PS3 gets back into black
,----[ Quote ]
| Due to increased volumes and reduced costs, the PlayStation 3 console is at
| last returning a profit for Sony. The future is looking even brighter in the
| video game segment.
|
| All three gaming console manufacturers are now making profits on hardware.
`----
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/16410/1063/
Meanwhile, Wii does very well and XBox360 seems doomed (outside the US).
Microsoft shills prefer to only to reveal US figures as a form of hypnosis, an
illusion. That's how you spot shills. which Microsoft calls "evangelists".
The PS3 can now Linux even without an installation now! It's getting better all
the time.
Recent:
Sony CEO says sales going well, watching yen
,----[ Quote ]
| "PS3 has now gone past XBox on the Christmas market. It's moving into its own
| as it gets into higher bandwidth ... PS3 is out of the woods and beginning to
| hold its own," he said. The PS3 initially trailed rivals, due to the Sony
| machine's high price and an initial scarcity of strong software titles. But
| PS3 demand has shown some signs of picking up since the company cut prices
| and launched a new version.
`----
http://news.zdnet.com/2110-9584_22-6227678.html
Video Game Consoles 2007: Wii, PS3 and the Death of Microsoft's Xbox 360
,----[ Quote ]
| ...In the 2006 holiday season, Microsoft shipped a blowout surge of
| units to stores just as Sony and Nintendo were struggling to launch
| their new consoles and suffering through the inventory and production
| problems common to any new rollout. This was no accident.
|
| [...]
|
| Nintendo simply couldn't stuff the channel because it couldn't make
| Wii units fast enough to even meet demand. Sony worked hard to stuff
| the channel, but also suffered some production problems. At the same
| time, the high initial price of the new PlayStation 3 helped
| accumulate channel inventory as many buyers were wary of throwing down
| $600 for an unproven new game console that was clearly going to fall
| in price.
`----
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/01/31/video-game-consoles-2007-wii-ps3-and-the-death-of-microsofts-xbox-360/#more-1531
,----[ Quote ]
| It's weird that Mini and all the commenters here have failed to notice the
| mass exodus from the Xbox team in 2007. By my count, more than 15% of the
| product team (dev/PM/test) have left Microsoft for Apple, Sony, Google,
| Yahoo, MySpace, Amazon, and various other companies (including several
| startups, local and in the Valley).
`----
http://minimsft.blogspot.com/2008/01/raikes-and-other-exits.html
Related:
PS3 Megabox Homebrew Project Is Linux For Commitment-Phobes
,----[ Quote ]
| A modification of open source software Freevo, Megabox brings VOIP, P2P,
| Firefox, 3D Linux gaming, TV recording (not sure how on this one), and
| emulation—as well as plenty of other features. Essentially, it's Linux
| without the install, reskinned with a neat media center interface. The price
| is right (free) so we'll give this a try and tell you what we think.
`----
http://kotaku.com/346073/ps3-megabox-homebrew-project-is-linux-for-commitment+phobes
Is it games or Blu-Ray driving the PS3 resurgence?
,----[ Quote ]
| Having over 9 million PS3’s sitting in the world’s living rooms gives Blu-Ray
| obvious penetration numbers to throw on the desk of Studio cigar chomping
| suits. It is easy to make a convincing argument that this, along with
| arguable movie sales themselves may have been the catalyst for Warner to jump
| ship to the Blu-Ray camp.
`----
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/16156/1093/
PS3 production cost halved
,----[ Quote ]
| While the Playstation 3 cost Sony somewhere around $800 a console to build
| when it was launched in November 2006, Sony has told Business Week that the
| PS3 now costs about $400 to produce - which is similar to the RRP of the new
| 40GB SKU.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/01/14/ps3-production-cost-halved
StreamMyGame launches Linux player ; Play PC games on your PS3
,----[ Quote ]
| StreamMyGame.com announced today the release of its free Linux Player, an
| application that enables you to play any PC game via a PlayStation 3 running
| Linux.
`----
http://www.kdcstaffs.com/it/main_view.php?nNum=4721&page=&part=Real-Time
PS3 tops Wii in Japan for first time
,----[ Quote ]
| Sony Corp's (6758.T) PlayStation 3 outsold Nintendo Co Ltd's (7974.OS) Wii
| game console in Japan in November for the first time, raising the prospect
| that Sony might regain its dominance in the global videogame market.
