211w ago - Compared to last Spring's outlandish software sales figures (fueled by the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and GTA IV), this year's stats aren't inspiring much confidence in gaming industry investors.

In fact, many are anxiously awaiting the launch of new hardware to provide a quick sales boost - but according to industry analyst Michael Pachter (linked above), they shouldn't hold their breath: By his estimation, new hardware won't be hitting store shelves until at least 2013.

Pachter said that publishers would be hesitant to adopt new hardware considering their investments in the current console cycle have yet to adequately pay off.

There is one exception though - Pachter expects the rumored high-definition Wii may appear some time in 2010.

220w ago - Analyst Mike Hickey has revealed that recent channel checks suggest that that a PS3 price cut announcement will be coming from Sony in a few days... to quote:

Whilst a PS3 price cut of some sort seems certain within the coming months, one analyst has gone one further by predicting that a drop will be confirmed within days.

"Recent channel checks indicate increased speculation for a PS3 price cut announcement from Sony in the next couple of days," Janco Partners' Mike Hickey stated, according to Edge.

"We think the company needs to reduce the current price by $100 to effectively restart unit velocity at retail. We believe the market is expecting a PS3 price cut in April or by June E3 at the latest.

"If Sony does not cut The Price of their console, we expect the continuation of languishing PS3 hardware sales and the potential for publishers to accelerate their reallocation of resources away from the PS3 console."

224w ago - I think we have established that the video game industry is not recession proof in this cookie-crumbling economy, yeah? Yeah.

Should we expect games to become cheaper then? Yes. And no. Not for AAA titles at least, according to analysts.

The issue came up when some high-profile games got price cuts, like Mirror's Edge, Guitar Hero, and Prince of Persia. It got some industry watchers worrying that new releases will be priced lower.

Analyst Todd Greenwald of Signal Hill thinks that won't happen though, saying that US$ 59 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 games will still be the standard for this year. Price slashing of games across the board would be "devastating for margins," he said.

If triple-A titles start to go out at US$ 49.99, we will be very concerned, but until then, we think US$ 59.99 is safe for triple-A titles in 2009.

The best way to support your studios is, of course, to buy their games. Oh my poor, poor, piggy bank. You break for the sake of the video game industry.

232w ago - In the gaming world exclusivities have become all but obsolete. So it should come as little surprise that analysts are stating the future of Epic's gaming giant, Gears of War, will be bright on all fronts of the console war.

Analyst Michael Pachter, who is well known throughout the gaming industry for his insight to the future of gaming, has stated "we pretty much know that Gears of War 3 is probably gonna come out on PS3."

Pachter is going off the idea that things today aren't exactly exclusive, they're only set aside for a set amount of time. If this holds true, PS3 gamers will get a chance to see just how much they've been missing.

As gamers of all three major systems, we welcome multiplatform any day. The console war is getting down to the point of 'who's system has the better technology', and steering clear of 'who has the better games'.

Either way this one ends up, Gears of War has cemented it's place in the hearts of gamers everywhere. Regardless of which system this ends up on in the future, it's sure to have one heck of an outcome and a very profitable future.

235w ago - What happens when people are reluctant to spend money? Well, they're reluctant to buy a $400 games machine, that's what.

Blu-ray predictions are down due to the struggling economy. PS3 sales should also be affected, an obvious conclusion made by analyst Piers Harding-Rolls.

"At the top end, the PS3 with its high price is arguably more likely to be impacted by a recession than the other platforms. This may prompt consumers to consider other consoles or wait for the PS3 price to drop."

But, sluggish sales of the PS3 won't be the only outcome of a recession economy. Credit has dried up in many areas, meaning developers of games may be forced to cancel or stall projects, before funds become more readily available.

"Where I do see an impact is with regards to access to credit for publishers that look to borrow to invest in content production. Obviously credit is less available generally so this may result in cost cutting and some projects being canceled and put on hold."

Of course, when developers and publishers can't try something new, you know what they turn to: less original IPs as investors become increasingly wary of games with ambiguous potential.