Everything Console

The Blog is Down!

2006-12-14T18:37:00.000-08:00

Check out a MUCH better gaming blog that just came out! He will be blogging the CES07 in Jan. with me!

HDGameNews.com

750k initial Wii units

2006-08-17T21:33:00.000-07:00

It appears Gamestop alone will get roughly 750k units of the Wii once it comes out. Add that to the other gaming avenues, then Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, etc., and it appears there's going to be no shortage of systems out there. Bad news for those wanting to buy alot and sell them for double on eBay ;)

Regarding the hotly anticipated Wii from Nintendo, he noted that GameStop itself is anticipating receiving approximately 750,000 units in the U.S. for the Wii's launch window. He added: "We believe that probably at this point [it] could be a light number."

Here's the rest of the article

What's the trend? 360 vs PS3 vs Nintendo Wii

2006-08-10T07:46:00.000-07:00

I ran the numbers to get a feel of how popular the keywords, 360,wii and ps3 were and the results were fairly predictable. There has been a pretty large drop in 360 inquires since the other 2 have come onto the scene. It does appear the drop has stablized though. Also, take a look at wii vs. ps3. They both had nice spikes but have since come back down, with searches for the ps3 edging out the wii! We will keep an eye on the trends between now and closer to launch time, so keep posted!..

Remember, you can click the picture for a larger view!

Wii has more buzz than the PS3 over at Amazon...

2006-08-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

Punch Jump news is reporting over at Amazon, the PS3 is lagging behind the Wii in customer interest.

"The Playstation 3 is a notch behind Wii in popularity at Amazon Japan according to the retailer's latest research data.

Product registration data collected on Aug. 2 placed Wii in the No. 1 position, with the 60GB PS3 a notch behind, followed by the 20GB PS3 far behind.

The week prior, Wii held the No. 1 position by a slightly larger margin."

Obviously, the price on the PS3 has people a bit spooked, including the really bad press. We'll have to keep an eye on this to see if the trend stays the same!

Gundam coming to the PS3 this year

2006-08-09T06:49:00.000-07:00

So here's the deal, it appears that Gundam is coming to the PS3. It appears it will also have a few more bells and whistles than the Xbox version.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., (August 8, 2006) – Leading video game publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. announced today that "Mobile Suit Gundam," the latest and most advanced installment of the popular franchise, will be coming to the PlayStation® 3 computer entertainment system in 2006. A sci-fi action game with stunning high-definition graphics, "Mobile Suit Gundam" promises gorgeous Mobile Suit battles and the opportunity to participate in thrilling epic battles taking place on the futuristic Earth.

“Made possible by the immense power of the PlayStation 3 system, 'Mobile Suit Gundam' will take gamers right into the futuristic war zones, brought to life by both CG quality high-definition graphics and ultra realistic destruction physics,” said Naruo Uchida, NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.’s Vice President. “Along with stylized gameplay and stunning graphics, the opportunity to experience firsthand the epic mobile suit warfare will surely excite any sci-fi fan.”

Featuring a variety of Mobile Suits from the Gundam franchise, "Mobile Suit Gundam" sets players in the latter stages of The One Year War. Players will have the opportunity to be a commander of their own Mobile Suit battalion for either the Federation or Zeon Mobile Suit Assault Force. As players move through the ranks, they will be able to gain access to new Mobile Suits and engage in battles with more capable pilots at their command.

With a battalion at their disposal, players face a number of strategic options to choose from. In order to succeed, it will be vital for players to know about specific destructible parts on Mobile Suits, vulnerable enemy facilities and whether or not to engage enemies with either short or long range combat. Teamwork will also be a key component to the survival of every mission. If players are successful, their chosen allegiance could be the turning point for the war in "Mobile Suit Gundam."

Source

Xbox 360 sells 2,246 units in Japan - Punch Jump

2006-08-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

Wow..talking about lousy sales...those are REALLY bad...

The Xbox 360 continues to underperform in Japan on strong competition from rival video game offerings like the Nintendo DS Lite, PSP, and PS2.
Media Create Co. on Thursday reported that the Xbox successor sold 2,246 units. By comparison the DS Lite sold near 177,000 units, the PSP 42,600 units, and the PS2 26,400 units.

Xbox 360 software charted three new titles in the top 50 sales, a feat that it has been unable to accomplish in recent weeks.

The console will see even tougher competition in the fourth quarter as Nintendo drops Wii and Sony releases the Playstation 3 to worldwide markets.

Outside of Japan the Xbox 360 has seen brisk sales in the U.S. and Europe. Microsoft has shipped 5M units worldwide and aims to ship 15M by June 2007.
http://news.punchjump.com/article.php?id=2790

Real Wii Specs?

2006-07-31T06:45:00.000-07:00

So here's the deal. So far, we have a slight idea of the launch date. We've heard rumors on the price. Maxconsole claims to have the lowdown and stats, and I'll pass them on!

