Japanese hardware data for the week ended May 13 reveals that sales are down across the board, as the region recovers from the traditionally busy Golden Week holidays.

However, as in other regions, the Nintendo DS is still the best-selling console, managing 163,824 units, with the Wii picking up 52,544 units, according to data from Media Create.

Sales of Sony's PSP amounted to a further 34,433 units, the PlayStation 2 registered 10,414 units and the PlayStation 3 sold 8,839 units.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 only managed 2105 units while the GameCube sold 315 units.

via gibiz ...

Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter has warned that Sony will have to make difficult decisions regarding the PS3's price point if sales of the console are to improve.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz Pachter said, "I think Sony's strategy of including a Blu-ray drive and a microprocessor that will stand up to ten more years of technological advances may have been overly ambitious - given that they have so far asked consumers to pay for the high definition movie option and to help finance development of the Cell."

Pachter's comments came after NPD released US sales figures for April, revealing that although PS2 and PSP are selling well the Game Boy Advance is proving more popular than PlayStation 3.

"It's not good news for Sony that most consumers are balking at paying the prices asked for PS3s," Pachter said.

"Sony has to make a choice between subsidising the Blu-ray and cell costs, or waiting until their production costs drop. It's more likely than not that they will break with tradition and cut prices below manufacturing costs."

So far Sony has offered no hint as to when a price cut for PlayStation 3 might be announced. Pachter offered, "My guess is that this will happen at E3 in July, but one never knows with Sony."

via gibiz ...

The latest NPD sales figures show continuing dominance for Nintendo as the GBA outsells Sony's PS3 - but its predecessor, PlayStation 2, is still doing better than Xbox 360.

NPD data for April reveals that at the Nintendo DS is at the top of the pile with 471,000 units sold. The supply-constrained Wii shifted 360,000 units.

Nearer the bottom of the hardware market is Sony's recently released PlayStation 3 which has sold 82,000 units in the past month, while the ageing Game Boy Advance outsold the next-gen console by 2000 units.

However, Sony's PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable continue to perform well in the market, with sales of 194,000 units and 183,000 respectively.

Which means they're both outselling Microsoft's next-gen console - Xbox 360 recorded 174,000 sales in April, while the GameCube also scored 13,000 sales.

Thanks to the impressive performance of the Wii and DS, overall hardware and software sales were up 20 per cent to USD 839 million (EUR 621m), although overall game sales were down 1 per cent to USD 399 million (EUR 295m).

Nintendo also scored the top four best-selling games for April, with Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl for the DS at the top of the charts, selling 1.045 million and 712,000 units respectively.

Super Paper Mario sold 352,000 copies while Wii Play recorded 249,000 sales in April.

Activision's phenomenon Guitar Hero II enjoyed lead sales on the Xbox 360 in April, with 197,000 units sold, while the PlayStation 2 version racked up 142,000 copies, an impressive number considering the game was released on the format in November last year.

Again, Activision's version of Spider-Man 3 lead on Xbox 360, recording 117,000 sales, with the PS2 version shifting 105,000 units.

PlayStation 2 hit God of War II scored 101,000 sales while Sony's MLB '07: The Show sold 79,000 units.

Portable hardware and software sales for the month of April were both up on the previous year, with hardware rising 43 per cent to USD 99 million (EUR 73m) and software up 61 per cent to USD 141.5 million (EUR 104m).

Console hardware was also up due to higher prices to USD 239.4 million (EUR 177m) or 56 per cent, although software sales were down 19 per cent to USD 248.3 million (EUR 183m).

According to the NPD data, hardware sales to date have reached 38.2 million units in the US, with the GameBoy Advance reaching 35.7 million sales.

Sales of the Nintendo DS have reached 10.9 million while the PlayStation Portable has reached 7.4 million units sold to date.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 has so far sold 5.4 million units, with the Nintendo Wii at 2.5 million and Sony's PlayStation 3 with 1.3 million sales.

