« Igniq.com Gaming News - Bookmark this site Advertisements  What do peanuts, soft drinks and PlayStation Portables have in common? Starting this holiday season they’ll be common fare onboard select Israeli EL AL airline flights. According to GameShout, the airliner announced it will host a trial on 20 of its flights over the holidays to see how popular offering a little gaming action is with passengers. The PSP trial run is part of EL AL’s push to improve its technology and flight entertainment offerings for passengers. During the trial run, Sony’s Israeli distributor will have a representative onboard the scheduled flights to offer the consoles to passengers to help them pass time during flights. Between 15 to 20 consoles will be available on each of the designated test flights. The PSP offers a number of titles and has the ability to be networked to other PSP consoles to allow multi-player games. Titles for the console include a variety of sports games, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, Star Wars Battlefront II and SOCOM:Fireteam Bravo, among others. Source: GameShout Related: Sony unloads over 5 million PSPs worldwide Sony Rush to Patch PSP Against Hackers Sony Unhappy But Powerless On PSP Porn Even More Features Headed PSP's Way? Discussion >>  The Nintendo Revolution controller is bound to be a perfect fit for the shooter genre with it's built-in gestures. So a helpful Internet citizen has taken it upon himself to post a nifty mock-up video on Google Video showing how a game like Half-Life 2: Deathmatch might be controlled if it appeared on the console. Check out the video here - Found via a search for Revolution mockups Related: One More Surprise in Store From Revolution Controller "Father of Gaming" Gives Thumbs-up to Nintendo Controller Microsoft's Prototype "XWand" Nintendo "Futurna" Concept Images Epic VP Disses Revolution Nintendo to attempt simultaneous launch J Allard Disses Nintendo Controller (10 Oct) Nintendo Reveal Revolution-ary Controller (15 Sept) Poll: Which Next-Generation Console Will You Buy? Discussion >>  An Xbox 360 that was bought for the specific purposes of smashing it to pieces has been put up for auction on eBay. The operators of Smash My Xbox camped out for 55 hours like thousands of other punters and managed to snag the very first unit at Best Buy in Toronto on launch day. They later proceeded to smash the thing with a sledgehammer in the parking lot, to the amazement of genuine gamers trying to get one themselves.Now eBay users have an opportunity to own the useless piece of junk; so far there have been 23 bids, and the price has hit $45 dollars. Included are the smashed console, the original box, sealed manuals, power adapter and video cables, but not the controller. You also get the receipt, a Best Buy ticket with #1 printed on it, which shows they were first in line, and the option of having the console signed if you like. eBay Auction - Video of the smashing Related: Xbox 360 Goes for Over $10K on eBay Mobile Alerts Coming For Xbox 360 Players? King Kong 360 Glitchy on Most TV Sets Xbox 360 To Blame For Video Game Sales Decline Xbox 360 on discount already in Japan Xbox 360 Shortages To Continue Capcom Announces New Sci-Fi Shooter for Xbox Discussion >>  CBS News has a ten-page mailbag this week, devoted to their reader's opinions on Star Wars: Galaxies.The MMOG has been undergoing some changes recently, with Sony Online Entertainment rolling out a series of "enhancements" to make the gameplay experience more true to the Star Wars films and fiction. SOE president John Smedley recently said the game was more of an "Uncle Owen" experience than an epic Luke Skywalker experience, and the new wave of enhancements aim to address that. The enhancements haven't gone down well with the SWG userbase however - CBS' mailbag is basically ten pages of complaints from subscribers saying that the enhancements have made the game "crap": It ISN'T enjoyable. It isn't playable. It lacks imagination and inhibits any sense of personal engagement. It is shallow and uninspired. In short, it is the least enjoyable game I have ever tried to play. I have cancelled my subscription to this game. But I still feel unsatisfied. I am actually angry. Still. I feel that my loyalty and investment in your vision has been betrayed. This leaves a stain on the way I view the legacy of Star Wars. This isn't the first time SOE's changes have upset the SWG gamers - back in May, a patch to the game