We all know what streaming Hoarders and other guilty pleasures via the interwebs has taken off over the past few years. No news there. However, what may be surprising is that, despite the ability to stream in HD to a number of other devices (including your computer), a quarter of all Netflix subscribers view Swamp People by way of the Wii. That's right, 1080p doesn't matter for these folks, who prefer to live the simple life... and by that we mean life in standard def. Most viewers prefer to watch instantly via PC for both Netflix and Hulu, with a whopping 89 percent of Plus customers taking this route to catch up on The Daily Show. With those looking to ditch the red envelope and, you know, with Mad Men now available, Wii viewers are sure to increase as a new console is just around the corner. Because nothing says 1960s drama like 480p, right?

http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/28/2...k-composite-c/ ...

Rhythm Heaven Wii has topped the Japanese chart in its first week on release.

As reported by Andriasang, the latest entry in Nintendo's quirky rhythm action series sold a healthy 118,173. It's due out here later this year.

The top 10 also saw new entries for Capcom brawler Sengoku Basara Chronicle Heroes at two, No More Heroes: Red Zone Edition (released as Heroes' Paradise in the West) at three and the PlayStation 3 version of EA's Alice: Madness Returns down at number nine.

Here's the full top 20:

Everyone's Rhythm Heaven (Nintendo, Wii): 118,173 NEW!
Sengoku Basara Chronicle Heroes (Capcom, PSP): 82,798 NEW!
No More Heroes Red Zone Edition (MMV, PS3): 40,313 NEW!
Inazuma Eleven Strikers (Level 5, Wii): 36,555 (Life to date: 110,782)
Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 2011 (Konami, PS3): 35,739 (153,498)
Taiko Drum Master Portable DX (Deluxe) (Namco Bandai, PSP): 35,694 (115,910)
Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 2011 (Konami, PSP): 27,158 (100,405)
Noora and the Time Studio: The Witch of the Misty Forest (Atlus, DS): 24,481 NEW!
Alice Madness Returns (Electronic Arts, PS3): 19,994 NEW!
Wii Sports Resort (Wii Remote Plus Pack) (Nintendo, Wii): 18,666 (421,465)
Puyo Puyo!! (Sega, DS): 14,877 (49,78)
Little Battle eXperience (Level 5, PSP): 12,098 (268,973)
Wiimote Plus Variety Pack (Nintendo, Wii): 11,817 (39,347)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (Nintendo, 3DS): 11,273 (267,647)
Pokémon Black & White (Nintendo, DS): 11,147 (5,249,434)
Sniper Ghost Warrior (Ubisoft, PS3): 10,772 NEW!
Alice Madness Returns (Electronic Arts, Xbox 360): 9093 NEW!
007 Goldeneye (Nintendo, Wii): 8920 (67,783)
Star Fox 64 3D (Nintendo, 3DS): 8626 (41,102)
Steins; Gate (5pb., PSP): 7576 (116,593)
The 3DS held on to the hardware chart top spot, selling 31,826 – well down on the 46,637 it managed last week.

The PSP came in second with flat sales of 26,854, followed by the PlayStation 3, Wii and DS. Here's the chart:

3DS: 31,826 (Last week: 46,637)
PSP: 26,854 (26,551)
PS3: 23,343 (23,322)
Wii: 17,114 (14,237)
DSi XL: 5258 (4693)
DSi: 4921 (4384)
Xbox 360: 1546 (1734)
PS2: 1475 (1405)
DS Lite: 155 (131)
PSP go: 14 (14)

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...ven-3ds-on-top ...

New Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack Annihilation headlines this week's massive PlayStation Store update.

Xbox 360 owners have had it exclusively for the past month. Available from tomorrow on PS3, its five new maps will cost you £11.49.

Looking for something a bit cheaper? Sony's massive summer sale reaches Europe this week, with more than 30 downloadable titles discounted over the next seven days. Highlights include Popcap's Peggle, Hothead's Swarm and Telltale's Sam & Max and Back to the Future.

EA is launching its own range of reductions, focusing on racer Burnout Paradise and multiple entries in the Need for Speed series. If you've yet to pick up the pricey DLC for last year's Hot Pursuit for example, you can now pick up the bundle pack at a cheaper price.

For one week only, gamers can get highly praised shooter Section 8: Prejudice bundled with both its downloadable Map Packs. There's also exclusive in-game armour for PlayStation Plus members and the first 1000 Plus members to purchase it get the original Section 8 free.

European PS3 gamers can finally download L.A. Noire's PlayStation 3-exclusive Traffic case "The Consul's Car". In North America it came as a free download with PS3 copies of the game. In Europe, you'll have to pay £3.19. Xbox 360 owners will never get this add-on.

The EU update listing is currently missing Dragon Age 2 DLC Legacy. It appeared as scheduled in this week's US update and is also available on Xbox 360.