Meanwhile, Canadian NPD figures reveal that similar market tastes also centre around Nintendo with the Wii and DS the most popular hardware, recording sales of 42,100 and 34,900 systems sold, respectively.

Again, Canadian software sales were dominated by Nintendo, with Pokemon Diamond, Pokemon Pearl, Wii Play and Super Paper Mario at the top of the charts.

Overall, the Canadian game industry recorded a leap in sales of 64 per cent to CAD 80.7 million (EUR 54m) in April.

via gibiz ...

press release:

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., (SCEA) previewed an extensive software line up for its PlayStation® platforms for the second half of 2007 and early 2008 at a media event in San Diego today. More than 30 games for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system, including a strong first-party lineup of over ten announced titles, were shown during the event, along with a full library of games and services for PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and PLAYSTATION®Network, demonstrating the depth and breadth of content heading to PlayStation® fans.

“As you would expect from the market leader, we are seeing a huge influx of games coming to all our PlayStation platforms in the remainder of our fiscal year,” said Jack Tretton, president and chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment America. “More than half of the games we showed during our media event are available only on our systems. This fiscal, from SCEA alone, users can expect more than 15 exclusive games and services for PS3, and another nine for PSP. This doesn’t even take into account the wide variety of titles and game packs we have coming through the PLAYSTATION Network. Given this raft of titles, I think we are very well positioned to meet the needs and wants of every PlayStation user as they build out their game libraries in the coming months.”

Taking center stage on the first day of the event were over 30 new games for PS3, demonstrating the advanced technological capabilities of the system, including the CellBroadband Engine™ (Cell/B.E.), Blu-ray Disc™ (BD) player, built-in hard disc drive
(HDD), 1080p high-definition output, Wi-Fi connectivity and the SIXAXIS™ wireless controller.

Key first-party PS3 titles unveiled and demonstrated included: Warhawk™, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, SOCOM: Confrontation, Heavenly Sword™, Ratchet & Clank® Future: Tools of Destruction™, Folklore™, THE EYE OF JUDGMENT™ and SingStar™. Several of these titles were recently highlighted in Electronic Gaming Monthly’s June issue as “difference makers” for PS3 in 2007, denoting must-have titles for gamers. In addition, the buzz of March’s Game Developers Conference, LittleBigPlanet™, was also on hand, giving attendees a chance to explore this unique game, where players actually create and share their own 3D gameplay levels.

Enjoying onsite support from more than 15 leading publishers, SCEA was pleased to also give event attendees access to key third-party titles including John Woo Presents Strangehold™ from Midway, a game that will take full advantage of the massive storage capacity of the Blu-ray disc format by offering a game and a movie, John Woo’s “Hard Boiled,” on the same disc. Other gameplay stations featured titles from 2KGames, Capcom, Tecmo, Sierra Entertainment SEGA and Konami.

Additional games and services will be available for PS3 system owners through the PLAYSTATION Network. Attendees got their first hands-on experience with the highly anticipated PLAYSTATION Network service Home, a 3D avatar-based community that serves as a meeting place for PS3 users around the world. PLAYSTATION Network games highlighted at the event included PAIN and Calling All Cars™.

Sixteen exclusive titles for PSP from first and third parties were also unveiled at the event, ranging from Syphon Filter®: Logan’s Shadow to God of War®: Chains of Olympus and SOCOM:U.S. Navy SEALs Tactical Strike.

“We still have a few surprises up our sleeve for this fiscal,” continued Tretton. “But I think the games and services we did show at this event really demonstrated the gameplay, community and entertainment possibilities you can only have on PlayStation products.”

