A triple dose of good news today for those who resent Apple’s stranglehold on the PMP market. Not only is the Zune HD now on sale starting at $219.99, but Microsoft has finally come clean and admitted that in the upcoming months it plans to bombard the Zune faithful and converts alike with apps such as Twitter for Zune and Facebook for Zune, and games like Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition, Vans Sk8: Pool Service and Audiosurf Tilt. Not only that, but Zune HD owners can also look forward to streaming HD video to the Xbox 360 as well as the ability to purchase and rent TV shows, movies and more. Microsoft, this is yours to mess up… Please don’t. Anyone have a shiny new Zune HD squarely in his or her sights today?

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2009 has not been a good year for video games here in the US. While console sales were up significantly compared to July, August marked the sixth consecutive month in which industry sales have declined year-over-year. According to numbers recently released by NPD Group, overall gaming sales were down 16 percent YoY despite positive sequential growth for each major console other than the Sony PlayStation 2. Accessory sales were up 2 percent but game sales were down 15 percent and console sales dropped a massive 25 percent. Of note, PS3 sales in August were up over 72 percent compared to July’s numbers (121,800) thanks to a recent price drop. Here’s how August hardware sales break down:

• Nintendo DS: 552,900
• Nintendo Wii: 277,400
• Microsoft Xbox: 215,400
• Sony PlayStation 3: 210,000
• Sony PSP: 140,300
• Sony PlayStation 2: 105,900

As far as game titles, EA’s Madden NFL 2010 for Xbox 360 was the highest-selling game in August with 928,000 copies sold, followed by Wii Sports Resort for the Wii (754,000) and then EA’s Madden NFL 2010 for PS3 (665,000). Square Enix’s Batman: Arkham Asylum took both the four and five spots, having sold 303,000 copies for the Xbox 360 and 290,000 copies for PS3.

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Hot on the heels of news that Sony’s PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 3 Slim would soon become available for $299.99, Microsoft has responded with a body blow. Redmond’s popular high-end gaming console is currently available in three different versions: Xbox 360 Arcade for $199.99, Xbox 360 Pro for $299.99 and Xbox 360 Elite for $399.99. While the Arcade will continue to sit at its already-attractive price point, beginning tomorrow Microsoft will drop the price on the Pro from $299.99 to $249.99 and the Elite will drop from $399.99 to $299.99. Ouch, Sony. The Pro will stay at its new $250 price point until current inventory is burned through and it will then get the axe, leaving just the $200 Arcade and $300 Elite to man Microsoft’s fort. The company claims that this move has been planned for months but we find it a bit too convenient considering Sony’s aggressive moves of late. So gamers, which sounds the most attractive at the $300 price point — Sony’s PlayStation 3 80GB, the PS3 Slim or Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Elite?

Thanks, Tarun!

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Many would say the worst is behind us where the recession is concerned but gaming giants Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft would probably disagree. An industry that stumped analysts and remained strong throughout the recent turbulent economic climate is finally beginning to feel the impact of the wave of reduced spending that has attacked most industries in recent history. Video game sales began declining slowly in March but NPD Group has just released June numbers that show a slightly more alarming drop than we’ve been seeing over the past few months. US sales in June dipped a substantial 29 percent YoY — a record drop — and consoles sales were down a whopping 38 percent. Long story short, an industry that held strong on the back of Nintendo’s Wii and DS/DSi is looking like it may finally be approaching relative saturation. The odds of another Wii-like breakthrough reaching market any time soon are slim to none but something better happen in the near future to woo gamers back into opening those wallets. Drops in console pricing are rumored but still not confirmed, though we have little faith that minor price adjustments would have the kind of impact the industry needs to rebound significantly.

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Those who follow gaming news already know that Steve Ballmer unleashed a maelstrom of a controversy Thursday when he reportedly let slip some comments suggesting that Microsoft was going to release a new Xbox 360 console in 2010.

“The new device will be equipped with technology that is ‘really, really close’ to an actuality. The console, which was described as having a ‘natural interface,’ will have a built-in camera with the ability to recognize movement and voice.”

