via Engadget


Enjoy this special moment that can only occur between one happy iPhone user and their consenting device. You'll get to witness the miracle of icon rearranging, the joy of Google Maps location finding, and the unending pleasure of homescreen Safari bookmarks. We didn't grab the multiple SMS recipient function on film, but we assure you it's exactly like it should have been to begin with.

...

via Kotaku


We know that Nintendo dominated 2007, with a constant, reliable stream of good news and strong sales. But how did the rest of the competition stack up? We've decided to look back at a full year of sales data from Japanese analyst outlet Media Create, whose sales data we regularly feature in the Simple 2000 Japanese Sales Chart series.

With a license to seemingly print money, Nintendo took 2007 by storm, establishing console and handheld dominance with its two casual friendly game devices. Nintendo DS and Wii dominated software and hardware charts, seeing a steady flow of week to week sales for both platforms, appearing to only weaken when supply was constrained.

Sony's offerings, the PSP, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2, had a solid (if not spectacular) year. The PS3 didn't make any waves, but the PSP did. The PS2, now seven years long in the tooth, still had a bit of life in it.

The Xbox 360? Well, we don't have nice things to say about its Japanese performance, so we'll just let the charts do the talking.



When units of each platform are presented side by side, the stranglehold the Nintendo DS has on the Japanese market becomes apparent. Its weekly sales outpaced every other console's and handheld's performance for nearly the entirety of the year. The only platform to outperform the DS at any point was Sony's PlayStation Portable, aided by a pair of marquee releases (plus a hardware redesign) in the first and third quarters of 2007.

The Nintendo DS saw its largest weekly period sales alongside a few high-profile software releases and in time with holidays, but was less dependent on individual software releases to pull in big numbers. Media Create software sales charts were regularly heavy on DS software, and it wasn't uncommon to see weekly charts feature nothing but DS and Wii software in the top ten—see Dragon Quest Swords and Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings launch weeks and this past week for examples.

In general, however, Nintendo DS sales trends tended not to spike as severely as other platforms did, with sales of older titles such as New Super Mario Bros. and Animal Crossing Wild World still doing solid business for Nintendo, many months after their respective release dates.



When we look at year-to-date sales in handy bar graph form, we get a much better perspective on the share of the Japanese market that Nintendo carved out for itself in 2007. This was the year that Nintendo DS hardware sales surpassed those of the PlayStation 2, with each at about 21 million consoles sold in the nation, lifetime to date. It's an impressive feat for the handheld, as it surpassed that figure in almost exactly 3 years, compared to a 7 year shelf life for Sony's console.

The DS pushed some 7 million-plus units into the hands of Japanese consumers, a third of its total sales. Not a bad year for the platform widely considered a gimmick before its launch.

On Sony's side, 2007 saw the PlayStation 3 outsell the PlayStation 2 in its first full year on the market, with the PSP achieving just shy of one-half of the DS's sales, a similarly impressive feat for a non-Nintendo portable device.

The Xbox 360, despite seeing a handful of video game releases that sold admirably over the year, continued to be a non-factor in the console war overseas. Its annual sales were about a quarter-million, something the Nintendo DS accomplished on a weekly basis multiple times in 2007. Sure, it's a bit apples to oranges, considering the price differences in hardware and software, but its illustrative of consumer tastes in Japan. Microsoft's efforts to appeal to Eastern gaming tastes with a pair of Mistwalker games, hardware bundles and a few exclusives from Namco Bandai were met with flat sales in the nation.


More charts, trends and figures here ...

via Computer and Video Games


As reported earlier this morning a fully operational single-payer Turok demo has been released over Xbox Live.

After stabbing and shooting our way through a more violent version of Jurassic Park, we proudly present a few movies of our findings in the movie player to your right.

So far, so good, we reckon. It's not going to set the world on fire, but it's got enough to keep a fan of the genre busy for a while. Look out for a review closer to launch next month.

Oh but it's already loads better than the last game that wore the name Turok on its sleeve.

Trailer 1
Trailer 2 ...

via IGN


Are you still a ways off from finishing your quest in Blue Dragon on the Xbox 360? Then you'd better stop reading now, as this story is full of mega spoilers!

Are you sure you want to continue?

Okay, here goes!

The latest issue of Famitsu has a tiny update on Blue Dragon DS, the sequel to that Xbox 360 RPG that you've hopefully finished if you're reading this. While still a bit on the vague side, we were able to extract a few new details.

Blue Dragon DS takes place a year after the events of the original. As per that game's ending, the world has split in two and is comprised of a bunch of little cube-shaped mini worlds.

Shu's portable adventure begins when Zola and King Jibral come upon an evil shadow emerging from one of the cubes. Jibral sends Shu and friends out to investigate.

As previously announced, gameplay in Blue Dragon DS is real time strategy as you control an army of shadow-wielding troops against an army of enemies. Shadows are the key to your success, as they have special attacks that can deal simultaneous damage to multiple enemies.

You'll find a few new shadows in the game. While everyone returns from the original, you'll also be able to make use of three new shadow casters: King Jibral, Zabo (the robot villain from the original) and Unchi. That's right, Unchi, the poop-shaped enemy from the original, is now a playable character and he and his shadow look alike.