The full listing, courtesy of the EU PlayStation blog, lies below:

Summer Sale Special Offers - available until 3rd August

Slam Bolt Scrappers (was £11.99/€14.99 – now £6.29/€7.99)
Swords and Soldiers (was £6.29/€7.99 - now £3.19/€3.99)
TerRover (was £8.99/€11.25 – now £4.39/€5.49)
Peggle (was £6.29/€7.99 – now £3.19/€3.99)
Acceleration of SUGURI X-Edition (was £4.79/€5.99 – now £2.39/€2.99)
Anarchy: Rush Hour (was £5.49/€6.99 – now £3.19/€3.99)
Tales from Space: About a Blob (was £9.99/€12.99 – now £5.10/€6.49)
Swarm (was £9.99/€12.99 – now £6.29/€7.99)
Blacklight: Tango Down (was £9.99/€12.99 – now £6.29/€7.99)
Dragon's Lair (was £7.99/€9.99 – now £3.99/€4.99)
Moon Diver (was £9.99/€12.99 – now £5.10/€6.49)
Crazy Taxi (was £7.99/€9.99 – now £4.79/€5.99)
Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People (was £11.99/€14.99 – now £6.29/€7.99)
Sam & Max' The Devil's Playhouse (was £19.99/€24.99 – now £9.99/€12.99)
Back to the Future: The Game (was £15.99/€19.99 – now £7.99/€9.99)
Bionic Commando Rearmed (was £7.99/€9.99 – now £6.29/€7.99)
Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 (was £11.99/€14.99 – now £6.29/€7.99)
Final Fight Double Impact (was £7.99/€9.99 – now £3.99/€4.99)
Super SF2 Turbo HDR (was £11.99/€14.99 – now £6.29/€7.99)
Flock! (was £11.99/€14.99 – now £6.29/€7.99)
1942 Joint Strike (was £7.99/€9.99 – now £3.99/€4.99)
Commando 3 (was £7.99/€9.99 – now £3.99/€4.99)
Age of Booty (was £7.99/€9.99 – now £3.99/€4.99)
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (was £7.99/€9.99 – now £3.99/€4.99)
Ricochet HD (was £6.29/€7.99 – now £2.39/€2.99)
Wakeboard HD (was £11.99/€14.99 – now £4.79/€ 5.99)
Hamsterball (was £7.99/€9.99 – now £3.19/€3.99)
Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos (was £7.99/€9.99 – now £3.19/€3.99)
Mahjong Tales (was £7.99/€9.99 – now £3.19/€3.99)
Smash Cars (was £11.99/€14.99 – now £4.79/€5.99)
Magic Orbz (was £7.99/€9.99 – now £3.19/€3.99)
Cuboid (was £7.99/€9.99 – now £3.19/€3.99)
Sky Fighter (was £7.99/€9.99 – now £3.19/€3.99)
EA's Summer of Speed

Burnout Paradise Big Surf Island (was £5.49/€6.99 – now £2.39/€2.99)
Burnout Paradise Boost Specials Collection (was £3.99/€4.99 – now £1.59/€1.99)
Burnout Paradise Cops and Robbers (was £3.99/€4.99 – now £1.59/€1.99)
Burnout Paradise Legendary Cars Collection (was £3.99/€4.99 – now £1.59/€1.99)
Burnout Paradise Party (was £3.99/€4.99 – now £1.59/€1.99)
Burnout Paradise Time Savers Pack (was £3.99/€4.99 – now £1.59/€1.99)
Burnout Paradise Toy Collection (was £5.49/€6.99 - now £1.59/€1.99)
NFS Hot Pursuit Game Modes Pack (Armed & Dangerous) (was £5.49/€6.99 – now £3.19/€3.99)
NFS Hot Pursuit Lamborghini Untamed Pack (was £5.49/€6.99 - now £3.19/€3.99)
NFS Hot Pursuit Porsche Unleashed Pack (was £5.49/€6.99 - now £3.19/€3.99)
NFS Hot Pursuit Super Sports Pack (was £5.49/€6.99 - now £3.19/€3.99)
NFS Hot Pursuit Three for All Bundle (was £15.99/€19.99 – now £13.99/€17.99)
NFS Pro Street Extender Pack Premium Car Bundle 1 (was £3.99/€4.99 – now £1.59/€1.99)
NFS Pro Street Extender Pack Premium Car Bundle 2 (was £3.99/€4.99 – now £1.59/€1.99)
NFS Shift Exotic Racing Series (was £7.99/€9.99 – now £2.39/€2.99)
NFS Undercover Boss Car Bundle (was £3.99/€4.99 – now £1.59/€1.99)
NFS Undercover Exotic Car Bundle (was £3.99/€4.99 – now £1.59/€1.99)
NFS Undercover Collector's Edition Upgrade (was £7.19/€8.99 – now £1.59/€1.99)
NFS Undercover Muscle Car Bundle (was £3.99/€4.99 - now £1.59/€1.99)
...

