Via Game Blorge


It seems that Microsoft can’t catch a break these days what with Vista still failing miserably and apparently so are XBOX 360’s. Now don’t get me wrong, I own a XBOX 360 and I’ve had it for about a year with ZERO issues. There are those XBOX 360 owners that are perfectly happy (like me) and there are others who have gone through five or six units and even then all their issues are not fixed. We’ve talked about that before. And now, the Netherlands and the European Commissioner for Consumer affairs wants answers and wants them now.

I don’t know how widespread the problems mentioned in the US or other markets are but it seems the European market is having a problem with broken hard drives and scratched DVDs. The DVD scratching problem occurred briefly here in the US. Now this may be going out on a limb but could it be that Microsoft has pawned the flawed consoles off on other markets while at the same time fixing some of the issues in the US market?

There are upwards of 1,000 complaints from the Netherlands alone which is going up every day. The commissioner not only wants answers from Microsoft Europe but from other markets as well and a bulleted list of all issues and problems known in those markets.

Unfortunately for the commissioner she cannot order a forced recall on the XBOX 360 and I’m no expert on European laws or the Netherlands for that matter but surely if this is the case, something can be done besides going through broken XBOX 360 after broken XBOX 360.

The Inquirer found a mostly English interview with the commissioner which can be heard right here. ...

Via pspsps

HMV has said that the PS3 is meeting sales targets, according to a recent story over at gamesindustry.biz. HMV Head of Games Tim Ellis stated that "Sales remain in line with expectations, occasionally even exceeding them.”

"We're looking forward to further games releases, and when the time's right, a suitable price revision to take the console to its next level of sales.” Apparently all three next-gen consoles have been selling well, with Ellis stating that "From a retail and customer perspective it's great to have three games heavyweights relatively matched and vying for market domination. This creative tension is leading to fantastic innovative technology and brilliant games."

Even if sales of the PS3 are going OK in the UK, they've been less than stellar elsewhere. The PS3’s high price point is definitely off-putting to some. Sony may be planning to support the PS3 for a while, but high sales of the console now will help the PS3 to secure some more of those elusive exclusives. ...

The Inquirer

You can't stop the resistance

THE MODDED XBOX 360 console got banned last time that Microsoft updated its console firmware.

As usually happens, this ban did not last for long as hacking groups found a way around this protection and with the latest iXtreme firmware, modded Xboxes are back on-line.

The latest firmware for TS-H943 DVD drive, the iXtreme firmware 1.0 promises to defeat all current and some future Xbox Live detection attempts, and will enable pirated software to be played on the console. The media type can only be Stealth Xtreme Xbox 360 backup or Stealth Xtreme Xbox backup. It, of course, boots all of the original software for both Xbox 360 and the first console.

Hitachi drives are not supported with this release, and there is no announcement about the timeframe when that drive will get patched. ...

Via Virgin.net

'Big Brain Academy' for Wii, the follow up to the Nintendo DS version, launches across Europe on July 20 as part of Nintendo's Touch! Generations range of games, designed for people of all ages, gender and gaming experience.

'Big Brain Academy' contains a selection of mini-games which are designed around the Wii Remote pointer. They are divided into five categories: Visualise, Memorise, Analyse, Compute and Identify, and contain a variety of activities. All of these allow you to push your brain by answering them as quickly as possible, whilst maintaining accuracy within three different difficulty settings.

In the single player Test mode, you play through all five categories after which your 'Big Brain Academy' brain weight is calculated based on your reaction speed and number of correct answers. In addition, you will be given a grade for your Student Record, where all game data is saved, and a spider graph is generated showing you your individual strengths and weaknesses within the game in these five areas.

'Big Brain Academy' will retail at the estimated price of £35. ...

Via Next-Gen

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has moved to reject speculation that a PS3 price may be in the works.

Sony's director of communications Nick Sharples told MCV that analysts’ recent conjecture concerning a PS3 price cut based on new manufacturing strategies was unfounded.

"There’s absolutely nothing you can read from that. The idea of price certainly doesn’t follow on to any adjustment in production. Analysts may wish to think so, but there’s no basis of fact in any of it,” he said.

“We announce when changes in price will happen and we don’t discuss them beforehand.”

A number of analysts have suggested that a reduction of PS3 component costs coupled with a need to boost sales will force Sony to drop the console’s price at some point this year, a move that industry figures such as Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot also feel is necessary if Sony is to boost its market share. ...

After a massive console launch such as that of the Nintendo Wii, the bustling community of modders is never far behind. Some tinker their machines for honest and genuine aesthetic means, but a small, damaging percentages use their knowledge to fuel the industry’s black market for pirated games. In its first step to clamp down on this illegal activity, Nintendo is shipping hard-to-mod Wiis in Japan, reports DailyTech.

