Tuesday, 15 January 2008
Analyst: PS3 Install Base Too Small, Blu-ray to Smash HD-DVD
The install base of the PlayStation 3 is too small for some key developers' tastes, say analysts with theSimExchange, and the PS3 being the lowest-selling game system during the 2007 holiday season isn't likely to help matters.
In October and November, the first-person shooter market -- which analyst Jesse Divnich says can only support two premier titles at once under normal circumstances-- was dominated by The Orange Box and Halo 3 on Xbox 360, while November and December were dominated by Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3. On the PS3, however, The Orange Box saw particularly low sales.
"Unfortunately, the PS3 has such a small install base it is unable to successfully support two first-person-shooters in the same month," said Divnich. "This theory will likely hold true for other great titles under the same genre, with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction cannibalizing each other's sales in December."
TheSimExchange is an online virtual stock market in which gamers, developers and investors trade stock to predict how games will sell.
Divnich did note that as the PS3 install base grows, Sony's console will be able to support more than one standout title per genre. That date may be a ways off, however, as theSimExchange shows PS3 sales being exceeded by every other current-gen gaming system, including the Nintendo DS (of course) and Sony's own PSP (PlayStation Portable).
The weaker-than-the-rest sales will have little effect on the Blu-ray format, however, as theSimExchange anticipates Blu-ray Disc as a format will handily defeat HD-DVD, particularly in light of Warner Bros.' announcement to publish its movies exclusively on Blu-ray effective June 1.
Not surprisingly, the defeat of HD-DVD is not predicted to effect sales of Xbox 360, whose HD-DVD player is strictly an add-on, not an internal drive.
In October and November, the first-person shooter market -- which analyst Jesse Divnich says can only support two premier titles at once under normal circumstances-- was dominated by The Orange Box and Halo 3 on Xbox 360, while November and December were dominated by Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3. On the PS3, however, The Orange Box saw particularly low sales.
"Unfortunately, the PS3 has such a small install base it is unable to successfully support two first-person-shooters in the same month," said Divnich. "This theory will likely hold true for other great titles under the same genre, with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction cannibalizing each other's sales in December."
TheSimExchange is an online virtual stock market in which gamers, developers and investors trade stock to predict how games will sell.
Divnich did note that as the PS3 install base grows, Sony's console will be able to support more than one standout title per genre. That date may be a ways off, however, as theSimExchange shows PS3 sales being exceeded by every other current-gen gaming system, including the Nintendo DS (of course) and Sony's own PSP (PlayStation Portable).
The weaker-than-the-rest sales will have little effect on the Blu-ray format, however, as theSimExchange anticipates Blu-ray Disc as a format will handily defeat HD-DVD, particularly in light of Warner Bros.' announcement to publish its movies exclusively on Blu-ray effective June 1.
Not surprisingly, the defeat of HD-DVD is not predicted to effect sales of Xbox 360, whose HD-DVD player is strictly an add-on, not an internal drive.
Turok Demo Available on Xbox Live Today
Turok is an epic, story-driven first-person shooter set on a dark, mysterious planet in the future. Players take on the role of Joseph Turok, a former black ops commando, now part of an elite special forces squad, known as Whiskey Company, which is on a mission to take down a war criminal – Turok’s former mentor, Roland Kane. While Whiskey Company is traveling to the genetically altered planet inhabited by Kane and his soldiers, Whiskey Company’s ship is shot down. Turok must use his elite military training to elude Kane’s well-trained army, known as Mendel-Gruman, and the ravenous, unpredictable dinosaurs, huge insects and other massive creatures that populate the dangerous environment. Turok’s mission? Survive at all costs.
Size: 1.17 GB
Size: 1.17 GB
Sunday, 13 January 2008
Samsung LE52F96BD 52in LED LCD TV REVIEW
With so many big screens with similar model names in its massive flat TV range these days, you could be forgiven for not even noticing that Samsung has now added the LE52F96BD to its big-screen offering. But this would be a mighty shame, for the reality is that this TV is anything but ‘more of the same' from the Korean mega-brand. In fact, it's arguably the most revolutionary LCD TV that's so far passed through our doors. Honestly; we're not just exaggerating in some desperate bid to keep you reading right to the end of the review (for a change?!). Its genuinely ground-breaking nature is just a simple fact, no more, no less.
Essentially, it's all about the backlight. Now when you put it like this, I'll grant you that this Samsung's ‘big feature' doesn't sound all that exciting. But maybe if we point out that normal LCD TVs' static, constantly on backlights are responsible for the vast majority of problems LCD technology has with showing video, then you might start to get an inkling of where we're headed.
Take, for instance, normal LCD technology's problems reproducing a convincing black level response. This is largely down to the fact that the need to keep a single backlight shining at all times means that even pixels that should be dark end up with a bit of the backlight creeping into them, resulting in the greying over effect we so commonly talk about in our reviews.
The always-on stationary backlight also has a negative impact on the presentation of motion. For the fact that the light can't ‘scan' like good old CRT technology means moving images are presented as a series of static frames rather than truly fluid, a situation that causes blur since your eye's natural response is to track the average motion from one frame to the next.
