Nintendo's Wii Party has stormed straight into the number one slot in the Japanese software sales chart, shifting 235,000 in its first week on sale, according to date from Media Create for the seven days to the end of July 11.

The game held off stiff competition from Sony's PlayStation 3 title White Knight Chronicles: Awakening of Light and Darkness, which sold a respectable 176,000 copies.

The previous week's chart-topper, Inazuma Eleven 3: World Challenge from Level 5, fell to third - despite selling almost 100,000 units - while the latest Harvest Moon title, Twin Villages, was another new entry in fourth on 64,000.

Another notable new entry was Crackdown 2 for the Xbox 360, which although managed seventh place, only sold 15,000 units - solid for a new title on Microsoft's platform, but not in the same league as those games higher up the chart.

The full top ten is as follows:

1. Wii Party (Nintendo) - Wii: 235,000
2. White Knight Chronicles: Awakening of Light and Darkness (SCE) - PS3: 176,000
3. Inazuma Eleven 3: World Challenge (Level 5) - DS: 98,000
4. Harvest Moon: Twin Villages (Marvelous) - DS: 64,000
5. Taiko Drum Master DS (Bandai Namco) - DS: 31,000
6. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo) - Wii: 26,000
7. Crackdown 2 (Microsoft) - Xbox 360: 15,000
8. Friend Collection (Nintendo) - DS: 13,000
9. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010: Blue Samurai Challenge (Konami) - PS3: 12,000
10. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010: Blue Samurai Challenge (Konami) - PSP: 12,000

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...japanese-chart ...

Gather around the campfire, children, as we tell you a story from or youth. You see, back in our day, we carried around PDAs driven by Palm's operating system (no, not that one). Primitive and bulky by modern standards, sure, but if there's one aspect we remember most fondly -- or at least most vividly -- it'd be Graffiti, the shorthand writing system for your stylus-based text entry. And guess what? You can now bring that same frustration enjoyment to Google Android. Available now via Market, the free, OS-wide keyboard alternative comes care of Access, who gained the rights to Graffiti following the Palm / Xerox settlement from way back in 2006. The future is the past as remembered by the present, or something like that -- download away.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/g...l-over-google/ ...

Pinel & Pinel -- it's been awhile, hasn't it? The design boutique has just kicked things back into high gear with an all-new creation inspired by the era of wooden TVs, Bono's mullet and the original Engadget BBS. The 80's Trunk, a swank new arcade cabinet, is easily one of the most astounding creations we've ever seen, and there's no question that your basement is yearning for one as we speak. Unlike conventional cabinets, this one's equipped with an emulation system that houses 60 unforgettable titles (Pac-Man, Space Invaders and 1924, just to name a few), and there's also a plethora of color options to choose from. You're also looking at a 1080p LCD, enough amplification to wake the neighbors with bleeps and bloops and an iPod / iPhone docking station if you prefer your own background noise. Mum's the word on a price, but it'll probably come down to choosing between this and your first born's college education. You know what to do.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/p...nto-the-futur/ ...

In today's iPhone 4 press conference out in Cupertino, Apple has revealed that they've pushed 3 million phones so far since launch a little under a month ago. For the record, that's about twice the number Apple sold in the first weekend -- 1.7 million -- so the pace has clearly slowed down a bit, though that would appear to be due almost exclusively to supply constraints.

As for how many of those sold phones are staying out in the field, Jobs has revealed return rates, too: 1.7 percent, which works out to about 51,000 phones, compared to 6 percent for the 3GS. Seems like most of these returners would've been better off eBaying for a profit, eh?

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/i...-and-counting/ ...

If you think the proximity sensor on your iPhone 4 has been acting wacky, don't worry, turns out you're not crazy: Apple has just committed to fixing weirdness in the next software update at its press conference today. Problems have mainly revolved around the sensor failing to detect your face when you're on a call, leading to accidentally hang-ups, mutes, and so on as your ear makes contact with the screen -- not too cool. Then again, if you've been staying off your phone lately for fear of dropping a call, well... maybe you didn't notice.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/i...-in-the-works/ ...

