Over the past 12 months, we’ve seen a lot of new content offerings announced by companies like Netflix, Amazon and YouTube as they look to directly target the living room via entertainment devices. Indeed, the adoption rate of hardware devices like the Xbox 360, PS3, TiVo, Roku, VUDU, Apple TV and broadband-enabled […]

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Today everyone who follows the gaming industry is talking about OnLive, an upcoming service incubated by Rearden, the venture company of Web TV Founder Steve Perlman. The system, which streams high-end video games to pretty much any PC, Mac, or TV with a broadband connection, was set to be officially unveiled tonight during […]

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As this holiday’s video game sales are tallied up, one thing is already clear: Sony’s PlayStation 3 remains in a fairly distant third place, still eclipsed by Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii. While it’s probably too drastic for Sony to walk away from the PS3, I definitely think they need some bold and […]

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The holidays and Black Friday are rapidly approaching. If you’re looking for video games to give your friends and loved ones, here’s a cheat sheet of must-have titles, categorized by giftee: for the hardcore gamers you know, for your family, and of course, for your high-tech industry colleagues:

10 For High-Tech Execs (And Other Grown-Up Gamers)

Age of Empires: Mythologies
Available Platforms: Nintendo DS
MSRP: $29.99
The beloved resource-management strategy franchise (one of Om’s favorites!) is a turn-based strategy title for Nintendo’s handheld, with Egyptian, Greek and Norse civilizations to rule over.

Rock Band 2
Available Platforms: Wii, PS3, Xbox 360
MSRP: $59.99
This sequel to the smash hit game comes with a set of simulated instruments, so up to four friends can jam on hits from the Grateful Dead to Interpol.

Spore
Available Platforms: PC
MSRP: $49.99
The long-awaited game from SimCity creator Will Wright may require a time commitment, but the pleasure of evolving an entire civilization from a single-celled organism can’t be underestimated. (Featured on GigaOM here.)

Populous DS
Available Platforms: Nintendo DS
MSRP: $29.00
Originally a PC classic from the ’80s, the original “god game,” now revived for Nintendo’s handheld. Become a god with different elemental powers, perform miracles, control your minions and unleash Biblical wrath on your friends in multiplayer mode.

Tetris Party
Available Platforms: Wii
MSRP: $12.00
Russia’s most popular export returns with a Wii game that takes the classic Tetris puzzle to new dimensions, allowing up to four people to play at once, either competitively or cooperatively.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09
Available Platforms: PS3, PS2, Wii, Xbox 360
MSRP: $29.95-$59.95
The latest installment in the best-selling, ultra-realistic golf simulation is especially appealing with the Wii’s motion sensor control.

Top Chef: The Game
Available Platforms: PC, Mac
MSRP: $19.99
Bravo’s hit cooking show now has a spin-off game that puts players in the kitchen with Tom and Padma, mixing ingredients to create thousands of unique dishes in multiple culinary challenges.

Wii Speak
Available Platforms: Wii
MSRP: $29.99
Not really a game, but a Skype-style VoIP interface used to communicate with other Wii owners (previously featured in GigaOM.) Also comes bundled with Animal Crossing: City Folk (see below)

Texas Hold ‘Em Poker for iPhone
Available Platforms: iPhone
MSRP: $9.99 for 40,000 playing chips
Zynga’s popular cross-platform poker game gets an iPhone version, so you can challenge folks on Facebook and other social networks while on the go; offers intuitive gameplay with fun multiplayer elements, like chat and drink buying for table mates, all nicely optimized for Apple’s phone.

World of Goo
Available Platforms: Wii, PC
MSRP: $15.00 / $19.99
Part executive desk toy, part fiendishly clever puzzle, this unique game entirely created by just two guys has you constructing towers of malleable blobs; gameplay features realistic physics and a clever sense of humor.

10 For Your Family

Animal Crossing: City Folk
Available Platforms: Wii
MSRP: $49.99
The latest in Nintendo’s bucolic, goal-free series lets Wii owners move into Animal Crossing, interact with the residents, and furnish their virtual homes with all kinds of collectibles

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
Available Platforms: Xbox 360
MSRP: $39.99
The newest iteration of British developer Rare’s long-running series sees the funny animal mascots
using an Erector set of parts to build and pilot hundreds of comical vehicles.

