The Xbox 360 Pro (aka Premium) will now cost $50 less.
(Credit: Microsoft)A couple of weeks ago I wrote about rumors that Microsoft was planning to chop the Xbox 360's price in July. Well, that price cut was all but confirmed today by Kotaku.
After posting leaked photos of upcoming Best Buy, Kmart, and other circulars, the gaming blog now has a GameStop employee's cell-phone snapshots of shelf art and an internal memo announcing that the Xbox 360 Pro (aka the Premium) would drop to $299.99 on Sunday, July 13. Not coincidentally, E3 kicks off the next day with--you guessed it--Microsoft's press conference.
As Sony's PlayStation 3 has come on strong in recent months, sales of the Xbox 360 have been flat, so a price drop seemed likely. The success of Metal Gear Solid 4 continues to give the PS3 a boost, but chances are Sony, too, will have to trim the price of its console before the holiday buying season.
All that said, the big question remains whether Microsoft will announce any new configurations of the Xbox 360. Rumor has it, the company is just using the price drop to clear out inventory of the 20GB Premium before it brings out a new 60GB version. (Of course, if you're willing to take a chance on a refurbished Premium, you can do significantly better than $300). There's no word on whether the Xbox 360 Elite or the Arcade (no hard drive) will also get $50 snips or whether a flagship model with a built-in Blu-ray drive is really in the works.
Personally, I'd like to see Microsoft get rid of the useless Arcade and reduce the number of Xbox 360 choices down to two to avoid confusing consumers. Anybody else want to guess what Microsoft has up its sleeve next week and what Sony's next move will be?
With only a couple weeks to go before the 2008 E3 Media and Business Summit, video game publisher Electronic Arts is giving the press a sneak peek at its new video game lineup, including products resulting from its partnership with Hasbro.
Mr. Potato Head hosts EA's game Hasbro Family Night.
(Credit: Electronic Arts)In the forefront is the Hasbro Family Game Night video game for the Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 2, a result of the 2007 teaming of the board game company and the video game company. With Hasbro's Mr. Potato Head as host, EA said families can partake in classic versions of Connect Four, Boggle, Yahtzee, Sorry!, and Battleship, as well as versions of these games with new twists.
The game publisher will also debut a digital version of Sorry! Sliders, a board game that Hasbro will be selling this fall.
NCAA Football '09 is just one of the new "All-Play" games for Wii.
(Credit: Electronic Arts)Other games displayed by EA at recent coast-to-coast press events include Wii- and PlayStation-adapted games Boogie:Superstar, Littlest Pet Shop, a new Monopoly game, and Nerf N-Strike, which comes with a Wii remote and Nerf gun duo.
All the above titles will hit shelves during the fall of 2008.
Casual gaming aside, last week EA also announced a new lineup for its "EA Sports All-Play" series, which is introducing games specifically designed for the Wii. EA said the new games will level the playing field between advanced players and new users, because players won't have to remember complicated series of button combinations.
The five All-Play titles will debut starting this month, including '09 versions of Tiger Woods PGA Tour, Madden NFL , NCAA Football, NBA Live, and FIFA Soccer.
The two-day E308 conference kicks off in Los Angeles on July 15.
Update: Sony has suspended the 2.40 upgrade, following reports that it has fouled up some PS3 systems (see Joystiq for more). While the two PS3s we have here at CNET were able to install the update with no adverse effects, it appears that some users were considerable less fortunate.
The 2.40 firmware update for the PlayStation 3 is now available. The free update, which Sony has been talking up for the past several days, adds a smattering of new features, including in-game access to the XMB (Cross Media Bar) home screen, custom soundtracks, a new trophy system, and a shortcut to Google searches.
The new features carry a host of caveats: the in-game XMB, customized soundtracks, and trophies aren't supported on all games; in-game XMB features are fairly limited; and the trophy system (with the a few exceptions) won't be retroactive to already-accomplished goals.
Trophies, for instance, are better viewed as a feature that will begin becoming more useful as future games begin supporting the feature. That said, both the trophy system and in-game XMB help the PS3 better compete with the achievements and Xbox Live or Xbox Dashboard features offered by the Xbox 360.
PS3 users will also notice a handful of other simple but useful touches with this update, including an on-screen clock, a quick shutdown icon, and a shortcut to Google searches. And speaking of the PS3's browser: while it's not new for 2.40, it's worth noting that the Web browser splash screen now includes shortcuts to YouTube, Flickr, and Facebook.
