PS3 Beats Xbox 360, but Wii Outsells All

Sony eeks out another win over Microsoft's Xbox 360 console in the month of May, while Nintendo reigns supreme with Wii and DS sales.


PS3 Beats Xbox 360, but Wii Outsells All

NPD figures for the month of May show PlayStation 3 outsold Xbox 360. A mere 22k separated the two consoles, hardly putting a dent in Microsoft's huge lead over the battle for total sales. 208,000 PS3 consoles were purchased last month and 186,000 Xbox 360s were snatched up by gamers. To date, 19 million Xbox 360s have sold worldwide compared against 13 million PlayStation 3s.

Unsurprisingly, both consoles were obliterated by Wii at 675,000. Even Nintendo DS performed better than either PS3 or Xbox 360, generating more sales than both consoles combined with 452,000 handhelds sold. Nintendo pushed through over a million game systems during May, which nearly doubles PS3, Xbox 360, and PSP sales combined. Counting PlayStation 2 sales and Nintendo still boasted larger sales.

Hand-in-hand with Wii and DS were solid game sales. Seven of the top ten selling games in May were on either platform. Mario Kart Wii took second place with 787,000 copies in a photo-finish behind the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV with 871k. Both the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of GTA IV were the only games to make the list for those consoles.

Game Console Choice Shows Generation Gap

How much time do gamers spend playing Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3? A Nielsen consumer report takes a crack at the answer with a new technology called "polling."


Game Console Choice Shows Generation Gap

According to Nielsen respondents (via IGN), gamers between the ages of 10 and 26 spend most their time playing Xbox 360 by 63 percent, followed by 25 percent total console time playing Wii, and 12 percent playing PlayStation 3.

Conversely, gamers 27 and older spend a majority of their console time on PS3 by 52 percent, followed by Wii with 28 percent, and Xbox 360 at 20 percent.

In both demographics, both Xbox 360 and PS3 were played more consistently than Wii and for longer periods of time, supporting the widespread belief that Nintendo's latest console is lacking in deep, entrenching games.

In any case, suffice it to say that gamers love consoles.

Birthday Post: Pokemon Platinum Version Leaked

A low-resolution cell phone photo appears that announces Pokémon Platinum that features Giratina.

Pokemon Platinum Version Leaked

A low-resolution cell phone photo appears to show a page from the June issue of CoroCoro that announces Pokémon Platinum, a new Nintendo DS game that features Giratina. Because the magazine has not yet been released, the authenticity of the photo has not been confirmed.
The page offers screen shots from the game that show a new overworld scene and a new in-battle scene for Giratina. The male protagonist from Diamond and Pearl is wearing a blue outfit.
According to a rumor quoted by blue skY, the game will be released in Japan in September. Those who reserve the game in advance will receive a ticket to get an egg that will hatch into a Shinx that knows a special move. The eighth gym leader, Volkner, will be replaced, and a Battle Frontier-like area will be added.

EA Games Plans to Develop for Wii

Special versions of Madden football, NBA Live and others are in the works for the Wii.


EA Plans New Sports Games for Wii

VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Video-game publisher Electronic Arts Inc unveiled two initiatives last week to breathe new life into its sports business by making games that are easier to play and customized for Nintendo Co Ltd's popular Wii console.

Key games such as "Madden" football, "NBA Live" and "FIFA" soccer will come out in special versions for the Wii, which has become the best-selling game system by drawing in older and female players with friendly graphics and simple motion-sensing controls.

EA is also starting a sub-brand dubbed Freestyle that will be home to a new set of games not tied to any existing league and therefore free of expensive licensing rights. The first game will be "Facebreaker," a cartoonish and whimsical boxing game due out in September.

"We can't be blind to the fact that different consumers are coming into games now and shame on us if we can't evolve and develop something for that crowd," Peter Moore, head of EA Sports, told Reuters.

EA expects to have sold about $1.3 billion worth of sports games in its fiscal year just ended in March, accounting for more than a third of total revenue.

Known for their sharp graphics and attention to detail, EA's sports games are among the industry's best-selling titles each year. But many gamers have criticized them for including few groundbreaking new features and increasingly complex controls that make them tough to play.