Cooking Mama World Kitchen
Available Platforms: Wii
MSRP: $49.99
Utterly wacky with irresistible graphics, think Guitar Hero for chefs: use your Wii remote to slice, dice and prepare meals in time with minimal mess.

Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009
Available Platforms: Wii (with Balance Board)
MSRP: $39.99
Getting bored with Wii Fit? The gym bunny/Biggest Loser star coaches you through a new regime of exercise mini-games for the Balance Board.

High School Musical 3: Senior Year Dance!
Available Platforms: Wii, PS2, PS3, PC, Xbox 360
MSRP: $69.99
The insanely popular teen franchise gets a Dance Dance Revolution-style rhythm game, but made easier for kids, so they can control the feet and hands of their movies’ favorite characters in various choreography challenges.

Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2
Available Platforms: Wii, Xbox 360, PS3
MSRP: $49.99 (mic peripheral required)
The immensely popular karaoke rhythm game franchise once again links up with the mammoth TV hit; comes with co-op mode and dozens of pop classics for impressing virtual Paula Abdul.

SingStar Legends
Available Platforms: PS2 (requires mic peripheral)
MSRP: $29.99
The Playstation 2 remains the world’s most popular consoles, largely due to games like this: a singing game franchise that challenges you to hit the right pitch, tone and rhythm to win.

Skate It
Available Platforms: Wii
MSRP: $49.99
The user-friendly version of Electronic Arts’ skateboarding hit lets gamers use the Wii remote and Wii Fit balance board to grind and ollie all over a realistic, interactive city.

Sonic Unleashed
Available Platforms: Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
MSRP: $49.99
Sega’s furry blue hedgehog returns in an adventure suited for both new gamers and experienced ones, featuring the dazzling speed and beautiful environments for which the series is known.

You’re In The Movies
Available Platforms: Xbox 360
MSRP: $69.99
Use the Xbox 360’s included camera to put yourself and your family in one of multiple B-movie scenarios, share them over the Internet with friends, and have the game console judge you on your performance.

5 For The Hardcore Gamer On Your List

Mirror’s Edge
Available Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
MSRP: $59.99
This much-praised action game takes place entirely in the first-person view, with your character, an acrobatic assassin, nimbly jumping and running across the rooftops of a futuristic city.

Gears Of War 2
Available Platforms: Xbox 360
MSRP: $59.99
The sequel to one of the most popular action games of 2007 promises bigger battles, more dangerous enemies and of the “destroyed beauty” that made the first so fantastic.

Left 4 Dead
Available Platforms: Xbox 360, PC
MSRP: $49.99
Valve follows up its hit puzzle game, Portal, with this innovative cooperative zombie survival game, where players (either in multiplayer or solo, assisted with AI-controlled characters) must work together to outwit and outlast the hordes of very clever undead.

Little Big Planet
Available Platforms: PlayStation 3
MSRP: $59.99
One of the most charming and creative games to come out in some time, Little Big Planet lets gamers not only run, jump and climb through captivating worlds, but also create them with simple tools.

Nerf N-Strike
Available Platforms: Wii
MSRP: $59.95
A rare non-violent first-person shooter from EA (you only fight robots armed with foam darts) comes with an actual fuzzy dart-shooting Nerf gun that doubles as a Wii remote peripheral.

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Hoping to provide viewers with an easy way to move Internet-based video onto TV screens, GridNetworks has announced a new service that would do just that by routing the content through an Xbox 360 gaming console.

The service is designed to work with any device that uses Universal Plug and Play protocols and, in the future, GridNetworks wants to be able to use Sony’s PlayStation 3 as the conduit as well.

More at Multichannel News.

Tags: gridnetworks, internet-based video, PlayStation 3, Sony, Universal Plug and Play, xbox 360

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Despite a worsening economy, all three current-generation video game consoles had better U.S. sales in October than they did a year ago, according to the latest figures from The NPD Group.

