via gamespot

PlayStation fans had a reason to celebrate today, with the PS3 finally getting a confirmed release date of March 23 in Europe and Australia. We spoke to Sony Computer Entertainment Australia and New Zealand managing director Michael Ephraim about why the 20GB model isn't being made available down under, whether local gamers can expect console shortages, and much more.

GameSpot AU: Why did Sony decide not to release the 20GB SKU of the PlayStation 3 in Australia and Europe?

Michael Ephraim: Basically, every retailer and business partner we discussed the SKUs with said that the 60GB SKU is the way to go. If you look at PS3 sales in the US, and if you look at the sales of our competitor's format, the lead SKU has sold disproportionately better--it makes up about 97 percent of all sales. We will look at the demand and the need for a 20GB SKU, but everything is telling us--including consumers talking to retailers via pre-orders--that everyone wants the top-end SKU because it has all the functionality.

We have listened to retailers and consumers, and honestly, hands-down around the world the message was to go single SKU now. Of course, this also simplifies our manufacturing--we can focus on only one SKU and then assess the marketplace from there.

GSAU: So you don't expect to lose too many sales from people who had their hearts set on the 20GB model?

ME: I really don't think so. The difference in Australia is about A$170 (between the two SKUs). The 60GB model is the PS3 in full flight, and if you're going to invest that type of money, the benefits for another A$170 are clearly there. But we will listen to what the demand is.

GSAU: If there is a demand, is there a possibility that the 20GB model will reach Australia sometime in 2007?

ME: We will look at all information and assess it. Within 2007 is not a problem--we just have to make sure there's a demand for it.

GSAU: Sony has stated that there are 1 million PS3s being made available for the PAL release. Can you tell us which countries those consoles will be going to?

ME: I'm not allowed to go through that now, not until we finalise a few things. But I can say that Australia is a very important market for Europe. Historically, we can do anywhere from 5 to 7 percent of the business of Europe. That is a cumulative number over the years. So we are significant--we're not a 1 percent market. Australia has always been given its right level of allocation and share of allocation of new releases. We always launch at the same time as Europe as well, so that indicates that we're an important territory. We will get our fair share.

GSAU: So you don't foresee any shortages come March 23?

ME: That's the main question for every new format, and there is always a shortage for every new format. It's very important to get the day one number right, but we also want to plan with our retailers as much as we possibly can, to give them as much transparency as we can, when it comes to ongoing replenishments. There is the day one quantity--out of that million; Australia will get a fair share--but then we want to work with our retailers so consumers who don't get a console at launch will at least be informed as to when the next deliveries will come in. We will do the best we can to meet market demands.

GSAU: The PS3 is the last console to land in the Australian market. How does that affect your position in the next-generation console race?

ME: I'm not too concerned. By coincidence, our launch in Australia is the exact day that the Xbox 360 launched here a year ago. I think it is public knowledge that Microsoft and retailers are disappointed with the numbers the 360 has done here. GfK Australia puts the 360 at about 150,000 units install base--we're sitting on 2.2 million on PS2, so there's a long way to go. We do not see the one year head start as insurmountable by any means at all; 150,000 is a nice number, but it is by no means 2 million.

GSAU: Can you tell GameSpot AU how many PS3s you're expecting to sell in Australia this year?

ME: It's a bit early--we'd rather just work our way toward launch. It's very hard to pin down because this device goes beyond gaming. Convergence is upon us, so not only does what we do impact the sales of PS3, but also other issues, like the availability of high-definition screens and Blu-ray movies, can also affect us. It's a very dynamic market we're in, so it's hard to imagine what the exact quantities will be.

GSAU: Michael Ephraim, thanks for your time. ...

via gamespot

CMP Media, the organizers of the Game Developers Conference, today announced that Phil Harrison, president of worldwide studios at Sony Computer Entertainment, will give the opening keynote to this year's conference.

Harrison will give a lecture entitled "Game 3.0: Developing and Creating for the 3rd Age of Video Games." The talk will focus on "the entertainment, creative, and commercial opportunities presented by connected communities of players and developers."

