Sony Takes On Wii With Motion Controller Of It's Own

Sony announced today the introduction of PlayStation Move, a motion sensing controller reminiscent of the Nintendo Wii's nunchuk or the handle of a light saber without the cool glowing laser part. Sony isn't hiding the fact that they have Nintendo in their sights either "The migration path from the Wii household to the PlayStation 3 household is a pretty natural path, partly because of the experience that you can get on the PlayStation Move, but also because of the content that we find on PlayStation 3," says Peter Dille, senior vice-president of marketing for Sony Computer Entertainment.

The PlayStation Move is set to debut this fall and the precise price has not been released but it is thought that a bundle including one controller and PlayStation Eye will retail for under $100.

Read more: CBC Technology

Wii Owners Not Buying Games

With Nintendo Wii's in more than 20 million homes you would think that sales of software for the popular game console would be through the roof. The New York Times is however reporting that Wii game sales are not stellar and this is at least in part due to the demographic that the company targeted in selling the console. “The kind of person that buys a Wii is not the same kind of person that buys a PS3 or an Xbox,” according to John Greiner, the chief executive of Hudson Entertainment, “You have to be very specific when you design a game and target not only the gameplay mechanics for that user, but also the marketing for that kind of a product launch.” We've considered buying the Wii in our home but decided not to simply because of the game catalog, it just doesn't have the same appeal as the titles on available for our XBox 360...

Greenpeace Rates Tech Manufacturers Eco-friendly Practices

Nintendo has been given a 0.3 out of 10 by Greenpeace in its March Guide to Greener Electronics. Remarkably this is an increase over the December ranking in which Nintendo scored a 0.0! Other electronics companies fared better with Microsoft coming in at 4.7, Sony at 7.3, and Samsung and Toshiba tied for the top spot at 7.7! Perhaps Mario and Luigi should be paying more careful attention to what is being flushed down those pipes! Wired blog post here.

US Video Game Sales Doing Well In '08

US sales of video game hardware and software are up 34 per cent over the same period last year hitting $1.33-billion in February. “With several marquee titles still to come in the front half of the year, the industry is poised to achieve another year of record-breaking sales despite difficult economic conditions,” NPD analyst Anita Frazier said in a statement. The Wii out paced both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with February marking the second straight month that Sony beat Microsoft in console sales. Microsoft exec's are saying their stronger than expected holiday season has caused inventory shortages and that's affecting current numbers. “Our manufacturing team guesses five months out. They made their forecast and didn't have as high a forecast as they should have,” said Microsoft spokesman David Dennis. Globe and Mail story here.

Queen of England a Wii Addict?

The People is reporting that Prince William's girlfriend, Kate Middleton, gave a Wii for Christmas and the device has caught the attention of Queen Elizabeth herself. The Queen apparently saw William playing and begged to join in, "She played a simple ten-pin bowling game and by all accounts was a natural." The 81 year old monarch is by all measures a geek, constantly upgrading her cell phones, having over 100,000 songs on her iPod, her own e-mail account, and recently acquiring a Blackberry. Maybe this is why she refuses to give up the crown... what's your high score Charles?

Wii the next Cabbage Patch Kid or Tickle Me Elmo?

Forbes.com has a story predicting the Wii to be the hot toy this Christmas with a limited supply even though Nintendo is churning out as many as it can. GN GamerMetrics analyst Nick Williams says "There's a limited supply, a continuously high demand." The XBox 360 out sold the Wii in September when Microsoft launched Halo 3, but the analysts are expecting Nintendo to come out on top for Christmas. There are no shortage of stories circulating about the Wii being a big hit with the traditional non-gamers and perhaps it's simplicity, the physical nature of the game play, not to mention the $250 price tag, will keep the Wii hot for the foreseeable future.

Super Mario in Zero G!

This is pretty funny... veteran astronaut Dr. Buzz Aldrin helps Super Mario experience zero g's in a publicity stunt aimed at the upcoming release of Super Mario Galaxy. Is it me or does Mario look like he's about to loose his lunch?

Take-Two holds back controversial title (two posts in one)

After being banned in Britain and being given an adult only rating in the US, game maker Take-Two Interactive has decided to temporarily hold back it's 'Manhunt 2' title due to be released on July 10th. Saying "We continue to stand behind this extraordinary game. We believe in freedom of creative expression, as well as responsible marketing, both of which are essential to our business of making great entertainment," Take-Two is contemplating the future of the game which was to be released for the Sony Playstation 3, PSP, and Nintendo Wii platforms. CNet has the story here and while you are on their site check out the 'Hottest Story' navigation they have going on in the form of coloured blocks! The larger the block the hotter the story, it's a novel idea and one that I think I can really get into. I'm not sure if I would want to see anymore than the 15 or so stories they are currently displaying though.