Gaming Hardware

It makes me wonder why does Nintendo always make their products available to Japan first instead of sticking to a worldwide launch. Could they actually be testing the waters in the home market to fine tune any bugs before the device and services associated with it are considered safe for an overseas release, or do they just want to hype up the situation so that when said hardware arrives in the US and Europe, even more sales will be generated? How about an even more sinister (although highly unlikely) scenario that sees Nintendo secretly controlling most import shops in the aforementioned continents, allowing them to make phenomenal returns thanks to imported units for people who can’t wait until the official regional release? Say (and think) what you want, but Nintendo will stick to its guns by releasing the newly announced DSi this November but has remained mum on when it will be going on sale outside of Japan.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Nintendo DS is not even four years into its life cycle and Nintendo has already released a second hardware refresh to keep its sales figures moving while innovating the portable gaming market. This time round, the changes are more stark compared to the leaps the DS Lite made over the DS Phat. Back then, the DS Lite came in a much nicer form factor with brighter displays, but otherwise the hardware remained the same. This cannot be said for the newly announced Nintendo DSi, as it will feature some rather significant changes that we will go into greater detail right after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you have not yet picked up an Xbox 360, now would be a good time to do it. This high definition capable gaming console has now been priced at that level, offering unprecedented gaming and entertainment experience without breaking the bank. From September 5th onwards, the Xbox 360 Arcade will retail for $199.99, while the Xbox 360 will go for $299.99 and the Xbox 360 retails for $399.99. Of course, Xbox 360 Arcade doesn’t amount up to much when compared to its brethren since there is a serious lack of hard drive space, but hey - at least you get to watch movies from Netflix while rocking out on Rock Band 2 with your mates.

Read the rest of this entry »

Plantronics does not only roll out Bluetooth headsets you know, as the company also deals with other audio equipment. Case in point, the GameCom 777 Surround Sound Gaming Headset that aims to provide you with an edge over the rest of the competition, enabling one to enjoy games, music and movies with virtual 5.1 surround sound effects.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sony has slowly but surely been phasing out its PS3 SKUs with larger and larger hard drives, although sometimes Sony has introduced a mid-range model like the 40GB SKU. This time round, Sony will introduce a new 160GB PlayStation 3 to the masses, and this one will come as a limited edition bundle with Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. I personally think that the 60GB PS3 which originally came out had the best functionality, including backwards compatibility that relied on hardware instead of software emulation that throws more than a single monkey wrench.

Read the rest of this entry »

It is that time of the month again, where fanboys from all three camps (Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony) get together to see just how their console has been doing in the market over the last month. The status quo for king of the hill remains, with Nintendo sitting comfortably in top spot while Microsoft and Sony jostle and tussle with one another fiercely for the distant second place. Sounds like Michael Phelps blowing everyone away at the Water Cube en route to his historic 8 gold medals in a single Olympics. Nintendo managed to move 555,000 Wii units in July, while the DS Lite did much better at 608,400 units. Of course, the latter is much cheaper than the former, and is easily found. How hard is it to get a Wii still in your area? Do leave a comment below after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

It is without a doubt that Sony’s PS2 console is the best selling console from Sony in its relatively short video game history, moving up to 150 million units worldwide. This fact is not lost on the folks at Sony as they will try their level best to make the current generation PS3 surpass that phenomenal figure. While I am all for such a positive outlook, it does remain to be seen whether the markets which it is in are big enough to achieve that sales number? Perhaps if the PS3 has a long life cycle of 10 years as intended, but assuming everyone else (that’s Microsoft and Nintendo) offers a much better console halfway through the PS3’s life, it will be an extremely tough feat to follow.

Read the rest of this entry »

Novint Technologies, the folk who brought the highly innovative and award winning Novint Falcon game controller is proud to announce the release of the highly anticipated Penumbra: Black Plague HaptX Edition that will be able to function just fine with the aforementioned gaming peripheral. This game might sound familiar to some, as it is the sequel to Penumbra: Overture. Of course, you can always download the game over Novint’s Web site (http://www.novint.com) and from N VeNT. This new title will retail for $29.95 a pop, although you can also pick it up via a special Penumbra: Overture bundle for $39.95.

Read the rest of this entry »

Granted, outselling the original Xbox is not exactly an achievement that is hard to surpass (different if we’re talking about the Sony PS2), but Microsoft has managed to outsold its old console with the Xbox 360. Relatively speaking, that is an achievement by itself. Official NPD data that tracks North American console sales has released its findings, stating that the Xbox 360 took 30 months to reach the 10 million units sold milestone. This period of time, in contrast with the original Xbox, is 20% faster. Whoop-dee-do - unfortunately, the Xbox 360 doesn’t look to do well in other regional markets as it still lags far behind the Wii and PS3 in Japan, and doesn’t look set to break into the Japanese market until perhaps the Xbox 720 comes out, if ever.

Read the rest of this entry »

Metal Gear Solid 4 seems to be taking forever to be released, but the time is nigh. This potential killer title ought to hit the streets sometime in Q2 this year, and if you’re one of those who promised to pick up a PS3 only when MGS4 is released, it is time to let out a huge whoop of joy. Sony has just announced that it will be shipping a PS3 bundle that includes a DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller as well as Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, all for $499. When you think about it, that is really a bargain considering how high the original 60GB PS3 price point was when it was first introduced a couple of years ago. This $499 bundle will see you go home with a big smile on your face, complete with the 80GB PS3 model.

Read the rest of this entry »