Kotaku: Hardware

More Shots Of The Rumored PSP-3000

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:40:36 MDT

Additional "spy" photos of the alleged PSP-3000 hardware update that we posted last night have come to our attention, again courtesy of the PSPChina.net message board. These shots show off what appears to be a working prototype of the PlayStation Portable, said to have built-in microphone support, among other alleged new functionality.

Hit the jump for exciting photos of the new thinner PSP ring, another look at the PS button and one more cosmetic change. While you do say, chant "This is a rumor, this is a rumor."

Yes, that's that thinner ring. Again. It's thinner.

This shot of the PS button, the one that supposedly replaces the Home button on the current PSP model, looks noticeably different from what we saw previously. It looks more like the PS button on the SIXAXIS controller and is therefore, more suspect.

That would be some handy iconography stamped on the bottom of the PSP-3000. Answers the question, "What am I sticking these cables in here for?"

Rumor: PSP 3000 Features Built-In Mic, Already In Production

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:20:46 MDT

Posters on the PSPChina BBS are claiming that Sony is planning on releasing a hardware update to the currently available PSP, model number 2000, one that includes a built-in microphone, updated buttons, a few cosmetic changes and possibly even cell phone support.

As can be seen in the picture above, the Home button on the original and current PSP models is now occupied by a PS button, similar to the one on the PlayStation 3 controller. One could assume that Sony would have made the Home to PS change in an attempt to prevent confusion with its Home service. The purported microphone is to the right of the volume buttons.

More pics after the jump.

Yes, that's a thinner metallic ring on the UMD door. Why that would possibly change, we have little idea. Below is what is said to be the back half of the PSP 3000's plastic casing.

Keep in mind these photos are not confirmed to be the real deal and that they should be considered rumor for now. We'll be following up with Sony to learn more about its PSP plans and get comment on the authenticity of the above photos.

Thanks to creamsuger and ZX for forwarding the pics.

PSP Can't Stop, Won't Stop Sellin' In Japan

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:30:17 MDT

There is no cure for PSP fever in Japan, what with all those massive marquee releases happening overseas. Like... um God of War: Chains of Olympus maybe? Is this just Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G after shocks or are folks just falling in love all over again with the Sony handheld? Regardless of the reason, the PSP comes out on top on this week's Media Create sales chart. Nintendo DS and Wii hold strong, but certainly aren't selling as well as they are in the States.

Even the 360 is holding on to a larger slice of the pie than normal. It's all so confusing!

PSP - 56,998
Nintendo DS - 48,540
Wii - 41,768
PlayStation 3 - 12,458
PlayStation 2 - 10,405
Xbox 360 - 3,807

Nyko's Wii Remote Charge Station Won't Work with Motion Plus

Brian Crecente — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:20:00 MDT

I just ran by the Nyko meeting rooms to find out about their Wii Remote Charging Station. That's the thing that comes with replacement rechargeable batteries and allows you to dock your remotes in a holder to charge them when not playing. Personally I find mine irreplaceable, mostly because I can never remember to buy batteries.

The thing when I demoed Wii Sport Resort I noticed that the controller was longer now and asked Nintendo if the charger would still work. Ask Nyko was their reply, so I did.

Unfortunately, it won't work, at least not while the Wii Motion Plus device is attached. The Nyko guys told me they were already looking at ways to solve the problem. They added that they believe the Wii Motion Plus attachment doesn't contain batteries, meaning it likely draws power from the Remote, which would likely reduce the battery life for the controller.

Bad news all around.

Your Weekly Update On Good PSP Sales, Lousy 360 Sales In Japan

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 03:30:39 MDT

Will nothing end the tedium of the PSP dominating Media Create hardware charts? We can't even take satisfaction in the continuing dismal fortunes of Microsoft overseas. Truth be told, the 360 has another relatively good week, as sales in the 1,000 to 2,000 range are more common. PlayStation 3 sales return to normal, as the Metal Gear Solid 4 bump continues to wane. Here are the results of the Japanese console war from June 30 to July 6.

PSP - 56,439
DS Lite - 47,455
Wii - 44,525
PlayStation 3 - 14,359
PlayStation 2 - 11,768
Xbox 360 - 4,776

Media Create Weekly Sales

DirectX 11 Announcement Coming This Month?

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:20:00 MDT

Do you feel that, PC gamers? That pressure? It's the future, bearing relentlessly down upon you. While many PC gamers are still without DirextX 10, thanks to its Vista-only segregation, word on the PC tech streets (in this case, Graphics Whore boulevard) is that DirectX 11 will be announced by Microsoft later this month, no doubt accompanied by pictures of Crysis featuring all kinds of lighting and environmental effects you won't be able to see/afford until 2011. The announcement's supposed to take place on July 22-23 at the XNA Gamefest event in Seattle.

DirectX 11 to get announced this month [Fudzilla, via VG247]

GameStop's Leaked Xbox 360 Price Drop Info

Brian Crecente — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:02:12 MDT

Just in case all of those retailer circulars from Best Buy, KMart, et al, wasn't enough proof of an Xbox 360 price drop coming on Sunday, here's one more tidbit of proof.

A GameStop employee has sent us cell pics of the internal announcement for the coming Xbox 360 Pro price drop announcement. They also included pics of the shelf art all of which will go on display on July 13, the day before E3 kicks off with Microsoft's press conference.