Recent industry analyst reports point to an up-cycle for SCEA as the company brings more next-generation content to the marketplace, particularly for PS3. According to an April IDC report:

“IDC stresses that the PS3 is ahead of the market, like its predecessors. Must-have exclusive content, which in this generation will come from first party studios (Heavenly Sword, Lair) and network services (Home), will turn around the PS3’s position. Later this year new PS3 games will begin to demonstrate the advantages of the console’s specifications and the network will show us some new tricks.” (1)

Games and services shown during the event included:

PS3
Ratchet & ClankFuture: Tools of Destruction™, SCEA
Uncharted: Drakes Fortune™, SCEA
Heavenly Sword™, SCEA
SingStar™, SCEA
SOCOM: Confrontation, SCEA
LAIR, SCEA
Folklore™, SCEA
NBA ‘08, SCEA
MLB 07 The Show™, SCEA
THE EYE OF JUDGMENT™, SCEA
Home, SCEA
LittleBigPlanet™, SCEA
Elder Scrolls4: Oblivion, Bethesda Softworks
The BIGS, 2K Sports
Hellboy, Konami
Devil May CryIV, Capcom
Stranglehold™, Midway
Spider-Man 3, Activision, Inc.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Tecmo
TimeShift™, Sierra Entertainment
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas, Ubisoft Entertainment
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter™ 2, Ubisoft Entertainment
Surf's Up™, Ubisoft Entertainment
Harry ...

press release:

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., (SCEA) previewed an extensive software line up for its PlayStation® platforms for the second half of 2007 and early 2008 at a media event in San Diego today. More than 30 games for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system, including a strong first-party lineup of over ten announced titles, were shown during the event, along with a full library of games and services for PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and PLAYSTATION®Network, demonstrating the depth and breadth of content heading to PlayStation® fans.

“As you would expect from the market leader, we are seeing a huge influx of games coming to all our PlayStation platforms in the remainder of our fiscal year,” said Jack Tretton, president and chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment America. “More than half of the games we showed during our media event are available only on our systems. This fiscal, from SCEA alone, users can expect more than 15 exclusive games and services for PS3, and another nine for PSP. This doesn’t even take into account the wide variety of titles and game packs we have coming through the PLAYSTATION Network. Given this raft of titles, I think we are very well positioned to meet the needs and wants of every PlayStation user as they build out their game libraries in the coming months.”

Taking center stage on the first day of the event were over 30 new games for PS3, demonstrating the advanced technological capabilities of the system, including the CellBroadband Engine™ (Cell/B.E.), Blu-ray Disc™ (BD) player, built-in hard disc drive
(HDD), 1080p high-definition output, Wi-Fi connectivity and the SIXAXIS™ wireless controller.

Key first-party PS3 titles unveiled and demonstrated included: Warhawk™, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, SOCOM: Confrontation, Heavenly Sword™, Ratchet & Clank® Future: Tools of Destruction™, Folklore™, THE EYE OF JUDGMENT™ and SingStar™. Several of these titles were recently highlighted in Electronic Gaming Monthly’s June issue as “difference makers” for PS3 in 2007, denoting must-have titles for gamers. In addition, the buzz of March’s Game Developers Conference, LittleBigPlanet™, was also on hand, giving attendees a chance to explore this unique game, where players actually create and share their own 3D gameplay levels.

Enjoying onsite support from more than 15 leading publishers, SCEA was pleased to also give event attendees access to key third-party titles including John Woo Presents Strangehold™ from Midway, a game that will take full advantage of the massive storage capacity of the Blu-ray disc format by offering a game and a movie, John Woo’s “Hard Boiled,” on the same disc. Other gameplay stations featured titles from 2KGames, Capcom, Tecmo, Sierra Entertainment SEGA and Konami.

Additional games and services will be available for PS3 system owners through the PLAYSTATION Network. Attendees got their first hands-on experience with the highly anticipated PLAYSTATION Network service Home, a 3D avatar-based community that serves as a meeting place for PS3 users around the world. PLAYSTATION Network games highlighted at the event included PAIN and Calling All Cars™.

Sixteen exclusive titles for PSP from first and third parties were also unveiled at the event, ranging from Syphon Filter®: Logan’s Shadow to God of War®: Chains of Olympus and SOCOM:U.S. Navy SEALs Tactical Strike.

