via Games Industry


Sales of the Xbox 360 in Europe have hit a wall according to a new report from Screen Digest, which suggests Microsoft is struggling to expand the user base for the next-gen console.

The report also observes that the Nintendo Wii is dividing the market, with some publishers happy to ride Nintendo's coat tails to pick up business with poor quality titles, while others are betting the farm on the innovative machine.

"For Xbox 360, European hardware sales seem to have hit a wall. The target market is still too focused on adult males and the brand does not enjoy the same cachet in non-Anglo Saxon markets as it does in the US and, to a lesser extent, the UK," reads the report.

While there are no concerns about appealing to a dedicated gaming audience, "failing to break out of a small number of genres and thereby appealing to groups outside of hardcore gamer," is a bigger problem according to Screen Digest.

Despite these issues the report does highlight that some of the most anticipated titles for the coming Q4 are for the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live is described as a "beacon of hope".

According to the analysts group, the Nintendo Wii is splitting business models across the industry.

"Some publishers are investing much less saying they will leave the platform drivers to Nintendo and ride their coat tails by spending very little on mediocre quality titles which will give some return."

On the other hand, "the combination of lower development costs and fastest growing installed base confers significant economic advantages in publishing games for Wii relative to competitive consoles, and this has lead to some third-party publishers increasing investment levels in developing for the platform."

The report points out that a low return on Wii software may hamper investment by publishers in other formats, as it simply does not generate as much profit at a time when PS3 and Xbox 360 development costs are rising.

And on the PlayStation 3, the report criticises Sony for not educating consumers as to what's in the box and relying too much on the PlayStation brand. Because of this a price drop is inevitable, says Screen Digest.

"A price drop before the end of the year is inevitable and would be in line with previous PlayStation first time price reduction timings."

"Marketing material has tended towards the esoteric and abstract and has seemingly failed to resonate with the consumer."

It also points out that Sony could drop a "bombshell" by the end of the year with a combined price drop and the launch of the Home virtual networking and online game service. ...

via Games Industry


Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has said he believes Sony got the price of PlayStation 3 right at launch - but warned a cut will be necessary if the company wants to attract more consumers.

Speaking in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz Guillemot said, "Everybody has to remember that volumes are very dependent on price. I know the platform holders all know that, so now we have to wait for them to see when they want to achieve those numbers."

He went on to observe that PS3 enjoyed "a great launch", stating, "[Sony has] sold a machine that is actually expensive to build at the right price for consumers. It's just that if we want more consumers, we'll have to have a price that will make more people come in."

Last month, Guillemot hit the headlines for calling on Sony to drop the price of PS3 "quite significantly".

He explained to GI.biz, "I was just saying that in the last generation, we had machines that were at a lower price and they were selling more.

"It's just something to consider for all the manufacturers, that the price of the machine has a huge impact on the number of machines sold."

For more from Guillemot, including his thoughts on supporting the Wii, the decline of E3 and why it's a good time to be a third-party publisher, read the full interview. ...

via Games Industry


Sony technical officers Izumi Kawanishi and Kanehide believe there's room for 30 to 40 per cent more improvement in the PS3 as an audio-visual piece of kit via future firmware updates.

The pair also remained confident that this wouldn't have an adverse effect on fan noise, even hinting at the possibility of a fan-less model somewhere down the line - similar to the PS2.

"So far, we are not worried too much since we have plenty of processing power left even at peak usage," AV development boss Kanehide told AV Watch.

Platform development boss Kawanishi agreed: "Nothing yet comes close to the load that Folding@Home applies. And I can see the possibility of a fan-less PS3 in the future, just like there was for the PS2."

The most recent firmware update for PS3 was version 1.8, which added support for PS1 and PS2 games to be upscaled to full 1080p. DVD playback at the same resolution was also featured, but only with an HDMI-compatible television.

It also introduced remote-play, allowing users to control the PS3 with the PSP.

And according to Kawanishi, the technology to control games using a PSP is already available - it's just a case of if the developer wants to include it. He also mused that turning a PS3 on using a PSP remotely could be on the horizon.

But the pair concluded that the future of firmware updates would depend on what consumers wanted, as listening to the community is a key area for them.

"The scary thing about the PS3 is that we can continue to add updates as long as there is space on the HDD," concluded Kawanishi. "We won't stop though, since adding new functionality is a lot of fun. We really enjoy getting feedback from the customers, and finding things we really hadn't thought of." ...

Datel have finally released their "Drive Doctor for Nintendo WII" which is more like a Mass Market Modchip type device.

Heres a pic of the box:



Heres the info/features of the device:


Heres a pic of the device fitted:



The Drive Doctor for Nintendo WII can be brought at Divineo UK for £ 19.95

DIGG THIS

...

SuccessHK have today let me know of the arrival of a load of new Downgradeable European version PSPs at SuccessHK

The PSPs are retailing for $204 (£102) ...

I was at FYE and saw that they have a US$30 mail-in-rebate on the Core PSP.
You need to purchase the psp before July 4, 2007. The rebate needs to be postmarked before August 4, 2007.

This only works in stores, and not online. ...

New from SuccessHK



Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer features Marvel Entertainment's legendary super-powered foursome in its second big adventure. In the game and the film, Marvel’s first family of Super Heroes faces its greatest challenge yet as the enigmatic, intergalactic herald, the Silver Surfer, comes to Earth to prepare it for destruction. As the Silver Surfer races around the globe wreaking havoc, the team must unravel the mystery of the Silver Surfer and confront the surprising return of their mortal enemy, Dr. Doom, before all hope is lost! The game is based on both the popular comic book series, as well as the movie sequel, with exclusive plot elements that complement the film. It features all of the foursome’s over-the-top super powers, as well as a unique fusion attack system that allows players to combine forces with one, two or all teammates, in order to execute devastating team attacks against the opposition. In addition to fighting familiar enemies from the Fantastic Four universe, players can unlock alternative costumes, comic covers and more! ...

New from SuccessHK



Crash Bandicoot Action Pack brings together three hit Crash Bandicoot games, for the wildest and funniest adventure around. All the fun of platform gaming and classic kart-racing come together in Crash Nitro Kart, Crash TwinSanity and Crash Tag Team Racing. ...

New from Play Asia



Based on the 2007 live-action feature film, Transformers: The Game lets gamers control the outcome in the battle for Earth as they choose to protect it as Autobots or destroy it as Decepticons. Players experience the unstoppable power and massive scale of their favorite Robots in Disguise such as BumbleBee, Barricade and others. As the Transformers robot's war comes to Earth, gamers make the choice to join the Autobots in protecting our planet or to join the Decepticons in destroying it. With dual campaigns, the fate of the world is in players' hands.

Also available for worldwide delivery at SuccessHK ...