Much to the delight of gamers around the world, word of a new Xbox 360 landing as early as 2010 spread like wildfire. Unfortunately, this is one rumor that is quickly turning out to be false. Microsoft and its team of spokespeople are now working overtime to retract and revise what was revealed through Ballmer’s loosely interpreted comments. According to Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, the current Xbox 360 is not even halfway through its life cycle and will remain the company’s primary entertainment and gaming platform well into the next decade. He further adds that the new motion control platform, Project Natal, will be an integral component of the current Xbox 360 when it launches at an unspecified date in the future.

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Beyond hitting 30.2 million consoles sold, Microsoft has also added approximately 3 million Xbox Live subscriptions since January, rounding out the Live community at around 20 million active members. Other notes:

• $14.5 billion — The amount of revenue Xbox 360 has generated in the US since its release.
• $5.9 billion — The amount of revenue Xbox 360 has generated for third-party publishers since its release.
• 8.3 — The average number of game titles sold per system.

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We’ve long since given up on Blockbuster and the debacle that is Total Access. As the company continues to struggle with the evolving home entertainment industry, Blockbuster repeatedly reminds us all that it just doesn’t get it. That won’t stop it from trying though. According to the Wall Street Journal, Blockbuster will finally begin piloting the addition of video games to its through-the-mail movie rental service sometime in June — the goal will still be to launch the service nationally in 2H of this year. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumblings of video games being added to the pot but apparently it took a bit longer than expected to get the pilot rolling. Still no word on how video game packages will be priced or whether the half-price in-store game rentals will indeed be part of the offer, but to be honest we don’t really care. The Blockbuster ship has already sailed as far as we’re concerned.

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Nintendo’s got it, Sony should have it soon enough and now Microsoft is apparently getting ready to unveil its take on motion-controlled gaming. Unlike Nintendo and Sony’s solutions however, Microsoft looks to be taking an entirely different approach to the concept by removing a physical remote from the equation and using the actual gamer as the controller — at least where motion is concerned. The solution reportedly entails a sensor bar that observes gamer movement and uses it to control compatible games. You move, it moves. You kick, it kicks. You trip over your coffee table and bust your face, it… Well, we’re not sure what happens then. The bottom line is that this could very well be a tremendous leap where motion-controlled home gaming is concerned and from the sound of it, it could definitely eclipse Sony’s solution which sounds more like catch up than anything else. In both cases however, motion control will definitely be a nice value-add for PS3 and Xbox 360 owners. We just hope Sony and Microsoft aren’t viewing these solutions as game changers — especially where sales are concerned. Sure, the Wiimote might not be as unique once these new products hit the market but its just once piece of the equation as far as Wii appeal goes. Remember, the Wii isn’t stealing the market from Sony and Microsoft. It’s creating an entirely new and much broader market.

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While video games may have been able to sail through the recession in the past, it seems that March proved to be a rather tough nut to crack for an industry that provides a great way to escape ones woes. The NPD Group reports that sales of video games in the US fell 17 percent in March to $792.8 million while hardware sales fell 18 percent, bringing in only $455.6 million. A drop of this magnitude did come as something of a surprise, though many analysts attribute the decline to two major differences between March 2008 and March 2009: First, Easter was in March in 2008. Also Super Smash Bros. Brawl was released, a game that went on to be the fourth best selling title in all of 2008. Just in case you’re the type who loves keeping score, the Wii reigned supreme in March with 601,000 units sold followed by the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 at 330,000 and 218,000 units respectively.

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Amazon announced today that it has added a dedicated Xbox LIVE store to its myriad of electronic storefronts. This latest partnership allows customers to purchase Xbox LIVE Arcade games, subscription cards and Microsoft points directly from Amazon. Customers who purchase Xbox LIVE content from Amazon will be provided with a digitally-delivered code that they can redeem via their own console or give as a gift to an Xbox 360 owner. The ability to give a select Xbox LIVE Arcade game as a gift is a feature unique to Amazon’s store — previously, all Xbox LIVE Arcade games had to be purchased through an Xbox 360 console which made it difficult for a non-gamer to give such a gift. The Xbox LIVE store also features Amazon’s typical recommendation system and online customer reviews. Check it out and let us know what you think.

