Just when you thought Microsoft’s moves with the Xbox 360 console were over.. come new rumors courtesy of Ars Technica that the console may be headed for further price cuts this fall. According to a source known only as “the mole” (ha..), the Ars Technica piece states tat possible early September price cuts would be as follows:

• Xbox 360 Arcade would drop to $199 (no hard drive on this model)
• Xbox 360 Pro with the new 60GB HDD would go to $299
• Xbox 360 Elite with the 120GB HDD would drop to $399

Most importantly, a drop to $199 for the barebones Xbox 360 would mean this would be the first next generation console system to crack the $200 dollar price barrier (albeit by one dollar). Now would this actually spell additional sales for the Xbox 360? Considering all the new enhancements coming to the Xbox 360 this fall, a price cut would certainly make things more enticing for the Xbox 360 console. Not only would it attract new first time buyers, it could see repeat purchases from folks who already have an Xbox 360 and would like to get another one for say.. the bedroom.

[Check it out via News.com]

Technorati Tags: Microsoft Xbox 360

The revenue generating machine known as the Nintendo Wii keeps on chugging along as Nintendo announced fiscal first quarter profits surged 34 percent from the year-ago quarter. The company reported a profit of 107.27 billion yen (or $996 million U.S. dollars) during the quarter from April till June which was up from 80.25 billion yen last year.

The driving force behind the profits? The Nintendo Wii and associated game titles such as the new “Wii Fit” game.  Nintendo sold 5.2 million Wii consoles worldwide during the quarter which was 1.7 million than a year ago. 3.4 million “Wii Fit” games and 6.4 million “Mario Kart Wii” games were sold. Overall, sales grew 24 percent to 423.38 billion yen (or $3.9 billion) for the quarter. Yes.. that is a revenue generating machine.. actually a profit generating machine!

Overall, Nintendo has now sold more than 29.6 million Wii consoles around the world. Compare that statistic to Sony which has sold around 14.4 million PS3s and Microsoft which has sold around 19 million Xbox 360 consoles and it’s clear that the Wii is the reigning next-gen console champ. (though Next Generation is loosely applied here in our opinion)

Going forward, Nintendo announced that they are planning to sell 25 million Wii consoles and 28 million Nintendo DS devices for the fiscal year ending next March (2009). Since we’re on the topic of the DS, Nintendo DS sales dipped somewhat for the quarter - dropping 40,000 to 6.94 million units sold. Total DS sales now total 77.54 million devices around the world.

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Technorati Tags: Nintendo Wii, Profits surge

We all know Mortal Kombat to be a bloody and violent video game franchise but if creator Ed Boon has his way, the next version will be even more violent - enough to possibly warrant an M rating. Let’s hope so because I’m not sure if we can deal with the MK vs DC video game (sheesh!!). Sorry but my favorite Mortal Kombat game is still MK II (though MK III wasn’t too bad either).

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The folks at Glu Mobile have announced that they are developing a new Transformers mobile game called Transformers G1: Awakening. What’s that G1 you say? Well for those of you not exactly into Transformers nomenclature, the G1 stands for Generation 1 which means this game is based on the original Transformers series from the 80’s. Ah yes.. the good ol original series which to me.. is the only Transformers to really talk about.

OK.. so according to  Glu Mobile, the new game will “take players back to the TRANSFORMERS’ roots and include characters, storyline, and classic visuals from the original GENERATION 1 series.” The game will be out sometime this fall.

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I’ve been really impressed with the amount of activity and content that Microsoft has been putting into the Xbox 360 console and Xbox LIVE as a whole. In recent weeks, we’ve seen many more television shows being introduced, new games being announced, and a whole new user interface coming out in the fall. To further drive home the point that the Xbox 360 is striving to become the hub for all home entertainment, Microsoft announced today at Comic-Con that new original content in the form of original short films will be coming to Xbox LIVE this fall - free to all Xbox LIVE members. These films mix horror and comedy and was conceived by filmmaker James Gunn (Slither and Dawn of the Dead) and producer Peter Safran (Scary Movie, Meet the Spartans, and Disaster Movie). These short film pilots will be available directors such as James Wan (“Saw,” “Death Sentence”), David Slade (“30 Days of Night,” “Hard Candy”), James Gunn, Lucky McKee (“May,” “The Woods”), Andrew Douglas (“The Amityville Horror”) and Marcus Nispel (“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “Friday the 13th”).