So what do you think? Does the 2.40 update add some worthwhile features to the PS3, or does the Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii still have an edge? And what other features would you like to see come in future PS3 software upgrades?
PlayStation.com: Firmware 2.40 walk-through, part 1 (embedded above)
PlayStation.com: Firmware 2.40 walk-through, part 2
PlayStation.com: Firmware 2.40 FAQ
The chatter for a July price chop gets louder.
(Credit: Microsoft)With Metal Gear Solid 4 finally available for the PlayStation 3, it doesn't take a genius to predict that the PS3 is going to get a boost from having a hit console-exclusive title under its belt. Nevertheless, analysts are boldly proclaiming change is asunder. Sony's got the Big Mo--as in momentum--while Microsoft's got the big Slo--as in demand for its Xbox 360 is slowing down. Which inevitably means the price-cut rumors are getting the Big Sto--as in stoke those flames, baby.
Joystiq is reporting that EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich, "Believes the PS3 is going to keep increasing its sales and Microsoft will announce a price cut for the Xbox 360 at E3" next month. And in another shocker, Divnich, "Foresees the PS3 gaining momentum and claims Metal Gear Solid 4 will actually have a greater impact on the console's hardware sales than Grand Theft Auto IV did." God, these guys are good.
The post goes on to note that the "Xbox 360 could also get a new hardware SKU with added features" (Blu-ray anyone?) and that Divnich claims that "if Microsoft does cut the price, Sony will respond with a drop of its own within two months." Unfortunately, Divnich doesn't predict exactly what the price cut will be, but I'm saying $50 across the board, with the XBox 360 Elite dropping to $399.99, the Premium (20GB) to $299.99 and the Arcade (no hard drive) hitting $249.99 or even less. It's about time someone matches the Wii's pricing, right?
Anyway, feel free to predict your own pricing scenarios and new models in the comments section.
The world's first 2.0-compatible Blu-ray player.
(Credit: CNET)The PlayStation 3 is the first Blu-ray player to support BD-Live functionality, thanks to a firmware update available today. Officially announced just last week, the update (version 2.20) was released right on schedule, and is now available as a free download to PS3 owners directly through the console's onscreen interface. Once installed, it allows the PS3's to access Internet-connected BD-Live content available on some discs. The list of compatible discs is currently minimal--just War and Saw IV available now, plus The Sixth Day and Walk Hard following on April 8--and the first round of BD-Live content doesn't seem to be very diverting. But as the list of supporting titles grows--and, ideally, the BD-Live content becomes more compelling--look for players that don't support Profile 2.0 compatibility to be confined to the clearance shelves. The PS3 remains the best bet for Blu-ray shoppers, even if they have no interest in using its gaming capabilities.
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The PS3 is about to become an even better Blu-ray player.
(Credit: CNET)The next firmware update to the PlayStation 3 will add full Profile 2.0 compatibility to the game console's Blu-ray player. Sony hinted that the update would be coming during January's Consumer Electronics Show, but today's announcement confirms that it will arrive before the end of March. If it goes according to plan, the update would make the PS3 the first Blu-ray player to offer Profile 2.0 (or BD-Live, as it's also known). Profile 2.0 will add online features to compatible Blu-ray discs, the first two of which--The Sixth Day and Walk Hard--are scheduled to hit store shelves in April. Its addition to the spec finally brings Blu-ray's feature set in line with HD DVD players, all of which were built from the start to be able to access online content (though, to be fair, the feature wasn't widely employed on many HD DVD movies).
While most Blu-ray players can be updated to address bug fixes and disc incompatibilities, the PS3 is alone among current players with its ability to be upgraded to the Profile 2.0 standard. (That's why it remains the most highly recommended Blu-ray player on CNET--even for prospective users who aren't gamers.) The only other 2.0 players that have been announced are the Panasonic DMP-BD50 (due in April) and the Sony BDP-S550 (coming this autumn), both of which are expected to cost at least $100 more than the entry-level PS3.
In addition to enhanced Blu-ray support, the PS3 2.20 firmware is expected to include a number of other enhancements, including better DivX and WMV file support, better integration with the PSP, and improved Web browsing. Full details are available at Sony's PlayStation Blog.
There is no doubt whatsoever that 2007 was a impressive year for video games. Everyone has their own Top 10 list, but we hate the whole numbered list cliche. Instead, we've grouped the Top 10, in no particular order, giving each game its own due respect. These 10 games achieve a certain elite status that separate themselves from all the rest providing us with some of the most advanced digital entertainment available today. So without any further ado, please enjoy our picks for the Top 10 Games of 2007.
