via Computer and Video Games


Nintendo recorded jumps in both Wii and DS sales during the first half of its business year, but cut its profit forecast in light of the sticky economic climate.

The company shifted 10.1 million Wii units worldwide during the first six months of the fiscal year, up 38% from last year, and said it expects to sell 27.5 million units during the year to March 2009.

During the same period the company sold 13.73 million DS units, up 3% despite the portable being on the market for four years.

The Japanese platform holder raked in net profit of 144.8 billion yen ($1.5 billion) between April and September, which may sound like a lot, but the figure fell short of the 165 billion yen Nintendo had predicted as the company was hit by the strong yen against the dollar.

On the back of the financial results the company cut its yearly profit forecast by 16% to 345 billion yen ($3.5 billion).

In comparison, Sony sold 2.43 million PS3s during the second quarter of its business year, up 85% from the same period last year, but its overall quarterly profit fell by 72% to $214 million. ...

via Eurogamer


Sony's semi-official UK blog, Three Speech, has published a list of first-party PS3 releases dates that puts Resistance 2 in our gun-hungry hands on 28th November.

The Insomniac-penned first-person shooter is out in the States next Tuesday, but until now Sony has been coy about confirming the exact timing for Europe.

The good news for you lot is that it has been less coy about giving us review code, which should enable us to bring you our thoughts around the time of the US release.

Also on Three Speech's release schedule are SingStar Vol. 3 and SingStar ABBA (both 14th November), and LocoRoco 2, which is down for 21st November, albeit to be confirmed.

For more Resistance 2-related fun, check out the Resistance 2 US TV advert we posted this morning. It's got a bit of gameplay in it, in case you haven't already seen it.

Not as much as all the other content on our Resistance 2 gamepage, though, obviously. ...

via Games Industry


Microsoft is to launch a new standalone hard drive bundle for Xbox 360 in the US.

For USD 100, consumers will get a 60GB hard disk drive, a three-month Gold subscription to Xbox Live, a headset and an ethernet cable.

A standalone 120GB hard drive is already available in both the US and Europe. There's no word yet on whether the 60GB model will be released in Europe.

Microsoft has also revealed the New Xbox Experience update, due on 19th November, will let US users stream Netflix videos in high definition, provided they have a high-speed internet connection with 8 - 10 Mbps of bandwidth.

Netflix is the movie rental service that allows subscribers to order films via their Xbox 360. As yet there's no equivalent service available in Europe. ...

Imageepoch, the developers of Luminous Arc 2 and Arc Rise Fantasia, have pretty much stuck with Nintendo hardware. Those games are coming out for the Nintendo DS and Wii respectively. In the future Imageepoch may start working with other platforms. Ryoei Mikage, President of Imageepoch, told us “Next year or next, next year there might be a really cool action PSP game.” That’s interesting because Imageepoch is currently dabbling in the action genre too.

http://www.siliconera.com/2008/10/29...on-a-psp-game/ ...

Imageepoch, the developers of Luminous Arc 2 and Arc Rise Fantasia, have pretty much stuck with Nintendo hardware. Those games are coming out for the Nintendo DS and Wii respectively. In the future Imageepoch may start working with other platforms. Ryoei Mikage, President of Imageepoch, told us “Next year or next, next year there might be a really cool action PSP game.” That’s interesting because Imageepoch is currently dabbling in the action genre too.

http://www.siliconera.com/2008/10/29...on-a-psp-game/ ...

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is talking with the DSi development team again, this time examining some features that didn’t make the final cut. In one concept the Nintendo DSi had a single camera rotating camera, but this would have been expensive and Iwata was concerned it would make the DSi easier to break. We’re not missing anything since the DSi has two cameras anyway. These low resolution 640 x 480 cameras are actually 2.5x the resolution of the DS screen so the photos you take shouldn’t appear to be low quality, at least on your DSi.



We’re not getting a Nintendo DS with two DS game cartridge slots. Iwata notes this feature was in demand by internal Nintendo staff and customers. The original hardware plans for the DSi had two cartridge slots and Nintendo’s engineers even made a prototype with two slots for DS games. Why isn’t the DSi coming with two cartridge slots then? It made the system feel in Iwata’s words “big”. The prototype is said to have been 3 millimeters larger than the Nintendo DSi shipping in stores on Sunday.

What would you prefer? A “larger” DSi with two cartridge slots or the slim DSi with only one slot? I would go with the bigger one with two games.

http://www.siliconera.com/2008/10/30...wo-game-slots/ ...

Tecmo’s Play Shake is sort of like the Shooting Watch of waggling. This WiiWare title measures how fast you wave the Wii remote with a score that can be uploaded to online leaderboards via Nintendo Wi-Fi. Play Shake compares you with the world. Yes, the world which means Play Shake (temporary name) is most likely planned for an international release. Someday you’ll be able to get Play Shake and it’s collection of unspecified mini-games for 500 Wii Points ($5).

http://www.siliconera.com/2008/10/30...haking-skills/ ...

Welcome to this week's Games Update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.

Quite a few big titles are released this week. The delayed LittleBigPlanet has arrived in its full wool and yarn glory. Create your paradise and explore others' patches. Afterall, creativitiy is part of the playing experience and playing is part of the creative experience.

With the network facility enabled, you can wonder into other people's realms or get batches of updates for existing games. The developers of GT have released their newest patch, Spec III, for GT5 Prologue which players can download. But for those who never owned the original game, get the completely updated GT5 Prologue Spec III via our site.

Another racer that blurs the line between reality and the virtual world is Midnight Club: Los Angeles. Race through the city, transform it into tunnels of lines and lights and face off with all the super cars and their drivers. Feel the adrenaline that runs through your veins as you drive recklessly through the city in your safe haven.

