Mar 06
In a bit of a surprise announcement this afternoon, Sony has made clear that Jack Tretton will be stepping down from his role as President and CEO of Sony Computer … Continue reading
Mar 04
How has the Wii done for Nintendo?
Posted in: Today's ChiliThis article was written on April 26, 2007 by CyberNet.
As you can imagine, Nintendo is doing pretty good for themselves after the huge success of the Wii. There’s no doubt that their future continues to look bright as the Wii is still hard to find, and the demand is definitely going strong.
While I knew that the Wii was doing well, I didn’t realize how dramatic Nintendo’s profits would be. Numbers have just been released for the fiscal year ending in March, and Nintendo’s profits have increased by a whopping 77 percent.
These numbers are pretty astounding:
- Reported net profit: 1.74 billion dollars (up from 826 million the year prior)
- Sales: 8.13 billion dollars (up from 4.29 billion the year prior)
Within the first five months of the Wii being released to the public, 5.84 million were sold!
In related news, it’s apparent that the Playstation 2 isn’t going anywhere for a while, despite the fact that the PS3 is on the market. In fact, analysts are saying that the PS2 will continue to out-sell the PS3 for another two years.
In a way, it reminds me of the situation with Windows Vista. While the latest and greatest is available, people are still hesitant and sticking with XP, just as people are sticking to PS2. And clearly there’s a demand for XP, especially after Dell recently brought back XP as an offering on new machines.
I guess this just shows that the latest isn’t always the greatest!
Copyright © 2014 CyberNetNews.com
Oct 07
So you’ve got a couple of dead old video game consoles lying around. While you could just throw them in the trash, it’s better for you to recycle them. And what better than to turn your old game systems into Batman’s Tumbler?
That’s exactly what recycling artist Daniel Shankalonian did when he got his hands on a couple of deceased PlayStation 2 systems. He completed his build chopping up the bits and pieces of the consoles, mixing in a liberal dose of printer and hard drive parts, and placing the whole assemblage on a broken down old Dell XPS laptop.
While it’s certainly not as elegant of a job as Lucius Fox did with the original Tumbler, you have to give Shankalonian credit for being able to make lemonade out of the lemons he was dealt. And Lucius had the slight advantage of having millions of dollars from the Wayne Foundation to work with too.
Best of all, you can own this recycled PS2/Batmobile. It’s available over on Etsy for $250(USD). It’s a shame you can’t hook up a DualShock and play Arkham Origins on it.
May 06
GameStop confirms June 1 end to PlayStation 2 trade-ins, will continue selling used stock ‘for several months’
Posted in: Today's Chili
GameStop is shuttering its PlayStation 2 trade-in business as of June 1st, a company spokesperson confirmed to Engadget. “We can confirm that as of June 1st we will no longer be accepting the PS2 console or its related product for trades,” the statement reads. Several of GameStop’s retail locations confirmed to our sister site Joystiq that the June 1st date was accurate after a Reddit posting showed what appeared to be an in-store sign saying as much, and the statement today offers a bit more detail.
For instance, GameStop won’t end sales of used PlayStation 2 hardware, software and accessories — both in store and online — until “several months” after the June 1 cutoff. Those sales, of course, depend on “remaining stock from trades.” Additionally, GameStop reminded us that it’s totally pumped for the upcoming PlayStation 4. “We are very excited about the upcoming PS4 and are making room in our stores for it and other new platforms expected this fall,” the statement says. And hey, with all the extra space available in GameStop stores by “holiday 2013” (when the PS4 is expected to land at retail), it looks like GameStop will be ready for business. For GameStop’s full statement, head below.
May 06
If you still have a PlayStation 2 and have been on the fence whether or not you should trade it in for the $7.23 GameStop will probably give you for the aged console, then you have less than a month to decide if you should part with it or not. GameStop has started to display a message at its stores that say they will no longer be accepting PlayStation 2 trade-in starting on June 1, which also goes for all of its accessories and games.