Modchips for the Nintendo Wii began to appear just months after its release, so in a keen attempt to halt the business expanding further, Nintendo has revised the console’s hardware to make what were once simple modifications a lot more difficult.

According to a forum post on Hacken.cc, three pins used by current modchips to alter the console’s drive software are now physically cut, making modifications impossible for all but those with highly advanced skills and tools. So far the revisions have only been spotted in Wiis shipped to the land of the rising sun, although we’re sure that similar models will soon be winging their way to regions across the world in the ever-ongoing struggle against pirates.

Just over a month ago Nintendo of Europe released a statement that warned gamers over modding their Nintendo Wiis. It read:


To put the problem into some perspective, a Gamasutra report recently stated that pirated Wii games were being sold in China (a country where the videogame black market is rampant) for as little as $1.30 USD each. When you consider how much money both Nintendo and other developers lose in potential sales because of this, it isn’t difficult to see why they take the issue so seriously. ...

Via PSX Extreme

If any of you have latched on to the rumor that Sony has dropped PS3 production, you can dismiss that right now. The rumor started with a statement from a Lazard Capital Markets analyst earlier this week- "Reports from Asia suggest that Sony has reduced production of PS3s, at least temporarily, which may suggest that a price cut is less likely this year." In turn, this caused a subsequent rumor that said we actually wouldn't see a price drop this year.

SCEE has stepped up and denied that it's reducing production of the console, and told MCV there is no link between a potential price drop and any temporary change in manufacturing.

“I’m not aware of any cut in production," said Sony's director of corporate communications Nick Sharples. "We have our forecast for the year for PS3 of ten million and that still stands. Of course, production is adjusted according to stock levels and requirements of different territories. The normal seasonal uplift towards the peak season will happen, but that’s completely normal."

So if you were worried that we really wouldn't have a price drop this year - which, prior to this rumor, seemed almost inevitable - don't be too concerned. According to Sharples, production changes constantly depending on retailer stock, which makes perfect sense, but that certainly doesn't indicate anything permanent.

"There’s absolutely nothing that you can read from that," Sharples concluded. "The idea of price certainly doesn’t follow on to any adjustment in production. Analysts may wish to think so, but there’s no basis of fact in any of it."

We still anticipate a price drop in 2007, although Sony's policy is to not discuss price until they're ready to make a move. At this time, though, there is no drop in PS3 production, and everything is progressing according to Sony's initial forecast. We'll update if anything changes, though. ...

Via PS3 Center

According to the Official PlayStation Magazine UK, Bioshock is in development for the Sony PlayStation 3 console.

The magazine states many times that the game is in development even though the thought up until now was that the game is going to be an exclusive for the Xbox 360 console.

The magazine mentions that the exclusivity of Bioshock is only a timed-exclusive for Microsoft. This means that the game will be an exclusive on the Xbox 360 but for just a short period of time. It will then be released by 2K Games on all next-generation consoles, meaning the PS3.

When Bioshock was first announced it was made clear that it was going to be for all next-gen consoles. Since then though Microsoft has tried to lock up the game as an Xbox 360 exclusive.

With rumors that games such as Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy XIII going multi-platform, it would be absolutely no surprise to anyone that Bioshock be released on the PS3 as well as the Xbox 360, especially since it was already in development on the PS3 to begin with. ...

Via PS3 Center

Sony has come out and stated in the past that they believe the PS3 can be as successful as the PlayStation 2 was, and they still back that belief.

Nick Sharples of Sony Computer Entertainment has come out and responded to rumors that Sony was going to begin to cut back on the production of the PS3 consoles due to the lack of sales on a worldwide level. Sharples reiterated that Sony believes that the PS3 is going to sell tens of millions of units and that it could be in the position to win the next-generation console war for the third-time in a row.

Analysts have been reporting that Sony may already begin to pull the plug on the PS3 a bit by lowering production levels. Sharples, who is the director of corporate communications at Sony, told MCV that..

"I’m not aware of any cut in production. We have our forecast for the year for PS3 of ten million and that still stands. Of course, production is adjusted according to stock levels and requirements of different territories. The normal seasonal uplift towards the peak season will happen, but that’s completely normal.

"There’s absolutely nothing that you can read from that. The idea of price certainly doesn’t follow on to any adjustment in production. Analysts may wish to think so, but there’s no basis of fact in any of it."

"We announce when changes in price will happen and we don’t discuss them beforehand."

Even though analysts may not be behind it, it sure seems that Sony stands firm that the PS3 can and will still win the console war. ...