KenEnter Blog

Modern Warfare 2 hits 10 million units sold

2009-11-23T11:49:00.001+07:00

VGChartz reported last week that around 8.6 million units of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 were sold in the first week (five days of sales) after selling around 6.4 million units on the first day. As many should have predicted from this ratio of day one to week one sales, week two saw an enormous dropoff of around 80%. This puts week two sales at around 1.7 million units - more than many games sell in their first week - and takes total sales to date over 10 million units in just twelve days of release.

With five weeks of the year left, VGChartz estimates that total sales for 2009 should hit around 14.5 million units by December 31st and should position Modern Warfare 2 as the number 1 seller on PS3 and number 2 on Xbox 360 (behind Halo 3) - with just 7 weeks of sales.

Nintendo DSi LL set loose in Japan

2009-11-23T11:48:00.001+07:00

Feels nice when a company keeps its promises, doesn't it? Nintendo said it'd have the newly bulked up DSi LL out in Japan for November 21, and shockingly enough that's exactly what's happened. Eager Japanese upgraders have today gotten their mitts on the 4.2-inch (both screens, of course) device, while similarly inclined European and American Nintendo lovers are once again left to envy from afar. Their helping of jumbo DSi, to be known as the XL, will be showing up some time in the first quarter of 2010, long after bragging rights and gift-giving holiday occasions have passed. We're not sure whether to consider it consolation or cruelty, but you'll find a gallery containing close-ups of the new machine Here.

Apple Tablets delayed ’til 2H 2010, OLED & LCD versions planned?

2009-11-20T12:03:00.002+07:00

The perennial Apple Tablet rumor gets another kink in the tale today, with gossip-gluttons DigiTimes reporting that the company has pushed back the predicted early-2010 launch – which they peg as March – into the second half of the year. They’re also quoting component manufacturers who tip not one but two Apple Tablets with similarly sized displays: a 10.6-inch LCD TFT and a 9.7-inch OLED version, the latter likely being supplied by LG Display as part of their ongoing five-year $500m panel deal.

There are also some price predictions floating around. Based on a 9.7-inch OLED panel being priced at around $500, and displays generally accounting for 30-percent of a device’s total cost, DigiTimes’ sources are estimating the OLED model will come in at $1,500 to $1,700 at point of launch, with a roughly $2,000 market price. That’s expected to drop several hundred dollars as the OLED technology comes down in price, a partial factor to Apple’s delay later into 2010, they claim.

As for the 10.6-inch Apple Tablet with the more traditional LCD TFT panel, that’s expected to drop at a far more reasonable $800 to $1,000. There’s also the possibility of carrier subsidies for integrated 3G on both models. Foxconn, Quanta and Pegatron are all tipped as manufacturing partners.

Dell Studio 17 Touch adds multitouch to monster notebook

2009-11-20T11:59:00.001+07:00

If you fancy one of Dell’s new multitouch capable computers, but want both the portability of a notebook and the scale of a desktop, then the new Dell Studio 17 Touch might fit the bill. As the name suggests, the notebook has a 17.3-inch 1,600 x 900 display with mutlitouch support, as well as up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, processors ranging from 2.1GHz Pentium dual-core T4300 up through to Core i7 processors, and of course Windows 7 as the OS.

There’s also up to 1TB of 7,200rpm HDD storage, GMA 4500MHD graphics (with discrete graphics an option) and WiFi b/g/n. Ports include several USB 2.0, a USB/eSATA combo, HDMI and DisplayPort, along with VGA and FireWire. The whole thing weighs a not-particularly-rucksack-friendly 7.08lbs.

All of that starts from $899 with a 6-cell battery, though expect to pay far in excess of a grand if you want a significantly faster processor. Still, the large-screen multitouch options are in short supply, so the Dell Studio 17 Touch is likely to find quite a few interested buyers.

ASUS' Ion-packing Eee PC 1201N gets official, gets handled (video)

2009-11-20T11:52:00.000+07:00

It was late-August when we first got word of a new addition to the Eee PC lineup, the 12-inch, Ion-smuggling Eee PC 1201N. ASUS has just now confirmed the thing and a few sites have rather coincidentally posted hands-on impressions of it -- but let's go over those specs one more time before we dive into that, shall we? It has a 12.1-inch, 1366 x 768 LED-backlit display (that's sadly glossy), a dual-core Atom 330 processor at 1.6GHz, 2 or 3GB of DDR2 memory, either a 250 or 320GB HDD, a six-cell battery, and Windows 7 Premium. All that for just $499 which, to us, sounds like a stupendously good deal. So, those impressions? They seem intentionally brief, as if nobody's quite allowed to give real opinions, but a short video below from Laptop shows off the sleek, Seashell-style design from all angles. Surely more thorough coverage will be online before the latest netbook hits retail sometime in mid-December.