So, while still not official, it seem pretty clear that come Sunday you'll be able to pick up an Xbox 360 Pro (aka Premium) for a penny shy of $300.

If true, I can't help but think that this means that Microsoft wanted to clear the decks of pricing news to make room for something more interesting, or at least they want more attention on, come their press conference. Motion controls? Minority-Report-like interface? Who knows.

Gundam Doubles Xbox 360 Sales In Japan As PSP Holds Strong In First

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:40:36 MDT

Just because Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G sales are waning (finally) doesn't mean that the urge to buy PSP hardware is becoming any less intense. And even though the PSP doesn't have any software showing in the top ten for the week doesn't mean that it can't continue to rule the roost on the Media Create weekly sales charts. Nintendo hardware continues to nip at its lead and we imagine fortunes will change soon.

Somewhat more surprising is the big boost that the Xbox 360 got during the week of June 23 to 29. The release of Mobile Suit Gundam: Operation: Troy certainly seems to have helped Microsoft move some hardware. They really should just rebrand the thing the Xbox RX-78-2 locally. Can't hurt.

PSP - 58,861
Nintendo DS - 48,884
Wii - 48,480
PlayStation 3 - 17,973
PlayStation 2 - 7,673

Media Create Weekly Sales

PS3 2.40 Update Problems And Solutions

Mike Fahey — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:20:00 MDT

While it seems like every time the PlayStation 3 undergoes a firmware upgrade is plagued by people trying to blame broken systems on the update, last night's 2.40 update seems to have caused genuine issues with many posters over at the official PlayStation forums. Owners of PS3s in all shapes and sizes have been reporting that their systems were loading to the initial PlayStation wave screen and simply hanging there after applying 2.40. No icons, no controller functions, no nothing, just the wave across the middle of the screen.

There doesn't seem to be any real pattern as to which systems are affected. 60GB, 40GB, 20GB, and 80GB systems alike have all been afflicted with the issue. We've contacted Sony for word on the issue, but in the meantime several of the more tech savvy forum posters have determined how to fix the issue, if you're willing to yank out your console's hard disk drive.

Users found that removing and reformatting their PS3 hard drive and then reinserting it into the console would get the system to boot completely, after which it asks to reformat the disk again and everything runs normally. Of course they lose all of their saved games and have to redo all of their downloads, but I suppose that is better than sending in the system for a $150.00 repair.

One can only assume that the update was the catalyst that caused certain data on affected hard disks to become corrupt, rendering the system unbootable. It would certainly explain why only certain systems are being affected, and why Sony couldn't have caught the problem in the first place.

We'll keep you updated on the issue as we learn more. In the meantime, feel free to hit the link below to read through 30 plus pages of quality PS3 forum drama.

2.40 Broke my Ps3 [PlayStation.com Forums - Thanks PsycheE]

UPDATE: SCEA has apparently pulled the 2.40 firmware update. We are awaiting comment from the company.

PlayStation 3 Graphics Chip Shrinks To Wee 65nm This Fall

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:00:04 MDT

Kaz Hirai and the boys at Sony are all about profitability. They don't just throw these slides together for kicks; they mean it. As part of the company's accelerated "cost down efforts," the PlayStation 3 will be getting smaller, cooler, cheaper, more efficient and generally awesomer RSX graphics chips starting this fall. We're talking 65nm manufacturing processes, people. The good stuff.

Kaz noted in his corporate strategy speech earlier today that the Cell processor has been manufactured with 65nm process technology as of "last holiday." Both were originally manufacture at 90nm, which was charming at first, but now seems rather vulgar. We're updating our console power consumption charts in anticipation of the new RSX's release.

PlayStation 3 Falls Out Of First In Japanese Charts

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:30:09 MDT

Well, the PlayStation 3 had a good run. Err... week. After a big boost from fourth to first on the wings of Metal Gear Solid 4's release in Japan, things have largely returned to normal. The PS3 resumes its position behind the Nintendo DS this week, selling about double what it had been for a good part of the year, but not enough to get out of the chart's bottom half. The PSP returns to the number one spot, probably helped by the release of Super Robot Taisen A Portable. You have to take the good with the bad, Sony. Then you get the facts of life.

PSP - 59,351
Wii - 41,037
Nintendo DS - 36,599
PlayStation 3 - 20,336
PlayStation 2 - 6,346
Xbox 360 - 2,555

Analyzing The Accuracy Of VGChartz

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:00:13 MDT

We love sales data. We regularly cite NPD Group, Chart Track, Enterbrain and Media Create figures, but rarely, if ever put stock in amateur sales estimation outlet VGChartz. It's not just our aversion to plurals that end with Z, it's that the methodology, the educated guesses that lead the site to conclude that, say, Metal Gear Solid 4 sold 1.3 million copies on day one, don't instill much confidence.

Gamasutra's Simon Carless peeks into the VGChartz methodology and the validity of its weekly published video game sales estimates. In short, his findings point to some noticeably large variations between VGC's guesstimates and more trusted outlets like NPD, to which many publishers subscribe.

We agree with Carless that a community driven resource for estimations is a good idea, but we're not particularly fond of the accuracy that VGC offers. For those passionate about sales data, it's a good read.