As you've probably started to suss from everything we've said so far, the big trick of the LE52F96BD is that it addresses such backlight-related issues head on, by completely doing away with the solitary, constant backlight approach. Instead it lights its pixels using an array of LED backlights, all individually controllable.
The advantages of this approach are immediately clear. For instance, black levels should be much deeper, since LED-driven screens can completely remove light from dark picture areas, stopping the potential for light seepage to cause unwanted greyness. In fact, Samsung claims the LED system allows the LE52F96BD to produce a jaw-dropping - or should that be eyebrow-raising! - contrast ratio of 500,000:1.
What's more, having an array of controllable lights opens up the possibility of recreating the scanning effect so key to CRT's immaculate handling of motion. And as a final ‘bonus' benefit, LED light sources tend to produce a noticeably wider, richer colour palette than standard lamp types.
Itching though we are to find out if all this fine theory has been turned into perfect practice at the first time of asking by the LE52F96BD, we've got a little more groundwork to go over first.
For instance, you really need to know how remarkably pretty this TV is for such a gargantuan effort - just in case you hadn't picked up on this from the pictures we're running.
It's also phenomenally well connected. Heading things up are three HDMIs all made to the V1.3 specification, which is to say they are compatible with such v1.3-exclusive features as automatic lip-synching and Deep Colour (the as yet unseen but theoretically great system for delivering richer colours from specially mastered HD sources).
Also unusual is a USB 2.0 jack via which the TV can play MP3 and JPEG file formats, with other key jacks including a D-Sub PC port and a component video input.
Inevitably given its cutting edge status the LE52F96BD is a full HD screen, complete with 1:1 pixel mapping mode for the purest possible portrayal of 1080-line HD sources and 1080p/24fps support.
The picture processing at the LE52F96BD's heart is Samsung's Digital Natural Image engine which, like most rival systems, focuses its attention on improving colour saturations/tones and fine detailing, as well as providing further boosts to black levels and motion control.
You also get Samsung's Movie Plus mode, with its bold but ultimately flawed (and therefore best switched off) attempt to make objects move across the screen more fluidly; and the equally problematic Edge Enhancer, with its tendency to over-stress rather than improve edges. Again, we'd suggest you turn this off.
There are still a few other picture tweaks at your disposal that we could mention, but frankly we've restrained ourselves for far too long already. It's time to see just what a difference LED makes. And the answer is: a lot. In fact, if I was still five year's old I might even say a very lot.
Take black levels, for instance. For once we have an LCD TV that really can produce a nearly true representation of black, with practically no trace of the misty greyness we're now so accustomed to seeing. This makes dark scenes like the opening shots of Ocean's Thirteen (on Blu-ray) look spectacularly dynamic and, for want of a better word, cinematic. Partly because the range between the screen's peak whites and deepest blacks is so prodigious, but also because the effortless darkness portrayed contains more subtle detailing than you can usually make out, and as such helps pictures look more full of depth.
We'd expect black levels this good to also help a TV's colours, and so it proves with the LE52F96BD. But that's only part of the story, since as well as enjoying more natural tones even during dark scenes because of the black response, the LED light source also seems to produce markedly richer colours than we're used to seeing from LCD TVs.
Turning next to the potential motion-handling benefit of LED technology, again the LE52F96BD doesn't disappoint. There's noticeably less blur over the swinging swords of King Leonidas' men during the HD DVD of 300 than we'd normally see, for instance.
It has to be said that LED technology doesn't suddenly make LCD motion completely perfect; there's still a sense that some resolution is lost where objects pass across the screen. But it's certainly a heck of an improvement.
It's pleasing to note, too, that nothing about the LED system appears to detract from the picture's general sharpness. The 52in screen revels in eking every last drip of fine detail from quality HD moments like, well, pretty much anything on the BBC's Planet Earth, as recorded onto a Sky HD box.
So how come, you're probably wondering, the score for picture at the top of this review only reads a 9, not a 10? There are a number of small reasons. First and worst, the LE52F96BD's picture doesn't bear viewing from much of an angle; from even as little as 30 degrees or so you'll start to notice pretty serious loss of black level.
The set is also rather uncomfortable with standard definition sources, tending to exaggerate any noise they may contain, and leaving skin looking a bit plasticky. Finally, just occasionally a slight greenish undertone creeps into dark scenes , seemingly without warning. But I actually found that I'd pretty much stopped noticing this by the end of my time (a few days) with the LE52F96BD.
Verdict
So the LE52F96BD's images aren't totally perfect. But they're remarkably close to it for what is, after all, a debut product based on a new technology. In fact, this has to be one of the finest technology debuts ever in this reviewer's humble opinion, raising the very real prospect that one day LED backlighting just might become the default system of choice for the LCD industry as a whole. So long as they can get the price down a bit, that is…
Reminder Samsung 500,000 contrast ratio
Kicking off proceedings is the new F9 series, consisting of two models - the 52in LE-52F96BD and 70in LE-70F96BD - offering full HD (1920 x 1080) and incorporating what Samsung terms LED SmartLighting.