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We suppose the continuing upward trend in the video game industry shouldn’t be a surprise to us anymore but we can’t help it… Will someone tell these guys about the recession? They’re clearly still in the dark here because console and game sales are still through the roof — climbing 10% over January to $733.5 million — while nearly every other industry is on the brink of collapsing. But forget all that for the time being; February was yet another month that saw gaming sales soar further into the black. Nintendo lead the console pack of course, pushing out 753,000 units according to the NPD Group’s numbers — 73,000 more than it sold in January. Sheesh. There is a bit of a twist in this month’s numbers however: The top selling game of the month actually wasn’t a Wii title! You guessed it, Street Fighter IV topped game title sales with 849,000 copies combined (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) and Wii Fit slipped into the number two slot with 644,000 copies sold. Bottom line: if you’re getting ready to graduate high school in the next few months and head off to college, we hope you picked a school with good CS/digital entertainment/etc programs.

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In this day and age it is extremely rare to see a tech company thrive, let alone an entire industry. People still manage to dig up enough cash between the couch cushions for video games however, and Reuters is reporting a hell of a January for the big three of the console world. Nintendo continued to show that reaching beyond hardcore gamers and into the houses of the masses is the way to go, dropping 680,000 Wii consoles and 510,000 Nintendo DS units according to the NPD Group. Microsoft maintained the second spot, as usual, selling 309,000 Xbox 360s and Sony managed to push 203,000 PS3 consoles into new homes. Nintendo also held the top three game sales slots with Wii Fit, Wii Play and Mario Kart Wii, while EA’s Left 4 Dead and Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty: World at War rounded out the top five. All in all, total industry sales rang up at $1.33 billion – up a substantial 13 percent year over year. Wow. Double-digit growth in what is historically a slow month across most industries is pretty mind-boggling, but the gaming industry continues to defy logic thanks to the Nintendo Wii and DS – aka Nintendo’s licenses to print money.

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A bug that prevented audio signals from being delivered from the Xbox 360 to users receivers/TVs via HDMI has been a huge burden to many people since the issue cropped up with the installation of the NXE update in mid-November, but Microsoft apparently didn’t deem it necessary to address the issue let alone release a patch. Well here we are over two months later and we see that Microsoft has finally decided to come around and push out an official patch to solve the problem. We’re not sure what kept Redmond from remedying the issue sooner but when 360 owners got fed up enough to come to us for help, Microsoft apparantly saw the light. Needy little things those 360 users, aren’t they? The nerve – wanting audio for their video games… It all goes to show that when in doubt, Help Me Howard BGR is on your side.

Thanks, Jacob!

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Every time new images or video comes along featuring highlights from the upcoming and long overdue Street Fighter IV franchise-reviver, our mouth starts watering incessantly. We can’t help it. We’re comforted slightly in knowing we should only be about one short month away from the US release, scheduled to hit both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on February 17. It can’t come soon enough however, so hopefully this new gameplay video will tide you over for a while. The two fighters in this particular capture are Gen, an elderly gentleman who clearly hasn’t missed a dose of Celebrex lately and Fei Long, pictured above, who appears to be compensating for something by spending a bit too much time in the gym. Each character puts up a good fight and you even get to see a pretty involved “Ultra Combo Finish” in the second round. Hit the jump for the video and enjoy – we know we did.

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For those of you that have been sitting at home, pining away for a shiny new Xbox-branded console to replace your ailing 360, you might want to consider taking up a new hobby. Robbie Bach, president of MS’ entertainment division, revealed that the company has decided to focus its efforts on continuing development of the existing generation console for the foreseeable future. According to the company, research has proven that fewer gamers are in the market to upgrade their existing system these days, likely due at least in part to the ailing economy. As such, the company is planning on concentrating its efforts of exploiting the Xbox 360 to its full potential, with plans for new features and further game development. This isn’t terribly surprising, but it’s still a bit disappointing given the relative ago of the Xbox 360, which went into production in 2005…almost 4 years ago. Now that Microsoft has shown its cards, what new features would you most like to see the company work on integrating into the 360?