Sony's PlayStation 3 console
(Credit: Sony)Sony Computer Entertainment America announced on Thursday a full list of the games and hardware bundles that it will be launching for its PlayStation systems--PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation portable (PSP)--for the fast-approaching holiday season.
The games, both first- and third-party, range from "enthusiast" titles geared toward the traditional young-male "gamer demographic," to more casual and social games "This holiday season we are offering our largest line up of quality software and hardware products to meet every taste, lifestyle and budget," said Scott A. Steinberg, vice president of product marketing for SCEA, said in a statement.
Sony is pitching the older PlayStation 2 console as an affordable hub for casual games, like SingStar and Buzz: The Mega Quiz. The PS2 is also "getting a social makeover with limited edition ceramic white hardware" and a new price of $149.99--perhaps as Sony's answer to that other white gaming console, you know, the one from Nintendo.
Among the more highly anticipated Sony titles are EA's Rock Band and The Orange Box; Activision's Guitar Hero III; and The Eye of Judgment, a trading card-based game that Sony developed in conjunction with Hasbro's Wizards of the Coast subsidiary.
A full list, below the jump:
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Will it really be around for 10 years?
(Credit: CNET Networks)Earlier this week, Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's CEO, pointed out the perils of maintaining the status quo in console cycles. According to Iwata, the current state of the industry where hardware is replaced by its successor in just four years is a blunder that Nintendo will not commit.
Instead, Iwata argued that new consoles should be replaced when a major shift in entertainment arrives or all avenues for innovation have been exhausted.
While I can see where Iwata is coming from, I think he misses an important point. Sure, new technologies should govern the arrival of new consoles, but what about the business implications of a 10-year console cycle? It may work for Nintendo, which has two successful hardware options on the market and does well with its first-party software, but what about Sony and Microsoft?
Sad as it is, Iwata is dreaming. From the perspective of hardware manufacturers, new console releases mean a jump in revenue and unique opportunities for growth.
... Read moreDon Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
The new 40GB PS3: Are the compromises worth the reduced price tag?
(Credit: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe)
The rumors were true, almost to the letter. Sony Europe has confirmed the existence of a new entry-level PlayStation 3. Scheduled to hit stores on the Continent on October 10, the new PS3 has been stripped down to hit a lower price point: it's got a smaller 40GB hard drive, no built-in flash media reader, and two (rather than four) USB ports. But the biggest change appears to be the loss of backward compatibility with PS2 games. Sony's release specifies that "[t]he new model is no longer backwards compatible with PlayStation 2 titles, reflecting both the reduced emphasis placed on this feature amongst later purchasers of PS3, as well as the availability of a more extensive lineup of PS3 specific titles (a total of 65 titles across all genres by Christmas)." That seems to counter conventional wisdom, since the newer PS3s were already said to be using software emulation (rather than an actual PS2 Emotion Engine chip) to play older games. In brighter news, the new PS3s retain Blu-ray playback, HDMI output, and onboard Wi-Fi.
The 40GB PS3 will retail for £300 in the U.K. and €400 across continental Europe. The existing 60GB PS3--which retains backwards compatibility--remains on the market with a price cut and a new bundle as well. There's no official word for those of us outside Europe, but it's a safe bet that PS3 sales in North America will crawl to a standstill as consumers wait for the other price-cut shoe to drop on this side of the Pond. The expected price tag will be $400--a huge bargain, considering the current weakness of the American dollar.
Of course, the PS3 had already seen a de facto price cut to $500 just a few months ago, but the PS3 has yet to generate a Halo-like hit for hardcore gamers or connect with mainstream audiences like the red-hot (and much cheaper) Nintendo Wii. Despite a couple of recent hits (Warhawk, Heavenly Sword), With keystone exclusives such as Metal Gear Solid 4 and now Unreal Tournament III pushed back to 2008, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune seems to be the only hotly anticipated PS3 exclusive slated to hit this fall. In short, Sony needs to generate some excitement in the meantime, and the prospect of a $400 PS3 just in time for the holidays sounds like a perfect recipe. Whether or not the backward compatibility issue will sour the deal remains to be seen.
What do you think: is the (presumably imminent) PS3 worth $400, or is the dearth of backward compatibility a deal breaker?