Analysis: What VGChartz Does (And Doesn't) Do For The Game Biz [Gamasutra]

New Asus Gaming Rig Is Actually The Fifth Cylon

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:30:00 MDT

It is! Look at it. While you sit there and process words, and surf internets, and play games, it just sits there, red light pulsing, whooaaaammmm, whooaaammmm. It knows it was created by man, and does not care. It will rebel. It will rise up, infiltrate our ranks, and rain death upon us all (mostly with its quad-core CPU, 8GB of DDRIII RAM, 3-way Nvidia GTX280 SLI and 4TB HDD). No mention of price in the press release, but we'll put $5 on it being "not cheap".

Taipei, Taiwan, June 19, 2008 – Catering to gamers who require only the best equipment, ASUS, world-leading producer of desktop PCs, has unveiled the new ASUS ARES CG6155 Desktop PC. This powerful piece of gaming hardware comprises an array of top-notch components to provide gamers with the performance and stability for their every gaming need. The unique exterior design is inspired by ancient and modern armor with both Eastern and Western influences, and presents an aesthetic appeal that exudes pure power!

Conceived from the outset as the ultimate gaming powerhouse, ARES combines performance with ASUS' legendary quality and reliability. From its armored surfaces to its Dual Power supply units, ARES has been designed to deliver both functionality and style to those who demand the best. Inspired by ancient and modern armor from both Eastern and Western cultures, ARES opens a new chapter in gaming hardware design. ARES not only looks bullet proof; but also incorporates an arsenal of features which make it one of the most stable and secure gaming PC systems ever.

ARES is equipped with the most advanced Quad-core CPUs, 3-way SLI graphic cards and extreme factory over-clocking that boosts CPU performance by up to 33%. Additionally, gamers will be able to enjoy cutting-edge technologies such as a Blu-ray optical disc drive, high-definition audio and DDRIII memory. With such powerful computing performance and great support for a variety of technologies, ARES easily conquers the most performance-intensive PC games and provides the highest level of excitement to all gamers.
* The overclocking performance changes are subject to different setups and conditions.

Dual Power and Liquid Cooling Ensures Ultimate Stability
Due to its unique Dual Power and customized liquid cooling modules, ARES offers excellent stability. This Dual Power design supports up to 2 kilowatts of power – providing greater stability and non-stop sustainability for intensive gaming demands than competing solutions that average only 1 kilowatt in power. At the same time, the built-in liquid cooler ensures that system stability is maintained for cooler operations. Because of these design considerations, gamers can fully immerse themselves in their gaming environments without any interruptions.

Specifications

OS
Microsoft Vista Ultimate

CPU
Intel Core2 Extreme QX9650 (Overclockable up to 4.0GHz)

Chipset
NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI

Memory
Dual Channel DDR3 1333MHz up to 8G

Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX280 3-Way SLI

HDD
Up to 4TB

ODD
Blu-ray DVD

LAN
2 x LAN 10/100/1000

Power Supply
2 Kilowatts (Dual Power)

Accessory
Gaming Keyboard, Mouse, Mousepad, Headset

Meet The New Guitar Hero Controller

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:20:00 MDT

Activision and RedOctane have stepped up the guitar controller game, adding an all new set of hardware features to the plastic axe that ships with Guitar Hero World Tour No longer are you limited to just five colored buttons and a whammy bar, as the new Guitar Hero proprietary peripheral adds a new touch-sensitive slider on the neck, a new bridge button near the strum bar and a built-in accelerometer. Not only can they all be used during regular gameplay—oh, and your old Guitar Hero III guitar controllers will still work—but they all add a little something to Guitar Hero World Tour's new music creation mode.

Hit the jump for close-ups and a quick explanation of each new feature.

The Slider: The new guitar controller's coolest feature lets players muck with sustained notes with finger slides up and down the slider strip area. It can also be used to tap out notes like a virtual Eddie Van Halen for those note heavy Dragonforce moments. In Guitar Hero World Tour's music editor, the slider acts as an arpeggiator, playing rapid-fire notes with in the Music Studio mode's various arpeggio styles.

The Knob: It's a knob. And it's definitely the least exciting new aspect of the updated guitar controller. Hey, it looks cool. Let's talk about The Accelerometer instead. That little piece of hardware can be used to adjust the pitch of your notes in the game's music editor, doing double duty as the device that sense you want to engage Star Power mode. But if you like to keep things level...

The Bridge: See that "Star Power" line of text on the new bridge button? Yeah, that's how you'll activate Star Power, should you not feel like erecting your axe with a quick thrust. In the game's music editor, it'll let you add palm-muted notes to your tracks for a little variety. Cool.

Japanese Hardware Sales Belong To Sony (For Now)

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:20:39 MDT

Well, here's something you don't see every Thursday. That giant red slice of the Japanese hardware pie is the Metal Gear Solid 4-inspired spike of PlayStation 3 sales, with some 75,000 consoles sold over the past week—that's including the MGS4 bundle—according to Media Create. With the PSP continuing to sell well, thanks to Monster Hunter, Sony is enjoying rare sales chart dominance in the nation.

We don't expect to see the PS3 kicking this much tail next week, but with a handful of appealing releases—Initial D Extreme, Soul Calibur IV, Siren— and this shot in the arm for sales of Sony's big box, it should at least help keep the console out of the ghetto for the Summer.

