Console Wars
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Xbox 360 now cheapest console in the US -- game on Santa
It's Friday the 5th, that means that the $200 Xbox 360 just became the lowest-priced console in the US (as it is in Japan) compared to the perpetually "sold out" $250 Wii and 80GB PS3 selling for double the price of a diskless Arcade. With no new price cuts expected from either Sony or Nintendo, the holiday console wars are officially on. Picture proof of the $199.99 Xbox 360 Arcade in the wild after the break.[Thanks, JerkyChew]
Japanese 360 sales return to normalcy
After witnessing the oddness that was record breaking Japanese console sales thanks to Tales of Vesperia's release and the subsequent 360 sellout in all of Japan, we actually had a glimmer of hope that the 360 would finally get a foothold in the Japanese market. But, depressingly enough, the record console sales were just that, an oddity. Console sales this past week sorta flat-lined back to their low numbers from the astonishing 25,000 console sales to a sad 7,258, making the 360 Japan's least purchased console last week. It's entirely possible the weak sales are due to the console shortages, but we aren't getting our hopes up. Japan still and will forever hates the 360 ... it's the truth.[Via Joystiq]
Survey: Xbox 360 has the most console developers
We're not exactly how much impact this will have the next time a civilized conversation with a gaming buddy sinks into the depths of fanboy warfare, but here it goes: According to a recent survey conducted by Game Developer Research, as reported by IGN, there are more developers working on Xbox 360 projects than there are on the Playstation 3 or Wii. Specifically, 78% of those surveyed were working on 360 projects, 58% were working on PS3, and 42% were working on Wii. As the numbers imply (notice they don't add up to 100%), they include both cross-platform games and developers that happen to be working on more than one console. This also means that the 360 doesn't necessarily have the most games in development. Still, it has the most individual developers of any console.Now just find some way to spin that into a catchy slogan and you've got some new fanboy ammunition (fanmunition?) to go with your new (toy) fanboy gun.
The 'ultimate proof' that PS3 is winning
The deafening din of a million, argumentative keystrokes. Silenced. The endless wave of hyperbolic, hyperactive hype. Held back. The battle of technology, software and back-of-the-box bullet points. Over. At last, the console wars can draw to a close, the vision of its victor burning bright in our minds and hearts as it crushes off-white shells beneath its monolithic frame. Here is the "ultimate proof" that Sony is winning: A CNBC business reporter and Los Angeles Emmy award winner, Jane Wells, has a son who totally ditched his 360 for a PSTriple.Now now, don't discount the 16-year old boy's prescient abilities -- Mom writes he "tells me the latest trend three months before I read about it in the media." An avid Xbox fan, trend watcher Jane Wells Jr. (not his real name) decided to trade in his cherished system for a PlayStation 3, shortly after hearing about a little game called Metal Gear Solid 4 in Sony's E3 press conference. Sony's 2008 E3 press conference.Following this discovery, not to mention news of other exclusive titles and "the awesomeness of Blu-ray," he "promptly packed up his Xbox 360 and all his games and went down to Game Stop to trade them in." And that about wraps it up for Microsoft and Nintendo. Our biggest regret in all this? Not telling our mom about that time we sold our PlayStation to fund the purchase of best console ever, the Dreamcast. We could have made a difference.[Via Deantak]
PSN boss disses Xbox Live's interface, game delisting
No sooner does Sony (briefly) improve the PS3 user interface with the much-talked-about version 2.4 firmware update, than some at the company feel cocky enough to start badmouthing the competition's interface. Speaking to Next-Gen, PlayStation Network Director of Operations Eric Lempel took the bait, comparing Sony's redesigned PlayStation Store to Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace. "I think if I look over at the competitors' UI they may have some issues just displaying content," Lempel said, "and scrolling up and down lists isn't the easiest way to find things." Tell that to McSweeny's, why don'tcha?Lempel also pointed out that the PlayStation Store interface has "a lot of room with virtual shelf space to put a lot of things," a not-so-subtle jab at Microsoft's recently announced plan to de-list some Xbox Live Arcade games. "Depending on what type of UI you have you can accommodate a lot of titles," Lempel continued, "and specifically with our new store redesign which launched back in April we have a great ability to merchandise a wide variety of titles." That's all well and good, assuming your PS3 is currently working.[Via X3F]
360 breaks 5 million, nabs lead in Europe, says MS
Remember last month when Sony claimed that the PS3 had surpassed the Xbox 360 in Europe? The battle of the numbers continues today as European VP of strategic marketing for interactive entertainment at Microsoft EMEA (say that three times fast) David Gosen let it be known that the Xbox 360 has sold more than 5 million units in Europe, "well over" 5 million in fact. He also puts a stop to Sony's shenanigans -- assuming his word is better than Sony's anyway -- by noting that the Xbox 360 is actually "at least, if not more than, three quarters of a million ahead of PS3." Gosen also takes issue with analysts' claims that 360 sales have slowed in Europe saying, "If we look at the momentum in the business in the last few months, the trajectory has changed significantly," adding that analysts should "check their numbers."Ooh, did you hear that analysts? Burn!