By using multiple LEDs for the backlight instead of regular CCFLs - and thereby being able to better control the brightness - Samsung has, it says, been able to engineer a dynamic 500,000:1 contrast ratio, producing, from what we saw, an image with searing blacks and deep blues.
The contrast difference between this and a traditional set positioned alongside was immediately noticeable. A wider colour gamut also helps with finer colour reproduction.
Connections-wise, it's pretty standard fare, with three HDMI sockets and USB2.0 as well. LED backlit displays have taken time to come to market and Samsung will be charging somewhere in the region of £3,000 for the 52in model. No mention is made of 100Hz support, though.
Samsung is also officially launching its F8 LCD series, available in 40in and 46in panels and supporting 100Hz to reduce that most dreaded of LCD failings - motion blur. The F8 sets are 1080p-compatible and have claimed dynamic contrast ratios of 25,000:1.
That's what i call a blu ray player!
Denon's new high end Blu-ray Disc player
Denon recently announced their new high end Blu-ray Disc player, the DVD-3800BDCI. This monster is the first player to feature support for BD-ROM Version 1.1 which, among other things, allows for playback of picture-in-picture content. The DVD-3800BDCI also features the Silicon Optix Realta chipset, which provides enhanced video performance with upconversion and IP scaling to 1080p.
Denon Electronics, a world leader in high-performance home entertainment products, today announced the upcoming introduction of two groundbreaking DVD products, the new reference-standard DVD-3800BDCI BD-ROM Profile 1 version 1.1 Blu-ray Disc Player and the DVD-2500BTC BD-ROM Profile 1 version 1.1 Blu-ray Disc Transport.
The DVD-3800BDCI is the world's first BD-ROM Profile 1 version 1.1 Blu-ray Disc Player from a Blu-Ray Disc Association member featuring the acclaimed 10-bit Silicon Optix Realta chipset. It provides users with the highest resolution high-definition video available today via HDMI™ connection, as well as the ultimate in audio performance, including high-definition audio decoding and DDSC-HD audio output. The DVD-2500BTCI outputs audio and video signals and requires a connected audio/video receiver to do the decoding.
Microsoft's XBox 3 Could Give It Market Supremacy
The following is just speculative fun. But it is based firmly in reality.
The Microsoft (MSFT) Xbox 360 is very, very well designed. Part of this design genius is ease of manufacture and potential for cost reduction. So I see this console as having a ten year life. This should easily see it up to 2015.
This year Microsoft will use their manufacturing cost advantage to use the price mechanism to build market share in the face of Sony (SNE)’s AAA game releases. This will leave headroom in the market for them to introduce a new premium console giving them a two model range, just as Sony have had for a few years now. It will also make the 360 a cheap mass market machine which will have the effect of growing Xbox Live enormously. And this is the most important thing for Microsoft. It is the online platform which, ultimately, will be the main event.
The new premium console (Xbox 3) will feature a gesture interface and probably integration with a new handheld game console. Microsoft have a great incentive to go for this two model (plus handheld) strategy sooner rather than later because Sony are currently too weak to respond. So it would be a knockout blow that could give them market supremacy.
The new Microsoft handheld will be son of Zune, with iPhone and Nintendo (NTDOY.PK) DS features. This device looks pretty inevitable and will give access to Xbox Live anywhere and everywhere and with its integration to Xbox 3 it will bring a whole raft of new capabilities to the consumer.
Another factor to remember is that Nintendo will have to do something about the Wii. This machine is really Gamecube 1.5 with a gesture interface. Its old technology will find it out. So Wii2 cannot be too far away, and it is something that Microsoft must have an answer for.
So when will we see Xbox 3? The normal console cycle is for new models every 5 years. Which would put availabilty at the end of 2010. I can see Microsoft bringing this forward a year to 2009. The current year year is too soon as they still have to build the market position of the 360. So next year it is then! And rememeber that for just about every new product area that Microsoft has entered, it is their third generation of that product that gives them world domination.
The Microsoft (MSFT) Xbox 360 is very, very well designed. Part of this design genius is ease of manufacture and potential for cost reduction. So I see this console as having a ten year life. This should easily see it up to 2015.
This year Microsoft will use their manufacturing cost advantage to use the price mechanism to build market share in the face of Sony (SNE)’s AAA game releases. This will leave headroom in the market for them to introduce a new premium console giving them a two model range, just as Sony have had for a few years now. It will also make the 360 a cheap mass market machine which will have the effect of growing Xbox Live enormously. And this is the most important thing for Microsoft. It is the online platform which, ultimately, will be the main event.
The new premium console (Xbox 3) will feature a gesture interface and probably integration with a new handheld game console. Microsoft have a great incentive to go for this two model (plus handheld) strategy sooner rather than later because Sony are currently too weak to respond. So it would be a knockout blow that could give them market supremacy.
