SuccessHK have today announced they are taking preorders for the Wii Console, heres the info if any of you havent heard of it:



Product Features of Nintendo Wii Nintendo Wii US version
CPU from IBM; GPU from ATI
Backwards compatible with GameCube software
Wireless Controller
Classics Library on Download: NES, SNES, N64 & selected Genesis & TurboGrafx games
DVD Playback feature and Wi-Fi Compatible

More Description of Nintendo Wii Nintendo Wii US version

The cool look: The new console boasts high-quality materials and a smart, compact design, approximately the size of three standard DVD cases stacked together.
Backward compatibility: The new console plays all games from the current Nintendo GameCube generation.
The secret weapon: The console also will have downloadable access to 20 years of fan-favorite titles originally released for Nintendo64 the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and even the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
The specs: The system boasts 512 megabytes of internal flash memory, wireless controllers, two USB 2.0 ports and built-in Wi-Fi access. A worldwide network of Nintendo players can gather to compete in a comfortable, inviting environment. Revolution's technological heart, a processing chip developed with IBM and code-named "Broadway," and a graphics chip set from ATI code-named 'Hollywood', will deliver game experiences not previously possible.
The stars: Introduction of a number of new franchise properties will add to the world's richest stable of stars, including Mario, Zelda, Super Smash Bros. Metroid.
Wireless freedom: A number of Wi-Fi-enabled launch titles are in development that will employ Nintendo's newly announced wireless gaming service, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Our friends at Lik Sang are also taking Preorders on the new console. ...

SuccessHK have today announced they are taking preorders for the Wii Console, heres the info if any of you havent heard of it:



Product Features of Nintendo Wii Nintendo Wii US version
CPU from IBM; GPU from ATI
Backwards compatible with GameCube software
Wireless Controller
Classics Library on Download: NES, SNES, N64 & selected Genesis & TurboGrafx games
DVD Playback feature and Wi-Fi Compatible

More Description of Nintendo Wii Nintendo Wii US version

The cool look: The new console boasts high-quality materials and a smart, compact design, approximately the size of three standard DVD cases stacked together.
Backward compatibility: The new console plays all games from the current Nintendo GameCube generation.
The secret weapon: The console also will have downloadable access to 20 years of fan-favorite titles originally released for Nintendo64 the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and even the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
The specs: The system boasts 512 megabytes of internal flash memory, wireless controllers, two USB 2.0 ports and built-in Wi-Fi access. A worldwide network of Nintendo players can gather to compete in a comfortable, inviting environment. Revolution's technological heart, a processing chip developed with IBM and code-named "Broadway," and a graphics chip set from ATI code-named 'Hollywood', will deliver game experiences not previously possible.
The stars: Introduction of a number of new franchise properties will add to the world's richest stable of stars, including Mario, Zelda, Super Smash Bros. Metroid.
Wireless freedom: A number of Wi-Fi-enabled launch titles are in development that will employ Nintendo's newly announced wireless gaming service, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Our friends at Lik Sang are also taking Preorders on the new console. ...

Before you ask, no, this won't allow you to download XBLA games from the net, burn them, and play them for free—believe us we checked. But what this can do is let you burn games you already own onto the disk so people without Xbox 360 hard drives can play games without having to download them each time onto their memory cards.

So what you do, apparently, is first buy the XBLA game, then burn it onto a CD—presumably by downloading it—and then pop it into your drive and the game boots right up. If you didn't actually purchase the game first, all you get is a demo version. ...

The Xbox Live Vision is in stores today, according to an announcement by Microsoft. This camera peripheral for the Xbox 360 adds real-time video-chat functionality to the Xbox Live service, along with various other features, including in-game support in current and upcoming titles. A paid Xbox Live Gold membership is required to take advantage of the video-chat functionality.



Xbox Live Vision
The camera ships as part of two different bundles. The $39 version includes the camera, an Xbox 360 headset, and the games UNO and TotemBall. The $79 Xbox Live Vision Gold Pack includes a yearlong Xbox Live Gold subscription, 200 Microsoft Points that can be spent on Xbox Live Marketplace content, and Robotron 2084, in addition to the headset and other two titles.

Furthermore, Microsoft announced that on September 20, four Xbox Live Arcade titles will be automatically updated to include support for the new camera. These include Bankshot Billiards 2, Hardwood Hearts, Hardwood Spades, and Hardwood Backgammon. Up till now, the Xbox Live Arcade version of UNO was the only game to include camera support. ...