Analyst: PS3 sales boost to cause 360 price drop
The news is out. The Playstation 3 managed to best the Xbox 360 in sales during the month of May. Grab your favorite pillow and get ready for a shock, because EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich expects last month's results to be the beginning of a new trend. On the sales victory, Divnich notes that the trend "will likely continue in June as we expect Metal Gear Solid 4 [to] act as a bigger catalyst in terms of driving PS3 hardware sales than did Grand Theft Auto IV." He adds further that exclusives on the Playstation 3 platform tend to drive console sales more than exclusives on the Xbox 360 (or the Wii).With his PS3 prediction in tow, Divnich believes that Microsoft will respond by announcing a price cut for the Xbox 360 during next month's E3. Furthermore, Divnich believes Microsoft may also announce a new Xbox 360 model with new features (Blu-Ray, perhaps?). Should the price cut take place, Divnich expects Sony to follow suit within two months of the announcement.[Via Joystiq]
Analysts predict big jump in May game sales
Even though NPD is set to release its monthly drip of "official" North American console and game sales data later this week, some impatient people just can't sit on their hands and wait. Those people include game industry analysts, many of whom are predicting a large year-over-year jump in software revenues for the month of May.The exact size of the predicted jump ranges from a 30% increase from Lazard Capital Market's Colin Sebastian to a 43% bump from Pacific Crest Securities analyst Evan Wilson. Medbush Morgan's prolific prognosticator Michael Pachter splits the difference, predicting a 39% increase in sales. Call of Duty 4, Guitar Hero III and Rock Band are expected to continue their sustained strong sales, along with relative newcomers Wii Fit, Mario Kart Wii and Grand Theft Auto IV.Speaking of GTA4, Pachter doesn't think the game will lead to a significant bump in system sales for either the PS3 or Xbox 360. He forecasts the Wii will again dominate monthly console sales with 750,000 units sold, compared to 250,000 Xbox 360s and 225,000 PS3s. In other news, we predict the sun will rise in the east tomorrow.
MGS4 takes a jab at non-HD disc formats
This is a momentous week for Playstation 3 owners. You see, Metal Gear Solid 4 comes out this week (perhaps you've heard). Metal Gear Solid 4 essentially is the game that will make the console. Apparently it's not enough just to make a good game, though. It appears that MGS4's creators feel the need to extol the benefits of the PS3 as you play. Alternately, one could argue that the game denigrates certain other consoles. Now, we're not trying to incite any flame wars here (though that's basically inevitable), and we know the video has tongue planted firmly in cheek, but it also smells ever so slightly of "inferiority complex." See the evidence after the break (note: MGS4 fans looking to avoid any spoilers should not watch). And remember kids, we're just the messengers.
MGS4 fires a shot in the console wars
We realize that this post is going to conflict a lot of our readers. On the one hand, there's a large segment of our audience that grabs on to anything related to the console wars like a starving dog grabbing on to red meat. On the other hand, there's another group of readers that have devoted their lives in the past weeks to an extreme avoidance of anything that might even resemble a spoiler for the highly anticipated Metal Gear Solid 4.Readers at the intersection of these two groups are going to have to think long and hard about watching the below video, which includes a particularly clever dig at Sony's competition but also potentially spoils an inconsequential scene in MGS4 (rest assured, there are absolutely no story details revealed in the clip). This is a tough, intensely personal decision, and we wouldn't presume to judge you either way. Just look into your heart and ask yourself what feels right. The answer will come.[Via PS3 Fanboy. Image source.]