GDC 2007 takes place March 5-9 at San Francisco's Moscone Center. Harrison's speech will take place on Wednesday, March 7 at 10:30 a.m. Earlier this week, GDC 07 announced that Nintendo's game guru Shigeru Miyamoto will present a keynote entitled "A Creative Vision" on Thursday, March 8. ...

Sony are having a crap time of late, PS3 Delays, the PSP homebrew scene running allover their best efforts to stop us, those lousy ads in the UK, crappy fake blogs but tonight another cracker of a story comes from their PSP Connect site, they are advertsing GT HD on the site but the screenshot is of the 360 Project Gotham racing :P

More details at Xbox 360 News ...

While industry watchers pined over which next-gen console was going to win the sales war this holiday season, Nintendo's DS walked away with the crown for all gaming hardware. The DS sold 1.6 million units in the US in December, ending an already positive year for the system with a bang.

Nintendo has tallied up recent figures for the DS in the entire Western Hemisphere, and today announced that 10 million DSes have been sold in the Americas since its launch in 2004. The company also claims that nine DSes have been sold every minute in North and South America since its debut.

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime was proud of his company's portable, and boasted, "More than 5 million people joined the ranks as Nintendo DS owners in America last year alone. And right now, they're all saying the same thing--'give me more!'"

The gaming giant also unveiled the latest release schedule for DS games through March.

February
Diddy Kong Racing DS
Lunar Knights
F24 Stealth Fighter
Disney's Kim Possible: Global Gemini
Meteos: Disney Magic
Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007
Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja


March
Wario: Master of Disguise
Custom Robo Arena
Disney's Herbie: Rescue Rally
Disney's Meet the Robinsons
Spectrobes
Steel Horizon
Cake Mania
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

via gamespot ...

via slashdot

The anecdotal evidence that's been going around, now that the Wii is an established fixture in American living rooms, is that Nintendo's new console still has room for improvement. We all had fun over the holidays, sharing Wii Sports with our relatives and watching our aunts laugh themselves stupid. Now, though, it's a new year and it's time for the Wii to step up as a gaming platform. It needs to be more than a Zelda player, and the console needs to prove that this 'new gen' style of play is sustainable over the long term. The post-launch round of games has started to trickle out, and the results are definitely mixed. Today I have for you impressions of Elebits and WarioWare: Smooth Moves. These are two games that show quite a bit of promise, but only one of which actually delivers. Read on for my views, and a return to a numeric grading scale. ...

Ray Maguire, managing director of SCE UK, has told GamesIndustry.biz that retailers have been quick to welcome the European PS3 launch announcement.

"We have had an incredibly positive response from our partners in UK retail," Maguire said.

"There has been some great feedback on pre-order take up and the palpable anticipation from consumers."

As announced at midnight last night, the PlayStation 3 is set to launch in Europe on March 23, priced at GBP 425 / EUR 599. Sony plans to ship 1 million units for launch day, when more than 30 software titles will go on sale alongside the console.

"With the strongest and biggest launch line up of any console in the history of our business and a unprecedented stock allocation for the launch period, we look forward to sitting down with our trade partners in order to finalise our plans for a very solid UK launch," Maguire concluded.

via gibiz ...

via gamesindustry

Sony's critics may baulk at the high price of PS3 but according to the retail sector, it's consumers who will ultimately decide whether GBP 425 is too much to ask when the console arrives on March 23.

From entertainment chains to independent specialists, UK retailers have told GamesIndustry.biz that whatever analysts, industry insiders and rival format holders think of the PS3's price tag, gamers will vote with their wallets.

"Obviously, it's quite a high threshold, which may or may not prove an issue, particularly among non-core PlayStation fans," said Tim Ellis, head of games at HMV.

"But then it's also the case that PS3 is much more than just a games console. Gamers already know this and I'm sure will respond accordingly."

Sony's pre-release mantra that the PS3 can do more than play videogames seems to have swayed consumer opinion - and that's reassured Don McCabe, MD of specialist chain Chips, that consumers will consider it worth the asking price.

"I don't think the price point will put customers off, although they'll be looking at the specification of the machine carefully to see if anything has changed from the US and Japanese units," he said.

"It's a lot of money, so it has to deliver everything the consumer expects - and if it does it may go some way to allaying fears of Europe being treated as second best."