And both Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii sold more units in October, a four-week reporting period, than in September, a five-week period. Wowwee!

Also the worst of the economic bad news had yet to hit in September.

Sony, however, saw month-over-month PlayStation 3 sales decline, while sales of its previous generation (and less expensive) PlayStation 2 remained strong. Also, the PS3 saw the strongest year-over-year sales increase in October.

Nintendo was again the market leader, even though Microsoft cut prices on its Xbox 360 line in September, making its low-end model the least-expensive console on the market. 

More at The Seattle Times.

(Can you blame them for that seemingly pro-MS plug …)

Tags: microsoft, nintendo, npd group, playstation 2, playstation 3, sony, video game console, wii, xbox 360

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Nintendo is reportedly likely to launch a new model of its top-selling handheld player, the DS, in overseas markets by next summer.

Nintendo will start selling the DSi, which can take pictures, play music and is slimmer than the current model, in Japan tomorrow for 18,900 yen ($192) in a move to revive slowing domestic sales ahead of the critical holiday season.

Nintendo previously said it planned an overseas DSi launch in 2009.

DS sales in the April-September fiscal first half grew 3% from a year earlier to 13.73 million units worldwide, beating Sony’s PlayStation Portable by a 2-to-1 margin.

The DS and Wii console, which has outstripped both Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 in global sales, have been Nintendo’s twin growth engines in recent years.

Nintendo said it has shipped 200,000 units of the DSi for sales this weekend and plans to ship an additional 100,000 units starting November 4. 

Get more at Reuters.

Tags: ds, dsi, microsoft, nintendo, playstation, sony, xbox 360

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The market for video games is changing profoundly, and a comparison of two prominent titles’ recent sales figures shows just how much: Wii Fit, a game largely marketed to women, is outpacing the latest installment of one of the industry’s biggest franchises, Grand Theft Auto.

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Philips has announced the launch of a range of swappable faceplates for its televisions. They will work in a similar way to the Xbox 360 and allow you to customize your television to match your décor.

Called “Flavors,” the new flat high-gloss white TV will feature removable frames. The removable frames are available in a variety of colors and patterns that can be customized and taken on and off the front of the TV in a matter of seconds.

A matching Flavors home theater system also has interchangeable frames.

To match that white design you’ll get white cables and even the remote control is in high-gloss white to match the “pure design” of the television.

As a final touch, the Flavors products come with a choice of on-screen menus that match the chosen design of the frames.

Flavors will initially only be available in Italy, however a spokesperson for the company has said that if successful we will see them in the UK.  

(And what about the U.S.?????)

More at Pocket Lint.

Tags: flavors, philips, swappable faceplates, xbox 360

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No, you are not seeing things …

Last week there were unconfirmed sightings of an “Obama for President” billboard in the Xbox 360 racing game Burnout Paradise.

Today the truth can be told. It is, in fact, an official advertisement placed by the senator’s campaign team.

“I can confirm that the Obama campaign has paid for in-game advertising in Burnout,” revealed Holly Rockwood, director of corporate communications at Electronic Arts (EA), the game’s publisher.

EA regularly allows ad placements in its online games.

“Like most television, radio and print outlets, we accept advertising from credible political candidates,” she added. “Like political spots on the television networks, these ads do not reflect the political policies of EA or the opinions of its development teams.” 

Now can we expect to see a McCain ad in some video game, too? Anybody want to get which game that might be?

Get more at GigaOM.

Tags: burnout paradise, ea, electronic arts, mccain, obama, xbox 360

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Sony has ruled out cutting the price of the PlayStation 3 console before Christmas, insisting that the PS3 is better value than rivals half its price.

(Maybe time to rethink that in today’s — or at least last week’s — economy?)

With up to 50% of video game sales made in the run-up to Christmas, Sony is gambling that despite the weak economy, consumers will not just buy the cheapest machine.

If they do, Sony could lose further ground to Nintendo’s Wii and to Microsoft’s entry-level Xbox 360, which sells for $199 in the U.S. after a price cut in September - half the $399 cost of the cheapest PS3.

Sony argues that the basic Xbox has no hard disk drive, while the PS3 plays High-Definition Blu-ray movies as standard. 