`----
http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-30766820071130
PS3 overtakes Wii in Japan
,----[ Quote ]
| Some 55,924 PS3s were purchased in the week ending 11 November, compared to
| 34,456 Wiis and just 5817 Xbox 360s. Clearly, the Halo 3 effect and
| Microsoft's price cut have done their work.
`----
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/11/16/japan_wii_ps3_sales/
Price cut boosts PlayStation 3 sales
,----[ Quote ]
| U.S. sales of the PlayStation 3 more than doubled in the weeks after the
| company slashed the video game console's price $100 and launched a low-end
| model, Sony Corp. CEO Howard Stringer told The Associated Press Wednesday.
`----
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071115/ap_on_hi_te/sony_playstation_sales
PS3 + Linux + Firefox = Office 2.0 computing
,----[ Quote ]
| Sony and a technology site are using a conference to show off a confluence of
| next-generation, monopoly-bypassing technology: a Sony Playstation 3
| videogame console running Linux and Firefox as a foundation for
| Web-based "Office 2.0" applications.
|
| IT|Redux, a site run by blogger and tech adviser Ismael Ghalimi, is showing
| off the system at the Office 2.0 Conference in San Francisco. IT|Redux is the
| show organizer.
`----
http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9772115-1.html
PS3 available pre-installed with Linux
,----[ Quote ]
| TerraSoft is now taking direct pre-orders with no delivery
| time guarantees for a Sony PS3 pre-installed with Linux,
| priced at $650.
`----
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS7863481537.html
Astrophysicist Replaces Supercomputer with Eight PlayStation 3s
,----[ Quote ]
| The interest in the PS3 really was for two main reasons," explains Khanna, an
| assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth who
| specializes in computational astrophysics. "One of those is that Sony did
| this remarkable thing of making the PS3 an open platform, so you can in fact
| run Linux on it and it doesn't control what you do."
`----
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/news/2007/10/ps3_supercomputer
Linux petitioners want Sony to open up PS3's graphical innards
,----[ Quote ]
| Access is blocked by the Hypervisor chip so there is no chance of
| getting around it without Sony's approval. And, naturally, Sony
| doesn't want geeks producing 3D games under Linux and undermining
| its investment. It flogs the console in order to make mountains of
| wonga on the highly-priced games folk play on it.
|
| [...]
|
| So now there's a a petition online asking Sony to open up the RSX.
| It's here.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=39112
Linux 3D graphics access on PS3 found
,----[ Quote ]
| A method has been found to reach Linux 3D Graphics on the PS3. A number of
| hackers have clubbed together to release a draft kernel module for this along
| with a relevant Xorg driver.
`----
http://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=23190
The hunt for HV's FIFO/Push buffer...
,----[ Quote ]
| With your separate module for GPU stuff (3D, Xorg, etc...) will we be able to
| use the kernel sources from Geoff's tree and simply get your kernel modules
| loaded in place of the fb device created by ps3fb.c and ps3fb.h ?
|
| Keeping in sync with Geoff's tree is something that would be beneficial for
| those also doing CELL development as it is the tree that gets a lot of work
| from IBM and SCE guys that is CELL related.
|
| [...]
|
| Glaurung, nice work. Busy error made FIFO hack for us :). I was sure that
| fifo setup is broken for the second context.
|
| Panajev2001a, I think that it is possibly to make totally independent kernel
| module. You will be able to install it without kernel recompilation.
`----
http://forums.ps2dev.org/viewtopic.php?t=8364&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=211
Inside Source Reveal the Truth About Xbox 360 "Red Ring of Death" Failures
,----[ Quote ]
| It's around 30%, and all will probably fail early. This quarter they are
| expecting 1 M failures, most of those Xenons. Some of those are repeat
| failures.
`----
http://www.8bitjoystick.com/archives/jake_inside_source_reveal_the_truth_about_xbox_360_red_ring_of_death_failures.php
Microsoft Admits *ALL* Xbox360's Are Defective
,----[ Quote ]
| Though Robbie Bach, head of Microsoft's Xbox360 Division refused to elaborate
| on the issue, the general consensus is that it's one of botched thermal
| design management and inadequate dissipation of heat leading to component
| failure.