Though Japan and Europe are no strangers to having options when it comes to a console's colors, traditionally the selection of systems in the US isn't as varied. That trend has been changing lately, with the most recent announcement being alternate pink and black versions of the popular DS Lite.

It appears that another console manufacturer may be following suit, if a recent product listing on GameStop's Web site is to be believed. The site has a page for a Sony PlayStation 2 Silver Redesign, the same product that has been available in Japan and Europe since 2005.

The $129.99 console is listed as being available on October 24, just in time for the holidays and three weeks before the Wii and PlayStation 3 go on sale. The system is fairly bare-bones, packaged with no games and only one controller.

Sony had not yet responded to GameSpot's request for confirmation on the product's US availability as of press time.

Please note, while retailer listings frequently jump the gun on publishers' product announcements, they should not be taken as final confirmation of a game's existence, nor should the absence of a listing be considered as proof that a game isn't coming to a given platform. ...

In mid-November, both Sony and Nintendo plan to release their next-generation game consoles, the PlayStation 3 and the Wii, respectively.

But as the game world welcomes these new consoles--and the first round of games for them--Microsoft's Xbox 360 will be reaching its first birthday with a year's head start in games and accessories. Further, while the Wii is getting a lot of good press for its relatively inexpensive $250 price tag, Sony's decision to put Blu-ray players in the PS3 and thus price its high-end console at $599 has resulted in a lot of criticism. Microsoft's "premium" Xbox costs $399.

Since the Xbox 360 launch last November in the Mojave Desert, Microsoft also has put a great deal of effort into bolstering its Xbox Live service and has recently unveiled its XNA Game Studio Express, which will enable small teams of developers to make games for the Xbox or for the PC and have those games made available to the public.

At the same time, the company has been touting its Xbox Live Arcade service, through which the company is regularly releasing hit games of the past such as Pac-Man, Galaga, and Scramble. Those games cost less than $10 to download and have become a hit on the service.

Throughout it all, Microsoft vice president Peter Moore has presided over the growing Xbox 360 empire. The company has said it eventually intends for a billion people to be connected in some way to that empire. And although that goal may be a fantasy, it's not hard to imagine Microsoft doing all it can to try to get there.

GameSpot sister site CNET News sat down recently with Moore at Microsoft's Xbox headquarters in Redmond, Washington, as he was preparing to head overseas for the Tokyo Game Show and then, among other things, a trip to India to launch the Xbox there.

CNET News: Why release the Xbox 360 in India?

Peter Moore: It's an incredibly fascinating market. India's growing, finally getting a middle class that's of a proportion that you really feel you can grow some business with.

CN: How much does Xbox cost in India?

PM: Obviously, it's in rupees. It's probably the dollar equivalent of where we are today here. In some instances, we will price down a little bit for the Marketplace, but it's a premium product. And as I mentioned earlier, there is a middle class there, and clearly we have to market to them. Not only do you want to market to the consumers that buy the console, we want to market to the consumer that can connect online. And broadband penetration is growing fast there. Plus, the business model is about selling software. The software pricing is where we could look at being a little more market conscious.

CN: Given different costs of living, the price of an Xbox 360 is not the same in San Francisco and Topeka. How do you deal with that?

PM: It's more expensive in Topeka. But we don't just look at the console cost in isolation. We look at what it takes to be up and running and have the best experience. We call it "TCO," total cost of ownership.

You look at hardware cost itself, and then you look at what software costs, you look at game subscriptions and peripherals. It is something that companies like ourselves, Sony, and Nintendo spend a lot of time figuring out. Where is the sweet spot? You're not going to make any money on the hardware in the early going.

CN: When you look at the ideal Xbox consumer, who is that person?

PM: He is a male. He is connected. He is very, very used to going online for community. He's probably played PC games online. He's part of a Halo 2 clan and has been for two years. That comes from him playing Halo in college--so he's 23 or 24--with his buddies. He still loves to go out on a Wednesday night with them, even though they're spread all around the US. But they all come together Wednesday night to relive the days in the dorm room.

CN: What else does he want?

PM: He also expects instant gratification, the delivery of game demos to his hard drive via his broadband network. And he's popular enough to have his profile online and he's pretty competitive, so he loves (Xbox game) achievements. He'll stay up all night to get achievements in games that his buddies have because it just pisses him off that they've got them first. He also would rather starve to death than not have a high-definition TV. He'll go without food rather than have a standard-def 27-inch TV.

