August Console Sales Numbers [Archive] - Front Office Football Central

Big Fo

09-13-2007, 07:08 PM

Consoles:

Wii 403.6 K
Nintendo DS 383.3K
Xbox 360 276.7K
PlayStation 2 202K
PlayStation Portable 151.2 K
PlayStation 3 130.6K
GBA 69.5K

Software:

01. Madden NFL 08 (Xbox 360) - 896,600
02. Madden NFL 08 (PS2) - 643,600
03. BioShock (Xbox 360) - 490,900
04. Madden NFL 08 (PS3) - 336,200
05. Wii Play (Wii) - 256,800
06. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii) - 218,100
07. Mario Strikers Charged (Wii) - 147,400
08. Guitar Hero II (PS2) - 145,400
09. Mario Party 8 (Wii) - 138,300
10. Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s (PS2) - 127,100
11. Madden NFL 08 (Wii)
12. Madden NFL 08 (Xbox)
13. Brain Age 2: More Training In Minutes A Day (DS)
14. Two Worlds (Xbox 360)
15. Pokemon Diamond (DS)
16. High School Musical: Makin' The Cut (DS)
17. Guitar Hero II (Xbox 360)
18. Madden NFL 08 (PSP)
19. Pokemon Pearl (DS)
20. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 (Xbox 360)

Wii beats DS for the second month running, impressive.

Xbox 360 price drop enables it to double PS3 sales and to beat the PS2 for only the second month since the 360 launched.

Metroid Prime 3 with good numbers despite only being on sale for four days of the reported period. Bioshock had good numbers as well.

Madden and Guitar Hero are juggernauts but we knew that already.

Either Wii owners read Madden reviews or just don't care about the series in general, sales down near the OG Xbox. PS3 users obviously didn't care that much about 30 fps (considering installed base of course) or maybe they just didn't have anything else to play.

wade moore

09-13-2007, 07:15 PM

Madden and Guitar Hero are juggernauts but we knew that already.

I don't have time to look it up, but I think those numbers still may be down from the same time last year for Madden.

Eaglesfan27

09-13-2007, 07:24 PM

wade moore

09-13-2007, 07:27 PM

Those Bioshock numbers are impressive. I wonder how much they contributed towards the huge 360 sales spike. Certainly the first month in a while that Microsoft should be feeling very good about. Of course, the Wii continues to amaze.

And I'll try to say before the spinmaster gets in here - Sony has to be concerned at how short-lived the closed gap between them and M$ was after the price drop of the PS3. Madden being just under double on the PS2 compared to the PS3 is also a very dramatic message about the PS3 imo.

Big Fo

09-13-2007, 07:41 PM

Yeah, the PS3 basically needs FF13 and MGS4 to come out tomorrow alongside a price cut to $299.

Atocep

09-13-2007, 07:44 PM

And I'll try to say before the spinmaster gets in here - Sony has to be concerned at how short-lived the closed gap between them and M$ was after the price drop of the PS3. Madden being just under double on the PS2 compared to the PS3 is also a very dramatic message about the PS3 imo.

Potential buyers have heard rumors of the PS3 price drop before the holidays and are waiting until then to purchase so this drop in sales was 100% expected.

Big Fo

09-13-2007, 07:46 PM

Well the true SDF spin is that if you add PS3, PS2, and PSP together they utterly smoke Microsoft and Nintendo (well, as long as you separate the Wii and DS).

Then I think you're supposed to link to some Killzone 2 screenshots.

SackAttack

09-13-2007, 07:48 PM

And I'll try to say before the spinmaster gets in here - Sony has to be concerned at how short-lived the closed gap between them and M$ was after the price drop of the PS3. Madden being just under double on the PS2 compared to the PS3 is also a very dramatic message about the PS3 imo.

When the PS2 has 15x the installed base of the PS3, if it *doesn't* sell at least twice as many copies, then it's a danger signal for EA.

I'd be more worried about the PS3 hardware numbers coming in right at just about double the Game Boy Advance than I would be about the PS2 version of Madden outselling its big brother 2-to-1.

wade moore

09-13-2007, 07:51 PM

When the PS2 has 15x the installed base of the PS3, if it *doesn't* sell at least twice as many copies, then it's a danger signal for EA.

I'd be more worried about the PS3 hardware numbers coming in right at just about double the Game Boy Advance than I would be about the PS2 version of Madden outselling its big brother 2-to-1.
What were Madden sales on the 360 compared to the XBOX last year? I'd be pretty shocked if they were this dramatic.

Maybe it's a side effect of the PS3 not selling, but the pure numbers are still very bad news. If nothing else, no one decided it was finally time to go from the PS2 to the PS3 when Madden came out.

I just don't see how this isn't bad news, even if it is an indirect outcome of the bad sales. We keep saying the PS3 is just waiting for games. It gets one of the biggest games every season and does very little with it.

gstelmack

09-13-2007, 08:20 PM

And as expected, the 360 dip that allowed the PS3 to catch up last month was because everyone knew the price drop was right around the corner, waited, and blew the PS3 out of the water this month.

SackAttack

09-13-2007, 08:44 PM

What were Madden sales on the 360 compared to the XBOX last year? I'd be pretty shocked if they were this dramatic.

Frankly, since the Xbox hasn't been commercially available since Nov. 2005, I'd be pretty shocked if they *weren't* fairly dramatic. The Xbox has had a stable userbase for the last 18 months, while the PS2 still has growth potential.

Maybe it's a side effect of the PS3 not selling, but the pure numbers are still very bad news. If nothing else, no one decided it was finally time to go from the PS2 to the PS3 when Madden came out.

I don't know if even Madden is good enough to convince somebody to spend $560 on the jump. Madden plus might be, but not 'just' Madden.

[quote[I just don't see how this isn't bad news, even if it is an indirect outcome of the bad sales. We keep saying the PS3 is just waiting for games. It gets one of the biggest games every season and does very little with it.[/QUOTE]

If a porcupine whacks you in the face with quills, are you going to feel it much if, while stumbling around blindly, your thumb pokes a piece of wood and you get a splinter?

Maybe in an abstract manner, but the quills in your freaking *face* are going to provide a much greater distraction.

The Madden sales aren't *good* news, but give the bad news Sony has racked up in the last 10 months, they're definitely a splinter by comparison.

wade moore

09-13-2007, 08:56 PM

The Madden sales aren't *good* news, but give the bad news Sony has racked up in the last 10 months, they're definitely a splinter by comparison.

Fair enough. Can we agree that the Madden sales are further proof that things aren't getting any better?

SirFozzie

09-13-2007, 09:03 PM

Apparently, the Surge of PS3's is turning out just as bad as that other famous Surge.

(Ok, that is my one political joke in this thread)

SackAttack

09-13-2007, 09:06 PM

Fair enough. Can we agree that the Madden sales are further proof that things aren't getting any better?

No argument.

wade moore

09-13-2007, 09:24 PM

No argument.

Sweet ;)...

That's really what I'm trying to say - this is bad news because things are just as bad, if not worse after the release of a hot game. that's all.

sabotai

09-13-2007, 10:17 PM

No argument.

Sorry, the rules for these threads, and this forum in general, prohibit this kind of reply.

Eaglesfan27

09-13-2007, 10:30 PM

Sorry, the rules for these threads, and this forum in general, prohibit this kind of reply.
:D

SackAttack

09-13-2007, 10:33 PM

Sorry, the rules for these threads, and this forum in general, prohibit this kind of reply.

Your mother wears army boots.

Eaglesfan27

09-13-2007, 10:53 PM

A gamespot article analyzing the sales numbers:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6178770.html?action=convert&om_clk=latestnews&tag=latestnews;title;0

A few interesting tidbits:

- Almost a billion dollar in sales between software, hardware, and accessories in August alone. That is up almost 33% from last year's August suggesting all of the next gen consoles are boosting sales.

- Bioshock outsold the next non Madden title by over a 2-1 margin. It along with Madden and the price cut is being attributed as the main reason for the bump in sales of the 360.

- Analysts are predicting a continued trend of increased sales of 360's due to Halo in September and throughout the holiday season.

- Analysts believe the Wii supply will not meet the demand until sometime in 2008 and supply issues are the reason that sales dropped slightly from the record setting July.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-14-2007, 06:53 AM

I don't have time to look it up, but I think those numbers still may be down from the same time last year for Madden.

They are down, actually quite a bit down. Those numbers are roughly 10-15% off last year's numbers depending on your source. That's a pretty scary drop for EA.

PS3 numbers are downright horrible. I'm still trying to figure out why Sony can't notice that the best strategy for them is being stated on every message board and gaming site on the internet. Someone needs to tell them that people aren't calling for a price cut just because they want it cheaper. It's because the market can't handle a price point higher than $399 right now. Pull your head out.

Worse yet, Sony is getting beat by a company in MS who is absolutely overwhelmed with repair requests right now and is a customer service disaster. Not only have they switched to 7 day shipping to save money (and lengthen down time for consumers by one week). their repair times have ballooned 2 to 3 times. It's likely going to get worse before it gets better.

Meanwhile, the Wii just keeps on selling. I've noticed they haven't even been advertising that much of late. They're just selling it on word of mouth at this point. Best way to do it.

Bill Harris tossed up a column discussing the NPD numbers for August......

http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/2007/09/console-post-of-week_13.html

wade moore

09-14-2007, 06:58 AM

They are down, actually quite a bit down. Those numbers are roughly 10-15% off last year's numbers depending on your source. That's a pretty scary drop for EA.
Thanks for looking that up.. I'm pretty sure it has been a 10-15% each year since they got the exclusive deal.

They too, like Sony, don't seem to get the message.

Bee

09-14-2007, 07:00 AM

So at this rate how long for the PS3 to catch up to the 360? My calculator keeps giving me an error when I try to figure it out.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-14-2007, 07:28 AM

Here's the most recent WEEKLY numbers from Japan. Of interest is that every single console saw a significant sales drop last week. It's really starting to look like a lot of consumers are starting to put off any console purchasing decisions because of rumored price drops and the upcoming holidays.

1) Nintendo DS Lite: 77,488 [5,264,248] -16,851
2) Nintendo Wii: 29,088 [2,619,238] -10,283
3) Playstation Portable: 15,564 [1,385,230] -6,632
4) PlayStation 2: 13,360 [559,434] -920
5) PlayStation 3: 13,248 [675,170] -4,820
6) Xbox 360: 1,286 [142,644] -349
7) Game Boy Micro: 428 [24,939] +165
8 )Game Boy Advance SP: 122 [20,446] -73
9) GameCube: 82 [9,547] +9
10) Nintendo DS: 0 [2,756] +0
11) Game Boy Advance: 0 [935] -16

Pumpy Tudors

09-14-2007, 07:29 AM

PS3 looking good in preseason

spleen1015

09-14-2007, 07:29 AM

Bill Harris tossed up a column discussing the NPD numbers for August......

http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/2007/09/console-post-of-week_13.html

His last sentence cracks me up. They're already irrelevant.

wade moore

09-14-2007, 07:33 AM

And as expected, the 360 dip that allowed the PS3 to catch up last month was because everyone knew the price drop was right around the corner, waited, and blew the PS3 out of the water this month.

Here's the most recent WEEKLY numbers from Japan. Of interest is that every single console saw a significant sales drop last week. It's really starting to look like a lot of consumers are starting to put off any console purchasing decisions because of rumored price drops and the upcoming holidays.

DING! DING! DING! We have a winner - gstelmack - COME ON DOWN!

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-14-2007, 08:13 AM

FYI to Halo purchasers. Free Gold membership preview Sept. 25-27.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcmcat131400050000&type=category&DCMP=rdr0001143

CraigSca

09-14-2007, 08:35 AM

PS3 looking good in preseason

What better PS3 sales or lead in Chinese toys?

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-14-2007, 10:38 AM

New PS3 supplier added by Sony, fueling the rumor that the 40 GB PS3 will soon be a reality........

http://www.evertiq.com/newsx/read_news.aspx?newsid=8755&cat=1

gstelmack

09-14-2007, 10:44 AM

DING! DING! DING! We have a winner - gstelmack - COME ON DOWN!

Woohoo! I'll take your first round pick in the WOOF draft.

Oh, wait...

:D

Neon_Chaos

09-14-2007, 10:59 AM

twothree

09-14-2007, 11:28 AM

With the release of the PSP2000 (PSP lite), I'm looking to buy a PSP right now. The Daxter bundle doesn't look too bad.

Silver PSP2000, 1GB memory, and Daxter/Family Guy for $199

Does anyone think the PSP is going to dip in price again so soon after dropping to $169?

I don't think it will. Which was one of the reasons I picked up the PSP Daxter bundle yesterday. That and I finally decided that Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness is a must purchase title for me which probably won't get ported to any other system so I finally have a reason to buy a PSP.

Neon_Chaos

09-14-2007, 01:01 PM

I don't think it will. Which was one of the reasons I picked up the PSP Daxter bundle yesterday. That and I finally decided that Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness is a must purchase title for me which probably won't get ported to any other system so I finally have a reason to buy a PSP.

How is it? Any good? I'm thinking that the PSP is the most affordable/flexible game system right now with ports of games from XBOX and the PS3.

Neon_Chaos

09-14-2007, 01:10 PM

Oh, and I'm also more inclined to buy the PSP because of the up-and-coming release of the PSP port of Final Fantasy Tactics. :)

twothree

09-14-2007, 02:33 PM

Oh, and I'm also more inclined to buy the PSP because of the up-and-coming release of the PSP port of Final Fantasy Tactics. :)

I might buy that also, but will probably wait on a few reviews and comments from others to see if the new stuff justifies another purchase. So far there is nothing out on the PSP that is an automatic purchase for me. Monster Hunter Freedom 2 looks tempting. (I own the original Monster Hunter for the PS2.) Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth looks interesting. (I own the original PS version.) On the PSP, the Jeanne D'Arc/Brave Story/Tales of the World/Metal Gear Solid/Metal Gear Acid/GTA/Katamari and other games all seem worth playing, but I don't know if any of them would hold my interest for any length of time. What games have you been looking at?

The new PSP seem like a nice system. I have not used it that much, and don't have the original model to compare it against. One annoying thing about my PSP is that it has a small row of pixels (1x8 maybe?) in the top left quadrant of the screen that are almost always "white". It can be a distraction sometimes, but I suppose I will get use to it. I never had any pixel problems with my 2 DS systems.

twothree

09-14-2007, 02:41 PM

I should add there are several games like Marvel: Ultimate Alliance that are out for both the PS2 and PSP in which I have purchased the PS2 version. However, I didn't own a PSP at that time.

