via guardian

It certainly looks that way to us - particularly after talking to Matt Brown, executive vice president of Sony Pictures Europe, whose job it is to persuade us all to buy Blu-ray media. Formerly with Dreamworks, and steeped in films, Brown declares that "the future is high-definition TV" and that the PS3 - which at £425 in the UK is steeply priced for a games console, but comparatively cheap for a high-definition player (Blu-ray players in the UK cost more than £500) - is "the ultimate home entertainment device". All of which you'd expect him to say. But talking to Brown, it's clear that Sony is happy to take its financial lumps in terms of losses in the games console market if it means guaranteeing a win in the high-definition video war. And the best way to do that? Lose money selling the players, and rake it back by selling the "software" - games and especially films. In the long term, Sony has far more to gain from winning the DVD format wars than it stands to lose in the gaming ones, since it could keep making the PS3 for the next decade.

While the PS3 has not given Sony any clear advantage in the games field, it certainly has in the high-definition DVD market. At the Consumer Electronics Show in January, the HD DVD camp could claim 175,000 players sold in the US, well ahead of Blu-ray. But Sony can now claim a total of 1.8m PS3s sold worldwide (says nexgenwars.com).
Wood thus sounds confident when he claims: "Blu-ray discs are outselling HD DVD by three to one in the US." And, he adds, "if I do a good job then in six months we won't be having a conversation [about formats]. And the PS3 is going to help us do the job ... Potentially, we'll have 10 times more [Blu-ray] players [in the form of PS3s] out there by the end of the year." Projections for Sony by the research company Understanding & Solutions suggest there will be nearly 4m Blu-ray players (including PS3s) installed across Europe by the end of this year, compared to 55,000 HD DVD players; by the end of 2008, it forecasts 13.45m Blu-ray against 1.6m HD DVD drives (which will by then also include computers). For the US, it predicts a smaller gap - although still running 9 to 1 in favour of Blu-ray.

So is it game over for HD DVD? The HD DVD camp said at CES that owners of their players bought an average of 28 discs each, because they had chosen the format, rather than finding it bundled with their games console. Blu-ray owners hadn't bought many discs. But we remember a time when Netscape could claim to have many more people using its browser than Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Then Microsoft bundled the browser, and Netscape went pear-shaped. Someone at Sony has probably remembered their internet history, which says that victory goes to the most widely installed - not necessarily the most widely chosen. ...

New from SuccessHK



Disney's Meet the Robinsons, based on the Walt Disney Pictures animated film, is a time-traveling action/adventure game. Players experience the adventure as Wilbur Robinson, helping him chase the dastardly Bowler Hat Guy and his diabolical robotic hat Doris through multiple timelines in an attempt to thwart their evil plans. The game weaves in and out of the film's plot, expanding the Robinson world and offering an all-new adventure. Wilbur will have a host of gadgets at his disposal as he battles enemies and solves puzzles while pursuing Bowler Hat Guy and trying not to alter the future ...

New from SuccessHK



Disney's Meet the Robinsons, based on the Walt Disney Pictures animated film, is a time-traveling action/adventure game. Players experience the adventure as Wilbur Robinson, helping him chase the dastardly Bowler Hat Guy and his diabolical robotic hat Doris through multiple timelines in an attempt to thwart their evil plans. The game weaves in and out of the film's plot, expanding the Robinson world and offering an all-new adventure. Wilbur will have a host of gadgets at his disposal as he battles enemies and solves puzzles while pursuing Bowler Hat Guy and trying not to alter the future ...

New from SuccessHK



Disney's Meet the Robinsons, based on the Walt Disney Pictures animated film, is a time-traveling action/adventure game. Players experience the adventure as Wilbur Robinson, helping him chase the dastardly Bowler Hat Guy and his diabolical robotic hat Doris through multiple timelines in an attempt to thwart their evil plans. The game weaves in and out of the film's plot, expanding the Robinson world and offering an all-new adventure. Wilbur will have a host of gadgets at his disposal as he battles enemies and solves puzzles while pursuing Bowler Hat Guy and trying not to alter the future ...