CN: It's looking like the Wii won't be direct competition for the Xbox or PlayStation 3. Do you agree?

PM: In a lot of instances, it will be a No. 2 box because it's priced accordingly. The fear I would have is that people will buy the box and only play a few games. I think you'll pull it out at parties. It's fun for a few minutes, but I'm not sure (how long that will last).

CN: When Sony announced the PS3 will cost $600, were you guys pumping your fists?

PM: It will still sell out at launch. I've never known a console that didn't blow the doors down in the early going, and PS3 and the Wii will be no exception. But this is not about the first six months. These are six- to eight-year ...

Politicians in up-and-coming Scandinavia fail to mince words as grants flow freely at Swedish event.

Erik Robertson, organiser of government funded organisation Nordic Game, has issued a stark warning to British politicians of an ostensible refusal to support the British games development industry with grants.

"I would say that if the British government and politicians in Britain keep refusing to support their industry – as it is, as I understand it, the third in the world in terms of size – from the Nordic perspective: good idea."

Robertson was speaking after a presentation by Norwegian minister for culture and church affairs, Trond Giske, at the Nordic Game event in Malmö, Sweden.

"I'll be careful giving advice to politicians in other countries, but I can say what our objectives are towards this industry," Giske added.

"I view it as a cultural industry, as a media branch. This is something people develop their impressional skills, their ability to see the world in different angles and ways, and I think it's very important that we have ways of telling stories from our own culture also in this industry as in movies."

"Of course, we could fill cinemas with British or American movies, but we want to have our own stories as well. Our children should have access to computer games based on the Nordic story-telling traditions," said the minister.

During his presentation, Giske handed out several grants to Nordic developers, including 600,000 Swedish krowns (65,200 Euro) to Guppyworks for "The Snow Queen and the Magic Mirror", 400,000 Swedish krowns (43,400 Euro) to Skalden Studios for "Blablobben Doggo og det Gronne Monsteret" and 500,000 Denmark Kroner (67,000 Euro) to Sub-level X Entertainment for "Nord".

Giske also detailed how government funding in the Nordic region will achieve Nordic Game's goal of giving children access to games which feature Nordic characters and storytelling and raise the profile of Scandinavian development through events such as E3 in Los Angeles and Games Convention in Leipzig.

The approach of supporting the games development business through government funding in the rest of Europe has become a bone of contention in the UK among those increasingly desperately seeking employment and training grants from politicians.

Giske pointed at the size difference of the two territories as a possible reason for a refusal to budge from the British Labour government.

"You have to take into consideration that the UK is 60 million people," said Giske. "Totally in the Nordic countries we are around 24 million people. It's a much smaller market and we have smaller language areas, so there might be a different need for support in our countries than there is in Britain." ...

Activision has confirmed that it will bring hit music title Guitar Hero to multiple formats in 2007.

Speaking at Goldman Sachs Communacopia XV Conference, CEO and chairman of Activision Robert Kotick revealed the news as part of his keynote speech.

Kotick confirmed that Guitar Hero would appear "on every significant new format", while discussing intentions for yearly updates and building franchises across a number of key Activision titles.

The revelation comes in the same week that employees of retail chain Gamestation were reportedly informed that the game would appear on Xbox 360 in the first part of 2007. Activision's Guitar Hero-publishing subsidiary RedOctane has declined to comment on the matter. ...

President of GarageGames, Jeff Tunnell, has revealed the costs associated with creating original IP for Xbox Live Arcade are rising due to the "industry standard arms race".

Writing on his blog, Tunnell pointed out that what has previously been considered a high-end figure for development of games for the digital service, is soon likely to be considered the budget of a cheap product.

"Creating an Xbox Live Arcade game is taking most studios 6-12 months. Costs are currently ranging from USD $100,000 to USD $300,000," revealed Tunnell.

"The industry standard arms race will quickly make the top end $300,000 budget a cheap product."

"Right now, I wouldn't consider attempting to make an XBLA game with a USD $100,000 budget. Development kits and Certification would eat up half of that, not leaving much for the actual game development," he said.

However high these costs might seem to independent developers, Tunnell also put them into perspective alongside development of a boxed title for retail.

"While these budgets may seem high to indies, these budgets wouldn't buy coffee on a triple-A console title for the retail box channel," he said.

Tunnell also expressed his pleasure at the success of GarageGames' title Marble Blast Ultra, stating: "I am extremely happy with our returns from Xbox Live Arcade, and I also know that we are not done yet. Marble Blast Ultra continues to sell extremely well." ...