Another PS3 Price Cut Coming From Sony?

According to research company iSuppli Sony may make another price cut on the PS3.

"We anticipate Sony will have another price slash on the PS3 this year, and come Christmas, consumers who originally bought the Wii will likely purchase the PS3," analyst Pamela Tufegdzic told Reuters.

Apparently, titles like Metal Gear Solid 4 and Gran Turismo 5 are supposed to move a lot of systems, especially since the former is going to be bundled with one come June. The recent victory of Blu-Ray could also help as the major movie studios formerly supporting HD-DVD start releasing previously exclusive movies. Sony is still losing money on each PS3, but they said they expect manufacturing costs to drop below sales prices in 2008. With the big name games and movies, a lower price could provide the momentum they need to take the top spot this Christmas.

Does this mean you should hold on to your money if you haven’t bought a PS3 yet? Maybe. It certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea to wait for the MGS4 bundle in June, but if you want a bigger price cut, you might have to wait till Christmas. Besides, no one has specified which model will receive the price slash. Sony has like eight different PS3 models floating around out there, they might cut the price on one of the gimped models to make some extra cash.

iSuppli didn’t seem to give any reason why they think Wii owners will pony up for a PS3 and not an Xbox 360. Maybe it’s because so many people already have the “Wii60” combo.
From  : Cinema Blend - USA

Review: Naruto Ninja Council (Nintendo DS)

It seems that pint-sized ninja warrior Naruto is a popular game character at the moment as there are no less than three Naruto games out currently on three different platforms (DS, PS2 and Xbox 360).

The first page of Ninja Council's manual trumpets the game's ambitions: "Aim to be the best by completing more than 40 different missions! Choose from up to 20 characters to take part in the exciting action and make your way through vast stages."

Now, I'm no fan of the Japanese anime series, so perhaps I'm handicapped by that, but Ninja Council just didn't capture my interest at all. In fact, it bored me to tears.

At its heart, the 2D side-scrolling game is a brawler but it's just a little too confusing and simplistic at times and just smacks of milking the Naruto licence for all it's worth.

There is no overall story, just one-off missions where you have to complete specific tasks or defeat foes using special fighting moves.

The game's real strength lies in its multiplayer campaign, but I just don't think there is enough here to justify a purchase, especially with some far better Naruto games out there.

Save your pennies for something that is more worthy of your time and effort.

Form : Stuff.co.nz - New Zealand

Nintendo & Square Enix talk WiiWare Support

With Nintendo’s WiiWare download service set to launch in Japan later this month and across North America during May, Nintendo itself and one of the biggest supporters, Square Enix, have both gone on record to talk about their plans, some of the issues involved and various other aspects of WiiWare.

First on the cards during the Game Developers’ Conference was Square Enix. Producer Toshiro Tsuchida, stated that the company did not become the world’s bigger RPG developer by taking too many risks. Instead, since the massive success of Final Fantasy VII, the formula has not changed much, with big budgets, huge teams, two-to-four year development cycles and an emphasis on visual arts being the way forward for them. However, the advent of the WiiWare service has flipped that whole idea on its head, with Square Enix bringing the lower budget, quickly developed Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As A King coming into existance. Tsuchida-san and Programmer Fumiaki Shiraishi both went on to discuss lessons learned from creating such a small game for the download service.

The new entry into the Crystal Chronicles series, which began on the GameCube and is set to continue on Nintendo DS later this month, will launch alongside WiiWare on 12th May and although it may well appear to be an a-typical Final Fantasy adventure, the game actually goes off at quite a tangent, with it being a simulation effort, where you take on the role of a city’s King, must build up your town with the help of its inhabitants, ordering them around to gather necessary resources, and looking after your estate in a proper fashion, whilst also protecting it from intruders.

As Toshiro Tsuchida says, “You can’t use high-quality CG as a weapon on WiiWare. We wanted to maintain our original strengths, though. That was a huge challenge for us - maintaining the qualities that players expect from “Square Enix games.” Whilst the English-fluent Programmer Fumiaki Shiraishi added that “I wanted to try to make a game that did not rely on volume,” which fits perfectly with the constraints of WiiWare games and the lack of external hard-drive for Wii. After all, long-term Squaresoft and Enix fans will argue that some of the respective companies’ efforts came from their NES, SNES and Game Boy efforts, all platforms that forced developers to rely on substance rather than aesthetics.

Initially the project started back in September 2006, with barely any information, a target price of $10 and the aim to release it by Summer 2007. Therefore, everything was crafted using old assets during the first three months, with a story and scenario wrapped around it before new assets were eventually created in the next three months of the development cycle. To aid with the process, Nintendo offered up a new script language called Squirrel, and a middleware library called NintendoWare. This proved to be a first for the RPG heavyweight company since, as Shiraishi said, “At Square Enix, we don’t…use other people’s code, but since we were aiming for a Summer 2007 launch, I had to streamline the development process.”

