via Computer and Video Games


Albert Penello, director of global platform marketing for Xbox, has revealed in a little snippet of a quote to Reuters that Uno is the first game to be downloaded one million times from Xbox Live Arcade.

"What!?" screamed a flabbergasted CVG Xbox channel ed Andy Robinson, who then went on a d-pad crushing rampage through the Live Arcade menus shouting out all the games that he thinks are "miles better".

If it was humanly possible for him to download Lumines 1.2 million times in the next hour of work, you'd be reading a "We stand corrected" story tomorrow from Reuters. ...

via Computer and Video Games


A document publicly available via the internet - gawd bless it - has ignited speculation that a revised-hardware PS3 is in the pipeline.

Update: Sony has sent the following statement to Next-Gen: "As mentioned when we made the product announcement for PS3, the system will have different configurations (thus, 60GB HDD with memory card slots and Wi-Fi and 20GB HDD without memory card slots or Wi-Fi both exist).

"Application to the FCC has been made with various possibilities in mind, however, it does not lead to a new product announcement at this time."

Update ends

It's revealed in the document that Sony has made an application requesting 'a class II permissive change' to the console to the US Federal Communications Commission. It's suggested by the changes detailed that a version of PS3 with an 80Gb hard drive will be released to live alongside existing models.

Alterations - i.e. update - to PS3's Bluetooth antennae are additionally related to in the document.

It's likely that any revisions to PS3 hardware would be minor and applied across the board, with a new 80Gb model simply being that - a PS3 with a bigger HDD. We'll just have to wait and see.

Sony declined to comment on the matter when contacted earlier. ...

via Computer and video Games


Nintendo is seeking to partner with additional manufacturers to boost the production of the Wii in an effort to better meet demand.

The availability of Wii has been near non-existent around the world since the console launched last November, with many stores still fulfilling huge pre-order backlogs and any shelved units being snapped up immediately.

At the moment, Nintendo solely relies on manufacturer Foxconn Precision Components to produce the consoles which, reports DigiTimes, is clearly not meeting demands.

Nintendo hopes to rectify the problem by partnering with one more manufacturer, increasing the rate at which it can produce the machines. Asustek Computer, who manufacture PS3s, and Xbox 360 manufacturer Wistron, are among the considerations, with Compal Electronics and Inventec also pitching for the partnership.

With two manufacturers churning out Wii consoles we hope you might actually be able to stroll into a shop and buy a Wii some time before 2009. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Wii television commercial has been brought to the attention of the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) after receiving several complaints from viewers that found the "depiction of violence in the ad offensive and disturbing".

The advertisement highlights the unique motion-sensing capabilities of the Wii Remote by showing players of varying ages swinging the Remote like a sword to make an on-screen character kill enemies with a sword. Other scenes showed the player using the Remote like a gun.

The ASA received 17 complaints from viewers who found the images disturbing, particularly of one of a player slashing the Wii Remote which cuts to an in-game man falling to the floor clutching his head.

One viewer said the scenes were reminiscent of hostage videos released by terrorists in Iraq, although the ASA ruled that "viewers were unlikely to link the ad to recent events in Iraq."

Others said the advertisements should not be show later, when children won't be watching.

Speaking on behalf of the ASA, Leo Burnett defended Nintendo saying that the sword-fighting scenes, which were taken from Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, were cartoon-like, lacking blood and containing fictional monsters, reports VNU.

The agency concluded that viewers would recognise that the ad was intended to promote videogames for Wii, which are designed to be played by gamers of all ages.

The ASA said: "We noted that the ad featured scenes from many different games, several of which were family-oriented and involved, for example, playing golf, tennis and baseball, fishing and bursting balloons.

"We considered that the scenes from Red Steel did not feature explicit or graphic violence and were only one part of the ad, which primarily promoted a games console aimed at people of all ages and running games in a variety of genres." ...

via Games Industry


UK Xbox boss Neil Thompson has revealed more of the company's plans for 360, explaining the thinking behind the decision to offer consumers a range of hardware options.

Speaking in a recent interview with Eurogamer TV Thompson said, "The whole strategy with Xbox 360 was that the way we built it from the Core machine up to the pro machine is, we could do two things. One, we could offer consumer choice, so they could come in whenever they wanted to, and decide to add onto it.

"But also, that gives us some flexibility, in that we can make offerings that we can change and move within the context of the Core system. So over the next two or three years I think, yes, we’re in an evolutionary stage."

Microsoft yesterday announced plans to launch a new iteration in the Xbox 360 range in North America on April 29. Priced at USD 479, the Xbox 360 Elite will come with a HDMI port and 120GB hard drive.

But according to Thompson, the company's main focus will continue to be on the content available for the platform.

"The thing that really enables us to evolve the experience of 360 isn’t so much the hardware, it’s the software and the services," he said.

"The definition of the 360 is about the fact that we can make the machine you bought today different in a year’s time through the software and the services that we can deliver, and change what that machine can do and enhance it and make it better."

Following the unveiling of Xbox 360 Elite, Microsoft has been keen to emphasise that the Core and Premium packages will still be available and that consumers will have a range of options to choose from.

Thompson confirmed that the Core system, which doesn't come with a hard drive, is "doing very well", adding, "It’s actually doing slightly ahead of what our prediction was in terms of the split.

"I think more and more people are choosing how they want to use their 360, or whether they even get a second 360 for the home because they want to extend it to another room because of the kids et cetera," he continued.

"I think it serves the part of the market that we designed it for - we’re very happy with where that’s at."

The full interview with Thompson will be broadcast on Eurogamer TV soon. ...

via Games Industry


Now the dust has settled on the PlayStation 3 launch, UK retailers are beginning to report on what they've seen as the "biggest-ever" launch for a home console.

Retailers are expecting to continue selling the luxury console over the busy Easter sales period, but some have warned that reducing prices to lower stock levels could harm long-term sales.

"Given the relatively plentiful supply, it's fair to say this was our biggest-ever console launch in unit and value terms," HMV's head of games Tim Ellis told GamesIndustry.biz.

"We still have some consoles in stock around the chain, as we were able to order plenty, but we expect these to sell these through over the coming days and weeks, especially as new games titles are released," he said.

"It's been a remarkable week for us here at GAME following the successful launch of the PlayStation 3," revealed Anna Macario, marketing director at GAME.

"We have seen huge demand and seen fantastic sales throughout our 400 stores around the country."

With all pre-orders taken care of, retailers are in the unusual but desirable position of having enough stock in store to sell to customers walking in off the street.

"We've managed to fulfill every one of our pre-orders and continue to see strong interest in the console into this week as well," said Macario.

While sales are good, managing director of Chips Don McCabe called for the retail community not to panic if stores still have plenty of stock left from their launch allocation.

"In many respects it was an exceptional launch, Sony put an awful lot of product in the channel when we're used to previous launches where we have to manage customers expectations," he commented.

"Day one sales were very good, but since then it's not been so good. There seems to be a lot of discounts going around on the machine and on games."

"The market needs to stabilise because there's some retailers that have got a few too many units. They're trying to bring down their stock levels too quickly," he said. ...

via Games Industry


Eidos has confirmed that it won't be releasing most of its major PS3 titles until next year, stating that the console's installed base will not be high enough before then.

As part of a statement released alongside the company's interim results for the six months ended December 31 2006, CEO Jane Cavanagh said, "We believe that PlayStation 3 will be a successful platform, and are developing technology and products for this console.

"However, as we do not believe that the installed base will be high enough until the second half of our 2008 financial year, most of our major product releases on the PlayStation 3 platform are not scheduled before that date."

The six month results reveal a rise in revenues for Eidos from GBP 50.1 million to during the same period last year to GBP 74.5 million. Losses stand at GBP 17.9 million - down by GBP 2 million year-on-year.

Cavanagh said that the board of directors also believes the Xbox 360 and Wii will be successful, with Eidos's first titles for Nintendo's machine due out this spring.

"The board believes that the introduction of new consoles will drive strong demand and pricing over the next five years," Cavanagh continued.

"In addition, the increasing opportunities for digital sales to consumers, through PC downloads as well as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms, provide the basis for improved margins."

The statement observed that Eidos enjoyed two UK number one hits in the second half of last year with Just Cause and Battlestations Midway, and highlighted the GBP 44 million deal with Warner Bros. that was signed in December.

It also confirmed that the first products from Eidos's new casual games division will be launched in the first six months of 2008, following the acquisition of developer Rockpool Games. ...

via Games Industry


Sony has dismissed rumours that a new version of PlayStation 3 with an in-built 80GB hard drive could be on the way.

Speaking to our sister site, Eurogamer.net, a spokesperson said, "The 80GB we're not making any comment on, but we don't have any plans at the moment."

The rumours began to emerge after Sony filed a request with the US Federal Communications Commission for a class II permissive change, which included details of some tweaks to the console's Bluetooth functionality.

Amongst the models listed were the currently available 20GB and 60GB versions, along with a new 80GB model.

Microsoft yesterday announced plans to release a new Xbox 360 with a 120GB hard drive - and it could be suggested that any new version of PS3 would be likely to feature a drive at least equal to 120GB. ...

via IGN


Capcom is holding a Gamers Day event on April 12 to showcase at least part of its 2007 lineup and several Wii projects are expected to be on-hand, including the tentatively named Treasure Island Z. In addition, some reports indicate that the studio may choose this venue to unveil the anticipated Wii survival-horror sequel, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles.

Capcom's senior director of strategic planning and research, Christian Svensson, hasn't confirmed whether Umbrella Chronicles will be on-hand at the event. But he did reveal that the title will support both 480 progressive-scan and 16:9 widescreen modes whenever it finally ships for Nintendo's new console. Svensson was unsure if the game would run in Dolby Pro Logic II, though.

Very little has been confirmed officially about Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, but some details have been pieced together based on reports from Famitsu and comments from Capcom officials. The title is being led by Masachika Kawata, who handled the port of Resident Evil 4 to PlayStation 2. According to Famitsu, the title will consist of two parts, including a more traditional survival horror experience that transpires between Code Veronica X and RE4, and another mode where gamers can play as various characters from the universe and traverse areas from the previous projects.

Capcom's American branch has remained reluctant to speak about the game, since details generally come from Japan first or, alternatively, are announced worldwide at official events, such as the company's forthcoming Gamers Day. We've got our fingers crossed for more.


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