PlayStation 3 - 75,311
PSP - 64,675
Wii - 45,564
Nintendo DS - 39,201
PlayStation 2 - 7,297
Xbox 360 - 2,163

AMD Graphics Chip More Powerful Than Every Game Console Combined, Says AMD

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:40:31 MDT

Chip maker AMD has invested heavily into hyperbole research, proudly proclaiming that its new graphics chip, the RV770, is "more powerful than every generation of video game console ever brought to market combined." The RV770, demoed Monday, is capable of processing one trillion floating operations per second on a single chip, a feat that AMD says "punches a sizeable hole in the sensory barrier."

In short, that means things will look prettier and more realistic, giving game creators nearly limitless depths of brown to explore, with space marine armor achieving nearly unimaginable levels of detail.

AMD has a brief tech demo that show off the RV770 at its official site, featuring a DOG from Half-Life 2 clone chasing graphics card mascot Ruby. You'll probably find it as rewarding as the corporate promise of "Cinema 2.0." That's definitely gonna catch on.

Cinema 2.0: The Next Chapter in the Ultimate Visual Experience Story [AMD - thanks, Fred!]

Nvidia's GTX 200-Series Are New, Special, Let's Make Them Feel Welcome

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:30:00 MDT

Whey-hey, new graphics cards. Time to simultaneously drool over performance specs while complaining about the financial outlay required to satisfy said drooling! Nvidia have debuted their new GTX 200-series line of graphics cards today, with the announcement of the GTX-260 and GTX-280. Here's the technical skinny: The 260 has 192 stream processors and 896MB of memory, while the 280 has 240 stream processors and 1GB of memory. Click through for a benchmark, highlight of which is the fact the god-like 9800GX2 still has both these cards beat.

Nvidia GeForce GTX 200 Graphics Cards Makes Your Gaming Rig Officially Outdated [Gizmodo, benchmark via Tom's hardware]

HAWX Gets Glowy amBX SupportX

Brian Crecente — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:20:00 MDT

The PC version of the upcoming arcade air combat sim Tom Clancy's HAWX will support Philips' PC ambient technology, the company announced today.

The amBX gaming peripheral includes RGB LED lights that can create 16 million colors, variable speed desktop fans capable of up to 5,000 RPM and a wrist rumble strip. Philips says that the device will be used to create "all kinds of spectacular air combat lighting, air movement and rumble effects."

The HAWX support announcement also notes that the peripheral is getting a price drop with the starter kit now selling for about $150, the extension kit selling for $80, the premium kit for $280 and the pro kit for $230. All of them sound too pricey for something that's going to throw rainbows up on my ceiling and blow wind in my face, but each to his or her own.

Dragon Ball Gives Hardware Sales A Boost In Japan

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:30:28 MDT

Hardware sales in Japan were down a bit for every console that didn't get its own version of Namco Bandai's Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit. PSP sales continue to cool as Monster Hunter drops further down the software charts. We'll know next week how much of a helping hand Metal Gear Solid 4 gives the PlayStation 3. For now, Media Create sales charts for the week of June 2 to June 8.

PSP - 62,016
Wii - 44,639
Nintendo DS - 35,020
PlayStation 3 - 10,856
PlayStation 2 - 6,279
Xbox 360 - 2,280

Spore System Requirements Are Decidedly Sane

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:00:33 MDT

After perusing the "Sporepedia" for a bit, you might start to wonder "Can my lowly Windows-based PC or Mac handle this much awesomeness?" Maxis responds with a thorough set of Spore minimum system requirements for the release platform of your choice. And they're not at all unreasonable! Windows gamers, you're up first, Mac gamers, you're after the jump.

Windows XP
2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
512 MB RAM
A 128 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
At least 6 GB of hard drive space

Windows Vista
2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
768 MB RAM
A 128 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
At least 6 GB of hard drive space

Mac OS X
Mac OS X 10.5.3 Leopard or higher
Intel Core Duo Processor
1024 MB RAM
ATI X1600 or NVidia 7300 GT with 128 MB of Video RAM, or Intel Integrated GMA X3100
At least 4.7GB of hard drive space for installation, plus additional space for creations.

The official site warns that the Mac disk space requirements for Spore are subject to change. It also has a fairly exhaustive list of supported video cards for both camps. You good to go? I am!

Spore Specs [Official Site]

USB HDD on Nintendo Horizon?

Owen Good — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 09:00:00 MDT

There's plenty of chatter about a seeming run-of-the-mill job posting but, admittedly, it might foreshadow something even for those of us who have qualifications necessary to work for Nintendo. Here 'tis:

CONTRACT - Software/Hardware Tester

Description of Duties

—-> * Creating and executing a test plan for Wii’s USB devices <—--
* Executing test plans with great attention to detail and documenting bugs
* Writing test procedure documents, gathering, and learning required software/hardware
* Reproducing bug reports and helping find work-arounds or resolutions

The talky-talk going around surmises that it involves USB HDDs to store all those swell WiiWare games Ninty's been pushing out. Me, I think it's a USB George Foreman grill, but then I don't represent the cutting edge of blog thought.

Nintendo Looking Into USB Attachments? [Nintencast, via Codenamerevolution and others]

Power Pro Portable Propels PSP To Phirst Place

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:30:33 MDT

What? We like to be alliterative now and then and the release of Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball Portable 3felt like it was an opportunity to do so, especially since it appears to have given the PSP a little kick in the pants sales-wise. It's hardware competition and brethren didn't move much in either direction, with numbers pretty static week-to-week. While there were plenty of new software releases, there was little in the way of big names. Perhaps the release of Ninja Gaiden II in Japan next week will get the Xbox 360 out of the sales ghetto for a spell.