Sony has proclaimed the benefits of 3D gaming to its hardcore fans, saying it provides a "competitive edge".

During a presentation at the Develop Conference yesterday Sony Computer Entertainment Europe senior director Mick Hocking described in detail why playing PS3 exclusives Gran Turismo 5, MotorStorm: Apocalypse, Killzone 3 and LittleBigPlanet 2 in 3D is better.

"With something like a racing simulation, this gives us greater accuracy," Hocking said.

"You can judge or brake a distance to a corner that much better than you could before. You can position your car on a track with greater certainty. You can judge relative speed to the other cars or relative speed to the track better than you could before."

On upcoming arcade racer MotorStorm: Apocalypse, Hocking had this to say: "We can throw particles through the screen at you. We can make the building feel like it's going to collapse down on top of you. It helps to enhance the sense of speed and scale and excitement in the game."

He added: "You can also process information more quickly. With a game like WipEout, where you're racing very fast down a track, it's twitch control mechanics. You've got to be very precise and quick about changing the direction of the ship or you hit the wall.

"With this [3D] your brain can pick up more cues from the digital image because there's more information there, because we have depth. We find that players can play this a bit more accurately than they could before."

On Killzone 3: "We have particles flying past them. You can see projectiles coming towards you. You can judge just how far you need to throw a grenade because you can see how far away the enemies are.

"We can have things collapse on top of you, or you can be reaching down into a ditch to pull a comrade out. 3D helps bring greater immersion to these types of action experiences."

And, finally, Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet 2, which, Hocking reminded us, has Z-depth.

"In 3D we found it was much more intuitive to judge where Sackboy was in the level. We found we could traverse the level rather than falling off the platforms quite so often."

Essentially, Sony reckons 3D will help PS3 owners be better gamers.

"For our hardcore, this could mean a competitive edge. Racing simulations, if you can get a better lap time, in shooters, if you can get more kills, this all appeals to our hardcore gamers. Anything that gives them a competitive edge is worth having."

Hocking's comments come as no surprise. Sony is putting plenty of eggs in the 3D basket, and hopes it'll convince millions to fork out their hard-earned cash on the tech that enables it.

"We think 3D is now here to stay," Hocking said.

"There are many different parts of media now supporting 3D with a vested interest in seeing the success of 3D. Not only the film studios and film creators; games, broadcasters, photography, camcorders and phones of the future. All of them will be looking at 3D.

"We are the only company that has the entire hardware and content chain of 3D within our core business."

With an installed base of 36 million PS3s, and with firmware updates that enable the console to play 3D games and Blu-ray discs in the wild, Sony is confident of success.

The Japanese company predicts that by 2014 more than 40 per cent of tellies will be sold as 3D ready.

Last week Ubisoft UK marketing boss Murray Pannell went one further by predicting that a 3D-enabled telly will be in every living room in just three years time.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/so...mpetitive-edge ...

Activision will charge gamers to play first-person shooter behemoth Call of Duty online by the end of the year, analyst Michael Pachter has predicted.

"Unless and until the publishers come up with a business model that appropriately captures the value created by the multiplayer experience," the gaming clairvoyant told Industry Gamers, "we are destined to see a migration of game playing away from packaged goods purchases and toward multiplayer online.

"While the shift has been great for consumers, who are enjoying an unprecedented, and largely free, game experience, it has been devastating for publishers and shareholders, who are seeing sales and profits decline.

"We think that it is incumbent upon Activision, with the most popular multiplayer game, to take the first step to address monetisation of multiplayer. It is too early to tell whether that will be a monthly subscription, tournament entry fees, microtransaction fees, or a combination of all three, but we expect to see the company take some action by year-end, when Call of Duty: Black Ops launches."

