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PlayStation 3 outsells the 360 in July, sez Pachter
According to industry analyst Michael Pachter, the PlayStation 3 finally outsold the 360 in July due to a combination of the E3 price drop and the 360's warranty announcement. His final numbers for the new consoles in July had the Wii on top as usual with 330k, the PS3 in second place with 160k and the 360 last with 115k . This represents a roughly 2x increase in PS3 sales compared to the month before.Considering the price drop wasn't even in effect the entire month, it will be interesting to see what happens with PS3 sales in August. We're also finally starting to get games, which always helps out sales as well (though the only big title, Warhawk, is coming out at the very end of August). Of course the 360's price drop also went into effect, and their big games are starting to trickle out a little earlier so it's hard to judge what will happen. Hopefully Sony can keep the momentum up![Via Joystiq]
Pachter says PS3 outsold Xbox 360 in July
As a master of the occult, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter has access to an astonishing amount of prescient items. He typically rotates them, most recently speaking to the mirror which he got at an estate sale from a Queen who apparently took a nasty fall. Pachter went up to the mirror and asked, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall. In July, who's the console winner of them all?"The Mirror replied, "Why the Nintendo Wii and DS, of course."Miffed at the information given by his impulse purchase, Pachter replies, "You better tell me something I don't already know or I'm shipping you by freight to Pidgeon!"In a moment of sheer panic the Mirror blurts out, "NPD will report the PS3 beat the Xbox 360 in sales for July."Pachter believes that for the month of July, which will be official from NPD on Aug. 23, that the DS (450,000 units) and Wii (330,000) dominated sales in North America. Although, for the first time ever, the PS3 will show sales of 160,000 units, while the Xbox 360 will have 115,000. This would also mean that the PS3 will have doubled sales since announcing their 60GB clearance sale last month. He goes on to say that the Xbox warranty issue was a speed bump for Microsoft as "as consumers struggled with the meaning of the 'three red rings of death' issue." He believes that the price cut and apparent fix of the design flaw will rebound Xbox 360 sales.
DS releases for the week of July 30th
Isn't it nice to have a few titles to choose from, rather than being limited to one or two? Weeks like this, even if we're not interested in several of the games personally, we still feel a little spoiled. We could get used to this. A few interesting releases this week, including Picross DS and -- ooh -- Spelling Challenges, the "game" we all need sometimes. Several interesting releases this week in Japan as well, for those of you on import watch. Bratz Ponyz Chameleon: To Dye For! Drake & Josh: Talent Showdown Glory Days 2 Pet Alien Picross DS Professional Fisherman's Tour: Northern Hemisphere Spelling Challenges and More! Head past the jump for releases in the rest of the world.
DS releases for the week of July 23rd
This week sees the release of some interesting titles around the world, such as the latest in Pokémon for Europe, and Taiko Drum Master DS in Japan. American gamers get to contend with Dynasty Warriors DS. We know some of you are looking forward to it, and some ... well, aren't. But maybe it will surprise us! Chameleon: To Dye For! Dynasty Warriors DS: Fighter's Battle Ultimate Puzzle Games: Sudoku Edition Slide past the break to see what's happening in the rest of the world.
DS releases for the week of July 16th
We hate to break it to you -- but if you're in the U.S., there are no new DS games this week. And here we were all coasting on a post-E3 high, too, stuffed with news and excitement. Sigh. Guess we'll just have to ogle the releases around the world, then. Collect your oglin' glasses and hit the jump!
July 07 backwards compatibility update released
A new Xbox backwards compatibility update was released yesterday further expanding the list of original Xbox games playable on your Xbox 360 to around 300 titles! The July update allows support for over 60 additional original Xbox games including America's Army, Burnout, Mech Assault 2, and Morrowind. To get the update, simply connect to Xbox Live and the update will automatically download and install. Take a look at the complete list of new original Xbox game additions and updates after the break and be sure to tell us which game(s) you are most excited to start playing on your 360.
DS releases for the week of July 9th
It's been a while since we've seen anything from the GBA, but it's back with a new game -- the latest Harry Potter installment, just in time for the movie. Other than that, it seems like a pretty light week (outside of Japan), though Europe is finally getting a piece of the Elite Beat Agents pie. DS AniMates Vegas Casino High 5! GBA Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Min-E3 press conference confirmed, dated
We hath mourned the death of the one and true E3, but like a mentally handicapped phoenix, the new Min-E3 has risen from the ashes. And while the glitz, glamour, and majority of games will have vanished into thinnest air, the wondrous tradition of the press conference remains. All three players will attempt to outdo the other, yet again.This year, Nintendo is second on the list: 9:30 AM PST on Wednesday, July 11th. Prior to their engagement is Microsoft the day before, and Sony is naught but two hours later at 11:30. We expect solid release dates for at least one of Super Mario Galaxy or Super Smash Bros. Brawl, as well as more than a few surprises. C'mon, Iwata ... drop the bomb.