Sony launched its third PlayStation model in the line in November 2006. The PS3 competes most directly with the Xbox 360. Both are high-powered consoles that have sold well to gaming enthusiasts, but neither has matched the casual appeal and rapid success of the much cheaper Wii. 

More at the Financial Times.

Tags: blu-ray, microsoft, playstation 3, sony, wii, xbox 360

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Comments on this Entry:

(Free Gadgets on
Oct 14, 2008 9:50 AM)

After Microsoft dropped the prices of the XBox360 I really expectd Sony to follow suit but they must have enough faith (and money) to keep these prices.

(Wii on
Oct 18, 2008 6:06 AM)

You would have thought, that with XBox 360s being lowered in prices, that they would have lowered the prices too for Chritmas?

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With the Nintendo Wii retailing for $249, Microsoft now says that it is cutting the price of its Xbox consoles!

This move will lower the price of its 360 Arcade by $80, to $199, and other models will see a $50 reduction, to $299 and $399.

Microsoft has lost ground over the summer to second-place Sony’s PlayStation 3, and analysts noted it marked the first time a current-generation console has sold for less than the Wii.

Let’s see how low those prices go before the holiday shopping season!

More at Bloomberg.

Tags: microsoft, nintendo wii, sony playstation 3, xbox, xbox 360

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It’s always interesting to me to keep tabs on what’s selling and what’s not — the proverbial what’s hot and what’s not.

Let’s take a look at a favorite topic — video gaming consoles.

Amid a long rant on Advertising Age about how Sackboy has a good shot at lifting PS3, we learn that (drum roll please!) according to noted analysts NPD Group, through June, PS3 — which got a later start than chief rival Xbox 360 — had sold 4.9 million units vs. Xbox 360’s 10.5 million and Wii’s 10.9 million since their introductions.

There, now that’s settled …

Tags: advertising age, npd, ps3, video game consoles, wii, xbox 360

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Gamers will see the release of Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV) for their platform of choice this fall. Game developer Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two have announced that the popular title will hit store shelves on Nov. 18.

Naturally, gameplay in GTA IV will be a little different on the PC than it is on the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, principally because gamers often use keyboards and mice instead of specialized controllers.

However, Rockstar is adding what it calls a newly expanded multiplayer system just for the PC.

One of the big draws for PC gaming is multiplayer, so if they can create a unique PC-oriented multiplayer experience, it could pull more people in. If it’s something substantially different, and it’s great, it could even convince some of the people who bought the console version to buy the PC version just for the multiplayer.

Wait and see …

Check out more at eCommerce Times here.

Tags: grand theft auto, playstation 3, Rockstar, take-two, xbox 360

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Hey hey hey — what’s wrong with lower prices as Microsoft is reportedly considering dropping the price of Xbox to $200 to appeal to the mass gaming market.

According to one report on CNET, an Xbox console with no hard drive could retail for $199 as soon as next month.

Nintendo’s Wii is currently the lowest-priced console on the market at $249.

In related news, Xbox Live avatars are reportedly coming soon to new version of EA Games.  

The avatars can don football gear and other accessories, but there is no word on whether the avatars can be inserted into the new versions of Madden or NCAA Football.

This from GameDaily BIZ.

Tags: ea games, madden, microsoft, ncaa football, nintendo wii, xbox 360

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Software publisher Activision and peripheral maker Logitech have announced a joint venture to make premium controllers shaped like instruments for Guitar Hero World Tour.

The game is expected to debut this fall, and will be available for the all the popular gaming consoles, including Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlaytStaion 3 and Nintendo Wii.

The new game will use new controllers, including a more responsive and freshly designed guitar along with a new microphone. The major difference from the current controllers uses will be an all-new electronic drum set, which will include three drum pads, two raised cymbals and a bass kick pedal.

Apart from the new controllers, the game will feature a Music Studio function, where players can compose, record and share their own music, as well an eight-player “Battle of the Bands” mode. Online Band Career options will also be available.

Electonista has more.

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While much has been made about how little excitement Sony and Nintendo have generated at the E3 game show (click here), there’s actually some pretty cool stuff coming out.

