Analyst: In-stock PS3s are "troubling"

Analyst PJ McNealy -- who originally believed the PS3 would see shortages well into June of 2007 -- said, "It is our position that while the PS3 launch is seven+ weeks old, we find it a little troubling to find the console in stock." He credits the current and unexpected availability of PS3s to the following scenarios:

• People aren't buying due to lack of new games at this point
• $600 for a game console appears too pricey for most people
• The "cheap Blu-ray player" argument isn't converting into sales
  
• Slow release of exclusive titles isn't helping

Joystiq

Gears of war confirmed as a 3m seller..

Major nelson posted about the recent NPD data but also mentioned that Gears Of War has now sold three million copies. To put this into context the best selling game of 2006 was Madden (PS2) selling to a 40m userbase and it sold 2.8m

Xbox Live's Major Nelson

Can gaming magazines survive?

Editorial that argues that while mags still think they are competing with books they should be focused on the competition they face from the internet. From the article, "Has the internet replaced the need for EGM and Game Informer much like literacy replaced the need for PSM?"

videolamer.com

Gates: PS3 will never have graphics advantage

Gates also stated that the PS3 has no advantage in terms of graphics and that it never will. In his words, Sony "burned a year" trying to get graphics out of the Cell processor, only to have Nvidia provide a chip at the last minute. Add to this the fact that the PS3 has no unified memory and that programmers have had longer to learn the intricacies of the 360 hardware, and the PS3 is caught in a cyclical game of catch-up.

Xbox 360 Fanboy

WORLD OF WARCRAFT® SURPASSES 8 MILLION

IRVINE, Calif. – January 11, 2007 – Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announced today that World of Warcraft^®, its subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), is now played by more than 8 million gamers around the world. World of Warcraft has also achieved new regional subscriber milestones, with more than 2 million players in North America, more than 1.5 million players in Europe, and more than 3.5 million players in China.

"We're ecstatic that the World of Warcraft community has continued to grow steadily since we launched the game," said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment^®. "This milestone wouldn't have been possible for us to achieve without the incredible support of our players. With the release of our expansion pack, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade^™, coming next week, we're looking forward to welcoming more players to Azeroth and offering even more quality content for our community to enjoy"

Blizzard Entertainment

Free CoD3 Multi-player map for Xbox 360

A brand new free map hit Xbox Live Marketplace today for Call of Duty 3 for Xbox Live Gold members only. The map is entitled "Champs" and is available in all regions.

Details from the dashboard:
FREE! “Champs” is an exclusive new multiplayer map that brings CLASSIC Call of Duty infantry-based combat to Port Royal des Champs, a war-torn French farm town. The map’s compact design is perfect for small and medium-sized team games in online, split-screen, and System Link play, or crank up the intensity with 24-player mayhem. A country road snakes across the landscape from a private chateau to a heavily battered cathedral. Vast wheat fields, hidden ravines, and blown-out buildings provide endless tactical opportunities for squads or lone soldiers to flank the enemy with stealth. Experience explosive action like never before in this free Bonus Map!

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