PSP - 71,986
Wii - 50,851
Nintendo DS - 38,355
PlayStation 3 - 9,169
PlayStation 2 - 7,203
Xbox 360 - 1,959

Wii Creeping Up On PSP's Sales Overseas

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:40:24 MDT

Don't throw yourself on your sword quite yet, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan middle manager, the PSP is still doing just fine in your country, according to Media Create. It's doing fairly spectacularly actually, pushing another 64K in a week. Plus, you've had an amazing run since the release of Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G. But the gap between the PSP and the Wii is becoming narrower, essentially halving from week-to-week. Hey, at least you're not suffering the shame that is the Japanese release of John Woo's Stranglehold, which debuted in 46th place. Ouch!

PSP - 64,449
Wii - 49,047
Nintendo DS - 37,404
PlayStation 3 - 9,071
PlayStation 2 - 7,189
Xbox 360 - 1,947

These Are Supposed To Be Starcraft 2's System Specs

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 22 May 2008 21:20:00 MDT

Could be. Then again, even the most official system specs are liable to have their goalposts moved a little this far out from release, so consider these unconfirmed ones more of a rough guide than a definite listing of all the new hardware you may or may not need later this year.

Minumum Requirements
GFX: GeForce 7/8 Series or Radeon 1000/2000 with 256 MB RAM
CPU: Pentium 4
RAM: 1 GB
Internet: ADSL 1 Mbit

Recommended Requirements
GFX: GeForce 8000 or Radeon 2000 series with 512 MB RAM
CPU: Core 2 Duo or Athlon X2.
RAM: 2 GB
Internet: ADSL 3 Mbit

These were obtained by Spanish mag Micromania, after a visit to Blizzard's offices. As such, I'm just going to class them as "official estimates", confirm my PC can run the recommended specs, then get on with my "waiting for Starcraft 2" candlelight vigil.

StarCraft 2 Minimum Requirements [Micromania, via Voodoo Extreme]

PSP Still Dominating Japanese Charts As PS3 Slips

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 22 May 2008 18:40:45 MDT

Hardware sales in Japan were down for the week of May 12 to 18, but there was no change in the ranking, one that's been fairly consistent since the release of Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G for the PSP. With only two PlayStation 3 games on the Media Create software charts—Valkyria Chronicles and Pro Yakyuu Baseball 5, its not too surprising to see PS3 sales languishing. If the console is taken over by its predecessor, we can't imagine Sony will be too pleased. With Metal Gear Solid 4 just a few weeks away, though, we expect some might be holding off on their purchase to take advantage of bundle offerings.

PSP - 70,536
Wii - 41,572
Nintendo DS - 34,905
PlayStation 3 - 7,701
PlayStation 2 - 7,022
Xbox 360 - 1,474

Acer Predator PC Is Over-The-Top (And Awesome)

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 22 May 2008 04:30:00 MDT

This is Acer's new dedicated gaming PC, the "Predator". I could tell you the specs (Intel Core 2 Extreme, Nvidia nForce 780i SLI, 8GB memory), but really, that's not why we're here. We're here for that case. That ridiculous, completely unnecessary, completely awesome case that looks more like a writhing Patlabor fetus than something you use to keep your PC's delicate bits away from the elements. I mean, just look at it. It doesn't just "flip open". It transforms from a closed state to an open one. And before you start, yes, it's "just" a case, but this is probably the first and only time I'm going to gush over one, so indulge me for a minute, could you?

Acer Predator [Acer]

Analysts Predict Big, Big May On Wii Fit U.S. Launch

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 19 May 2008 18:00:31 MDT

Apparently, $1.23 billion in U.S. sales is a disappointment, from a Wall Street perspective, as Reuters reports that April's reported take sent video game stocks downward. Software sales only seeing 68% growth from the previous year? Unacceptable! Merely $654.7 million in software? Sell, sell, sell!

May, however, could bring much bigger numbers with the release of Wii Fit—and maybe some of that Grand Theft Auto IV run-off—projected to increase 160% on the software side says Kaufman Bros. analyst Todd Mitchell. If we're looking at May 2007 numbers, that means we may see software sales alone top $712 million. Still chump change, but at least we're making progress.

Hardware dollars are expected to double, which makes us wonder just how amazingly fit this country will be by bikini season.

Bears hunt video game stocks [Reuters]

AMD Holding Up Their End Of The PC Gaming Bargain

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 19 May 2008 04:30:00 MDT

When the PC industry's big guns high-fived as they broke from a warm, gushy group hug, they high-fived with a pledge: that they'd do what they could to help give traditional PC gaming a kick in the pants. We've seen what Nvidia are doing, so what about AMD? They're...well, they're going to start putting little badges on their PCs. If a computer's got a badge that says "AMD Game", it'll play more than just Freespace. If it says "AMD Game Ultra", it'll even manage something like Crysis. You can see an example of the badges to your left. I don't know. It's not that its necessarily a bad idea, just...we were kinda hoping for a little more than just (likely ineffectual) badges, you know?

