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Nintendo Releases Sales Figures
Posted by Brandon Gribin Categories: Corporate News, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Gamecube
Nintendo recently released impressive numbers for its Nintendo DS portable platform - 8.83 million units shipped worldwide. Of that figure, 2.37 million have been shipped to the U.S. We’d say it’s impressive - especially considering the portable machine first released around a year ago. Furthermore, 23.8 million units of DS software have been sold worldwide.
Moving onto the Gamecube, the home console just passed 10 million units in the U.S. - bringing the grand worldwide total to 19.31 million. Sony’s PS2 has sold millions more units, but Nintendo’s not giving up on the home console market yet.
Read More 
| PALGN
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This weekend’s Wall Street Journal features a front-page article on current legislation of videogame laws. Many states throughout the country are currently enacting, or have already enacted, laws barring minors from purchasing violent videogames.
The problem is that courts around the country are deeming these laws inappropriate because they conflict with our first amendment right to free speech. We’re able to stroll into a bookstore and purchase any book we’d like, regardless of our age or content of the book. Interested in reading up the violent actions in “Crime and Punishment?” It doesn’t matter if you’re only ten or twelve years old - you’d be able to pick up a copy of the book, or any other book for that matter, and start reading.
Click to continue reading Videogame Laws vs. The First Amendment
Microsoft: “No HD-DVD Compatible 360 Next Year”
Posted by Brandon Gribin Categories: Corporate News, Xbox 360
Microsoft has denied that it will release a HD-DVD compatible Xbox 360 in 2006. Releasing a new version of the 360 would certainly upset consumers who already put down cash on the currently available units. While it’d be great if the 360 did support a next-gen DVD format since the discs would be larger in size, it would ramp up the machine’s price. Additionally, with each passing day, it’s looking more and more like the Blu-Ray, will beat out HD-DVD to become the next-gen DVD standard.
Any thoughts on this?
Read More | EuroGamer
Henry Jenkins, an MIT professor, takes a good hard look at video game myths and explains why they’re flat-out wrong. Here are the eight myths he debunks:
1. The availability of video games has led to an epidemic of youth violence.
2. Scientific evidence links violent game play with youth aggression.
3. Children are the primary market for video games.
4. Almost no girls play computer games.
5. Because games are used to train soldiers to kill, they have the same impact on the kids who play them.
6. Video games are not a meaningful form of expression.
7. Video game play is socially isolating.
8. Video game play is desensitizing.
We honestly feel like we’ve know all of these statements are false but it’s good to see them with explanations by an MIT professor, with only gives them more validity. The article still makes for a good read anyways.
Read More | The Video Game Revolution
Want to go up against Reggie, Nintendo’s Executive VP of Marketing and Sales, in a game of Mario Kart DS? He’ll be at the McDonalds in Bellevue Square - in Bellevue, Washington - at 4:00 PM on Monday December 19th. Take your DS along if you’re interested in playing. If you don’t have one, Nintendo will have some extra units on hand at the event. Nintendo will also be handing out free gear at the McDonalds event, so even if you are horrible at Mario Kart, you should still stop by. If you don’t live anywhere near Bellevue, WA, try logging onto MK Online at 4:00 PM PST on Monday. Look for NOA_Reggie in the “Worldwide” mode.
Read More | Nintendo Boards
Yeah you read that right. Based upon a Merrill Lynch analysis, Sony is going to lose one billion dollars on hardware sales in the first year of the PlayStation 3’s release. Based upon the analysis, each console will cost Sony about $500 to produce while it’s widely expected that the machine will retail for $399 - so that’s around a loss of about one Benjamen per machine. Oh and Microsoft? Supposedly the company’s loosing $126 on each machine sold. Ouch. Console manufacturers are willing to take these losses though because they expect to make up the loss, and produce profits, through software and accessories.
Read More | PS3 Focus
Online Gaming Revenues to Triple by 2009
Posted by Brandon Gribin Categories: Corporate News, Internet, Xbox Live Marketplace
In a recent release, marketing research firm Parks Associate announced that online game revenues will triple between now and 2009. Currently, online game service revenues stand at $1.1 billion. They’re expected to jump up to $3.5 billion in 2009. With the significant leap, we can only expect to see more and more games online. Furthermore, it looks like Microsoft’s on to something with the Xbox Live Arcade and other media content available online. Based upon five year console cycles, the PS3, Xbox 360, and Revolution will be the consoles on the market, so if you’re looking to ride the wave of online gaming into the future, “Jump In” now -or, once you’re able to at least.