Neon_Chaos

09-14-2007, 04:43 PM

I might buy that also, but will probably wait on a few reviews and comments from others to see if the new stuff justifies another purchase. So far there is nothing out on the PSP that is an automatic purchase for me. Monster Hunter Freedom 2 looks tempting. (I own the original Monster Hunter for the PS2.) Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth looks interesting. (I own the original PS version.) On the PSP, the Jeanne D'Arc/Brave Story/Tales of the World/Metal Gear Solid/Metal Gear Acid/GTA/Katamari and other games all seem worth playing, but I don't know if any of them would hold my interest for any length of time. What games have you been looking at?

The new PSP seem like a nice system. I have not used it that much, and don't have the original model to compare it against. One annoying thing about my PSP is that it has a small row of pixels (1x8 maybe?) in the top left quadrant of the screen that are almost always "white". It can be a distraction sometimes, but I suppose I will get use to it. I never had any pixel problems with my 2 DS systems.

On my way to Gamestop after work, I called them up and they had stock of the Daxter bundle.

I'm probably picking up Jeanne D'Arc, my friend says it's pretty great and worth the $$$. I've played through Valkyre Profile before, and it doesn't really appeal to me to play it a 2nd time around , considering it's a direct port (unlike FFT, which has a lot of added stuff... I can't wait for the cutscenes.)

Jeanne should keep me occupied until FFT is released in early October.

sabotai

09-14-2007, 05:51 PM

"When my console puked a few months ago, I had a replacement unit in less than two weeks, and overall, I was satisfied with the service. Now, though, the replacement time seems to be 4-6 weeks, which is totally beyond what anyone would consider as reasonable."

My 360 just RRoD'ed on me and reading this is not fun...

(EDIT: That's from Bill Harris' blog linked above, btw)

Deattribution

09-14-2007, 06:13 PM

Neon_Chaos

09-14-2007, 06:34 PM

Just an fyi for anyone purchasing a PSP or DS, Circuit City has buy one get one 50% off sale on their handheld games.

There is also a potential $169.99 pricematch from Target on the Dax bundle. The cheapassgamer forums has the info on it, but since it involves a cached link (but people have still got it to work) I'll let anyone interested head over that way on their own.

The $169.99 pricematch was a mistake on Target's part, IIRC. They've corrected it and relisted the price at $199.99

Got the PSP 2000 and Damn. This thing's light as a feather.

SackAttack

09-14-2007, 08:01 PM

I don't think it will. Which was one of the reasons I picked up the PSP Daxter bundle yesterday. That and I finally decided that Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness is a must purchase title for me which probably won't get ported to any other system so I finally have a reason to buy a PSP.

Actually, I think Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness is an expanded port of Disgaea: Hour of Darkness from the PS2.

It's got some PSP-specific stuff in it, but it's mostly a port of the PS2 game if I'm not mistaken.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-15-2007, 10:43 AM

Screen shots of new PS3 SKU now available. Looks like the new 40 GB PS3 is on the way.

http://pocketnews.cocolog-nifty.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/09/12/070912_01.jpg

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-16-2007, 12:00 PM

New announcements coming out on 1UP's podcast concerning Tokyo Game show info. DualShock 3 and Ace Combat 6 confirmed for the PS3. Also, spin-off versions of Kingdom Hearts will be released on consoles other than the PS3. The main franchise will remain on the PS3.

(PS3) (RPG) Eternal Sonata (Trustybell) with 2 extra characters.
(PS3) (RPG) Steambot Chronicles 2
(PS3) (RPG) Persona 4
(PS3) (Flight Sim) Ace Combat 6
(PS3) (RPG) White Knight Story will be playable!
(PS3) (RPG) Star Ocean 4
(PS3) (Action Adventure RPG) Yakuza 3

(PSP) (RPG) Steambot Chronicles: Vehicle Battle Tournament
(PSP) (Action RPG) Kingdom Hearts Spin off! More Kingdom Hearts to be announced for other platforms.
(PSP) (Golf) Hot Shots Golf 2
(PSP) Patapon (LocoRoco fans may love it)

Link:
http://www.1up.com/do/minisite?cId=3149993

Eaglesfan27

09-17-2007, 01:03 PM

spleen1015

09-17-2007, 01:07 PM

MJ4H

09-17-2007, 01:16 PM

lol

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-17-2007, 02:00 PM

Gamersyde has a video of the first 5 minutes of Mass Effect up and there is going to be a bunch of new info released about the game today on various sites. From watching the first 5 minutes, the game looks amazing. It looks like the 360 will exclusively have the GOTY and the runner up to the GOTY award for consoles.

http://www.gamersyde.com/news_5061_en.html

While I realize you're just fanning the flames with your last comment, there are a lot of games yet to come this year. Probably a bit premature to annoint a game that hasn't even come out yet. Heck, MattJones4Heisman has already proclaimed Mario Galaxy as the GOTY. Mass Effect has to get in line evidently.......

twothree

09-17-2007, 02:07 PM

One annoying thing about my PSP is that it has a small row of pixels (1x8 maybe?) in the top left quadrant of the screen that are almost always "white". It can be a distraction sometimes, but I suppose I will get use to it. I never had any pixel problems with my 2 DS systems.

After using my PSP 2000 over the weekend, my pixel problem has improved. Now it is just one pixel that is about 50% of the time stuck in a all white state.

Picked up a usb cable ($6) and the component video out cable ($20) yesterday. It is real easy to transfer pictures and mp3s to the PSP, no software needed while using Windows XP. The component video out produces a reasonable picture on a 20" TV.

Also picked up a copy of Metal Gear Acid 2 ($10) and Monster Hunter Freedom 2 ($40) at Wal-Mart for my first games.

TroyF

09-17-2007, 02:13 PM

While I realize you're just fanning the flames with your last comment, there are a lot of games yet to come this year. Probably a bit premature to annoint a game that hasn't even come out yet. Heck, MattJones4Heisman has already proclaimed Mario Galaxy as the GOTY. Mass Effect has to get in line evidently.......

He's proclaimed that it has a chance to be game of the year. MJ4H is not dramatic enough to make bold predictions. :) :) Eagles is making a prediction, nothing more, nothing less.

Odds are, the PS3 won't have a GOTY candidate in the top 5.

Neon_Chaos

09-17-2007, 02:16 PM

After using my PSP 2000 over the weekend, my pixel problem has improved. Now it is just one pixel that is about 50% of the time stuck in a all white state.

Picked up a usb cable ($6) and the component video out cable ($20) yesterday. It is real easy to transfer pictures and mp3s to the PSP, no software needed while using Windows XP. The component video out produces a reasonable picture on a 20" TV.

Also picked up a copy of Metal Gear Acid 2 ($10) and Monster Hunter Freedom 2 ($40) at Wal-Mart for my first games.

Tell me how MHF2 plays without the multiplayer option. I was under the impression that its replayability relied on the fact that the console version had the multiplayer.

spleen1015

09-17-2007, 02:20 PM

Odds are, the PS3 won't have a GOTY candidate in the top 5.

Lair and ....

Top 5? Try Top 10.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-17-2007, 02:20 PM

He's proclaimed that it has a chance to be game of the year. MJ4H is not dramatic enough to make bold predictions. :) :) Eagles is making a prediction, nothing more, nothing less.

Odds are, the PS3 won't have a GOTY candidate in the top 5.

I'm not totally sure about that, but after the Lair debacle, it certainly puts that much more pressure on the 9 PS3 exclusives that are upcoming this fall to perform well. I do think top 5 is much more important than picking one specific game.

With that said, I think this fall will be embarassing if the 360 doesn't get at least 4 of the 5 best fall games. With their head start, there's no reason that they shouldn't put up that kind of a performance over the other two consoles. They're going to have much stiffer competition with the franchise titles coming for the PS3 next year. They don't have nearly the competition this fall.

Eaglesfan27

09-17-2007, 03:00 PM

With that said, I think this fall will be embarassing if the 360 doesn't get at least 4 of the 5 best fall games. With their head start, there's no reason that they shouldn't put up that kind of a performance over the other two consoles. They're going to have much stiffer competition with the franchise titles coming for the PS3 next year. They don't have nearly the competition this fall.

I love how you cover yourself with that first sentence of this paragraph..

Also, I was just making a prediction. One that I feel is a very safe prediction because Bioware has enough pull in the industry to not be rushed and to dictate their release schedule. They delivered with KOTOR 1, and it looks like this is going to be a huge hit. But yes, that is just a prediction ;)

Edit: One more "bold" prediction: With the influx of great exclusives to the 360, and the lack of quality exclusives for the PS3 that are going to be out this year, I think the 360 extends its lead over the PS3 by at least another million in the USA over this holiday season (counting the 130-140k that it gained this month.)

TroyF

09-17-2007, 03:34 PM

I'm not totally sure about that, but after the Lair debacle, it certainly puts that much more pressure on the 9 PS3 exclusives that are upcoming this fall to perform well. I do think top 5 is much more important than picking one specific game.

With that said, I think this fall will be embarassing if the 360 doesn't get at least 4 of the 5 best fall games. With their head start, there's no reason that they shouldn't put up that kind of a performance over the other two consoles. They're going to have much stiffer competition with the franchise titles coming for the PS3 next year. They don't have nearly the competition this fall.

Huh? That's like the ramblings of a lunatic.

1) the 360 does have competition this year. It's from the Wii. Mario Galaxy and Metroid are both candidates for top five. Any other surprise hit could sneak in there, especially with the base.

2) The 360 has one A+++ title in Bioshock. They have another on the way next week with Halo. They'll have another in Mass Effect. All will be better than anything the PS3 releases this year. (yes, that's a prediction)

3) The PS3 may have some big exclusives coming out next year, but the 360 will too. MS didn't rush all the big hits out this holiday season, they just happened to hit at the same time. Rest assured, neither the 360 or the Wii are going to give up next year just cause big, bad Sony has an FF game coming out. At this time last year had you heard of Bioshock? If you had, did you think it would hbe a GOTY candidate?

Eaglesfan27

09-17-2007, 04:01 PM

Extended preview of Mass Effect from IGN (there are potentially some minor plot spoilers from early in the game)

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/820/820296p1.html

MJ4H

09-17-2007, 04:11 PM

MikeVic

09-17-2007, 04:16 PM

I played Warhawk on the PS3 over the weekend at a friend's house, and it was alright. Fighting in the warhawks was cool. But I suck at console FPS, so I wasn't having too much fun. The only other games he has right now are Resistance and Rainbow Six... so yeah, I don't play it much.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-17-2007, 07:40 PM

I love how you cover yourself with that first sentence of this paragraph..

Also, I was just making a prediction. One that I feel is a very safe prediction because Bioware has enough pull in the industry to not be rushed and to dictate their release schedule. They delivered with KOTOR 1, and it looks like this is going to be a huge hit. But yes, that is just a prediction ;)

Edit: One more "bold" prediction: With the influx of great exclusives to the 360, and the lack of quality exclusives for the PS3 that are going to be out this year, I think the 360 extends its lead over the PS3 by at least another million in the USA over this holiday season (counting the 130-140k that it gained this month.)

Difficult to argue against anything you said here. Certainly makes sense. Sony has to prove something before you can expect something. While MGS4, FF13, GT5 and KH3 will all score major points next year, Sony is hoping on the sleeper hits this fall. Singstar (feel free to laugh as most of us will not buy it) is the only guaranteed hit. It sells like crazy in the EU and Japan. They're hoping that it will take off in North America in this iteration, but I doubt it will.

Also, I'm assuming your prediction on sales is predicated on the PS3 price remaining at $499. If so, then I agree.

astrosfan64

09-17-2007, 07:57 PM

The Wii is over-rated.

Neuqua

09-17-2007, 08:23 PM

The Wii is over-rated.

Too easy.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-17-2007, 09:12 PM

Former Sega PR man selected as new PR man for Sony......

If you've been a fan of Sega's for a while, you'll have heard the name of Scott Steinberg. He was the former Marketing VP of Sega in its heyday and will now replace Dave Karraker as head of Sony PR. He'll report to Peter Dille and be responsible for all PlayStation hardware, software, and channel marketing as of October 1st. Steinberg, in addition to Sega, has worked for multiple different companies including Roxio/Napster, Liquid Audio, Eidos Interactive and Crystal Dynamics. He worked with Sega during the Genesis days, evaluating development and licensed properties.

Peter Dille released his thoughts on the new hire, saying "We are thrilled to have Scott join our team as he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the PlayStation marketing staff and the management group here at SCEA. Scott has an ideal blend of experience in digital entertainment and content delivery as well as a proven track record for strategic innovation and implementation within this industry. He will be a critical component for the success of our marketing efforts across the PlayStation brand moving forward."

astrosfan64

09-17-2007, 09:24 PM

Too easy.

:)

Groundhog

09-17-2007, 09:26 PM

Scott Steinburg just took the gaming world's version of the Oakland Raiders head coaching position.

wade moore

09-17-2007, 09:28 PM

Scott Steinburg just took the gaming world's version of the Oakland Raiders head coaching position.
Sony PR lookin' good Pre-Release?

Cringer

09-17-2007, 09:46 PM

I find this monthly debating to be extremely hilarious.

MJ4H

09-17-2007, 09:48 PM

I find your wardrobe to be extremely hilarious.

Cringer

09-17-2007, 09:51 PM

Not my fault you do not like mesh shirts.

MJ4H

09-17-2007, 10:01 PM

Actually, I think it is kinda your fault.

Cringer

09-17-2007, 10:13 PM

ok, that was a good come back. :)

twothree

09-17-2007, 10:40 PM

Tell me how MHF2 plays without the multiplayer option. I was under the impression that its replayability relied on the fact that the console version had the multiplayer.

MHF2 does have multiplayer. It is up to 4 players over local wifi.

I actually don't like the multiplayer game play in Monster Hunter for the PS2, and haven't attempted a multiplayer mission in probably over 2 years. At least for me, the PS2 version of Monster Hunter is fun using just single player missions. And, MHF2 looks to have quite a bit more single player content than MH did.

Now, while I enjoy playing the Monster Hunter games, I definitely would not recommend it to someone that wants to play a hack and slash game. Most Monster Hunter missions require more strategy than going up to a monster and hitting your attack button over and over. Also, the camera controls and player controls, at least in Monster Hunter, required a bit of practice before I felt comfortable using them. The controls in MHF2 seem a bit easier; however, I still think some people won't like the camera controls.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-18-2007, 07:02 AM

Looks like more specific info released concerning Square Enix and their upcoming releases has been leaked. Couple of intriguing titles. Not sure if the FFVII game will be a remake or a sequel. Also, a KH game for the DS. Here's the list.......