`----
http://www.fastsilicon.com/latest-news/microsoft-admits-all-xbox360s-are-defective.html?Itemid=60
Insider Trading Hasn't Affect Microsoft Stock - Yet
,----[ Quote ]
| MarketWatch.com reports that Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's
| Entertainment and Devices division, sold $6.2 million of Microsoft
| stock just prior to announcing that Microsoft was going to have to
| extend XBox 360 warranties to three years because of extensive
| failures. The filings note that this was not part of any
| scheduled diversification or selling program; this was a
| conscious, unscheduled sale by the guy in charge of releasing
| news that could affect the value of Microsoft stock.
|
| [...]
|
| Insider trading is a very serious violation of the law; just
| ask Martha Stewart, who served five months in prison for
| avoiding losses of $43,000 through trades that just had suspicious
| timing (no insider trading was actually proven). This is $6.3
| million that went straight into Robbie Bach's pocket.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/070713/40947_id.html?.v=1
Peter Moore's parting pledge for Microsoft games an empty promise?
,----[ Quote ]
| Now that we know Mr Moore has departed for greener multi-million dollar
| pastures as the head of the powerful sports games division at Electronic
| Arts, the question is was his promise of a profitable games business at
| Microsoft simply the parting words of a man who knew he would not be around
| to be held accountable for them?
`----
http://www.itwire.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13598&Itemid=1023
Microsoft: XBox 360 Price Drop Won't Fix Broken Strategy
,----[ Quote ]
| So in the end, it doesn’t matter if the 360 is $50 or even $100 less.
| Ultimately, the price cut will just reveal how niche the system has become.
|
| Exactly. Come on, guys. The blogosphere, be it the guys at GigaOM, Chris
| Kohler at Wired Game I Life or myself, have come up with some pretty rational
| approaches for how you can get it together. Unfortunately, however, our
| protestations seem to fall on deaf ears. Best of luck with your "winning
| strategy." I guess you know best.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/070809/43985_id.html?.v=1
XBLA's Ross Erickson leaves Microsoft, heads over to Sierra Online
,----[ Quote ]
| Of course, this follows XBLA General Manager Greg Canessa's
| departure a couple weeks back. While having two of the most
| senior Xbox Live Arcade execs jump ship in a two week time
| span after a particularly long string of subpar Wednesdays
| -- nothing, Ms. Pac-Man, Lumines add-on, nothing, Root Beer
| Tapper, Paperboy, nothing -- might seem to imply certain
| disaster, Ross insisted that he and Greg's decided to
| leave under entirely different circumstances.
`----
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/20/xblas-ross-erickson-leaves-microsoft-heads-over-to-sierra-onli/
http://tinyurl.com/25s6he
XBLA main man jumps ship
,----[ Quote ]
| In somewhat surprising news, Greg Canessa, the big guy behind
| Xbox Live Arcade, has left the Microsoft compound for PopCap Games.
`----
http://www.destructoid.com/xbla-main-man-jumps-ship-29716.phtml
Japanese Thermal Expert Examines Xbox 360, Figures Out What's Wrong (Hint:
Everything)
,----[ Quote ]
| Because Microsoft will never admit to any possible overheating problems with
| their beloved Xbox 360 design, Japanese-based Nikkei hired a thermal design
| expert to come examine the console. They looked at two—one made in 2005 and
| one repaired in May 2007.
`----
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/microsoft/japanese-thermal-expert-examines-xbox-360-figures-out-whats-wrong-hint-everything-286400.php
Lawsuit claims Xbox 360s scratch discs
,----[ Quote ]
| Filed on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of
| Florida, the suit claims that Xbox 360s scratch game discs, making them
| unusable. Thousands of people have been affected by and have complained to
| Microsoft about the problem, the suit claims.
`----
http://news.yahoo.com/s/infoworld/20070710/tc_infoworld/90093
Microsoft admits scratch problem with Xbox 360
,----[ Quote ]
| There hasn't been much discussion on the fact that the problem exists
| by consumers, but untill now Microsoft has always somewhat denied the
| problem and never proposed a solution.
|
| The Dutch television show Kassa, which deals with customer complaints,
| has been nagging Microsoft about this problem for several weeks, they
| did tests with Xbox360 setups and filmed (and proofed) that the Xbox360
| is indeed responsible for scratching game discs, when not moved, placed
| on a stable table and under the best possible conditions.
|
| [...]
|
|
| The television show also reported that while this issue is now an issue
| in the Netherlands (it is also widely covered in regular news), it
| could become a global problem for Microsoft in the future. Therefore
| I would recommend anyone who is facing the same problem to contact
| their local Microsoft office and point them to this article.