Showing off this year's lineup of sports titles at a new conference in EA's Vancouver studio, Moore said the company had not forgotten about its core fans who want the most realistic experience.

"While we have no intention whatsoever of dumbing down the experience that we all love and that drives this multibillion

dollar business ... we need to make sports games more approachable," Moore said.

Caught off guard by the Wii's success following its launch in late 2006, EA tried to adapt its sports games to the Wii, an effort Moore admitted amounted to basically tacking on the motion controls without changing the core game.

Moore, who joined EA from Microsoft Corp's games division to head up the sports business last September, said the new approach to the Wii marked a dramatic rethinking of what those players wanted from a game.

The model was "Wii Sports," a title from Nintendo included with every Wii that took bowling, baseball, golf, tennis and boxing and reduced them to a handful of simple motions.

"We learned some hard lessons. That was the type of sports experience they were looking for and we saw that and decided we needed to redefine what our sports games were about," Moore said. This year, EA's top sports games for the Wii will have "All-Play" added to their titles.

While versions for Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony Corp's PlayStation 3 will be similar to previous years, the "All-Play" titles will have options to use simpler controls and quicker games.

"It's like how swimming pools have a deep end and a shallow end. EA Sports has really only built a swimming pool with a deep end. It's intimidating for a lot of people to jump right in the deep end. With All-Play, we're building a shallow end," Moore added.

(Editing by Andre Grenon)

Copyright 2007 Reuters.

Nintendo Still Racking Profilts

Nintendo racked up a record operating and net profit in the fiscal year ended in March

Japan's Nintendo Operating Profit More than Doubles on Strong Game Sales

With still strong demand for its portable and home-use video game consoles and game software, Japanese video game maker, Nintendo, racked up a record operating and net profit in the fiscal year ended in March. The company's operating profit jumped to 487.22 billion yen, or $4.7 billion, from 226.02 billion yen in the previous year.

Although the growth in net profit was much slower than operating income due to the company incurred foreign exchange losses, the Kyoto-based maker of Wii and DS said net profit rose 47.7 percent to 257.34 billion yen. A rapid appreciation of yen hurts Nintendo as it reduces the value of foreign currency-denominated assets, which it reevaluates according to the exchange rate at the end of each fiscal year.

Revenue increased 73 percent to a record 1.67 trillion yen.

Nintendo said global sales of its Nintendo DS dual-screen portable game consoles rose to 30.31 million units from 23.56 million. The company also delivered 18.61 million Wii consoles, up from 5.84 million units in the previous year. Sales of both consoles exceeded the company's targets.

Accumulated sales of Nintendo DS reached 70.6 million units, making it the world's best-selling portable game machine. Wii had accumulated sales of 24.45 million units, making it the top-selling home-use game console, above Microsoft's Xbox360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.

Sony has long dominated the global home-use, standalone game console market with its PSOne and PlayStaion2, but due to the lack of strong game titles and relatively high price, PS3 has so far lagged behind the rival formats in terms of sales.

For the current year to March 2009, Nintendo aims to achieve another set of record earnings and sales.

Nintendo is expecting net profit to rise 26.3 percent to 325 billion yen, operating profit to climb 8.8 percent to 530 billion yen, and sales to be up 7.6 percent to 1.80 trillion yen.

The forecast assumes that the dollar will stand at 100 yen at the end of March 2009, down from 100.19 yen at the end of March 2007, and the euro will stand at 155 yen, compared to 158.19 yen. Based on those rates, the company expects a forex loss of 12 billion yen. Nintendo aims to sell 28 million Nintendo DSs, and 25 million Wiis this fiscal year.

'Because the sales of Nintendo Wii have already topped what is considered to be the up-limit line, it is not realistic to see any further growth in Japan,' spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa told Thomson Financial News. 'But given the fact that DS is in a state of supply shortage outside Japan, we can expect sales growth in overseas markets,' he said.

Wii Outsells Xbox360, PS3 in March

Super Smash Bros. Brawl boosted Wii sales last month, according to the NPD Group.


Wii Outsells Combined Xbox 360, PS3 Sales in March

Super Smash Bros. Brawl boosted Wii sales to abnormal heights last month, according to official console ware bean counter, the NPD Group.