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Konami sure knows how to cause a stir. An update to the official Konami’s Kojima Productions website seems to suggest that Metal Gear Solid may finally make its way to the Xbox 360. We will admit that this might be a bit of stretch but the black and green coloring of the symbol-filled website is reminiscent of the colors used to advertise the Xbox 360. The Universal symbol for Power, which is prominently displayed on the front of the Xbox 360, is now front and center on Konami’s website. Rumors that the Playstation exclusive title will jump ship to the Xbox platform have been floating around for a while now, so such an announcement is not completely unexpected. Wild speculation continues to run rampant though, with Kotaku interpreting the “i” to mean iPhone, DSi, or Wii. The upside down “i” is used in PSP-based Metal Gear Acid so the new announcement may be related to that game and not the console version, Metal Gear Solid. Kotaku also points out that the URL contains the phrase “mgst” which could mean Metal Gear Solid Touch? Konami has been silent on the matter saying that it does not comment on speculation and apologized for providing only the “standard line” as a response. All we can deduce with some degree of certainty is that Konami has something new on the horizon for the Metal Gear franchise and it wants everyone to start talking about it. We will happily oblige them. Any gamers out there? Feel free to chat this up in the comments – additional rampant speculation is not only welcome, it is expected.

[Via Kotaku and Planet Xbox 360]

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As analysts continue to predict one of the worst retail holiday seasons in recent history, Microsoft announced Monday that the Xbox 360 is apparently the exception to the rule. Recent price drops and some solid marketing have combined to create plenty of hype surrounding the console this holiday season and the result has been tremendous. Xbox 360 didn’t just beat Playstation 3 in terms of sales over the Black Friday shopping weekend, it trounced it. Microsoft is reporting that it outsold Playstation 3 by a huge three-to-one ratio and amidst the troubling economic downturn in 2008, sales over Black Friday weekend were estimated to be up a whopping 25%. Game titles are also hopping off the shelves as Xbox continues to hold the top average of 8.1 games per console. Don Mattrick, senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, had this to say:

We entered into the Black Friday sales period with cautious optimism, knowing that dollar for dollar, Xbox 360 offers more social entertainment value than any other console on the market. Record Black Friday sales in the U.S., coupled with our existing global install base of 25 million and an online community of more than 14 million Xbox LIVE members, have laid the groundwork for continued global sales momentum in 2009.

Microsoft might be losing market share in the computer OS market but there’s no question that it’s strengthening its position in the gaming market. So kids, Xbox 360 is definitely the console du jour this holiday season and if you want to be as cool as your friends come January, you better start nagging your parents for one now – assuming they aren’t able to find a Wii, of course.

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Netflix streaming in High Definition has been a long time coming but it finally looks like Netflix customers are in for a treat – as long as you’re an XBOX 360 owner, that is. News is rolling in this morning that the leading remote movie rental service provider is finally just about ready to drop its HD streaming service, but it will initially do so only via XBOX Live. Microsoft’s popular console is scheduled to receive a dashboard refresh on November 14th and when it rolls out, Netflix HD will come along with it (presumably in the US at least). The new service will come with a library of 300 titles but many expect that number to balloon relatively quickly. Further details are unavailable right now but expect a formal announcement as we get closer to d-day. It is also still unclear how long Netflix’s HD content will be confined to XBOX but provided all goes well we would expect a pretty timely transition to a broader audience. Who’s excited?

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Ever since we first caught wind of the upcoming Street Fighter IV revival late last year, it hasn’t been easy to just sit back and wait. While it hasn’t gotten any easier, we finally do have a time frame in terms of when we can expect this inevitable gem to hit consoles here in the US. Drumroll please… This winter! In a recent conversation with GameSpot, Capcom stated that the highly anticipated sequel 10 years in the making would “definitely” be hitting shelves this winter. What’s more, all of our European friends need not worry as Capcom also made it clear that SFIV will be available throughout Europe “at roughly the same time as the US.” The updated graphics and game play look intense, the new characters look intense and word that the non-playable boss characters will make it from the arcade version to the console game is icing. So sit tight people – assuming our economy doesn’t completely collapse in the mean time, SFIV will be hitting Amazon et al before you know it.