- Endless Crisis: Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation 3)
- Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3)
- Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PlayStation 3)
- Kingdom Hearts (temporary title) (PlayStation 3)
- Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories 2 (Nintendo DS)
- Kingdom Hearts 0 (PSP)
- Star Ocean 4 (PlayStation 3)

Big Fo

09-18-2007, 07:21 AM

Today Super Smash Bros. Brawl 4-player online was confirmed, awesome. Despite the Gamecube's rather dismal performance sales-wise last generation SSB: Melee was the second highest selling console game in the US behind Halo 2, this one ought to do even better even if it won't top Halo 3.

I don't have enough gaming time to support both handhelds (in addition to console and PC games) but when Hot Shots Golf Portable 2 comes out next year with 12 courses and what looks like 16 player online it could be hard to stop myself from buying one of the new PSPs. I want play Jeanne d'Arc as well.

There's so many good games coming out/already released in the second half of this year, it's awesome but there doesn't seem to be enough time in the day for them all. :(

MikeVic

09-18-2007, 08:55 AM

Neon_Chaos

09-18-2007, 09:07 AM

Looks like more specific info released concerning Square Enix and their upcoming releases has been leaked. Couple of intriguing titles. Not sure if the FFVII game will be a remake or a sequel. Also, a KH game for the DS. Here's the list.......

Endless Crisis: FFVII? Probably a sequel. FFVII: Crisis Core is coming out on the PSP (already out in Japan), and it's a prequel to FFVII all the way up to the scene in midgard.

MJ4H

09-18-2007, 09:15 AM

Today Super Smash Bros. Brawl 4-player online was confirmed, awesome.

Major league booya.

Eaglesfan27

09-18-2007, 11:55 AM

Looks like more specific info released concerning Square Enix and their upcoming releases has been leaked. Couple of intriguing titles. Not sure if the FFVII game will be a remake or a sequel. Also, a KH game for the DS. Here's the list.......

You forgot to list the 360 announcements they made including "Infininte Undiscovery" coming exclusively to the 360 soon. There are also supposed to be other square projects announced on the 360 in the near future.

http://www.square-enix.com/na/company/press/2007/0912/

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-18-2007, 12:01 PM

You forgot to list the 360 announcements they made including "Infininte Undiscovery" coming exclusively to the 360 soon. There are also supposed to be other square projects announced on the 360 in the near future.

http://www.square-enix.com/na/company/press/2007/0912/

I just cut and pasted what I received from someone. Didn't realize the information was incomplete. Thanks for the link.

Fidatelo

09-18-2007, 12:32 PM

I just cut and pasted what I received from my boss at Sony. Didn't realize the information was incomplete. Thanks for the link.

Fixed that for ya.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-18-2007, 12:49 PM

Bill Harris post concerning possible PS3 price cut announcements.........

http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/2007/09/console-post-of-week-supplemental-tokyo.html

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-18-2007, 01:01 PM

Just announced that Wipeout HD is now a fall 2007 release instead of 2008 release. Nice to see a PS3 game release date actually get moved up for once.

gstelmack

09-18-2007, 02:09 PM

Seriously, do we have to get notified of every single rinky-dink PS3 reference that pops up on the Internet?

spleen1015

09-18-2007, 02:11 PM

Seriously, do we have to get notified of every single rinky-dink PS3 reference that pops up on the Internet?

Yes.

stevew

09-18-2007, 02:14 PM

These threads are more worthless to the board than Werewolf ever was. I could give a shit about every small ps3 detail, they always pop up here like it's important.

Here is a memo...."Nobody gives a fuck."

stevew

09-18-2007, 02:16 PM

according to someone's blog, the new version of the PS3 is rumored to run on 110w power.

stevew

09-18-2007, 02:17 PM

rumor has it that the 40 gig ps3 will also be black in color.

dervack

09-18-2007, 02:20 PM

rumor has it that the 40 gig ps3 will also be black in color.
Will it come with a controller? Or just a power cable. Do your sources know?

stevew

09-18-2007, 02:21 PM

Will it come with a controller? Or just a power cable. Do your sources know?

I can't verify it yet, but according to some other blog, it will indeed.

spleen1015

09-18-2007, 02:21 PM

I read something interesting on Heaven's BLOG today.

God gave man free will. If they don't like what is in a thread, they can choose not to click on it.

How about that shit! I can start ignoring all of these threads now. I mean, damn, there are a lot of threads to read, but now I don't have to anymore.

stevew

09-18-2007, 02:22 PM

The rumored 54 gig version of the ps3 will feature a built in hard drive.

stevew

09-18-2007, 02:24 PM

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-18-2007, 02:24 PM

Seriously, do we have to get notified of every single rinky-dink PS3 reference that pops up on the Internet?

This week is likely going to be a bad week for that request. There's going to be a ton of news coming out of the Tokyo Game Show, mostly on Sony and Nintendo news. MS will have its day next week with the Halo release.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-18-2007, 02:28 PM

It was one thing when these threads were actually about games, but now they just delve more and more into inane details about a PS3 that very few people give a fuck about. Almost like people are paid to post that garbage here....

It seems just as silly that most people would rather post lengthy complaints that add little to the discussion rather than post more info about the 360 and Wii. It's nice when people like SackAttack and EF27 put up news about some of the new stuff coming out. MJ4H does a good job pointing out Wii stuff as well. Wish other people would do that more often.

Atocep

09-18-2007, 02:37 PM

It seems just as silly that most people would rather post lengthy complaints that add little to the discussion rather than post more info about the 360 and Wii. It's nice when people like SackAttack and EF27 put up news about some of the new stuff coming out. MJ4H does a good job pointing out Wii stuff as well. Wish other people would do that more often.

When someone only posts updates about 1 console or 1 game, you get labled a fanboy and in the world of message boards, that means everything posted by that person is taken with a grain of salt (at best).

If this message board became:

Sack/EF27 - 360
Mizzou - PS3
MJ4H - Wii

Then people would more than likely continue to rely out their own info or wait for someone else to post about it because when you cram info down people's throats that is obviously one-sided, its as good as posting nothing.

gstelmack

09-18-2007, 03:11 PM

This week is likely going to be a bad week for that request. There's going to be a ton of news coming out of the Tokyo Game Show, mostly on Sony and Nintendo news. MS will have its day next week with the Halo release.

Especially when you blatantly post half the news like you did with the Square stuff, completely ignoring their 360 announcements and waiting for someone else to post them instead. It's not like that news was hiding somewhere.

gstelmack

09-18-2007, 03:13 PM

It seems just as silly that most people would rather post lengthy complaints that add little to the discussion rather than post more info about the 360 and Wii.

No one else wants to hear every single piece of news in the gaming industry. We all read the web, too. If there is something big, fine, but we don't need a blow-by-blow recap of every press release coming out of TGS.

Fidatelo

09-18-2007, 03:48 PM

Some suggestions:

1) Mizzou, start a blog for PS3 news and post to it. Throw the link in here and let those who want to read it add it to their feeds.
2) Start a seperate thread called "PS3 Information" or perhaps "Alrighty Boyz Here It Is The Official Video Game Console News Update Thread!!!!" and post these kinds of things in there, leaving this thread (and it's successors) to talk more about the sales numbers and what they mean.

That said, you guys are a little over the top in your hatred for his posts. I mean, I like to poke fun at the guy for his blinders, but he's not breaking any rules or even out-and-out trolling as far as I can tell.

Deattribution

09-18-2007, 04:18 PM

You have people in the same thread that only post 360 crap, and the only thing they post about the PS3 are fuckups - so nobody can rag on just one guy.

Neon_Chaos

09-18-2007, 04:30 PM

TazFTW

09-18-2007, 04:38 PM

Just announced that Wipeout HD is now a fall 2007 release instead of 2008 release. Nice to see a PS3 game release date actually get moved up for once.

Eh, I'm more concerned when a release date moves up than when one moves back.

MJ4H

09-18-2007, 06:18 PM

i admit im a ninty fanboy at least

McSweeny

09-18-2007, 06:24 PM

I'm glad all this console talk is compressed in one thread, though. :) It wouldn't do to clutter the board with discussions about either console, specially when only a minority of board members actually care about them.

i agree with this. when i see this thread hit 3 pages or so, i just head over here to catch up on all my console news/hilarious arguing. very enjoyable

Eaglesfan27

09-18-2007, 06:27 PM

You have people in the same thread that only post 360 crap, and the only thing they post about the PS3 are fuckups - so nobody can rag on just one guy.

I get drawn in by Mizzou BB Fan, and some wierd compulsion I feel to try to balance out his info. I said once before I was going to stop posting in these threads, and I intend to do so now.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-18-2007, 06:29 PM

i admit im a ninty fanboy at least

Exactly.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-18-2007, 06:35 PM

This is comedy gold here. After professing that the reviews were way off for a couple of weeks, Lair lead developer now suddenly thinks it was a bad idea to 'force' motion control.

http://www.gamesradar.com/us/ps3/game/news/article.jsp?sectionId=1006&articleId=2007091811176593090&releaseId=2005138888000000020735

SackAttack

09-18-2007, 06:37 PM

When someone only posts updates about 1 console or 1 game, you get labled a fanboy and in the world of message boards, that means everything posted by that person is taken with a grain of salt (at best).

If this message board became:

Sack/EF27 - 360
Mizzou - PS3
MJ4H - Wii

Then people would more than likely continue to rely out their own info or wait for someone else to post about it because when you cram info down people's throats that is obviously one-sided, its as good as posting nothing.

I don't disagree with that.

The only reason I post 360 news here at all is because they actually email it to me. Nintendo's got a press site where they post their press releases, and Sony has shifted from email to PlayStation.Blog. In both cases, pretty much anybody can go there and read those.

I leave my mailbox open in case stuff I'm expecting comes in, and every once in a while, I'll get a press release from Microsoft that is either actually interesting, or has a bearing on a topic under discussion.

If the other two companies actually emailed me their news, I'd post the interesting tidbits from them, too.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-18-2007, 06:41 PM

When someone only posts updates about 1 console or 1 game, you get labled a fanboy and in the world of message boards, that means everything posted by that person is taken with a grain of salt (at best).

If this message board became:

Sack/EF27 - 360
Mizzou - PS3
MJ4H - Wii

Then people would more than likely continue to rely out their own info or wait for someone else to post about it because when you cram info down people's throats that is obviously one-sided, its as good as posting nothing.

Totally agree. I certainly post information about the 360 and the Wii as do the other posters listed above, hence the reason I mentioned them as being good sources of info. They do a good job of putting up info and, if they have an opinion, do a good job of backing it up with actual information.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-18-2007, 06:57 PM

Neon_Chaos

09-18-2007, 06:59 PM

Not sure what's going on with the Wii in Japan this week. One month ago, it was selling 65K a week. This week, it's expected to continue to drop in sales, only selling 27K units. Not sure if they're diverting units to other countries in the region or if the demand is just off for some reason. Will be interesting to watch to see if the downward trend continues.

It's the lull before the big holiday season.

SackAttack

09-18-2007, 07:17 PM

MJ4H

09-18-2007, 07:30 PM

They've already basically said it was.

SackAttack

09-18-2007, 07:42 PM

No, I mean in massive quantities. Like, MASSIVE quantities.

They haven't mentioned extent, only that it is happening.

MJ4H

09-18-2007, 07:50 PM

like TOTALLY massive?

MJ4H

09-18-2007, 07:52 PM

Yay Star Wars game coming to Wii where you can use your wiimote like a lightsaber!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=14424

sabotai

09-18-2007, 07:55 PM

Yay Star Wars game coming to Wii where you can use your wiimote like a lightsaber!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=14424

"wielding the Wii Remote™ as a lightsaber while using the Nunchuk™ controller to torment foes with their Force™ powers."

That is FUCKING AWESOME!!

astrosfan64

09-18-2007, 08:16 PM

i agree with this. when i see this thread hit 3 pages or so, i just head over here to catch up on all my console news/hilarious arguing. very enjoyable

Agreed, I look forward to this thread every month.

astrosfan64

09-18-2007, 08:17 PM

I get drawn in by Mizzou BB Fan, and some wierd compulsion I feel to try to balance out his info. I said once before I was going to stop posting in these threads, and I intend to do so now.

Please don't.

SackAttack

09-18-2007, 08:22 PM

like TOTALLY massive?

Yeah. Like your mom.

;)

sterlingice

09-18-2007, 11:36 PM

Yay Star Wars game coming to Wii where you can use your wiimote like a lightsaber!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=14424

Damn, that's cool :D

SI

sterlingice

09-18-2007, 11:37 PM

You have people in the same thread that only post 360 crap, and the only thing they post about the PS3 are fuckups - so nobody can rag on just one guy.

Yeah, but if we've learned anything from this thread, it's that it's a lot easier to just beat up on one person :rolleyes:

SI

sterlingice

09-18-2007, 11:37 PM

Yeah. Like your mom.

;)

Ooh, BURN! ;)

SI

SackAttack

09-19-2007, 12:47 AM

I don't care at all for the Sixaxis Aftertouch controls in Heavenly Sword.

On the other hand, I'm quickly becoming a believer in Sixaxis being the only way to play Warhawk.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-19-2007, 06:18 AM

I don't care at all for the Sixaxis Aftertouch controls in Heavenly Sword.

On the other hand, I'm quickly becoming a believer in Sixaxis being the only way to play Warhawk.

I'm just the opposite on Warhawk. Like using the analog sticks. I am glad that they gave the option to use the sticks or motion control to fly the Warhawks. It's just a bad design decision to only allow one or the other.

How does the motion control work in Heavenly Sword? Didn't even know they were trying to do something like that. Doesn't sound like a good fit.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-19-2007, 06:32 AM

New MGS4 news coming out of the Konami TGS press conference. MGS4 and Metal Gear: Online will be packaged as a bundle. It appears that MG:O is a 'starter pack' and that expansions for that online pack can be purchased. I'm not sure I'd be interested in buying add-on content, but it is nice that the game will be on there to try out for everyone who buys MGS4.

No word on if MG:O will be packaged separately for purchase.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-19-2007, 07:55 AM

Two new videos of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune from TGS:

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25057.html

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25060.html

Kodos

09-19-2007, 08:35 AM

I was reading about Drake's Fortune in PSM yesterday. It looks good.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-19-2007, 08:37 AM

IGN at TGS reporting that Burnout 3 booths have wireless rumble controllers. Full DualShock 3 announcement expected later tonight.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/821/821010p1.html

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-19-2007, 08:45 AM

Info on total length of Mass Effect......