Sony has stopped its shipments of the PlayStation 2 just a few months ago, which we’re sure was one of the last straws for GameStop to consider ending its trade-ins of the console at its stores. Considering the next wave of next-generation consoles will be upon us by this holiday season, it also makes sense to end their PlayStation 2 trade-in program since they’re going to need that extra space for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 trade-ins. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Leaked Microsoft Email Hints Next Xbox Won’t Need Always-On Internet, Oculus Rift Developers Make A Guillotine Simulator Called Disunion, 
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May 05
Now that the PS2’s started taking steps toward retirement with Sony ceasing its production in Japan, it seems GameStop doesn’t plan to keep the console under its roof for much longer. According to a leaked in-store display posted to Reddit by eGORapTure, the gaming retailer will no longer accept the 12-year-old system for trade-ins as, effective June 1st. Our friends at Joystiq contacted multiple stores to confirm the news and many said the policy is indeed set to go into effect. Unsurprisingly, PS2-related accessories and titles will also be refused for trade-ins once the date rolls around. We’ve reached out to GameStop’s corporate representatives for comment and will let you know what we hear back. For now, you can find more info at the via and source links. Well, they gotta make room for those PS4 boxes — however they end up looking, right?
Via: Joystiq, Destructoid
Source: Reddit
Jan 30
China’s complicated history with video games: when a ban isn’t really a ban
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Earlier this week, China Daily quoted an anonymous government source — allegedly straight from the Ministry of Culture — saying China is considering lifting a 12-year-old “ban” on game consoles soon. While it’s was unclear how reliable the source was at the time, the Tokyo stock market sucked it up anyway, with Bloomberg observing a significant rise for Sony and Nintendo after the rumor was published. Then today we learned from Tech In Asia that Dongfang Daily followed up with two representatives from the Ministry of Culture, one of which said the department has never looked into lifting the ban, while the other person was more vague about the matter. But here’s the thing: game consoles were never really banned in China. Allow us to set the record straight for you.
Dec 29
Sony’s Playstation 2 game console has practically been a staple with gaming retailers for years, and is likely found in homes of most gamers throughout the country. After nearly 13 years of production, despite newer Playstation generations, it looks like Sony is calling an end to the production of the PS2 game console, according to Famitsu.
Even though the PS3 launched in in late 2006, Sony continued to keep the PS2 alive with a major design update and a few game launches here and there, not to mention the large library of existing titles. This announcement is announcing the end of production for the PS2 console in Japan with a plan to sell of the remaining production stock, and a stop to production in the US and other countries is sure to follow.
It’s doubtful that this announcement is going to cause a Twinkie-like buying frenzy, though. PS2 games still work in the latest Sony game console and there seems to be plenty of PS2′s around. It’s a little sad however to see a console with this level of selling stamina being called to an end.
Dec 28
Any gamer that has been around for more than a few years will remember the Sony PlayStation 2 and will have fond memories of countless hours spent gaming on the console. Throughout its 12 years of life, the venerable PS2 was one of the best-selling videogame consoles ever produced with over 150 million units sold since it debuted in 2000.
If you’re a fan of the PS2, this will be a little heartbreaking to hear. Effective immediately, Sony has stopped shipping PlayStation 2 consoles to Japanese retailers. That means once existing stock is depleted there will be no more new PS2 consoles.
The original fat PS2 consoles were replaced by slim consoles in 2004 to stoke sales (and reduce costs) long after the PS2 originally launched. The PS2 enjoys a massive library of games, and game developers have continued to produce games for the platform many years after it debuted. Personally, I don’t see the PS3 having the same sort of longevity that the PS2 enjoyed, but without any imminent plans for the release of a PS4, I could be wrong.
[via Kotaku]
Dec 28
Sony’s PlayStation 3 has been on the market so long you’d think that production of the relatively ancient PS2 stopped some time ago. Well, that wasn’t true, but according to the Japanese PlayStation website, the PS2 has now officially been discontinued in the region. Japanese site Famitsu adds that shipments of the console have ended, so once the remaining stock has been depleted in
Via: The Verge
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