AMD launches "Good Housekeeping" stamp of approval for gaming computers [VentureBeat]

Japanese Hardware Buyers Still Like That PSP

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:40:00 MDT

Super Sales Chart Thursday comes to a close with the weekly tally of Japanese hardware sales, courtesy of Media Create. The PSP continues to sit pretty atop the charts—it's a distant third in the United States—but the separation between it and the Wii continues to grow slimmer, week after week. Not much action for the week of May 5 to 11 over there, but based on the bottom half of the chart, we're betting Sony is glad it has the PSP on its side.

PSP - 89,884
Wii - 67,308
Nintendo DS - 51,228
PlayStation 3 - 8,054
PlayStation 2 - 7,464
Xbox 360 - 1,298

Wii Dominates April, PS3 & Xbox 360 In Dead Heat On GTA IV Sales

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 15 May 2008 16:40:00 MDT

Nintendo had an amazing April, pushing over 700,000 Wiis in the United States. That's a massive difference from its "current gen high definition console" competition, as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were neck and neck, only a thousand units difference between the two. If you were expecting a big boost from Grand Theft Auto IV's release, you're going to leave disappointed. Maybe next month. Nintendo's other platform, the DS continued to impress, more than doubling sales of the PSP.

Wii - 714,200
Nintendo DS - 414,800
PSP - 192,000
Xbox 360 - 188,000
PlayStation 3 - 187,100
PlayStation 2 - 124,400

Totals were down across the board, with the Wii taking the least hit from March to April, each piece of hardware showing in the same position as the previous month. Despite that month to month drop, hardware was up 26% over April of last year.

Total hardware spending in April amounted to $426.2 million, compared to $339.2 million spent in April of 2007.

NPD analyst Anita Frazier pointed out that more Wiis at retail, obviously, means more Wiis sold. And while some Wii owners may bemoan a lack of new releases—Mario Kart Wii aside—Frazier writes that "With a couple of blockbuster games already in the market this year, and with Wii Fit and Rock Band still to come in the next two months, the pipeline of content to continue to drive hardware acquisition looks very good"

Frazier also points out that less than spectacular sales on PS3 and 360 hardware may not be indicative of underperformance, noting that "[S]ince the game was only in the market for 5 days during this reporting period, that sales lift could very well be evident in May data." To May, then!

Steam's Latest Hardware Survey Results Are In

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 15 May 2008 02:30:00 MDT

We've had some bad Steam news today, so let's balance it out with some good news, eh? Valve have released the latest set of results from Steam's hardware survey, giving us perhaps the best snapshot possible of just what the average PC gamer's got to work with. Some of the results (only 0.55% use a 33k modem) are predictable, while others (only 25.68% are on a 16:9 display) are waaaaaay off what most would have put money on. If, you know. You could pop down to the bookies and throw a tenner on the results of a PC hardware survey.

For the full breakdown, hit the link below, but just as a snapshot I've compiled a hypothetical PC using the components most popular amongst the surveyed users:

- 2,048.0 Kbps network speed (31.13% of users)
- 2GB+ RAM (38.19% of users)
- GenuineIntel processor (58.47% of users)
- Single core CPU (59.14% of users)
- 2.3 Ghz to 2.69 Ghz Intel CPU (15.71% of users)
- 250GB+ HDD (32.58% of users)
- NVIDIA GeForce 8800 graphics card (9.35% of users)
- 4:3 display (73.88% of users)
- 1280x960 desktop resolution (39.18% of users)
- Realtek AC97 Audio sound card (17.91% of users)
- Windows XP (80.94% of users)
- System language: English (58.73% of users)

[Valve Summary Data]

Vista Game Speeds Finally Catch Up To XP

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 14 May 2008 01:30:00 MDT

I got Vista a few weeks back, and have found it nothing short of delightful. No compatibility issues, no performance downgrades, none of the complaints I've heard PC gamers cussing over for the past year or so. Then again...I've been playing Oblivion and the Battlestar Galactica mod for Homeworld 2, so I haven't exactly been pushing the OS to its limits. If you're playing things a little more current, and are finding things on Vista a little slower than they should be, chin up: some benchmarks run by ExtremeTech have compared Vista's SP1 to XP's new SP3, and found that over three games tested (World in Conflict, Supreme Commander and Crysis), Vista was just as fast as XP on two, and marginally faster on Crysis.

Gaming Performance: Windows Vista SP1 vs. XP SP3 [ExtremeTech]

My PlayStation 2.5

Mike Fahey — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:00:00 MDT

So I ran into a bit of a snag with my PlayStation 3 last week when I went to pick up Iron Man only to discover my system would not play Blu-ray games or movies any longer. PlayStation 2 games and DVDs run just fine, but Blu-ray just poops out without even trying to read the disc. I had put off calling support in the same way I generally put off calling the doctor, hoping that whatever is wrong will just fix itself (Mike, your arm's fallen off - It'll get better!), but after wistfully browsing the Blu-ray movie aisle at a local retail establishment it was time to make the call.

After navigating the PlayStation support line's various menus and advertisements, I got on the line with a support specialist I will call Denise, mainly because I completely forgot to write down her real name. Denise had never encountered this particular issue before, so she put me on hold to research a bit in between restoring the system's default setting and performing a hard reset. The verdict? My poor little PS3 is dead.