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/m/masseffect/20070917-raymuzykainterview.htm

How Long

It's safe to say Mass Effect will stand proudly among the longest, most expansive games yet available on Xbox 360™. But exactly how long and how expansive is the experience? Here's what Ray had to say:

"It took me about thirty to forty hours to do just the core story, and another twenty, thirty hours of uncharted worlds beyond that. I think most players will probably spend forty to sixty hours, somewhere in there … this is a big game. It's all at the same production value too. It's all consistent high-quality. I'm amazed, the team has done an amazing job."

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-19-2007, 08:50 AM

Research firm predicts video game industry will grow to $47B by 2009.......

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/820/820687p1.html

September 18, 2007 - According to a series of recent reports by the research group DFC Intelligence, the game industry is poised to see enormous overall growth in 2009, just in time for the Xbox 360 to slip to a distant third place in the console race.

DFC estimates that the videogame market will swell to $47 billion by 2009, a 42 percent increase over the $33 billion generated by the industry in 2006. That forecast includes revenue from videogame hardware and software, dedicated portable system hardware and software (i.e. the DS and PSP - not mobile phones), PC games, and online PC and console games.

But the Xbox 360's selling power could be on the wane, according to DFC's research. The company has raised its forecast for the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3 and lowered its forecast for Microsoft's console, predicting that the Wii will stay on top at least through 2008 and that the PS3 will move into overdrive in 2009.

"The Xbox 360 will need to build a strong base outside North America to avoid being in a fairly distant third," said DFC analyst David Cole. "We could have a situation where the Wii sells more hardware units, but by 2012 the PlayStation 3 is generating more software revenue."

Using three separate market forecasting models, DFC estimates that combined cumulative worldwide sales for the three console systems will reach between 180 million to 210 million units by 2012.

But home consoles won't be the only winners, according to DFC. The PC market, spurred by the success of online games and digital distribution, stands to grow to $13 billion by 2012, the research indicates. Previous DFC estimates put the online PC game market at about $4.5 billion in 2006.

Handheld systems and software are also strong performers and Cole predicts that "the Nintendo DS could eventually become the best-selling game system ever in five years."

SackAttack

09-19-2007, 10:46 AM

I'm just the opposite on Warhawk. Like using the analog sticks. I am glad that they gave the option to use the sticks or motion control to fly the Warhawks. It's just a bad design decision to only allow one or the other.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I absolutely agree that there needs to be an option.

But using the Sixaxis controls means that the navigation analog suddenly becomes a free-targeting reticle. If you're good with the Sixaxis, you have much more freedom in targeting enemy craft.

How does the motion control work in Heavenly Sword? Didn't even know they were trying to do something like that. Doesn't sound like a good fit.

Well, there's some basic stuff like 'jerk the controller if you get knocked into the air,' and you recover by attacking an enemy on the ground.

That's fine. It's basic, it works, and it's not that disruptive.

"Aftertouch," though, where you can guide a projectile...doing that with the Sixaxis sucks balls. You can turn that off and just guide it with the analog sticks, which isn't nearly as big a pain in the ass, but Sixaxis Aftertouch is the default.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-19-2007, 10:55 AM

But using the Sixaxis controls means that the navigation analog suddenly becomes a free-targeting reticle. If you're good with the Sixaxis, you have much more freedom in targeting enemy craft.

Good point. Forgot that was an option.

I'm a huge fan of land mines and missile turrets. I've put a lot of people out of commission with those two defensive weapons.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-19-2007, 10:58 AM

New gameplay footage of Little Big Planet at TGS:

http://au.media.ps3.ign.com/media/856/856680/vids_1.html

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-19-2007, 11:28 AM

FYI to those in the UK. Street date for Halo 3 has been broken by a store called Argos. Here's a list of some of the voices used in the game per the credits.

Nathan Fillion (Malcolm Reynolds in Firefly)
Adam Baldwin (Jayne Cobb in Firefly)
Alan Tudyk (Wash in Firefly)
Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica)
John DiMaggio (Bender in Futurama and Marcus Fenix in Gears of War)
Terence Stamp (General Zod in Superman II)

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-19-2007, 11:30 AM

New MGS4 trailer just released on the internet. It's getting hammered right now, so might want to wait until later.......

http://ruliwebfile.empas.com/mpeg3/tgs2007/konami/ruliweb_tgs2007_konami_mgs4_pr_hdv.wmv

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-19-2007, 12:06 PM

Info on early release of Halo 3.........

http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2007/09/19/halo-3-street-date-broken-early-players-banned/

Halo 3 street date broken, early players banned? [update]

Posted Sep 19th 2007 11:50AM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: News, Halo 3

Reports are flying, literally flying into the X3F Report Catcher® that UK retailer Argos has broken the September 25th street date for Halo 3. The news originates from Eurogamer, where users of its forum noticed a message on the retailer's website claiming that they could pick up their reserved copies of the game today. First of all, if you live in the UK, you're probably out of luck now as the retailer has caught on to the mistake. Second, if you did manage to snag a copy, you still might not want to play it, as Pro-G is reporting that players are having their Live accounts banned by Microsoft. Why Microsoft would punish consumers for a retailer's mistake is beyond us, but we'll wait for an official response before casting judgment. In the meantime, keep that DVD out of your Xbox! Alternately, make sure you tell us if your console has been banned.

[Update: We forgot to mention that playing Halo 3 while disconnected from Xbox Live will not protect players from a ban. The Xbox records the date that a game is played, so early players will be banned as soon as they connect to Xbox Live.]

MS confirms to Pro-G that consumers will not be banned for playing Halo 3 before official release.
Playing this will no longer get you banned from Xbox LIVE

Microsoft has backtracked on its original threat to ban the LIVE accounts of gamers who have purchased Halo 3 early following high street retailer Argos' admin error.

Earlier today, a Microsoft rep told Pro-G that gamers who played Halo 3 early would have their LIVE accounts banned. The rep also confirmed that Microsoft was able to ban accounts based on information collected by the console which showed when the game was played.

However, Pro-G has since been contacted by another MS rep, who said the ban only applies to Microsoft employees.

What this means for those of you lucky enough to have taken advantage of the Argos error is that you can start playing the game, if you already weren't, free from retribution.

A full statement from Microsoft on the Halo 3 banning scandal is expected soon

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-19-2007, 01:26 PM

More info about Dead Rising 2 from TGS. It appears that it may be multiplatform.

http://www.xbox360wire.co.uk/2007/09/03/xbox-360-dead-rising-2-at-tgs-and-may-not%20-be-360-exclusive/

Deattribution

09-19-2007, 03:16 PM

I get drawn in by Mizzou BB Fan, and some wierd compulsion I feel to try to balance out his info. I said once before I was going to stop posting in these threads, and I intend to do so now.

I've done the same thing with this thread (not concerning any one single person) but I think it ends up being the nature of console discussions - cause it happens everywhere online. Video games usually not so much. Like the NBA2k8 thread is a good read to keep up to date on it (my fav game) but I try reading through this thread for game/console info since it's centralized and I can't help but sometimes end up chiming in despite knowing better.

Big Fo

09-19-2007, 07:05 PM

IGN at TGS reporting that Burnout 3 booths have wireless rumble controllers. Full DualShock 3 announcement expected later tonight.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/821/821010p1.html

but but but rumble is last-gen technology! ;)

SackAttack

09-19-2007, 07:12 PM

but but but rumble is last-gen technology! ;)

If the customer base demands something, does it matter whether it's last-gen tech or not?

I happen to think the initial rationale for why there was no rumble is a load of bunk and hooey...but even if it weren't, if the potential customer base is demanding it, and your sales are struggling, doesn't it make sense to include it, even if you consider it "last-gen"?

gstelmack

09-19-2007, 07:41 PM

If the customer base demands something, does it matter whether it's last-gen tech or not?

I happen to think the initial rationale for why there was no rumble is a load of bunk and hooey...but even if it weren't, if the potential customer base is demanding it, and your sales are struggling, doesn't it make sense to include it, even if you consider it "last-gen"?

There was no rumble because they didn't want to pay for it. They finally reached an agreement.

Of course, Sony is the same company that tooted their backwards compatibility hardware as a huge advantage over Microsoft, then dropped it less than a year after release and went the Microsoft route. Which I think was the point of the original post, they are backtracking on many things they touted at the start.

SackAttack

09-19-2007, 08:24 PM

There was no rumble because they didn't want to pay for it. They finally reached an agreement.

I know that. What I'm saying is that even if you take at face value their statement of it being "last-gen tech" - which I don't - that status doesn't mean that, if the customer base demands it, you shouldn't find a way to appease that.

Of course, Sony is the same company that tooted their backwards compatibility hardware as a huge advantage over Microsoft, then dropped it less than a year after release and went the Microsoft route. Which I think was the point of the original post, they are backtracking on many things they touted at the start.

Yes.

Big difference between PS3 and Xbox 360 here? I've plugged nearly every PS2 game I own into the compatibility checker Sony has up, and while there are a handful of games that have issues on the 80 gig (that don't on the 60 gig), they'll at least play. The software emulation for Sony isn't by any means perfect, but it does encompass a far greater scope of the PlayStation library than does the Xbox 360 software emulation.

It's a backtracking, but Microsoft would do well to learn from Sony's implementation there.

dawgfan

09-19-2007, 09:08 PM

Research firm predicts video game industry will grow to $47B by 2009.......

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/820/820687p1.html
I gotta say, I wonder what these guys know (or think they know) that most of the rest of us don't that suggests to them that the PS3 is going to end up blowing past the 360 in sales.

I'm just not seeing any reason on the horizon for that speculation to have any merit.

SackAttack

09-19-2007, 09:41 PM

I gotta say, I wonder what these guys know (or think they know) that most of the rest of us don't that suggests to them that the PS3 is going to end up blowing past the 360 in sales.

I'm just not seeing any reason on the horizon for that speculation to have any merit.

Japan.

If the PS3 ever gets up off the mat, it's got three territories to draw from, just as the Wii does.

The Xbox 360 is strong in the US, and in solid (but not spectacular) shape in Europe.

Japan? Another story entirely. That's a big part of why the Wii caught up so fast. Nintendo and Sony have credibility in Japan. Microsoft is trying hard to achieve that, but results have been mixed at best.

Problem has been, every time Sony starts to get it together, seems like, they shoot themselves in the foot again. Hard to maintain any kind of momentum when you do that.

If Sony gets it together in reasonably short order, yeah, I could see Xbox 360 finishing a "distant 3rd." The longer that takes, though, the harder that becomes - both because of Xbox 360 sales in the US and Europe, and because it gives Microsoft time to catch lightning in a bottle in a "Sonic the Hedgehog" way.

What I mean by that is, Sega captured early market share from Nintendo in the late '80s when Genesis hit the market, but the reason they finished with ~45% was because Sonic the Hedgehog was a hugely successful franchise for them. Nintendo's leisurely jaunt to the market with the Super Nintendo gave Sega time to find that foothold.

Similar situation here. Right now, Wii is blowing everybody out of the water right there, and as soon as Sony rights the ship, I'd expect them to do the same...but the longer that takes, the more opportunities Microsoft has to hit on something that resonates in Japan in a way they haven't been able to accomplish yet.

That doesn't seem hugely likely in the short term; Blue Dragon and Trusty Bell/Eternal Sonata haven't been the sales drivers Microsoft hoped for over there, but that might also end up being a war of attrition. Maybe Japanese gamers won't buy a 360 *just* for Blue Dragon, or *just* for Trusty Bell, or *just* for Lost Odyseey...but eventually prices come down and the combination of that and an amalgamated library might spark some interest.

It doesn't have to spark Wii-level interest, either. I know VGCharts isn't the most reputable tracker out there, but let's use the chart they have up at:

http://vgcharts.com/page5.html

Pretend those numbers are accurate. The numbers PlayStation 3 has there? Probably not acceptable from Sony's standpoint. I have to think, on the other hand, that Microsoft would cheerfully take the year Sony's had in Japan, and if they ever manage to do that, it will make them much harder to pass for second place, especially if Sony hasn't managed to get the motor running before that happens.

With a 4.5-1 sales advantage in Japan, though, if Sony gets off the mat before Microsoft begins to see sustainable movement, that's going to be the roundhouse blow that puts Microsoft in the global caboose again.

The problem is, if, if, if. There's a lot of "ifs," and every day that passes is a day off the calendar for this generation.

dawgfan

09-19-2007, 11:18 PM

I'm not buying it. Look at the breakdown of Japan as part of the overall market, both last gen (PS2, Xbox, Gamecube) and current gen (PS3, 360, Wii):

Last Gen:
Japan = 29.97M (18.2%)
US = 76.91M (46.8%)
Other = 57.36M (34.9%)

Current Gen:
Japan = 5.21M (19.1%)
US = 13.73M (50.4%)
Other = 8.31M (30.5%)

So basically the Japanese market constitutes 18-19% of the worldwide home console market. That's a decent-sized chunk, but consider that to this point, the 360 has been kicking the PS3's ass in the U.S. (with the notable exception of the month after the PS3 price dropped and before the 360 price dropped), a market which comprises 47-50% of the overall worldwide market. There's still a 6+M unit gap between the 360 and PS3 currently.

Even granting that the 360 will get creamed in Japan, the PS3 is going to have to close the notable edge the 360 has displayed in the U.S. in weekly sales in order for their edge in Japan to make a significant difference - and that's just to draw even. They will also have to start pulling ahead in the non-U.S., non-Japan market as well - currently the 360 and PS3 are roughly equal since the PS3 launched on weekly sales (and the 360 has made a big jump recently since their price cut).

So, yeah - the 360 will lose badly in Japan, much like the Xbox did. But that still leaves 81-82% of the worldwide market, and so far the 360 is winning those areas (outselling the PS3 in the U.S. on a weekly basis and about equal elsewhere, with a recent surge favoring the 360) and it already has a 6+M unit lead.

What makes anyone think that the PS3 is going to reverse their disadvantage in the U.S. market and pull decisively ahead in the European/Australian market? Is there some list of PS3 exclusives in the next 1-2 years that trumps the 360 exclusives? Is there some reason to think Blu-Ray demand is going to jump through the roof and be a reason for driving PS3 sales? Does anyone think MS is going to let Sony price drop their way into the race without matching them?

astrosfan64

09-20-2007, 12:18 AM

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-20-2007, 08:30 AM

I'm not buying it.

What makes anyone think that the PS3 is going to reverse their disadvantage in the U.S. market and pull decisively ahead in the European/Australian market? Is there some list of PS3 exclusives in the next 1-2 years that trumps the 360 exclusives? Is there some reason to think Blu-Ray demand is going to jump through the roof and be a reason for driving PS3 sales? Does anyone think MS is going to let Sony price drop their way into the race without matching them?