New from SuccessHK



Disney's Meet the Robinsons, based on the Walt Disney Pictures animated film, is a time-traveling action/adventure game. Players experience the adventure as Wilbur Robinson, helping him chase the dastardly Bowler Hat Guy and his diabolical robotic hat Doris through multiple timelines in an attempt to thwart their evil plans. The game weaves in and out of the film's plot, expanding the Robinson world and offering an all-new adventure. Wilbur will have a host of gadgets at his disposal as he battles enemies and solves puzzles while pursuing Bowler Hat Guy and trying not to alter the future ...

via Xbox 360 Fanboy


Capcom just announced that we'll be seeing more Lost Planet multiplayer map love this week. On Friday, April 6th Lost Planet's map pack #2 will be released to the XBLM featuring two new maps and will set you back 400 Microsoft Points just like it's old brother map pack #1. The two new maps are called "Hive Complex", which is set in an abandoned mine, and "Trial Point" set in a futuristic business complex. Preview videos of the new maps are available after the jump. Has anyone purchased the previous map pack and came away satisfied? If so, are you thinking about purchasing these two new multiplayer maps for more frigid fun? ...

New from SuccessHK



Konami Classic Series: Arcade Hits features more than 12 of the most memorable quarter-munching arcade hits of all-time, letting players enjoy these timeless classics in both their original and remixed dual screen forms and also enjoy them with friends in special wireless modes. Taking advantage of the unique functionality of the Nintendo DS, Arcade Hits lets players choose from a number of screen configurations, including horizontal and vertical combinations to maintain the original screen size of each game at it appeared in arcades. Players can also use the system's wireless capabilities to play with friends and share data such as high scores and replays. Arcade Hits also features special modes that let players listen to more than 100 classic songs and sound effects and review the history of each title in the compilation, complete with trivia and vintage artwork. Featured games include Circus Charlie, Contra, Gradius, Roc'N Rope, Rush'N Attack, Time Pilot, Track and Field, Yie-Ar Kung Fu and more. ...

New from SuccessHK



Konami Classic Series: Arcade Hits features more than 12 of the most memorable quarter-munching arcade hits of all-time, letting players enjoy these timeless classics in both their original and remixed dual screen forms and also enjoy them with friends in special wireless modes. Taking advantage of the unique functionality of the Nintendo DS, Arcade Hits lets players choose from a number of screen configurations, including horizontal and vertical combinations to maintain the original screen size of each game at it appeared in arcades. Players can also use the system's wireless capabilities to play with friends and share data such as high scores and replays. Arcade Hits also features special modes that let players listen to more than 100 classic songs and sound effects and review the history of each title in the compilation, complete with trivia and vintage artwork. Featured games include Circus Charlie, Contra, Gradius, Roc'N Rope, Rush'N Attack, Time Pilot, Track and Field, Yie-Ar Kung Fu and more. ...

New from SuccessHK



Konami Classic Series: Arcade Hits features more than 12 of the most memorable quarter-munching arcade hits of all-time, letting players enjoy these timeless classics in both their original and remixed dual screen forms and also enjoy them with friends in special wireless modes. Taking advantage of the unique functionality of the Nintendo DS, Arcade Hits lets players choose from a number of screen configurations, including horizontal and vertical combinations to maintain the original screen size of each game at it appeared in arcades. Players can also use the system's wireless capabilities to play with friends and share data such as high scores and replays. Arcade Hits also features special modes that let players listen to more than 100 classic songs and sound effects and review the history of each title in the compilation, complete with trivia and vintage artwork. Featured games include Circus Charlie, Contra, Gradius, Roc'N Rope, Rush'N Attack, Time Pilot, Track and Field, Yie-Ar Kung Fu and more. ...