C-motech Mangrove WinMo UMPC hands-on

2009-11-20T11:51:00.001+07:00

We’d forgive you for having forgotten about C-motech’s Mangrove UMPC; after all, the market for a 7-inch touchscreen tablet running Windows Mobile 6.5 is hardly vast. Still, we were interested to see the unit at Qualcomm’s event today, though its tubby form-factor was a whole lot less impressive when sat next to the Quanta Android Smartbook.

Being based on the 1GHz Snapdragon chipset, the Mangrove is around as powerful as the Quanta Smartbook; however, and as we’ve seen with the HTC HD2 Microsoft’s smartphone platform can certainly whip along when it has that many spare CPU cycles to play with. In use it certainly felt snappy, but we missed the HD2’s capacitive touchscreen – C-motech have used a resistive panel – and the resolution appears to still be WVGA 800 x 480 so you’re not really gaining a huge amount display-wise for the extra inches.

What you do get is a pair of USB ports which turns the Mangrove into a pretty decent netbook-alternative, plus integrated WiFi, 3G and WiMAX. Niche is certainly our lasting impression of the C-motech slate, though we’ll need to know final pricing before we can give a final judgement.

Modern Warfare 2 tops entertainment industry, not just games

2009-11-19T13:11:00.003+07:00

If you think Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has had a major impact on just the video game industry, you may need to adjust your expectations.

According to Activision Blizzard, the game's publisher, Modern Warfare 2 has set records across the entire entertainment industry.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the "biggest entertainment launch in history," Activision said in a statement. In its first five days of availability, the game set a worldwide record with about $550 million in sales, according to internal Activision figures. It's impressive. But more impressive is the list of launches that it beat out.

In the first five days of availability, Modern Warfare 2 has eclipsed the largest worldwide box-office opening, held by "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," which tallied $394 million over its first five days. It also beat "The Dark Knight," which holds the U.S. box-office record with $203.8 million in first five-day sales.

The game also narrowly trumped Grand Theft Auto IV, which captured $500 million in sales in its first five days of availability.

In other words, Modern Warfare 2 has had a major release.

The game's success also translated to major numbers on Xbox Live. Activision reported that "more than 5.2 million multiplayer hours were logged playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on the first day alone." On November 10, 2.2 million unique gamers played on Xbox Live, setting a new one-day record for the online-gaming platform.

Of course, it should be noted that all these figures come from Activision's internal estimates, which might differ from the NPD Group's official totals when it announces November video-game sales.

But until then, Activision can (rightfully so) celebrate Modern Warfare 2's success. And maybe the video-game industry, which has always received second billing to film in the entertainment space, can finally stake its claim to the top spot. Video games are, based on Modern Warfare 2's success, just as viable an entertainment platform as movies.

Dell's Adamo XPS now on sale starting at $1,799

2009-11-18T11:32:00.004+07:00

Dell's slimmest laptop ever still isn't shipping out to eager consumers, but at least the Win7-packin' Adamo XPS is now configurable over on the outfit's website. The base $1,799 configuration includes a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo SU9400 CPU, a 128GB solid state drive, 13.4-inch WLED panel, 2 megapixel camera, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, GS45 integrated graphics, WiFi and a USB Ethernet adapter. Unfortunately, hardly any of the components are upgradable, but there are a few select upgrades available for those with the cheddar. The scary part? That December 22nd estimated ship date. Better spring for overnight and cross those toes!

Activision: 'Call of Duty' Not Banned in Russia

2009-11-18T11:26:00.000+07:00

Activision Blizzard has reportedly denied that its latest hit game, "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," has been banned in Russia.

"Reports that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has been banned in Russia are erroneous. Activision only released a PC version of the game in Russia which went on sale on Tuesday, Nov. 10," the U.K's Daily Telegraph reported, citing an official company statement.