Analysts predict console war outcome, fanboys riot in streets
Over at GameDaily, analyst group DFC Intelligence has made a few observations regarding recent trends in the video game industry, and has a prediction for the result of the current-generation "console wars." According to DFC, the Nintendo Wii will ultimately secure its first place position, with the PS3 overtaking the Xbox 360 in 2009 for a strong second-place showing.In terms of longevity, DFC believes that by 2012 the Playstation 3 will surpass the Wii in terms of software sales (no doubt assuming a staying power similar to the console's little brother, the PS2). They also predict that the slowed economy in North America will actually benefit video game sales, as high gas prices encourage consumers to stay home and play games, rather than going out. Several other interesting tidbits and predictions can be found in their full report.
April NPD: GTAIV sells like crazy, console sales neck and neck
It's that time again when corporate execs are held accountable for their actions, sales figures are calculated and the North American "digits" are revealed. It's time for April NPD! W00t!Last month's video game competition was a heated race between Microsoft and Sony as the Xbox 360 was able to move 188,000 units narrowly beating out the PS3's 187,100. That news on top of Microsoft announcing the 360's 10 million U.S. milestone make it a pretty good month for team Microsoft. Though, Nintendo's Wii continues to dominate even without Grand Theft Auto IV's help moving an amazing 714,200 consoles. Speaking of GTAIV, it rocked the final week of April selling a jaw-dropping 1.85 million units on the 360 alone which is nearly double that of the 1 million units it sold on the PS3. And that's always good to hear. Check the break for a complete rundown of the April NPD hardware and software data.[Via Joystiq]
Greenberg attacks Sony on failure to live up to their promises
In a recent interview, Microsoft's own Aaron Greenberg decided to go on the offense when talking about Sony and their big promises that they keep making yet fail to deliver on. Specifically speaking, Greenberg brings up the PS3's 1080p support, Blu-ray, Playstation Home, PS3's supposed lead in Europe and even Killzone 2. Talk about fanboy ammunition! We don't have to say much more, because we think Aaron Greenberg's remarks can pretty much stand on their own. Check after the break for some attack'alicious Greenberg quotes ... yum!
Ghostbusters dev: Xbox 360 is holding us back
Sony fanboys looking for absolute proof that their system is technically superior to the Xbox 360 got a boost recently when Terminal Reality president Mark Randel told VideoGaming247.com that a PS3-exclusive version of the developer's Ghostbusters game would be more technically impressive than the version being tuned to work on both systems. "If we made a PS3-only game, for example, you could double the amount of objects on screen that you're seeing," Randel told the site at a Sierra event last week. "The PlayStation 3 has seven processors and the 360 only has three, so seven versus three means you can do a lot more on the PS3." Of course, Microsoft fanboys with a conspiratorial bent are likely to pick up on Randel's casual mention that "Ghostbusters is the property of Sony Pictures." Sure, it's possible that Randel is just badmouthing the competition to get in good with the rights-holder on his current game. Just as it is also technically possible that the 3DO will suddenly make a huge comeback this year ...
IGN poll concludes the PS3 should win the console race
Well butter us up and call us biscuits, because the PS3 is on a roll. Forgive us; we're hungry. IGN hosted a poll recently that had very simple terms: which console should win the current-gen race? Between the PS3's smaller install base than the competition and its still fairly sparse selection of games (they sputter out slower than ketchup from a glass bottle), we would never have anticipated the poll to swing so wildly in favor of the PS3. Yep -- the PS3 has been declared the winner of IGN's poll. According to savvy websurfers, the PlayStation 3 should win the console race. Since we're biased, we guess it's a moot point for us to say we agree.
How do you decide which console to play?