The new Microsoft handheld will be son of Zune, with iPhone and Nintendo (NTDOY.PK) DS features. This device looks pretty inevitable and will give access to Xbox Live anywhere and everywhere and with its integration to Xbox 3 it will bring a whole raft of new capabilities to the consumer.
Another factor to remember is that Nintendo will have to do something about the Wii. This machine is really Gamecube 1.5 with a gesture interface. Its old technology will find it out. So Wii2 cannot be too far away, and it is something that Microsoft must have an answer for.
So when will we see Xbox 3? The normal console cycle is for new models every 5 years. Which would put availabilty at the end of 2010. I can see Microsoft bringing this forward a year to 2009. The current year year is too soon as they still have to build the market position of the 360. So next year it is then! And rememeber that for just about every new product area that Microsoft has entered, it is their third generation of that product that gives them world domination.
Wednesday, 9 January 2008
GOLDEN EYE ON XBLA LATER THIS YEAR
Rareware Is Revisiting 007
Xbox Evolved has many sources indicating that the classic N64 Rareware title “Goldeneye 007” will be coming to Xbox Live Arcade later this year, as well as many others.
Talking with very reliable sources, and seeing evidence ourselves, Xbox Evolved believes that Microsoft, Rareware, MGM Studios (studio that makes the James Bond 007 movies) and Activision (holds the license for James Bond 007 titles right now) have come to an agreement to bring the Rareware developed Goldeneye 007 out to Xbox Live Arcade shortly before the new game developed by Activision is released.
The title will feature updated graphics, and of course an all-new Xbox Live multiplayer. Not only that, but we have found evidence that Rareware is planning on releasing even more of their back catalog onto Xbox Live Arcade, specifically, Perfect Dark and the original Banjo-Kazooie. Expect more on at least Goldeneye 007 later this year.
by: John Olin
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
2008 Xbox 360 releases!
We take a look at what games are expected to come out this year for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console
February
NFL Tour (1st)
Devil May Cry 4 (8th)
Turok (8th)
Frontlines: Fuel Of War (15th)
Lost Planet Colonies (22nd)
A-Train HX (22nd)
Army of Two (29th)
Bully: Scholarship Edition (29th)
Brothers in Arms: Hells Highway (TBC)
Lost Odyssey (TBC)
Battlefield: Bad Company (TBC)
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (TBC)
Hei$t (TBC)
Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom (TBC)
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty (TBC)
The Spiderwick Chronicles (TBC)
March
Dynasty Warriors 6 (7th)
Alan Wake (21st)
FIFA Street 3 (28th)
Midnight Club: Los Angeles (28th)
Viking: Battle for Asgard (28th)
Race Driver One (28th)
Conflict: Denied Ops (TBC)
Universe at War: Earth Assault (TBC)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction (TBC)
Unreal Tournament 3 (TBC)
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (TBC)
The Club (TBC)
Alone in the Dark 5 (TBC)
World In Conflict (TBC)
Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (TBC)
Mirror's Edge (TBC)
Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends (TBC)
Warhammer: Battle March (TBC)
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (TBC)
Q1 2008 (Jan, Feb, Mar)
The Siege of Khe Sanh (TBC)
Lost: The Video Game (TBC)
Rock Band (TBC)
Too Human (TBC)
Dark Sector (TBC)
Left 4 Dead (TBC)
Hellboy: The Science of Evil (TBC)
Condemned 2: Bloodshot (TBC)
Tom Clancy's EndWar (TBC)
SEGA Superstar Tennis (TBC)
Q2 2008 (Apr, May, Jun)
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (TBC)
Grand Theft Auto IV (TBC)
Huxley (TBC)
Fable 2 (TBC)
Destroy All Humans: Path Of The Furon (TBC)
2008
Mobile Ops: The One Year War (TBC)
Mafia II (TBC)
Cipher Complex (TBC)
Indiana Jones (TBC)
Theseis (TBC)
Elveon (TBC)
The Lord Of The Rings: The White Council (TBC)
Just Cause 2 (TBC)
Fracture (TBC)
Saints Row 2 (TBC)
Warhound (TBC)
Resident Evil 5 (TBC)
Shootout: Normandy (TBC)
Sacred 2 Fallen Angel (TBC)
Halo Wars (TBC)
Ghostbusters (TBC)
MX vs ATV: Untamed (TBC)
Prototype (TBC)
The Wheelman (TBC)
WET (TBC)
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy (TBC)
Dead Space (TBC)
Note: these dates are subject to change and may not be final release dates!