The Wii Hardware

- Nintendo Wii’s ‘Broadway’ CPU operates at 729MHZ with a maximum bandwith of 1.9gbyte/sec.
- Nintendo Wii’s ‘HollyWood’ GPU is clocked at 243MHZ, the internal memory of it includes 3mb of embedded graphics memory and 24megabytes of high speed main memory.
- 64megabytes of GDDR3 (MEM2) as the external main memory. Just like the internal memory, it can be accessed from the CPU and GPU with a maximum bandwidth of 4gbytes/sec and can also store programs in the MEM2.
- The GPU of the Wii is identical to the GC’s but it is on average 1.5X faster.

Wii's Optical Disc Drive

- Opitcal Disc Drive (ODD) supports single and dual layer Wii disks, discs eject with software or button and the maximum read speed is the equivalent of DVDx6.
- Two main disc types supported the single sided 12cm single sided 4.7gb and the double sided 8.51 GB. Nintendo GC discs also supported. Some of the capacity of the discs are used by the system and games can not use full disc space.
- Inserting a disc will start the Wii console, even if it was already in an off state. Pressing the eject button will change the console to an on state to take out the disc also.

General Overview

- An optional wired LAN adapter that connects to a USB port is in the pipeline for users who do not possess a wireless LAN set-up currently.
- Internal non-removable 512MB flash memory used to storage game save data and downloadable content thus eliminating the Need for a memory card.
- Both Wii discs and Gamecube discs can be played via an intelligent mode swap. When running in GC mode, the Wii’s CPU and GPU will lower to the respective speeds of the GC and some of the MEM2 functions as ARAM.
- Software development environment is an upgrade to the ‘Dolphin SDK’ used with the GC; the same libraries are used so developers can get up to scratch easily as well as the possibility of ports being easier.
- The following interfaces are included with the Wii; SD card slot, Wireless controller, two USB 2.0 ports, wireless LAN, 4x GC controller ports, 2x GC memory card slots and an AV multi output jack (only an analog jack).
- Supports Wii disks (one sided 12cm) and GC discs (one sided 8cm) and console auto switches depends on what disk is inserted
- More than just the Nunchaku is planned as an extension. GC peripherals such as DK bongos can be used in both Wii and GC modes.
- Three power status, on, off and unplugged. To prevent mistaken turn offs, the power button must be held for about a second.

The Wii Control System

- The Wii controller features; Direct Pointing Device, Three axis accelerometer, Wii power button (remotely turn console on/off), buttons, wireless connectivity, indicator LED’s, rumble, battery powered (two AA alkaline batteries) and ability to connect extension unit.
- The Wii controller supports three types of operations; by itself, with a nunchuk extension or with a classic controller. Classic controllers will ship to developers during August 2006.
- The SYNCHRO button on the Wii controller exchanges wireless ID numbers when pressed at the same time as SYNCRHO on the Wii console. Wireless communications are only possible with consoles which have been authenticated.
- The rumble motor can be turned on and off and the intensity can be changed.
- The Wii remote has a pointer for fine movements as well as a motion sensor +/- 3.4G suitable for larger body movements, the nunchuk attachment has a sensor of +/- 2G
- The sensor bar must be placed above or below a TV set, the pointer measures coordinates between the ends of the bar which are about 20cm apart.
- The Wii remote has four status, disconnected, communicating, establishing connection and pairing wait status.
- The pointer can measure co-ordinates within bounds of rectangle centered upon the sensor bar, thus it can also measure points beyond the screen. It also responds to strong light sources, windows, fluorescent lamps, fireplaces, mirrors etc.
- Due to players hands shaking while holding the controller, a ring buffer allows a precise direction to be created to hold and average accelerator samples.

Thanks 'TheGuy' for the info!

Big shoutout must go out to the 'TheGuy' for this info!

*UPDATE* The dev mailed us and said he was shocked to see all these cries of 'fake', so he provided some more info to show he's not bluffing...

Broadway CPU

Broadway is Wii's CPU. Broadway functionality and specifications are as follows.

• Operating speed: 729 MHz
• Bus to main memory: 243 MHz, 64 bits (maximum bandwidth: 1.9 gigabytes/sec)
• 32-kilobyte 8-way set-associative L1 instruction cache
• 32-kilobyte 8-way set-associative L1 data cache (can set up 16-kilobyte data scratch pad)
• Superscalar microprocessor with six execution units (floating-point unit, branching unit, system regis
ter unit, load/store unit, two integer units)
• DMA unit (15-entry DMA request queue) used by 16-kilobyte data scratch pad
• Write-gather buffer for writing graphics command lists to the graphics chip
• Onboard 256-kilobyte 2-way set-associative L2 integrated cache
• Two, 32-bit integer units (IU)
• One floating point unit (FPU) (supports single precision (32-bit) and double precision (64-bit))
• The FPU supports paired single floating point (FP/PS)
• The FPU supports paired single multiply add (ps_madd). Most FP/PS instructions can be issued in
each cycle and completed in three cycles.
• Fixed-point to floating-point conversion can be performed at the same time as FPU register load and
store, with no loss in performance.
• The branch unit supports static branch prediction and dynamic branch prediction.
• When an instruction is stalled on data, the next instruction can be issued and executed. All instructions
maintain program logic and will complete in the correct program order.
• Supports three L2 cache fetch modes: 32-Byte, 64-Byte, and 128-Byte.
• Supports these bus pipeline depth levels: level 2, level 3, and level 4.
Reference Information: Broadway is upward compatible with Nintendo GameCube’s CPU (Gekko).