The short film pilots coming this fall include:

• “Doggie Heaven (Woof!)” — The creative team behind the smash hit “Saw” films, James Wan (“Saw,” “Death Sentence”) and Leigh Whannell, tell the story of a young man who is having a dog of a day. He’s just been shot dead, but his real problems are only just beginning because of a clerical error that has sent him to the wrong heaven.
• “Humanzee!” — James Gunn (“Slither,” “Dawn of the Dead”) directs and stars in a sitcom about his human-chimp hybrid son, the Humanzee (played by Gunn’s brother, Sean Gunn, from “Gilmore Girls”). It’s a delightful mix of “South Park,” “Wonder Showzen” and “Small Wonder.”
• “MEATDOG: What’s Fer’ Dinner” — Director David Slade (“30 Days of Night,” “Hard Candy”) presents MEATDOG, an animated mutt made up of cold cuts. MEATDOG is pitted against a church of evil occult pigs while being pursued by a carnivorous rabbit and a slobbering hound. It’s dogicide when everyone wants MEATDOG on their menu.
• “Blue Like You” —From director Lucky McKee (“May,” “The Woods”), “Blue Like You” follows the antics of old friends Patrick and Cyndy as they get to know their mysterious and extraordinary new friend Blue, a beautiful young woman who doesn’t seem to understand how the simplest of things work.
• “The Miracle of Phil” — From director Andrew Douglas (“The Amityville Horror”), “The Miracle of Phil” shows that the best relationships are full of screaming, shouting and cursing, but when Phil gets knocked up, Chris is the one who feels screwed.
• “Adrenaline Slam” — Director Marcus Nispel (“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “Friday the 13th”) brings “ADRENALINE SLAM,” a high-octane hybrid of hidden camera reality and Hollywood fantasy that exposes ordinary people to extraordinary events.
• “Assorted Nightmares: The Janitor” — From online director John Clisham and starring Jenna Dewan (“Step Up”), somewhere in the darkness just beyond “Tales From the Crypt” and a little south of “The Twilight Zone,” is “Assorted Nightmares,” a modern-day horror anthology show. The first episode pays homage to the 1980s horror-slasher genre, as things at school for Jennifer don’t turn out as expected.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Xbox 360, Comedy, Horror, Comic-Con

Just a little heads up in case you don’t follow the gaming world all that much. Sony has a new video store open within the PlayStation Store which is accessible to those with the PlayStation 3 console. The new service is now live and you can download movies, television shows or original programming for a price of course. Before you try out the service, make sure to get the latest Sony PS3 update for the PS3.

The new service will initially have roughly 300 movie titles and around 1200 TV episodes. A portion of the content will be available in both standard definition and in high definition formats. Studios that are a part of this launch include 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate Entertainment, MGM Studios, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Warner Bros. Entertainment.

Movie rentals will cost between $2.99 to $5.99 depending on the title and the quality of the video. If you want to purchase movies, that will cost you between $9.99 to $14.99.

My two cents on this - first the obvious - it’s about time Sony! It’s amazing how incredibly late the company is in getting a video service up and running for the PS3. The Xbox 360 and Apple TV have an incredible head start - both in terms of technology and in the number of titles. Secondly, what’s up with the size of the HD files? I just purchased “Hell Boy” to test out the service and I’m downloading 7.1 GB of data. WTH?!?!?!? Now I know it’s in high def and all.. but is the file size the same for the other services? Somehow.. I think not. I suppose I’ll have to compare the picture quality of comparable titles to see if the Sony service is better. Finally - I’m sorry… I’m a huge fan of the XrossMediaBar interface but the PlayStation Store UI is just a bit .. well.. ugly.

Unless there’s a compelling reason for me to download movies on the PS3, I’m going to have a hard time wanting switch out of Apple TV and the Xbox 360 console.

[Check it out]

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For those of you wondering what your existing Xbox 360 themes will look like under the new Xbox Experience - fear not - they’ll look pretty darn cool - at least if you believe these snapshots of the dashboard under the new experience.