From : Nintendic - USA

[Nintendo Wii Media] New We Ski Screenshots

10 new screenshots for We Ski on Nintendo Wii have been added to our gallery. You will be redirected to the gallery automatically in 10 seconds, or you may view it now by clicking this link.

Microsoft 'Vista Capable' debacle points to Intel

Pressure from Intel led Microsoft to lower the requirements for computers qualifying for a "Vista Capable" badge, even though internal e-mails show the company knew Vista would not work correctly.

Internal Microsoft e-mails (large PDF), which have been disclosed due to a class action lawsuit against the software company, reveal the tangle of chaos.

Originally, in order to qualify for a "Vista Capable" badge, Microsoft had stipulated that PCs required the Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) -- a graphic driver able to display Vista's Aero interface. However, after pressure from Intel, the company decided to loosen the specifications.

In a February 2006 e-mail, Microsoft's Will Johnson explained what was to lie under the hood of Vista Capable machines: "We have removed the WDDM requirement for Vista Capable machines, the modern CPU and 512 RAM requirements remain intact but the specific component that enables the graphical elements of Windows Vista has been removed."

Johnson was aware of the problems the move could cause: "From my standpoint, the potential issue this creates is placing more machines that while Vista capable logo'd will ultimately not be able to deliver the full Vista experience if the customer chooses to upgrade at launch."

The change of heart was due to pressure from Intel, according to an e-mail sent by Microsoft general manager John Kalkman. He revealed that the decision was made because Intel wanted to continue selling its 915 chipset, which was unable to properly operate Aero.

"In the end we lowered the requirement to help Intel make their quarterly earning so they could continue to sell motherboards with 915 graphics embedded," Kalkman wrote.

In the same month, fellow employee Mike Ybarra e-mailed his violent disagreement: "I am passionate about this and believe this decision is a mistake," he said. "We are allowing Intel to drive our consumer experience," he said. "I don't understand why we would cave in on this when the potential to drive the full UI experience is right in front of us."

Kalkman admitted the change created confusion in the market: "It was a mistake on our part to change the original graphics requirements. This created confusion in the industry on how important the aspect of visual computing would play as a feature set to new Windows Vista upgraders. We will take this learning into Win7 planning."

One Microsoft VP, Mike Nash, expressed his displeasure, calling on personal experience. "I personally got bummed by the Intel 915 chipset issue on a laptop," he said. "I know that I chose my laptop (A Sony TX770P) because it had the Vista logo and was pretty disappointed that it not only wouldn't' run Glass, but more importantly wouldn’t run Movie Maker ... I now have a [US]$2,100 e-mail machine."

Microsoft VP Steven Sinofsky, writing to CEO Steve Ballmer, said the Intel 945 chipset caused problems: "[Intel's] 945 chipset, which is the baseline Vista set "barely" works right now and is very broadly used," he said. "Hopes are on the next chipset rather than this one."

To make matters worse, the marketing of what exactly "Vista Capable" machines could do was not clear. In an e-mail discussing strong Wal-Mart criticism on the lowering of Vista Capable standards, Microsoft VP Steve Shiro said: "This feedback has been consistent from all retailers around the world. We should not let consumers or retailers have to decipher what Windows Vista Capable means."

In response to request for comment, Microsoft issued this statement.

"We included the 915 chipset as part of the Windows Vista Capable program based on successful testing of beta versions of Windows Vista on the chipset and the broad availability of the chipset in the market.

Computers equipped with this chipset were and are capable of being upgraded to Windows Vista Home Basic. Microsoft authorised the use of the Premium Ready designation on PCs that could support premium features of Windows Vista."

Microsoft reduces cost of Vista
In a move designed to boost sales of Vista, Microsoft has announced it will reduce the cost of buying a standalone version of its operating system.

"Stand-alone retail sales, while not representing a large percentage of the business, represents an area of opportunity for additional growth the company sees based on the new editions introduced in 2007," the company said.

The changes will coincide with the global release of Windows Vista SP 1 later this year -- though some markets will score the reduced prices sooner as a result of promotions.

Most Australian Vista prices will take a fall according to an Australian spokesperson for Microsoft. Vista Business Full edition will drop AU$116 to AU$449, although the Upgrade edition will keep its price of AU$379. Vista Home Basic Upgrade will be reduced AU$50 to AU$149, while the Full edition will cost AU$299 instead of AU$385. Home Premium Upgrade will sell at AU$199, down from AU$299 and the Premium Full edition will fall AU$106 to AU$349. Vista Ultimate Upgrade only goes down AU$94 to AU$399, but the Full Edition will be slashed AU$302 to AU$449.Windows, Vistsa

Intel Lowers Gross Profit Margin Outlook

SAN JOSE, Calif. (Map, News) - Intel Corp. lowered its profit forecast for its fiscal first quarter Monday, blaming the shortfall on a steeper-than-expected drop in prices for memory chips.