February
NFL Tour (1st)
Devil May Cry 4 (8th)
Turok (8th)
Frontlines: Fuel Of War (15th)
Lost Planet Colonies (22nd)
A-Train HX (22nd)
Army of Two (29th)
Bully: Scholarship Edition (29th)
Brothers in Arms: Hells Highway (TBC)
Lost Odyssey (TBC)
Battlefield: Bad Company (TBC)
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (TBC)
Hei$t (TBC)
Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom (TBC)
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty (TBC)
The Spiderwick Chronicles (TBC)
March
Dynasty Warriors 6 (7th)
Alan Wake (21st)
FIFA Street 3 (28th)
Midnight Club: Los Angeles (28th)
Viking: Battle for Asgard (28th)
Race Driver One (28th)
Conflict: Denied Ops (TBC)
Universe at War: Earth Assault (TBC)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction (TBC)
Unreal Tournament 3 (TBC)
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (TBC)
The Club (TBC)
Alone in the Dark 5 (TBC)
World In Conflict (TBC)
Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (TBC)
Mirror's Edge (TBC)
Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends (TBC)
Warhammer: Battle March (TBC)
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (TBC)
Q1 2008 (Jan, Feb, Mar)
The Siege of Khe Sanh (TBC)
Lost: The Video Game (TBC)
Rock Band (TBC)
Too Human (TBC)
Dark Sector (TBC)
Left 4 Dead (TBC)
Hellboy: The Science of Evil (TBC)
Condemned 2: Bloodshot (TBC)
Tom Clancy's EndWar (TBC)
SEGA Superstar Tennis (TBC)
Q2 2008 (Apr, May, Jun)
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (TBC)
Grand Theft Auto IV (TBC)
Huxley (TBC)
Fable 2 (TBC)
Destroy All Humans: Path Of The Furon (TBC)
2008
Mobile Ops: The One Year War (TBC)
Mafia II (TBC)
Cipher Complex (TBC)
Indiana Jones (TBC)
Theseis (TBC)
Elveon (TBC)
The Lord Of The Rings: The White Council (TBC)
Just Cause 2 (TBC)
Fracture (TBC)
Saints Row 2 (TBC)
Warhound (TBC)
Resident Evil 5 (TBC)
Shootout: Normandy (TBC)
Sacred 2 Fallen Angel (TBC)
Halo Wars (TBC)
Ghostbusters (TBC)
MX vs ATV: Untamed (TBC)
Prototype (TBC)
The Wheelman (TBC)
WET (TBC)
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy (TBC)
Dead Space (TBC)
Note: these dates are subject to change and may not be final release dates!
Microsoft to give away free Arcade game
By Neil Vaughan -
Microsoft are to offer a free Xbox Live Arcade game for download to all Xbox Live members after the recent problems with the Xbox Live service.
The Xbox Live GM, Mark Whitten posted the following message about the Live outage over the Christmas period.
Dear Xbox LIVE Members:
During this past holiday season you helped us break a number of Xbox LIVE records. This included our largest sign-up of new members to Xbox LIVE in our 5 year history and just yesterday you broke the record for the single biggest day of concurrent members ever on the service.
As a result of this massive increase in usage we know that some of you experienced intermittent Xbox LIVE issues over the holiday break. While the service was not completely offline at any given time, we are disappointed in our performance. I would like to take this moment to thank you each and every one of you for your patience and understanding as our team has worked around the clock to return the service to a stable state.
At the same time we would like to offer a token of our appreciation to all of you in celebration of record success for the service. And as a thank you for your loyalty during this holiday period, we will be offering all of our Xbox LIVE members around the world access to a full Xbox LIVE Arcade game that will be available to download free of charge. In the coming weeks we will be sharing the specific details of this offer with you.
Thank you again for helping make Xbox LIVE everything that it is today!
Sincerely,
Marc Whitten
General Manager, Xbox LIVE
Microsoft are to offer a free Xbox Live Arcade game for download to all Xbox Live members after the recent problems with the Xbox Live service.
The Xbox Live GM, Mark Whitten posted the following message about the Live outage over the Christmas period.
Dear Xbox LIVE Members:
During this past holiday season you helped us break a number of Xbox LIVE records. This included our largest sign-up of new members to Xbox LIVE in our 5 year history and just yesterday you broke the record for the single biggest day of concurrent members ever on the service.
As a result of this massive increase in usage we know that some of you experienced intermittent Xbox LIVE issues over the holiday break. While the service was not completely offline at any given time, we are disappointed in our performance. I would like to take this moment to thank you each and every one of you for your patience and understanding as our team has worked around the clock to return the service to a stable state.
At the same time we would like to offer a token of our appreciation to all of you in celebration of record success for the service. And as a thank you for your loyalty during this holiday period, we will be offering all of our Xbox LIVE members around the world access to a full Xbox LIVE Arcade game that will be available to download free of charge. In the coming weeks we will be sharing the specific details of this offer with you.
Thank you again for helping make Xbox LIVE everything that it is today!
Sincerely,
Marc Whitten
General Manager, Xbox LIVE
Microsoft delighted with Christmas sales
Microsoft have today posted their sales facts for the Christmas period for 2007.