The trump cards are still in the deck for Sony. MGS4 is going to be a key indicator for whether Sony can make headway. There are multiple titles for Sony that have similar pull, but MGS4 is the first big one to be released. If MGS4 doesn't provide a significant boost on release in Feb/March, then the analysts will likely switch their discussion to 'if MGS4 couldn't draw in the consumers, will FFXIII, FFXIII Versus, GT5, etc. do any better?'.

Blu-ray is already a big advantage in Japan and Europe with a 96% share in Japan and roughly a 3:1 ratio of sales in Europe. The U.S. remains the sole battleground in that regard. The PS3 is regarded by most video review websites as the best BR player. Quality is great and the ease of pushing firmware is a big benefit. With that said, I still don't think that this will be what decides whether the PS3 does well or not.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-20-2007, 08:34 AM

New trailer released for The Last Remnant.......

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25174.html

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-20-2007, 08:36 AM

List released of current and upcoming titles for the PS3 that will have rumble enabled. Rumble controllers have a release date of Winter 2007 for Japan and Spring 2008 for EU and North America......

LIST OF PLAYSTATION 3 TITLES COMPATIBLE WITH DUALSHOCK 3 IN NORTH AMERICA AND EUROPE *2
As of September 20th, 2007

* The Darkness
* Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
* Soldier of Fortune
* BIOHAZARD® 5
* Devil May Cry® 4
* N-Cube
* Warbit
* Dark Sector
* Turok
* Highlander
* Kane & Lynch: Dead Men
* Burnout Paradise
* FIFA franchise (title name TBD)
* Legendary: The Box
* To End All Wars
* RAGE
* WarDevil - Unleash the Beast Within
* Dynasty Warriors 6
* Fatal Inertia
* METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS
* Blacksite: Area 51
* TNA Wrestling
* Unreal Tournament 3
* Wheelman
* Cops (codename, title name TBD)
* Planet One (codename, title name TBD)
* Heroes over Europe
* Condemned 2
* Iron Man
* The Club
* The Crucible
* The Incredible Hulk
* Blast Factor (*1)
* echochrome
* Elefunk
* Folklore (*1)
* FORMULA ONE CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION (*1)
* Go! Sports Ski (*1)
* Heavenly Sword (*1)
* High Velocity Bowling
* MLB 08: The Show
* MotorStorm (*1)
* NBA 08 (*1)
* PAIN
* Rat Race
* Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
* Resistance: Fall of Man (*1)
* Snakeball
* SOCOM: Confrontation
* Super Stardust HD (*1)
* TOY HOME
* Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
* Warhawk (*1)
* WipEout HD
* GripShift®
* NBA 2K8
* Destroy All Humans 3
* Stuntman Ignition
* Assassin's Creed
* BEOWULF
* HAZE
* Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (*1)
* Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas (*1)
* Prototype
* The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena

(*1) Users will be able to enjoy the rumble feature through software update.
(*2) Actual titles to be released may vary among countries and regions.

astrosfan64

09-20-2007, 08:36 AM

The trump cards are still in the deck for Sony. MGS4 is going to be a key indicator for whether Sony can make headway. There are multiple titles for Sony that have similar pull, but MGS4 is the first big one to be released. If MGS4 doesn't provide a significant boost on release in Feb/March, then the analysts will likely switch their discussion to 'if MGS4 couldn't draw in the consumers, will FFXIII, FFXIII Versus, GT5, etc. do any better?'.

Blu-ray is already a big advantage in Japan and Europe with a 96% share in Japan and roughly a 3:1 ratio of sales in Europe. The U.S. remains the sole battleground in that regard. The PS3 is regarded by most video review websites as the best BR player. Quality is great and the ease of pushing firmware is a big benefit. With that said, I still don't think that this will be what decides whether the PS3 does well or not.

What is MGS4

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-20-2007, 08:44 AM

What is MGS4

Sorry. Metal Gear Solid 4.

MikeVic

09-20-2007, 08:46 AM

Who was the one that said something about what it takes to be a hardcore gamer?

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-20-2007, 08:47 AM

Lost Odyssey expected to ship on 4 DVD's. Game time is roughly the same as BioShock, but the extra CG scenes in Lost Odyssey appear to be the main cause for the increase in number of discs.

If you thought that three DVD's for Blue Dragon was excessive prepare yourself for this. During a meeting at this year's Tokyo Game Show, Hironobu Sakaguchi revealed that his next upcoming title will be epic in many ways. Sakaguchi revealed that Lost Odyssey will span over four DVDs. The game uses a mixture of CG and real-time cut scenes to illustrate the storyline. The game is expected to last between 40-50hrs.

The Lost Odyssey team is planning to ship the title with a multiple language option, including English and Japanese. However, the voice animations for the characters will be synched with the English voice work, even the Japanese version. Sakaguchi stated that the Japanese are use to not having voices matched up to lip movement because of all the western films that have now made there way into Japan. By using English as the main voice work of the title, Sakaguchi wanted to show the English speaking audience his appreciation for their support.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-20-2007, 08:54 AM

TGS interview with president of BioWare.........

Dr. Greg Zeschuk, co-founder and president of the mighty BioWare, is always a great interview. It immediately becomes clear as soon as he enters to room that he can't wait to sit down and have a good chat about Mass Effect and where it's going.

Would you say this is BioWare's most challenging game to date in terms of ambition and what you want to achieve with it?

Greg Zeschuk: Every time we do a new game we want to up the ante. Mass effect has probably covered more territory than any other game we've ever done. In terms of technology and design it's certainly been the most challenging. I'd sort of give a qualified 'yes' on that.

Do you feel there's a lot of pressure on you to really deliver with the game?

Zeschuk: Yes, for a few reasons. One is time - we've spent a lot of time on this game. Second is that, along the way, we've picked up a lot in terms of awards, PR and expectations of the game. The third is down to our own desire to be successful and stamp our mark on the next-generation. There are already some great games out there and this is ours.

The menu clearly states there'll be downloadable content at some point. What can you tell us about that?

Zeschuk: It might do (laughs). We certainly have plans with what we want to create for downloadable content and we'll announce them around the time of launch. We have a long history with post release content. For us it's about value and fair trade. If you're going to pay us money we want you to get something that's really cool.

We've been working a lot on what kind of package we'll do. Downloadable content can really help and drive the longevity of a game so we'll be going aggressive on it.

So are we talking about extra missions?

Zeschuk: We haven't absolutely nailed down exactly what we're going to do. Our perspective on it is that the edges on Mass Effect are almost none-existent so you can continue to push. It could be a range of things.

It could be more content it could be new equipment or game features. We're really going to take some time and think about what we can do there.

Any plans for a downloadable demo before release?

Zeschuk: We're still thinking of the exact form the demo could take.

So there is a demo planned then?

Zeschuk: Probably... I'm being particularly non committal... Our goal would defiantly be to have one depending on time challenges and things. I can't remember who said it, I think it was Mark Rein.

I'd hate to quote Mark (laughs), but it's a huge challenge getting a game and demo out around the same time. We're still thinking about how exactly that's going to play out. We're clearly running out time though.

You've already expressed your plans for Mass Effect to be a trilogy. Do you see all three games being released on Xbox 360?

Zeschuk: Certainly out intent is to have all three iterations or instalments of Mass Effect to be on Xbox 360. That's the goal.

Exclusively to 360 all the way?

Zeschuk: Can't really comment on that aspect yet, it's too far into the future. Thinking a year in to the future is a big challenge these days.

The law we can't control is the length of the console cycle. I hope, I hope, I hope that this cycle is longer than the last one. We kind of just got started last cycle and it kind of ended when our second game came out. Downloadable content could also bridge the gap by giving you new little islands of story between the big game releases.

Now you've built the game engine will the sequel be developed much quicker than the original?

Zeschuk: I think that's absolutely true. The guys at BioWare have done a great job of creating all the tools and technology to make game creation easier. That's one of the reasons we cross our fingers and hope that this console cycle lasts a long time because we've created a great suit of tools and tech that allow us to build stuff. What took people to make a year can sometimes now be done in three or four days.

What's your take on the whole DVD versus Blu-ray disc storage issue? Has it made a difference to Mass Effect?

Zeschuk: The DVD format is a trick one. We're on one DVD and we're a truly massive game and that'll speak for itself as far as how we got it all on there. Rendered movies take up a lot of space and we're doing a lot in engine, in real time.

You have to be very judicious and smart with compression. I don't think that DVD is going to make the worst game. This is a good game, Bioshock was a good game. I think that speaks for itself.

There's an element of romance in the game. Can you confirm if you can be gay in the game?

Zeschuk: I can't say anything about that at this point. There's some interesting stuff on the game that's a little bit different. I'll leave it at that.

Last question then, when are you going to announce KOTOR III?

Zeschuk: (Big laughs all round) I don't have an answer to that question. It's been talked about for a while. When I played Mass Effect I got a strong KOTOR feel. You know we loved the KOTOR games and it's always been a soft spot in our hearts.

In some ways this could be the spiritual successor to those games, but I'd say it channels some of the feel of those games. Maybe that's because Mass Effect is made by many of the same guys that worked on KOTOR...

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-20-2007, 09:00 AM

albionmoonlight

09-20-2007, 09:41 AM

Very interesting market analysis on the console war in North America. Amazing how a PS3 and 360 price drop can reduce Wii demand by 17% in just two months. 360 demand increased by 20% and PS3 demand increased by 40% during those same two months.

http://blog.compete.com/2007/09/19/xbox-price-cut-match-wii-demand-ps3/

Makes sense to me. People knew that 360 and PS3 price cuts were coming, so they waited for them. Now that they are here, demand has increased. Bioshock and Halo 3 have not hurt either.

I don't think that anyone expects the Wii to have a price cut anytime soon, so people have been buying at a constant rate. That might be declining as people either figure that they will get one for Christmas or the market is just naturally drying up.

I still don't know how much what the 360 does changes what people will do with the Wii. They seem like different machines serving different markets.

On a realted note, I wonder how much of a bump the 360 will get once word breaks online that the stock of RROD 360s is off the shelf and all of the new cooler 360s are on the shelf. Are there a lot of people waiting for that moment? Or is the fact that I only talk about this with game obsessed people slanting my view of the situation?

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-20-2007, 10:24 AM

On a realted note, I wonder how much of a bump the 360 will get once word breaks online that the stock of RROD 360s is off the shelf and all of the new cooler 360s are on the shelf. Are there a lot of people waiting for that moment? Or is the fact that I only talk about this with game obsessed people slanting my view of the situation?

MS is in a pickle in that regard. The 'game obsessed' as you call it will know about it pretty quickly. It's going to be a lot tougher for MS to get that info to the general public and 'casual gamer' (which appears to be the latest catch phrase). They can't openly promote the change to the publice without admitting that there were problems previously, which they've only passively admitted thus far by extending the warranty. However, the general public will never know any different if some form of communication isn't done. They can't rely on word of mouth.

albionmoonlight

09-20-2007, 10:33 AM

MS is in a pickle in that regard. The 'game obsessed' as you call it will know about it pretty quickly. It's going to be a lot tougher for MS to get that info to the general public and 'casual gamer' (which appears to be the latest catch phrase). They can't openly promote the change to the publice without admitting that there were problems previously, which they've only passively admitted thus far by extending the warranty. However, the general public will never know any different if some form of communication isn't done. They can't rely on word of mouth.

I agree.

Still, there has to be a group of people who have said to themselves, "I am going to buy a 360, but I will wait for the cooler units." And they are keeping an ear at least half to the ground to see when those will be out. I just wonder how big of a group that is. In the hundreds? The thousands? The tens of thousands?

The "casual gamer" issue is also important for MS, of course. I just wonder about the more in-touch gamer who has made the express choice to wait.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-20-2007, 10:36 AM

If the customer base demands something, does it matter whether it's last-gen tech or not?

I happen to think the initial rationale for why there was no rumble is a load of bunk and hooey...but even if it weren't, if the potential customer base is demanding it, and your sales are struggling, doesn't it make sense to include it, even if you consider it "last-gen"?

To be clear (while splitting hairs), the new DualShock 3 controller is different than past 'rumble' controllers. The controller actually has multiple mechanisms in the controller that allow for directional feedback. For example, if someone were to shoot at you from your character's left and you are hit, the left side of the controller will vibrate to give you instant feedback that someone is shooting at you on your left hand side. Here's an article with MGS4 demo impressions where they discuss how the rumble works.......

http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3162991

MikeVic

09-20-2007, 10:41 AM

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-20-2007, 10:42 AM

I agree.

Still, there has to be a group of people who have said to themselves, "I am going to buy a 360, but I will wait for the cooler units." And they are keeping an ear at least half to the ground to see when those will be out. I just wonder how big of a group that is. In the hundreds? The thousands? The tens of thousands?

The "casual gamer" issue is also important for MS, of course. I just wonder about the more in-touch gamer who has made the express choice to wait.

It's just like the PS2 in that regard. Early release units had some big problems with disc read errors. Those people eventually bought a PS2 to replace their early one, but I don't think there's going to be any sudden jump for a 'second launch day' when the new systems come out. It will just gradually happen over time as the 3 year warranties run out on the old units and they go and buy a new 360 rather than pay to repair the old one. I would guess that people would likely wait to make that jump, assuming the longer they take to replace their old one, the better chance they have of getting a new one that won't have similar problems.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-20-2007, 10:45 AM

That's cool. Maybe the blind can play some games?

(insert IGN article detailing how blind gamers will cause PS3 sales to skyrocket)

:)

Big Fo

09-20-2007, 11:08 AM

Very interesting market analysis on the console war in North America. Amazing how a PS3 and 360 price drop can reduce Wii demand by 17% in just two months. 360 demand increased by 20% and PS3 demand increased by 40% during those same two months.

http://blog.compete.com/2007/09/19/xbox-price-cut-match-wii-demand-ps3/

If Microsoft couldn't increase demand with a price drop, Madden 08 (being exclusively advertised for 360), and Bioshock both coming out then something would have been terribly wrong.

I still don't know how much what the 360 does changes what people will do with the Wii. They seem like different machines serving different markets.

360 - hardcore gamers
PS3 - hardcore gamers
Wii - hardcore and casual gamers

They are competing, Wii just gets some extra sales on the side. Most Wii owners have been playing games for years, a few months ago Nintendo came out and said that 10% of Wiis sold went to first time console owners, 90% had bought a PS2, PS1, SNES, or whatever else at one time or another.

