Here are a few statistics about sales of the 3 biggest consoles on the planet.

Nintendo Wii – Released 19th November 2006 – Total Sales Worldwide: 29.62 million

Playstation 3 – Released 11th November 2006 – Total Sales Worldwide: 14.41 million

XBOX 360 – Released 22nd November 2005 – Total Sales Worldwide: 19 million

I think the main reasons for these figures are:

Nintendo Wii – Big hype about the gameplay technology, so everybody had to get one. Most of the people I know own one. Nobody could get their hands on them for christmas 2006 and 2007. Most shops had sold out completly and didn’t expect stock for 6 weeks whilst Nintendo tried to keep up with demand.

Playstation 3 – The price affected sales big time! The hefty price tag kept sales low, people opted for the less expensive option either the Wii or 360.

XBOX 360 – The gaming market wasn’t as big and didn’t have many competitors as it does today. Also not as many people wanted games consoles which kept figures low.

So the total number of sales for all 3 consoles is 60,030,000. Not bad! Most people know the world’s population is around 6 billion. We have worked out that this means that 9.6% of the world’s population own 1of these 3 consoles. 60,030,000 is nearly enough for every single LEGAL person in the UK to have 1 of these 3 consoles.

If you was amazed by the prowess of MGS4 you may have been sad to know that this was the last game in the series. Or is it? When IGN interviewed Konami Production’s assistant producer, Ryan Payton he mentioned his reasons for leaving the company and memories of developing the acclaimed title. At the very end of the interview, he revealed something that all Metal Gear fans wanted to hear. “It’ll be hard not being involved in MGS5, but I’ve got the utmost confidence that Hideo Kojima, Ken Imaizumi, and our amazing team will put together another blockbuster game. I’ll be cheering from the sidelines” Did he slip up or did he mean to say this? Who knows? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Back in 2006 everyone went crazy because of Sony’s unveiling of the PlaystationPortable (PSP). Now the only people going crazy are the directors at Sony. Following on from the PSP Lite comes a very unpredicttable PSP2. At this moment in time the PSP2 is very skeptical. According to various sources Sony are packing in a video camera and gb’s of flash memory plus lots of other high tec features to keep gadget obbessed gamers happy whilst on the move. According managing director Ray Maguire from Sony UK, the new machine is much more sleek and lighter than past editions, but not ready to be introduced just yet. Stay tuned for more news on the PSP2.

So after the E3 media briefing from Sony it was clear that SCE are working their buts off to release the new and upcoming games. I’m sure alot of you saw the briefing from the Playstation Store or IGN. So  what did we see in this conference. We were shown new trailiers and gameplay from the anticipated Resistance 2, Motorstorm Pacific Rift and Little Big Planet. Of course that wasn’t all. Gamers were introduced to two ground breaking game from SCE. MAG was first to hit our eyes the online game that gives 256 gamers the war experience. And DC Universe…Reperesented by Sony Online Entertainment. This MMO (Massive Multiplayer Game), gives players to create or live life in their favorite superhero roam the city and cause destruction or save citiezans.

So anyways a few months down the line and then we get to another gaming convention Leipzig. A city in Germany where Gamers, evelopers and Media all gather in one convention to check out the games. So you could say its like E3 just not as big. In Sony’s conference they announced the production of the “psp 3000″ the newest to the psp family. Whilst like the old psp it won’t have many changes it is just said to have a built in microphone and a better screen resolution.

Also Sony released more groundbreaking trailers on R2, Killzone 2, Mororstorm Pacific Rift and Little Big Planet. Along with some other content that will be making its way onto the Playstation Network. Such as an Expansion Pack for Warhawk (which will include Jet Packs).

Aswell as games Sony introduced some new hardware. One of which that caught my eye was the “Play TV” product. Now if you don’t already know in the UK. This product gives you Free View, (The package from the BBC). Unlike many other packages this alows you to watch in HD or SD and also goves you the option to record to your Playstation 3 HDD. Aswell as this you can pause and controll live TV on demand. Aswell as this you can watch TV anywhere with a wireless connection using the PSP. You simply scan for your Play TV box and then stream live tv straight to your PSP. David Reeves, (President of SCEE). Then announced the 80GB ps3 will be coming to Europe as of the 22nd and with a bonus the 160GB ps3 will be launched later on this year coming with a range of PSN games to suit each region! And if that was not enought a new service called “VidZone” this gives PS3 users accross 23 European countries the oppurtunity to listen to songs and watch videos from their favourite artists and then using remote play listen to them on PSP. He added the servic would be free of charge. And for the users of internet and messaging, the Micro KeyBoard will be making an apperance. The keyboard plugs right into SIXAXIS or DUALSHOCK 3 controllers and is said to make services such as Home more user friendly.

So with all this coming to ps3 late 2008 and 2009, every Playstation user has something to look forward to!

Stay tuned for more news on release dates and new games.