The game, which has been a monster hit worldwide, reportedly contains a level in which users are asked to play an undercover operative accompanying a band of Russian terrorists, who assault a civilian airport. As expected, reaction to the level in Russia was extremely negative.

However if Google Translate is to be believed, the game was never actually banned in Russia, although the distinction may be a fine one. GotPS3.ru reported that a PC version without the offending level was shipping to stores, with the Russian version of the game delayed for an indefinite period.

CrunchPad is 'steamrolling along,' will cost between $300 and $400

2009-11-16T11:34:00.001+07:00

We're not super familiar with the term "steamrolling along" as it applies to device launches, but apparently it's good news for Michael Arrington's CrunchPad tablet. Mike dropped the news on a recent episode of Steve Gillmor's "Gillmor Gang" podcast (like "Gilmore Girls," but with less inter-generational drama), saying that he's not sure where the rumor of cost being too high came from, since costs continue to come down. The "$300 to $400" price range he's quoting is a bit higher than we'd heard previously, but it still sounds pretty good for a 12-inch touchscreen device. He also made mention of "soft revenue" and "sponsorships" on the device, akin to the revenue Firefox gets from its Google search box, and added that it won't impact the user experience. Outside of those tidbits Mike says they're working on making it "perfect," and that there should be some big news about the device coming shortly. Video is after the break, CrunchPad discussion starts at the 39 minute mark.

HP's 11.6-inch Pavilion DM1 gets unboxed on video

2009-11-14T12:09:00.000+07:00

HP's Pavilion DM1 has been floating around for a few weeks now in various corners of the globe, but now it seems as if the CULV-based machine is splashing down in at least a few lairs. Sporting an 11.6-inch display, a built-in 3G SIM card slot and Windows 7, this thing looks an awful lot like the Mini 311 (and for good reason). Granted, we're still waiting for it to ship here in North America, but if you're too impatient to just wait things out, an unboxing video is posted up just past the break for your enjoyment.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 said to break sales records

2009-11-13T12:41:00.004+07:00

So much for the supposedly unbreakable first-day sales record set last year by Grand Theft Auto IV.

On Thursday, Activision said that its brand-new Call of Duty 2: Modern Warfare, which hit store shelves on Tuesday, had "shattered" the previous record for opening-day sales by an entertainment property, earning $310 million in North America and the U.K. alone. That equates to 4.7 million copies of the new game sold in those regions, and, if true, would eclipse the previous first-day sales record of $310 million globally, which GTA IV set in May of 2008.

Given that GTA IV had nearly doubled the previous record of $170 million, set by Halo 3, I wondered at the time whether its new mark was unassailable. Clearly, the new Call of Duty has answered that question, and loudly.

Now, we have to ask once again whether there could be another challenger for the crown. It would be foolish, it seems, to conclude that there won't be, given the dominance of franchises like Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Grand Theft Auto itself, and, of course, Call of Duty.

A bigger question could be: Why do we care? That's especially true given how frequently these mega-records are broken. Still, it's hard not to get worked up about what it means for a single video game title to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in a single 24-hour period, particularly while we're still mired in a fairly deep recession.

There are all kinds of arguments to be made about why video games do well in tough economic times, and I've trotted a number of them out in this space. But most games don't come anywhere near selling $310 million worth of product in their entire lifetime, let alone on their first day, so Activision--and its Infinity Ward studio, which actually developed the new Call of Duty--seem entitled to a little bit of attention.

But at the rate these records are falling, I'm going to have to start thinking twice every time a new game sends me one of these announcements about breaking records. Sooner or later, it's not going to be all that noteworthy, no matter how much money is earned in a single day. Until then, though, watch this space for word on which game will be next in line for the throne.

Zune HD Marketplace now loaded with free 3D games

2009-11-12T11:26:00.000+07:00

That latest update to the Zune HD's brainstem has unlocked an extra dimension to the multifunctional device, which can now boast "3D gaming device" among its many accolades. Aside from fixing a significant issue on the music side, the firmware refresh has given the green light for the following games to enter the Marketplace: PGR: Ferrari Edition, Lucky Lane Bowling, Vans Sk8: Pool Service, Piano, Checkers, and Audiosurf: Tilt. Yep, the music-surfing game that seems almost tailor-made for accelerometer-equipped media players is ready for your ownership and enjoyment. The best part? All the titles are free. So what are you waiting for, pilgrims, get downloadin' and do come back to tell us how well that Tegra chip performs, won't you?

