Survey says Xbox 360 failure rate falls to 10 percent
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Hardware, Microsoft, Xbox 360,
Improvements to the Xbox 360 have apparently cut down on the number of "red ring of death" reports, but the console still requires more repairs than its competitors, according to data from PCMag's Readers' Choice Awards.
Approximately 10 percent of those polled for the survey reported having to take their Xbox 360 in for repairs over the last year, which was twice the rate of its competitors. However, that was a significant improvement over last year, when that number was 23 percent.
Many Xbox users are familiar with the console's "red ring of death," which replaced the glowing green center on the device's power button when the Xbox was on its last legs. Last year, former PCMag Editor Lance Ulanoff experienced the phenomenon after his son completed a Red Dead Redemption marathon on his Xbox 360. Though some Twitter users helpfully suggested that placing it in the freezer for a few minutes would solve the problem (really), he opted to send it in for repairs.
Last year, Microsoft unveiled a "slim" version of its Xbox 360 console at E3, which featured a redesigned case with a bit more ventilation than the original console. It included built-in 802.11n networking and a 250GB hard drive for $299.
Click to continue reading Survey says Xbox 360 failure rate falls to 10 percent
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Here’s what the Wii U console looks like
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: E3, Hardware, Nintendo, Wii U,
While Nintendo focused their E3 2011 Wii U efforts on the tablet-style controller for the new platform, many gamers wondered why they were to quiet about the console itself. In fact, many wondered if the Wii U controller was the console, and if it was just a new accessory for the current Wii system. Nintendo cleared it up later during E3, but all the press photos they released focused on the exciting controller. We're guessing they simply thought that the controller was the big deal (which it is,) and that no one would care about the actual console when it's over a year away from launching (although they were wrong there.) Above is an image of the Wii U console. Not much to see, but at least we can see that it is certainly not a Wii. Oh, and yes, it does 1080p.
Gallery: Here’s what the Wii U console looks like
Wii U won’t support DVD or Blu-ray movie playback
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Hardware, Nintendo, Wii U,
Nintendo's hot Wii U console is set to ship next year, but one thing that won't be a part of the package is DVD or Blu-ray movie playback. According to Nintendo, customers already have DVD and Blu-ray players, and they are so cheap that you can get one easily without them bundling that into the Wii U software.
Wii U does not have DVD or Blu-ray playback capabilities. The reason for that is that we feel that enough people already have devices that are capable of playing DVDs and Blu-ray, such that it didn't warrant the cost involved to build that functionality into the Wii U console because of the patents related to those technologies.
So yeah, Wii U will purely be a gaming console, just like Wii, as opposed to a whole-home entertainment strategies that you see with the Xbox 360 and PS3.
Gallery: Wii U won’t support DVD or Blu-ray movie playback
Nintendo Wii price slashed to $150, now includes Mario Kart Wii
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Hardware, Hot Deals, Nintendo, Wii,
Confirming rumors that emerged in mid-April, Nintendo is officially lowering the retail price of the Wii to $149.99 on May 15, and including a copy of Mario Kart Wii and a black or white steering wheel.
Previously, the Wii console cost $199.99 and came with Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort. The Mario Kart with Wii Wheel bundle was separately listed at $49.99.
Also on May 15, Nintendo is launching Nintendo Selects, a bundle of four "must-own" Wii games for $19.99. The games are: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Mario Super Sluggers, and Wii Sports.
Click to continue reading Nintendo Wii price slashed to $150, now includes Mario Kart Wii
Gallery: Nintendo Wii price slashed to $150, now includes Mario Kart Wii
Nintendo confirms Wii successor to be shown at E3 in June
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: E3, Hardware, Nintendo, Rumors,
Time to start your wrist exercises: IGN has gotten its hands on new details about Nintendo's upcoming Wii 2 console, codenamed "Project Café," and the system's specs look pretty beefy on paper. But we should preface this all by saying that Wii 2 is just a nickname for Nintendo's Wii successor. According to IGN, Nintendo is floating around alternate names for the platform, including "Stream." This morning Nintendo confirmed that they'd be showing the console at E3 this June:
Nintendo Co., Ltd. has decided to launch in 2012 a system to succeed Wii, which the company has sold 86.01 million units on a consolidated shipment basis between its launch in 2006 and the end of March 2011.We will show a playable model of the new system and announce more specifications at the E3 Expo, which will be held June 7-9, 2011, in Los Angeles.Sales of this new system have not been included in the financial forecasts announced today for the fiscal term ending March 2012.
That name is itself interesting, as the Wii successor will finally have the power to be able to output high-definition video–1080p content–but it's still not expected to have a physical way to read HD content like Blu-ray discs.