Here are some breaking sales figures:
Microsoft has sold more than 17.7 million Xbox 360 consoles worldwide
Microsoft has sold more than 8.1 million copies of “Halo 3” since its launch on September 26 2007
“Mass Effect” reached 1.6 million units sold, in just six weeks since it went on sale on November 20 2007
Consumers spend more on Xbox software and accessories, with a record-high software attach rate of 6.9, according to NPD
Here are some breaking sales figures:
Microsoft has sold more than 17.7 million Xbox 360 consoles worldwide
Microsoft has sold more than 8.1 million copies of “Halo 3” since its launch on September 26 2007
“Mass Effect” reached 1.6 million units sold, in just six weeks since it went on sale on November 20 2007
Consumers spend more on Xbox software and accessories, with a record-high software attach rate of 6.9, according to NPD
Xbox Memo Reveals Several Exclusives
Written by Ice Ac
Dean Takahashi, God love him, seems to be the go to guy for MS when they want to “leak” something. The latest proof of this is a memo sent to Dean from the head of Xbox, Don Mattrick. The memo implies that Xbox has a few tricks up it’s sleeve. Memo and more after the jump:
Below is a memo from Don Mattrick that was originally intended for internal distribution within the Xbox branch of Microsoft. Somehow the memo ended up on ‘ol Takahashi’s desk. While the memo’s details don’t go far beyond what we already knew in terms of exclusive titles, the memo does state that the 360 has “several” unannounced exclusives. I think our readers and forum members know what some of those exclusives are. Check out the memo for yourself and tell us what you think.
Team,
These are truly exciting times for us in the Interactive Entertainment Business.
Tonight Bill Gates and Robbie Bach will take the stage in Las Vegas to kick off the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), where it will be announced that according to US NPD data through November, Xbox 360 is on track to register the biggest year in video game history.
While final sales numbers are still being collected, consumers in North America have spent over $3.5 billion dollars on Xbox 360 hardware, software and accessories. That’s $1 billion more than consumers spent on the Wii, and $2 billion more than the PS3. When December data is added, we expect Xbox 360 in 2007 to have generated more calendar year revenue than any other gaming platform ever, including PS2 at its peak.
Thank you all for your hard work. It’s because of your efforts this holiday and throughout the previous year that we’ve been able to drive this historic growth and sell over 17.7 million consoles worldwide. Our growth also continues online, where I’m proud to announce we have surpassed the 10 million member mark on Xbox LIVE, over six months ahead of schedule.
This growth, however, is not limited to just Microsoft and Xbox 360. The work that you do is also driving growth throughout our industry’s entire ecosystem. History has shown that the eventual winner of each console generation was the console that generated the most 3rd party revenue, and according to the most recent NPD data, Xbox 360 generated more 3rd party revenue in 2007 than Nintendo and Sony combined.
In 2007 the best games in our industry were on our platform, driving better-than-expected sales results for both first and third party games:
· “Halo 3” sold 8.1 million units worldwide and logged over 1.5 billion multiplayer matches since launch – that’s an average of 14 million matches a day
· “Mass Effect” sold 1.6 million units worldwide, after just five weeks on the market
· We expect at least seven different franchise titles to have sold in excess of one million units on Xbox 360, including “Halo 3,” “Mass Effect,” “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare,” “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock,” “BioShock,” “Assassin’s Creed” and “Madden NFL 08”
· “Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action” has already achieved its total FY08 revenue budget in just two months, helping establish a new franchise for the Xbox 360 that reaches out to a broad audience of social gamers
· Xbox 360 titles have received the highest average review scores this generation according to Metacritic, with the majority of cross-platform titles posting higher review scores on Xbox 360 than PS3
At CES Robbie will announce new content and partnerships that cement our position as the clear leader in delivering digital entertainment to the living room. Right now Xbox LIVE Marketplace features over 3,500 total hours of downloadable content and has hosted more than 380 million downloads, along with the largest library of on-demand, high definition content in the US. Now, Xbox LIVE Marketplace will add TV and movie content from the Disney-ABC Television Group and MGM Studios, bringing hits to our platform including TV shows Lost and Grey’s Anatomy and movies including Legally Blonde, Silence of the Lambs and Barbershop.
Robbie will also announce an exciting new partnership with BT to offer a first-of-its kind complete entertainment experience to all BT broadband customers by making Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) available through Xbox 360 through BT’s service BT Vision. This groundbreaking partnership will bring BT’s extensive library of on-demand content to the Xbox 360 and give consumers yet another option to get high definition content on our platform.
This year’s CES also proves to be exciting for Microsoft as a whole, with Bill Gates introducing a new wave of software-based services for TV, online, mobile phones and automobiles.
Moving Forward
Looking ahead, I believe we will close 2008 with Xbox 360 being the leader of this generation of consoles.
We’ve led our industry in developing and publishing great games on a platform that is equal parts hardware, software and services. We’ve led in driving growth for our partners at record rates. Now, it is our mission to fully deliver on our promise for Xbox 360 to be the console of choice for everyone in the family.
This year will be judged by which console will best capture core gamers and captivate the masses with both exciting new gaming content and access to great movie and TV content online. By this measurement, I feel confident that we are best positioned for success.
Games
We have the big blockbuster hits that everyone wanted to play. Of the top 20 best-selling titles in 2007 this generation, 13 were on Xbox 360, compared to seven on the Wii and zero on the PS3 according to NPD.
