via Games Industry


The latest generation of home consoles - the Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 - have a total installed base of 10 million units in the UK and Ireland.

That's according to data from GfK Chart Track, revealed today in a public trading update from retailer GAME, which shows that as of January 3 2009 the addition of 12 million PSP and DS consoles brings the total of all five machines to 22 million units in the region.

The PlayStation 3 sold 1 million units in 2008, putting the installed base at 1.9 million, while Microsoft's Xbox 360 now sits in 3.2 million homes in the UK, compared to 1.8 million in January 2008.

Nintendo's Wii is still the strongest of all home consoles, with an installed base of 4.9 million units by January 3, compared to 2 million last year.

The DS and DS Lite leads the handheld market, with an installed base of 8.8 million units, up from 5.4 million at the start of 2008, while Sony's PSP has hit 3.2 million units, compared to 2.6 million in 2008

GfK Chart Track has confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz the data is correct. ...

via Computer and Video Games


ELSPA's answer to CTU, the Intellectual Property Crime Unit (IPCU) is back, and it's stepped up its game and is far more serious for 2009 - just like the new season of 24.

Kicking off 2009 with a bang (or a bust) the boys in blue at ELSPA have successfully cracked a pirating ring in an unemployed man's Staffordshire house, which was used to sell dodgy Xbox games on Gumtree.

Prior to it all kicking off in Staffordshire, Police successfully infiltrated the man's house by posing as a pirate punter, handing of a console for alteration that would enable it to play illegally copied games.

Whilst undercover, the ELSPA investigator and Trading Standards officer were also offered copied Xbox 360 games for purchase. Schoolboy error.

The cuffs were on and after an explosion-filled raid that could've filled 15 minutes of a Prison Break episode, officers recovered four computers with burners and more than 1,000 illegally copied games

The offender, who cannot yet be named for legal reasons, made a full confession and admitted to running the illegal operation for approximately two years. Don't mess with the IPCU, criminal scum.

The Intellectual Property Crime Unit vowed to step up its fight against counterfeiters and illegal chipping services in 2009: "We would like to thank Staffordshire Trading Standards for their excellent work in bringing this online operation to an end," said ELSPA boss Michael Rawlinson.

"Such illegal activity can pose real health dangers for the public and certainly deprives gamers of any proper quality control. Furthermore, it can cause the industry to lose vital income and with it jobs across the UK." ...

via Computer and Video Games


ELSPA's answer to CTU, the Intellectual Property Crime Unit (IPCU) is back, and it's stepped up its game and is far more serious for 2009 - just like the new season of 24.

Kicking off 2009 with a bang (or a bust) the boys in blue at ELSPA have successfully cracked a pirating ring in an unemployed man's Staffordshire house, which was used to sell dodgy Xbox games on Gumtree.

Prior to it all kicking off in Staffordshire, Police successfully infiltrated the man's house by posing as a pirate punter, handing of a console for alteration that would enable it to play illegally copied games.

Whilst undercover, the ELSPA investigator and Trading Standards officer were also offered copied Xbox 360 games for purchase. Schoolboy error.

The cuffs were on and after an explosion-filled raid that could've filled 15 minutes of a Prison Break episode, officers recovered four computers with burners and more than 1,000 illegally copied games

The offender, who cannot yet be named for legal reasons, made a full confession and admitted to running the illegal operation for approximately two years. Don't mess with the IPCU, criminal scum.

The Intellectual Property Crime Unit vowed to step up its fight against counterfeiters and illegal chipping services in 2009: "We would like to thank Staffordshire Trading Standards for their excellent work in bringing this online operation to an end," said ELSPA boss Michael Rawlinson.

"Such illegal activity can pose real health dangers for the public and certainly deprives gamers of any proper quality control. Furthermore, it can cause the industry to lose vital income and with it jobs across the UK." ...

via Games Industry


Electronic Arts' FIFA 09 remains the best-selling game in the UK's All Format's charts, despite the entire top 40 suffering from a post-Christmas sales decline.

The gap between the number one title and Activision's Call of Duty: World at War is only 400 units, according to data from GfK Chart Track, in a week that saw almost all top 40 sales halve.

Wii Fit was the least affected by the slump, with a decline in sales of only 1 per cent, as it rose up the charts from number 20 to number four.