Pachter's prediction will be music to Activision CEO Bobby Kotick's ears. Tim Scafer's mate said last month that if he could do one thing, he would make Call of Duty "an online subscription service" as soon as tomorrow.

"The company has the greatest experience of the Western publishers with multiplayer subscriptions, given its huge success with World of Warcraft, and we expect Activision to apply a WoW-type model to its Call of Duty franchise," Pachter continued.

"It is likely that Activision will ease the pain of consumers, and will continue to offer some form of free multiplayer, at least for a while, but we believe it is imperative that the company begin to capture some value from the huge number of hours spent – 1.75 billion hours on Xbox Live alone through mid-April, and we estimate that this figure is approaching four billion hours combined through today on Xbox Live and PSN.

"We are quick to point out that the average single player game has an expected play time of under 30 hours, suggesting that a staggering 133 million units of equivalent game play have been spent (so far) playing Call of Duty online, with Activision only seeing revenues from the original 20 million units sold, plus an estimated eight million map packs sold."

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/co...nd-of-the-year ...

Singer Joss Stone has revealed she plays "a posh version of Paris Hilton" in the new James Bond game, Blood Stone, due this autumn.

She'll be Bond girl Nicole Hunter, a socialite 'it girl' who works with diamonds. She found the role "kind of amazing". "It's a bit crazy to be a Bond girl," shared Stone at an Activision press event attended by Christian Donlan for Eurogamer.

Stone had a full body scan for the game. "It's mad," she recalled. "It took, like, all day."

The British (but you'd be forgiven for thinking American) singer has also written a song for the game in collaboration with David Stewart. It's called "I'll Take it All" and "it's awesome", according to Stone.

Blood Stone contains a mixture of third-person, cover-based shooting and vehicle pursuits. Vehicles, in this case, being cars and speedboats. Donlan was shown a car chase that required a target be rammed off the road, before cutting to a boat chase in Athens harbour with explosions galore.

The game also features a focus mode where time can be slowed to accommodate head shots.

Blood Stone will boast an entirely original story written by Bond screenwriter Bruce Feirstein. This follows 007 as he jets around the world in pursuit of a terrorist suicide group. There's a focus on the diamond trade, too. Settings include Athens, Istanbul, Monaco and Bangkok.

Project Gotham Racing, The Club, Geometry Wars and Blur developer Bizarre Creations is making Blood Stone. PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 are the chosen platforms, plus an original DS version by n-space. Richard Jacques is doing the music.

Daniel Craig is voicing James Bond and Judi Dench will be M.

There will be "several" multiplayer modes for up to 16 people that involve agents battling mercenaries.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/jo...bond-game-role ...

BioWare co-founder Greg Zeshuk has said that triple-A console game development is the wrong thing for developers to pursue, as only the top ten companies can do it successfully.

The creator of Mass Effect and Dragon Age said there are better opportunities developing, and that boxed game sales for traditional retail is declining year-on-year.

"It's more competitive than it's ever been, it's more dangerous than it's ever been," Zeschuk told attendees of the Develop Conference in Brighton. "Right now it's precisely the wrong thing to chase."

Publishers are being increasingly conservative as only the best titles break through sales barriers, said Zeschuk, with costs continuing to rise.

"The risk taking is disappearing on the publisher side," he said. "There's exceptions but it costs a lot of money and you've got to set the right goals."

Zeschuk said he was encouraged by moves by veteran developers opting out of big blockbuster development and start-up smaller teams, which are able to build a tight business with a positive working culture.

"I've enjoyed seeing the elder developers retrench to smaller teams. They're building a stronger culture, they're building microgroups that are quite successful," said Zeschuk, adding that going direct to consumers rather than through bricks and mortar was also a huge opportunity for developers.

"Retail still works but it's not a panacea," he added.

BioWare itself would continue to work on consoles, but Zeschuk made a point of saying the business would be "aggressively experimenting" with other opportunities as it has with recent Facebook and iPhone projects.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...thing-to-chase ...