"Across hardware, software, and accessories, the Wii contributed the most to total industry sales, representing 31% of total industry dollars for the month," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

"Super Smash Brothers Brawl along with a greater supply of inventory helped the Wii to capture the highest single month unit sales of any platform outside the holiday timeframe," she added.

As far as hardware numbers go, Nintendo sold 720,000 Wiis last month; more than double that of combined Xbox 360 and PS3 sales, and almost enough to match the combined sales of all other consoles when including PS2.

The Nintendo DS was the second best-selling system in March with 698,000 units sold, followed by the PSP at 297,000 units, the Xbox 360 with 262,000, PS3 at 257,000, and the PS2 bringing up the rear with 216,000 units sold.

"Nintendo systems represented 58 percent of all video game hardware sold in March in the United States," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo's VP of sales and marketing. "We expect our momentum to continue with big upcoming game launches like Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit."

On the software side, Super Smash Bros. Brawl was the top-selling game in the U.S. last month at 2.7 million copies sold. Other top-sellers included Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (360), Army of Two (360), Wii Play, God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP), Guitar Hero III (Wii), MLB 2K8 (360), Call of Duty 4 (360), and Army of Two (PS3) in that order.

"All platforms, aside from the PS2, showed significant increases when compared with March 2007," concluded Frazier. "The industry realized great growth last year and so far this year, that momentum is carrying through."

Wii Fit in May

First announced way, way back in July of last year, the nifty, wireless balance board accessory for the Wii finally has a North American release date: May 19. Get ready to engage those abs.

Wii Fit coming to U.S. in May
Yahoo! Tech

The Wii Fit bundle (available in Japan since last December) will sell for $89.99, according to Crave—not exactly cheap, but at least it'll come bundled with a battery of exercises—involving yoga, aerobics, strength training, and balance—that’ll get you off the couch and, with any luck, make you break a sweat.

IGN (via Yahoo! Games) has a thorough preview of Wii Fit, but I’ll tick off some of the main points: You get the wireless, plastic balance board (which, apparently, supports a whopping 660 pounds, although it stops measuring over 330 pounds) plus the battery of 40 mini-games and exercises.

Among them: strength-training exercises, including a push-up/yoga combo (which sounds devilishly difficult), single-leg extensions, arm/leg lifts, a variety of squats and lunges, and side planks (ouch). There’s also plenty of aerobic action, including steps, runs, and rhythm boxing. Then there’s the yoga, complete with your standard deep breathing, half moons, a potpourri of poses, you name it. This ain't no button-mashing on the couch.

What makes Wii Fit more fun than your standard exercise DVD is the on-screen trainer (either male or female, as IGN notes) who critiques your form and doles out encouragement, as needed.

Of course, the coolest element of Wii Fit is the wireless balance board, which incorporates two plastic pads—one for each foot—that precisely measure you weight and balance.

From the demos I’ve seen, the board does an uncanny job of detecting your overall stance and posture; indeed, based on your weight and balance, it’ll compute your body mass index (BMI) and tell you if you’re overweight, underweight, or just right. The Wii Fit software will also track your BMI daily and tell you your progress over time.

Early reviews have been generally positive; for example, Chris Kohler at Wired News tried Wii Fit for about a month and came away pretty happy, calling it a "convenient and helpful way for me to get back in shape." Keep in mind, however, that Kohler didn't so much lose weight as build muscle (not such a bad thing, considering that you're playing a video game).

I haven't had a chance to try Wii Fit myself, but the demo during last year's E3 gaming conference looked pretty impressive; I especially liked the soccer ball head-butting game, which lets you (natch) head-butt a torrent of virtual soccer balls, all from the comfort of the balance board—nice. (Hmmmm...how about a surfing game? Or skateboarding?)

source: tech.yahoo.com

Wii Leading in Japan's Game Market

Console sales grow 13.4 percent in 2007, led by the cheaper Wii, says a new report.

Wii Leads Jump in Japan's Game Market

The console game market in Japan grew 13.4 percent in 2007 thanks largely to the popularity of Nintendo's Wii, according to a report due to be published on Friday.

The entire game console market was worth ¥685 billion (US$6.9 billion) in 2007, with the hardware and software markets about evenly matched. In the previous year the software side of the market had led the industry but the sector was rebalanced last year due to the availability of the Wii and Sony's PlayStation 3, said Media Create in its annual "Game Market White Paper."