Panda -

You probably thought with a name like Guitar Hero, only guitars would be involved in the game? It has been for the past few years but now it isn’t, it’s about the full band! Following on from GH3 Legends of Rock, GH World Tour takes a leaf from Rock Band’s book by allowing you to use 3 instruments, make a band and belt out those lyrics from the mic. As of 2nd May 2008 Rock Band had sold 3 million units across all platfroms, that’s not in the UK because it hasn’t been released yet but gamers in the UK could still buy the bundle from the US over the internet. Will GH World Tour be as successfull? Here is some features and extra info about GHWT you need to know! GHWT will be released in the US on 26th October 2008, the UK release date hasn’t been authorised yet. The Band Kit for the game will include a wireless guitar, drum kit with elevated symbols and a mic to sing your heart out in! All instruments will have new features so check out YouTube for instrument lowdowns. 56 have been confirmed for GHWT but more a probably yet to come. The game will feature an awesome recording studio where you will be able to record your own music and upload it to the online service where other players can download and listen! In career mode you will be able to choose which instrument you want to play but the mic has not been certifed as an item that can be used in career mode.

Guitar Hero World Tour Photos

Drum Kit

Guitar

Mic

Recording studio

Gameplay

With Sonys Liepzig show over we can finally see what Sony has been working on, but one of Sonys more interesting projects is the new application for the PsEye, named EyePet.
EyePet takes advantage of technology we’ve seen previously in Playstation Eye , allowing users to draw and scan in objects that the in-game creature will play with. The EyePet is said to remember objects it is shown and modify its behavior for objects that it is unfamiliar with. Although at the moment information and pictures of this application are quite scarse I’m sure with the big gap between now and its release date Sony will fill us in.

Newly announced at Leipzig, the Playstation 3’s controllers, both dualshock and sixaxis, will be getting a new piece of hardware to assist PS3 users while they are using the machine. The keypad will be snapped on top of the controller and has some incredible features including a mode that turns the main key area into a touch pad (similar to a touch pad on a Laptop computer). Once in this mode, you can slide your finger on this area to move the cursor on the screen and tap to enter. There will be two short cut buttons on the Keypad that will enable users to jump directly to the XMB’s “Friends” icon and the “Message Box” during gameplay.
The Wireless Keypad is a Bluetooth device that can not only be used with the PS3 system but with any other Bluetooth enabled device that has Keyboard functionality. You will be able to use it with your smart phones and other portable devices that are equipped with Bluetooth. With the PS3 system, it can be paired and charged seamlessly just by connecting them with a USB cable.
The Wireless Keypad will launch in late November.

www.PS3News.eu
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The whole Linux-on-PS3 thing has gone a little quiet of late. Maybe everyone who could install it has done so already. Maybe there’s nothing to actually do with it once it’s on there. Who knows.

If you have a PS3 and wouldn’t mind installing Linux on it, though, IBM have posted a series of articles detailing just how you get it done, and what you can do with it once it’s on there. Yeah, it takes a whole series of articles, not just one. What, you thought it was going to be easy?

I’ll warn you, this looks techy as all hell. My eyes could take about four minutes before my brain starting squealing like a pig and shut down.     hikolaos1983

An Introduction to Linux on the PLAYSTATION 3 [IBM]
Program the synergistic processing elements of the Sony PLAYSTATION 3 [IBM]
Meet the synergistic processing unit [IBM]

NBA 2K9 is the next 2K sports developed basketball game coming to the Playstation 3. Recently, these NBA2K games capture every player’s unique style of game play, which they call “Signature Style”. Like Allen Iverson’s crossover, Shawn Marion’s shooting style, and Luther Head’s jump shot, just to name a few. It has a scheduled release date of October 7th, 2008 and Kevin Garnett will be appearing on the cover of this installment. Personally I can’t wait to get it, due to the fact that every year the 2K games get more detailed, more options become available, and the graphics seem to improve. So whether you want to do a three-point shootout with Dirk, a slam dunk contest with Dwight Howard, put Kobe and Shaq vs Yao Ming and Tracey McGrady in a game of street ball, or even test your skills online, I highly recommend this game.

Discuss this topic with others at www.ps3multiplayer.com

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Well… Civ Rev… Where to start ? Although Civ Rev isn’t perhaps the best game ever made (although its certainly not the worst!), or one for serious gamers on or offline, it’s certainly great fun! You’ll start the game with a choice of 16 different civilizations and 5 difficulty settings, all of which have their own different advantages and disadvantages. Early on, time advances by 100 years each turn, this is reduced to only 2 years a turn when in the Modern Era. This is turn based strategy gaming at its finest (on a console). With so many different civilizations and different ways to achieve victory you’ll find it hard not to carry on playing this incredibly addictive game, players can achieve victory by having great culture, a strong economy, fierce armies or the most advanced technology. No match is the same and one game can take anywhere from 30 minutes to hours.

This game was made especially for consoles, therefore the controls are easy to remember and more importantly easy to use on your controller. Although this is a turn-based strategy, it can still appeal to all gamers purely because its such great fun, you can sit there playing it for hours. Civ Rev also has a strong online community and each week a Game of the Week map is released by Firaxis, this is a new scenario allowing players to try and get a high score for submission to online leaderboards.

Although Civ Rev is good fun and has amazing gameplay, it has its downfalls… Firaxis had to make cut-backs due to the fact that the game is console based, so graphics and variety are slightly lacking, with no story/campaign mode and only one universal game type. Also, although there is a wide variety of civilizations to choose from and victories to be had, the game can become boring due to lack of scenarios, and if you choose to go online, chances are you’ll find many of the players to be rather good (I did…) Overall, well worth £29.99 (Xbox360 and Playstation 3 from Play.com).

I give this game a rating of: 17/20

www.PS3News.eu

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