Games sell better on Xbox 360 because they play better on Xbox 360. From “Halo 3” to “Mass Effect” to “Bioshock,” Xbox 360 has the highest-rated and hottest games. In fact, Xbox 360 has 6 of the top 10 highest-ranked games this generation according to Metacritic, the world-wide authority in entertainment reviews.
When you look at the best-reviewed games, consumers will find that Xbox 360 has more than double the number of titles (81) with a Metacritic score of 80 or higher than PS3 (40), and six times more than the Wii (13).
In 2008 the hits will continue to come with exclusives including “Halo Wars,” “Too Human,” “Fable 2,” Alan Wake,” “Splinter Cell: Conviction,” and several exciting yet-to-be-announced titles. Xbox 360 will be home to the next versions of great franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Resident Evil, and we will continue to be the leading choice for sports fans, with the next editions of Madden and FIFA looking and playing better on our platform.
Dean Takahashi, God love him, seems to be the go to guy for MS when they want to “leak” something. The latest proof of this is a memo sent to Dean from the head of Xbox, Don Mattrick. The memo implies that Xbox has a few tricks up it’s sleeve. Memo and more after the jump:
Below is a memo from Don Mattrick that was originally intended for internal distribution within the Xbox branch of Microsoft. Somehow the memo ended up on ‘ol Takahashi’s desk. While the memo’s details don’t go far beyond what we already knew in terms of exclusive titles, the memo does state that the 360 has “several” unannounced exclusives. I think our readers and forum members know what some of those exclusives are. Check out the memo for yourself and tell us what you think.
Team,
These are truly exciting times for us in the Interactive Entertainment Business.
Tonight Bill Gates and Robbie Bach will take the stage in Las Vegas to kick off the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), where it will be announced that according to US NPD data through November, Xbox 360 is on track to register the biggest year in video game history.
While final sales numbers are still being collected, consumers in North America have spent over $3.5 billion dollars on Xbox 360 hardware, software and accessories. That’s $1 billion more than consumers spent on the Wii, and $2 billion more than the PS3. When December data is added, we expect Xbox 360 in 2007 to have generated more calendar year revenue than any other gaming platform ever, including PS2 at its peak.
Thank you all for your hard work. It’s because of your efforts this holiday and throughout the previous year that we’ve been able to drive this historic growth and sell over 17.7 million consoles worldwide. Our growth also continues online, where I’m proud to announce we have surpassed the 10 million member mark on Xbox LIVE, over six months ahead of schedule.
This growth, however, is not limited to just Microsoft and Xbox 360. The work that you do is also driving growth throughout our industry’s entire ecosystem. History has shown that the eventual winner of each console generation was the console that generated the most 3rd party revenue, and according to the most recent NPD data, Xbox 360 generated more 3rd party revenue in 2007 than Nintendo and Sony combined.
In 2007 the best games in our industry were on our platform, driving better-than-expected sales results for both first and third party games:
· “Halo 3” sold 8.1 million units worldwide and logged over 1.5 billion multiplayer matches since launch – that’s an average of 14 million matches a day
· “Mass Effect” sold 1.6 million units worldwide, after just five weeks on the market
· We expect at least seven different franchise titles to have sold in excess of one million units on Xbox 360, including “Halo 3,” “Mass Effect,” “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare,” “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock,” “BioShock,” “Assassin’s Creed” and “Madden NFL 08”
· “Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action” has already achieved its total FY08 revenue budget in just two months, helping establish a new franchise for the Xbox 360 that reaches out to a broad audience of social gamers
· Xbox 360 titles have received the highest average review scores this generation according to Metacritic, with the majority of cross-platform titles posting higher review scores on Xbox 360 than PS3
At CES Robbie will announce new content and partnerships that cement our position as the clear leader in delivering digital entertainment to the living room. Right now Xbox LIVE Marketplace features over 3,500 total hours of downloadable content and has hosted more than 380 million downloads, along with the largest library of on-demand, high definition content in the US. Now, Xbox LIVE Marketplace will add TV and movie content from the Disney-ABC Television Group and MGM Studios, bringing hits to our platform including TV shows Lost and Grey’s Anatomy and movies including Legally Blonde, Silence of the Lambs and Barbershop.
Robbie will also announce an exciting new partnership with BT to offer a first-of-its kind complete entertainment experience to all BT broadband customers by making Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) available through Xbox 360 through BT’s service BT Vision. This groundbreaking partnership will bring BT’s extensive library of on-demand content to the Xbox 360 and give consumers yet another option to get high definition content on our platform.
This year’s CES also proves to be exciting for Microsoft as a whole, with Bill Gates introducing a new wave of software-based services for TV, online, mobile phones and automobiles.
Moving Forward
Looking ahead, I believe we will close 2008 with Xbox 360 being the leader of this generation of consoles.
We’ve led our industry in developing and publishing great games on a platform that is equal parts hardware, software and services. We’ve led in driving growth for our partners at record rates. Now, it is our mission to fully deliver on our promise for Xbox 360 to be the console of choice for everyone in the family.
This year will be judged by which console will best capture core gamers and captivate the masses with both exciting new gaming content and access to great movie and TV content online. By this measurement, I feel confident that we are best positioned for success.