Read More | Next Gen
In sync with the lower game sales of November, Activision has lowered its sales expectations for the all-important current quarter. Despite strong COD2 sales, the company reports lacking sales. Unfortunately for the company, both True Crime and GUN came up very short in retail.
While such a slump can only be expected during transitionary months, as we go from current-gen to next-gen, the slide still comes as a surprise to many in the industry. Are the games being made just not good enough? Game publishers probably will end up current-gen game prices in the near future to help boost sales. Just because you’re selling more doesn’t mean you’re making more. Meanwhile, will next-gen game prices float upwards? COD2 is priced at $60 and it’s the number one selling 360 game, so publishers will only take these results as an indication to lower current-gen game prices but raise the ones of next-gen games. So who gets hurt most from all this? The hardcore gamers of course…
Read More | Next Generation
NPD November Sales Numbers
Posted by Brandon Gribin Categories: Corporate News, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Gamecube, PlayStation 2, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360
Not too many surprises in the November sales numbers. Xbox 360 sold around 326k but could have easily sold more had its supply been stronger. The PS2 still dominates the charts but console sales numbers are down compared to last year. We’re a little surprised to see the huge 4:1 tie ratio for Xbox 360 software. (The tie ratio refers to how many units of software are sold per machine.) Oddly enough, PSP sales numbers weren’t included in this analysis’ release.
In terms of the software sales numbers, Activision’s Call of Duty 2 leads the Xbox 360 pack despite an annoying bug. While Microsoft’s Perfect Dark Zero was the third best selling Xbox 360 game, consumers simply didn’t see it as the ‘killer-app’ that many originally hoped it would be. Meanwhile, Mario Kart DS made a fairly strong showing at #10 on the list - especially considering it’s a handheld title. The figures released are immediately below.
Xbox 360 = 326,000
PS2 = 531,000
Xbox = 197,000
GCN = 272,000
DS = 370,000 (approx)Xbox 360 software sales = 1.3 million units, Tie ratio of almost 4:1.
Overall software sales are down 18% over November 2004. Console software sales are down 33%, even with the Xbox 360 sales contribution.
Hardware sales are down 44% over last year.
November Top 25 Software Sales
US Top 25 Videogame Titles
Rank Title PublisherRank Title Publisher
1 XBX STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT II LucasArts
2 PS2 STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT II LucasArts
3 360 CALL OF DUTY 2 Activision
4 PS2 MADDEN NFL 06 Electronic Arts
5 PS2 WWE SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2 THQ
6 360 MADDEN NFL 06 Electronic Arts
7 PSP GTA: LIBERTY CITY STORIES Take 2 Interactive
8 PS2 TONY HAWK AMERICAN WASTELAND Activision
9 GCN MARIO PARTY 7 Nintendo
10 NDS MARIO KART Nintendo
11 PS2 50 CENT: BULLETPROOF Vivendi
12 PS2 CALL OF DUTY 2: BIG RED ONE Activision
13 360 NEED FOR SPEED: MOST WANTED Electronic Arts
14 PS2 SOUL CALIBUR III Namco
15 PS2 DRAGON BALL Z: BUDOKAI TENK Atari
16 PS2 NBA LIVE 06 Electronic Arts
17 PS2 BLITZ: THE LEAGUE Midway
18 PS2 NEED FOR SPEED: MOST WANTED Electronic Arts
19 PS2 RATCHET: DEADLOCKED Sony
20 PSP STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT II LucasArts
21 360 PERFECT DARK ZERO LTD ED Microsoft
22 PS2 SOCOM 3: US NAVY SEALS Sony
23 PS2 GUN Activision
24 PS2 THE MATRIX: PATH OF NEO Atari
25 XBX CALL OF DUTY 2: BIG RED ONE Activision
Source: The NPD Group/NPD Funworld, POS
More Xbox 360s Coming Soon to Best Buy
Posted by Brandon Gribin Categories: Corporate News, Release Dates, Xbox 360
Don’t have an Xbox 360 but want one? Well it looks like you may have to pitch a tent outside your local Best Buy pretty soon. According to IGN, Best Buy has confirmed that it well sell additional 360s on December 18th - that’s this Sunday. The retailer will reportedly sell anywhere between twenty and sixty units per store, and if launch was any indication, this next allotment of machines will surely sell out instantly.
Good luck to those of you contemplating heading out to your local Best Buy. And who knows, you may even meet someone famous while camping out!
Read More | IGN
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