QuickJump QuickPeek 85: Burning down the house, the stats, and the prices?
Time for that day of the week when you get all the biggest news and tidbits that came out the past weekend in QJ that you might have missed for one reason or another. There’s a lot of GamesCom 2009 updates right here, nothing unusual about that given that the event opens next week. We also still have a healthy spate of rumors pertaining to the console price cuts, particularly because the NPD results are out, and it does look like it will take a mighty slash off the current prices to revitalize the scene. Not all would agree, however. Why don’t you jump in and see for yourself what went down in your favorite blogs? We’ve got it all filled up to the brim for you.
Time for that day of the week when you get all the biggest news and tidbits that came out the past seven days in QJ that you might have missed for one reason or another. There’s a lot of GamesCom 2009 updates right here, nothing unusual about that given that the event opens next week.
We also still have a healthy spate of rumors pertaining to the console price cuts, particularly because the NPD results are out, and it does look like it will take a mighty slash off the current prices to revitalize the scene. Not all would agree, however.
Why don’t you jump in and see for yourself what went down in your favorite blogs? We’ve got it all filled up to the brim for you.
They handed us the walkthrough vid, we saw the specs sheet, we’ve seen more features, we’ve even got a new rumor about how much the games will cost. One look at the signs will tell you that the PSP Go is coming to town soon. You can even pre-order it now on GameStop. Catch all of that and more news from the PSP block right here on the PSP Weekend Warrior.
Link: PSP Weekend Warrior
The new breed of PSP games may have come protected with the new OFW 5.55, but just because it comes with new security features doesn’t mean an old bag of tricks won’t work on it. The Medal of Honor Heroes exploit from 5.51 was found to work on the new OFW, so if you have a copy of that game, an eLoader is now in the works so you won’t have to worry about 5.55 getting in the way of your homebrew. Also, lots of great apps got updated earlier this week, so be sure to check ’em out as well.
Link: PSP Homebrew Weekend Warrior
The hunt for the elusive PS3 Slim continues as more rumors and rumor-fueling info churn up into the scene. With GamesCom coming up, we’re getting closer to getting our answers. Will it be a PS3 Slim? A price cut? Will it be both? Or will we wind up with the line of the year (We don’t comment on rumors and speculation)? I don’t think the last one will be the case. In the meantime though, you can update yourself with the latest in the rumor saga right here.
Link: PS3 Weekend Warrior
There’s a lot that went on for Microsoft this week. Not only did they game assets/ data revealed, they also have movie adaptations of their games to look forward to, as well as new online features for the XBL. And what’s this? A hundred bucks’ worth of price cut on the Elite unit? Maybe that’s why they’re not too worried about the rumored PS3 price cut, cos they’re gonna get a headstart on it? We’ll see when it happens. But in the meantime, catch all of that and more in this issue of the Xbox 360 Weekend Warrior.
Link: Xbox 360 Weekend Warrior
Despite five months of hurting sales, Nintendo still manages to come out on top of the drop, largely thanks to Wii Sports Resort and possibly the Wii MotionPlus that comes with it. Speaking of new controllers, we’ve got the Wii Vitality Sensor and a funny Wii horseback riding controller on the spotlight as well. Get all the goods on those, plus news of Japanese releases flying West in this edition of the Nintendo Weekend Warrior.
Link: WiiDS Weekend Warrior
We’ve got the latest chapter in the 8GB iPhone 3GS rumors earlier this week, but it still leaves us with no pertinent info when or if Apple is indeed planning to add to the 32GB and 16GB models of the iPhone 3GS. That may be so, but in the meantime, you can still fill your existing iPhone with the games and apps that we’ve got covered in this edition of the iPhone Weekend Warrior.
Link: iPhone Weekend Warrior
Industry:
Everyone’s gotten keener about these results, don’t you think? Whereas before it’s just another numbers list, now it is a clear reflection of the dire situation that the gaming industry is in, thanks to the continuing economic crisis.
So, what’s the damage for the month of July? First of all, can I just say that Pachter practically hit it on the head with the numbers when he said the hardwares will see a 36% year-on-year decline. NPD pegged it at 37%. Impressive, huh? Again, Pachter’s still rallying for that price cut, practically sentencing all hardware devs to finally get it over and done with if they really want to improve the scenario. However, one analyst dared to say this is not necessarily the answer to the problem.
Link: Pachter: July NPD results will see a narrowing decline, but a decline nonetheless
Link: Price cuts might not be enough to help declining numbers, says analyst
Link: NPD results out: Industry down by 29%; Wii Sports Resorts, DS reign
No reason to grin for GRIN studios here anymore as they just officially announced that they have shut down for good. However, the talented folks in GRIN need not remain sober as they’ve already gone ahead and put up their own new studio, Outbreak Studios.
Link: From GRIN to grim – GRIN officially shuts down, ex-members form Outbreak Studios
We have another expert telling us that something is wrong with us because we like playing video games. This time, a psychiatrist alleges that handheld consoles actually perpetuate loneliness, or is somehow connected to it. Yeah, like the iPod is not, like the TV is not, like stuffing yourself with ice cream in the middle of the night is not.
Link: Psychiatrist connects handheld consoles to loneliness
And now for your weekly dose of “Holy Crap, Man, You’re Sick!” portion, a fully-gown man in Japan, aged 29, accidentally burned down his own mother’s home after his mother trashed his precious Gundam precious collection. “Accidental” because what he really wanted to do was to kill himself. I believe he ran out of the house when he smelled smoke coming from right under him.
Link: 29-year-old burns house down after mom trashes his Gundam collection
GamesCom 2009:
And now for the GamesCom 2009 update. It’s opening in but a few winks, folks, so get ready to have your fill on the latest, juiciest gaming items from the devs hawking their wares. Here’s the list from the past week of companies confirmed to attend the event, complete with their games.
- EA GamesCom 2009 games to include Bad Company 2, Dante’s Inferno, Brutal Legend, more top titles Link
- Sony’s Game conference just over an hour long, new schedule details announced Link
- Square Enix brass attend GamesCom 2009 Link
- Capcom’s GamesCom lineup: Lost Planet 2, Dark Void, more Link
- Namco Bandai to bring strong lineup to GamesCom 2009 Link
Till next week! Keep ’em jumping!
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