caused 16,000 players to sign a petition demanding it be rolled back.Making your paying customers angry looks like a recipe for disaster, but SOE have a grand strategy at the end of it - to eventually compete with World of Warcraft. WoW currently has a massive 4 million+ worldwide userbase compared to upwards of 200,000 for SWG, suggesting even more tweaks and changes are in the pipeline: [John Smedley, SOE]: People within the company feel so much pride in this game that they want it to beat the crap out of World of Warcraft. That's something we feel very passionate about. We know we are capable of making the best stuff out there, and I'm proud to say that with the changes we're making in Galaxies, I think we're headed in the right direction. Star Wars Galaxies Subscribers Strike Back (10 May) Sony Announces New EQ Titanium Collection Blizzard Face Lawsuit Over Boy's Death WoW Star Leeroy Jenkins Mentioned on Jeopardy The Burning Crusade: WoW expansion Discussion >>  Gamers who wish there was an easier way to contact with friends around the globe when it’s time to battle a monster, save the planet or get some fighting action on may be in luck.According to the BBC, Microsoft is working on a system to let players who use its online gaming system, Xbox Live, send messages to friends' mobile phones when they’re online. Jason Langridge, Microsoft’s UK mobility business manager, told the BBC the system is expected to be live within six months. The effort is part of Microsoft’s plan to tie its various online services together. This integration would also involve MSN Messenger. So on my device I sign in with my MSN account and it sets up Hotmail," explained Mr Langridge. "There is no service fee and you can do MSN messaging chats." Related: King Kong 360 Glitchy on Most TV Sets Xbox 360 To Blame For Video Game Sales Decline Xbox 360 on discount already in Japan Xbox 360 Shortages To Continue Capcom Announces New Sci-Fi Shooter for Xbox Discussion >>  No movie can be complete without a good video game to go along with it. Or so it would seem with Vivendi Universal Games’ announcement that a video game is in the works based on 20th Century Fox’s upcoming release of Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. Gamers with the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance and PCs will be able to play Ice Age 2 in Spring 2006. The retail price will range from $19.99 to $39.99, depending on the system. We are excited to continue our successful partnership with Fox to create an extension of the Ice Age story in a fully engaging interactive entertainment experience," said Peter Della Penna, chief operating officer, product development for VU Games. The game itself will feature Manny the Mammoth, Sid the Sloth and Diego the Sabre-Toothed Tiger on an adventure to find safe ground at the end of the Ice Age. With the help of Scrat, the Sabre-Toothed Squirrel, the trio must traverse a dangerous landscape to find a safe haven. Vivendi Universal Games is responsible for more than 700 game titles. Its publishing labels and development studios include Sierra Entertainment, Blizzard Entertainment and more. Source: GamesIndustry.Biz Related: Vivendi Announces Half Life 2 Sales Success Vivendi pushes F.E.A.R. release forward? Valve and Vivendi Settle Lawsuit Discussion >>  If you were thinking of getting Jackson's King Kong for your shiny new Xbox 360, it's highly recommended you consider putting your money back in your wallet unless you also have a high-definition TV.Reports have recently cropped up in the blogosphere that the game is very dark on standard television sets, so dark in fact that you can't see the action at all in some places. The reason - Ubisoft designers apparently used settings only present in HDTV's when they were creating the game. It didn't occur to them that problems would arise on standard TV's before the game shipped. The BBC reports that the Xbox 360 version accounts for 12% of all sales for the game so far - unless that 12% are all technology nuts who already have a HDTV, it's fairly safe to assume many people can't fully enjoy the game. Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot said the company were looking for ways to fix the problem, but in the meantime suggested people avoid the 360 version and get a current-generation console version instead: "We have a problem on the 360," said Mr Guillemot. "The screen is dark on some TVs and it totally changes the experience. When it's dark, you don't see where you have to go." Xbox 360 To Blame For Video Game Sales Decline? Xbox 360 on discount already in Japan Xbox 360 Shortages To Continue Capcom Announces New Sci-Fi Shooter for Xbox 360 Japan Gives Xbox 360 Tepid Welcome Anti mp3-copying feature on Xbox 360 HDD's Discussion >>  Ever wonder what it’s like to be Donald Trump? Thanks to SEGA of America’s recent announcement, Game Boy Advance players will soon be able to find out. SEGA is developing The Tower SP exclusively for Nintento’s GBA. The simulation game allows its players to lord over every aspect of creating their own skyscraper. From design and construction to management, the players will be in charge of their own buildings. Players will face a wide variety of real life situations as they create and manage their own tower. From insect infestations to unhappy tenants, the job of running a skyscraper maybe glamorous, but it’s not easy, SEGA promises. The main goal the game is to achieve a Five Star rating and gain official “Tower” status. To do this, specific objectives must be met that demand both good design and management skills. The Tower SP will be available in March 2006. Sources: Game Cube Advanced, SEGA Related: SEGA and Bizarre Team Up for Next-Gen Offering Secret Level to develop classic Sega franchise PS2 to welcome SEGA classics Sega boss talks Revolution Discussion >>  Blitz Games, the creator of more than 100 game titles, won the highly sought after Tiga (The Independent Games Developers Association) Award for the Greatest Contribution to Games Development during a presentation Dec. 14. The honor, now in its third year, is organized by Tiga and is voted upon by the game development community. According to a media release issued on behalf of Blitz, Andrew Oliver, co-founder of the company, praised his employees for the honor. Whilst Philip and I are very proud to have received this reward, we do it on behalf of all our loyal and talented staff who are the real stars behind the scenes. It is only because of their efforts that we stand here today." UK-based Blitz Games was founded 15 years ago by twin brothers Andrew and Philip Oliver. The company now has a staff of more than 150 people and has developed more than 100 games since its inception.Blitz is the creator of Pac-Man World 3 and is working on a number of titles for release in 2006. Sources: Blitz Games, Lincoln Beasley Related: Pac-Man to get Guinness World Record Pac Man's 25th Birthday, And We Salute Him Pacman inventor bares all in interview Discussion >>  Cellular phone users itching to play a little football shouldn’t have to wait too much longer to get a little Madden on the go. According to Virgin.net Electronic Arts has made an agreement to buy Jamdat Mobile, a company that provides mobile games. The companies will public more than 50 games for cellular phones within a year of the merger. Titles for cell phones are expected to included Tetris, JAMDAT Bowling, Madden NFL, Need for Speed and more. This is an important strategic acquisition for Electronic Arts," said EA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Larry Probst. Related: EA Announces new LOTR games EA Announces "Teaching With Games" Study EA loos to boost market share in Japan Discussion >>  As U.S. gamers awaited the release of the Xbox 360, video game sales fell 18 percent in the month of November to $696 million, according to Reuters. Analysts anticipated the decline saying that game sales have weakened in anticipation of the next generation consoles such as the 360. Although the Xbox 360 made its way onto the North American market on Nov. 22, sold out and has remained scarce ever since, the release numbers were not enough to boost sales figures for November. Reuters reported that hardware sales also fell 21 percent in November compared to last November. Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter attributed most of the November decline in video game sales to the shortfall in sales of existing, or current-generation, consoles - particularly the Xbox, which analysts said saw November unit sales plummet 75 percent. Although sales might pick up in the last two weeks of the year, Patcher said with availability issues surrounding the Xbox 360, weak sales might persist through December. Related: Xbox 360 on discount already in Japan Xbox 360 Shortages To Continue New Site Launched for Irish Gamers Capcom Announces New Sci-Fi Shooter for Xbox 360 Japan Gives Xbox 360 Tepid Welcome Anti mp3-copying feature on Xbox 360 HDD's Discussion >>  Newsweek is reporting on the success of the Playstation 2 game Guitar Hero, which sees players don a guitar-shaped controller and strum along in time to rock anthems like David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust, and Boston's More Than a Feeling.The controller has five buttons on the fretboard, a strum bar, a whammy bar and a set of built-in sensors that can tell when the guitar is pointing straight up. The player must manipulate all of these to mimic the actual riffs and movements needed to perform the songs on a real guitar. Doing it correctly allows you to progress from playing at virtual basement parties to sold-out stadiums. The $69.99 game is the work of California publisher Red Octane, who observed the musical-game craze in Japan and aimed to give it a more American flavour: Silicon Valley game publisher Red Octane is devoted to bringing the musical-game craze to the United States, but the dancing games, "which have all been kind of quirky and Japanesey, haven't hit at the heart of America," says CEO Kai Huang. The approach seems to be working - the game has reportedly sold out at retailers like Best Buy, no doubt partly because MTV have been featuring it in on-air competitions.Newsweek: PlayStation 2: 'Hero' Worship - Guitar Hero game details Related: Dance Dance Revolution with Flamethrowers PS2 Used To Combat Obesity Discussion >>  Valve plan to release the real-time strategy Darwinia through Steam later today, and as an early taster have made available a free demo for gamers to download. The 48 MB demo is now available in the Steam games list, while the full game will cost $19.95 upon it's release. Darwinia was originally released by the U.K developer Introversion in March, and quickly built up something of a cult following with its unusual graphics and saga of a species of miniature beings called Darwinian's who have come under siege from an infectious virus. The game was apparently a hit around the Valve offices, with the company announcing a partnership with Introversion last month for it to be distributed through Steam. Valve's co-founder Gabe Newell himself is a fan, and wrote about the game in last Friday's Steam Update: I've been playing a lot of Darwinia lately. Like most of you reading this, I play a lot of games and most of them don't manage to capture my attention for very long. But I'm now playing through Darwinia a second time, so I think it's fair to say I'm hooked. I'm currently on Temple, and while I'm not as good at the game as some people around the office, I've managed to get Airstrike researched to level 4.0 which is pretty satisfying. Darwinia Coming to Steam (16 Nov) Day of Defeat: Source Released (26 Sept) Rag Doll Kung Fu kicks its way into Steam Counter-Strike: Deathmatch ported to Source Official Half Life 2: Aftermath Trailer GoldenEye Mod for HL2 Engine I'm Still Seeing Breen - HL2 Music Video Discussion >>  Super heroes and super villains without the power of flight will be able to take to the skies over Atlas City for the holidays. Players of NCSoft’s City of Heroes and City of Villains can claim their own personal jetpacks by visiting Miss Liberty or Black Scorpion by Jan. 2, 2006. The jetpacks are just part of the holiday happenings on the MMOGs. According to a company media release, the game will introduce a number of special missions as part of the holiday season’s festivities as well. Heroes will take part in “Operation Holiday Cheer” and villains can help make “Operation Scrooge” a success. NCSoft’s City of Heroes’ 2004 launch was well-received with gamers flocking to pick up the title and create their own super heroes. Offering players a wide variety of abilities from super strength and flight to super speed and telepathic powers, the game also offers its own comic book series. The City of Villains release operates within the same world as CoH, but gives players the ability to craft their own super villains with unique powers, appearances and more. Considered a standalone game rather than an expansion, the CoV title also brought the ability for heroes and villains to create their own bases and lairs. More information on CoH/CoV and the Christmas promotions can be found on the PlayNC web site. Related: E3 MMOG Round-Up Classic MMOG Rescued from Dumpster by Fans How to know if you play MMOG's too much Marvel MMOG's Coming To Xbox 360 Discussion >>  Consumers wanting a true HD experience will have to