Science and technology news blog

The combination of Xbox 360 with a Nintendo Wii can become a gaming Nirvana for some, has the Sony crown been dislodged?

With new value packs and the addition of the HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360, coupled with the sheer enjoyment of the Wii experience, it may be that the PlayStation 3 will find it difficult to settle into a market niche.

Sure there is the loyal PlayStation fan base, and those that see the PS3 for its obvious advantage bullet points over the other machines.

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Shoppers are standing in lines to snap up Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo’s Wii video game consoles as they become available, and some analysts do not expect shortages to ease until March or later.

Shoppers are finding lots of PlayStation 2s and Microsoft Xbox 360s, expected to do well as substitutes for the newest machines that are in short supply.

One employee at a Target store said the retailer issues a memo a couple of days in advance of Wii and PS3 shipments and passes the information on to shoppers, who sometimes stand in line to secure their booty.

As he spoke, shoppers snapped up PlayStation Portables and Apple Computer iPods.

American Technology Research analyst Paul-Jon McNealy said that since Sony shipment numbers include units in transit or in warehouses, the company’s target of 1 million could translate to 600,000 to 800,000 units at retail by year end.

McNealy said investors and game makers tempered their forecasts for the PS3s since initial numbers fell short. He added that the PS3 will likely remain scarce through the June quarter.

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THE Nintendo Wii is this year’s must-have games console, and should delight the lucky few who receive one tomorrow morning. But the huge public acclaim for the Wii and its unusual motion-sensing remote control has already ruined Sir Howard Stringer’s Christmas.

Stringer, the Cardiff-born chairman and chief executive of Sony Corporation, is relying on PlayStation 3 to help revive the misfiring Japanese electronics giant that he has run for the past 18 months. This Christmas, however, the Wii is estimated to be outselling the PS3 by more than two to one.

The faltering progress of Sony’s new games machine has been the subject of constant debate, a testament to its commercial importance. Yet the PS3 appears to have been blown away by the early success of a rival that went almost unnoticed before its launch last month.

All the focus has been on Sony’s battle with Microsoft, the software giant that launched its Xbox 360 console a year ago. Nintendo was regarded as a distant No 3 — no longer able to match its rivals’ firepower.

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Wii made its highly anticipated debut across the UK and Europe on Friday 8th December, with thousands of people desperate to get their hands on Nintendos new console. As the must-have product for the festive season, Wii was an instant hit. Attracting vast crowds and selling out in stores in just a matter of hours, a breathtaking 325,000 units were sold in the first two days making it the fastest selling home console in history.

Demand for Wii has been so great that shops all over Europe had large queues forming outside for up to three days before the launch and hundreds of shops opened their doors at midnight on launch day to allow gamers to get their hands on Wii. After just one weekend on sale, shops across Europe sold out of Wii consoles and daily shipments are now arriving across Europe to replenish stock.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, proved to be a favourite for avid gamers, with 240,000 copies snapped up over launch weekend in Europe, representing 74% of all hardware purchasers. Wii Play was also a big hit with over 50% of people buying the game (which includes a Wii Remote) along with their Wii console.

Laurent Fischer, Marketing Director for Nintendo Europe commented: Wii has become an overnight success in Europe with people of all ages rushing out to get their hands on the console. Even at this early stage it is clear that Wii is delivering on its promise to expand the gaming market, with a uniquely diverse audience all keen to experience the sensation for themselves.

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After a successful launch in US and Japan and over 1 million units sold, Nintendo has some problems with its magic controller, called Wii Remote.

The console’s wireless controller is a major feature of Wii and it may be used as a handheld pointing device and can detect motion and rotation in three dimensions. The controller also contains a speaker and a rumble device to provide sensory feedback, and can be used to turn Wii on and off.

In early December, Nintendos president Satoru Iwata confirmed that the company is investigating potential problems with the straps being supplied with the Wii Remote, which secures it with the players wrist.

We are investigating. Some people are getting a lot more excited than wed expected. We need to better communicate to people how to deal with Wii as a new form of entertainment., Iwata said in a statement.

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After a successful launch in US and Japan and over 1 million units sold, Nintendo has some problems with its magic controller, called Wii Remote.

The console’s wireless controller is a major feature of Wii and it may be used as a handheld pointing device and can detect motion and rotation in three dimensions. The controller also contains a speaker and a rumble device to provide sensory feedback, and can be used to turn Wii on and off.

In early December, Nintendos president Satoru Iwata confirmed that the company is investigating potential problems with the straps being supplied with the Wii Remote, which secures it with the players wrist.

We are investigating. Some people are getting a lot more excited than wed expected. We need to better communicate to people how to deal with Wii as a new form of entertainment., Iwata said in a statement.

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As the Wii’s list of impressive global launch numbers continue to trickle in, figures just in from the Australian launch are equally impressive. According to data trackers GfK Australia, Nintendo’s new console has become the fastest-selling piece of game hardware in the nation’s history.

GfK stats show that Nintendo sold 32,901 Wiis in the first four days since its launch on December 7—a new record for both console and portable game units. The Wii takes the title of fastest-seller from the Xbox 360, which sold 30,421 units sold in its first four days of availability. Before the 360, Sony’s PSP was king with 27,055 units sold in the first four days. Such was the Wii’s dominance in its launch week that it accounted for 43 percent of all game hardware sales in Australia.

