193w ago - Today Joystiq (linked above) received some interesting info from a reader, who claimed to have taken part in a survey run by Microsoft which featured avatars playing classic arcade games in a virtual arcade setting.

If that sounds familiar, you probably played PlayStation Home before.

To quote: If a consumer survey sent over to us by a tipster is to be believed, Microsoft is looking to bring a virtual Avatar arcade to the Xbox 360. Some of the potential names listed in the survey are "Game Room," "RetroCade," "Tower of ROM," and "Classics LIVE." Yeah, we're partial to "Tower of ROM" also.

If the proposed service sounds familiar, that's because it's nearly identical to PlayStation Home's arcade spaces - like Namco's virtual arcade - just replace the dead-eyed dopplegangers of Home with the scrunchable avatars of Xbox 360.

The second survey question sent to us asks, "Which of the following names would most compel you to purchase the product?" indicating that the "Tower of ROM" might not be a free space but could instead have a fee associated with it.

198w ago - The 'Scene It' franchise will be bringing Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen! to the Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and Microsoft XBox 360 consoles this holiday season.

Screenlife today announced the latest home console iteration of the bestselling Scene It? brand. Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen! will be the first videogame in the Scene It? franchise available for Wii and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment systems and marks a return for the brand to the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft.

Press Release: SCREENLIFE AND WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCE SCENE IT?® BRIGHT LIGHTS! BIG SCREEN!

LAUNCHING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON FOR XBOX 360 AND, FOR THE FIRST TIME, Wii AND PLAYSTATION®3 SYSTEM

Previous success on the Xbox platform combined with casual gaming's explosive growth create a tremendous opportunity for Screenlife to bring its unique brand of entertainment trivia game play to millions of new consumers.

Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen! offers a wide variety of media-rich trivia that provides movie fans and social gamers with a lively, competitive group gaming experience. Trivia content in the game will include recently released 2009 movies as well as fan favourite Hollywood hits from the last four decades. There...

216w ago - It is not an uncommon practice to scour the Web, searching for news about your favorite upcoming games or a forum to discuss your favorite system.

Within the first 15 seconds of that search, you are bound to come across hordes of fanboyish articles stating that one console is better than the other. While neither side is innocent, there are many more Xbox love/PlayStation hate articles than any other, probably due to the system being around for an extra year.

What you may not know, or may not wish to admit, is that more and more Xbox 360, true fanboys, are making there way to the PlayStation 3. There are several questions I am sure you are wanting answered here, but lets focus on the general... What gives?

In the last six months, we have seen Sony step up it's gaming library with an onslaught of amazing titles that any gamer would feel naked without. Uncharted, Metal Gear Solid and Killzone 2 helped show the hardcore gamer that PlayStation 3 can brawl with the best of them while LittleBigPlanet, Motorstorm, Buzz and countless others helped involve even the most elementary of gamers into the next generation system.

It is true that Microsoft's LIVE service on the 360 is 2nd to none, and it should be. But what they don't want you to know, is that the PlayStation Network is gaining...

229w ago - Sony's PlayStation 3 sold less in the third quarter of 2008 (ie. the Oct-Dec holiday season) than in 2007, but the strength of the console's earlier sales did it proud, shipping 10.77 million in 2008 (up from 2007's 8.85 million).

In contrast, Microsoft's Xbox 360 had a huge holiday season, shipping around 6 million consoles worldwide (a record for the Xbox), but had a weaker sales period earlier in the year: the playing field has been levelled.

The PlayStation 3 shipped around 10.77 million and the Xbox 360 also shipped 10.8 million: a dead heat. As for life-time sales, the Xbox 360 is at 28.45 million and the PlayStation 3 at 21.35 million - a slightly tighter gap than Microsoft's announced 8 million.

On average the PlayStation 3 has sold 2.37 million units per quarter, in comparison to the Xbox 360's 2.18 million. Still without a PS3 price cut, Microsoft's console will surely pull away in 2009.

As for Nintendo's Wii, it's solidified first place by selling an outstanding 4.99 million units per quarter. Find the numbers below:

SHIPPED Q3 2008 (Oct-Dec 2008)

PlayStation 3: 4.46m
Wii: 10.42m
Xbox 360: 6.0m
PlayStation 2: 2.52m
NDS: 11.89m
PSP: 5.08m

SHIPPED 2008

PlayStation 3: 10.77m

231w ago - Microsoft has recently been boasting that it has an 8 million global lead over the PS3, and that the PS3's sales figures aren't dramatically rising.

However, analyst Michael Pachter believes that if they were to price the PS3 at parity with the XBox 360, then sales of the PS3 would eventually exceed the XBox 360 sales and Sony would catch up.

To quote: I expect it this year, as soon as their cost structure permits a cut. My Monday note said April, and that is nothing more than a guess. It could come later, but it seems to me that it must come some time in 2009.

With that said, I think that PS3 will sell well once competitively priced. The company has an insurmountable advantage in Japan, and an overall brand loyalty in Europe. Should they price at parity with Xbox 360 ($299), I think that PS3 sales would exceed 360 sales, and eventually, they could catch up.

At present, it doesn't look like that is happening any time soon, so Sony should be prepared to remain in third place until well after they cut price.