“We still have a few surprises up our sleeve for this fiscal,” continued Tretton. “But I think the games and services we did show at this event really demonstrated the gameplay, community and entertainment possibilities you can only have on PlayStation products.”

Recent industry analyst reports point to an up-cycle for SCEA as the company brings more next-generation content to the marketplace, particularly for PS3. According to an April IDC report:

“IDC stresses that the PS3 is ahead of the market, like its predecessors. Must-have exclusive content, which in this generation will come from first party studios (Heavenly Sword, Lair) and network services (Home), will turn around the PS3’s position. Later this year new PS3 games will begin to demonstrate the advantages of the console’s specifications and the network will show us some new tricks.” (1)

Games and services shown during the event included:

PS3
Ratchet & ClankFuture: Tools of Destruction™, SCEA
Uncharted: Drakes Fortune™, SCEA
Heavenly Sword™, SCEA
SingStar™, SCEA
SOCOM: Confrontation, SCEA
LAIR, SCEA
Folklore™, SCEA
NBA ‘08, SCEA
MLB 07 The Show™, SCEA
THE EYE OF JUDGMENT™, SCEA
Home, SCEA
LittleBigPlanet™, SCEA
Elder Scrolls4: Oblivion, Bethesda Softworks
The BIGS, 2K Sports
Hellboy, Konami
Devil May CryIV, Capcom
Stranglehold™, Midway
Spider-Man 3, Activision, Inc.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Tecmo
TimeShift™, Sierra Entertainment
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas, Ubisoft Entertainment
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter™ 2, Ubisoft Entertainment
Surf's Up™, Ubisoft Entertainment
Harry ...

press release:

In 2005, Sony Computer Entertainment America’s Santa Monica Studios introduced God of War®, which many publications considered the best videogame of 2005 with over a dozen “Game of the Year Awards.” Then in Spring 2007, the original award-winning development team introduced God of War® II, the second chapter of this sprawling odyssey that went on to receive critical acclaim and with a 94% rating on GameRankings, supported with the following review scores from leading gaming media outlets: IGN - 9.7, GameSpy - 5/5, 1up - 9.5/10, Gamezone - 9.5/10, GameInformer - 9.75/10, and GamePro - 5/5, and spurred more than one million retail orders prior to launch.

Now, from the creative team that brought you the Daxter™ on the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, Santa Ana-based Ready At Dawn® Studios and Sony Computer Entertainment America’s Santa Monica Studios bring you God of War®: Chains of Olympus for the PSP system. Developed from the outset as an original story, God of War: Chains of Olympus delivers highly detailed graphics, incredible animation detail and yet another adventure in the dark and brutal world of Greek mythology that fans of the God of War® franchise have come to know and love.

STORYLINE
In God of War, Kratos, after being deceived into killing his wife and daughter, denounced his service to Ares. In order to seek absolution from his past sins, the Ghost of Sparta pledged himself as a champion to the Gods for the years to follow – these brutal crusades, in the name of
Olympus, became legendary throughout the ancient world.

In God of War: Chains of Olympus, Kratos will journey to lands that no mortal has ever walked upon. With the world plunged in eternal darkness and the Gods rendered powerless, Kratos will face the most feared creatures of Greek Mythology, and ultimately be forced to choose between his own personal redemption and saving the ancient world from certain destruction.

KEY FEATURES
• Epic Gameplay on the PSP system: Keeping true to the God of War franchise, experience dramatic camera angles and epic set pieces, offering a never before seen experience on the PSP system.

• Mythological Odyssey: This story is set in a time before the events of God of War, where players will experience Kratos' journey during the 10yrs of servitude to the Gods of Olympus.

• All New Combat Moves: Players can utilize new brutal combat moves along with their favorite combo attacks from the God of War franchise.

• Exploration: From the Gates of Hades to the Depths of Tartarus, the journey will take players through the dark and brutal world of Greek Mythology. Face-off against all new creatures from Greek Mythology and engage in epic boss battles.