Canadian retailer Future Shop has knocked $50 off the price of the 3DS from now until July 31. Both the Aqua Blue and Cosmo Black models are discounted, online and in-store. If you've been jealous of your friends' growing StreetPass Mii collections, now's your chance to begin building your own!

Actually, since there will be more 3DS buyers than usual at pretty much every Future Shop, you should just hang around there for a while and hope the new owners set up StreetPass while they're still in the store. That way, you'll be able to grab plenty of extra Miis until the police arrive.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/27/ca...-through-july/ ...

When Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D dropped earlier this summer without the ability to reset save files, gamers were justifiably mad. And though it's been over a month since that story broke, it seems that another Japanese publisher didn't pick up on the resulting backlash. Namco's latest 3DS title, Pac-Man and Galaga Dimensions regrettably contains that exact issue.

According to Wired's Game|Life blog, there is simply no way to erase a save after it's been written to the cartridge. "I've looked all over, even going so far as to ask a Namco Bandai representative, and it doesn't seem like there's a way to erase the game data," the post reads, noting that this design doesn't just affect the earned in-game awards (which can't be deleted), but also high scores. That means the most recent high score is the only one that the game records -- bizarre!

As Capcom's version of the save file issue sparked reaction from both retail and consumers (and, eventually, Capcom), we've reached out to GameStop for comment about Namco's own misdeeds.


http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/27/pa...ent-unable-to/ ...

The ESPN application on Xbox Live offered some interesting functionality to sports fans, though perhaps not enough to make it a viable competitor for their standard cable fare. ESPN 2.0, a massive renovation of the platform scheduled to launch August 25 (just in time for college football), will be a much more worthy contender.

Gizmodo recently previewed the updated software, revealing a number of its new, tantalizing features, such as the ability to watch two games on ESPN 3 at once, and a live score feed on the side of the UI.

The highlight feature is the new Guide, a carousel of thumbnails showing currently streaming programs, each of which include stats, scores and information about each game. Check out a video demonstration of the software on Gizmodo, and join us in wishing for a future where every sport is simulcast conveniently on our gaming consoles. (We've just got to get our Jai-alai fix.)

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/27/es...s-feed-and-mo/ ...

It's not enough anymore to simply cram a single-octave keyboard into the bottom of a Nintendo DS, effective piano instruction requires at least twice as many keys -- and an iPad. The Ion Piano Apprentice (when coupled with a compatible iDevice and companion app) offers aspiring Tchaikovskys octave-selectable free play, lessons on reading sheet music, and even a view of award-winning piano instructor Scott Houston's handsome hands. If those mitts are too distracting for you, just follow along with the light-up keys, you'll be fine. This mini keyboard / iPad dock will land this fall to the tune of $100 -- -- it's either that, a real instructor, or a pair of haptic robot gloves. Your choice, really. Hit the PR after the break for a peek at Mr. Houston's official nickname, if you're into that sort of thing.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/27/i...hts-up-your-l/ ...

There may be a fair bit of industry clamouring for the next generation of consoles - but the creator of one of the most technically impressive games of the year certainly believes PS3 can still achieve more.

Speaking in a monster new interview with PSM3 (which you can read in full here), Brendan McNamara - the boss of LA Noire creator Team Bondi - was asked how much "raw power" he believed was left in the current gen.

McNamara replied: "I wouldn't profess to be an expert about either one but I'd say from our point of view with the PS3, we think it's got - with Naughty Dog's new game - people just get cleverer and cleverer about it. Like what percentage of the raw power are they using up?

"What you can do on SPUs on PS3 is pretty amazing so we think there's still a lot of life left in it. We'd certainly still like to do another [game] on it, so..."

And we'd certainly like to receive one, sir.

LA Noire, published by Rockstar, was a huge sales success for Australian studio Bondi, topping US sales in June.

The second downloadable content pack for L.A Noire, Reefer Madness, was released earlier this month.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...ty-is-amazing/ ...

Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward has played down concerns over would-be critics who attempt to link in-game events and real-life tragedies. Here's looking at you, Daily Mail.

Asked by msxbox-world if he worried about how players and non-gamers will perceive the Russian assault on New York depicted in Modern Warfare 3 given the city's history of terrorist attacks, creative strategist Robert Bowling said:

"I'm not too worried about it because the conflict that's raging in Modern Warfare 3 is very different from any real life scenario because this is a war, this is a full-on Russian military invasion of the entire US that started in Modern Warfare 2.

"They have already disabled Washington DC and the war has just organically been progressing off the East Coast and the New York is a major city that would... So this is very different because it's full-on military fighting through the streets, so I think that's going to be very clear once people play it and get hands-on and see what type of conflict this is, and then it spreads to the other major cities."



Modern Warfare 3's global brand of warfare will also be visiting London, Paris and Berlin, among other locations, leaving tube trains derailed and who knows what other carnage in its wake.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...ferent-to-911/ ...