Take this for example: Nintendo had Shaun White, the gold medalist at the Olympics, demonstrating his upcoming snowboarding game, Shaun White Snowboarding, where you can stand on the sensitive balance board that Nintendo has shipped with its Wii Fit fitness system.

Got to give you a pretty good feeling of what it’s really like (of course without the wind, snow, etc.) — and the feeling of big air!

Game will be available for Xbox 360 and PS3, but what about the board?

Now you too can shred like the greatest!

(Thanks to EXPN.com for the photo.)

Tags: e3, nintendo, olympics, ps3, shaun white, Shaun White Snowboarding, sony, wii, xbox 360

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According to Yahoo News, Microsoft Corp said today that its Xbox 360 console will sell better than the Sony PlayStation 3 over the lifetime of the machines.

“Xbox 360 will sell more consoles worldwide this generation than PlayStation 3,” Don Mattrick, a senior vice president at Microsoft’s Xbox division, said at Microsoft’s news conference before the start of the E3 video game industry trade show. Microsoft said the Xbox 360 has outsold the PS3 in the United States by 5 million.

Yeah, well you wouldn’t be forgetting the Wii now would Wii? The Nintendo Wii might just kick both your butts in worldwide units sold. Still, the PS3 is a more applicable comparison to the Xbox 360. The Wii is for the casual gamer where as the Sony PS3 and Xbox 360 are for your hardcore gamers. Actually, I’ve been eyeing a PS3 just so I can have a Blu-ray player.

In related Xbox 360 pwn’ing PS3 news, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 video game console will be able to stream thousands of movies over the Internet, thanks to a deal with Netflix. It was announced today at the E3 Media & Business Summit in Los Angeles. This deal will give Netflix’s 8 million subscribers the ability to stream movies on a TV instead of a computer.

And don’t forget the Netflix-backed startup called Roku already sells a small streaming device that connects to TVs.

The Netflix streaming service offers 10,000 movies and TV shows. Your move Sony…

Tags: blu-ray player, Netflix, sony playstation 3, Sony PS3, streaming, streaming media, streaming tv, streaming video, Xbox 360

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Yes, and it’s coming soon — as of July 13!

This according to this account of new Xbox 360 store material that reveal a just less than $300 price tag that will make its weekend debut.

So, if you can wait, you can save some cash … 

And let’s see if every retailer across our fair land is going to match that price — or it they will have the same in-store merchandising material to tout this new lower price.

(Don’t you just love how you and I find out this stuff!) 

Tags: xbox 360

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Blogged about the intriguing Netflix/Roku deal back on May 20, but now an interesting piece on VentureBeat makes it even more (and more!) interesting.

The new Roku box (doesn’t look like much, does it?) lets you stream any of Netflix’s 10,000+ “Watch Now” movies (movies that can be watched immediately over the internet for free with your subscription) to your TV set instantly. However, a new wrinkle may make the device even more attractive — with a simple software download, other services beyond Netflix will soon be able to use it, according to Forbes.

This changes the device from a nice little purchase (it’s only $99), into a potential Trojan horse for digital content in your living room. Of course, it entirely depends on what other services reach agreements to use the device. Roku would only say that other “big name” providers could bring their services to the device with a simple update.

At the same time, Netflix plans to release another box featuring its “Watch Now” service in conjunction with LG later this year. There’s also an intriguing rumor that the service could come to Microsoft’s Xbox 360. 

Tags: Forbes, LG, Microsoft, Netflix, Roku, VentureBeat, Xbox 360

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Researchers extraordaire NPD has just released its gaming console sales numbers for April and guess what? Nintendo took the number one and two slots in hardware sales, with the Wiihaving sold 714,200 units while the Nintendo DS sold 414,800 units. Third place went to the PSP with 192,700 units. These are staggering numbers and underscore the life in the gaming market, even in tougher economic times.

And while these numbers may be impressive, what’s more impressive is that the Wii outsold the Playstation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, and Xbox 360 combined! Yikes!

For more details, check out Ars Technica here.

Tags: Ars Technica, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, NPD, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360

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