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Yesterday, the San Diego-based DFC Intelligence delivered an industry briefing expanding upon the firm's previous assessment that Sony's PlayStation 3 is likely to take last place in the next generation's console market. According to DFC, Sony's intent to launch the PS3 with a $600 price tag may primarily discourage consumers and the industry alike, forcing the company into "handing its competitors a golden opportunity" to get ahead.

Ken Kutaragi, Sony's CEO, has reportedly stated that the PS3 is more comparable to a computer than a traditional gaming machine in that upgrades such as a writable Blu-ray drive and increased system memory are possible. The firm, speaking of differing ways in which the PS3 could disrupt Sony's current market lead, believes these upgrades will result in a steep price incapable of decreasing at a quick rate similar to that of most game systems: "By fixing its hardware standard for several years, video game console systems have been able to significantly lower prices over time by not having to upgrade to the latest technology," DFC points out.

Nintendo's Wii and Microsoft's Xbox 360, on the other hand, both have the potential to become the leader in installed base, says DFC. Although Japan isn't about to warm up to the Xbox 360, the North American market provides it the strength it needs to dominate the gaming front. However, the Wii - with its broad range of appeal and the lowest price of the three consoles - "could end up number one in market share for the next generation."

In the end, the intelligence firm remains ever-critical of Sony, predicting that its "techno-elite" approach may lead to the PS3 finding itself with a market share more along the lines of Apple products in a world of PCs.

Or not. Who knows.

Source: GameSpot

Thanks to Elessar for sending me the link!

Earlier this week, more details were divulged regarding the most revolutionary aspect of it's no-longer-Revolution-ary console. Even though Nintendo has been keeping things quiet, it seems that IGN has managed to obtain some developement documentation that sheds light on some of the mysteries.

In the age of recharging units for everything from cell phones to iPods, a lot of the speculation regarding the controller revolved around whether or not it would be a hassle to keep in good working repair. No one wants to have to buy expensive batteries when the original ones lose their charge capacity, and keeping track of a charging unit isn't much fun, either. Fortunately, it appears that the Wiimote will be powered by cheap AA batteries with an expected life of 30-60 gameplay hours, depending on whether the full functionality of the remote is used.

Most of the rest of the technical information creates more questions than it answers, but you can join the speculation below:

Source: IGN via Elessar

Sony's tale of woe with UMD (Universal Media Disc) movies seems to be reaching a conclusion. Despite a strong initial release, lackluster sales of the expensive releases of movies you probably own on DVD but can't yet play on your PSP because Sony wants to milk more money out of you have plumetted to the point where even Target won't stock them anymore. (And I thought they sold anything!)

But, never fear! Sony is getting the point. Well, not really, but at least they've realized that UMDs have gone the way of the dinosaur. Instead of relying on a physical format, Sony is now selling movies online. But it's complicated--they have a very limited selection of movies no one really wanted to see in the first place, and even though you download all four (yes, only four right now), you can only unlock a single one.

The best part of this deal is that the unlocking process automatically converts the movies to the right format, whereas movie enthusiasts who burn DVDs to watch on their PSP have to convert them to MPEG-4 themselves.

Of course, the natural way to read this scenario is that Sony screwed up with their overpriced UMD format in the first place, and that they're now trying to hang onto the movie market however they can. It's not like movie-to-memory-stick is a new concept for PSP owners! But Sony, the monolithic corporate entity which is never wrong, refutes this suggestion, insisting that they planned this all along, even if the UMD hadn't completely flopped.

Uh huh. Right.

Source: GameSpot

Square-Enix has thrown eager fans yet another bone in the form of some spankin' new media concerning the Nintendo DS's remake of Final Fantasy III. Featured within this batch is a handful of screenshots depicting the different modes of transportation accessible across the game's World Map. The real highlight, however, is a new gameplay movie showing off a brief portion of dungeon exploration as well as the characters engaged in battle - a boss battle.

Final Fantasy III DS is now set to release in North America on October 3rd.

After acquiring several games formerly owned by the game published Acclaim in an auction last year, Toronto-based Throwback Entertainment announced that several of their higher-profile acquisitions would be brought to the next generation.

This announcement included some ofAcclaim's most recognizable titles, such as Vexx, Extreme-G Racing, and Legends of Wrestling. Now that the appropriately-named Throwback owns the rights to these games, they're well-placed to continue to expand the franchises with new, next-generation content.

This makes me wish that a certain other gaming company would auction some of its "throwback" games. It's sad that it takes dissolution to get a company to poop or get off the pot when it comes to out-dated video game franchises that still claim loyal fans.

Source: GameSpot

A new billboard in Holland advertising the white PlayStation Portable has sent a US civil rights group, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), into an uproar. The ad itself boasts a white woman with white hair and matching clothes grasping a black woman's jaw; the text reads, "PlayStation Portable White is Coming."

The San Jose branch of the NAACP issued a statement claiming Rick Callender, chapter president, had referred to what was a recent assertion of racism toward the seemingly innocent PSP game LocoRoco, stating: "The days of blacks being portrayed in minstrel shows ["blackface" music and comedy skits] are long gone, and with good reason. The minstrel show was an awful chapter in history and this ad smacks of that age and time."

Despite currently being exclusive to the Netherlands, Callender refocused his ire on the billboard. "The latest Sony ad conjures up bad memories of when stereotypical and offensive images of people of color were accepted means of selling a product. Sony should immediately apologize and discontinue these archaic advertising tactics." Leland Yee, California's Assembly Speaker, agreed with the comments made by Callender, adding: "I am deeply disappointed in Sony's senseless decision to publish this racially-charged advertisement. I can't begin to determine Sony's motivation but I believe this marketing strategy is unnecessary and is clearly offensive to many in our community."

In response to the NAACP, a Sony spokesperson has insisted that the images are not intended to be racially offensive nor are they meant to be taken as such.

"The marketing campaign for the launch of the White PSP in the Benelux focuses on the contrast between the Black PSP model and the new Ceramic White PSP model. All of the 100 or so images created for the campaign have been designed to show this contrast in colors of the PSPs, and have no other message or purpose."

One must wonder how different the arguement would have turned out had the same ad been for the black PSP instead...

Sources: EuroGamer
GAF - Billboard Images