Hollywood GPU

Hollywood is a system LSI composed of a GPU and internal main memory (MEM1). Hollywood is clocked at 243 MHz. Its internal memory consists of 3 megabytes of embedded graphics memory and 24 megabytes of high speed main memory.

Hollywood includes the following.
• Graphics processing unit (with 3 megabytes of eDRAM)
• Audio DSP
• I/O Bridge
• 24 megabytes of internal main memory
• Internal main memory operates at 486 MHz.
Maximum bandwidth between Hollywood and internal main memory: 3.9 gigabytes per second
• Possible to locate a program here
Reference Information: Hollywood is similar to Nintendo GameCube’s Flipper and Splash components.

External Main Memory (MEM2)

Wii uses 64 megabytes of GDDR3 (MEM2) as external main memory. Like internal main memory, MEM2 can be accessed directly from Broadway and the GPU at high speed and has a peak bandwidth of 4 gigabytes/sec. Programs can also be placed in MEM2.

Reference Information: Nintendo GameCube ARAM is used as auxiliary memory for the DSP. The CPU and GPU did not have direct access to it.

The Source! MaxConsole

XBox 360 is be Profitable Next Year

2006-07-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

It appears Microsoft is finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I just can't believe it took so long ;)

REDMOND, Wash. -- Microsoft's (MSFT - commentary - Cramer's Take) money-losing Xbox 360 will become profitable next year, says the company's entertainment czar.

Moreover, the entire Entertainment & Devices Division is headed for "sustained profitability" in the same time frame, Robbie Bach, the unit's president, said at the company's analyst day on Thursday.

That profit will have been a long time coming. The Xbox 360 and its predecessor have consistently lost money on a per-unit basis, and game software sales have not been strong enough to pull the group into the black. In the fourth quarter, for example, the Home and Entertainment group, responsible for the Xbox 360, grew revenue strongly, to $1.14 billion from $587 million the year before. But the unit also doubled its loss to $414 million.

Bach also made it clear that despite persistent rumors to the contrary, the company is not planning to cut the price of the Xbox. "We're comfortable" with the current pricing, he said. Industry sources say that Sony (SNE - commentary - Cramer's Take), maker of the upcoming Playstation 3, faces manufacturing problems that will likely keep the new version of console in short supply when it debuts later in the year.

Given that, Microsoft would rather keep the margin then cut prices to build share.

Bach disappointed many of the people attending the event here by failing to give many more details of the Zune, Microsoft's answer to Apple's (AAPL - commentary - Cramer's Take) popular iPod.

He did say that the Zune, expected to debut by the end of the year, will not be profitable for the next few years, and he indicated that marketing will be a major expense.

Source: TheStreet

Rumor: Big Wii Announcement at Leipzig?

2006-07-29T07:22:00.000-07:00

We may be finding out alot of info on the Wii in the near future!

Nintendo's booth was busy with traffic at the San Diego Comic-Con last week. Crowding the booth were several Nintendo representatives, booth babes, and fans. Nintendo Now got a chance to speak to many people at the booth about upcoming projects and announcements. Although our source wished to remain unnamed, we can tell you that it was not a fan or a booth babe that gave us this information.

This source inside the convention informed us that there is a strong possibility that some new annoucements about the Wii will be made at the Leipzig Game Convention, which runs from August 24-27. We were also told definitively that Nintendo will hold its own show to demonstrate the Wii, which will likely be the console's final display before the launch. He did not give any details on kiosks--this does not mean there will not be any, he just did not know.

When asked about the Tokyo Game Show, our source said that Nintendo will likely not surprise anyone with a sudden appearance on the showfloor, but he was not certain whether or not further announcements were planned for the show. He did say, however, that new information was more likely to come at Leipzig.

Our source indicated that his information was not definite, but his details fit Nintendo's vague comments regarding the next announcements of information. We have heard that final details about Wii will be learned by or during the month of September. Also floating around is the rumored October release date, and many sources have indicated Nintendo is going for sooner rather than later in order to beat Sony to the punch. Therefore, one can speculate that Nintendo might choose to announce details at Leipzig, make a final showing of the console sometime in September and possibly have kiosks in the shops for the months of September and/or October leading up to the rumored launch date.

Our source's story makes sense, but without any definite information from Nintendo, it, like almost all of the details that have surfaced since E3, should be taken with a grain of salt.

Source: Nintendo Now

10,000 PS3 dev kits sent out

2006-07-27T15:38:00.000-07:00

Here's somewell needed info for the PS3..

Sony’s PlayStation 3 finally has a bit of good news to cheer the hearts of beleaguered fans.

Everything seems to be on track to meet the November launch deadline after Sony sent out 10,000 PS3 development units to games programmers.

The dev kits allow programmers to play unfinished games so they can tweak and test them.

With just three months to go until the consoles are supposed to hit the shops, Sony will hope that's long enough for them to get cracking and boost the number of titles available at launch.

Sony confirmed it has shipped more than 10,000 of the consoles to 208 companies based in 11 countries.

The firm said it was the largest number of any PlayStation platform that had ever been sent to developers.

