Media Create figures reveal that the Sony PlayStation 3 weekly sales figures for week ending 3 May were again ahead of the Wii and Xbox 360. The PS3 sold 23,500 units against 21,500 for the Wii and just 7,300 for the Xbox 360. This is the third week in a row that the PS3 has been ahead of the competition. Good news for Sony and probably bad news for those hoping for a price cut.
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) have signed a last minute deal with publisher Atari to distribute the forthcoming Ghostbusters: The Videogame for release on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and PSP platforms. This ensures that the game will remain a Sony platform exclusive for at least the next few months. Ghostbusters: The Videogame hits the shelves on 19 June 2009 for the consoles with the PSP edition following later in the year.
3D Realms has shut its doors due to a lack of funds. The developer, founded in 1987 were responsible for the well-known first-person shooter titles Duke Nukem and Wolfenstein 3D. The company was working on a follow-up titled Duke Nukem Forever when it went under. Publisher Take-Two retains rights to the games but has stated that they are not willing to fund any new developments of the series.
Sony currently offers motion-sensing capabilities in the DualShock 3 wireless controller, which is available as an accessory to the PS3. However, the new controller would be far more advanced, possibly eclipsing the accuracy of the controller for the Nintendo Wii console.
The Sony controller would use light-emitting diodes and a Webcam to track the gadget’s movements, according to Variety. The technology would be able to track the direction of movements better than the Wii-mote, and also track velocity.
A Sony spokesman said Friday the company wouldn’t comment on “rumours or speculation.”
The controller is the second new product Sony is expected to unveil at E3. The game fan site 1UP.com reported this week that Sony would introduce the next iteration of the PlayStation Portable handheld game console.
Variety isn’t the first to report a new Sony controller is in the works. The site Kombo.com reported last month that Sony was reaching out to game developers, asking them to add support for the device in future games.
What impact the controller has on PS3 sales remains to be seen. Sony has been hit hard by sliding consumer demand during the economic downturn, which has impacted PS3 sales. Not helping demand is the higher price of the PS3 compared with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii. Sony has cut prices before on the PS3, which starts at $400. Analysts have said they expect the company to cut prices this year by about $100.
Source: Information Week
Further to our earlier item about the possibility of a silver PS3, looking at one of their adverts, GameStop appears to have acquired the exclusive rights to sell the silver DualShock 3 controller throughout the US and Canada. Maybe this is an indication that it is a controller only and not an indication of a full silver PS3 console. Time will tell.
Rumours over at Kotaku suggest that Microsoft looks like it may be planning to release another Xbox 360 Elite bundle, this time with Rockstar’s hit game Grand Theft Auto IV. Although no release date has been set it looks as though retailers are getting information through. It is likely that Microsoft will included the Xbox 360 exclusive downloadable episode The Lost & Dammed as an added bonus. It also maybe possible that the Elite will get a colour change as it did with the RE5 special edition.
Warner Brothers in conjunction with Harmonix have announced development of LEGO Rock Band, the often-rumoured music title from the Rock Band stable. The game, owing to its LEGO association, should be a more family friendly title opposed to the hard rock style that the Rock Band titles have presented in the past. Just five of the final songs to make it into the game have been revealed so far. These are Song 2 by Blur, Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas, The Final Countdown by Europe, Boys and Girls by Good Charlotte and Pinks’ So What. We expect more details to surface over the next month.
Autosport have revealed that Codemasters’ F1 2009 game will be released this autumn, but only on the Wii and PSP. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions will follow sometime in 2010 after receiving a makeover to enable HD resolutions. All versions of the games will feature the new KERS kinetic energy recovery system, slick tyres and the full 2009 aero rules. All of the current cars and drivers will feature including the new and very successful Brawn GP team with their BGP001.
Gamestop have confirmed that a silver Sony PS3 Dual Shock 3 game pad will be available in the US from June. We can’t see the point of a silver controller when all US (and European) PS3′s have been black to date. Does this mean that the games giant is about to release a silver edition of their console, and if they do will this be another gimmick in lieu of a price cut? We’ll keep you posted.
Website Pocket Gamer has claimed that a source inside the Sony development team informs them that the much-rumoured PSP2 is well advanced and should be released by Christmas. The new unit is reported to be more of an iPhone look-alike than the current unit integrating a large touchscreen that will slide open to reveal the traditional control buttons. Sony hasn’t really acknowledged the existence of a PSP2 yet but expect full specifications and details to be unveiled at the E3 Media and Business Summit in June.