SackAttack

09-20-2007, 11:27 AM

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-20-2007, 12:31 PM

New game announcement.........Motorstorm 2. Will be released in 2008.

As well as content expansions for the off-road racer, Evolution is also working on the next instalment of MotorStorm for release on Blu-ray disc in 2008.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=28820

twothree

09-20-2007, 12:31 PM

Yeah, but I don't think a significant chunk of that 90% buys a Wii as an either/or proposition.

I don't think anybody goes in saying "well, this is it. I'm not going to fool with a PS3 or an Xbox 360, the Wii's got everything I need!"

I mean, some of the 10% probably do. Why not? It's fun, it's easy to play, and it's cheaper than the other options.

But somebody who's a "hardcore" gamer is probably not going to throw away MGS4, FFXIII, Eternal Sonata, Mass Effect, Halo 3, etc because Wii is where it's at.

The competition between Wii and the other two is more for development resources than for market share, IMO. Especially with the discrepancy in costs between the PS3/360 and the Wii. Lots of money for PS3/360 doesn't freeze Wii out, but lots of money in Wii development might cause some hitches in 360/PS3 development if the company in question isn't either huge or aggressively expanding.

I decided the PS3/360 was not for me, and went with the Wii only for this generation. And, I really don't see that changing, but I guess it could happen.

If we call your definition the "new hardcore" gamer, then I guess I would be an "old hardcore" gamer. I have easily purchased several thousand PC games since 1991 (SimEarth was the first one). And, I have over 150 PS2 games. Those would be my main systems. I don't own an XBOX. I don't have a blue-ray player or HD-DVD player. I don't own a cell phone (I mention this, since you can play games on them.) or a high definition TV. I do have an enhanced TV (480p) which is the highest output for the Wii, PS2, and standard DVDs.

I do see myself having a large library of Wii games once they establish their platium/greatest hits/player's choice/cheap price line-up of games, but at the moment I have less than a handful of games. Though, there are about a dozen games out for the Wii that I would like to get once their price drops.

MikeVic

09-20-2007, 12:37 PM

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-20-2007, 12:41 PM

I just have a Wii, and although the 360 has some games I want to play... I can't see myself buying one right now. I have a crappy 19" Citizen TV in my room, and a messed up 36" JVC in the basement. Both are regular tube TVs, so I won't see a huge benefit with the next gen graphics really. Plus no sound systems. If I had a better setup, maybe I'd be a igger next-gen fan.

I've always thought the same thing. I never understood why someone would pay so much money to upgrade to a 360 or PS3 if they don't have a HDTV or HD monitor to play it on. You're buying a corvette with a one cylinder engine when you do that.

Especially given the continued support for the PS2 and the Wii, there's really no reason to upgrade without an appropriate TV.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-20-2007, 12:43 PM

If we call your definition the "new hardcore" gamer, then I guess I would be an "old hardcore" gamer. I have easily purchased several thousand PC games since 1991 (SimEarth was the first one). And, I have over 150 PS2 games.

Dear God! That's, ummmmm, a lot of games. :)

twothree

09-20-2007, 12:46 PM

Dear God! That's, ummmmm, a lot of games. :)

They do take up a lot of shelf space. Especially, the game manuals.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-20-2007, 12:52 PM

They do take up a lot of shelf space. Especially, the game manuals.

You keep them all? Yikes!

I had about 30-40 old PC games that had just been lying around. I just posted them all in one eBay listing and sold them as a group to get rid of them. Pocketed a couple hundred dollars and had a lot more space on my desk as a result.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-20-2007, 01:05 PM

Trailer released at TGS for new Metal Gear Online game........

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25132.html

Also, new gameplay footage of MGS4.......

http://www.gamersyde.com/news_5097_en.html

Fidatelo

09-20-2007, 01:21 PM

I've always thought the same thing. I never understood why someone would pay so much money to upgrade to a 360 or PS3 if they don't have a HDTV or HD monitor to play it on. You're buying a corvette with a one cylinder engine when you do that.

Especially given the continued support for the PS2 and the Wii, there's really no reason to upgrade without an appropriate TV.

I agree 100%. I saw no reason to buy a 360 or PS3... that is, until I bought a 50" plasma this summer, then it made sense. My friends would bring their 360's over sometimes and it was almost frustrating playing on my 27" TV. It was almost worse than playing the Wii or a last-gen system because it was sometimes a struggle to see all the little details that are jammed into the screen.

MJ4H

09-20-2007, 06:45 PM

I have an HDTV and still don't want a 360 or PS3 :D

astrosfan64

09-20-2007, 06:56 PM

Who was the one that said something about what it takes to be a hardcore gamer?

Me

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-21-2007, 07:13 AM

Latest hardware numbers out of Japan. Wii sales continue to plummet, now only a 2:1 sales lead over the PS3 (was 6:1 only 3 months ago).

PSP 95,487
DSL 79,974
Wii 26,181
PS2 13,128
PS3 13,101
Xbox360 1,243

It should be noted that it's not a case of the PS3 making up ground, but when Wii weekly sales fall from around 80,000 to 25,000 in 3 months, that's got to be a concern.

Some have suggested that some Wii's were rerouted to North America. I went hunting for a PSP Daxter pack at multiple stores last night here in Kansas City. I was surprised to find that Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Circuit City all had at least 6 Wii's in stock. Wal-Mart actually had 11. I'm wondering if Nintendo is oversupplying North America in the hopes that there will be enough Wii's to handle at least some of the holiday rush. Regardless, if you want a Wii to give as a gift for X-mas, now is likely the best time to buy it while it's still available.

gstelmack

09-21-2007, 08:50 AM

Playstation Home delayed until the spring:

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=8977

SackAttack

09-21-2007, 10:38 AM

Latest hardware numbers out of Japan. Wii sales continue to plummet, now only a 2:1 sales lead over the PS3 (was 6:1 only 3 months ago).

It should be noted that it's not a case of the PS3 making up ground, but when Wii weekly sales fall from around 80,000 to 25,000 in 3 months, that's got to be a concern.

Some have suggested that some Wii's were rerouted to North America. I went hunting for a PSP Daxter pack at multiple stores last night here in Kansas City. I was surprised to find that Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Circuit City all had at least 6 Wii's in stock. Wal-Mart actually had 11. I'm wondering if Nintendo is oversupplying North America in the hopes that there will be enough Wii's to handle at least some of the holiday rush. Regardless, if you want a Wii to give as a gift for X-mas, now is likely the best time to buy it while it's still available.

We got 90 Wii's in late last week, prior to the Sunday ad. We got another 18 on Tuesday (I'm told we actually got 24, but I can only visually account for 18), and another 15 or so yesterday.

I'm guessing that, yeah, there is significant diversion going on. Only 21k Wii's may have sold in Japan, but hey, how many are still on the shelves over there? That's the bigger question before the word 'concern' trickles in.

MikeVic

09-21-2007, 10:43 AM

Me

Oh ok. It rang a bell... did you consider yourself a hardcore gamer? If so, I think that should be revoked since you didn't know what MGS4 stood for. :)

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-21-2007, 11:03 AM

We got 90 Wii's in late last week, prior to the Sunday ad. We got another 18 on Tuesday (I'm told we actually got 24, but I can only visually account for 18), and another 15 or so yesterday.

I'm guessing that, yeah, there is significant diversion going on. Only 21k Wii's may have sold in Japan, but hey, how many are still on the shelves over there? That's the bigger question before the word 'concern' trickles in.

There are limited numbers in stock in Japan, but nothing like the large stock we're currently seeing in the U.S. As I mentioned, the surplus will be be sucked up as we move towards the holidays. It will be interesting to see how stock numbers change over the next month or two in both regions.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-21-2007, 11:42 AM

Good move here by Microsoft. Moving their focus to Europe as Japan appears to be a lost cause. Only question here is why it took so long to move those resources to Europe.......

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=a0FYuTjLAMec

SackAttack

09-23-2007, 02:14 AM

To be clear (while splitting hairs), the new DualShock 3 controller is different than past 'rumble' controllers. The controller actually has multiple mechanisms in the controller that allow for directional feedback. For example, if someone were to shoot at you from your character's left and you are hit, the left side of the controller will vibrate to give you instant feedback that someone is shooting at you on your left hand side. Here's an article with MGS4 demo impressions where they discuss how the rumble works.......

http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3162991

Phil Harrison says that the rumble tech is the same as in the Dual Shock 2.

http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=17519

Not sure if that means the stuff discussed in the preview has been technically doable on the PS2, or if this is just an expansion of how the DualShock 2 tech is used.

Also, apparently Beautiful Katamari isn't coming to PS3, but PS3 will be getting a Katamari game of its own.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3163131

Exclusives for everybody!

(Yes, I'm bored. Waiting for my umpire clothes to be ready to go into the dryer so I can sleeeeeeeeeeeeep.)

Big Fo

09-23-2007, 08:49 AM

I don't think the declining Wii sales in Japan are all to do with supply. There hasn't been much released on the Wii over there in the last month or two. If gamefaqs.com is right October won't have any big games either but count on Wii sales shooting back up when Galaxy, Smash Bros., and WiiFit come out.

More important than Japanese sales is that MLB Power Pros is coming out next week, right in time for the beginning of the playoffs. If anyone reading this is somewhat interested but not fully convinced the game will cost $40 instead of $50. I hope they tack on a player editor because I'm sure I'll find some issues with the player ratings but that's my only big concern with the game. Hopefully this game sells enough that this North American release isn't a one-time thing, the more competition in sports games the better.

This week at TGS a trailer was released for King's Story, formerly Project O, a Wii game that kind of reminds me of the Settlers with some RPG elements. I really like the art style and the game's music should be good going by the Bolero variation in the trailer. This game won't be out for awhile even in Japan but it looks great.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25389.html

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-24-2007, 07:16 AM

More info about the new Tecmo Bowl game. Editable jerseys, helmets, and player names.........

http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200709/N07.0921.0851.49147.htm

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-24-2007, 07:17 AM

Phil Harrison says that the rumble tech is the same as in the Dual Shock 2.

http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=17519

Yep, was confirmed on another site. That's what I get for reading a IGN opinion. :)

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-24-2007, 07:18 AM

Pachter believes Little Big Planet will be a system seller for the PS3:

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=28926

LittleBigPlanet is a system seller, says analyst
Matt Martin 11:03 (BST) 24/09/2007
But Sony must cut PS3 price to reach March '08 targets

Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet could be a driving force in improving PlayStation 3 sales early next year, according to Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter.

Speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz from the Tokyo Game Show, Pachter said the highly-anticipated game from the makers of Rag Doll Kung Fu should appeal to a family audience - something that Sony and rival Microsoft have so far failed to capture with their next-generation machines.

"After seeing LittleBigPlanet at TGS, I believe it could be a console mover," commented Pachter.

"The game is really innovative, and I think it adds a family element that is so far missing from both the Xbox 360 and the PS3. If they can accompany that game's launch with a price cut (or a lower priced SKU), I think we'll see a spike in sales," he added.

Although Sony stated there are no immediate plans for a price cut of the PlayStation 3 at last week's event, Pachter believes the company needs to drop the RRP of the console if it's to meet its 11 million shipment targets by March 2008.

"If Sony doesn't cut price at all during its fiscal year, they will probably miss their 11 million shipment target," he said. "However, a price cut early in 2008 should spark sales, and their line-up of LittleBigPlanet, Gran Turismo 5, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Grand Theft Auto 4 should help move consoles."

"If they don't cut price, they'll probably sell through around 7 million for the fiscal year, and will probably ship no more than 8 - 9 million," he added.

Sony unveiled LittleBigPlanet earlier this year at the Game Developers Conference and it has quickly become one of the PS3's most anticipated titles, along with the 3D social networking service Home and the latest iteration of SingStar.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-24-2007, 07:25 AM

New details on Saints Row 2...........

http://www.thq-games.com/uk/news/show/2750

The entire single player campaign will be playable in an online co-op mode; and there'll also be an all-new open world competitive multiplayer mode that's never been seen before.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-24-2007, 07:27 AM

Halo 3 likely to gross around $300M on opening day...........

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/22/1189881838207.html

A COMPUTER game about a rebel group of humans fighting back against evil aliens who have taken control of the Earth could this week become the biggest phenomenon in entertainment history.

Microsoft is confident worldwide sales could top $300 million by the end of its release day on Tuesday.

Australian gamers will be the first to try the latest evolution in the mega-successful Halo series. Some game retail outlets are opening their doors at midnight tomorrow for fans desperate for the next stage in the adventure of lead character Master Chief and his band of heavily armed marines as they fight for survival against the Covenant.

More than 42,000 pre-orders have been lodged for the M-rated game in Australia, which will retail at $99.95 for the standard edition.

When Halo 2 came on the market in 2004 it racked up $US125 million in sales in the first 24 hours of its release in North America.

EB Games Australian director of store operations, Brad Harker, said the retail chain planned to open most of its stores for the midnight release.

"We love the fun of it, and we're going to make it as entertaining for our customers as possible," Mr Harker said. Microsoft will also be releasing a special Xbox 360 Halo 3 games console to coincide with the launch as part of its battle with the popular Nintendo Wii gaming system.

Master Chief's helmeted image is expected to appear on everything from soft-drink bottles to collectible figurines so Microsoft can cash in on Halo's following.

Comic giant Marvel already publishes Halo comic books, and Peter Jackson, of The Lord Of The Rings film fame, has signed on to produce a Halo movie.

Halo 3's developer, Bungie Studios, has said the third instalment of the series will be better, faster and feature more advanced game play than its predecessors. David McLean, Xbox regional director in Australia, said the company expected to sell more Xbox 360s once Halo 3 was released.

He said Halo 3 would be Microsoft's biggest entertainment launch in terms of revenue.

Geoff Larsen, a 23-year-old gamer, said the latest instalment of the game was sure to take the crown as the No.1 "shooter" on Xbox.

"From what I've heard Halo 3 is going to be a blast to play, especially with the excellent physics, squad-based co-operative play and an in-depth campaign," Mr Larsen said.

sterlingice

09-24-2007, 07:55 AM

More info about the new Tecmo Bowl game. Editable jerseys, helmets, and player names.........

http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200709/N07.0921.0851.49147.htm

"Tecmo Bowl is straying from the sim-type game, and it will be an arcade-style game"

Hm...

SI

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-24-2007, 08:34 AM

"Tecmo Bowl is straying from the sim-type game, and it will be an arcade-style game"

Hm...

SI

Let's be honest. I'm not sure how much of a sim it was before. Anyone who's seen the Bo Jackson 5 minute touchdown run (which was the entire quarter in a Tecmo Bowl game) would probably note that it was always arcade-style. The fun in Tecmo Bowl was that you could get some relatively accurate stats in head-to-head matchups without giving up the 'fun factor' in the game.

spleen1015

09-24-2007, 08:38 AM

Unsurprisingly, Gamespot gives Halo a 9.5.