PS3 consoles are already available to pre-order for fans who want to make sure they don’t have to talk to their families this Christmas.

But at a whopping £550, the console will have its work cut out against an Xbox 360 that is likely to drop its already-cheaper price.
http://www.t3.co.uk/news/247/games/playstation_2/10,000_ps3_dev_kits_sent_out

Sorry About the Delay! Nintendo Leaks Wii Release

2006-07-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

From ArsTechnica:

Press releases are the bread and butter of journalists, providing unfiltered statements from companies announcing their latest product plans or acquisitions. However, the language of press releases leaves much to be desired. Typically, they are long-winded, full of ridiculous superlatives about the company, and engage in meaningless marketing babble.

Given this reality, it was a delightful surprise to read Nintendo's latest press release concerning their fall gaming lineup. Instead of the usual dry language, Nintendo decided to have a little fun. The news item is ostensibly about the company's upcoming game releases, including Final Fantasy V Advance for the Game Boy Advance. The dual-screened DS is set to receive a whole slew of new titles in the coming months:

* Oct. 9: Clubhouse Games
* Oct. 16: Nintendogs (Dalmatian)
* Oct. 23: Magical Starsign
* Oct. 30: Pok?n Ranger
* Oct. 30: Children of Mana
* Nov. 6: Elite Beat Agents
* Nov. 13: Yoshi's Island 2
* Dec. 4: Custom Robo Arena
* Dec. 4: Kirby Squeak Squad

Where the fun comes in is the statement that the press release is not about the launch date of the Nintendo Wii, but "perhaps the secret to the launch information for Wii is somehow encoded in the text of this news item." The release does go on to talk a bit about the Wii and how the much-anticipated Zelda: Twilight Princess will be available for both the GameCube and Wii (the latter an enhanced version), but just when it is about to reveal the release date it ends with a cheeky "oh look, we're out of space."

Gotta love those leakers!

Free 10ft HDMI Cable w/ LCD/Plasma Mount Purchase, $129.95..free plug.

2006-07-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

Hey they help sponsor this site, so I'd figure I'd give them a free plug...But what the heck..it's a pretty good darn deal!

http://ehdmi.com/utpro.html

$129.95

* 2.5“ off-the-wall mounting profile (depth)
* Accommodates 37" to 60" flat panel displays
* Tilt of 0° to 25°
* Supports screens up to 180 lbs
* Mounts to any stud separation up to 30"
* Accepts security hardware and or padlock
* Universal mounting; no screen adapter necessary
* Retail Packaging
* Complete hardware pack
* Available in black or silver

Type:

* Tilt

Fits:

* Plasma
* LCD

Available Finish:

* Black
* Silver

Weight Capacity: 180 lbs

Sega Teaming w/ Nintendo Wii

2006-06-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

It appears Sega is knee deep w/ the Wii. Also sounds like a few game developers have already jumped shipped with Sony...It's also good to see we're not the only ones confused about Sony's online plans.

BIZ: From your perspective though at Sega, is there one advantage or disadvantage to any of the three platforms?

SS: We have to be platform agnostic and it's definitely a different development approach for Nintendo's [console] than the other two. There isn't yet a lot known about what Sony is doing online, so there's kind of a question mark there and obviously we know a great deal about what [Xbox] Live is. All the cards haven't been revealed from the deck in that instance, but the two next-gen platforms... we're taking a slightly different strategy with them as opposed to Nintendo's, which has such a unique architecture to it that we mentally really have to think differently.

Sony's Blu-Ray player slips again - to late October

2006-06-22T06:01:00.000-07:00

This is starting to sound a bit fishy. These guys keep promising, then waiting until the last minute to break them.

Is PS3 being positioned as a launch device for the Blu-Ray charge?

The first Blu-Ray player from Sony, the BDP-S1, has been pushed back to an October 25th release date - meaning that the firm's consumer Blu-Ray product line will not appear until only weeks before the arrival of the PlayStation 3.

The BDP-S1 had most recently been scheduled for a mid-August launch date, and the new delay of over two months puts the release of the player curiously close to the PlayStation 3 - which will be appearing only weeks later in mid-November.

It had been assumed that Sony and its partners would want to launch Blu-Ray players and content into the market well ahead of the arrival of PS3, in order to ensure that the standard was understood by consumers by the time the expensive next-gen console appeared.

However, with the ongoing delays to the BDP-S1, it now appears that the PlayStation 3 is set to be a very early standard bearer for the high definition Blu-Ray discs - which may reflect simply a failure by Sony to get its hardware manufacturing timescales right, but equally could represent a change of strategy on the part of the Japanese consumer electronics giant.

The BDP-S1 is due to launch at a price point of $999.95 in North America, significantly more expensive than the PlayStation 3, which also offers Blu-Ray playback alongside its capabilities as a videogame console.

Toshiba's rival HD-DVD standard, meanwhile, is currently staggering onto the market - but so far the consumer response to both next-gen DVD systems seems largely apathetic, and it remains to be seen whether there is anything remotely compelling in the content line-up for either standard come Christmas.

Article

Call of Duty 3 Screens for the Wii

2006-06-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

The images aren't very clear. The game does appear to look good,and is coming along nicely.