It begins: the new E3
Well, GDC is winding down and already we're looking ahead to the new E3. The Entertainment Software Association has begin sending out the first invitations to the restructured show, set for July 11-13. That's going to be considerably warmer than previous shows, which were held in May. Full invitations, complete with scheduling details and travel-planning invitations are set to go out next month. This is one we're going to be watching closely, because no one really knows just how the new show is going to go down now that it's been scaled back. We do know one thing, however -- Nintendo will be there, and that's all that matters.
NPD Figures for July 2006: DS still King of the hill
Like a man obsessed with selling you propane, Nintendo wants, nay, needs you to own a DS. According to the July NPD figures that have released, you've been more than happy to oblige. Yet again, the DS is king of the hill and enjoying the crisp air that comes from being atop the mountain of success. In fact, Nintendo just purchased a luxurious home right on the peak of Mount Success, paid entirely by its revenue from DS sales. Oh, and its software didn't do so bad, either. Without further ado, the figures are: DS = 377,000 (94,250) PS2 = 241,000 (60,250) 360 = 206,000 (51,500) GBA = 163,000 (40,750) PSP = 161,000 (40,250) GCN = 44,000 (11,000) Xbox = 12,000 (3,000) The top 25 games, based on revenue earned and not units sold, are: 1. PS2 - NCAA Football 07 - Electronic Arts 2. 360 - NCAA Football 07 - Electronic Arts 3. DS - New Super Mario Bros. - Nintendo 4. XBX - NCAA Football 07 - Electronic Arts 5. 360 - Chromehounds - Sega 6. 360 - The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2 - Electronic Arts 7. 360 - Prey - Take 2 Interactive 8. PS2 - Guitar Hero bundle - Activision 9. PS2 - Cars - THQ 10. PS2 - Naruto: Ultimate Ninja - Namco 11. PS2 - Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories - Take 2 Interactive 12. GBA - Cars - THQ 13. PS2 - 2006 FIFA World Cup - Electronic Arts 14. 360 - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Take 2 Interactive 15. 360 - 2006 FIFA World Cup - Electronic Arts 16. 360 - Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter - Ubisoft 17. GCN - Cars - THQ 18. DS - Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day - Nintendo 19. PS2 - NFL Head Coach - Electronic Arts 20. 360 - Fight Night Round 3 - Electronic Arts 21. DS - Big Brain Academy - Nintendo 22. PS2 - Kingdom Hearts 2 - Square Enix 23. 360 - Over G Fighters - UbiSoft 24. 360 - Call of Duty 2 - Activision 25. PS2 - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow - Bethesda [Note: The numbers in parenthesis are an average per week estimate.][Thanks DownloadingData!]
Paramount's HD DVD movie releases rescheduled: July 25
After being rather unceremoniously dropped with no release date in sight, Paramount's HD DVD lineup is now back on track with the first four movies due July 25th. Those movies will be Sahara, Tomb Raider, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow. A week later on August 1, Four Brothers, We Were Soldiers and The Manchurian Candidate follow, with U2: Rattle and Hum, Aeon Flux and The Italian Job rounding things out on the 10th. No word on any special features for any of the movies yet, although they will all carry an MSRP of $29.95. The only movies included in their High Definition Series yet to get a release date are the Mission: Impossible trilogy, hopefully girding for a day-and-date release with M:i:III later this year. The high-def trailers looked great on Apple.com, Super Bowl commercials and Xbox Live.It's a little behind the original schedule, but we finally have a third major player in the HD DVD camp. Like their counterparts over at Warner, Paramount has not yet announced a Blu-ray release schedule although they are expected to support both formats.
Toshiba's RD-A1 standalone HD DVD burner: $3500
We've seen HD DVD-R and HD DVD-RW media announced repeatedly over the last few weeks, now we can see the -- huge -- box you can put it in. While standalone recorders aren't the biggest market here in the US, we've heard they are very much in demand in Japan and this should definitely satisfy. The RD-A1 will debut in Japan on July 14, for a cool 398,000 yen ($3466 US). Reuters reminds us that Sony has had Blu-ray recorders available in Japan since 2003, although at a starting price of 450,000 yen ($3916 US). Interestingly, this device will output 1080p via HDMI, unlike Toshiba's HD-A1 and HD-XA1 HD DVD players. The RD-A1 also uses Toshiba's existing "RD Engine" hard disk drive recording system to record content from 1 analog and 1 digital tuner (simultaneous recording is supported) to the 1TB hard drive, edit to your liking, then burn to either a 15GB single-layer or 30GB dual-layer HD DVD-R (no -RW) disc. Interestingly, it does not support recording in newer codecs like VC-1 or MPEG-4, only MPEG-2. As early Blu-ray releases suggest, even a dual layer HD DVD may not have the space to provide ideal video quality, although there will be no PCM soundtrack to take up additional space. You can also stream content to DLNA equipped devices like Toshiba's Qosmio laptop. An undocumented feature is the ability to drop it on any small children or Wicked Witches of the East you want to get rid of , because the thing is enormous. No word on US availability yet.