`----
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/Microsoft-admits-scratch-problem-with-Xbox-360.html
European commission investigates XBOX 360 failures
,----[ Quote ]
| It seems that Microsoft can't catch a break these days what with
| Vista still failing miserably and apparently so are XBOX 360's.
|
| [...]
|
| There are upwards of 1,000 complaints from the Netherlands alone
| which is going up every day. The commissioner not only wants
| answers from Microsoft Europe but from other markets as well
| and a bulleted list of all issues and problems known in
| those markets.
`----
http://gamer.blorge.com/2007/06/01/european-commission-investigates-xbox-360-failures/
WARNING :- avoid VGCHARTS and NEOGAF
,----[ Quote ]
| They are being financed by MS to make 360 look good to gullible people.
|
| [...]
|
| NEOGAF :-
| another Flaming and misleading gaming forum run by 2 previous MS employees.
| This is the forum where you have people posting "360 is the last stand for
| RPG in JAPAN" , "x360 kills ps3 in JAPAN" and getting away with it.
`----
http://forums.gametrailers.com/showthread.php?t=121309
Microsoft facing $1bn Xbox bill
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft, has not revealed how many of its machines have suffered the
| problem, but said the number was "bigger than we are comfortable with."
`----
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6275728.stm
Microsoft lied about scaling chips they promised:
http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?t=42164
Owner of eight failed Xbox 360 explains failures
,----[ Quote ]
| And although console gamers usually don’t come with the geeky and
| techie know-how of Banzai Runner hobbyists, an owner of eight failed
| Xbox 360s finally tapped into his inner geek and got the problem of
| the Xbox 360 issues down pat.
`----
http://www.kilegates.com/owner-of-eight-failed-xbox-360-explains-failures/
30% failure rate haunts Xbox 360 image
,----[ Quote
| A recent query put to an Australian game retailer puts the figure at a
| 30% return rate.
`----
http://www.itwire.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13177&Itemid=1063
A Tale of 11 Broken Xbox 360s
,----[ Quote ]
| "I can't comment on failure rates, because it's just not something - it's
| a moving target. What this consumer should worry about is the way that
| we've treated him. Y'know, things break, and if we've treated him well
| and fixed his problem, that's something that we're focused on right
| now."
|
| -- Peter Moore [of Microsoft] on Xbox 360 failure rates
`----
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3160603
Microsoft deletes mass Xbox 360 crashing claims from Forza 2 forums
,----[ Quote ]
| In what appears to be an effort to conceal the over 900 replies gamers
| provided on the official Forzamotorsport.net forums about Forza Motorsport 2
| crashing on the Xbox 360, Microsoft has deleted the long thread, now stating
| that it’s “exclusive content for registered forum users” only. However, the
| thread was removed entirely, even to registered members.
`----
http://gamerush.zoomshare.com/files/my_images/GameRush_Entertainment_Microsoft_deletes_mass_Xbox_360_crashing_claims_from_Forza_2_forums_News.htm
Anecdotal: Microsoft low on Xbox 360 coffins
,----[ Quote ]
| For the most part, we've given up on reporting every single time
| one of our colleagues in the gaming press has an Xbox 360 die on
| them. Frankly, we'd be writing a piece every couple weeks. A
| brilliant recent example was the Weekly Geek Show's Xbox 360,
| which we covered, died again in late May. Exactly one month
| and six days after being "repaired." But, like Peter Moore
| asked of all of us, we shouldn't focus on the failure rate
| of Xbox 360s, but on the service in repairing them. And so,
| we have the story of Officer Craig Ravitch of the New York
| Police Department.
`----
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/06/anecdotal-microsoft-low-on-xbox-360-coffins/
http://tinyurl.com/28qx3b
Gamers Say Microsoft Understates Xbox Problems
,----[ Quote ]
| An insider from Electronic Arts, Inc. is saying that the failure rate
| of Microsoft's Xbox 360 gaming console is actually ten times higher than
| what Microsoft spokespeople have admitted.
|
| Game Daily BIZ, a gaming industry publication, reported that the
| anonymous source tallied that of the 300 consoles EA has received,
| 30-50 percent of them have failed.
`----
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/08/xbox_gamers02.html
Gears of War disc errors - why the hell is no one covering this?