LOL, PS3 English Mispelling, Please Serect a menu choice

2006-06-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

This is the funniest thing I've seen in a while...Check out these images...Not sure if it's real or not..but it's funny.

Wii Games Release Dates! Pre-Order Online

2006-06-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

Just found this online! Apparently Best Buy is taking pre-orders on three games!

Do you have a spare $149.97 laying around? If so, you probably want to jet over to Best Buy's website and pre-order the three Nintendo Wii games they've got available.

For the low, low price of $49.99, a person can pre-order Nintendo's Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, or for those in a third-party frame of mind, Ubisoft's Red Steel is there as well. All three games show as RP=Rating Pending, and show a release date as December 1, 2006.

Since Red Steel has already been announced as a launch title does this mean that the Wii will officially be released on December 1st? Nope. Since Nintendo has already said that both Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl will not even be released in '06, it's a sure bet that the date is merely a placeholder that will change once actual release dates have been announced.

Sadly, this news only applies to the USA Best Buy website. A quick search on the Canadian Best Buy site for the phrase "Wii" comes up with the dreaded "We were unable to find exact matches for your search: for Wii in Entire Site." That's truly heartbreaking.

The Best Buy Site!

Wii turns up in black

2006-06-10T07:17:00.000-07:00

Now this is pretty cool. Apparently, someone go their hands on a Wii in black!

Wii Messaging Service!

2006-06-06T17:14:00.000-07:00

It appears someone found a patent request from Nintendo for a messaging service for the Wii. Now that's some great detective work.

Messaging service for video game systems with buddy list that displays game being played

Abstract

A messaging system includes a web server computer and at least two video game systems. Each game system is configured to connect to the web server computer via the Internet and to communicate status data indicative of an activity engaged in by a user thereof. The web server computer generates a session file indicative of user status and the status of each of two or persons on a buddy list of the user.

Link to the actual patent

PS2 Hardware Inside PS3?

2006-06-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

Now this is interesting. It appears the PS3 will actually have the PS2 hardware inside of it. This partially explains the high cost.

According to the July issue of Japan's Ultra One magazine (which covers technology), backwards compatibility on the PlayStation 3 will be handled through actual PS2 hardware included in the box.

The box will supposedly include the core PlayStation 2 chipset, including the Emotion Engine and Graphics Synthesizer. These are combined into one chip in the slimmed down PS2 model, so this combined chip would presumably be the one included. According to the story this will only be a stopgap solution, until Sony can finish development on a software emulator that would do essentially the same thing.

Naturally, this would drive up already-high development costs quite a bit, but would insure near-100% compatibility with all PS2 games. On the bad side, it would also mean there would be virtually no chance of PS2 games being enhanced on the PS3 in any way. If it was handled all in software, there would likely be some inconsistencies in the emulation (similar to the "quriks" found when running Xbox games on the Xbox 360), but there would be no extra development costs involved.

Source

ATI claims Nintendo Wii more capable than what early game shows

2006-06-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

This is what I like to see. The graphics maker for the Nintendo Wii is claiming the games that's been seen so far is lacking compared to what the system will actually be able to do. it would be nice to see some morwe proof of that.

Nintendo showcased their upcoming gaming console at the recently held E3 Expo with much fanfare. However, the console wowed the gamers more for its innovative game play than its graphics.

ATI has now said in a statement that the hardware supplied in the Nintendo Wii gaming console is capable of more than what the early games show and this should please the gamers who have Sony Playstation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 to choose from besides the Wii console.

ATI is the developer of the Hollywood gaming processors, which powers Nintendo Wii and the company emphasized that the Wii architecture is capable of producing far better results than what we’ve witnessed thus far.

John Swinimer, Senior Public Relations Manager of Consumer Products at ATI said: “I think what you saw [on Wii] was just the tip of the iceberg of what the Hollywood chip can bring to the Nintendo Wii.”

He added: “I really don’t think that it’s about the [specs]; I think it’s about the innovation that it brings to the table—the motion-sensing, the always-on capability, which is really cool too—the fact that the chip is powerful enough and responsive enough to be there at a moment’s notice, and I think that’s pretty cool for the average gamer.”

Original Article

EB Games posts Wii specs?

2006-06-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

It appears someone caught EBGames posting the WII stats online. The only problem is the link appears dead now. Here's the list, including the dead link to EBGames.

CPU IBM Broadway 729MHz
Internal Storage
512MB Flash Memory
GPU ATI Hollywood
Optical Disc Drive 8cm GameCube/12cm Wii
Supported Resolution up to 480p
12cm Disc Capacity 4.7GB (single) / 8.5GB (dual)
System Memory Unknown
Memory Expansion 2 SD Memory
Wii Controller Ports Wireless (4 minimum)
Internet Connectivity WiFi 802.11b/g
GameCube Controller Ports 4 Ports
Disc Compatibility GameCube
GameCube Memory Expansion 2 Ports
Downloadable Content NES, SNES, N64, Sega Genesis, Turbo Grafx
USB 2.0 2 Ports

And, the dead link...

US Console sales charts: May 21-27

2006-06-03T15:02:00.000-07:00

Wow, Super Mario for the DS is kicking tail...I was surprised to see the Madden 06 on the charts and as high as it was. For now, the XBox 360 certainly has control of the charts.