GfK senior account manager Daniel Morse said the Wii had an attach rate of 1.5—attach rates describe the average number of games purchased per console. “New consoles generally get an attach rate of 1.5 to 2, but you have to take into account that the Wii was bundled with a game,” Morse says. The Wii’s bundled game—Wii Sports—was not included in the attach rate figures.

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And the Wii express is showing no signs of slowing down. In the first twelve hours of hitting the UK, Nintendo’s next generation console sold fifty thousand units.

That’s one per second, for all of you keeping score at home. Everybody who already has a unit in hand should consider themselves incredibly lucky. Here’s the good word from the Big N:

Within just 12 hours of going on sale, the much anticipated launch of the Nintendo Wii console has reached new heights of success with 50,000 units sold.

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Dont you miss the old days when all you had to do was walk into an electronics store, find that one good game and go home happy? With so many consoles on the market, and even more games to choose from, choosing the right console and right games can become a difficult task. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 give you cutting edge high definition graphics, the Nintendo Wii gives you innovative gameplay and the PlayStation 2 is still alive and kicking with the biggest library of games anywhere. If youre having a tough decision deciding which console you want to purchase, our guide may make life a little bit easier for you, and your wallet.

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Will I be buying a Wii or an Xbox 360 or a PS3? I keep asking this question everyday. And the only answer I can give myself is – Dear boy have some patience. Let the hype settle down and then let the games begin.

However, my dream is to buy a Wii eventually and maybe get either a 360 or PS3. This brings me to the question that has been haunting me ever since I heard about the “Wiimote”. Which game would make the Wii a killer console? The answer is pretty much obvious – Star Wars. Who would not want to fight as Luke or Darth Vader using their Wiimote as a Light Saber. The very thought makes my mouth water. Had Nintendo released this game at its launch, there would have been PS3 related violent incidents.

There is another game that I would love to play on the Wii – Cricket. Batting like a Bradman, bowling as a Warnie. Reliving some of the greatest cricket matches with my brother, and actually pretending to play like a batsman or a bowler, the possibilities are endless.

So yes, I will definitely buy a Wii, but only when there is news that these two games are going to come out. Otherwise I am not a big fan of Zelda or even Mario Bros for that matter. But I guess, everyone has their own preferences. For the moment I am happy with my Xbox. Star Wars and Cricket, Nintendo will have me spend my hard-earned moolah in a flash. Until then “may the force be with the Wii”.

Nintendo’s new Wii console has just been awarded a grand prize in US science and technology magazine Popular Science’s annual Best of What’s New award event.

The Nintendo Wii won in the category of Home Entertainment as “The Console That Gets You In The Game”, beating other products such as the Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray disc player and Hitachi 37HLX99 LCD HDTV. The PlayStation 3 was not included in this years nominations.

The explanation for the Wiis award, according to the magazines Web site, is as follows: Remember when videogames were fun? When the controllers had only a couple buttons and you didnt have to spend an hour learning the seven-step finger dance for walk? Nintendo does, so it took a step back, looked at its superpowered competitors, and took a totally different path with its new console, Wii.

It seems the battle of the next gen consoles has ended a lot early at least as far as America and Canada are concerned, as MSN is reporting that sales of the Xbox 360 have exceeded that of the PlayStation 3 and the Wii in both places. Now one of the main reasons for this is probably Gears of War, Epic’s third person tactical shooter that seems to have taken the world by storm. In addition to this, Microsoft has also dropped the price of several Xbox 360 titles and accessories to get that added advantage over rivals.

To make matters worse for Sony, the PlayStation 3 had one of the most pathetic launch line-ups in the history of line-ups and the Wii, well only had Zelda, as all the other titles have got pretty lukewarm reviews.

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About 10 years ago, I was in the market for a video games console for my older son and visited an electronics retailer. I had no idea whether to buy a PlayStation or Nintendo 64 as both were very much in the public eye and getting rave reviews. Not knowing where else to turn, I threw myself at the mercy of the shop assistant. What he told me appears to be very much same as what shoppers are being told today.

The young shop assistant obviously knew about games and he didn’t beat around the bush. “Your son is only a young kid, so get him a Nintendo 64. He won’t appreciate a PlayStation yet and he’ll find it too difficult until he gets older,” he said – or words to that effect.

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There was a showdown between the Nintendo Wii and the Sony PlayStation 3 at The Post’s game testing lab last weekend.

Here’s how it went down: I invited a bunch of my friends, five guys and three gals, over to check out the new systems. Few of them play or care about video games, but they were all curious to see the PlayStation 3, the cutting-edge game console that sparked real-world mayhem on its release Friday.

By comparison, most of my friends arrived having heard little about Nintendo’s new system. But, as it turned out, that device was the hit of the party.

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Sony PS3 has the technology, Microsoft Xbox 360 has online experience and a year under its belt and the Nintendo Wii has true innovation in game-play. But who can deliver the gaming experience that will loosen our wallets and garner our praise? Here we will focus on the Wii and its surprising competitor in the new battle for the living room.

Officially well in half of the northern hemisphere at lest it is Game on. All three consoles released to the public. All three offering slightly different takes on what Joe Public is after in electronic entertainment.. At this weekends eGame Expo in Melbourne, the Wii booth was a hub of activity, as gamers of all breed lined up to get their hands on the unique Wiimote and the new opportunities for gaming that are introduced by it.

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