Games
We have the big blockbuster hits that everyone wanted to play. Of the top 20 best-selling titles in 2007 this generation, 13 were on Xbox 360, compared to seven on the Wii and zero on the PS3 according to NPD.
Games sell better on Xbox 360 because they play better on Xbox 360. From “Halo 3” to “Mass Effect” to “Bioshock,” Xbox 360 has the highest-rated and hottest games. In fact, Xbox 360 has 6 of the top 10 highest-ranked games this generation according to Metacritic, the world-wide authority in entertainment reviews.
When you look at the best-reviewed games, consumers will find that Xbox 360 has more than double the number of titles (81) with a Metacritic score of 80 or higher than PS3 (40), and six times more than the Wii (13).
In 2008 the hits will continue to come with exclusives including “Halo Wars,” “Too Human,” “Fable 2,” Alan Wake,” “Splinter Cell: Conviction,” and several exciting yet-to-be-announced titles. Xbox 360 will be home to the next versions of great franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Resident Evil, and we will continue to be the leading choice for sports fans, with the next editions of Madden and FIFA looking and playing better on our platform.
Thursday, 3 January 2008
Ubisoft Announces Far Cry 2 for Xbox 360
Following today's announcement of the delay of three games, one of which is Far Cry 2, Ubisoft announced that the game is also being developed for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.
More than just a visual and technological achievement, Far Cry 2 immerses players in an entirely new kind of gaming experience, featuring a custom-made video game engine built from the ground up. Players will discover a true open world gameplay set in one of the most beautiful environments in the world, Africa, brought to life by high-definition next-gen technology.
Far Cry 2 is scheduled to ship fiscal 2008–2009.
More than just a visual and technological achievement, Far Cry 2 immerses players in an entirely new kind of gaming experience, featuring a custom-made video game engine built from the ground up. Players will discover a true open world gameplay set in one of the most beautiful environments in the world, Africa, brought to life by high-definition next-gen technology.
Far Cry 2 is scheduled to ship fiscal 2008–2009.
GDC: Are Microsoft, Epic Getting Their Gears Turning?
A quick look at the floorplans of the 2008 Game Developer Conference reveals that Microsoft and Epic have secured the two biggest floor spaces.
With the largest exhibit at the event, taking up 4,800 square ft of space, Microsoft will certainly have a bigger presence than in previous years, when Sony and Nintendo got the biggest areas to utilize this professionals-only game industry conference as a pre-E3 event.
Only second in size to Microsoft’s space, Epic Games’ presence at the event isn’t surprising at all, since the developer always uses GDC to show the latest Unreal Engine technology.
Furthermore, both companies’ spaces are in front of each other in the first level of the Moscone West Hall. This last detail wouldn’t matter if wasn’t for the fact that the two companies worked closely on Gears of War.
After the listing of Gears of War 2 on Amazon.com and today’s unveiling of "Gears of War: The Pendulum Wars", we are starting to believe that the size and location of Microsoft and Epic Games’ areas at GDC are not just a mere coincidence.
We contacted Epic Games to ask about the recent Gears of War fuss, as well as its area size and proximity to Microsoft in the Moscone Center. Mark Rein limited his response to the company’s presence at the event to support Epic’s engine business.
Gears of War Novel Update. Movie Script Confirmed
Back in June, we brought you the first details of a Gears of War novelization and comic book. Today, thanks to Amazon, we have learned the full title of the book and, as a result, the timeline in which the book is set.
As the title implies, "Gears of War: The Pendulum Wars" takes place during the seventy-nine year war that humanity fought on Sera before Emergence Day. Furthermore, while that’s the title that appears on the book’s cover, which you can see below, Amazon lists the 352-page book with a longer title: Gears of War Pendulum Wars The Battle of Aspho Fields.
Gears of War fans know this is the last battle of the Pendulum Wars, mentioned at the beginning of the second level of the game, when Carmine asks “Are you the Marcus Fenix, the one who fought at Aspho Fields?”
Last year, LatinoReview got access to a 22-page draft of the Gears of War movie script penned by Stuart Beattie. The online publication claimed the movie kicks off during the last battle of the Pendulum Wars, and now, the title of the novel and its record on Amazon confirm the leaked movie plot was indeed the real thing.
BIG IN 2008 – Xbox Ultimate ?
already had the Xbox 360 Premium and Elite. Both are, of course, fine gaming machines with the best games catalogue in the next-gen field. But come autumn 2008, we reckon both will be rendered obsolete by the Ultimate.
This PS3-killer will benefit from almost three years of Xbox development, featuring 1080p HDMI output, built-in Wi-Fi, hi-def audio output, cooler 65nm hardware architecture and a near-silent fan.
It’ll also have the ability to make the most of the by-then established Xbox IPTV service, which will mean recording TV shows to its vast 320GB hard disk and watching live TV shows via your broadband provider.
But the piece de resistance? It’ll have a built-in HD DVD drive. Let Round 12 with the PS3 commence...
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