Netflix streaming officially hits PS3 today

2009-11-11T12:51:00.001+07:00

If you are one of the hoards of PS3 owners that were excited by Netflix announced streaming would be coming to the game console, today is the big day friends. Netflix has announced that its streaming service is now officially live on the PS3. I hope you ordered your PS3 Netflix disc.

The service is available free to all Netflix subscribers and allows you to watch on demand programming on your TV via the PS3 just like the Xbox 360 bragged about not long ago. The catch with the PS3 service is that you need that Blu-ray disc from Netflix.

The disc is available free and if you don’t have a Netflix account you can get one for only $8.99 per month that includes unlimited streaming. The streaming feature is possible via the BD-Live feature the PS3 supports. Way to skirt that exclusive streaming clause with Microsoft Netflix!

HP Envy 15 unboxing and hands-on

2009-11-11T12:46:00.001+07:00

After our mixed feelings on the HP Envy 13, we were excited but also a little bit scared to see the 13's big brother, the Envy 15. It's running a Core i7 processor clocked at 1.6GHz, and has 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 discrete graphics fronted by a 1920 x 1080 15.6-inch display despite the fact that it doesn't have a built-in disc drive. Luckily there's an external Blu-ray packed into the box (that's a $225 option on top of the $1,800 base price), but most games and apps these days are available via download anyway, so it's not that big of knock on your power-user cred. The unboxing experience is actually identical to that of the Envy 13 (quite elegant), and we were happy to see that when we fired up the laptop the trackpad seemed better configured than that of the pre-update Envy 13 we reviewed. We were less enthused to see that the IE comes pre-installed with HP and Norton toolbars -- pretty janky for a premium machine -- but luckily we rarely have to see the ugly sight of IE more than once on a new machine. For the most part this is just an Envy 13 bigged up, and that's nothing to complain about.

First Dell Adamo XPS Prototypes Had Multi-touch LCD TouchPads

2009-11-07T12:49:00.002+07:00

Still drooling over yesterday's Adamo XPS pics? I am. But it could have been a very different machine. Early prototypes had LCD touchpads (similar to notebooks like Fujitsu's N7010 and Sharp's Mebius), and even a capacitive-touch keyboard. Take a look:

Though running certain apps in a tiny window could actually be pretty useful, Dell ultimately felt the cost didn't justify the gimmickry. And though the red prototype above put the notebook's ports into a concealed pop-up panel—and was only just thicker than the final design—it was still deemed too fat.

Perhaps coolest of all, is the glossy purple/blue concept. Not due to the color, but because it had capacitive-touch buttons. It got ditched over concerns that people wouldn't react well to a keyboard that doesn't move, but as you know, Dell kept the heat-sensitive capacitive latch.

Dell Adamo XPS coming 'in time for the holidays' for $1799 (unboxing and hands-on video!)

2009-11-06T12:23:00.001+07:00

Dell's finally run its finger along the edge and unhinged the last bit of details for its enigmatic, 0.4-inch-thin Adamo XPS. As it turns out those leaked specs weren't entirely off. We're looking at a LED-backlit 13.4-inch, 720p widescreen display, 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo ultra-low voltage processor, GS45 integrated graphics, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 128GB thin-micro SSD, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. In terms of connectivity, there's 802.11a/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, location awareness, DisplayPort, two USB 2.0 ports (one on each side). The 20WHr Li-Ion battery can last up to 2 hours and 36 minutes, or you can get the optional 40WHr version instead for 5 hours and 17 minutes of claimed, lab-tested use. Other packaged goods include dongles for ethernet and VGA / HDMI, and for an added fee you can nab a DVD+/-RW drive, a Blu-ray drive, or an external hard drive measured at 250GB or 500GB in capacity.

At $1,799, the price isn't as bad as originally thought, but it's still far from great if performance takes any precedence for you over style. Earlier this week, we got to spend some time with the ultra-thin chez Dell's PR firm -- not enough to really get a feel for how it performs, but enough to admire the hardware and enjoy unboxing what we're told is the final retail packaging. We saw an expected launch date listed for this month, but a rep was quick to note the current line is officially "in time for the holidays" -- just in case the company misses Black Friday, of course. Read on for some more impressions and video unboxing / hands-on!

