XBOX 360 Games

Sony underestimated demand for the 80 GB
Scott Steinberg, VP of Product Marketing at SCEA, has said that they underestimated demand for the 80 GB PS3. He said Sony were wrong in thinking that the price of the 80 GB was a big factor and that consumers would prefer a cheaper 40 GB. Steinberg said that we will now see Sony replenish the 80 GB in the marketplace.

BIZ: Regarding the PS3 SKU strategy, there’s been some talk about the 80 GB model possibly being phased out from some of the rumblings we’ve heard and that Sony is looking to possibly put some more distance between the 40 GB and some new model that might come out, maybe packed in with the Dual Shock 3… but it seems like there’s been so much change over the last couple years; first you had the 20 GB and the 60 GB and the 40 GB and the 80 GB. Doesn’t that lead to consumer confusion to have so many different SKUs out there?

SS: It hasn’t hurt Apple. Our strategy at the end of the year was to offer up a $399 40 GB, which we thought was the magic price for a Blu-ray machine and then a $499 80 GB. What we were surprised to see is that $100 really didn’t matter to a certain customer. Our sales were fairly equitable according to TRST and our internal numbers through the holidays and even into January; we’re pretty dry on the 80 GB as a result of us underestimating the demand for the 80 GB and thinking that most folks, because the price message was such a big part of the pundits and the analysts decrying the differences between the 360 and the PS3, [would prefer the 40 GB]. Reality is the price wasn’t that big of a deal and $499 sold a lot more than we thought, so the 80 GB got dry at retail not due to us artificially compressing it but the demand became greater than we thought. So you’ll see us replenish these in the marketplace. We’re still committed to our current strategy and there is much to do about nothing, I think is the way to think about it.

BIZ: So the 40 GB and the 80 GB… those are the two that are going to stay on the market, and there’s no plans to swap one out for another?

SS: I don’t know about the long term. We’re looking at the marketplace and I think if the business can support two, we’ll continue to do that but what we’re seeing is that the hardcore guys have gone to the 80 GB and they value that extra hundred dollar worth of features and the more casual consumer, we think has gone to the $399 because they’re a little bit more price conscious. We’re still talking to our retail partners, we’ve got a big retail meeting next week in Scottsdale and we’ll continue to take our learnings from the last couple months and we’re formulating our strategy on how the hardware roadmap looks for the balance of the year.

News Source: gamedaily

Source: shop-video-games.blogspot.com

PS3 firmware update v2.2 to bring BD Profile 2.0
SCEA today announced that the next system software update for PS3 computer entertainment system, slated for release in late March, will add Blu-ray Disc (BD) Profile 2.0 or BD-LIVE, enabling PS3 owners to experience interactive features, such as downloadable video content, ringtones, games, and more. In addition to BD-LIVE, the system software update (v. 2.20) will enable photo and music playlists on PS3 to be copied to the PSP, among other new features. Check the forums for the full release.

Press Release

PS3(TM) Owners Will Soon Enjoy Downloadable Movie Content, Games And More With Blu-ray Disc(TM) Profile 2.0; PS3’s Interoperability With PSP(R) Will Also Be Enhanced

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) today announced that the next system software update for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3(TM)) computer entertainment system, slated for release in late March, will add Blu-ray Disc(TM) (BD) Profile 2.0 or BD-LIVE, enabling PS3 owners to experience interactive features, such as downloadable video content, ringtones, games, and more. In addition to BD-LIVE, the system software update (v. 2.20) will enable photo and music playlists on PS3 to be copied to PSP®(PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, among other new features. These updates demonstrate how PS3 continues to evolve as a home entertainment hub with the flexibility to deliver the newest technology innovations that benefit PS3 owners.

“With Blu-ray established as the high-definition optical disc standard, more consumers are ready to jump in and take advantage of everything the format offers,” said Scott A. Steinberg, vice president, product marketing, SCEA. “Whether you want to download movie extras, send ringtones to your phone, or play interactive games, BD-LIVE will offer exciting new ways to enjoy a Blu-ray movie. With these regular firmware updates and future-proofed technology, SCEA is making the 10-year lifecycle of PS3 possible.”

BD Profile 2.0 requires an Internet connection and at least 1GB of local storage. The following features have all been demonstrated as possibilities with BD-Live and will vary by movie title.

– A variety of downloadable content can be offered, including bonus scenes, shorts, trailers, subtitles, ringtones that can be sent to mobile phones, images, and more.
– Interactive movie-based games can pit players who are sitting in the same room, or are across the world and online, against each other.

In conjunction with the PS3 firmware update, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) is pleased to announce two BD-LIVE enabled titles to be released on April 8 - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and The 6th Day. Both titles will include exclusive downloadable content that goes beyond what is available on the actual Blu-ray discs. These initial releases preview some of the exciting new developments that will soon be available from BD-LIVE on Blu- ray disc.

Beyond BD-LIVE, the new system software update enhances PS3 system’s interoperability with PSP system, enabling users to take their favorite music and photo playlists with them on-the-go with their PSP. To copy a playlist, PSP and PS3 must first be connected with a USB cable, and the PSP must be in USB mode. Then, on PS3, select “Copy” in the option menu of each music or photo playlist, and choose PSP as the destination. Now the playlist order, and the songs or photos themselves, will be accessible on the PSP’s Memory Stick PRO Duo anytime, anywhere. This new functionality makes it easer than ever to share media content between the two systems.

The following new features will also be included in the system software update.

– “Resume play” will enable PS3 system to start playing a Blu-ray disc and DVD at the point it was stopped, even if the disc had been removed.(*1)
– “Audio Output Device” will be a new Remote Play setting, enabling PSP to serve as a remote control for music played through PS3.
– PS3 system’s Internet browser will be enhanced: Video files directly linked from a Web page will be able to be streamed, and the browser’s view speed will be improved.
– DivX and WMV format videos that are larger than 2GB will be playable.
– “Mosquito Noise Reduction” will be added as an AV setting in the
control panel of the DVD/BD player for improved movie playback.(*2)

*1 BD-J format disc is not supported.
2 BD discs recorded with BDMV format are not supported.

Source: shop-video-games.blogspot.com

Home is the best-looking multiplayer world, won’t appeal to Second Life geeks
The creative director of Sony’s Home project has said that they have made it the best-looking multiplayer world and the most user-friendly. He said he is aware of the comparisons people make between Second Life and Home, but looking at Second Life, he is amazed at how many people go on it. He said the Home virtual world doesn’t “have anything in there that’s appealing to that kind of geeky audience that you might find in Second Life.”

And Venables, who’s worked on the Home project since its first concept on the PlayStation 2, agreed that it’s important for Sony’s virtual world experience to keep a high “quality bar”, but pointed out that the Second Life creators, Linden Lab, had a more difficult proposition in terms of PC compatibility.

“Essentially, with the Second Life example - and partly the disparity of the graphics, because you have to cater for the lowest-end PC whereas on the PlayStation 3 it’s a level playing-field - with something so organic as Home, with features being added, it’s difficult to set that benchmark of how many polygons to throw around, and how many to save for future things that we may or may not want to do,” he said.

“I think the PS3 platform has given us an advantage in terms of keeping a polished look, and it not to look like Second Life. I don’t want to dis Second Life, obviously they’ve been successful and they have to cater for people with old Pentium IIs and whatever, so I can understand why it looks the way it does.

“So it’s not to criticise them, it’s just that as a PlayStation 3 online space it was very important that there is a quality bar that we want to hit.”

News Source: gamesindustry

Source: shop-video-games.blogspot.com