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Technorati Tags: Xbox 360, Microsoft, themes, Xbox experience

Tired of using the Wii-mote to type characters out on the Wii? Then you’ll want to check out the newly announced  Logitech Cordless Keyboard for the Wii. This compact keyboard utilizes full sized keys and comes with several special system keys (Zoom In/Out, Forward/Back, Quit and OK) designed to make life easier with the Wi. The keyboard has a polished white finish which matches the design of the Nintendo Wii and it communicates with the game console using 2.4GHz wireless technology. Expect the keyboard out in August for an MSRP of $49.99.

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Get ready for a whole new Xbox experience folks! Microsoft announced today, the new Xbox Experience - effectively changing the way users interact with the Xbox 360 console as well as providing a new look and feel to how users will play video games, watch multimedia content and interact with users on Xbox LIVE. That alone is big, but Microsoft and Netflix (as expected) also announced a partnership whereby Netflix subscribers will be able to view movies and TV shows directly on the Xbox 360 (think Roku Netflix Player here folks).

First let’s talk about the new Xbox Experience. The folks at Kotaku have an excellent write-up as to what the new experience will comprise of/look like. Here are some of the major tidbits for you to consider. First - why even update the Xbox Dashboard interface? Well the original interface was designed for dealing with hundreds of different pieces of content. However, the Xbox 360 has turned into a device that drives not hundreds but potentially thousands of pieces of multimedia content and thus this necessitated a new user interface.

Secondly, this update is not an optional upgrade or feature of the console. It will effectively replace the Blade user interface we’ve come to love (or hate). The user interface features an Apple iPod/iTunes like Cover-Flow user interface (or similar to the Flip 3D UI from Vista). Kotaku reports that the new Xbox Guide and user interface will be faster than the current interface. Also - more importantly, all of your old content will indeed work with the new user interface.

Other new features being introduced with the Xbox experience include:

• LIVE Party - Share your experiences with friends all over the world
• Personalize your Xbox with Avatars
• Enjoy new content from places such as Netflix, NBC Universal, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, SCI FI Channel, USA Network, Constantin, and MGM.

The new experience also includes a new lineup of games, movies, and TV shows including the following:

• New Xbox LIVE Primetime - a collection of virtual game shows that allows thousands of gamers to become contestants from their own living rooms. One such game will be 1 vs. 100
• New console games such as Final Fantasy XIII, Gears of War 2, Resident Evil 5,Fable II, and exclusive GTA IV episodes
• Music content such as Lips, Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero World TourandDanceDanceRevolution® UNIVERSE3.
• Family titles such as Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts,Scene It? Box Office Smash and Viva Piñata®: Trouble in Paradise.

Ok.. now onto the Netflix/Microsoft partnership. You will now be able to view your Netflix Instant Queue list directly on your Xbox 360 console.  This new addition will be available to Xbox LIVE Gold members who are also Netflix subscribers. Movies can be enjoyed within 30 seconds of selecting the title with controls consisting of fast forward, pause, and rewind.

AND finally, there are two new colors available for the Xbox 360 wireless controller - a red model and a green model. The red model will sell for $64.99 while the green model will go for $44.99.

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Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox experience, Netflix

As expected, Microsoft upgraded the Xbox 360 console by releasing a 60GB hard drive model priced what the 20GB used to be priced at which is $349. The 20GB model is now available at $299 “while supplies last” which means Microsoft will not be making anymore 20GB systems.  This keeps the Xbox 360 product lineup at three different models - the $279 Xbox 360 Arcade model, the $299 Xbox Console with 60GB hard drive, and the high end Xbox 360 Elite console with a 120GB HDD at $449.

For those of you who have not purchased an Xbox 360 console, this is probably a good time to do so. Which hard drive capacity to purchase will depend on what you intend on doing with the Xbox 360. Most users who get the larger hard drive models primarily do so because they download free or purchased content from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Microsoft sells HD movies and TV shows on Xbox Live Marketplace which takes up a good deal of space on the hard drive. If you don’t see yourself downloading content from Xbox Live, then the 20GB model is probably a good deal for you - especially since you can upgrade to a 120GB hard drive later on.

The 60GB Xbox 360 console will come out in early August.

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Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 20GB, Xbox 360 60GB