The Bad

* Rewinding saved films doesn't work quite like you'd expect it to
* AI-controlled Marines can't drive to save their lives (or yours)
* Inevitable flood of prepubescent online players sure to hamper your enjoyment of the online modes.

LOL

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-24-2007, 10:09 AM

For those looking for a HDTV and a Xbox 360, Best Buy is offering a free Xbox 360 with any Samsung DLP TV this week.

Atocep

09-24-2007, 10:42 AM

"Tecmo Bowl is straying from the sim-type game, and it will be an arcade-style game"

Hm...

SI

The first 2 games that were on the NES were definitely arcade and what people remember the most, however, when it ported over to the SNES the game was becoming more and more of a sim that included a fairly impressive franchise mode for the time.

SirFozzie

09-24-2007, 11:39 AM

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-24-2007, 11:50 AM

Interesting. Seems to me like Sony's giving up on pitching it as a game machine, and still trying to push it as the crossover box.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/723678f8-67af-11dc-8906-0000779fd2ac,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F723678f8-67af-11dc-8906-0000779fd2ac.html&_i_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ft.com%2Fsearch%3FqueryText%3DPlaystation

'giving up on pitching it as a game machine'

They don't have to do one exclusive of the other. There's plenty to offer on both sides. Right now, it's accepted by most video review sites that the PS3 is the best Blu-ray player on the market. I certainly don't think it's a terrible move to emphasize the strength on that front. If it gets more PS3's sold, great. But they're not downplaying the gaming end by any means and the article doesn't say anything in that regard.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-24-2007, 11:54 AM

Sony released it's quarterly financials today. Overall game division sales are up 60%. Fiscal year-end goals for all Sony consoles remain unchanged.

http://www.123jump.com/earnings-calls/Sony-First-Quarter-Earnings-Call/23285/

The games-and-electronics producer and financial services provider said its first-quarter profit more than doubled on a weaker yen and higher sales of LCD televisions. The electronics and the financial services segments drove the increase in operating profit. Consolidated operating income increased to 99.3 billion yen from 27 billion yen a year ago. Consolidated sales rose 13% due to the large increase of sales of all segments. Full-year profit forecast of 320 billion yen remains unchanged.

....Sales in the game segment increased 60%, or 49% on a local currency basis.

- Approximately 70% of sales came from hardware and accessories, and the balance from software.
- PS2 recorded an increase in sales. PSP hardware sales increased due to a significant increase in unit sales year-on-year. PS3 sales came in slightly below expectations.

....Sales forecast remains unchanged.

- Software unit sales are expected to be 250 million units.
- PS2 hardware unit sales are expected to be 10 million units;
- PSP hardware unit sales are expected to be 9 million units;
- PS3 hardware unit sales are expected to be 11 million units.

stevew

09-24-2007, 11:56 AM

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-24-2007, 12:01 PM

They can push it all they want as a Blu Ray player, but they are going to undoubtedly piss off retailers who sell actual blu ray players in the process. There's virtually no margin on a game console, whereas there is an okay one on the stand alone players.

The PS3 is prominently displayed in the 'Video Games' section of all stores. When it is moved to the 'Home Entertainment' section, then we can have this conversation. It's still a gaming console and I would guess that few would hear 'Playstation 3' and think anything other than gaming.

stevew

09-24-2007, 12:22 PM

You don't know how many times I hear a week, "well, I want a blu ray player, but i'll probably just buy a PS3"

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-24-2007, 12:34 PM

You don't know how many times I hear a week, "well, I want a blu ray player, but i'll probably just buy a PS3"

Isn't that a win for Sony in that case? If they sell the console by means other than gaming, that would seem to be a positive. Granted, some people don't like the decision to include BR in the console, but now that they've already gone down that road, I would think that any sales via BR are good for Sony. The vast majority of sales are still for gaming in regards to the PS3.

Your comment would seem to make perfect sense when combined with the article that Fozzie posted. They know that there are some people who are buying it as a BR player. Pushing that as an advantage with a marketing campaign makes perfect sense. It still doesn't mean that they are doing it by disregarding the gaming part of the system as Fozzie implied.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-24-2007, 01:01 PM

Another Wii game with no online gameplay. This time, it's Table Tennis........

http://loot-ninja.com/2007/09/24/table-tennis-for-wii-gets-no-online-love/

spleen1015

09-24-2007, 01:16 PM

Another Wii game with no online gameplay. This time, it's Table Tennis........

http://loot-ninja.com/2007/09/24/table-tennis-for-wii-gets-no-online-love/

The Wii has shown how important online play is.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-24-2007, 01:29 PM

The Wii has shown how important online play is.

So, to be clear, the system is selling without much online support, hence online play isn't important?

FWIW.....I'm mostly a single-player gamer, so I wouldn't mind if that were the case. Unfortunately, that's likely not the situation.

MJ4H

09-24-2007, 01:47 PM

Rockstar Table Tennis got awful initial impressions, so no big loss.

Remember that online isn't really the focus of the Wii. One of the central concepts Nintendo was going for is to bring people together in one place. Online works against that to a degree. It isn't much of a surprise that EVERY game isn't online. The important ones are/will be online, though (Strikers, Brawl, Madden, FIFA, etc.)

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-24-2007, 02:00 PM

Remember that online isn't really the focus of the Wii. One of the central concepts Nintendo was going for is to bring people together in one place.

That was the company line, but that was just an excuse for the fact that they didn't get online development tools out there nearly quick enough. It's worked out for them so far, but they had no intentions of having the online component lacking to this degree nearly a year into the console's life.

MJ4H

09-24-2007, 02:10 PM

Nonsense, it is more than the company line. Read interviews with the designers and creators of the system.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-24-2007, 02:13 PM

Nonsense, it is more than the company line. Read interviews with the designers and creators of the system.

I'd love to see some article pre-release articles where they stated that online play is not a focus of the console.

In related news, Jack Trenton suggested in a recent article that Sony execs knew before the PS3 release date that the PS3 might lag in sales over the first year.

gstelmack

09-24-2007, 02:14 PM

Nonsense, it is more than the company line. Read interviews with the designers and creators of the system.

Remember, he's used to reading interviews from Sony folks, so he just ignores everything said in those interviews as useless :D

MJ4H

09-24-2007, 02:15 PM

I did not say they stated online play is not a focus. It shouldn't be too hard to find articles and interviews about what the focus is. This is not exactly news. This was not a company line.

MJ4H

09-24-2007, 02:16 PM

Remember, he's used to reading interviews from Sony folks, so he just ignores everything said in those interviews as useless :D

I'm actually surprised someone is disputing this. I thought everyone knew that was the whole plan for the Wii. Anyway, just a few minutes of reading should clear that right up.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-24-2007, 02:21 PM

I'm actually surprised someone is disputing this. I thought everyone knew that was the whole plan for the Wii. Anyway, just a few minutes of reading should clear that right up.

Great. Where is that reading? I remember multiple articles where developers complained that Nintendo hadn't released their online development tools even after the Wii release. I don't remember any Nintendo execs coming out to say 'Well, that's because we're focusing on play in the home'.

Listen, there's a lot to like about the Wii and that's understandable, but the online piece of the system has been deplorable thus far.

MJ4H

09-24-2007, 02:26 PM

Sigh.

I did not say that the reason online was delayed was because they are focussing on play in the home. I said that is what their focus is, so it should not be surprising when most games are not focussing online. This really isn't hard.

And you can't be serious about where is the reading. Seriously, this is NOT hard stuff to find. Any interview with the designers will do. How can you not know what the focus for the Wii was? Seriously, how?

Nevertheless, if I happen across something and I think about you, I'll throw you a bone. There really isn't any excuse for being that ignorant about the Wii, though.

SackAttack

09-24-2007, 02:30 PM

Seriously, they were saying that crap when they first unveiled the Wii controller and new name. They took crap for it even then.

They've been taking more crap for it since we've seen the abortion known as 'friend codes,' but yeah, this is hardly 'news'.

MJ4H

09-24-2007, 02:51 PM

I guess it was silly of me to not point out that the NAME of the system, Wii, was partly based on its appearance, two game controllers, the ii, also signifying two people. Live multiplayer. The whole system was named after this concept.

MJ4H

09-24-2007, 03:02 PM

For your reading pleasure, as well:

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/blog/asiatech/archives/2006/04/nintendos_wii_w.html

Pronounced we, the name "emphasizes this console is for everyone" and conjures the "image of people gathering to play," according to the company's Web site (http://revolution.nintendo.com/). Indeed, the i's resemble two people standing together.

sterlingice

09-24-2007, 04:23 PM

The first 2 games that were on the NES were definitely arcade and what people remember the most, however, when it ported over to the SNES the game was becoming more and more of a sim that included a fairly impressive franchise mode for the time.

Well, I guess I just figured that they meant the way Tecmo Bowl and Tecmo Super Bowl were was "simulation" not "arcade".

SI

Big Fo

09-24-2007, 05:51 PM

Rockstar Table Tennis got awful initial impressions, so no big loss.

Yeah I've read there is some terrible lag involved in the swing, doesn't sound good at all.

albionmoonlight

09-24-2007, 05:56 PM

Yeah I've read there is some terrible lag involved in the swing, doesn't sound good at all.

How do you make a table tennis game and get the swing wrong? Who decides to send the game out the door in that shape?

That's like making a chess game and getting the chess wrong.

MJ4H

09-24-2007, 06:05 PM

How do you make a table tennis game and get the swing wrong? Who decides to send the game out the door in that shape?

That's like making a chess game and getting the chess wrong.

Here's the one I read:

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressionsArt.cfm?artid=14403

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-25-2007, 07:42 AM

For your reading pleasure, as well:

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/blog/asiatech/archives/2006/04/nintendos_wii_w.html

Exactly. That's called a company line. Some execs sat in a room for days thinking that up.

Listen, the online portion of the Wii is an absolute abortion with the 'friend codes' and lack of developer support. It makes the PS3's online look good in comparison. There's a lot of Wii gamers who would love to play against human opponents when they aren't available in your home. Currently, they have no way to do that and Nintendo can't explain that away by saying.....

"Well, it was called the Wii because it looks like and 'image of people gathering to play', so it was intended to be played in the home. Online, despite the inclusion of a fully functioning ethernet connection, friend codes, and an online store, was never intended to be used at any major level. We encourage people to bring over their friends so we don't have to bother making online the fully functional component it was meant to be in the first place."

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-25-2007, 07:45 AM

FCC report released detailing the specs of the new PS3 for the technically inclined. More importantly, systems generally come out 2 months after the FCC report is issued, so expect the rumored 40 GB PS3 to come out in mid to late November.

The FCC filing says that the new SKU has at least:

1 x HDMI Port
1 x AV Port
1 x LAN Port
2 x USB Ports
SIXAXIS controller
Bluetooth Ver. 2.0+EDR
WLAN 802.11b/g

Differences compared to previous SKUs:

It draws less current; Now only rated 3A down from the previous 3.2A

Bluetooth is the same version as before, however the Antenna gain is increased on Antenna1 from 0.21dBi (max) in the original 60Gb, up to 3.83dBi (max) in the new SKU. Antenna2 also sees an increase, from 4.13dBi (max) up to 4,92 dBi (max).

WLAN is still 802.11b/g, however there is a difference in Antenna gain too. ANT0 is now 0.69dBi from 0.10dBi previously, and ANT1 is now -0.26dBi from 0.91dBi.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-25-2007, 08:07 AM

Really good CAGcast available this morning. Has a full summary of events/games at the Tokyo Game Show. Also, one of the guys got a copy of Halo 3 before the release date and has some early impressions. He's already finished with 6 out of the 9 chapters in the single player campaign.

Right click on the link and select 'Save Target as' to save it to your HDD.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/cagcast/~3/160893177/cagcast91.mp3

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-25-2007, 10:52 AM

August NPD numbers are out.

Wii: 403,600
Nintendo DS: 383,300
Xbox 360: 276,700
PlayStation 2: 202,000
PlayStation Portable: 151,200
Playstation 3: 130,600
GBA 69,500

Interesting Armchair article this month.

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/levelup/archive/2007/09/24/monday-morning-quarterback-for-august-2007.aspx

Some summary points.......

-360 had same percentage sales boost as the PS3 when prices dropped.
-Halo 3 needs to boost console sales in September. Anything less than 400K for the month would be a disappointment.
-PS3 sales drop lower. Expect the $399 PS3 by November.
-SCEI has relinquished pricing decisions to the regional arms of the corporation. So price drops in Asia, Europe and NA will all be separate and unrelated.
-Continued frustration over lack of Wii games and online support. Madden was only third-party game in the top 20.
-Unsure whether PS3 games this fall will drum up much buzz.
-Sony is targeting 2008 for their move. Both analysts expect a big 2008 for the PS3. Revamped marketing campaign in 2008 expected.
-Both think that Call of Duty 4 will do very well.
-Both say 360 must really do well this holiday season to avoid disappointment.

Bee

09-25-2007, 11:14 AM

Both analysts expect a big 2008 for the PS3.

PS3 looking good in preseason.

MJ4H

09-25-2007, 11:27 AM

Exactly. That's called a company line. Some execs sat in a room for days thinking that up.

Genius, this was back in APRIL. Well before the release of the console. This was not something made up when they realized that they weren't going to be able to get online ready in time. That's all I'm saying. Sheesh. Of course it's a company line when it is the company saying it.

Just wow.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-25-2007, 11:34 AM

Genius. Just wow.

Fixed. ;)

The Armchair QB article stated exactly what I said earlier. I don't think the lack of games and online support are an industry secret.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-25-2007, 11:35 AM

PS3 looking good in preseason.

In the context of the article, that would likely make this fall the regular season for the Xbox 360. They need to win now.

Fidatelo

09-25-2007, 11:57 AM

In the context of the article, that would likely make this fall the regular season for the Xbox 360. They need to win now.

They already have.

TroyF

09-25-2007, 12:05 PM

Wii: 403,600
Nintendo DS: 383,300
Xbox 360: 276,700
PlayStation 2: 202,000
PlayStation Portable: 151,200
Playstation 3: 130,600
GBA 69,500

Wii continues to dominate. PS3 continues to suck. No new news here.

-360 had same percentage sales boost as the PS3 when prices dropped.

But is far more likely to have sustained success because of Halo 3 and other big titles coming out this holiday season, combined with the complete lack of competition from the PS3.