We'll reserve final judgment for when we actually get some quality, at-home time, but we obviously can't say this enough: you won't be buying this for its specs, price tag, or anything other than its unique form factor. This is a quintessential aspirational product, and while Dell wouldn't give any indication of its sales projections, they certainly can't be high. That said, it's an exciting little number, one that the company hints is the first in a series to come, and we're looking forward to hopefully getting more time with it very soon.

Call of Duty sequel confirmed for 2010

2009-11-06T12:14:00.000+07:00

After Activision announced better-than-expected earnings today, its executives held a conference call with analysts. During the call, they made the not-so-surprising revelation that the company is planning to release new installments in its tent-pole game franchises.

"In [calendar year] 2010, Activision Publishing is expected to release strong, innovative new titles," Activision Publishing president Mike Griffith told analysts. "The diversified lineup will include titles based on the best selling franchises including Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, Shrek, [and] Spider-Man."

While the Shrek game will be a tie-in with the forthcoming computer-animated film Shrek Forever After, little is known about the new Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk, or Spider-Man titles. However, the next Spider-Man movie won't be released until 2011 at the earliest, meaning that the next game, first revealed in August, will likely be comic-book based.

That said, there is a fair amount of information--and even more speculation--about the next Call of Duty game. In May, an employee at Call of Duty: World at War developer Treyarch accidentally revealed that "Call of Duty 7" was already "in production," presumably for the series' traditional holiday release window.

The Treyarch report closely followed a rumor that had the studio's music department looking for "Vietnam War-era tunes, as well as Cuban, African, and Soviet Union music"--hinting at a Cold War setting. Though unconfirmed, that came several months after Treyarch senior producer to UK edition of Official Xbox Magazine that Call of Duty: World at War would be the last game in the series to be set during World War II. That transition has already been made by franchise founder Infinity Ward, whose second present-day game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, ships Tuesday.

There's also the possibility the new Call of Duty game due in 2010 may not be a direct sequel. At a press event that preceded June's Electronic Entertainment Expo, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said his company was looking to expand the series into other genres. In March 2008, he publicly mused about the possibility of a massively multiplayer title based in the Call of Duty universe.

HP Envy 14 notebook tipped: ideal Core i5 candidate?

2009-11-05T13:01:00.001+07:00

HP’s Envy range promises MacBook style at mainstream prices, but is there a gap in-between the 13.1-inch Envy 13 and the 15-inch Envy 15? HP seem to think so; according to a support page on the company’s site there’s an Envy 14 on the horizon, which we’d presume would offer a 14-inch display.

The document lists two potential machines, currently unnamed beyond “Envy 14-1000″, and there’s no sign of any specifications regarding the hardware. The existing Envy 13 uses an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, while the Envy 15 gets a Core i7 chip; it’s possible that the Envy 14 could slot in-between with one of Intel’s new Mobile Core i5 processors, expected to arrive in Q1 2010.

Still, that’s all speculation, and so we’ll have to wait and see whether this pans out to a real product or gets cleaned up as sloppy support housekeeping on HP’s part.

eviGroup Pad Standard UMPC drops 3G, gets cheaper

2009-11-05T12:57:00.000+07:00

eviGroup’s new 10.2-inch tablet, the Pad, went on sale in its premium 3G-toting form a week ago, but if the €599 plus €30 shipping ($932) sticker price is too rich for your blood they’ve a cheaper model available from today. The entry-level eviGroup Pad has the same specifications as the premium model but lacks 3G; it’s on sale from today for €549 (again with €30 shipping; $852).

Your money gets you a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 160GB hard-drive, 1GB of RAM and WiFi a/b/g; the battery is good for 3.5hrs of “normal” runtime and the Pad comes with Windows 7 Home Premium and the Seline10 voice-recognition app. eviGroup will sell you a software-free standard Pad for €489 ($720).

Microsoft Courier interface explained in more detail

2009-11-05T12:56:00.000+07:00

Steve Ballmer might have no idea what's going on with the Microsoft Courier tablet, but a new set of documents leaked to Gizmodo certainly suggests the product is more than just a couple videos the boss-man hasn't seen. The images detail the Courier's unique user interface, which draws on everything from multitouch gestures to pen-based handwriting recognition. The heart of the interface appears to be the Smart Agenda, pictured above, which pulls together all your disparate content like calendar entries, emails, and to-dos into one unified starting place, described as "Cliff Notes" to the Pagestream "novel." The journal itself appears to be searchable by all kinds of data, including time, location, and tags, and it's all accessed by a special multi-button pen. There's also a camera and an offhand mention of "boos and subscriptions," so it sounds like whoever was dreaming this all up considered using the Courier as an ebook reader as well -- which would be totally sweet, given the types of annotations you could do. Of course, none of this is real yet, but we're hoping against hope -- please, Mr. Steve, make our holiday dreams come true?