wait for Sony to release its PS3 next year, Sony Entertainment Worldwide Studios president Phil Harrison told GamesIndustry.biz during a recent exclusive interview. The Xbox 360 “doesn’t have true HD functionality,” Harrison said. He went on to say the 360 lacks the ability to play high-definition movies and doesn’t have the PS3’s 1080-progressive format. PlayStation 3 is the only format that has 1080-progressive, which is the true definition of HD, so it's really premature to be talking about the HD era. The HD era really only starts when we are on the market," Harrison said. GamesIndustry.bizThe anticipated release of the PS3 is Spring of 2006. Related: Add-on PS3 harddrive to run Linux PS3 To Lose Over A Billion In The First Year? PS3 most expensive console ever/Xbox 360 shortages? Xbox 360 on discount already in Japan Xbox 360 Shortages To Continue New Site Launched for Irish Xbox Gamers Discussion >>  The company responsible for translating a host of Japanese RPG titles into English has ceased operations. Working Designs announced over its own bulletin boards that it had shut down for good. The company’s Victor Ireland created the post that announced the company’s end. There's no easy way to say it, so I just will. Working Designs is gone. All the staff has been laid off and the office is closed and has been for some time,” Ireland wrote in his post. Working Designs Working Designs was founded in Redding, Calif., by programmer Todd Mark, who passed away before the company’s first products were released, and Sylvia Schmitt in 1986. The company was known for translations and publishing of Japanese games that likely wouldn’t have seen release outside of Japan without Working Designs’ efforts. Following Mark’s death, Ireland, picked up the reins and helped Working Designs bring Japanese titles to such platforms as SNES, Sega Saturn, PlayStation and PS2. Titles the company was known for include Cosmic Fantasy 2, Lunar: The Silver Star, Magic Knight Rayearth and Arc The Lad Collection. Although a favorite of RPG gamers, Working Designs was known for having long delays in the release of its titles. Source: Gamespot Related: Ultimate Nintendo Collection on eBay Nintendo nut sells out Discussion >>  UPDATED 14 December: Kotaku have since issued a correction to the story that this post is based on, explaining that the discounts offered on the Xbox 360 don't appear to have anything to do with how well the consoles are selling in Japan - Read their correction here. While gamers in the U.S. and Europe will have to suffer continuing Xbox 360 shortages, the consoles are collecting a fine patina of dust in stores in Japan. Kotaku is reporting that the Xbox 360 launch in Japan was so underwhelming that the price of the consoles has already been slashed in some stores. Retailers are apparently under contract with Microsoft so they can't return the units they don't sell: To cut loses and cover their arses, stores are left with no choice but to offer discounts. The originally 38,800yen (about $350 US) consoles have been lowered to 18,800yen (about $150 US) with Internet Service Provider contracts so that the shop could get some kickback money from the IP. And this is what, four days from launch? Xbox 360 Shortages To Continue New Site Launched for Irish Xbox Gamers Capcom Announces New Sci-Fi Shooter for Xbox 360 Japan Gives Xbox 360 Tepid Welcome Anti mp3-copying feature on Xbox 360 HDD's No Free Xbox 360 for Ballmer Blingy Solid Gold Xbox 360 Faceplate 17 Yr-Old Robbed for his Brand New Xbox 360 Which Next-Generation Console Will You Buy? Discussion >>  Sony Online Entertainment is appealing to new players and opening the door for former players to return to the original world of Norrath with the announcement of several new projects related to EverQuest. In a media release today, Sony announced plans for its upcoming release of EverQuest Titanium and several other projects designed to draw back former players and retain current ones as well. This collection will include the original EverQuest and the 10 expansions that have followed since the game’s launch for a suggested retail price of $19.99. Anticipated release is Jan. 11, 2006. EverQuest is one of Sony’s massively multiplayer online games, which also include such titles as EverQuest II, Star Wars Galaxies and Planetside. In addition to the Titanium collection, which will allow new players quick access to hundreds of gaming zones, Sony also announced the creation of EQ Players, a web site designed to enhance the gaming experience. The EQ Players site will launch Dec. 15, 2005, and is similar to the site created for players of EQII. Here players can obtain character statistics, profiles, item information and more. According to Sony’s media release, the site will have profiles for more than 4.9 million characters and more than 335 million total inventory items. This new service will be available for free until Dec. 29 when it will become a premium service. In addition, Sony will reopen previously closed accounts for 21 days, but players have until Jan. 13, 2006, to take advantage of the offer. Source: PRN Newswire Related: EQ: Depths of Darkhollow Site Launched New EQ Expansion & Tutorial Details EverQuest: Depths of Darkhollow Now Available Discussion >>  Hoping for an Xbox 360 for Christmas or shortly after? Don’t hold your breath. According to PCWorld.com, the scarcity of consoles in the U.S. and Europe is expected to continue for some time. Eventually we will catch up, who knows when that will be. Demand is just stunning, overwhelming," said Peter Moore, marketing and publishing corporate vice president of Microsoft's home and entertainment division, in an interview. Those wanting Xbox 360s in time for Christmas have been turning to eBay where consoles are available for hundreds, even thousands of dollars above retail price. One console sold for $10K while others remain in the $1K range. According to PCWorld, Moore said he was unsure of when customers would be able to simply enter a store and pick up a console. Moore said many stores in the U.S. had more preorders than the stock they expected to receive, so those orders are still being filled. Right now, Microsoft has two companies creating Xbox 360s – one in Singapore and another in Taiwan. It plans to add a Canadian manufacturer, Celestica, next year, PCWorld reported. All three companies will produce the consoles in China. Related: New Site Launched for Irish Xbox Gamers Capcom Announces New Sci-Fi Shooter for Xbox 360 Japan Gives Xbox 360 Tepid Welcome Anti mp3-copying feature on Xbox 360 HDD's No Free Xbox 360 for Ballmer Blingy Solid Gold Xbox 360 Faceplate Discussion >>  Cian has informed us of the launch of Xbox Ireland, a new site dedicated to the needs of the Irish Xbox gaming community.The site features the daily Xbox-related news, reviews and other content like editorials and interviews. They'll also be holding competitions and giveaways, as well as organising games nights. Check out the site here. Related: Capcom Announce New Sci-Fi Shooter for Xbox 360 Japan Gives Xbox 360 Tepid Welcome Anti mp3-copying feature on Xbox 360 HDD's Xbox 360 Games, Good, Bad and Ugly No Free Xbox 360 for Ballmer Blingy Solid Gold Xbox 360 Faceplate Discussion >>  At a press conference in Tokyo on Saturday, Capcom unveiled Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, an upcoming sci-fi themed FPS for the Xbox 360. To whet appetites for the game, Capcom released a set of lush screenshots, a trailer, and a Japanese-language official website. The game promises a cinematic gaming experience set in a frozen environment inhabited by hostile indigenous creatures, as well as invading monsters. It will also feature the ability to jump into various heavily armed mech-like vehicles to travel the vast arctic environments and eliminate enemies. Capcom also revealed the game will be the fruit of a collaboration between the creators of Onimusha and the creators of Devil May Cry, and is set to be released in Winter 2006: Taking full advantage of the Xbox 360’s unprecedented power, Lost Planet will contain an unrivalled level of detail as advanced light sourcing is used to ensure a realistic presentation. Enormous world maps unfold as players battle the menacing invaders during blistering weather conditions throughout vast snow fields and deserted cities. Fostering a real-time loading system, players can expect a seamless experience that leaves them completely immersed. Multiplayer modes add to the value of Lost Planet by allowing players to partake in intense team battles via the Xbox Live® online game service. Japan Gives Xbox 360 Tepid Welcome Anti mp3-copying feature on Xbox 360 HDD's Xbox 360 Games, Good, Bad and Ugly No Free Xbox 360 for Ballmer Blingy Solid Gold Xbox 360 Faceplate Xbox 360 as Power-Hungry as Three PS2's Xbox 360 Team On Back Compatibility Issues MS Sued for Faulty Xbox 360's Xbox 360 Goes for Over $10K on eBay Reports of