The top 20 All Formats games in the UK for the week ended January 10 follow:

01 FIFA 09
02 Call of Duty: World at War
03 Need for Speed: Undercover
04 Wii Fit
05 Wii Play
06 Guitar Hero: World Tour
07 Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
08 Quantum of Solace
09 Lego Indiana Jones: Original Adventures
10 Mario Kart Wii
11 Carnival: Funfair Games
12 Far Cry 2
13 Dr Kawashima's Brain Training
14 Fallout 3
15 Gears of War 2
16 Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
17 100 Classic Book Collection
18 Lego Batman: The Videogame
19 Sonic Unleashed
20 Prince of Persia ...

via Games Industry


Electronic Arts' FIFA 09 remains the best-selling game in the UK's All Format's charts, despite the entire top 40 suffering from a post-Christmas sales decline.

The gap between the number one title and Activision's Call of Duty: World at War is only 400 units, according to data from GfK Chart Track, in a week that saw almost all top 40 sales halve.

Wii Fit was the least affected by the slump, with a decline in sales of only 1 per cent, as it rose up the charts from number 20 to number four.


The top 20 All Formats games in the UK for the week ended January 10 follow:

01 FIFA 09
02 Call of Duty: World at War
03 Need for Speed: Undercover
04 Wii Fit
05 Wii Play
06 Guitar Hero: World Tour
07 Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
08 Quantum of Solace
09 Lego Indiana Jones: Original Adventures
10 Mario Kart Wii
11 Carnival: Funfair Games
12 Far Cry 2
13 Dr Kawashima's Brain Training
14 Fallout 3
15 Gears of War 2
16 Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
17 100 Classic Book Collection
18 Lego Batman: The Videogame
19 Sonic Unleashed
20 Prince of Persia ...

via Engadget




As we've seen, a little Atari 2600 is a sure way to liven almost anything -- cakes, candles, landfills -- and it looks like the Xbox 360 is no exception, as none other than Ben Heck has proved with his new so-called 3600 controller. As you might expect, Ben didn't exactly take the expected route to wind up at this creation, instead opting to use the guts of a Guitar Hero 3 controller, which he somehow managed to squeeze into the base of everyone's favorite one-button controller (even leaving room for a guide button and ring of light on the underside). Be sure to hit up the link below for a must-see video of the controller in action and, of course, plenty more pics.


More info and photographs at BenHeck.com ...

via Engadget




As we've seen, a little Atari 2600 is a sure way to liven almost anything -- cakes, candles, landfills -- and it looks like the Xbox 360 is no exception, as none other than Ben Heck has proved with his new so-called 3600 controller. As you might expect, Ben didn't exactly take the expected route to wind up at this creation, instead opting to use the guts of a Guitar Hero 3 controller, which he somehow managed to squeeze into the base of everyone's favorite one-button controller (even leaving room for a guide button and ring of light on the underside). Be sure to hit up the link below for a must-see video of the controller in action and, of course, plenty more pics.


More info and photographs at BenHeck.com ...

via Engadget




As we've seen, a little Atari 2600 is a sure way to liven almost anything -- cakes, candles, landfills -- and it looks like the Xbox 360 is no exception, as none other than Ben Heck has proved with his new so-called 3600 controller. As you might expect, Ben didn't exactly take the expected route to wind up at this creation, instead opting to use the guts of a Guitar Hero 3 controller, which he somehow managed to squeeze into the base of everyone's favorite one-button controller (even leaving room for a guide button and ring of light on the underside). Be sure to hit up the link below for a must-see video of the controller in action and, of course, plenty more pics.


More info and photographs at BenHeck.com ...

via IGN


Sega Japan announced today a PlayStation 2 the Best re-release version of Valkyria Chronicles. While low-priced re-releases are common in Japan, this particular release will have something extra going for it.

In addition to the base game, Sega will be bundling in the Edie Buntai Daisakusen downloadable episode. That episode was part of the first download content update for the game back in August, and cost 600 yen on its own. Together, the full game and download mission will sell for 3,990 yen, with a Japanese release for the new version planned for March 5.

Valkyria Chronicles is still relatively new in our part of the world, so talk of a budget version is pre-mature. But when it does come out, let's hope Sega includes similar bonuses so that the armies of PS3 owners who haven't tried out the game will have some incentive to do so. ...