"GBP 425 is a lot of money, but so is GBP 300 and GBP 179.99," commented Steve O'Brien, of leading indie store Action Replay.

"The price isn't prohibitive. People have a lot more disposable income and they don't mind spending it if they understand what they get for it. The PS3 is a lot more than just a games console, and those that are going to buy it understand that," he continued.

And it's not just consumers who will have to dig deep, according to McCabe. "To buy the amount of machines we require, it's not a cheap thing. We'll have to have serious conversations with our financial people to convince them to invest a lot of money at a traditionally quiet time of year," he said.

Sony has yet to announce how many of the 1 million PS3 units heading to Europe for launch day will reach the UK. But even if Britain gets around 30 per cent of the allocation, as has happened historically, and ends up with around 300,000 units, there may not be enough to meet the unprecedented demand from a loyal PlayStation fanbase.

"Initial demand is bound to be much greater than supply - that's an inevitable reality of dealing with such a major product, where anticipation has been building for years," said HMV's Ellis. "We'll start taking pre-orders, and I'm sure they'll take off in a big way."

"Without a doubt, the first 300,000 units for the UK are going to be snapped up by those we consider the hardcore gamers, the early adopters," said O'Brien.

"Pre-orders have been phenomenal. Over Christmas, Wii and the Xbox 360 were incredibly well supported, but without a doubt, taking in fixed pre-orders, the PS3 was the product that raised the most interest," he revealed.

Retail has also praised the software launch titles, even happy to concede sales of digitally distributed titles for helping expand the market.

"The industry has finally grown up and we no longer have to look at 'either/or'. We can now look at 'as well' in terms of product, and that's great news, not just for retail but for everyone," said O'Brien.

"If there's that much software available for launch, we'll be very happy. Even digital titles help grow the console market as a whole," he said.

All eyes are now firmly set on the March 23 date, less than eight weeks away. With retail already pleased at the success of the Wii and Xbox 360 launches, it's Sony's turn to prove it's still got the consumer pulling power once synonymous with the PlayStation brand.

"Nintendo and Microsoft have both delivered fantastic products and software, so Sony has really got to prove itself," commented McCabe.

"Historically, Sony did everything right for the PSone and PS2 launches, but the PSP launch was only so-so. For a long time Sony has been the king of the videogames industry, so the question now is, are they going to reassert that dominance again?" ...

via gamesindustry

The successful launch of the Wii and the continued strong performance of the DS has boosted Nintendo, with the company enjoying a 43 per cent rise in profits for the nine months ended December 31.

The company has recorded net profit of 131.9 billion yen (EUR 844.1m) in the first nine months of the fiscal year, up from 92.2 billion yen (EUR 590m) in the same period last year.

Sales climbed a massive 73 per cent to 712.6 billion yen (EUR 4.5bn) during April through to December, compared to 412.3 billion (EUR 2.63bn) the previous year.

Nineteen of Nintendo's software releases since April have sold over one million units, 13 of which were DS titles while three were for the Wii and three for the Game Boy Advance.

Sales of the Wii have reached 3.19 million units worldwide, according to Nintendo. 1.25 units have been sold in North America with 1.14 units sold in Japan.

Nintendo still expects to reach its target of six million global shipments by March 31, with seven million units manufactured by that date. ...

via gamesindustry

The successful launch of the Wii and the continued strong performance of the DS has boosted Nintendo, with the company enjoying a 43 per cent rise in profits for the nine months ended December 31.

The company has recorded net profit of 131.9 billion yen (EUR 844.1m) in the first nine months of the fiscal year, up from 92.2 billion yen (EUR 590m) in the same period last year.

Sales climbed a massive 73 per cent to 712.6 billion yen (EUR 4.5bn) during April through to December, compared to 412.3 billion (EUR 2.63bn) the previous year.

Nineteen of Nintendo's software releases since April have sold over one million units, 13 of which were DS titles while three were for the Wii and three for the Game Boy Advance.

Sales of the Wii have reached 3.19 million units worldwide, according to Nintendo. 1.25 units have been sold in North America with 1.14 units sold in Japan.

Nintendo still expects to reach its target of six million global shipments by March 31, with seven million units manufactured by that date. ...