Crashing Xbox 360's 17 Yr-Old Robbed for his Brand New Xbox 360 Xbox 360 Information and Resources Links Which Next-Generation Console Will You Buy? Discussion >>  According to TechWhack, Nintendo is still topping the market in sales of handheld games. With its host of kid-friendly games, the Nintendo DS sold more than 380,000 units during the month of November in comparison to the Sony PSP with a reported 360,000 consoles sold. The Nintendo Game Boy Advanced topped sales, however, with 900,000 units sold that same month. TechWhack reports that Sony anticipated an increase in sales with the release of Grand Theft Auto for its handheld unit. However, the release was not enough as evidenced by the numbers. A comparison of the games available for the Game Boy Advanced versus the PSP gives pretty good insight as to why Nintendo is the king of the handheld games. With many young children asking for handheld games for Christmas, it’s not surprising Nintendo is outpacing Sony by so much. Parents concerned about violence and inappropriate language are more likely to flock to the GBA because of its extensive offerings for the younger set. The GBA also provides a lot of titles with little girl appeal as well, making that handheld console perhaps the most well-rounded available. With titles like “Disney Princess,” “Polly!: Super Splash Island,” and “Pokemon Emerald,” the GBA has more to offer younger players while providing parents a bit of peace of mind. There’s no doubt that sports and action-related games for the PSP are more than plentiful, but there’s not a lot for the littlest players, which could explain Sony’s shortcomings. Related: Namco release 2005 games line-up Peter Jackson's King Kong Game Now Available GameBoy Micro Unveiled Scripture Coming to PS2, GameBoy Advance Discussion >>  Cheesegod.com has discovered what appears to be a sly dig at the music industry tucked away inside Animal Crossing: Wild World for the Nintendo DS.A scene in the game features a little dog singing a song, who then defies "industry fat cats" who want to put a price on his music by giving you a free copy. Animal Crossing Speaks Out Against the RIAA via Digg Related: Atari Christmas Ideas From 1982 NES Controller as MP3 Player Discussion >>  According to the BBC, the Japanese launch of the Xbox 360 was sluggish compared to its North American debut where gamers lined up more than 13 hours before the console’s official launch. Stores in the U.S. reported sell outs of their stock hours before the units went on sale, but in Japan units were still available hours into the official launch. Although there were lines for the main launch event in Tokyo, the BBC reported that a store official told the AFP news agency that less than 50 consoles sold in the first two hours. Peter Moore, Xbox marketing head, however, had a different spin on the launch. The BBC reported Moore felt that Xbox market leadership was imminent, "even here in Japan." The lack of developed games for the 360 is a problem in the Japanese market, analysts say. Also, the Xbox has traditionally lagged behind Sony’s Playstation in Japan, which is the second biggest gaming market after the U.S. The U.S. and European launches for the 360 took place in November and early December. In the U.S., more than 400,000 consoles have sold to date. About 75,000 units have been sold in Great Britain. Although U.S. stores reported complete sell outs of their stocks even before the official sales time, current lack of compatibility with regular Xbox games and hardware glitches have plagued the system since its launch. Microsoft has blamed a lack of available chips for console shortages and is working to correct the glitches and compatibility issues. Despite a bumpy launch in the U.S., the system’s popularity remains strong as evidenced by auction sales on eBay where premium console bundles are selling for more than $1,000 and some takes have broken the $10K mark. Source: BBC Related: Anti mp3-copying feature on Xbox 360 HDD's Xbox 360 Games, Good, Bad and Ugly No Free Xbox 360 for Ballmer Blingy Solid Gold Xbox 360 Faceplate Xbox 360 as Power-Hungry as Three PS2's Xbox 360 Team On Back Compatibility Issues MS Sued for Faulty Xbox 360's Amazon Shortage = Empty Handed Xbox 360 Gamers Xbox 360 Goes for Over $10K on eBay Reports of Crashing Xbox 360's 17 Yr-Old Robbed for his Brand New Xbox 360 Xbox 360 Information and Resources Links Which Next-Generation Console Will You Buy? Discussion >> Archives |
