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THQ Sends Queen Gold-Plated Wii

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: THQ, Wii

Gold WiiTHQ one-upped the President in gift giving by sending their latest Wii title, “Big Family Games,” to the Queen of England. They also shipped her a gold-plated system with Remote and Nunchuck. The company stated the Royal Family is the most important one in the country and therefore needed one. While this is great publicity for THQ, we wonder if the monarch will send them a framed portrait as she did for the First Family. And, by the way, shouldn’t they send one to them too, as Sasha and Melia are certainly at an age to appreciate the gift.

Read More | Geek

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Soca Claims Crime Bosses Communicate Via Playstation

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: PlayStation Network, Sony

PlayStation 3That dude that you met in that chat room may be a con, literally. The UK’s Serious Organized Crime Agency recently issued a report that claim that some crime bosses are utilizing PlayStations to control their “empires.” Soca says that it tracked over 5,000 prisoners over the past year and the they are using the game system to send “secret signals” while playing online, get inside chat rooms and use codewords. A spokesperson of the Prison Service claims that they have not been allowed access to wireless enabled technology and that the claim is bogus. As of this date, Sony has made no comment.

Read More | Daily Tech

Increase of Injuries From Wii Usage

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Nintendo, Wii

Wii-FitThe UK claims that up to 10 users a week are being hospitalized because of their Wiis. Dr. Dev Mukerjee of Broomfield Hospital, Essex, claims that there has been a 100% increase of patients with “Wii-itis.” Ailments such as shoulder or wrist inflammation have been reported as well as “Wii-knee” after playing Wii-Fit, which may involve 3 months of treatment to cure. So remember, before you head into heavy gaming mode, do some stretching exercises first.

Read More | Fox News

Nintendo’s Girl Gamer Magazine is in the Pink

Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Culture, Nintendo

Girl Gamer magazine

We were very excited to see that there’s a gaming magazine dedicated to females—but we admit to having some reservations. Currently available in the UK, we feel ’s “Girl Gamer” magazine is way too heavy on the pink…the title, the DS Lite, the 1970s-inspired makeup job. And really, a “Cooking Mama 2” article? A little stereotypical. Granted we are literally judging the magazine by its cover, and get that it’s aimed at the tween set. But let’s hope that if and when Girl Gamer hits US shores, it will be a little… grittier. For our UK brethren, the next issue of Girl Gamer, which is free by the way, will be available in March.


Chart-Track Claims PS3 Sales Drop “Means Nothing”

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, PlayStation 3

Playstation 3 Chart-Track, publisher of video game hardware and software sales numbers in the UK commented on the recent sales figure leak that indicated the PS3 suffered an 82% sales drop in its second week of release. Commenting to Next Generation, Chart-Track director Dorian Bloch claimed that without context, the drop “alone means nothing.” With previous launches of the Wii and the Xbox 360 supply constrained, Bloch asserts that the PS3 launch can not be compared. And Bloch is correct; the number right now is meaningless, without the context of a trend. While the drop appears calamitous, gamers may get a better idea of the true state of PS3 sales as the weeks continue. The danger of such a drop, though, can cement the idea in the minds of the consumers that the console may be a “flop,” despite reality.

Read More | Next Generation

Playstation 3 Sells 165K in UK

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, PlayStation 3

PlayStation 3 Despite reports of low turnouts at midnight launch events for the PlayStation 3 in Europe, Sony managed to break records for console sales during its opening weekend, moving over 165,000 units in the UK. ChartTrack in the UK believes that this sells through approximately 75% of the initial launch allocation for the UK, and surpasses all other console launches in the territory, including the Wii and the Xbox 360. Gamasutra also reports on UK software sales for the opening weekend, with Resistance: Fall of Man and Motorstorm taking spots one and two in the top ten. Of course, launch weekends are generally for the hard core; generally the first couple of million consoles sold are the easiest. Time will tell how Sony’s console does as its purchasing demographic shifts.

Read More | Gamasutra

UK Gamers Get Horrible Playstation 3 Bundle

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, Hardware, PlayStation 3

Playstation 3 GamesIndustry.biz is reporting that UK gamers looking to pre-order the Playstation 3 through retailer HMV are being forced to partake in a particularly onerous bundle. An e-mail sent to customers indicates that those who would like to place a pre-order for the Playstation 3 can do so only when also purchasing a 4 GB PSP package. The bundle includes the new PSP, two PSP games and the Playstation 3, but retails for almost 675 GBP, around $1330 US. According to Gamesindustry.biz, Sony was less than sympathetic towards its fanbase, stating that “his is just one of a number of value added incentives that retailers will be offering to mark the launch of PS3.” This bundle seems to be the oddest choice; hardcore fans of Sony’s hardware will likely have already purchased a PSP, and the pricing puts this above the casual fan’s price range. Add this together with no actual guarantee that the Playstation 3 will be available, this action would seem to be the definition of HMV “biting the hand that feeds it.”

Read More | GamesIndustry.biz

UK To Get Xbox 360 Bundle

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Driving, Xbox 360

Project Gotham Racing 3 Microsoft announced today that starting on September 23, they will be offering an Xbox 360 bundle in the UK, including an Xbox 360 Premium system, an extra wireless controller, and a copy of Project Gotham Racing 3 for £299.99 ($565 US). This new bundle sells for £30 more than a standard Premium system, and may help to entice more gamers to choose the Xbox 360 platform this Holiday season. So, in the past few days, Microsoft has announced bundles in both Japan and the UK to try and rack up sales, but so far US gamers have been left in the cold.

Read More | Eurogamer

Nintendo UK: Wii Region Locked

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Wii

Globe A report from Gameindustry.biz indicates that the Wii may be region-locked, contrary to previous reports. Gamesindustry.biz talked with Nintendo UK, and they said that contrary to previous reports, the Wii would not be region-free. Now, this might still need clarification, since there may be PAL vs. NTSC issues at play; also, Perrin Kaplan did not indicate that there was no region-lock, just that Nintendo first-party titles would not feature a region-lock. This may be similar to the situation on the Xbox 360, where games can be region-locked, but may be playable in multiple regions, like the Japanese release of Saint’s Row and other games.

Read More | Gamesindustry.biz

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