After sitting through three major press events at E3 this year and wandering the hall, I began seeing comments regarding the viability of consoles in a constantly-changing tech landscape. First there were the memes that essentially suggested that this year’s E3 was a gift to PC gaming and then John Carmack, the granddaddy of FPSes, (and bear in mind Carmack is working on a virtual reality helmet… → Read More
[tab:Intro][flagallery gid=2 name="CrunchGear Gift Guide 2009"] Ah, gaming consoles. They pick up where TV left off. Back when TV was still entertaining, it served as the perfect babysitter. “You kids watch Full House and Urkel until your mom and I get home from our key-swapping party, okay?” “What’s a key-swapping party?” “Okay, gotta go!” Now consoles… → Read More
Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter is prognosticating that the price of the Nintendo Wii will drop to $199 in time for the holidays, pointing out that the console’s supply has finally eclipsed its demand. Meanwhile, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata recently said that his company plans to introduce great games instead of lowering the price of the little white box. → Read More
Not that ANY of you would ever sell your console without deleting all your personal files and credit card information off of it first but just in case, here’s a reminder why you should do just that. Apparently a refurbishment center bought up a bunch of Circuit City’s pre-owned consoles that were to be “in working condition, and with maybe a few components missing.” → Read More
In what may qualify as nostalgia overload, an enterprising Canadian has replaced the insides of an old all-in-one iMac with a Sega Dreamcast console. The end result is the iCast. → Read More
The Xbox 360 is currently leading over the PS3 by around one million lifetime sales across five major European territories – the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy, according to data from Eurogamer that shows like-for-like sales of console hardware across October and November. The figures also show lifetime installed base figures, which indicate the one million lead. It’s not looking… → Read More
Target is selling the Nintendo Wii console along with Wii Fit, balance board, and carrying case for $349.99 (online only, free shipping). It’s maybe not a “deal” deal per se, but the bundle appears to be in stock, so there’s that. I’d hurry, though. Wii Fit with Hardware and Bag Bundle for Nintendo Wii [Target.com via dealnews] → Read More
On the game console superhighway, if there is such a thing, the Nintendo Wii just blasted past the Nintendo 64, stuck its left arm out the driver’s side window, and rigidly shot its index finger into the air to let the N64 know that the Wii, in fact, is now number one. Well, not number one, but it passed the Nintendo 64 in lifetime sales. To date, Nintendo has sold almost 35 million Wii… → Read More
Ooh la la, will you look at this? There’s an Xbox stuffed in that little white case. A modder over on the Xbox Scene forums turned his big, fat, portly Xbox into a svelte, nimble “Xbox Slim” and added some key upgrades: slim DVD/CD-R drive, 60GB 2.5-inch hard drive, Logitech wireless controller, integrated Wi-Fi connection, and more. More photos and a video after the jump. → Read More
Immersion is one of the primary companies behind force feedback and haptics. They’re working with a peripheral maker called dreamGEAR to put out a wireless Dual Shock alternative called the Shadow. It will feature “advanced vibro-tactile, spinning-mass technologies,” which is about as real-sounding as Master of Orion 2′s “black hole generator”* — although… → Read More
Price drops! To Europe! This Friday! For the three or four of you outside of the US who read CrunchGear.com, we thank you. Here are the numbers; according to Xbox360Fanboy, Xbox 360 Arcade consoles will drop “to £129 (€179), 60GB Pros to £169 (€239) and 120GB Elites to £229 (€299).” And again, that’ll all happen on Friday. → Read More
Previously declared the leading next-generation console worldwide, the Nintendo Wii has now surpassed the Xbox 360 to become the leading next-generation console in the U.S. Last month, Nintendo sold over 666,000 Wii consoles versus 405,500 PS3s and 219,800 Xbox 360s, according to NPD Group, Inc. Wii games are also selling well, as NPD says that six of the ten top selling games last month were Wii… → Read More
Buy.com has the refurbished 20GB Xbox 360 for a mere $200 (free shipping too). It’s the non-HDMI version, so keep that in mind. But if you’re looking to get into an Xbox 360 on the cheap, this appears to be a pretty good deal. Microsoft Xbox 360 Premium System – Recertified [Buy.com via dealnews] → Read More
Console running a little hot? Come September, you’ll be able to pick up Nyko’s Intercooler TS for the Xbox 360 ($24.99) or PlayStation 3 ($34.99). The PS3 version offers variable fan-speed control and both models feature TempSmart, which provides automatic cooling levels based on the ambient room temperature around your console. Both snap right on to the back of the console and can be used in… → Read More
More rumors swirling around that Microsoft will drop Xbox 360 prices next month, most likely at E3. Analysts seem to think it’s because Sony’s got some good momentum going with the PS3 now and that the new Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle should help push the console’s sales, causing Microsoft to drop Xbox 360 prices in order to compete. What analysts don’t take into account, though, is that… → Read More