The 1080p compatibility will be partially thanks to the custom-built tri-core IBM PowerPC chipset that'll serve as the Wii 2's brains. It's going to be the same kind of setup that you'll find on Microsoft's Xbox 360 console. Only, Nintendo will allegedly up the clock speeds to beat out the three 64-bit, 3.2-Ghz cores of Microsoft's competing device, among other enhancements.
Click to continue reading Nintendo confirms Wii successor to be shown at E3 in June
Gallery: Nintendo confirms Wii successor to be shown at E3 in June
Nintendo set to drop Wii to $149 next month?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Nintendo, Rumors, Wii,
To help push dusty Nintendo Wii's off the shelves, Nintendo is reportedly dropping the price of its console to $149, down from $199.
Citing an unnamed source, Engadget reported on Monday that the new price will take effect on May 15.
A spokesman for Nintendo said, "Nintendo does not comment on speculation or rumor." Engadget pointed to a March interview between Nintendo America president Reggie Fils-Aime and Gamasutra, in which Fils-Aime discussed re-pricing the console.
"The Wii has a long life in front of it," Fils-Aime said. "We're still sitting at $199. There are a variety of marketing tools at our disposal."
Click to continue reading Nintendo set to drop Wii to $149 next month?
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Nintendo Wii sales plummet by 31.5 percent from January 2010
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Nintendo, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360,
January has just not been a pleasant month for video game sales. At least, that's according to new numbers released by NPD. Total January 2011 sales for gaming accessories, portable systems, and games for PCs and consoles fell to $1.16 billion from last year's total of $1.22 billion. And the $1.22 billion figure for January 2010 is itself a decrease from January 2009 figures, or $1.33 billion in total sales.
Breaking that number out a bit, hardware sales took the biggest year-to-year hit, dropping 8 percent from $353.7 million in January 2010 to $324 million in January 2011. NPD no longer splits this number out into publicly available data for the various console manufacturers; however, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter said that Microsoft was the only big player to experience year-to-year growth on hardware sales.
According to Pachter, Microsoft sold approximately 332,800 Xbox 360 units, representing a year-to-year growth of 14.4 percent for the company. More than half of the systems sold were also bundled with Microsoft's Kinect accessory.
Nintendo, on the other hand, found its sales down 31.5 percent compared to the same period of time last year. That's a drop from 465,800 Wii consoles sold in January 2010 to 319,000 sold in January 2011. The company still leads the current console market with 34.5 million Wii units sold in the U.S., in total, with Microsoft's Xbox 360 coming in second place at 25.8 million, followed by Sony's PlayStation 3 at 15.7 million.
Click to continue reading Nintendo Wii sales plummet by 31.5 percent from January 2010
Gallery: Nintendo Wii sales plummet by 31.5 percent from January 2010
Grab the DJ Hero 2 Tiesto Mix Pack for free
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Music, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Marketplace,
All you DJ Hero 2 lovers out there, we've just come across a free mix pack that you can get right now for a limited time! Just click on the image above, or the link below, to head over to the My Coke Rewards page. Sign up, and you'll be able to choose the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, or Wii version of the Tiesto mix pack, which features three full tracks for you to jam to.
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| DJ Hero 2 Tiesto Mix Pack
Gallery: Grab the DJ Hero 2 Tiesto Mix Pack for free
Wii successor not a top priority for Nintendo…yet
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Nintendo, Rumors, Wii,
The Nintendo Wii has done well. Really well. Though, sales of the hit console peaked in its third year, and have since been waning. This kind of shift in sales is what usually prompts a successor to be named. Not to mention that the Wii now faces an uphill battle against the motion technologies of both Sony and Microsoft, the latter of which is taking off into American homes like hot cakes. However, Nintendo of America's Reggie Fils-Aime believes that the original Wii still has a lot of fight left in it, even against the transformed market strategies of Sony and Microsoft.
In an interview with Kotaku journalist Stephen Totilo, Reggie stated:
"As we sit here today we're saying the Wii has many, many more units to sell. After we've reached an installed base of 45 million here in the U.S., we can have a conversation about the next generation. "
As of now the Wii has an installed base of more than 30 million in North America. Looks like it's going to be at least another two years before we Nintendo even thinks about a new console. Or at least that's what they want us to think, wink wink.
Read More | Kotaku
Gallery: Wii successor not a top priority for Nintendo…yet
Buy 2 games, get 1 free next week at Target
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Hot Deals, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360,
Looking to pick up a gaggle of games for yourself, or for loved ones for the holidays? You'll wanna plan to hit up Target next week, as they are having an awesome "Buy 2, Get One Free" sale, and it applies to all games, including brand new titles. With all the new hotness that's being dropped on us so far in October and early November, this is the place to be if you wanna pick up at least two new games (Kinect, anyone?). So, what are you gonna get?
Read More | GTR
Gallery: Buy 2 games, get 1 free next week at Target
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