Vid-Games News: PS3 Price Cut; Xbox Woes
News from the virtual world:
_ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMIN: Since last year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, when Sony announced that the PlayStation 3 would cost $599, gamers have been asking one question: When is Sony going to cut the price?
The answer: just before this year's E3, which is going on now in Santa Monica, Calif. The current model PS3, which has a 60-gigabyte hard drive, now costs $100 less. Just in case you have six Benjamins burning a hole in your pocket, Sony will be offering an updated version of the console, including an 80-GB drive and a copy of "MotorStorm," with the old $599 price tag.
_THIS IS AN EX-XBOX: It's called the "red ring of death," and it's the last thing you want to see when you're immersed in a "Halo" tournament. No, it's not some deadly alien weapon; it's the red lights that appear on an Xbox 360 when it's about to crash. Two years after the console's debut, it appears that more 360 users are getting stuck in the ring.
Internet chatter over the 360's failure rate has been increasing recently, although Microsoft won't reveal how many of its customers have sent their consoles in for repairs. But anecdotal evidence pointed to a growing problem, with one Web site reporting that Microsoft was running low on "coffins," the boxes that the company uses to ship broken and repaired consoles back and forth.
Microsoft has finally acknowledged the issue. Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, said: "We don't think we've been getting the job done. In the past few months, we have been having to make Xbox 360 console repairs at a rate too high for our liking." The company is extending 360 warranties to three years, and estimates the repairs could cost over $1 billion.
What went wrong? Microsoft wouldn't give specifics, but did say it had made some manufacturing changes so that newer Xboxes don't have the same problems. Most bloggers think overheating is the issue, and have suggested all sorts of solutions, from the obvious (don't leave it running too long) to the fanciful (suspend your Xbox from the ceiling).
_BATTLE OF THE BANDS: Beatles vs. Stones. Nirvana vs. Pearl Jam. And now, perhaps the greatest rock rivalry ever: "Guitar Hero III" vs. "Rock Band."
The champion of music games returns later this month with "Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the '80s," while "Guitar Hero III" is due in October. To keep up the momentum, publisher RedOctane (now part of Activision) is sending the franchise on the road as part of Korn's Family Values tour.
The traveling hard-rock festival will now feature a "GH" competition in which eight local finalists at each stop will face off onstage. Korn vocalist Jonathan Davis, who has admitted to playing a lot of "GH" on the band's bus, said, "We are stoked to have them on the tour."
Meanwhile, buzz has been building for MTV Games'"Rock Band," from the same development team that created the original "Guitar Hero.""Rock Band" adds bass, drum and guitar to the formula, and it's probably the hottest title at E3.
Both companies are promising the best set lists ever. "Guitar Hero III" has the Rolling Stones and Smashing Pumpkins; "Rock Band" has the Who and David Bowie. Oddly enough, each game has a different Weezer song.
_NEW IN STORES: Square Enix revives a classic outer-space shoot-'em-up in "Project Sylpheed: Arc of Deception," for the Xbox 360. ... Atlus' Game Boy adventure "Riviera: The Promised Land" gets a graphics upgrade on its way to the PlayStation Portable. ... Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova and 14 other pros go portable in Namco Bandai's "Smash Court Tennis 3," for the PSP.
By ; LOU KESTEN, Associated Press Writer
Via : www.sfgate.com
_ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMIN: Since last year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, when Sony announced that the PlayStation 3 would cost $599, gamers have been asking one question: When is Sony going to cut the price?
The answer: just before this year's E3, which is going on now in Santa Monica, Calif. The current model PS3, which has a 60-gigabyte hard drive, now costs $100 less. Just in case you have six Benjamins burning a hole in your pocket, Sony will be offering an updated version of the console, including an 80-GB drive and a copy of "MotorStorm," with the old $599 price tag.
_THIS IS AN EX-XBOX: It's called the "red ring of death," and it's the last thing you want to see when you're immersed in a "Halo" tournament. No, it's not some deadly alien weapon; it's the red lights that appear on an Xbox 360 when it's about to crash. Two years after the console's debut, it appears that more 360 users are getting stuck in the ring.
Internet chatter over the 360's failure rate has been increasing recently, although Microsoft won't reveal how many of its customers have sent their consoles in for repairs. But anecdotal evidence pointed to a growing problem, with one Web site reporting that Microsoft was running low on "coffins," the boxes that the company uses to ship broken and repaired consoles back and forth.
Microsoft has finally acknowledged the issue. Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, said: "We don't think we've been getting the job done. In the past few months, we have been having to make Xbox 360 console repairs at a rate too high for our liking." The company is extending 360 warranties to three years, and estimates the repairs could cost over $1 billion.
What went wrong? Microsoft wouldn't give specifics, but did say it had made some manufacturing changes so that newer Xboxes don't have the same problems. Most bloggers think overheating is the issue, and have suggested all sorts of solutions, from the obvious (don't leave it running too long) to the fanciful (suspend your Xbox from the ceiling).
_BATTLE OF THE BANDS: Beatles vs. Stones. Nirvana vs. Pearl Jam. And now, perhaps the greatest rock rivalry ever: "Guitar Hero III" vs. "Rock Band."
The champion of music games returns later this month with "Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the '80s," while "Guitar Hero III" is due in October. To keep up the momentum, publisher RedOctane (now part of Activision) is sending the franchise on the road as part of Korn's Family Values tour.
The traveling hard-rock festival will now feature a "GH" competition in which eight local finalists at each stop will face off onstage. Korn vocalist Jonathan Davis, who has admitted to playing a lot of "GH" on the band's bus, said, "We are stoked to have them on the tour."
Meanwhile, buzz has been building for MTV Games'"Rock Band," from the same development team that created the original "Guitar Hero.""Rock Band" adds bass, drum and guitar to the formula, and it's probably the hottest title at E3.
Both companies are promising the best set lists ever. "Guitar Hero III" has the Rolling Stones and Smashing Pumpkins; "Rock Band" has the Who and David Bowie. Oddly enough, each game has a different Weezer song.
_NEW IN STORES: Square Enix revives a classic outer-space shoot-'em-up in "Project Sylpheed: Arc of Deception," for the Xbox 360. ... Atlus' Game Boy adventure "Riviera: The Promised Land" gets a graphics upgrade on its way to the PlayStation Portable. ... Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova and 14 other pros go portable in Namco Bandai's "Smash Court Tennis 3," for the PSP.
By ; LOU KESTEN, Associated Press Writer
Via : www.sfgate.com
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