Say what you will about Gears of War, it was by any standard a great-looking game, especially on the PC. And this next one, while it will almost certainly share the problems its predecessor had, will look even better. As the consoles mature I’m sure we’re going to be stunned by just what is possible; much as God of War, Okami and Final Fantasy XII blew us away on the PS2 late in its… → Read More
Sure, they’re not as useful as some purpose-made cases, but these case mods are pretty cool. If your favorite gaming console bites the dust, you too could turn it into a PC with a little wire, glue, solder, duct tape and nerves of steel. My fave by far is the Game Boy hack, because using the screen for the fan input is just awesome. When someone figures out how to casemod my Blackout… → Read More
The problem with interviewing smart higher-ups like Shane Kim is they will always say exactly what they mean to say, and you’re never going to pull one over on them, as you might with someone lower down the ladder — like a loose-lipped coder. While he did say a lot of words, Kim essentially refused to comment on everything the interviewer brought up: differential console success, any… → Read More
Coming in first to the 10 million sold mark for current generation game consoles is the Xbox 360, beating the PS3′s 4.1 million and the Wii’s 8.8 million. The PS3′s high price tag is likely to blame for its third place showing, and the Wii would likely have sold more if they were ever in stock. But that won’t keep Microsoft from gloating at the annual Console Makers… → Read More
Stopping short of saying Blu-ray is coming to the Xbox 360 (hurry up, guys), Microsoft Games Studio’s head Shane Kim said that the Xbox 360 is expected to have a seven-year lifespan. That gives us about 4 years left on the console before we see a new Xbox. Kim was talking about the “long tail” expected of the 360, and it was noted that the PS3 has an expected 10 year tail. When… → Read More
Despite rumor upon rumor of a slimmed down Xbox 360 appearing some time next year, Microsoft has now come out and said the following, according to Ubergizmo… “While we don’t normally comment on rumours like this, we can tell you that we have no plans to release a new console in 2009.” The rumors surfaced out of Taiwan that Microsoft will be releasing a console called the… → Read More
In an interview with PC Play Magazine, when asked about the current state of PC gaming, Crytek president Cevat Terli said: “We are suffering currently from the huge piracy that is encompassing Crysis. We seem to lead the charts in piracy by a large margin, a chart leading that is not desirable. I believe that’s the core problem of PC Gaming, piracy. To the degree PC Gamers that… → Read More
SIXAXIS is cool, but the Wiimote is by far the most revolutionary video game controller of this current generation of consoles. The Xbox team knows this, and MTV has it on very good, solid word that Microsoft has been developing its own version of a motion-sensitive controller for almost a year. It’s not a regular Xbox controller with motion tracking, but a more Wiimote-like controller meant… → Read More
[photopress:intheyear2000.jpg,full,center] The future, Conan? Could this be the last generation for the stand-alone video game console? That’s what one of the key players behind the Xbox1 thinks. Sandy Duncan, who was in charge of Xbox in Europe, says that technology will make consoles like the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii obsolete. He makes an interesting point—how different is the Xbox 360… → Read More
There’s a lot of loose talk being bandied to and fro concerning Acer and its supposed plans to build an “open” game console. I think that if Acer were to attempt to build such a system, it would be more or less a console-like PC that hooked up to a TV and played PC games while also featuring an open SDK, but that’s just me. Some comments by one of Acer’s senior vice… → Read More
Drum roll, please! The DS and Wii accounted for almost half of all sales, then Sony’s black boxes took the next two spots. Considering you’ve got GTA IV and Metal Gear Solid IV coming out in the next few months, it’s not much of a surprise that the PS3 is thumping the 360, which came in 5th. The PSP actually has pretty strong sales, which I didn’t expect. Anyhow, misuse… → Read More
Best Buy will take your old consoles and give you a gift card to use at one of its bajillion locations. The process is fairly straightforward and shipping costs are taken care of by Best Buy, not you. You provide some basic info about the current shape of your console, print the shipping label, and send it off. About a week after the item arrives at the shipping center, you’ll get a Best Buy… → Read More
According to a recent article in Play Magazine, your favorite Grand Theft Auto developer might be going PS3-only from here on out. That seems downright silly, but there’s a quote from an article about GTA IV that goes a little something like this… “The game is both PS3 and 360, but Rockstar has suggested that all further game development is going to be PS3 exclusive.” → Read More
How come I don’t find things like this before Xmas? This is the Gen-X Dual station, likely the weirdest console I’ve ever met. It’s an NES and a Sega Genesis combined into one, but the thing is it doesn’t use ROMs; it uses the old cartridges you’ve got in that box in the back of your closet. Yes, this is real. Gen-X Dual station plays Sega Genesis and NES games… → Read More
Nintendo has a problem. It’s a good problem, but a problem nonetheless. See there’s this video game system called the Wii that Nintendo makes and the company can’t seem to keep it in stock. It’s gotten so out of hand that company execs are talking about pulling TV ads for the Wii in the UK. The ads are mostly holiday-themed ads that would instead be run next year. "We… → Read More
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