,----[ Quote ]
| So, we're all just 'unlucky' Mark? Thanks for that. I'm happy for you
| and your console, but what about us? Where are we supposed to turn to
| for help and support? Microsoft wasn't very helpful (ref #102-379-2964)
| any of the times I've called them (I think it's up to three now for the
| same issue - perhaps I'll call again today and check on an update).
|
| All I know is that if I see that dreaded error message again on my new
| 360 I am going to go absolutely ballistic!!!
`----
http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=7626298&publicUserId=5551391
What is the real failure rate of the Xbox 360?
,----[ Quote ]
| We asked Game, one of the largest console retailers in the UK.
| "That's not information we're able to give out. It's commercially
| sensitive," it said. As for Microsoft, in the early days after the
| console's 2005 launch it claimed that failure rates were no higher
| than an industry average of between 3% and 5%. That now seems
| wildly optimistic.
|
| Last month, its vice-president of entertainment, Peter Moore,
| refused to answer the question, telling the Mercury News: "I
| can't comment on failure rates." According to Moore, if someone
| has a faulty console they should worry about the customer service.
`----
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,2091221,00.html
360 failure rates at 61%?
,----[ Quote ]
| Over at XBox 360 Gamer they have refused to buy Microsoft?s claimed
| 4-5% failure rates and instead opted to create their own poll which
| yielded shocking results. At the time of writing there have been
| 3780 submissions and 2355 comments resulting in claimed failure
| rates of 61%.
|
| There is no avoiding the fact that there is likely to be a negative
| skew to the poll, angry gamers are more likely to vent than satisfied
| gamers. That said 61% is a huge number and even if its half that 30%
| is a far cry from the 4-5% Microsoft would like us to believe.
`----
http://www.quicksavejunkie.com/2007/05/23/360-failure-rates-at-61/
Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against MS For Bricked 360s
,----[ Quote ]
| According to Gamespot, the suit seeks a minimum of $10 million in
| damages, depending on how MS decides to defend itself.
`----
http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/law/class-action-lawsuit-filed-against-ms-for-bricked-360s-220250.php
Numerous Reports, November 30 Xbox 360 Update Is Bricking Consoles
,----[ Quote ]
| Some consoles are being bricked by Thursday's dashboard update.
| Issues range from freezing, red ring of death and VGA adapterm
| alfunction. Microsoft isn't acknowledging the issue and billing
| $140 for repairs.
`----
http://digg.com/gaming_news/Numerous_Reports_November_30_Xbox_360_Update_Is_Bricking_Consoles
Update brick your 360? Speak up
,----[ Quote ]
| Since yesterday's update, there are numerous reports about 360s
| being bricked. Some people suspect that this is being done by
| Microsoft intentionally to stop modders and hackers. Xbox Scene
| thinks it has more to do with certain combinations of hardware
| and firmware.
`----
http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2006/11/01/update-brick-your-360-speak-up/
Autoupdate killed my 360!
,----[ Quote ]
| I was fine yesterday gaming with the VGA cable but after getting
| the autoupdate today, I get a black screen. Does Microsoft test
| these things? My connection to the TV didn't change yet its
| screwed. Thanks for nothing Microsoft.
`----
http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=489979
Loot: Redmond, We Have a Problem, Or, What's Wrong With the Xbox 360
,----[ Quote ]
| At this point, Former becomes impassioned. That's not fair, he says;
| we always saw this as a long-term venture. To which we reply that we
| were talking about the original Xbox, and while other divisions of
| the company throw off more profits in a single quarter than the
| entire $5 billion or so lost in the home and entertainment division
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| to date, the fact remains that, as we take-our-word-for-it predicted,
| the Xbox group has been spectacularly unprofitable for Microsoft.
| Hence, our heretofore unpublished Vietnam analogy. The rest of the
| night is a blur, but we digress.
|
| [...]
|
| The worst case scenario for Microsoft, then, is one in which the Xbox
| 360's bid for the mass market is blocked by the Wii for the next two to
| three years, at which point the aging and underpowered Wii gives way
| to a cheaper-than-it-is-now PS3 with a selection of AAA titles that's
| far wider than what the PS3 has at the moment; new installments of
| Playstation's own popular and casual-leaning games; and a slew of
| new franchises from Sony's much-larger studio operation.
`----
http://ncroal.talk.newsweek.com/default.asp?item=533168
|
|