The PlayStation 3 launched on Nov. 11, 2006, and the Wii hit store shelves in Japan on Dec. 2, 2006, but early popularity of the consoles meant that many sales were delayed until 2007. Price cuts for the PlayStation 3, which was criticized early on for being too expensive, also helped boost sales later in 2007.

Total hardware sales rose 31 percent to $3.48 billion and software sales were virtually unchanged at $3.39 billion, according to the report. The estimates are based on point-of-sales system data gathered by Media Create from hundreds of retailers in Japan.

"Sales of Wii software rose strongly but those for the PlayStation 2 fell so they offset each other," said Kenichi Chiba, an analyst at the Tokyo company.

The Wii has been credited with revitalizing Japan's console game market and expanding the gaming population -- the number of people who regularly play video games. Its innovative wireless and motion sensitive controller and a low price have been key to attracting many people who might otherwise not have bought a game console. The Wii currently sells in Japan for $250, versus $400 for the PlayStation 3.

Sales of the console totaled 1.1 million in the few weeks of 2006 during which it was on sale, and 3.9 million during 2007 to take total Japan sales to 5 million units by the end of the year, Nintendo said.

The Wii remains popular. In the week from March 10 to 16 the Wii was the number two-selling games device in Japan with sales of 55,845 units, according to Media Create. In first place was Nintendo's handheld DS with sales of 57,651 units.

WiiWare Launching this March

Finally, Nintendo's answer to XboxLive Arcade and the PlayStation Store will be available within two or three months.

Developer Says WiiWare Launching this March

Nintendo's answer to Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Store will launch within 2-3 months, says Netherlands-based Engine Software.

The tentative debut of Wii's original download service was named by Engine while announcing their first WiiWare game on Wednesday, reports Shack News.

Project Bang!, as it is currently called, is described as "a casual game type with very addictive gameplay" for one or two players using the Wii Remote.

Engine Software's previous works include High Scool Musical: Livin' The Dream for GBA, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Circle of Spies on DS, and contributing work on the DS version of Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords.

Nintendo previously said WiiWare would launch in "early 2008." The company denied comment when pressed by Shack News for further confirmation.

The Queen and Wii

Queen Elizabeth is reportedly playing with Nintendo's Wii


She's Now Playing the Wii

Queen Elizabeth II is reportedly enamored with Nintendo's Wii.

According to a tabloid source close to UK's The People, The Queen is showing signs of becoming a "Nintendo addict" after getting her aging hands on her grandson's newly gifted Wii.

"When she saw [Prince] William playing a game after lunch at Sandringham... she begged to join in," the unnamed contact alleges. "She played a simple ten-pin bowling game and by all accounts was a natural... William was in fits of laughter. He was enormously impressed at having such a cool gran."

Since 2001, Her Majesty has regularly upgraded her cell phone before deciding on a Blackberry which she uses today. She sends e-mail (queen@england.gov maybe?), and listens to an iPod.

Story copyright © 2007 IDG Entertainment. All rights reserved.

Store Caught Scalping Wiis

Reports say store is selling Wiis on Ebay for a premium over the retail selling price.

Game Store Caught Scalping Wiis on Ebay

According to Ars Technica, Slackers of Illinois/Missouri are taking retail Wiis and dumping them on Ebay for US$399, $150 above the MSRP.

When confronted with the breech of contract with Nintendo, a Slackers representative begrudgingly said, "That is something you'll have to speak with the owner about." Management has not responded.

Retailers have unfairly, though legally, used bundle gouging to nickel and dime gamers seeking Wiis in short supply. This is the first report of retailers bypassing retail to become resellers online which yield better returns.

"We don't have to remind retailers of the strength we have right now," said Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aime in a recent interview. "We are simply making an observation and that reinforces our point quite nicely with retailers."

source: http://www.pcworld.com/

Nintendo Shortage of Wiis

You can blame this year's Nintendo Wii shortage on, well, Nintendo. But consumer frustration over the shortage of Wii consoles is compounded by resellers and retailers who are using the Wii drought as a marketing tool and way to make money.