When Rockstar Games announced it was making a Table Tennis game for the Xbox 360, many were skeptical. Some considered it a cynical move by the publisher to put an E-rated fig leaf over the mound of money generated by its M--and briefly AO--rated Grand Theft Auto series. Still others wondered why gamers would pick up a game based on a pastime that's already played indoors.

Well, the naysayers got paddled this week. According to retail figures from Bestbuy.com, Table Tennis was the seventh-most-popular console game in the US. It was one of six Xbox 360 games in the top 10, including Tom Clancy's Advanced Warfighter (third), Madden NFL 06 (eighth), and Call of Duty 2 (ninth). The regular and collector's editions of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for the 360 were fifth and sixth. And though raw figures were not provided, it is likely that if sales of the two Oblivions were combined, it would have been the week's top-selling console title.

The two current-gen console games in the top 10 were number-10 Kingdom Hearts II for the PlayStation 2 and the surprising second-place finisher, Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix for the GameCube, which went back into print after a brief hiatus. The top prize, though, was another title starring Nintendo's iconic Italian plumber. DS favorite Super Mario Bros. was once again the week's top title, proving the popularity of both the venerable franchise and the portable platform. Further cementing the DS's status was the number-three game, Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day.

Chart Is Located Here!

Xbox Live Vision camera coming on Sept 19

2006-06-03T06:59:00.001-07:00

This is interesting....We can finally see who the punks are talking all smack. :)

Major Nelson, big boss man, over at Microsoft’s Xbox division announced in a podcast that the Xbox Live Vision camera will be coming out on September 19th of this year, but we already knew this. If you remember back from E3, the Xbox Live Vision video camera will allow gamers with Xbox Live Gold to customize their gamer picture, send photo messages, and video chat with friends and family over Xbox Live. The Major did not reveal, however, what pricing will look like for the cam.

Here's the original post

Report: PlayStation 3 To Offer Xbox Live Competition - Sony-PS3

2006-06-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting article I found...wasn't too long ago Sony said they didn't even want an online gaming community...

Report: PlayStation 3 To Offer Xbox Live Competition

A few days ago there was a posting on craiglist from That Game Company, which was looking for "a superstar engineer with a strong graphics background to develop an unannounced downloadable title for the PlayStation 3 launch in November." IGN contacted Kellee Santiago and got some very intriguing news. From IGN:

IGN contacted That Game Company's developer and president Kellee Santiago who revealed that the game is for a service which will offer downloadable casual games, likely similar to Xbox Live Arcade, and will be available for download on the PlayStation 3's launch day. She went on to say the game would be a port of That Game Company's admittedly addictive, bright blue, and currently free web game flOw.

That news simply made our day. Not online will PlayStation 3 fans have an alternative to Xbox Live, but one of the first games will be fl0w, which is an incredibly addictive and fun game. It's free online and can be played here.

But don't even thinking of clicking that link until you have time to spare, because you'll spend much more time than you would have expected . Trust us.

Xbox 360 may hault backwards compatibility updates

2006-06-01T15:26:00.000-07:00

Needless to say, this is surely to piss off a few people. Can't understand sometimes why companies put themselves at risk releasing info like this, especially in light of the new systems coming out..

Microsoft may hault backwards compatibility updates for the Xbox 360 console that would enable it to play more Xbox games.

Peter Moore told video game publication Kikizo on Wednesday that nobody is concerned anymore about backwards compatibility.

"We under promised and over delivered on that. It's a very complicated thing... very complex work. I'm just stunned that we have hundreds of games that are backwards compatible," he said.

Backwards compatibility was a fundamental issue in building the Xbox 360 in order to transition current Xbox owners to the company's next offering. Microsoft vowed to employ a solution that would allow the Xbox 360 to play top-selling Xbox games.

The logistics proved to be tough as the next Xbox saw a change in hardware to IBM and ATI solutions rather than the Xbox's off-the-shelf Intel and Nvidia hardware.

The feat was accomplished through emulation, but not without leaving hundreds of Xbox titles unplayable on the 360.

Currently most Xbox games are in the bargain bin and the hardware itself will cease to exist as Microsoft concentrates on building the Xbox 360's install base.

Original Article

Wii Flies In Early November, Maybe

2006-05-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

Nice article here..claims the Wii is coming in Nov. I've heard the same through the grapevine. It's gotten some great press as of late.

Nintendo Wii to Launch on November 6th in USA

According to an industry source speaking to Cubed³, the Nintendo Wii is set to launch in the "Thanksgiving period in the USA" (Thanksgiving falls on November 23rd this year), with Japanese and European launches set to be "in the same timeframe". With Nintendo trying for a worldwide launch of their new system, this would probably lead to the system coming out marginally before in Japan and “a few weeks later in Europe”.

Our source tells us that the Wii will be on sale in the USA "well in time for Thanksgiving and well in time for Christmas in Europe". Details on the Japanese launch were not so clear, but our source did suggest that it would fall very close, if not before the American launch of the system.

