stations

In the video game industry hardware sales are an extremely important factor in deciding which console a game should be developed for. Realizing this, companies like Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have done their best to keep consoles in the hands of consumers and sell as many systems as possible each month.

And while some of the more common practices of selling consoles are already used--promotion of a software library, marketing, and pricing--a relatively new phenomenon has developed where console availability has dropped significantly and hardware sales stay at a relatively steady, yet inflated level.

In essence, hardware scarcity is running rampant and yet, demand for these devices has grown at an astounding rate. In fact, most experts in the field think 2008 could be the biggest year for gaming ever.

So what is it about a scarce product that makes us want it more? Does it somehow tell us that the device is far more valuable and worthwhile if it's not available? If so, does that line of thinking even make sense?

Sadly, I'm left wondering if we've entered a phase in the video game industry where scarcity is being used as a tool to increase demand, only to be followed by a flood of consoles to satisfy it.… Read more

Today we're talking about how writers are back on the job, Knight Rider and its disease ridden red headed step-child, Netflix on the Xbox 360/PS3, and Apple TV updating its software. Then we rant about Spore and its newly announced September 7 release date.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Yesterday, U.K. music download provider Omnifone announced a forthcoming program, MusicStation Max, that will offer cell phone buyers unlimited free music downloads. Of course, "free" is never free, and in this case, Omnifone is enlisting handset makers to subsidize the estimated cost of the downloads and pass that cost along to you in the form of a higher up-front price for the phone. So far, LG Electronics is the first cell phone maker to sign up for participation in the program. No confirmation yet on carrier partners, but the service builds on Omnifone's existing MusicStation subscription-based … Read more

It won't make the games run any better, but a new version of IBM's Cell chip, which powers the PlayStation 3, will take up 34 percent less space and use 40 percent less power. But the best news is that the energy-efficient 45-nm processor will allow cutbacks on the PS3's cooling system. The cooler chip is also expected to be more reliable and cut down on returns. This should result in lower costs to produce and maintain--eventually leading to cheaper prices for consumers.

Read the full Ars Technica story: "IBM shrinks Cell to 45nm. Cheaper PS3s will follow"… Read more

It's been a long time coming, but we finally have some actual details about the first game to emerge from the partnership between Steven Spielberg and Electronic Arts.

Known as Boom Blox, the game, which will be available in May only on the Wii, is from EA's casual games unit.

It will have more than 300 levels, "a cast of over thirty wacky characters" and seems to be built around letting players take on "Blox-laying chickens or...baseball-throwing monkeys" or cartoonlike grim reapers in tiki, medieval, frontier, or haunted themed settings.

EA has never … Read more

Japanese game console makers have this habit of re-releasing products in different colors. Look at the Nintendo DS and PS2--it's hard to keep track how many different variations those products come in. So it comes as little surprise then that the PS3 isn't spared such treatment, too. Presenting the satin silver version of the PS3, which has just been announced in Japan.

Custom shops have been doing this for more than a year, but AV Watch says an official version will be available in Sony's motherland from March 6 at 39,800 yen (about $374). It is … Read more

Sony's PS2 was a defining game console-DVD player combo when it came out some years back. What exactly went into it?

You can see how it was constructed and how it stacks up against its successor, the PS3, on News.com: Cracking open the PlayStation 2.

The newly free NewsGator suite has a remarkably powerful set of tools for managing RSS feeds, and without a doubt one of the program's best features is its FeedStation podcast catcher. Fully synchronizable with the Webware version of NewsGator, the Windows version, FeedDemon, comes bundled with FeedStation and preset integration settings for iTunes and Windows Media Player, but not WinAmp.

Laugh all you want at the llama, but the latest WinAmp has an impressive feature set, and is far more flexible than the industry favorite iTunes. However, its podcast manager is clunky and only marginally better than iTunes' native podcatcher, and that's frustrating. Using WinAmp's smart view function, I'll show you how to set its Podcast folder to automatically check for podcasts managed by third-party software.

… Read more

Checking Web sites by typing in the URL feels like firing up a rickety 56k baud modem and logging on to CompuServe. It gets the job done, but really should only be used under extreme duress or nostalgia. Syndicated feeds bring the Web site to you, and when NewsGator made all its RSS clients free on Wednesday, they suddenly made a top-notch suite with tools for Windows, Mac, mobile, the Web, a podcast manager, and a Microsoft Outlook extension incredibly appealing. And by appealing, I mean you might not be able to imagine feeds the same way afterwards. It's that good.

… Read more