• Puzzle Solving: As players explore the ancient world, prepare to navigate through a labyrinth of challenging puzzles inter-woven into the story.

• Critically-Acclaimed Franchise: Brought to you by two award-winning development teams, Sony Computer Entertainment America, Santa Monica Studios and Ready At Dawn Studios. ...

press release:

NBA action on the go is back once again with NBA ’08 for the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system. Delivering an engaging NBA experience with quick action and fluid gameplay, NBA ’08 continues to expand on the franchise by offering the most diverse and feature-rich handheld NBA action available.

Acting as a perfect complement to the PSP’s design and portability, NBA ’08 introduces a number of brand new quick action mini-games that players can enjoy anytime, anywhere. All-new carnival-style games, as well as contests such as Fast Break, Block-a-Shot, and Alley-Oop, are all available to provide fast and engaging action that further adds to the stable of traditional and non-traditional basketball gameplay. Additionally, players will experience a more challenging Season Mode, where player management and balancing team chemistry come into play. Refined gameplay mechanics and Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) also help to create a more realistic and action-oriented gameplay experience. With an enhanced Conquest Mode and host of new mini-games, as well as downloadable content and expanded audio commentary, NBA ’08 looks to take the portable NBA hoops crown once again.

KEY FEATURES

• Enhanced Conquest Mode – NBA ’08 brings back the critically acclaimed Conquest Mode, allowing players to once again participate in a game of territory acquisition and management. This year, gamers will be able to cash in awards to upgrade player attributes as well as home city amenities, providing for a number of team skill upgrades.

KEY FEATURES

• All-New Suite of Mini-Games – In addition to returning classics such as HORSE, Dodgeball, Own the Court, PlayStation Skills Challenge, and 3-Point Contest, NBA ’08 introduces a new set of challenging mini-games, further adding to the portfolio of quick action skills contests:
o Shooting Bricks – Players will use a basketball to break apart sections of bricks to clear levels (based on the original Arkanoid arcade game).
o Breakaway – Quick running game where users can alternate playing offense and defense in a 3-on-2 situation.
o Elimination – A team-based game where gamers win by scoring a set number of points with each of their players. As gamers reach their point quota, they are removed from the team and remaining players receive various power-ups. The first team to remove all of their players wins.
• New Carnival-Style Mini-Games – With returning mini-game classics such as Pop-a-Shot, Pinball, and Skee-ball, NBA ’08 adds games such as Fast Break, Block-a-Shot, and Alley-Oop, each of which allow players to earn tickets for unlockable items.
• Improved Season Mode – Season mode features such as simulation, trades, free agent lists, and injuries, are now enhanced with elements of player management and team chemistry settings that add complexity to each season and continue to deliver challenging basketball.
• New Downloadable Content – Updated pinball boards will be released to consumers regularly after launch and team roster updates will be made available on a weekly basis.
• Enhanced Play-by-Play and All-New Commentary – Get play-by-play from Ian Eagle and color commentary from Mark Jackson, as they return to provide the most comprehensive in-depth analysis.
• Pick Up mode – Players will alternate choosing from 10 randomly selected NBA players and match up with the CPU or another player in an outdoor full-court game.
• Highlight Reel – In addition to instant replay, players will have the opportunity to re-live each stellar play and pivotal moment from a completed game.
• Realistic Animations – Running at 60 FPS, NBA ’08 incorporates tandem animation technologies to produce ultra realistic player interactions. Additionally, motion capture data delivers smooth gameplay and lifelike player movements.
• NBA License – NBA ‘08 incorporates 41 authentic NBA teams including throwback versions.
• Ladder Challenge – Compete in a challenging mini-game or exhibition mode series and earn reward tickets for working to the top of the ladder.
• Wireless Multiplayer Gameplay – Compete head-to-head against friends and basketball fans around the country with Ad Hoc connectivity of up to four PSP systems, or link to a network via a wireless local area network (VLAN) access point for multiplayer action nationwide. ...

press release:

This fall, Sony Computer Entertainment America adds another installment to the Pursuit Force™ franchise for the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system. The second chapter in this pulse-pounding adventure and driving franchise, Pursuit Force™: Extreme Justice increases the thrills with new multiplayer capabilities and promises to bring all of the excitement of a Hollywood blockbuster film.

