Gaming -- Engadget

Sony's PSPgo sells 28,000 units on first day in Japan, physical media points and laughs

by Tim Stevens posted Nov 3rd 2009 at 9:48AM

Remember the "platform sales boost" that Sony was tauting after the PSPgo's release in the US? The question on everyone's minds was of course how much of that boost was buoyed by the new kid on the block, and while Sony still hasn't given us any domestic figures (nor will it ever, probably), we now know that the thing sold 28,000 units on its first day of availability on its home turf in Japan. That's certainly better than the measly 1,000 units moved in Australia over the same period, but hardly encouraging when you look at its predecessors. According to Media Create the original PSP sold 171,963 units in a day in Japan. The PSP-2000? 130,000. UMD may be hated by everyone, but it seems to still have legs.

Xbox 360 Wireless N adapter disappears from the internets

by Thomas Ricker posted Nov 3rd 2009 at 7:16AM

Today's the day that a GameStop listing had Microsoft's Xbox 360 Wireless N Networking Adapter going live for retail. So how's that $100 worth of throughput treating you? What's that... it's not actually for sale? Indeed: the entry has been pulled from GameStop and a Google Shopping search reveals only a single Buy.com entry showing the adapter as "temporarily sold out." That's wishful thinking. While Microsoft has confirmed the adapters' existence they have not officially announced a street date or price. We'll let you know if that changes.

Update: Amazon.fr lists the adapter for 80 euro bucks with an expected November 20th ship. We'll see.

[Thanks Adam and Tim Ashman for pre-modified photo]

'Baby and Me' special edition includes Wiimote-ready doll

by Paul Miller posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 4:51PM

A new, janktastic Wii title dubbed Baby and Me (not to be confused with the new 50 Cent song, "Baby by Me") is shipping in limited quantities as a special edition that actually includes a doll "accessory" in the box. The regular game is designed to work with the Wiimote attached to any old doll, but in case your child is looking for a premium fake baby experience, we suppose this special edition is the way to go. The actual game play includes motion sensitive baby-rocking, Balance Board support for teaching the child avatar to walk, and the sound of gurgles and burps output through the Wiimote's built-in speaker. It sounds exactly like caring for a real child.

[Via Switched]

Real Time Race promises to let you race against the pros, in real time

by Donald Melanson posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 3:31PM

There's certainly no shortage of impressive augmented reality games around these days, but it doesn't look like the folks behind the so-called Real Time Race will have any trouble turning a few heads with theirs, at least if they can actually deliver as promised. Their basic idea is to make use of some Google Street View-like technology to create a virtual reproduction of an actual race track, and pair it with some real-time data as the race is happening to let anyone that wants to take part in the race from the comfort of their home. While the current state of things still seemingly leaves a bit to be desired (check the video at the link below), the folks behind the game say they could be ready to hold their first race sometime next year -- assuming they're able to line up all the necessary rights and broadcast issues, that is. In the meantime, you can take the non-real time demo version for a spin.

[Thanks, Bryce D]

PlayStation Home 'not a priority right now' for Sony, most people seem to feel the same way (update: misquote)

by Paul Miller posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 12:20PM

Just earlier this month we'd been hearing word from Sony that it was seeing PlayStation Home as more of a "social game platform" than a "social network," and now we're hearing that Sony might not be seeing it as much of anything. Peter Edward, the director of Home for Sony, says that the service is "not a priority right now." Kind of at odds with his other statement that it's "proved there is a market out there and we've got a lot of people that spend a lot of time in [Home]," but we'll let is slide. So, is this a roundabout way of saying Home hasn't been as great as Sony thought it would be, or just a different way of saying the emphasis is changing? We've never minded Sony's Home efforts on their own, but in the context of an also-ran multiplayer platform, it's easy to see why the company should be focusing on other aspects of the gaming experience.

Update: Sony has gone on record saying that this statement as reported by T3 from a talk at the London Games Conference is a misquote, instead saying that Peter was talking about how monetizing Home was not as big a priority as building the platform -- which others have confirmed.

'Endless Racing Game' iPhone demo video isn't endless, is endlessly entertaining

by Joshua Topolsky posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 10:28AM

We're not going to bore you with details, but we are going to tell you that it's more than worth your while to watch this demo video for the iPhone title "Endless Racing Game." We can't attest to how fun (or not fun) the game is to play, but the clip is certainly worth your 90 seconds of attention. Check it out after the break.

[Thanks, Lena]

Continue reading 'Endless Racing Game' iPhone demo video isn't endless, is endlessly entertaining

Dog buys 5,000 Microsoft points, says he just wanted to check out the Abbey Road DLC

by Laura June posted Nov 1st 2009 at 7:57PM

Say what you will about dogs being man's best friend -- they sure can get into a lot of trouble. While our dogs have been limited to eating shoes and shedding on our furniture, Greg Strope of Richmond, Virginia has reason to believe his furry friend has gone the extra mile. While he lay in bed sleeping, his dog Oscar, he believes, purchased 5,000 Microsoft points. The only possible culprit, Oscar left some telltale signs (drool and scratches) on the Xbox controller, leading Greg to blame the $63 purchase on him. We have to admit the dog's actions rather impress us, though it also makes us nervous about all those times we left our laptop open and unattended around our own tiny beast. Video featuring damning photographic evidence is after the break.

Continue reading Dog buys 5,000 Microsoft points, says he just wanted to check out the Abbey Road DLC

250GB PS3 spotted in Best Buy backroom, making trouble

by Paul Miller posted Nov 1st 2009 at 5:55AM

It's not quite as delicious when Sony (in a rare move) has actually confirmed its console for a release to market, but just because we know the 250GB PS3 is landing in the US on November 3rd doesn't mean we can't derive any enjoyment at all by the fact that it's been spotted at a Best Buy in Houston, all primed for the shelves. Since the shipment's obviously already been made, we suppose we'll be seeing a few instances of early stocking of the console over the next couple of days, unless Best Buy has considerably cleaned up its act when it comes to launch dates -- doubtful!

