Nintendo dominates video game hardware sales in July

As always, when video game industry research firm The NPD Group puts out its monthly numbers, each of the big hardware companies--Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony--find their own unique positive spin, regardless what the numbers show.

But with the July numbers, which were released Thursday, there's little question that Nintendo gets the biggest bragging rights.

That's because, according to NPD, Nintendo's DS handheld gaming machine and its Wii console far outsold any competition from Sony or Microsoft.

NPD reported that the DS sold 608,400 units in July, while the Wii moved 555,000 machines. No other gaming device even made it to 300,000.

These days, however, it's no surprise when the Wii leaves its competitors in the dust. Microsoft and Sony both find ways to claim next-generation console supremacy, but more and more you hear them taking the position that the Wii is not in the same category of machine as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Which, in all honesty, is probably a fair thing to say. But since both Microsoft and Sony originally lumped the Wii in with their own machines, it's a little disingenuous when they do make the argument.
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Extreme gamers padding video game industry's bottom line

The video game industry had better thank its lucky stars that hardcore gamers do what they do.

According to a report issued Monday morning by industry analyst firm, The NPD Group, the most active group of players, which it termed "extreme gamers", devote more than a full-time job's work week to their avocation. But they don't get insurance benefits for their efforts.

Rather, NPD's "Games Segmentation 2008" report explained that extreme gamers put in an average of 45 hours a week playing games, and, even better--for the video game industry's coffers--bought a whopping 24 titles in the last three months.

True, these committed gamers make up just 3 percent of the 174 million that NPD said play on PCs or Macs or dedicated video game machines. Still, that means 5.22 million people out there are putting in serious amounts of time gaming away. And if you stop and think about the dollars they're spending, if they're buying 24 games every three months, it's kind of breathtaking.

The NPD report identified seven different segments of gamers, including our extreme friends. The others include 9 percent who are "avid PC gamers", 17 percent who are console gamers, 14 percent who are online PC gamers, 15 percent who are offline PC gamers, 22 percent who are "young heavy gamers", and 20 percent who are "secondary" gamers.
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The new Lara Croft: More agile than ever

Gamers can dream that Angelina Jolie will one day take her cinematic Lara Croft into the video game world. But for now, they'll have to make do with the lovely Alison Carroll, a competitive UK gymnast who looks downright sporting in her multiple-holstered, black-booted garb.

Carroll, 23, will be the real-life incarnation of the famed game heroine at promotions for the series' latest installment, Tomb Raider: Underworld.

Game creator Eidos Interactive says Carroll embodies the essence of Croft--"brawn, brains, and beauty" (and er, bustiness, perhaps?). The company says Tomb Raider: Underworld has upped the ante on Croft's athleticism, and the character will tackle her trademark high adventures with movements and skills reminiscent of a highly skilled gymnast.
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Rumor: iPod touch to get 64GB, GPS

More Apple rumors, this time with the iPod touch getting some TLC worship. We already know, in the space of a few days, that an iPhone nano's in the pipes, that the iPod nano might get even slimmer and more colors, et al. Now, it appears the iPod touch will get bumped up to 64GB in storage size (present offerings are in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB capacities) and possibly even turn-by-turn GPS. All plausible hearsay if, going by iPhoneAtlas' observation, the beta 2.1 firmware contains references to an unreleased iPod touch hitherto known as "iPod2,1". The current player has the model designation "iPod1,1". But seriously, does anyone get the feeling Apple's really the one cranking the rumor mill and we're all unwitting players in the Great Apple Manipulation?

Via Macrumors

Report: iPhone nano to ring in the holidays

You can expect an iPhone nano to be on the shelves in time for the holiday shopping season, according to a report on the UK's Daily Mail Web site Sunday.

The report, which cited "an industry source", said the product will launch in the UK by mobile phone operator O2 for the pay-as-you-go market, but offered no clue when or if it would be launched in the US.

The report seems to indicate the iPhone nano would be a dumb-down version of the current iPhone 3G.

"The iPhone 3G has been the fastest-selling phone ever in the UK, but it is too expensive to be a realistic proposition in the pay-as-you-go market," the source told the newspaper. "However, a cut-down version, with the candybar shape of iPod nano music players, would be a huge hit as a Christmas gift."

The newspaper suggests that the new iPhone nano could have a touch wheel interface on one side and a screen on the other, meaning that calls would be dialed from behind and lack full Internet browsing functionality.

If this all sounds a bit familiar, it's because this rumor was floating around last year. Considering the wild success of the iPhone and Apple's plans for a family of iPhones, a move like this certainly makes sense. Whether Apple is ready to do it soon seems to be a bigger question.
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