We all know that there's a deep, violent, senseless war being waged between fans of each of the platforms. But we've also heard rumor that there are those who (much like Blade or Bo Jackson) walk between both worlds: The multi-platform gamers. MTV Multiplayer blog asked them recently what makes them decide to play one console over another. The response it received might surprise you.We're not going to tell you what compels us to pick up the remote and press the "INPUT" button (mainly because our answers are all different), but we do want to know what drives you there. (Oh, and a final word of warning: MTV posited the question only to PS3 and 360 owners, perhaps knowing that the only acceptable answer for Wii fans is "a Nintendo game is released.")
Financial analysis looks at PC vs. console costs
Even the most diehard PC gamer has to admit that their console gaming brethren get the better end of the deal as far as costs are concerned. But exactly how much does a console gamer save over the system'ss lifespan? A poster over at TechConsumer crunched the numbers and found that, when everything is added up, the savings aren't necessarily that great.When all is said and done, the full Xbox 360 gaming setup (including TV, accessories and Xbox Live subscription) costs $3,152 over six years, about $350 less than a basic gaming PC for the same period. Of course that cost includes a 42" 1080p TV, while the comparable PC uses a relatively paltry 22 inch display. When a comparable screen is used on the PC, the savings on the console side balloon to near $1,200.The real killer for the PC, of course, is the upgrades (estimated in this study at $250 every other year) and recommended full-on replacements (every three years) that come much more frequently than the console equivalents (one replacement every six years). So, PC gamers, is it worth the extra money?
It's official: HD DVD has officially died an official death
We were pretty certain when we first heard the rumors, and we were even more certain when other sources said an official announcement was coming. Now that the official announcement from Toshiba has officially happened, we're officially 100% sure that HD DVD is officially dead. Official!Well, maybe we should scale that back a little. Although lead company Toshiba has said they'll no longer make HD DVD players, they are reportedly stocking up on recordable HD DVD media for those who want to make their own discs (remember: BetaMax lasted for years as a professional recording format for broadcast outlets). And there's nothing preventing entertainment companies from continuing to put out HD DVDs if they want to. We don't know why they'd want to but hey. if people are still making Sega Genesis games, anything is possible.
Rumor: Toshiba set to kill off HD DVD format
While the writing has been on the wall as far as HD DVD is concerned for a some time now, today's Hollywood Reporter story takes that writing, highlights it in thick black ink, and draws some big red arrows pointing towards it. Citing "reliable industry sources," the entertainment newspaper predicts Toshiba will officially stop supporting the high-definition movie format "sometime in the coming weeks."If true, the move would somewhat validate Sony's costly decision to integrate Blu-ray technology into the PS3, and would give Sony a rather large stake in the future of the lucrative HD home movie market. While the death of HD DVD would obviously be a blow to Microsoft's external HD DVD drive (and everyone who bought it), Microsoft has said again and again they are open to the idea of a Blu-ray attachment if and when that format wins out. Which, at this point, seems like only a matter of time ...[Via Engadget]
January NPDs put PS3 in front of the 360
Well, well, well. If it isn't the lowly PS3 finally making a move in January and actually beating the Xbox 360 in terms of number of units sold in North America. Yes sir, you can color us NPD shocked and impressed.According to the just released January NPD sales numbers, the Xbox 360 has come in a disappointing third place in the console wars, only managing to sell 230,000 consoles while the PS3 moved 269,000 and the Wii sold 274,000. But before you storm the streets in a fit of rage, know that there is some sort of explanation for the third place outing ... there wasn't enough stock. You see, according to Microsoft, they haven't been able to replenish the retail channels quick enough post holidays, resulting in less Xbox 360s on shelves and less 360s available to consumers. So, if that theory makes you sleep better at night, then go with that and know Microsoft is producing 360s as fast as possible and should regain its sales lead over the PS3 come February NPD. Hopefully.We also wanted to mention that not only has Call of Duty 4 claimed the number one sales spot selling another 330,900 copies in January, but Rock Band made its top ten NPD sales debut too. You can review the rather gloomy NPD ranks and numbers after the break, though we advise keeping one thing in mind. It was lack of stock at retail ... lack of stock at retail ...
