Search results for holiday
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Or at least that appears to be the thinking (not to mention the timing) behind Sony's white PS2 as Nintendo's Wii continues to outsell the competition.
Sony announced on Wednesday plans for a limited edition Ceramic White PlayStation 2 bundled with SingStar Pop, two USB microphones, and a single white Dual-Shock controller. The bundle launches this November for $150.
Granted, Wii doesn't own the patent on the color white; that one belongs to Apple. And even though Wii similarities abound, the announcment shouldn't take anything away from the PS2. To date the system has sold an unprecedented 117 million worldwide, 44 million in North America alone. In fact, PS2 is still the second best selling console in the world some seven years after its initial release.
Ubisoft confirmed to GameSpot UK today that Free Radical's upcoming first-person shooter, Haze, is currently only in development for the PlayStation 3. Previously announced as a timed exclusive for the holiday season (with Xbox 360 and PC versions to follow in 2008), this confirmation makes Haze a full PlayStation 3 exclusive -- at least for the time being.
According to the report, Ubisoft has not ruled out the possibility of new partnerships in the future, but that the official statement on PC and Xbox 360 is that these platforms are not confirmed.
Haze will ship exclusively for the PlayStation 3 on November 19th. Our hands-on impressions from the Leipzig Games Convention have the full skinny on the spiritual successor to the TimeSplitters franchise, just be sure to ignore any mentions of it being a timed exclusive.
Analysts maintain that Sony will drop the price of the 80GB PS3 to $499 once retail supply of the discontinued 60GB model depletes; an announcement could come at the Tokyo Game Show later this month.
$100 PS3 price drop still not enough? "We note that Sony recently acknowledged that it will no longer produce its 60Gb PS3, and we expect the price of the 80Gb PS3 to be reduced to $499 before the holidays," said analyst Micheal Pachter after it was revealed that Sony's internal supply of 60GB had run dry.
Analyst Jesse Divnich agrees. "To remain competitive against the other consoles, the Sony PS3 would have to reduce its 80GB SKU by $100 down to $499. Other options, besides a price drop, could be the bundling of more free software titles, which has always been a popular option during the Holiday season," he said.
What we heard: Ever since it was first announced, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames has been the subject of many gamers' interest. The attention increased after Electronic Arts agreed to publish the title, which sees a trio of guns-for-hire renting themselves out during a Venezuelan civil war. Anticipation for the game skyrocketed in May, when developers showed off what looked like a near-final build of the game.
Today, though, comes word that Mercenaries 2 might be missing its previously announced holiday 2007 release date. Citing unnamed sources, C&VG is claiming that the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC shooter has been pushed back to 2008. While the move pushes the Pandemic title's free-roaming, over-the-top destruction further down the space-time continuum, it will free up funds for cash-strapped gamers to buy other titles. It also isn't unprecedented, since other AAA titles such as Splinter Cell: Conviction and the big kahuna itself, Grand Theft Au... More »
Less than a year after joining Sony Computer Entertainment America, senior director of corporate communications Dave Karraker has announced that he will leave the company. His last day will be this Friday, September 7.
Karraker took over Sony's public relations arm following the company's disastrous E3 showing in 2006, and found himself having to manage a crisis PR situation as more and more bad news about the PlayStation 3 came to light.
"I have enjoyed immensely my tenure at SCEA and think the company and its brands are very well positioned to have an exceptional holiday and a very bright future," said Karraker in a statement today; positive to the end.
Karraker will join Skyy Spirits as head of PR and events on October 1.
Visit our Web Shop for the latest Deals on gaming gear today!
Use Coupon Code: holiday at check-out to get 15% OFF your order!
After posting a less-than-expected second-quarter net loss of $9.3 million last month, THQ reaffirmed its fiscal year 2008 guidance of $1.12 billion to $1.15 billion in net sales. THQ president and CEO Brian J. Farrell told analysts that forecast hinged largely upon the projected platinum status of five internally developed multiplatform games: Frontlines: Fuel of War, MX vs. ATV Untamed, Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights, the latest Destroy All Humans!, and Stuntman: Ignition.
However, selling a million copies for at least one of those games may not be as done of a deal as THQ hoped. In a company note to investors, Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian said early sales of Stuntman Ignition were "a little slow off the blocks" and "slower than originally anticipated." Sebastian noted that the over-the-top racer was experiencing a weak sell-through at retail and that restocking orders were "unlikely in the near-future."
However, Sebastian remained optimisti... More »
When MTV bought Harmonix for $175 million last year, it was clear it would heavily promote the studio's first project with every arm of its media empire. When that project turned out to be Rock Band, a multi-instrument, karaoke-enhanced rhythm game, that became even more obvious. Then, when Viacom announced it planned to invest a half-billion dollars in its MTV Games unit, it appeared no expense would be spared on fine-tuning Rock Band's hype machine.
This week, in conjunction with the Summer Showcase of Rock Band's distributor, Electronic Arts, MTV Games announced the latest promotional offensive for the title. Like many actual rock bands before it, the game will embark on a cross-country bus tour. The orgy of synergy will begin at the MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas September 9, when several buses equipped with Rock Band demo stations will fan out across the country. Stops will include several college campuses.
MTV will also use the Rock Band bus tour ... More »
Karraker called the decision "very difficult" having been presented with a promotion closer to home in an industry he had previously worked in.
"I have enjoyed immensely my tenure at SCEA and think the company and its brands are very well positioned to have an exceptional holiday and a very bright future," he wrote in an email to the media. "I look forward to continuing to follow this industry as a gamer, rather than a spokesperson."
Analyst Michael Pachter called the outgoing public relations director a "steady contact in a volatile industry."
Karraker played a key role in helping Sony brave the public relation waters of a tumultuous PS3 launch year by making himself readily available to both traditional and new media outlets. It was a position that we called the toughest job in video games this past May.
"The other PR people at Sony are quite competent, but it would help to strengthen the team with someone as good as Dave to handle ... More »
Ars Technica has their very own mole, who they say is very good at what he does. Looks like he dug up some interesting stuff on Sony's plan for the holiday season. The rumor is as follows: the 80GB PS3 falls to $499.99, and a brand new 40GB PS3 is offered at $399.99.
Analysts have predicted the 80GB price drop before. As for this 40GB model, we've had a few tip offs that it might be in the works. In addition, the mole adds that Spider-Man 3 Blu-ray may be packed in with one or both of the bundles, and the PS2 drops to $99.99. Of course, these are merely rumors, so don't hold your breath while waiting for lower priced PS3s. We expect to find out more at Tokyo Game Show.
Sega's light gun tradition continues on Wii. First impressions inside.
Since the first rumblings of Ghost Squad's Wii release, the IGN Wii team has been pretty optimistic for the shooter's reincarnation on Nintendo's newest system. True; Wii doesn't do exact light gun conversion (at least not yet), but at least the IR adaptation has made it possible for games like Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, as well as Duck Hunt clones in Wii Play and the possibility of House of the Dead or Virtua Cop's revival down the road - should SEGA will it. As the first light gun outing for the Japan-based company, SEGA is pushing the spiritual successor of both Virtua Cop and Confidential Mission (another arcade game that had a brief stint on Dreamcast), as Ghost Squad is now heading to Wii.
Ghost Squad is, in nearly every respect, the next Virtua Cop incarnation. The title has changed, and the game is now more robust, but everything from disarming shots to headshots and a prec... More »
(0) 