More over-the-top than its predecessor, Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice will have players taking the role of a commander who is the highest ranking operational officer as well as four new playable characters, all of whom are responsible for tracking down and bringing to justice five hardcore street gangs in and around Capital City. As a member of a special police unit known as the Pursuit Force, this time around players will engage in high-speed action to traverse land, air and sea in their continued battle to rid the city of crime which includes three new gangs.

Featuring more than 50 criminal cases set among seven distinct environments, players will have access to 12 different vehicle types which include hovercrafts and boss vehicles that are each unique and specifically designed for boss encounter missions. Extreme Justice also offers an expanded weapons arsenal to assist players in the pursuit of justice.

Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice will also introduce multiplayer capabilities to the franchise with up to four players in Ad Hoc mode.

KEY FEATURES

• New vehicles, weapons and stunts make for one of the most action-heavy games to come to PSP
• New Multiplayer mode makes pick-up and play even more fun
• Featuring epic boss missions with more action and outrageous boss vehicles than ever seen before
• Launches with more than 20 hours of diverse gameplay, with the availability of downloadable content packs for players to continue to extend their enjoyment of the game
• 12 vehicle types available throughout the game including classics that have been enhanced like helicopters, cars, jet skis, trucks, buses, bike and sidecar, and speed boats as well as new vehicles including hovercrafts
• More than 30 types of weapons at the player’s disposal including handguns, shotguns, machine guns, and some heavy artillery.
• Five notorious gangs to bring to justice, each in their own distinct section of Capital City. New gangs include:
- Raiders – A focused and professional group of modern pirates focused on incoming cargo
- Vipers – Rogue police led by a corrupt commander
- Syndicate – Armed bank robbers from the UK and Europe ...

press release:

Gabe Logan makes a dramatic return this fall in Syphon Filter™: Logan’s Shadow exclusively for PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system. This original title created by Sony’s Bend Studio is the sequel to the award winning action title, Syphon Filter™: Dark Mirror and features all-new combat mechanics, weapons and an engaging storyline that will leave you wondering who to trust.

In an all new story, written by Greg Rucka, author of the Queen and Country series of novels and graphic novels, Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow provides a sophisticated and gripping storyline that is sure to resonate with comic book lovers and action enthusiasts. We find Gabe Logan once again using a combination of stealth and “run-and-gun” gameplay as he is called into action when a dangerous new technology is hijacked by a criminal extremist group. In a story that takes him from the depths of the Indian Ocean to the deserts of the Middle East, Gabe is faced with the possibility that his long time partner, Lian Xing is a double agent.

Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow is complete with a variety of combat mechanics including the ability to force enemies into cover with “blind-fire”, an advanced melee system that allows Gabe to use enemies as human shields, and 360 degree underwater combat. For the first time in the franchise “interactive moments” have been added for increased player interaction, such as airlifting debris and escaping wrist restraints. Returning to the franchise are buddy missions which have been enhanced with a variety of new objectives.

KEY FEATURES

• Havok physics engine provides life-like physical reactions on both characters and environments
• New and improved weapons, such as grenade launchers, sticky mines, smoke grenades, and flash bangs
• New character actions enable players to force enemies to take cover with “blind fire” or protect health with the new “human shield” features
• Underwater physics allows players to experience 360 degrees of water navigation to explore shipwrecks and target enemies with new underwater weapons like the bolt pistol and spear gun
• Improved buddy mechanics
• New mini game features, brand new to the Syphon Filter franchise.
• All new story written by Greg Rucka, critically acclaimed author of comic books and novels (Batman, Gotham Central, Queen and Country)
• All new sound track featuring award winning composer Azam Ali. ...