Sony VAIO X super-waif ultraportable gets unboxed [Video]

2009-11-04T12:32:00.002+07:00

The Sony VAIO X super-slim ultraportable may be on sale in the US, but units actually reaching customers hands are still in short supply. That’s why we turn to Germany for our unboxing edification, with NewGadgets.de doing the honors in stripping the half-inch thick notebook from its bulky packaging.

We don’t think we’d be alone in wishing for a slightly more aesthetically pleasing box; Apple get name-checked a lot in the design of their packaging, but that’s because it does help to make you feel you’re getting your money’s worth from their high-end computers. The 11.1-inch VAIO X, meanwhile, gets the same sort of box as an entry-level VAIO notebook, despite costing twice the price.

Still, the proof of the pudding is in the fondling and NewGadgets certainly do plenty of that, running us through the VAIO X’s (minimal) selection of ports. The Sony ultraportable is hardly ideal for most buyers, but as a halo product from a brand associated with indecently-skinny notebooks it certainly fulfils its brief.

How the venerable PS2 made it to 9 years old

2009-11-02T11:07:00.000+07:00

People always talk about dog years, or cat years, but what about video game console years?

It's hard to know what that math is, but one thing is certain: Sony's PlayStation 2 turned 9 years old Wednesday, and it sure feels like the best-selling video game console of all time has been around a whole lot longer than that.

Yet even though we're already more than three years into the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360/Wii console generation, the PS2 is still going strong. Routinely, month after month, its sales are in six figures--146,000 in September in the United States alone, according to The NPD Group--and there's no reason to think the 485 (and counting) developers who have made games for the platform are going to stop any time soon.

In large part, that's because there are millions of people for whom the world-beating processing power of the PS3 and the Xbox 360, and the graphics-so-good-you-can-see-beads-of-sweat-on-sports-players'-bodies aren't worth paying several hundred dollars for. For $100, they say, you can get one heck of a good video game playing experience with a PS2.

It "still holds a place in my heart--there's so many great games with huge amounts of replay value," said Michael Steavenson, a public relations professional who bought his PS2 around 2001. "I'm not so interested in blazingly fast processing speeds, graphics that make games look like a movie, or uber-cutting-edge hardware stats. If the game is well-designed, fun to play, and provides me with a good emotional connection, I'll play it forever."

According to Sony, one out of every three U.S. households owns a PS2, and, worldwide, almost 140 million people have one. To date, Americans have bought more than half a billion PS2 games, and all told, nearly 10,000 titles have been released for the platform. Not bad for a machine that has earned the right to be living out its golden years sitting on a porch somewhere, smoking a cigar and grumbling about kids these days.

"I think we're all surprised that a piece of technology that was released 9 years ago is still popular today," said Jesse Divnich, a video games analyst at Electronic Entertainment Design and Research. "What is Moore's Law? That technology power doubles every 18 months. So in the technology realm, being able to survive 9 years is an incredible accomplishment that Sony should be proud of."

To Divnich, the most important element in the PS2's continued success is its overall value. The machine costs just $100 and includes a functional DVD player.

"If you took out the DVD player, this thing would not have survived as long as it (has)," Divnich said. "With most technology, (consoles) like the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, what drove their initial success was that it was a game system. But after five years, what starts to drive sales is the system's ability to perform other functions. And with the PS2, it's a very affordable DVD player that's also a video game system. And of course, games are still being made for it, and retail continues to support it."

Divnich estimated that the PS2 contributes just about 4 percent of Sony's total video game-related revenues, and said he thinks that at a $100 retail cost, its profit margin is relatively small. "But the great thing about the PS2, and the reason why Sony continues to support it, is because it supports the Sony brand, and it can be a gateway to the PS3 or the (PlayStation Portable)....People who purchase a PS2 are more likely to purchase a PS3 in the future. Consumers, believe it or not, are pretty loyal."