Not all the way dead, mind you. I can still play PlayStation 2 games and access the PSN. It seems as if the Blu-ray portion of the drive just gave up the ghost, turning the system into something of a PlayStation 2.5. It could be as simple as dust on the lens, but the PS3's Blu-ray workings are situated in a place where compressed air fears to tread. I could open the system and futz around inside, but...no. Electronics have been known to spontaneously catch on fire when I even consider touching them, just to save themselves from the horror my giant snausage fingers would inflict upon them.

So it's back to repair for my shiny black system, eventually. I am currently playing through Mana Khemia for the PS2 on it, and while I have a fully functioning memory card adapter there is no way I can go back to playing this on my composite-connected PS2 after starting it on my HDMI PS3. The whole thing will run me $149, but it sure beats just buying a new one.

The ultimate irony here is that right next to my PlayStation 3 sits my launch Xbox 360, it's glowing green light mocking my plight. Truly I must live in some sort of bizarro world when the world's most unreliable video game console lasts longer than what I often considered the most solid piece of video game hardware to come out in years. If I had to guess, I'd say the PS3 committed suicide after too many viewings of A Knight's Tale on Blu-ray. I shall be more careful of my viewing habits in the future.

Wii Grabs A Slice Of PSP Japanese Hardware Sales

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:20:00 MDT

Inasmuch as the Japanese software story stays largely the same, as does weekly hardware sales. The PSP continues to sit pretty atop the Media Create sales charts, but regular "Simple 2000: The Japanese Hardware Chart" watchers will notice that the big black slice is starting to thin. A big Wii sales boost has plenty to do with that, but Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G sales trending down—holiday boost notwithstanding—is likely accountable. Numbers were up across the board, but Nintendo benefited the most.

PSP - 100,870
Wii - 71,518
Nintendo DS - 52,542
PlayStation 3 - 10,177
PlayStation 2 - 8,802
Xbox 360 - 1,725

Media Create Weekly Sales

PSP Continues To Rule Japanese Hardware Sales

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 01 May 2008 19:20:00 MDT

It's the same old story. Boy meets Monster Hunter. Boy buys Monster Hunter. Boy buys PSP. We lose interest in the dreadfully boring and stable Japanese hardware market. Can't someone buy 60,000 Xbox 360s and mix it up over there? We're getting tired of seeing that giant black mass dominate the Media Create hardware charts! Oh well. Maybe we'll feel better pointing out a PS3 sales blip on the release of Valkyria Chronicles and dreadful Xbox 360 numbers. Nope. That didn't help.

PSP - 92,411
Wii - 48,796
Nintendo DS - 42,435
PlayStation 3 - 9,107
PlayStation 2 - 7,108
Xbox 360 - 1,283

Media Create Weekly Sales

PS2 to PS3 Guitar Hero Adapter Rescues Otherwise Non-Functional Guitars

Mark Wilson — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:40:00 MDT

Here's some great news...that possibly comes a few months too late. TAC has released an adapter that will make your PS2 Guitar Hero controllers compatible with PS3 versions of Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Running $19.99, the company promises the adapter makes guitars "100% compatible" for use, supporting: regular PS2 controllers, Red Octane's and Activision's SG Controller, the Kramer Wireless, Nyko's PS2 Frontman guitar, the DreamGear Shredster, all React PS2 guitar controllers and all Psyclone PS2 guitar controllers. While the $20 sticker price is a bit steep to make this purchase a no-brainer, many of us have been sitting on otherwise useless PS2 guitars. So we'll just label this a good thing and call it a day. You can buy one here, hit the jump for the full details.

DUST OFF YOUR FAVORITE PS2 GUITAR CONTROLLERS! THE ANT COMMANDOS' PLAYSTATION® 2 TO PLAYSTATION® 3 ADAPTER IS NOW AVAILABLE TO REVITALIZE YOUR PS2 GUITAR HERO CONTROLLERS
TAC's Universal Adapter Is The First On The Market That is 100% Compatible With Guitar HeroT 3 & Rock BandT Features

April 28, 2008 - Ontario, CA- The Ant Commandos (TAC), a leading provider of innovative wireless video game music peripherals and accessories, announced today its universal PlayStation 2 to PlayStation 3 adapter for guitar and game controllers is now available at retail for an SRP of $19.99.

This is great news for Guitar Hero and Rock Band fans as they can protect their investment in PS2 guitar controllers and revitalize them for Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band for PS3. Gamers will no longer have to throw away all of the valuable PS2 hardware they have accumulated over the years. The new PlayStation 2 to PlayStation 3 adapter enables all PS2 controllers, such as PS2 Guitar Hero guitars, to be utilized on
the PlayStation 3. Unlike previous attempts from other companies, TAC's universal adapter is 100% compatible with all of the popular guitar controllers on the market, and is engineered to function
perfectly with every feature in the Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band games for PS3.
"When consumers purchase a PS2 to PS3 adapter for their favorite PS3 games, they expect everything to be compatible. It is devastating for a player to discover that certain game features such as hammer on,
hammer off don't work with other adapters on the market," said Jesse Manwill, Senior Manager, Product Management at TAC. "The great thing about the new TAC universal adapter is that we take into account every feature that players love in Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band for PS3, and ensure that every gamer can have an enjoyable experience with their video game peripherals. We spent an incalculable amount of engineering and testing time with almost all guitar controllers in the market to make sure it is compatible."