So, we're looking at an early November release for the system. This falls quite nicely in line with a recent announcement by Nintendo where they gave dates for their DS, GameCube and GBA titles for later this year. All titles stopped before November. With this information in hand, we pushed our source a bit further to see if they had an idea of a more exact date. Today, we were provided with the following information...

"So, at the moment Nintendo are aiming to launch the Wii on November 6th"

Our source emphasised that this date is correct at present, but pointed out: "Nintendo aren't going to have an exact date in mind until they are sure they can meet the deadlines". Take it as a guide then if you will, but "they are very keen to be ready in time".

Obviously this shouldn't be taken as gospel and we're not about to shout from rooftops that we have the final Wii launch date, but we are confident that the information we have is correct; we wouldn't share it with you if it wasn't. Hopefully Nintendo will clear up all confusion very soon by confirming the launch details of the Wii. We'll have more for you as and when it happens

Even Without HDMI, PS3 May Still Output 1080p

2006-05-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

For all you technophiles who were saddened by the possibility that the 20GB PlayStation 3 won't be able to output 1080p resolution because of the lack of HDMI output, here's something that might give you hope.

Advanced Access Content System (AACS), the digital rights management standard used by Blu-ray and HD DVD to protect movies from unauthorized duplication, has a digital flag called Image Constraint Token (ICT). The ICT automatically downgrades a 1080p resolution to 540p whenever the signal is output through a non-HDMI cable. This is what will render PS3's high-definition Blu-ray capabilities useless.

However, according to German news publication Spiegel Online, an unofficial agreement between Hollywood and hardware manufacturers - Sony and Microsoft included - suggests that the enforcement of ICT may be delayed until 2010 or even until 2012. This means that until that time, the 499 PS3 may be able to output 1080p resolution via a traditional component cable.

It seems like things are looking up for Sony's next-generation console. For all of you who plans to get the cheaper PS3, don't you all agree that it would be nicer if the ICT is cancelled indefinitely? Well, it wouldn't hurt to wish for it...the high heavens have ears for the collective masses.

Original Post

Xbox Live Surpasses 24 Million Downloads

2006-05-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

Xbox Live Surpasses 24 Million Downloads
You can say whatever you want about the Xbox, but you have to agree they presently have the best online capabilities with Xbox Live.

Xbox Live, the first and only unified online games and entertainment network, is now the world's largest platform for high-definition on-demand content, surpassing 24 million downloads following the launch of Xbox 360 in the US on November 22, 2005.

Original Post

Square Enix Kills PS3 Final Fantasy VII Rumors

2006-05-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

The PS3 is causing rumor central these days, with seemingly a new rumor popping every day just to get knocked down soon after. It's sort of a rumor whack-a-mole, except instead of the joy of mole whacking, it's the devastation of rumor squashing.

The June '06 issue of EGM carried this teaser: "Last year, Square Enix teased everyone with what was called the "FFVII PS3 demo," the article states. "Well, what do you know? This test case was really a sneak peek at a next-gen revival of the PS1 role-playing hit."

And we all swooned.

IGN went to Square Enix to get the official word, and...it ain't good.

"Since the FINAL FANTASY VII tech demo at E3 2005, there have been a lot of rumors about the presentation hinting at an actual remake. While the June 2006 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly confirms the remake for release in 2007, Square Enix has never stated this.

We have however confirmed that development has begun for Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII on PlayStation 3. These titles are part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis Project which also includes a mobile game titled FINAL FANTASY Agito XIII."

Oh well.

Then again, we all know how these denials work sometimes. SE specifically said they never "stated this", not there there's no chance that it'll happen. We gamers have to hold on such threads of hope, it keeps the tears to a minimum.

Original Post

Star Fox Comming to the Nintendo Wii?

2006-05-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

On GameFront, it is stated that in the latest issue of Famitsu Magazine (the biggest video game Magazine in Japan) has in interview with the one and only Shigeru Miyamoto. In this interview Shigeru Miyamoto says that "a new experience would be brought to Starfox with the Wii control system". Maybe the experience will be some what like the air plane mini game featured in the Wiimote trailer. I'm looking forward to it, how about you?

Original Post

Wii Game Launch List

2006-05-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of some of the names being launch with Wii.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Wii Sports
Red Steel
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam (Always a first)
Madden NFL 2007
Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Metal Slug Anthology
Trauma Center: Second Opinion
Elebits
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Blitz: The League
Rayman Raving Rabbids
SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab
Disney/Pixar's Cars

Original Article, Plus More Detail's.

Half-Life 2 Xbox 360 Bound?

2006-05-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

The reports are coming from EB Games and Gamestop that claim the title will be released in February 2007 at an MSRP of $59.99 USD. Keep in mind that if true this price would just include the games and no additional packs that were released later on.
Valve recently announced their support for the Xbox 360 and said to have been developing titles for the console. There was no word on what was being worked on, but Valve did say that more news was coming in the near future.

Original Article

Nintendo Wii to Cost Less than $225 – Official

2006-05-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

Wow! Keeps getting better!

Nintendo Corp. has officially set the price limit for its next-generation Wii game console, according to reports. During a call with financial analysts, the company said it would retail the new game machine for “less than ¥25 000.

