PSP knocks DS off top spot

THIS WEEK finally sees the launch of Halo 3, though many others seem to have already acquired it.

Xbox 360
Fortunately it seems to have met expectations, with Famitsu giving the game 37/40, and Eurogamer awarding it 10/10.

If you're thinking of buying the Legendary offering - look no further than Engadget's full unboxing of the mega-pack.

As previously reported, it seems the Core pack will also get a HDMI output - an MS spec sheet details it here.

Microsoft has released a list of statistics on the console, providing figures on sales of both the 360 and its games, details on Xbox Live, social networking and more.

Microsoft says that it has sold more than 11.6 million Xbox 360 consoles in the 37 countries where it is currently available; of these, 25 have access to Xbox Live. In addition, US NPD data says gamers have bought more Xbox 360 software (24.3 million units) than for either of its competitors, PS3 and Wii, who together have sold 19.8 million games.

Xbox Live, having over 7 million members to date, is expected to reach 10 million members by June 2008, Microsoft says, adding that the numbers work out to one new Xbox Live member every 8 seconds.

More over at Gamasutra.

PS3/PSP
We had a string of announcements from Sony this week, with the most important, and often rumoured, rumble for PS3 finally being announced.

A large list of current and future game support can be seen .

Pocket-link is reporting that the 40GB PS3 rumours are true.

The site claims that Sony has turned away from ASUS and in the direction of Foxconn to manufacture the new entry-level console. Pricing is still unknown but is rumoured to be pegged at $400 for the US.

The Tokyo Games Show also allowed for a few more Sony announcements.

The eagerly awaited Playstation Home has been delayed until 2008, with Sony citing "the need to make PS Home completely satisfying for consumers".

The Playstation Store will soon be available for your PC to download PSP games etc - meaning you won't need to own a PS3.

Also announced at TGS07 is future PSP Remote Play functionality that allows you to turn on and off your PS3, and the ability to use your PS3 as a hub while PSPs act as a second screen, extra controllers and other networked functionality. More at Joystiq.

According to the latest sales stats, the PSP overtook the DS, Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, and PS2 in sales last week, propelled by the newest handheld installment of the Final Fantasy series, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.

The PSP is also doing well in Blighty. The launch of the PSP Slim and Lite has seen sales quadruple during the system's first week on sale in the UK, with over 17,000 units sold, according to British trade paper MCV.

Despite the PSP's sales upturn, the UMD is a dead format that's a waste of money, time, and investment according to David Perry.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, the Shiny founder and operator of GameConsultants.com revealed what he would do if he were in charge of PlayStation Portable development.

"They really need to restart the PSP programme in my book. They really need to bring out the PSP 3.0 and start again and try to get a lot of units out by reducing the manufacturing costs, by taking out all the motors and drives and stuff they have in there." We're informed that 'stuff' is a technical term.

Something else that might help is some decent accessories. Engadget has a plethora of shots of the PSP's 1-SEG TV add-on, which we hope makes it to the UK in some compatible format.

Wii/DS
The Wii Zapper box art has been released, and there seems to be a lot of excitement for what is actually a small piece of plastic.

Nintendo has confirmed that the Wii Zapper and the bundled game Link's Crossbow Training will be released this year in Europe, but no word on pricing or the actual release date as of yet.

LucasArts has announced that "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" will bring lightsaber-wielding delights to the Wii. The game will take place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Please don't mess it up Lucas.

If this announcement doesn't do it for you, maybe you'll be more interested to hear that TurboGrafx-CD games will be coming to the Virtual Console.

If you fancy pimping your Wii, check out these new Talismoon cases. µ

See Also
40GB PS3 set to ruin Halo 3 launch
360 sales surge, PSP continues to flounder
Save the planet and buy a Wii
One console to rule them all