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The shot above certainly seems to verify the existence of a new, slimmer XBox 360 in the wild. The image comes to us courtesy of noted Microsoft pundit Paul Thurrott, who published the image as part of a recent review of the new Microsoft Arc mouse. While the XBox in the background wasn’t intended to be part of the presentation, it couldn’t help but show it’s face and add fuel to the rumor mill fire. A new variant of the aging gaming system has been rumored for quite some time, and the box depicted in the image doesn’t look too far off from what we would imagine the refreshed system to look like. That said, there’s also a chance that this speculation is the result of an little optical tomfoolery. What do you think? New XBox or absurd speculation?

UPDATE: Sadly, this rumor has been shot down by Mr. Thurrott himself, who explains that the appearance of a “slim XBox 360″ is a regular issue XBox 360 that has been warped by the camera angle.

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Earlier this week Microsoft announced that it would cut Xbox 360 prices in Japan by 30% in an attempt to bolster their abysmal sales. Sales in Japan folks, not here, so calm yourselves. It looks like they have not forgot about their home nation. Starting on Friday, Microsoft will slash the prices on all three versions of it’s consoles. Yay! The Xbox 360 Arcade will fall to $199, booting the Wii out of it’s place as the lowest priced gaming console. Prices on the other two consoles are expected to drop by $50 bringing the prices of the mid-range Xbox 360 model to $299 and the high-end Xbox 360 elite to $399. Boo-yah! Who’s up for a quick beating in Madden?

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Until we have some form of official confirmation from the horse’s mouth we’re going to remain a tad skeptical, but evidence is mounting for the arrival of a $199 XBox 360 system in the near future. A screenshot of a product page for the Xbox 360 Arcade shows an amended SKU and new price point for a future system, set to be unleashed on the 7th of September. This release date coincides with a couple of major game releases, and would be a good way for Microsoft to launch a new promotional campaign leading into the Fall. Sure, it’s the barebones Arcade system, but $199 ain’t too bad for a “next-gen” console.

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For the first time since it hit the American market, the Nintendo Wii can claim to be the most popular console in the United States. Overtaking the venerable Xbox 360, the Wii now has the greatest lifetime penetration of any next-gen console currently available. 10.6 million Wii’s have been sold, compared to 10.5 million Xbox units. Given the Xbox’s considerable head-start on sales numbers, this is a particularly impressive feat. Sure, the upcoming Xbox 360 60GB might help Microsoft gain some ground, but given Nintendo’s steady progress, we’re pretty sure the company will continue to prove a formidable opponent to both Microsoft and Sony. Wait, who’s Sony again?

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[Via Gizmodo]

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Activision made the official announcement today and Guitar Hero fans will not be disappointed. The fourth entry into the Guitar Hero franchise is slated for a Fall 2008 release and it’s packed full of virtual goodness that is sure to appease even the most discriminating couch rocker. New features, check. Let’s start out with an available full drum kit including pedals and cymbals. Punching buttons on a plastic guitar is one thing but seeing how people fair with the new full drum set is going to be fantastic. There’s also a new microphone and Music Studio mode that allows players to “compose, record, edit and share their own rock and roll anthems.” Good lord. Eight-player “Battle of the Bands” mode sounds pretty intense as well; up to eight players can gather online and compete for the the virtual title. High school audience sold separately. The soon-to-be smash will be issued on Xbox 360, Playstation 2 and 3 as well as Wii. Ready ready people, it’s going to be getting pretty nutty.

[Via Electric Pig]

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The Nintendo Wii continues to plow ahead of the competition, posting record sales month after month. According to a recent set of stats released by the NPD group, Nintendo moved 720,000 consoles during the month of April. Whoa! As if that number wasn’t impressive enough, things start to look even crazier when you consider that Microsoft sold just 262,000 XBox 360s, slightly ahead of Sony’s 257,000 PS3s. Nintendo, it seems, is doing something right. The Wii, slotting in at a significantly lower price point than either of its two rivals, has remained in steady demand since its introduction. While Sony’s 257,000 may seem unimpressive, it represents a 98% increase in sales over the same period of time last year. With the upcoming launch of GTA IV on both the PS3 and the XBox 360, Microsoft and Sony should make up some lost ground, but if things continue along these lines, the Wii will most certainly continue to dominate the console wars.

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