Visit New York after you have finished the races in L.A. As one of the most glamourous cities in the world, it's once again being invaded by evil forces. As Spider Man, ensnared in the Web of Shadows you have to save the city and yourserlf. But how you proceed about your business is entirely up to you. So choose wisely.

Fallout 3 paints an apocalyptic world destroyed completely by a nuclear fallout where only the fittest can survive. Granting the players a high amount of freedom, the game allows the players a feel of being truly in charge of their lives and the world. combat mutants, opposition forces and and other hostilities in this game.

Blow things up to galactic proportions, the war between the Ohn Empire and the Federation is still in full swing in Thunder Force VI. Pilot your craft, shoot your enemy planes off the sky and bring an end to all wars with your powerful cannon blasts.

A couple of hot Japanese titles are localized for English speaking gamers. Eternal Sonata, Star Ocean: First Departure and Master of Monster Lair are some of these. Follow the engaging storylines and endearing characters on their exciting adventures. Enjoy the fantasy and magic that are weaved before your eyes.

Another much anticipated game is the localized Wii Music. Spend some time with your family and broaden your music horizons. Play to the beat and train your reflexes, conduct an orchestra, play to the melodies of well known games such as Super Mario Brothers' themes or even compose your own tracks.

Last but not least is the new DS release of Chocobo's Dungeon. Learn what Cid did when Choco is busy retrieving memories for the town's folk.

Besides a fuller story, the Pop up Card Duel is compatible with the Wi-Fi card game of the still developing Chocobo to Mahou no Ehon: Majo to Shoujo to 5-Jin no Yuusha which gives you more incentive to look out for the new game.

Besides the game, to go with the chocobo hype, dress your DS as your favourite mascot with Chocobox. The package comes with a sunny yellow protector case that spots Choco's smiling features at one corner. Aside from the case, there is a matching yellow touch pen that you can lengthen and shorten as well as a screen cleaner.

As usually, here's a summary of all new releases from this week, followed by a quick preview of what is expected to be hot next week.

Xbox360™
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway JPN US$ 68.90
Crash: Mind Over Mutant ASIA US$ 49.90
Dance Dance Revolution Universe 3 Bundle (w/ Dance Mat) US US$ 89.90
Fallout 3 ASIA US$ 49.90
Fallout 3 US US$ 64.90
Fallout 3 [Collectors Edition] US US$ 89.90
FarCry 2 US US$ 64.90
Fracture JPN US$ 64.90
Grand Theft Auto IV JPN US$ 78.90
Guitar Hero World Tour US US$ 64.90
Midnight Club: Los Angeles ASIA US$ 49.90
Midnight Club: Los Angeles US US$ 64.90
Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition US US$ 44.90
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows ASIA US$ 59.90
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows US US$ 64.90
Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon US US$ 54.90
Xbox Live 12-Month Messenger Gold Card with Project Gotham Racing US US$ 69.90

PlayStation3™
Bioshock US US$ 64.90
Eternal Sonata US US$ 64.90
Fallout 3 US US$ 64.90
Fallout 3 ASIA US$ 49.90
Fallout 3 [Collectors Edition] US US$ 89.90
FarCry 2 US US$ 64.90
Fracture JPN US$ 68.90
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III JPN US$ 49.90
Grand Theft Auto IV JPN US$ 78.90
Guitar Hero World Tour US US$ 64.90
Guitar Hero World Tour (Guitar Bundle) US US$ 129.90
LittleBigPlanet JPN US$ 59.90
LittleBigPlanet US US$ 64.90
LittleBigPlanet ASIA US$ 59.90
LittleBigPlanet (With Dual Shock 3 Pack: Black) JPN N/A
LittleBigPlanet (With Dual Shock 3 Pack: Silver) JPN US$ 79.90
LittleBigPlanet (With Dual Shock 3 Pack: White) JPN US$ 79.90
Midnight Club: Los Angeles US US$ 64.90
Midnight Club: Los Angeles ASIA US$ 59.90
Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition US US$ 44.90
PlayStation3 Console (HDD 80GB LittleBigPlanet Dream Box) - Ceramic White JPN N/A
PlayStation3 Console (HDD 80GB LittleBigPlanet Dream Box) - Clear Black JPN N/A
PlayStation3 Console (HDD 80GB LittleBigPlanet Dream Box) - Satin Silver JPN N/A
PlayStation3 Console (HDD 80GB Model Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III Bundle) - Ceramic White JPN US$ 549.00
PlayStation3 Console (HDD 80GB Model Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III Bundle) - Clear Black JPN US$ 549.00
PlayStation3 Console (HDD 80GB Model Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III Bundle) - Satin Silver JPN US$ 549.00
Rock Band 2 Wireless Drum Set US US$ 129.90
Rock Band 2 Wireless Guitar US US$ 89.90
SOCOM: Confrontation JPN US$ 39.90
SOCOM: Confrontation ...

DFC Intelligence president & senior technology analyst Wanda Meloni spoke at the GameON: Finance 2.0 conference in Toronto, weighing in the major console manufacturers' futures. According to a Gamasutra report from the event in Toronto, Meloni believes that Sony may never break even on the PlayStation 3 platform because of the losses incurred on each console sold.

Sony announced its quarterly results earlier today, showing improved PlayStation hardware sales, but ultimately posting a hefty loss.

We're unsure if Meloni was drinking the corporate Kool-Aid, factoring in the 10-year lifecycle Sony has planned for the hardware. Meloni also believes that Sony's slice of the console market share, at 67% during the PlayStation 2 era, will shrink to 50% or below.

http://kotaku.com/5070746/analyst-so...ak-even-on-ps3 ...