Tales of PSP2 and next-gen Xbox 360 surface

Xbox 360
Windows 'expert' and peddler of all things Microsoft, Paul Thurrott, recently confirmed the possibility of an updated Xbox 360 console, specifically for the recently announced IPTV additions.

In a new edition of 'Windows Weekly', Paul says that a new version of the Xbox 360 will be coming in late 2007 and that only the new 360 will have the ability to use IPTV.

In addition to a new Xbox, he also states a larger hard-drive is expected to be released - a rumour that has been doing the rounds for some time, and very likely considering the demands of the Xbox Video Marketplace plus any storage requirements for an IPTV service (albeit it could be argued little space would be needed for streamed IPTV).

This fits nicely with our report on the leaked shots of a 360 which comes fitted with a HDMI output.

While Microsoft has tried to play-down the images, the company has admitted that the HDMI-equipped console did exist in prototype form within experimental labs.

It's quite possible that providers of streamed IPTV in SD or HD form, would demand a HDCP-enabled HDMI connection, for copyright protection reasons.

In other Xbox news, the HD-DVD player add-on for the 360 has sold nearly 100,000 units in the US according to figures released by NPD Group. A considerable shipment amount, for the emerging high-def market.

Worse news come from the release of new Call of Duty 3 maps on Xbox Live. The maps didn't work, and were soon pulled by Microsoft.

Sources have revealed to 1up.com that the previous capping of Xbox Live Arcade titles at 50MB has been raised to 250MB to accommodate publishers demands. No news on an updated memory pack for Core users though.

PS3/PSP
PSP2 rumours have again surfaced with the publishing of alleged specs for the new handheld console, along with some interesting images of the new device.

Unfortunately the 'photos' are very likely to be amateur 3D-studio/photo-shop mock ups, but the specs make good reading, including the integration of 8GB flash memory. The device is allegedly codenamed 'Cobalt'.

Sony was quick to dismiss the rumours, and spoke to CVG directly stating that "There is no PSP2". Don't spoil our fun.

More on sales figures this week as it came to light that Sony may miss sales targets of the PS3 by as much as 25%.

Analyst Nomura Securities lowered its estimates for the year ending March 2007 from 6 million units to 4.5 million. March 2007 though to March 2008 Nomura predicts a reduction in sales from 16 million to 10 million, and then the following year, ending March 2009, from 18 million to 11 million units.

Sony finally reached the 2 million mark of shipped PS3s this week - but 2 weeks later than promised, when 2 million was quoted to have been delivered by the end of 2006. Not good reading for Sony.

The 60GB PS3 will almost certainly ship for the previously rumoured price of £425 confirms Gamesindustry.biz. The 20GB is unlikely to feature on launch.

It's expected that the console will sell for 599 Euros on mainland Europe. £425 translates to around 647 Euros.

Sony dismissed reports that the console will launch in April, and is still on track for the expected March 23rd launch date.

Fortunately we should be alright for stock on launch, considering reports of over half of US stores having PS3s in plentiful stock, something unheard of so shortly after a console launch. Infoworld backs this up claiming the PS3 has had the worst week of sales since launch.

Gizmodo reports that AVSForum discussions have mounted rumours of problems with the warranty of the PS3 if third party cables are used. This coupled with the misleading MotorStorm resolution discussion at Arstechnica and the shipping figures above, ensure Sony has had another poor week in the media.

Wii/DS
While the Sony PS3 has struggled with sales, the Nintendo Wii has had no such trouble.

According to statistics released by Enterbrain, the Wii has outsold the PS3 two-to-one in Japan. The figures quoted Nintendo sold 989,118 units in Japan since the Wii launched on Decemeber 2nd, whilst Sony sold 466,716 PlayStation 3 consoles since November 11th.

This makes good reading for Nintendo, along with the news that you can lose weight by playing Wii Sports. It's official. Kinda. Check the experiment and results out here.

Worse news comes from a hack that has allowed the dumping of Wii discs, to allow the replication of Wii ISOs, so this forum thread purports. No way to play them back, yet.

If you still can't get a Wii, try hacking a NES into an, erm, NES controller - seen here. Or not.

Or maybe you'd like to play Starfox - on the PC via a Freespace add-on, 1up reports.

PC
World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade was released this week, to the usual fanfare and huge sales. You can watch the video of a level-70 go-getter via 1up.

Research firm NPD reports that WoW topped the retail charts last year and sold almost one million copies. But Sims 2 and its related expansions dominate the year's top sellers list.

Hot new from Blizzard on a new StarCraft seems to be gaining momentum, with 1up and pro-g both reporting whispers from the company regarding a new game. µ

See also
2006 console sales figures explored
Music, maps, missiles and milf on your Wii
Xbox 360 v2 rumours surface
Wii, HD-DVD and PSP hacks