The launch of Xbox 360 motion control sensing peripheral Project Natal will rival that of the console’s debut, according to Microsoft's corporate vice president for the Xbox platform.
"Conceptually, the launch of Natal will be like the launch of Xbox 360," Shane Kim told Kotaku. "It's going to be that big. We're not just going to ship it when the hardware and software are ready.
A group of cross-party politicians has been brought together to raise and discuss issues related to the UK videogame industry.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group will be chaired by Labour MP Bill Olner, with vice chairman roles being filled by film maker and politician Lord David Puttnam, Conservative MP John Whittingdale, who is also chairman of the House of Commons Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport, and Conservative MP Philip Davies.
Nintendo has announced that US Wii sales have topped 20 million units.
The system passed the milestone in 31 months, “reinforcing its position as the fastest-selling console in history,” said the platform holder.
Wii was the bestselling home console in the States during May, while DS topped overall hardware sales, shifting 633,000 units to take US sales past the 31 million mark.
THQ’s UFC 2009: Undisputed sold over one million copies in the US during May to top the monthly software chart, with the Xbox 360 version accounting for two thirds of sales.
Nintendo’s exercise title Wii Fit marginally outsold new rival EA Sports Active to take second place, while PS3 exclusive Infamous debuted in fifth.
US industry sales totalled $863,300 in May, the first time monthly figures have fallen below $1 billion since August 2007.
Hardware sales declined 30 percent, software 17 percent and accessories 25 percent.
"The videogames industry continues to struggle with difficult comparisons to last year,” said NPD analyst Anita Frazier, adding that “May is typically one of the lowest revenue-generating months in any given year for the industry in general.
Last time, I ended my column about the response to my response to the E3 2007 Resident Evil 5 trailer by stating that I had (mostly) decided to refrain from further comment until I’d gotten the opportunity to play the final game and speak with its producer, Jun Takeuchi.
Sony will release a lilac purple PSP-3000 bundled with Disney’s Hannah Montana: Rock Out The Show.
Arriving this October in PAL territories, the new hardware bundle represents the platform holder’s latest attempt to target a more diverse audience.
Given Naughty Dog’s reputation for modest poise, there was never much of a doubt as to whether Uncharted 2’s multiplayer modes were going to be any good. Instead, the question the game’s beta must answer is whether they’re going to be relevant as well.
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has called on Apple to adopt its classification system for iPhone games.
One of the new features of Apple’s upcoming iPhone OS 3.0 software update will be parents’ ability to decide which music, videos and apps their kids can access, but ESRB president Patricia Vance would like to see the platform holder go further.
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has questioned the “whizz bang” approach to the marketplace he says is favoured by Microsoft and Sony.
“What I would suggest to your audience is that even in the competitive [E3] announcements, it highlights just how different we are as a company,” the executive told GameSpot.
The GameOn! London consumer gaming show has been rescheduled from June 20-21 to November 14-15.
The event, which had attracted support from the likes of Nintendo and Capcom, will now take place at Earls Court instead of the Olympia National Hall.
EA has confirmed new instalments for two of its major franchises, Need For Speed and Battlefield.
Speaking at the William Blair Growth Stock Conference, EA chief operating officer John Pleasants revealed that Burnout developer Criterion is working on an unannounced Need For Speed title.
Assassin’s Creed 2’s creative director Patrice Désilets has revealed that the first game in the franchise has “sold some eight million copies.”
The title, which released for Xbox 360 and PS3 in November 2007 and for PC in 2008, had sold six million units as of April last year, Ubisoft said previously.
Sony has announced the PlayStation 3 exclusive release of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIV Online.
A brief trailer for the game, which is due for release in 2010 on PS3 only, was shown at Sony's E3 press conference.
Rockstar North is developing a new PlayStation 3 exclusive title called Agent, Sony has announced.
The game will take players across the globe in the late 1970s and explore the shadowy world of espionage and assassins.
SCEA president and CEO Jack Tretton said: "We expect Agent to have the same must have value” as GTA did on PlayStation platforms.
Polyphony Digital’s Gran Turismo PSP will launch on October 1, it has been confirmed at Sony’s E3 press conference.
The title will feature 800 cars, 35 tracks and offer a “full Gran Turismo experience,” according to the studio.
I think the main goal for Bethesda Softworks at E3 this year is to highlight the variety of things that we have coming up, and while E3 isn’t by any means an exhaustive list of our products in development, I do think this year will give folks a better sense of that than previous years where we may have only focused on a key title, like Fallout 3.
It was once customary at E3 for Bethesda to present single games made by its internal studio, like Oblivion and Fallout 3. But this year it has a full roster of titles, from those made by external developers, like Wet, Rogue Warrior and new announcement Splash Damage's Brink, to party games made by its sister company, Vir2l, and DLC by Bethesda Game Studios for Fallout 3.
Hideo Kojima has announced Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for PSP at Sony’s E3 press conference.
Set in the 1970s, ten years after Metal gear Solid 3, Kojima said the title would not be a spin-off or side story but “a true sequel of the Metal Gear franchise.”
He added that he will be “very deeply” involved in the game by writing and producing it, and that much of the MGS4 team will also be contributing to the title.
Sony Computer Entertainment president and CEO Kaz Hirai has confirmed “the worst kept secret of E3,” namely that the platform holder's remodelled handheld, PSP Go, will release this autumn.
“Built for the digital consumer,” he said that the UMD-free portable will be available in stores in the US and Europe on October 1 for $249/€249. It will launch in Japan on November 1.
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has unveiled the Wii Vitality Sensor at the company’s E3 press conference.
The peripheral goes over the end of a finger and detects the user's pulse. Iwata said that while Wii Fit lets you see the balance of your outer body, the Vitality Sensor gives you info on your inner balance.
Iwata said that games are traditionally associated with stimulation, but that it might not be long before they “could be made for people to unwind or even fall asleep."
Nintendo has announced plans to release Metroid: Other M for Wii in 2010.
The trailer for the Team Ninja developed title switched between 2D and 3D and appeared to show gameplay in both first and third-person perspectives.
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime described it as “a Metroid game unlike any you’ve ever experienced before… It will take you deeper into Samus' story, and further into the Metroid universe.”
Nintendo has announced Super Mario Galaxy 2 for Wii at its E3 press conference.
A movie of the game was shown demonstrating similar physics to those featured in the first Galaxy title, new environments and abilities, as well as Yoshi.
Nintendo of America sales and marketing VP Cammie Dunaway has announced that one million DSi units have been sold in the US.
The handheld passed the sales milestone in a little under two months, having released on April 5.
400,000 DS Lites were also sold during the period.
Earlier today Nintendo said that DSi had also sold a million units across Europe in eight weeks.
Nintendo has announced plans to release Wii Fit Plus this autumn.
Nintendo of America sales and marketing VP Cammie Dunaway said the title will help users find a specific workout plan. It will feature six new strength and yoga activities and 15 new balance games, including juggling and skateboarding.
Wii Fit Plus will be available this autumn bundled with the Wii Balance Board or as a standalone title.