[Thanks, anonymous ]

How would you change Sony's PlayStation 3 Slim?

by Darren Murph posted Oct 30th 2009 at 11:43PM

For the most part, we'd say that Sony addressed the concerns of many when it introduced the PlayStation 3 Slim. The console was smaller, cheaper and easier on the eyes, and of course the 120GB hard drive didn't hurt matters either. That said, we know that the redesign didn't please everyone, and we've heard more than a few PS3 diehards complain about the new design. If it were you designing a newer, less expensive PlayStation 3, what would you have done differently? Kept PS2 backwards compatibility? Colored it white? Added HD DVD support? Don't be scared to get a little crazy -- besides, they call that "innovation" in the corporate world.

Nintendo's Iwata muses about Kindle-like business model for future handheld

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 30th 2009 at 8:30PM

You may simply be able to chalk this one up to some freewheeling speculation and rumination, but Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata went pretty far out on a limb in talking about the future of the company during a recent sit-down with the Financial Times, and indicated that Nintendo may just be looking outside the gaming industry for a little inspiration. Apparently, Iwata is intrigued by the Kindle "because it's a new business model in which the user doesn't bear the communications cost," which he says wouldn't "fit Nintendo customers because we make amusement products." He did go on to note though, that "in reality, if we did this it would increase the cost of the hardware, and customers would complain about Nintendo putting prices up," but said that "it is one option for the future." At the same time, however, Iwata also seemingly downplayed the short-term potential for download-only games, saying that he thinks "it will take quite a long time" for the industry to shift to them -- although he did hedge his bets somewhat by pointing out how unpredictable the games business is.

[Via Electronista]

Black Wii gets unboxed just in time for the darkest holiday

by Laura June posted Oct 30th 2009 at 6:39PM

Those lucky enough to live in Europe will soon (as in November 6th soon) be able to purchase a special edition of that black Nintendo Wii some of us have been drooling over for the past few months. Sure, it's just a regular Wii... but it's black, which is so much cooler. Well someone's finally gotten their hands on it and done an unboxing, and we have to say that it looks even better than it did in the press shots. The limited edition Black Wii bundle with Wii Sports Resort and a Motion Plus controller will run you around £164.99 in the UK, and those of us in the US? Well, we'll just have to make due with the black controller and nunchuk. There are a few more shots after the break. Hit the read link for the full unboxing and video.

[Thanks, Emilia]

Continue reading Black Wii gets unboxed just in time for the darkest holiday

Family awarded $16.5 million for wrongful death in 'Hold Your Wee for a Wii' contest

by Laura June posted Oct 30th 2009 at 2:29PM

Way back in January of 2007, we reported on the Strange family, who were suing Sacramento radio station KDND-FM for the wrongful death of Jennifer Strange, who was found dead in her home after competing in a contest to try to win a Nintendo Wii. The contest -- "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" -- involved seeing who could drink the most water without urinating, and Jennifer, who did not win, left the studio and later died. Her autopsy later showed signs of water intoxication. Yesterday, a California jury ruled a wrongful death in the case, and ordered Entercom Sacramento LLC, a subsidiary of Philadelphia-based Entercom Communications Corp., to pay $16.5 million dollars to her family as a result of the actions of the radio station's employees.

Nokia announces the end of its N-Gage gaming service

by Laura June posted Oct 30th 2009 at 1:31PM

Nokia has officially announced that it will put an end to its problem-plagued N-Gage gaming service, integrating it into its Ovi Store. The move isn't really a shocker, and while Nokia has confirmed that no further games will be published, it's also said that it will continue to sell currently available games in the Ovi Store (as of today) until the end of September 2010. The N-Gage website, which holds the Arena and community boards, will also continue until that time. Nokia says that any already purchased games will continue to run on the mobile device, but that any connected community features will be non-functional come 2010.

[Via Pocket Lint]

The DSi XL gets sized up, then Joystiq answers your nagging questions

by Joshua Topolsky posted Oct 30th 2009 at 12:28PM

Two items of note for future owners of the DSi XL (aka, The Gigantic DSi) Nintendo has slated for a November launch in Japan (and Q1 2010 here in the US). First, if you've been wondering just how much bigger this thing is in comparison to the previous version of the handheld, wonder no more. The device has been spied in action on Japanese television, and it really is quite enormous. How big? Well luckily the folks at Joystiq have put together an awesome little FAQ about the handheld (including exact dimensions -- 161 x 91.4 x 21.2mm for those keeping count) which addresses all the pressing issues and more. Check out the XL strutting its stuff on video after the break, the bop on over to the 'Stiq to fill up on notable quotes and quotable notes.

[Via Kotaku]

Read - DSi XL FAQ: Sized up
Read - My Game News Flash on the DSi XL

Continue reading The DSi XL gets sized up, then Joystiq answers your nagging questions

Nintendo DSi XL coming to America in Q1 2010

by Ross Miller posted Oct 29th 2009 at 8:04PM

Since Europe and Japan can't have all the fun -- unless, of course, it's a black Nintendo Wii -- the super-sized DSi XL is also due out in the US sometime in Q1 2010, according to a spokesperson speaking with Joystiq. Still no word on price, but we wouldn't be surprised if it parallel the slight markup for the ¥20,000 / US $221 Japanese version. Looks like that smaller-screen version isn't looking so hot for Grandma's Christmas present anymore.