The Feel Plus developed Blue Dragon sequel will hit the Japanese DS in March. Hopefully by then we'll have gotten a more specifics on the game. ...

via IGN


Are you still a ways off from finishing your quest in Blue Dragon on the Xbox 360? Then you'd better stop reading now, as this story is full of mega spoilers!

Are you sure you want to continue?

Okay, here goes!

The latest issue of Famitsu has a tiny update on Blue Dragon DS, the sequel to that Xbox 360 RPG that you've hopefully finished if you're reading this. While still a bit on the vague side, we were able to extract a few new details.

Blue Dragon DS takes place a year after the events of the original. As per that game's ending, the world has split in two and is comprised of a bunch of little cube-shaped mini worlds.

Shu's portable adventure begins when Zola and King Jibral come upon an evil shadow emerging from one of the cubes. Jibral sends Shu and friends out to investigate.

As previously announced, gameplay in Blue Dragon DS is real time strategy as you control an army of shadow-wielding troops against an army of enemies. Shadows are the key to your success, as they have special attacks that can deal simultaneous damage to multiple enemies.

You'll find a few new shadows in the game. While everyone returns from the original, you'll also be able to make use of three new shadow casters: King Jibral, Zabo (the robot villain from the original) and Unchi. That's right, Unchi, the poop-shaped enemy from the original, is now a playable character and he and his shadow look alike.

The Feel Plus developed Blue Dragon sequel will hit the Japanese DS in March. Hopefully by then we'll have gotten a more specifics on the game. ...

via Gizmodo


The iPhone got its expected firmware upgrade, delivering version 1.1.3 that we've seen and debated about before. It delivers new features like the ability to send SMS messages to multiple recipients at once, faux-GPS on Google Maps via triangulation, Google Maps showing the hybrid map view, drag and drop icons on the home screen and bookmarks on the home screen (i.e. Webclips). There are also some new features, such as videos with chapters, the ability to display lyrics on music. ...

via Computer and Video Games


"Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops is back, with new characters, new stages and new gameplay modes," begins our trailer, which pretty much sums it up.

Portable Opts is essentially an extended version of the already release Metal Gear Portable Ops, just with the word "Plus" in the title. Oh, and a bunch of new content, too.

There's a new single player mode, Infinity Mission, new soldier careers, and old Snake from the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4 is now playable, although it looks like you'll need to unlock him first.

Anyway, the trailer explains it all so check it out, and the new screens below.


Trailer ...

via Computer and Video Games


Sam & Max is NOT confirmed for Wii, the adventure series developer Telltale has said in response to an announcement from JoWood that it's on the way to Nintendo's console.

"While it's no secret that we want to bring Sam & Max to the Wii - and it is something we're actively pursuing - we don't have any official news right now", a Telltale spokesperson has said.

"When we're in a position to confirm that we'll be porting Sam & Max to the Wii, we'll make an announcement about it."

In a press release, publisher JoWood said yesterday: "One of the next projects: As Sam & Max adventure of the year, chosen by the readers of the German computer game magazine 'PC Games, Sam & Max will soon also for Nintendo Wii to hunt criminals".

Telltale's Sam & Max games are adventure titles that have been released in episodic form on PC. Starring a dog and rabbity thing as detectives, it's currently in its second season. ...

via Eurogamer


Quite easy to put a release date in a quarter. You get three months to fart around with and it sounds closer than "2008". Seasons are even worse; no one knows when they begin or end. Yes really. The result is now, in the dreary, dark, damp and depressing months of calendar quarter number one, publishers need to own up and tell us if their game is actually soon to be released or if they were just telling porky pies to look better.

SEGA looks ever so confident with its first quarter stable of contenders, though, brazenly branding 7th March on Condemned 2 and 14th March on Viking: Battle of Asgard - so excited cannot sleep. Others got the same sort of treatment - NiGHTS and Ghost Squad moved forward to this week. Oh, not to forget Football Manager 2008 on Xbox 360, which finally hopped out of the closet with a 28th March tag.

Ubisoft looked a bit bolshy to begin with as well, revealing to everyone that Assassin's Creed was making lots of money so it would push Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, Far Cry 2 and Tom Clancy's EndWar into its next fiscal year (starting in April). Still, there's Dark Messiah of Might & Magic: Elements (360) on 8th February, apparently.

From one eagerly awaited port to another then, as Bully (aka Canis Canem Edit) on 360 and Wii will now be with us on 7th March. Got 9/10 on PS2. One to look forward to while moaning lustily at GTA IV.

Closer still is the PS3 version of Lost Planet, which you may not be too excited about as it is the third version and over two years after the first. But, it will be with us on 29th February. Bet you didn't know that. Did you? We didn't.

Neither did Square Enix, which has absolutely nothing to do with it dating Dragon Quest: Jokers (DS) for release on 14th March. Nothing to do with Atari saying Beautiful Katamari will be out in February, either.

On the darker side of happy we heard Nintendo date Wii Chess for 18th January - we're not sure if we knew that or not - before rousing Internet anger by delaying Super Smash Bros. Brawl by a month in the US. Still no date for Europe. Incidentally, we won't usually cover US dates, but this is quite big news or something.

Frustrating that LittleBigPlanet has been held back until September, too, and that Tomb Raider: Underworld has been manhandled back to Q4. Evil quarters. Get out of my head.

But every cloud has a silver lining, as Konami remains confident Metal Gear Solid 4 will be out in Q2 and the Sin City game shapes up for next year. ...