibration of the controller, replication of motion in games, and the sensor bar. While not as detailed as the previous Wii remote preview, at least some new questions are answered.
Read More | ComputerAndVideogames
Toys ‘R’ Us’ plans for Wii pre-orders have been confirmed online. GoNintendo has managed to secure scans of the upcoming Toys ‘R’ Us Big Toy Book that verify that the company will be offering Wii pre-orders. No deposit information was listed, and the advertisement doesn’t list any pricing for the console or accessories, but other sources have confirmed that a $50 deposit will be required to reserve a system. GoNintendo has detailed (if fuzzy) scans of the ad.
Read More | GoNintendo
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Toys ‘R’ Us Big Toy Book Lists PS3, Wii Pre-Orders
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: PlayStation 3, Rumors, Wii,
A post from the CheapAssGamer forums lists what are supposedly the first details for the Toys ‘R’ Us Big Toy Book for the upcoming holiday season. According to the poster, the new flyer lists Playstation 3 pre-orders as starting on October 29th, and will require a $50 deposit. Of course, “limited quantities will be available.” Interestingly, Nintendo’s Wii is shown in the catalog, but while the copy apparently tells customers that they can reserve the console, no details are listed. Gamers that missed previous pre-order opportunities may have another camp-out scheduled in their future.
Read More | Cheap Ass Gamer
New US box images for Nintendo’s Wii console have been placed online by the Wiixors blog. The shots are taken from a box from a local EBGames, and show off some of the included items in the retail box from Nintendo. The box has logos for Dolby Pro Logic II (as the GameCube supported), Opera, and RSA security. According to the images, the Wii retail package will include the console, stand, Wii remote, Nunchuck, sensor bar, AC adapter, a standard AV cable, and something called the Wii Startup Disc. It is unclear what will be on the disc; speculation on the Internet suggested that the Wii may have a firmware update included out of the box for changes that have been made since manufacturing began, or it may include system restore software to allow users to reset their Wii to the default state.
Read More | Wiixors via GoNintendo
Ubisoft To Charge $19.99 For Big Hunk Of Plastic
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Driving, Hardware, Mods/Hacks, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Wii,
Ubisoft’s steering wheel controller for the Wii, essentially a circular frame for the Wii remote, will be included free with two of its launch titles. However, gamers that would like to buy this big piece of molded plastic separately will have to pay $19.99 as reported by GameSpot. Given that there are no electronics in the wheel “add-on” it seems likely that an enterprising third-party could do something very similar for much cheaper.
Read More | GameSpot
Rumor: Toys ‘R’ Us Pre-orders Start October 29
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Nintendo, Rumors, Wii,
A Toys “R” Us employee who is a member of the Cheap Ass Gamer forums has posted information about what are supposed to be the pre-order plans for the toy retailer. Supposedly $50 down will get you a place in line, and pre-orders are planned to start the new holiday Big Book arrives. According to the post, this should be Sunday, October 29th. Apparently, the store’s relationship with Nintendo continues – the poster says that Toys “R” Us will be the official launch partner for the Wii. Also, each store was reported to be getting a huge allocation; the chain supposedly will have more total consoles for pre-order than GameStop. If the numbers of consoles available for pre-order are true, gamers should be able to hit up their local Toys “R” Us on the day that tickets become available without having to camp out. None of this information has been officially confirmed, of course, but the poster’s history does have some insight into previous Toys “R” Us stores.
Read More | Cheap Ass Gamer
Nintendo Further Clarifies Wii Sensor Bar Sun Issues
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Nintendo, Wii,
Nintendo’s recent unclear “clarification” of the Wii’s sensitivity to sunlight to 1up left something to be desired. Kikizo pressed a little harder, and got a company representative to admit that the Wii sensor bar can be affected by head-on exposure to sunlight, causing interference. Of course, if the sensor bar is directly facing sunlight then the television that the console is connected to would likely be affected in the same manner. So, it looks like the sun will kill the Wii sensor bar, but only in situations where the sun shines directly into the IR sensors.
Read More | Kikizo
EB Games Canada: Wii Pre-Orders Require $200 Canadian
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Corporate News, Nintendo, Wii,
While US gamers can start lining up to pre-order their Wii consoles tomorrow with only $50 in their pocket, it looks like Canadian gamers are going to have to lay out a little more. Not only do Canadian gamers have to wait until Monday for their pre-orders, but those pre-orders will require a $200 Canadian, unless they have $50 worth of stuff to trade. While this offer isn’t nearly as screwed up as the limited pre-order program in Hawaii, it does highlight the massive profit-taking enterprise that is the GameStop / EB Games software trade-in program. GameStop’s trade-in values tend to be extremely low and on top of that they seem think nothing of selling counterfeit merchandise. While GameStop seemed to be making strides at improving their pre-order program in the US, it looks like they took a few steps back in Canada.
Read More | GamesStop
Zelda.com Updated With Twilight Princess Info
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Adventure, Nintendo, Role Playing Games, Screenshots, Wii,
Nintendo of America recently updated their Zelda.com site with new information about The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Much of the information has been previously released elsewhere, but the company has also added a bunch of new screenshots of the game, showing off more of the action. The Wii version of the game is scheduled to launch with the console, while the Gamecube version will be released on December 12th in the United States.
Read More | Zelda.com via GoNintendo
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