The Santa Clara-based company, the world's largest semiconductor maker, said slumping prices for a type of memory called NAND flash depressed profits more than anticipated. NAND flash is commonly used in portable electronic devices like digital cameras and MP3 players.

Intel said its gross profit margin - a key measure of profitability that gauges a company's ability to control manufacturing costs - would come in at 54 percent of revenues, plus or minus a percentage point. That's down from its previous forecast of 56 percent, plus or minus a couple percentage points.

The company said its other guidance had not changed, including its expectation of revenue between $9.4 billion and $10 billion for the quarter. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial on average expect Intel to ring up sales of $9.7 billion.

The company is expected to provide more details on the shortfall Wednesday during a meeting with investors at its Silicon Valley headquarters.

Intel's announcement reflects a trend that has benefited makers of personal computers and electronic gadgets but cut into chip makers' profits.

Intel's primary business is making microprocessors - the brains of personal computers - but it also makes memory chips. The company's microprocessor business is thriving from robust PC demand, but Monday's announcement illustrates that Intel is still vulnerable to swings in the volatile memory market, which has been under intense pricing pressure because of oversupply.

Other companies have also been hurt by falling memory-chip prices.

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest manufacturer of memory chips, saw its profit sink more than 6 percent last year, dragged down by plunging prices for NAND flash chips and DRAM, or dynamic random access memory, the most common type of memory chip in personal computers.

Analysts are warning the pressure could continue into 2008 because of global economic uncertainty that is causing companies to clamp down on spending.

NAND flash makers are likely to look back "with nostalgia" on 2007, a year in which sales grew more than 12 percent to $13.9 billion, according to market research firm iSuppli Corp.

Last month the firm cut its 2008 forecast for NAND revenue growth from 27 percent to the single-digit range. The move was triggered by iPod maker Apple Inc. apparently slashing its NAND order forecast, warning suppliers that it would likely buy fewer of the chips because of slowing growth in demand, according to iSuppli.

Intel is the fifth largest maker of NAND flash, behind Samsung, Toshiba Corp., Hynix Semiconductor Inc. and Micron Technology Inc., according to a ranking by iSuppli.

Intel has benefited from making a quicker transition to a new chip-making process than its smaller rival, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. The two compete primarily in the market for microprocessors.

The new manufacturing process shrinks the size of the circuitry on the chips to an average width of 45 nanometers - or 45 billionths of a meter - which clears the way to add more transistors to each chip, which improves performance.

Intel made nearly $7 billion in fiscal 2007, which ended in December, an improvement of roughly $2 billion over 2006, when the company was hurt by a fierce price battle with AMD. AMD, meanwhile, lost nearly $3.4 billion last year, dragged down primarily by expenses from a costly acquisition.

Shares of Intel gained 4 cents to $20.01 during the regular trading session Monday, before falling 46 cents to $19.55 in after-hours trading following the announcement.

Form : Examiner.com - USA

Intel introduces a low-power, Austin-designed processor

Atom will power inexpensive laptops and wireless devices

By Kirk Ladendorf
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Intel Corp. on Monday put some weight behind the forthcoming launch of its low-power, Austin-designed processor, code-named Silverthorne.

The world's largest chip company designated Silverthorne and its related chips as part of a new product family to be known as Atom, which is aimed at two emerging markets: hand-held Internet access devices and small, low-cost laptop computers. Intel expects both of those markets to be part of what drives its sales growth.

The launch of the new chips is still a few months away, but Intel officials said Monday that the new Atom product family signals how much importance the company is placing on its Austin-designed chips. The new chips can run Windows software, and they consume about 1/20th the electrical power of Intel's most popular chips. The Atom processors will consume 0.6 watts to 2.5 watts of power depending on how fast they run, compared with Intel's Core 2 Duo processors that consume about 35 watts of power.

"We are signaling to the market that this chip family is different enough and important enough to warrant its own brand," company spokesman Bill Calder said.

Intel's Austin design team began work on Silverthorne in 2004 to create a chip with exceptionally low power consumption to make it suitable for portable devices that would primarily connect to the Internet over wireless data networks.

Analysts say the new chips are expected to go into products that cost less than $300.

Intel executives said that the chip — with its simplified design — is its smallest and lowest-power processor yet. Eleven unpackaged Atom chips would fit in an area about the size of a penny, which indicates the chip will be inexpensive to manufacture.

"This is pretty significant," said analyst Dean McCarron of Mercury Research in Cave Creek, Ariz. "Atom is not a traditional product, and it really needed is own category and its own name."