-Halo 3 needs to boost console sales in September. Anything less than 400K for the month would be a disappointment.

So anything less than what the Wii is doing would be a disspointment? Sorry, I don't buy it. Halo will have an impact in sales, but I don't think it's armegeddon if the 360 sells 300k units next month.

-PS3 sales drop lower. Expect the $399 PS3 by November.

If Sony has a brain. Which as of now, they've shown they have none.

-Continued frustration over lack of Wii games and online support. Madden was only third-party game in the top 20.

Yeah, I can see by the sales that people are getting very frustrated with the Wii. It's obvious.

-Unsure whether PS3 games this fall will drum up much buzz.

I'm pretty sure about it. the answer is NO, they won't. Unless there is some monster sleeper hit nobody is talking about.

-Sony is targeting 2008 for their move. Both analysts expect a big 2008 for the PS3. Revamped marketing campaign in 2008 expected.

Duh. There is no doubt they are gearing up for 2008 at this point. It's not like they have a choice in the matter. With no A+ titles due out, all they can do now is to try to wait out the storm.

-Both think that Call of Duty 4 will do very well.

Hey, I think Halo will do well too. Not making fun of you here, it's just obvious. COD4 would sell well if it was total crap. All indications are that it will be pretty damned good. There is no question it'll sell well. (and probably be lights out on the PS3 because of the lack of other options.

-Both say 360 must really do well this holiday season to avoid disappointment.

They are already clipping the PS3 at a 2.1-1 ratio. That's likely going to jump near 3-1 and maybe even 3.5-1 in the next few months. I don't think the 360 has a lot of dissapointment it needs to worry about.

Atocep

09-25-2007, 12:25 PM

August NPD numbers are out.

Wii: 403,600
Nintendo DS: 383,300
Xbox 360: 276,700
PlayStation 2: 202,000
PlayStation Portable: 151,200
Playstation 3: 130,600
GBA 69,500

Interesting Armchair article this month. Some summary points.......

-360 had same percentage sales boost as the PS3 when prices dropped.
-Halo 3 needs to boost console sales in September. Anything less than 400K for the month would be a disappointment.
-PS3 sales drop lower. Expect the $399 PS3 by November.
-SCEI has relinquished pricing decisions to the regional arms of the corporation. So price drops in Asia, Europe and NA will all be separate and unrelated.
-Continued frustration over lack of Wii games and online support. Madden was only third-party game in the top 20.
-Unsure whether PS3 games this fall will drum up much buzz.
-Sony is targeting 2008 for their move. Both analysts expect a big 2008 for the PS3. Revamped marketing campaign in 2008 expected.
-Both think that Call of Duty 4 will do very well.
-Both say 360 must really do well this holiday season to avoid disappointment.

No offense to you since you're quoting this stuff from an article, but this is clearly more Sony bias stuff.

They knock the Wii and a comment about some apparent frustrations, yet it dominates sales and has more great 1st party games coming out soon. Its like the anti-wii people are just waiting for sales to take a massive drop. One year later.....

The 360 doesn't have to do anything. They've already surpassed expecations and then some. They probably will dominate the holiday sales, but to be honest if you told Microsoft 2 years ago that they'd be in the position they're in now Bill Gates would do cartwheels outside Microsoft offices.

Sony has to target '08 for their move. They have no choice. However, that doesn't mean its going to happen. They still have to put out games and actually not look like mouth-breathing idiots before that happens.

I know Troy said a lot of this stuff before me, but I'm just reiterating. This is painfully obvious stuff with a pro-sony spin on it.

Galaxy

09-25-2007, 12:36 PM

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-25-2007, 12:52 PM

But is far more likely to have sustained success because of Halo 3 and other big titles coming out this holiday season, combined with the complete lack of competition from the PS3.

There are still 8 exclusive titles to be released on the PS3. A price cut is rumored in November. If the price cut doesn't happen, I agree. Regardless, there's a lot that is still to come. I don't expect the PS3 to beat the 360 by any means, but I do expect it to stay much closer than you expect, which is what they need to do.

So anything less than what the Wii is doing would be a disspointment? Sorry, I don't buy it. Halo will have an impact in sales, but I don't think it's armegeddon if the 360 sells 300k units next month.

I don't think it would be 'armegeddon' either, but it would definitely be a disappointment if a cheaper 360 + Halo 3 only netted them an additional 30K units over August.

Yeah, I can see by the sales that people are getting very frustrated with the Wii. It's obvious.

I've listened to 4 gaming podcasts this week with TGS wrap-ups in addition to reading the Armchair QB. Every one of them either noted the lack of games or made a wisecrack about the online features of Nintendo. Third-party developers are having significant second thoughts after the disappointing sales figures of Boogie and Metroid. Certainly, Boogie was not that good of a game, but there's no reason that Metroid should only sell 200K units.

I'm pretty sure about it. the answer is NO, they won't. Unless there is some monster sleeper hit nobody is talking about.

Sony's got to put out a good game before people even bother. I did see that Ratchet & Clank has two reviews coming out later this week and they're expected to be 90+, so that's a start.

Duh. There is no doubt they are gearing up for 2008 at this point. It's not like they have a choice in the matter. With no A+ titles due out, all they can do now is to try to wait out the storm.

Agreed. Best they can hope for is to stay even during the holidays with a price drop. They'd count their blessings if they could do that.

Hey, I think Halo will do well too. Not making fun of you here, it's just obvious. COD4 would sell well if it was total crap. All indications are that it will be pretty damned good. There is no question it'll sell well. (and probably be lights out on the PS3 because of the lack of other options.

My feelings weren't hurt, as they weren't my comments. :) COD has been a mixed bag in the past, so it's never a guarantee. I do like the switch to a more modern environment.

They are already clipping the PS3 at a 2.1-1 ratio. That's likely going to jump near 3-1 and maybe even 3.5-1 in the next few months. I don't think the 360 has a lot of dissapointment it needs to worry about.

This year, you're likely right.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-25-2007, 12:56 PM

The 360 doesn't have to do anything. They've already surpassed expecations and then some. They probably will dominate the holiday sales, but to be honest if you told Microsoft 2 years ago that they'd be in the position they're in now Bill Gates would do cartwheels outside Microsoft offices.

I'll buy that. If the PS3 came in at the right price, there'd be no way that they shouldn't be even with or leading the 360 at this point. I'd take some issue with your credit to MS. I think the lead that the 360 has over the PS3 has more to do with Sony's buffoonery than anything Microsoft did. All MS has done was avoid stepping on the bag of flaming poo, which may end up being enough for them to win this generation.

MJ4H

09-25-2007, 12:59 PM

Fixed. ;)

The Armchair QB article stated exactly what I said earlier. I don't think the lack of games and online support are an industry secret.

No. What you said earlier was that was just a company line made up to cover for the fact that they didn't get online out on time.

This clearly shows that this company line was the line from the outset as I said (well before they didn't get online out on time).

Notice I'm not arguing that the online isn't disappointing. It is. I'm pointing out the reason that it isn't is because the FOCUS of the Wii is live multiplayer which online sort of works against. You asked me to show an article that says they wouldn't focus on online before the release and I explained that what I'm saying isn't that they weren't going to focus on online, but that they ARE going to focus on live in-person multi-player, which I then showed you.

That's it. The end. Yes online is disappointing, yes, Nintendo has had a strategy other than focusing online the whole time, yes I've shown proof of that.

Honestly, this isn't hard.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-25-2007, 12:59 PM

MJ4H

09-25-2007, 01:01 PM

Oh and online Mario Strikers Charged works beautifully.

Galaxy

09-25-2007, 01:31 PM

I doubt you'd find anyone to disagree with you. There's a lot of extras in the consoles that most gamers don't want or need. That's just the way it is for this generation at least. I'm not sure it will ever change back to just a gaming console again. They have to find multiple income sources to increase their profits on these things. Downloadable movies, add-ons, etc. are all part of the deal now.

I'm trying to figure out if the $350 is worth it. My Xbox went. I would love to pick up NCAA Football (I've played it (regular games) against my friend). Love the toughness, but the INT worries me. Other than that, seems like a great game with an amazing dynasty mode.

gstelmack

09-25-2007, 01:35 PM

I'm trying to decide on if I want to splash out $350 for the 360 Premium edition. The problem with the 360 and PS3 is they are trying to create entertainments systems, which is fine, but does it matter? People buy these systems for gaming. Just not cut out the extras, while maintaining the specs that create great gaming potential? Pass the savings on to a new market of customers that are staying away from the system.

Exactly what extras in the 360 are you concerned about? The Elite adds the 120 GB HD for downloading media, but the Premium is pretty much all gaming console. Most of the entertainment bits are just useful side effects of having some power; for example, the ability to stream music from your PC isn't eating much resources. You can even create custom playlists to use while playing a game instead of the game's music (which was very handy for me on PGR3...) The ability to download and play HD videos is cool, but again an extra add-on from the Live bits that the console just happens to have plenty of power to do.

But it's the games that take primary advantage of the CPU / graphics / memory / sound hardware in there. It's not like they mandated a high-definition DVD player be in the box or something.

TroyF

09-25-2007, 01:41 PM

Oh and online Mario Strikers Charged works beautifully.

I still have to get that MJ4H. Been busy finishing up an unexpected review of NBA 08 on the PS3. (note, that's one of the exclusives coming out for the PS3 and well, ummmm, ok, mom always told me that if I didn't have anything nice to say, not to say anything at all. I'll follow that advice here)

Mizzou B-Ball, honestly, I don't care how many podcasts you heard complaining about the lack of online play wtih the Wii. Or third party sales. The install base is now the largest of the three systems and it continues to beat the hell out of the other two. The "fad" is still a "fad" and we're nearing a year after release. The sales figures are pretty conclusive at this point: The public is still buying it even with the lack of online play. That speaks volumes more than a pod cast.

gstelmack

09-25-2007, 01:51 PM

The public is still buying it even with the lack of online play. That speaks volumes more than a pod cast.

Especially when those pod casts come from gaming geeks that clearly are not the target audience of the console...

Daimyo

09-25-2007, 02:06 PM

I'll buy that. If the PS3 came in at the right price, there'd be no way that they shouldn't be even with or leading the 360 at this point.
Except maybe for the lack of games...

TroyF

09-25-2007, 02:59 PM

I'll buy that. If the PS3 came in at the right price, there'd be no way that they shouldn't be even with or leading the 360 at this point. I'd take some issue with your credit to MS. I think the lead that the 360 has over the PS3 has more to do with Sony's buffoonery than anything Microsoft did. All MS has done was avoid stepping on the bag of flaming poo, which may end up being enough for them to win this generation.

No, all MS has done is:

1) Come out with the first next gen console which allowed them to build up a decent sized user base while getting top quality software.

2) Bought up exclusives and bought out Sony exclusives (like making sure GTA is released at the same time as the PS3 version) This has allowed them to get games like Gears of War, Bioshock, Mass Effect, Dead Rising (I understand Dead Rising 2 may be out for both), and others out for the 360 and not anyone else.

3) Worked to put out the best online experience of any of the consoles. Yes, you pay $50 a year for it, but it's far better than any other console currently on the market.

Now, all three of those things were business decisions. MS did botch a few things. And MS certainly had some great advantages in watching Sony crap all over themselves. Still, they put themselves in great position for Sony's errors.

And yes, MS is doing cartwheels right now. The repair issue has taken away some of their spirits, but it looks like they'll surely gain a foothold in the industry and eat up some of Sony's market share this generation. That's about the best they could have ever hoped for.

Neon_Chaos

09-25-2007, 03:05 PM

Atocep

09-25-2007, 03:16 PM

I wonder how many of those new PS2 owners would've bought PS3's if Sony lowered the price, though?

I would guess a very small percentage. The people buying PS2s now are doing so they can have access to the massive library of games and a cheap price, not really the hardware itself.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-25-2007, 08:56 PM

I think the concensus from the mainstream consumer is that the Wii is cheap, the XBOX 360 is a tad bit expensive, and the PS3 is just off-base with its price, hence the above sales numbers.

I wonder how many of those new PS2 owners would've bought PS3's if Sony lowered the price, though?

The price drop would be a good thing, but isn't really the main point of discussion. The point from earlier is that the PS3 should have been introduced at $399 in the first place. The market dictated that price point from the start. Certainly, the move to BR forced the price decision, which might/might not help them in the end when we look back at this generation. The $599 price point took away any chance the PS3 had and they lost exclusives and some multiplatform games as a result. There would be games there right now if the installed base was there. Instead, developers are delaying PS3 projects to work on others. The PS3 has to make up from that mistake at this point.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-25-2007, 08:59 PM

Except maybe for the lack of games...

There wouldn't be a lack of games right now if they would have put the price point lower at launch to begin with. They lost several games and had more delayed as a result of the low installed base. We'd have a much different situation if Sony would have pulled its head out of its backside when making the pricing decision at the start.

Mizzou B-ball fan

09-25-2007, 09:05 PM

Especially when those pod casts come from gaming geeks that clearly are not the target audience of the console...

Ah, so now the Wii isn't targeting gaming geeks? There's not a more loyal bunch of 'gaming geeks' than the Nintendo fan base. The Wii wouldn't be anything if it shunned its fan base. It can grow its base with other groups of gamers/non-gamers, but half that installed base is loyal Nintendo fans who were craving a good Nintendo console after the Gamecube debacle.

MJ4H

09-25-2007, 09:08 PM

unbelieveable.

eta:

(the entire reason the Wii is so successful is it is targeting the casual gamer)

MJ4H

09-25-2007, 09:10 PM

I think it is time I stop entering this thread. It is flooded by someone that doesn't even know the most basic things about the dominant console of this generation. It's just incredibly frustrating to watch.

Count me out. Should've done it a long time ago.

Galaxy

09-25-2007, 09:53 PM

Exactly what extras in the 360 are you concerned about? The Elite adds the 120 GB HD for downloading media, but the Premium is pretty much all gaming console. Most of the entertainment bits are just useful side effects of having some power; for example, the ability to stream music from your PC isn't eating much resources. You can even create custom playlists to use while playing a game instead of the game's music (which was very handy for me on PGR3...) The ability to download and play HD videos is cool, but again an extra add-on from the Live bits that the console just happens to have plenty of power to do.

But it's the games that take primary advantage of the CPU / graphics / memory / sound hardware in there. It's not like they mandated a high-definition DVD player be in the box or something.

True. It just seems that the pricing is out of whack.

But what makes the $599 system of the PS3 better than the 360 when it comes to pure gaming? In three to four years, will the games be better than the 360? I know that the PS3 has blu-ray? What exactly does it do when it comes to gaming?