Nintendo said, its new game console, which is called Wii and which features motion-sensitive game controller, will retail for “less” than ¥25 000, which is currently about $225, a price-point, which was anticipated by analyst earlier this year. The console may really end-up costing just about $199, just a predicted. In addition, the firm is reported to have said that it would ship about 6 million game consoles at launch.

“The ¥25 000 price and its plan to ship 6 million units is a positive indication that there’s high expectation for the Wii,” Takeshi Koyama, a Mizuho Securities analyst, is reported to have said, according to Bloomberg.

Earlier this year Scott Steinberg, vice president of marketing for Sega, said in an interview with Forbes that Nintendo’s Wii would cost less than $200, mainly because it does not feature state-of-the-art “heavy-duty” processors like those in PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. Forbes further reported that Merrill Lynch analyst Justin Post predicted Thursday that the new machine, which will be released this fall, would sell for $200, a move that could prompt software publishers to create more titles for the gaming system.

Nintendo Wii console will feature IBM’s custom PowerPC architecture based microprocessor named Broadway clocked at 729MHz and code-named Hollywood chip with built-in graphics core, DSP and I/O features from ATI that will operate at 243MHz, earlier reports suggested. Nintendo revolution will use 91MB of memory in total: 23MB of “main” 1T-SRAM, 64MB of “external” 1T-SRAM and 3MB texture buffer on the GPU. Nintendo’s Wii does not feature a hard disk drive, instead, it boasts with 512MB of flash memory, but the console will also have a card reader, which will allow installing more memory.

Original Article

Xbox 360 well below DS, PSP sales in Japan

2006-05-26T18:32:00.000-07:00

I knew it was bad over there but good grief.

The Xbox 360 continues to see sales well below rival handheld offerings like the Nintendo DS and the PSP in Japan.
Media Create Co. sales data published Friday details that the Xbox successor sold only 1,403 units from May 12 – 18.

By comparison, the Nintendo DS sold more than 160,000 units in the same period. The PSP sold over 24,000 units.

In addition, not one Xbox 360 title sold in the top 50 software sales in the same period.

The Xbox 360’s situation is dire on lack of appealing titles for the system. Upcoming titles like Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, and Ninety-Nine Nights are expected to draw more consumers to the console.

Microsoft announced in early May that more than 5M Xbox 360 have sold to consumers, mostly in U.S. and European territories. The software giant expects to ship 10M units by the end of 2006.

Original Article

PS3 to feature online, downloadable games

2006-05-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a post I found online...

May 25, 2006 - According to a job posting on CraigsList today That Game Company is looking for "a superstar engineer with a strong graphics background to develop an unannounced downloadable title for the PlayStation 3 launch in November."

IGN contacted That Game Company's developer and president Kellee Santiago who revealed that the game is for a service which will offer downloadable casual games, likely similar to Xbox Live Arcade, and will be available for download on the PlayStation 3's launch day. She went on to say the game would be a port of That Game Company's admittedly addictive, bright blue, and currently free web game flOw.

This would mean that Sony is planning to compete with the wildly popular Xbox Live Arcade with its own downloadable games.

IGN called Ryan Bowling head of Public Relations at Sony who could only say that this game and any plans for the PS3's online functionality are unannounced.

Original Article

New Game Screens from the Wii!

2006-05-26T15:47:00.000-07:00

Despite heading for a sluggish 2007 release, Smash Bros. Brawl has quickly become one of the most anticipated Wii titles amongst the gaming public.

As with the Gamecube instalment, series director Masahiro Sakurai is drip-feeding screenshots and information via his own official Smash Bros website, which today has sent a fresh batch of Wii screenshots spinning into our laps. Detailed in today's screens are Zero Suit Samus and Wario, who are looking extremely attractive, despite the Wii's apparent humble system specs when compared to the PS3 and 360.

Smash Bros. Brawl is penned for release in 2007, and will feature a new roster of characters including guest star Solid Snake and a smashing online mode. We can't wait and if you want to missed the splendid promo movie revealed at E3, cast eyes right and feast on its goodness.

Original Article

Nintendo's Wii hot, Sony's PS3 not in CNET hit list

2006-05-26T15:35:00.002-07:00

The Wii has alot of buzz going..

Nintendo's Wii is hot and Sony's Playstation 3 is not according to CNET's weekly hit list of hot electronics. The Wii ranks at #5 while the PS3 ranks at #19 on CNET's weekly hit list of top electronics.

Ranking is calculated by the number of product clicks the item receives on the CNET hit list website.

Wii currently sits in the 'Red Hot' zone after 49 weeks on the list, while the PS3 rests in the 'Cooling Off' section after 49 weeks on the list.

Nintendo's Wii created strong buzz when it debuted at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles earlier this month. The new system, which employs a wireless remote controller, will retail for less than $250. Nintendo plans to ship 6M units and 17M games by fiscal Mar. 2007.

Sony's PS3 system ranking may be indicative of unpleasant reaction to price and cut features in the new console. The PS3 will retail for $499 w/ 20GB hard drive and $599 w/ 60GB hard drive, HDMI, built-in wireless, and flash memory ports. The Playstation successor will drop to retail on Nov. 17.

While Microsoft's Xbox 360 is not on CNET's top twenty hit list, the new console has a head start of around 5M units sold to consumers to date.

Original Article