The new TAC universal adapter is guaranteed to work on all of TAC's PS2 guitar controllers. The adapter is also compatible with regular PS2 controllers, Red Octane's and Activision's SG Controller, the Kramer Wireless, Nyko's PS2 Frontman guitar, the DreamGear Shredster, all React PS2 guitar controllers and all Psyclone PS2 guitar controllers, along with many other brands. Additionally, the TAC adapter features
a Power On Indicator LED, Easy Plug-N-Play installation, and supports multiple PlayStation 2 to PlayStation 3 adapters. The Universal PS2 to PS3 adapter is available now.

Phantom Lapboard Released, Reviewed (No, Really)

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:20:00 MDT

Well good for them. The Phantom lapboard, descendant of the vapour-ware Phantom "games console", has actually gone on sale. It's being reviewed by tech journos. It's even being shipped to the public. Maximum PC got their hands on a unit, and their verdict is surprising. Surprising in that they think the keyboard "rocks". But what about the mouse? Not so hot. It "leaves much to be desired". Oh well. None of us were ever going to spend $130 on one anyways, so it's all academic.
First Look: The Phantom Lapboard [Maximum PC, via Giz]

Simple 2000: The Japanese Hardware Chart

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:40:20 MDT

Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G madness continues to drive PSP sales, with another solid week for Sony's handheld in Japan. Console spending is down this week across the board, with Xbox 360 performance dipping close to three figure lows. Nintendo hardware is mostly neck and neck, with not much in the way of big releases expected next week. Perhaps Sega's handsome Senjou no Valkyria will help unimpressive PlayStation 3 sales.

PSP - 85,421
Nintendo DS - 44,551
Wii - 44,241
PlayStation 3 - 7,438
PlayStation 2 - 6,545
Xbox 360 - 1,076

Media Create Weekly Sales

Green Gaming To Save Your Conscience, If Not The Planet

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 02:30:00 MDT

Care about the environment? Course you do. Post-apocalyptic words are fun to roleplay in, not so fun to actually live in. So how can you, as a gamer, cut down on your impact on this precious little planet of ours? 1UP's Lara Crigger has some suggestions, and while some are a little fiddly (like upgrading to "green" components), others you should be able to manage, including setting your PC to sleep mode more often and actually turning your console and TV off, instead of leaving them on standby.
Gaming Green [1UP]

Simple 2000: The Japanese Hardware Chart

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:20:58 MDT

The Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G bump gives the PlayStation Portable another very good week, down from a fortnight of six-figure sales, but still outselling the competition by a healthy margin. That's fantastic news for Sony, whose other PlayStation platforms aren't fairing so well this week amid generally underwhelming release lists. Wii sales were up, but not by a margin that one would expect with such stellar Mario Kart Wii sales.

PSP - 85,721
Nintendo DS- 47,158
Wii - 46,296
PlayStation 3 - 8,232
PlayStation 2 - 6,834
Xbox 360 - 1,147

Media Create Weekly Sales

Kotaku: Hardware

More Shots Of The Rumored PSP-3000

Rumor: PSP 3000 Features Built-In Mic, Already In Production

PSP Can't Stop, Won't Stop Sellin' In Japan

Nyko's Wii Remote Charge Station Won't Work with Motion Plus

Your Weekly Update On Good PSP Sales, Lousy 360 Sales In Japan

DirectX 11 Announcement Coming This Month?

GameStop's Leaked Xbox 360 Price Drop Info

Gundam Doubles Xbox 360 Sales In Japan As PSP Holds Strong In First

PS3 2.40 Update Problems And Solutions

PlayStation 3 Graphics Chip Shrinks To Wee 65nm This Fall

PlayStation 3 Falls Out Of First In Japanese Charts

Analyzing The Accuracy Of VGChartz

New Asus Gaming Rig Is Actually The Fifth Cylon

Meet The New Guitar Hero Controller

Japanese Hardware Sales Belong To Sony (For Now)

AMD Graphics Chip More Powerful Than Every Game Console Combined, Says AMD

Nvidia's GTX 200-Series Are New, Special, Let's Make Them Feel Welcome

HAWX Gets Glowy amBX SupportX

Dragon Ball Gives Hardware Sales A Boost In Japan

Spore System Requirements Are Decidedly Sane

USB HDD on Nintendo Horizon?

Power Pro Portable Propels PSP To Phirst Place

Wii Creeping Up On PSP's Sales Overseas

These Are Supposed To Be Starcraft 2's System Specs

PSP Still Dominating Japanese Charts As PS3 Slips

Acer Predator PC Is Over-The-Top (And Awesome)

Analysts Predict Big, Big May On Wii Fit U.S. Launch

AMD Holding Up Their End Of The PC Gaming Bargain

Japanese Hardware Buyers Still Like That PSP

Wii Dominates April, PS3 & Xbox 360 In Dead Heat On GTA IV Sales

Steam's Latest Hardware Survey Results Are In

Vista Game Speeds *Finally* Catch Up To XP

My PlayStation 2.5

Wii Grabs A Slice Of PSP Japanese Hardware Sales

PSP Continues To Rule Japanese Hardware Sales

PS2 to PS3 Guitar Hero Adapter Rescues Otherwise Non-Functional Guitars

Phantom Lapboard Released, Reviewed (No, Really)

Simple 2000: The Japanese Hardware Chart

Green Gaming To Save Your Conscience, If Not The Planet

Simple 2000: The Japanese Hardware Chart

Vista Game Speeds Finally Catch Up To XP