Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console has sold over 28 million units worldwide, 8 million more than the Sony Playstation 3.
According to figures from Microsoft, the Xbox 360 is ahead of the Playstation 3 by one million units in Europe and by 7 million in the US.
However, both consoles are being outsold by the Nintendo Wii, which sold 3 million units in the UK and 10.17 million in the US last year.
Solid Snake’s next adventure will sidestep the “Xbox 360 versus PlayStation 3″ debate by appearing on neither platform; instead, Konami’s anthropomorphized Cold War allegory will be sneaking his way onto Apple’s iPhone.
Metal Gear Solid Touch is scheduled for release in Spring 2009, reports Kotaku. The game is a completely original adventure set in the latter-day world of Metal Gear Solid 4 (read: Snake is a geriatric), and consists of 8 stages.
Gene Simmons and the Interactive Game Group have come together to offer gamers the chance to play their very own ‘Axe Guitar’ in Guitar Hero, or Rock Band. Gene Simmons commented on the videogame accessory adaptation of his iconic guitar:
“I never do anything half way. My AXE controller is the closest thing you can have to being onstage in KISS. I created and designed the Gene Simmons AXE bass guitar and I can’t wait for the fans to experience it for themselves. The Gene Simmons AXE guitar is such a recognizable symbol – people have been asking for a gaming replica ever since Guitar Hero was first introduced.”
Last month, reports began circulating that the latest “Jasper” models of the Xbox 360 had begun selling at retail. Why is a new model of the Xbox 360 so important? Because, as VentureBeat explains in a report on the Jasper’s improvements, the changes made to this model could finally mean the end of the dreaded Red Ring of Death fiasco.
The biggest improvement made to the Jasper model is that it uses a smaller 65-nanometer graphics chip, which will consume less power than previous Xbox 360 chips and fit more securely in its motherboard socket. That means it’s far less likely to overheat and come lose from the motherboard, which is the main cause of the ubiquitous “Red Ring of Death” system failures. So, at least in theory, that problem should finally no longer plague those with Jasper model 360s.
Sony has already followed up the launch of the original PSP with two more iterations of the handheld device; the most recent is the PSP-3000 – or PSP Brite – and now, everyone is wondering when the PSP-4000 will come around. Well, forget that; how’s about the PSP 2?
The latest news comes from a recent EETimes article that talks about a joint venture with Imagination Technologies Group to manufacture a certain chip set for a unit called the “PSP 2.” The chip set in question is similar to the POWERVR SGX graphics processor, and you can find the SGX chip sets in everything from palmtops to mobile PCs.
The hot news over the weekend: The infinitely popular Nintendo DS Lite may be getting an upgrade, soon to be including MP3 playback capabilities and a camera. Officially Nintendo says it has no comment, though it has not denied the rumor.
But Nikkei Net has lots of details on the supposed product, including a price (16,800 yen, or $158), and availability set for 2008. The report, which has been cited on gaming sites across the Web, even says that you’ll be able to use photos you snap in new kinds of games, and music and photos will be accessible via wireless connection and SD card. (That would also suggest that the DS would add a new storage slot to the mix.) The screen is rumored to be larger, too.
ATLANTA – Sony Corp.’s U.S. video game division is adding a slick visual program to the PlayStation 3 game system that delivers news headlines, weather reports and webcam views from around the globe.
The new touches come as an upgrade to Folding(at)home, an earlier PS3 feature that benefits Stanford University’s protein research project. Users donate a bit of their PS3’s processing power when they’re not gaming to help researchers study the effects of protein folding on diseases.
British modder Bacteria really likes cartridges. The bigger the better. He turned an entire N64 console into a gigantic, beige cart, then took a slew of cheap plug ‘n play games and did the same — though smaller and minus the neutral tones. He dubbed that latest creation the Mini-Platform Plug’n'Play Console System, and promised that Game Boy Advance integration was coming soon.
Two weeks later it’s here courtesy of a little solder and hot glue, opening up the massive library of Game Boy and Advance titles. Yeah, the system isn’t much to look at, and with an entire GBA hanging off the back it’s pushing the limits of the word “mini.” But, it is an intrepid hack and, like his others, he’s more than happy to tell you how he did it. Video of this meaty portable in action after the break.
The Officially Licensed, full-featured Portable Drum Kit for Rock Band is playable on virtually any solid surface. Designed to withstand over 1 million strikes, the durable rubber construction ensures the drumheads will outlast your frenetic drumming. Featuring an ultra-thin navigation panel for easy in-game setup, a pair of soft-tip two-piece replacement drumsticks and a remote kick drum pedal, everything you need to play drums is included. Easy to assemble and play and even easier to fold away for quick storage, when you don’t have ample room to rock with the full-sized drum kit, reach for these tabletop drums and rock like there is no tomorrow.