Don't Just Blame Nintendo
There had been a shortage of Nintendo Wiis this year, and don't just blame Nintendo. A large number of resellers and retailers who are using the Wii drought as a marketing tool are guilty, too.

Some resellers, and even consumers, buy Nintendo Wii and resell the unit for a profitable amount. There are also some gamers who bought the Wii but decided to resell it for a quick buck instead of keeping it. Others bought the Wii just to resell it for a substantial profit.

But in 2007 the reseller market has matured in ways that Tony Soprano might be envious of.

I've heard of people who have made a fulltime job out of reselling Nintendo Wiis. Just search for "Wii resellers" on Google or check eBay to see what I mean. There are loads of Web sites and Wii dealers on eBay selling the Nintendo console for at least twice the MSRP of $250 the unit sells for at retail stores such as Best Buy.

I've heard of some resellers stalking UPS drivers that deliver Wii shipments to retailers. Why? so they can get a jump on the stores that have fresh Wii inventory. Other Wii resellers make friends with the inventory managers at stores just to get first dibs on a Wii.

Reselling may sound like an easy job on paper, but it isn't. One reseller told the Web site Consumerist he received death threats from frustrated buyers wanting to buy a Wii at a reasonable price.

Nintendo Number One

For the first time in years, Nintendo displaced Sony as the leader in video game consoles


Wii Love Nintendo

For the first time in years, Nintendo displaced Sony as the leader in video game sales. This quarter, said a new market report on Tuesday, Nintendo's sales of Wii and DS was up 31 percent from the second quarter of this year. That's more than double the amount than the sales in the year prior. This news marks the first time Nintendo has accomplished this feat since first being displaced by Sony with the release of the new Playstation 1, compared to Nintendo 64.

The combined sales of Wii and DS, according to iSupply, totaled US$1.2 billion during the third quarter of 2007. Sony's PSP, PS2, and PS3 combined sales was $1.0 billion on the same period. Microsoft, however, reached $318 million for the combined sales of the original Xbox and the new Xbox 360.

Because of the slow move of Sony to reduce the prices of its products and produce compelling games, third-party game publishers are moving towards a different platform. If this continues, developers may feel that working with Nintendo outweighs the benefits of working with Sony.

The Nintendo Mystery

The mysterious Totaka Song is a short, 19 note, looping tune, hidden in some titles of Nintendo games


The Totaka Song

Nintendo games are great, along with the music tracks and pieces that came with the game. It really pumps up its entertainment value. But did you know that there is a piece of music that is tucked away with many Nintendo titles? It's a short, 19-note, looping tune, hidden in some games that can only be played by waiting in a screen for some minutes or clicking an item. This piece of music is like an Easter egg. This was known as the Totaka song.

The Totaka song was first discovered in Mario Paint, released in 1992. Clicking the letter O in the end of MARIO will turn the letter into a bomb, and then exploding all the letters across the screen. The background music will stop, and the Totaka Song will start to play. This is why most people called it the 'Mario Paint Song', and was thought to be the first instance of the song. But after that, the song was actually discovered in a Japanese-only Game Boy game X, that was released long before Mario Paint was. X's contained a hidden bonus track that was the Mario Paint song, which later on was renamed to Totaka song. Other games include Zelda: Link's Awakening, Yoshi Touch & Go, Luigi's Mansion, and Animal Crossing.

The Totaka song also appeared in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. Lose all your lives to get to the Game Over screen. Wait in the screen for 2 minutes and 30 seconds, and the Totaka song will start to play. In Yoshi's Story, waiting in the Trial Mode screen will also cause the Totaka song to play after the background music stopped looping.

In some games, there seems to be no way of accessing the music. That means, waiting or pressing something won't play the music. Dumping the contents of the game's ROM would reveal the Totaka song, however.

As of February 2007, people are actively seeking for other games that included the Totaka song. Of course, the games are limited to those titles the person responsible for the song, worked on. These include Wave Race 64, Wii Sports, and the coming Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

The person responsible with this easter egg music was Kazumi Totaka. Totaka is a Japanese music composer and voice actor. He composed music for many major Nintendo games. He worked on every game that song appeared.

It's still fun to discover that these type of Easter eggs exists, and that people are actively hunting for them.


Story:
Copyright 2007 by Sonicsoft Corporation
All Rights Reserved