Intel wants the chips to be used to create new growth markets, but it doesn't want Atom to cannibalize its existing business, McCarron said.

The market interest in the new category was sparked by the successful introduction of the Eee PC low-cost minilaptop late last year by Taiwan's Asustek Computer Inc. When sales of the Eee took off, industry insiders were convinced that there is pent-up demand for ultraportable Web access devices that are small and cheap.

"The Eee PC was a hero product," McCarron said. "It caught a number of people by surprise."

Form : Austin American-Statesman - Austin,TX,USA

Asus EeePC successor with 8.9 inch display to be announced at CeBIT

I just recently bought a Fujitsu U810 UMPC to serve as my mobile computing device, but have been seriously looking at the Asus EeePC as another alternative for my daily 2+ hour commuting needs. Engadget has pics of the Asus EeePC 900 that is supposed to be officially announced tomorrow at the CeBIT show in Germany. DailyTech also has a few more details, including a photo of the new model. The Asus EeePC 900 looks very similar to the current EeePC, but has an 8.9 inch display (current model has a 7 inch display) and up to 12GB of internal flash memory. Apparently, this new model may launch at a cost of EUR399 this summer. I’ll keep my eye out for the press release that should have more details on the specifications.

My only concerns with buying a current model is the 800×480 resolution and lack of Bluetooth. 1024×600 is really the minimum resolution to be acceptable for web browsing without constant scrolling and I need Bluetooth to connect to my 3G mobile phones for connectivity. I am also very happy with the 4+ hours of battery life on my Fujitsu U810. Do you have an Asus EeePC and would you recommend it?

Form : ZDNet - USA

ASUS to sell Eee PC with XP

in brief Taiwanese PC manufacturer ASUS is planning to release a version of its educational UMPC, the Eee PC, running Windows XP this month.

ASUS has released a statement saying the Windows XP version of Eee PC will be available to educational institutions through a special tender, and through retailers.

A spokesperson for ASUS said that the company had chosen to offer the Eee PC with Windows due to customer demand.

"Windows XP was specifically chosen due to its built in hardware driver compatibility, meeting users demands when adding hardware peripherals," the spokesperson said.

The ASUS Eee PC.

The first version of the Eee PC runs on the Xandros Linux distribution and was released in Australia in December last year. This version model remain available.

ASUS is yet to confirm if the Eee PC running Windows XP will be more expensive than the model running the Xandros OS. The original Eee PC retails for AU$499.

Form : Builder AU - Australia

ASUS Showcases 8.9-inch Eee PC 900

The much awaited memory and screen update to the popular Eee PC in its v2.

ASUS had on display at CeBIT the new Eee PC called the Eee PC 900. Although the ASUS officials didn't allow to boot the machine up, we still have much of the hardware details. But the biggest question which everyone has on their mind continues to be which mobile chipset and processor is the Eee PC 900 equipped with? Is it the Atom?

What we do know currently is that Eee PC 900 will feature an 8.9-inch LCD with a screen resolution of 1024 x 600. This increase in size has little impact on the overall dimensions of the device. Also, the new Eee PC sports a larger touchpad (Nice!). It's claimed that battery life won't be affected due to these minor hardware changes, we'll wait and see.

ASUS Eee PC 900 12G

More precise details would be available in the next couple of days. ASUS has revealed that the Eee PC 900 12G model will see a mid-2008 release with a price of approx. $600!

Source: DailyTech

ASUS Launches New Lamborghini Notebooks.

ASUS announced the launch of their new notebook solutions in the Lamborghini series, which is one of the most expensive product series from this maker. Lamborghini notebooks are known first of all for their design. They are styled to match the design of a well-known Italian sports car brand.

While all previous solutions in the ASUS Lamborghini family were positioned as desktop replacements, the new mobile systems will belong to an ultra-compact class. The Lamborghini VX3 encompasses a 12.1" widescreen and luxurious materials, including a sapphire crystal webcam panel, titanium alloy hinge backbone and the premium leather-bound palm rest for a perfect visual and tactile experience.

The hardware of Lamborghini VX3 will remain of exceptionally high quality. The Centrino platform it is based on will be represented by a 45nm Core 2 Duo T9300 processor with 2.5GHz frequency and 6MB L2 cache, Intel PM965 chipset and Intel Next-Gen wireless N (4965ABGN 802.11N) network component. The notebook uses discrete graphics based on GeForce 9300 chip with 256MB of graphics memory. It will also have a 320GB hard disk drive. The notebook, of course, will be designed for Windows Vista and will be equipped with 4GB DDR2-667 SDRAM.

It will also feature a dual-layer, Lightscribe-compatible optical drive, a webcam and integrated 3.5G cellular connectivity.

The notebook accessories bundle will be traditionally rich and by default will include a Lamborghini Mouse, Mouse pad and Carry Bag.