Neither Sony nor Microsoft was able to immediately respond to requests for comment for this story. Nintendo had no comment.

Will the PS3 or Xbox 360 last 10 years?

For years, Sony has argued that its video game consoles have 10-year lifecycles. And given that the PS2 is still selling fairly well at 9, there's no reason to doubt that it will make it to 10, and possibly beyond.

The PS3, however, is just 3 years old, and would have to survive another 7 years to reach the 10-year mark. Similarly, Nintendo's Wii is also 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 is just 4. So will any of those consoles survive as long as the PS2?

Divnich thinks so. "Yes, the PS3 will be a 10-year system," he said, adding that the Xbox will as well, "just because of its size and its software library."

Still, he seems certain that just as a new generation of consoles came out in the middle of the PS2's lifecycle, history will repeat itself.

"I don't think this generation is going to last nine years" without being supplanted by new consoles," Divnich said. "There are certainly going to be new platforms introduced within the next four years. (But) even when that happens, the pricing of the PS3 and the Xbox 360 will certainly be attractive."

PS2 owners love their consoles

Even if that does happen, it's years off. The PS2, however, has already reached the 9-year milestone, and its 10th birthday is within view. And to hear from some of the millions of people who own one of the machines, it's no surprise.

"I love my PS2 for multiple reasons," said Garth Henson, a Web developer from Port Orchard, Wash. "One (is that) it lets me have a myriad of game selections that fall specifically in line with my tastes for under $20 each. I have yet to have a current-gen console do that for me....It's still such a solid system, both in titles and in game play, that it's hard to consider getting rid of it....As with all things gaming, to those of us who actually get hooked on a system, it's incredibly hard to let it go while there is any semblance of attention paid to it by current developers and publishers."

Some people even hold on to their PS2s largely because of the fun they have playing a single game on it. A lot of people will cite how much time they spend on their PS2 playing titles like Dance Dance Revolution or Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, but the Katamari Damacy franchise may be what keeps real aficionados returning again and again to their ancient Sony consoles.

"I still play We Love Katamari on mine," said Wiley Wiggins, an actor best known for his starring roles in the films "Dazed and Confused" and "Waking Life." "None of the handful of games that are (only for) PS3 have been enough to make me think of dropping another couple hundred dollars to buy a new console. Blu-ray isn't compelling enough to me."

Or, as another PS2 fan, Princeton architecture Ph.D. student Enrique Ramirez, put it, "The only reason why I would switch consoles would be to play Rock Band. But I already have four guitars in my apartment, so, in short, I'm staying with my PS2."

ASUS' Android-based 'secret weapon' smartbook launching in Q1

2009-10-31T10:27:00.000+07:00

We got our first glimpse at a computing future filled with low-cost, ARM-based ASUS smartbooks running Android on a 1GHz Snapdragon processor all the way back on June 1st. Since then, however, the pencil-spinning boys in Taiwan have been poo-pooing plans to launch such a device due to what ASUS called an uncertain market opportunity -- or was it pressure from Wintel, we never can tell? Then yesterday, ASUS' Jerry Shen pulled an about-face at an investor meeting in Taipei with talk of launching a $180 smartbook in Q1 of 2010. Bristling with confidence, Shen goes so far as to call it a "secret weapon" in a category offering potential for huge, Eee PC-like growth. Well, with the first big-name smartbooks just starting to ship, even a dozen or so sales could be considered statistically significant.

Samsung 14-inch AMOLED desktop/notebook hybrid [Video]

2009-10-29T12:06:00.001+07:00

Samsung Mobile’s 2-inch transparent OLED didn’t exactly blow us away, but their other prototypes are far more impressive. The company has also been showing off a 14-inch AMOLED notebook prototype, with a whopping 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and 300cd/m2 brightness. Despite that, the display is a mere 2.7mm thick.

The display runs at 1,366 x 768 resolution and the whole thing is described as a “hybrid desktop notebook”. We’re not sure whether that means you can’t carry it around with you, or that the desk pad it’s sitting on is, in fact, attached, but either way we want one.

Samsung also showed off a 7-inch AMOLED netbook packing the same contrast and brightness, only in a truly portable form-factor. Slightly less usable, perhaps, was a 3.5-inch WVGA curved AMOLED screen, again offering million-to-one contrast; we’re just having trouble envisaging what you could do with it. The clearest advertising-cup, perhaps?