Gaming Hardware

Wrestling is big business after the slump in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and we have seen many a wrestling personality make it big along the way. Of course, let us have a moment’s silence for those brave men who have fallen (with Chris Benoit being the latest in a long line of deaths) before we go on. Wrestling fans will be pleased as punch to see officially licensed WWE video game accessories being made available on Game On’s website, but unfortunately for most people, the entire inventory of its online launch was sold out due to overwhelming demand, all the way from Alaska to Australia. According to the company, it will be flying in new products directly to its fulfillment facility in order to meet the holiday season demand and beyond.

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Has the tide turned? Is this the start of the end of the almighty Nintendo Wii’s reign in Japan? Some folks (especially fanboys in Sony’s camp) will probably read too much into this, while Nintendo supporters will probably dismiss this as a blimp - an anomaly in the sales charts for just a week, so to speak. Statistics don’t lie though - and for the first time last month, the Sony PS3 actually outpaced the Wii in Japan. This is partly due to the introduction of the way cheaper 40GB PS3 console (which incidentally, was the SKU that outsold the Wii).

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The PlayStation 3 has already bolted out of the stable door (with a sputtering start, I might add), but it is its predecessor, the PlayStation 2 that still keeps on going strong after a seven year run. Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) celebrates the console’s seventh birthday since its release in the US on October 26, 2000. Since then, more than 120 million of these consoles were sold, garnering more than a billion units of PS2 software sold worldwide, leaving us with an extremely healthy attach rate of approximately 10 games per console. Granted, the attach rate figure is probably much higher than that since many Third World countries that suffer from piracy sell pirated PS2 games for as little as $2 each.

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I suppose Microsoft must have cast more than a single envious glance at Nintendo’s way, seeing how the company has reeled back from the brink of defeat during the previous console generation to take top spot in this generation with their approach to casual gaming and seemingly “gimmicky” controls found on both the Nintendo Wii and the DS Lite systems. Hence, Microsoft must surely try to take a similar approach in order to boost its user base by unveiling a new entry level Xbox 360 bundle that clamors for dollars from casual gamers.

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Wireless controllers for the console or computer are nifty, but the downside to such freedom is the need to recharge its batteries (and pretty often at that considering how long sessions of gaming seem to pass by in a flash of an instant) as well as running the risk of holding a juiced out controller during an intense gaming session. Pelican will be catering to the PS3 crowd with its new Controller Charging Station. This gaming peripheral is definitely a much more sensible solution when it comes to powering up the lithium ion batteries found in the SIXAXIS controller, since you don’t have to plug your controllers in the PS3 whenever you’re using it to do something that doesn’t need to make use of the controller, such as enjoying the latest Blu-ray movie.

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Ah, here’s the official word on Sony’s gimped 40GB PS3 that will roll out in the US when November 2nd rolls around.

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) today announced plans to introduce a new 40GB model of its PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM)) computer entertainment system. Beginning November 2nd, to further enhance the HD entertainment experience, the new 40GB PS3 model will come bundled with the blockbuster movie Spider-Man(TM) 3 Blu-ray Disc(TM) (BD) from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, and will be available in North America for a suggested retail price of $399 (USD/CND). The company also announced that effective immediately, the current 80GB PS3 model will be available in North America for $499 (USD/CND), $100 below the original launch price.

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The Novint Falcon Game Controller was certainly one of the more revolutionary game controllers ever released in the world of video gaming, and this time the company has announced that it has already expanded the line-up of games to over 40 for the award-winning Novint Falcon game controller. Prices for these titles will range between $9.95 to $29.95, which means there will be a little something for everybody regardless of whether you’re a casual gamer or one of those hardcore types. It seems that the upcoming Falcon line-up will consist of AAA, classic, casual and best-selling games in a variety of genres.

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Nearly everyone and their dog already has experienced World of Warcraft, but how many of you use peripherals other than the keyboard and mouse to play? Well this effort features an Xbox 360 controller that works with your computer while you roam the worlds of Azeroth. This effort was made possible thanks to a software called Switchblade that was developed by a company known as Blue Orb Software. Best of all is, there is no price to pay for this piece of software since it has been made available for free.

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The Nintendo Wii is one cute console that flashes blue whenever it wants your attention, which is kinda the opposite of females who seem to blush red when they’re shy because a hottie such as you is approaching them - either that or they’re just plain mad at you for being such a cheapskate during a night out, but both situations still warrant garnering your attention. As for the Wii, at least it doesn’t scream, get involved in catfights, or even throw expensive china your way during an argument. No sir, it will continue flashing in blue to notify you that there is a new system update available for download, with the version number stopping at 3.1 already.

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One disadvantage PC gamers have over their console brethren is the fact that the computer gets obsolete way too soon, causing them to upgrade their computers once every two years or so, while console gamers happily sit out for the next five years without worrying whether the latest title will crawl on their Wii, Xbox 360, or PS3 or not. In fact, console owners have it better as the console ages - developers will be able to know the ins and outs of a particular machine and thus create much better looking titles compared to those released during the console’s launch. As for PC gamers, they’ll need to bleed money for that new video card or faster processor. Crytek’s Crysis is definitely one of those games that push the bar when it comes to visual realism in a computer game, unfortunately the price to pay is pretty hefty judging by the system requirements. Check those out after the jump.

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