The PlayStation 3 has been on the market for three years—and for most of that time, the console has been pulling up the rear amongst so-called next-generation game console sales, regularly trounced by the Xbox 360 and (of course) the Nintendo Wii—and for a while even struggling to stay ahead of the decade-old PlayStation 2. But the introduction of the PS3 Slim coupled with substantial price cuts seem to have translated into sales momentum for the PS3—in fact, Sony claims PS3 sales this October were 70 percent higher than sales in October 2008.
Category: Hardware
Microsoft Barring Modded Consoles from Xbox Live
Although it’s certainly not a mainstream activity, the market for modifying Xbox 360 consoles is healthy and growing. Some players modify their consoles to essentially cheat at games and unlock features and capabilities without having to arduously play their way through dozens (or hundreds) of lead-up scenarios. And, of course, other people modify their Xbox consoles to pirate games or play pirated games—actions that are patently illegal in most markets, but nonetheless supports a healthy underground economy. Some gaming an electronics shop will openly modify Xbox consoles to play pirated games, typically for about $100.
Microsoft’s Natal Launch Details Leaked After UK Tour
Launch Alert: According to a source from the UK’s MCV, Project Natal is shipping in November 2010 with 14 games and it’s supposed to be under $80. Apparently, Microsoft will be manufacturing 5 million of its controller-free Natals for a worldwide launch in the fall of 2010, supposedly November. Some of those Natals will be standalone but other will be part of a Xbox 360 bundle. Microsoft’s Project Natal details have emerged following behind-closed-door Microsoft tour of UK publishers and studios. There price details are still a little shady, some sources say the Natal will be retailing for $80, while others bet on a lower “impulse-buy” price point of $50.
Maingear Shifts High Performance Computing into Gear
Boutique computer maker Maingear has introduced its new high-performance desktop system dubbed the Shift—where where other high-performance PCs aimed at gamers and enthusiasts pack a ton of bling and pretty colors, the Shift is defined by an austere monolithic look that packs a ton of horsepower and expandability. Maingear is positioning the Shift as a premier system to leverage the power of GPUs in everyday computing, whether that be transcoding video, editing photos, or (gasp) even just playing games.
“The Shift bucks the trend of plastic, bloated, commodity PCs,” said Maingear CEO Wallace Santos, in a statement. “It’s a statement of our commitment to performance, reliability, and support.”
Nintendo Wii Sales Sink, Gamers Want Better Games
The video game console wars are booming right now thanks to price cuts across the board on the three major game consoles. The introduction of the much cheaper PS3 slim was a catalyst for the price cuts in the industry.
With the PS3 Slim selling for $299, Microsoft quickly dropped the price of its Xbox 360 Elite to the same $299 price point. To make its console more attractive Nintendo also announced a price cut. The price cut brought the Wii to a price of $199. At that price, the console still fell behind the new PS3 as gamers finally started to buy the console in significant numbers.
Nintendo DSi LL Coming to Japan with 4.2-inch Screens
In mobile gaming size and portability have always been huge factors in a product’s success—but Nintendo has decided its going to take a chance with its new Nintendo DSi LL (Japanese), due to launch in Japan on November 21 with a 4.2-inch dual-screen displays. Overall, the DSi LL will be about 20 percent larger than its predecessor, and offer some 93 percent more screen area.
The expanded display will no doubt help the Nintendo DSi LL compete with the Sony PlayStation Portable, which has always featured a larger, single-screen design.
U.S. Justice Department Probing Sony’s Optical Drive Unit
Sony has confirmed that it has received a subpoena from the U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust division, seeking information about the state of the optical disk drive business in the United States. The subpoena involves Sony Optiarc America, which produces a variety of CD, DVD, and Blu-ray devices, including units used as internal and external drives on PCs. Sony also said other countries besides the United States are looking into the state of competition in the optical drive market, but no other nations have been named.
Netflix Streaming Coming to the PlayStation 3
In late 2008, Netflix and Microsoft announced a deal to being Netflix streaming movies and content to Xbox Live customers: folks who paid $50 a year for an Xbox Live Gold membership and who also subscribed to Netflix could stream thousands of movies and television shows from Netflix to their televisions using the Xbox 360 console and their existing home broadband Internet connection. At the time, Microsoft described the deal as “exclusive,” and although Netflix has inked separate deals with the likes of TiVo and Sony (for its Bravia TVs), the Xbox 360 has remained the only game console offering Netflix streaming.
Microsoft: No Plans for Blu-ray on Xbox 360
During an interview supporting Microsoft’s launch of Windows 7, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer made a comment about folks being able to buy external Blu-ray players…but Microsoft’s own all-things-Xbox spokesperson Major Nelson is scrambling to clarify that Ballmer was referring to external Blu-ray players for personal computers, not for the Xbox 360 system. According to Nelson, nothing has changed: Microsoft has no plans to bring a Blu-ray player to the Xbox 360. 
Altec Lansing’s Stage Gig Powered Speaker Monitors Your Game
Sure, powered speaker systems aren’t exactly a new thing, but with peripherals for franchise games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero going for as much as $300, it was only a matter of time before folks who make powered speakers decided to get in on the gaming. Enter Altec Lansing with its new Stage Gig portable amplified speaker: the unit packs a 6.5-inch driver, 40 watts of power, and is shaped to look like a miniature stage wedge so guitar-controller badasses can feel like they’re living the life at Wembley Stadium.
