Welcome back to another edition of Xbox 360 Weekend Warrior, where we recap the latest news and events in the Xbox 360 world. Last week was pretty epic, since it was the inaugural post of Xbox 360 Weekend Warrior and all, but this week offers some goodies as well. Learn about some new games, content delays, and price cuts after the jump!

There are now 11 countries that have an annual video game revenue in excess of US$ 1 billion. By 2009, the video game market is expected to reach a whopping US$ 57 billion. Leading the charge are the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, and the Wii. Analyst David Cole of DFC Intelligence speaks his peace on the current generation of consoles. Which is the most profitable platform for 2007? The answer is a doozy. Make a guess, and find out after the "read more" link.

The DFC Intelligence analyst group is back with new predictions. This time, they're forecasting what will drop for the three current-generation consoles in 2008 and beyond. To give you a hint, they're expecting record sales for the Wii this year, while the PS3-Xbox 360 duel is said to be in for a momentum shift. Is Sony ready to overtake Microsoft after it closed the gap in monthly sales? See the full article for the full details.

Analysts are known for scrutinizing trends and then making predictions based on those trends. In this case, David Cole of DFC Intelligence has his own take on the Xbox 360's performance in Europe. Interestingly, it includes a predicted switching of loyalties as well. Analyze the details in the full article after the jump.

Okay, so you've got your agenda finalized. What's the next thing to do? Why, it's to announce the All-Star Speakers, of course.

Evergreen Events, the organizer of the 2008 ION Game Conference, has done precisely that. It's mentioned four important names to take note of. Find out who these four people are after the jump.

Year after year we see a vicious cycle of war and hate between the super powers of the video gaming and interactive entertainment industry. People choose their sides and fight for their favorite consoles, hoping to come out the winner in the end. At this stage of the battle, DFC Intelligence has given out their latest forecasts and hard numbers on who's leading the console wars race.

DFC has given out several forecasts and outlooks at the best and worst case scenarios for each console system to see which one will come out on top of the rest.

1. DFC forecasts that the Wii will sell the most hardware units in Japan and could be the overall worldwide winner. However, the PlayStation 3 could be a strong second. Furthermore, by 2012 the PlayStation 3 may actually lead in software revenue even though the Wii has sold more units.
2. Under DFC’s best case scenario for the Xbox 360, the system is in a virtual tie with both the Wii and the PlayStation 3. However, unless the Xbox 360 can kick it into gear in the fourth quarter and through 2008, the system will probably finish in a fairly distant third. A big challenge for the Xbox 360 is building a base outside North America.
3. The PlayStation 3 is looking to make a strong play for 2009 and beyond. For software revenue, the PlayStation 3 looks to be a solid platform for the 2009-2012 time period.

DFC also published interesting numbers regarding the ever rising growth of the PC interactive entertainment market, as well as the portable game market and the definite niche each platform has made for itself already. However, according to their own conclusions, no one was satisfied with their somewhat lukewarm response to the question, "so which console will win?" Their answer: none.

 

DFC Intelligence, expert in video game and entertainment market research, recently released forecasts for the gaming industry. According to the research firm, Microsoft's Xbox 360 could lose the so-called "console war" and fall in a distant third place when year 2009 kicks in.

Various sources make it quite clear that the Nintendo Wii is zooming past its competition in terms of sales but Microsoft's horse trails close behind. DFC researchers, however, found weakness in 360's recent sales. If the current pace goes on for a couple of years, the Wii will dominate until 2008 ends. Sony's year will be 2009, when PlayStation 3 sales move into overdrive as DFC foresees.

DFC analyst David Cole pointed out how likely Sony will be leading in the software race even if Nintendo's console continues to sell. In order to share Xbox 360's presence to the scene, Microsoft "will need to build a strong base outside North America," said Cole.

By 2009, DFC expects US$ 47 billion in revenue for the gaming industry. Sales of the three big consoles are to reach numbers between 180 million to 210 million when 2012 comes - if DFC's projections are correct, that is. During the same year, PC gaming could be racking up $US 13 billion in revenue thanks to the ever-growing online games market and convenient digital distribution.

DFC's research is strongly positive toward handhelds. Cole stated that the Nintendo DS could be on top as the best-selling game system ever five years from now. Nothing is set in stone, but we can be sure of one thing: it'll be fun to watch how everything unfolds, and gamers win in the end.

The gaming industry is now shaping up to become one of the most lucrative businesses ever. Just a few days after NPD's sunny US$ 18 billion prediction, DFC Intelligence released a statement that the interactive entertainment industry is set to skyrocket and gain about as much as US$ 47 billion worth of revenue come 2009. The prediction covers all video game markets, including PC gaming.

Furthermore, DFC also predicted that the PC gaming market will earn as much as US$ 13 billion once year 2012 hits.

While the DFC puts (unsurprisingly) a high amount of confidence towards the portable gaming market ( particularly the Nintendo DS) they are still uncertain about the individual outcome for each of the three competing next-gen consoles: Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii.

Apart from the DS, DFC also raised its forecast for the Wii, as well as the PS3. However, their forecast for Microsoft's Xbox 360 has been lowered, saying that Microsoft needs to improve on their market outside North America.

However, despite the unpredictability of the next-gen console race, the DFC forecasts that the combined effort of the three competing systems will yield a high sales rate of 180 to 210 million units by year 2012.

All of us are closely monitoring the next-gen console race, and some may even think that they know the outcome. But that's just for the meantime.

According to DFC Intelligence, a marketing research and consulting firm focused on gaming, the console wars is just getting started. It all depends on whether or not the hardware manufacturers manage to fulfill their shipment goals for the next year. If they all do, DFC said, none of the systems will have more than 40% of the market shares by next summer.

When speaking about the PlayStation 3, DFC stated that it is quite hard to assess a product that is meant to last for a decade, so it's best to expect something different after a couple of years or more. It is just a matter of letting game developers get a feel of the PS3's full potential.

Another interesting point to note is DFC's prediction that none of the competing systems (all together now, folks: Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) will get the same level of success that the first two PlayStation systems had.

DFC also offers some advice for those working in the game industry: Those developing major FPS (first-person shooter) games should release them on the Xbox 360 platform even if their sales may not be spectacular at this point. For the PS3, a big price cut as well as beefing up the games library will do the Sony next-gen console a big favor.

As for the Wii, DFC cautions game developers that while Nintendo's quirky little machine captured the hearts of many, it's best to refrain from creating too many big-name franchises on the Wii. The reason? The Wii phenomena may have already cooled down by the time all the big third-party name games have been released.

Those who think they know which console wins in the next-gen war should have second thoughts. The race has just begun, so who knows? The bigwigs at Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo may be listening to DFC's advice. If so, expect the unexpected in the near future.

 

Despite its decent welcome sales wise, the Xbox 360 Elite is getting it's fair share of criticism at the moment. Here's the latest from Next Generation and DFC Intelligence, which happens to be their most pertinent criticism: "With the word 'elite' Microsoft is implying that its existing users and all potential future Xbox 360 buyers that if they only spend $400 they are not elite. "

Next Generation goes on to say that the Xbox 360 Elite's target audience is "very niche, possibly imaginary." Next Generation says that the said audience are comprised of consumers that want to get a bleeding edge high-definition system, but oddly, wants to cut corners when it comes to video by using a "comparatively low-tech game hardware system."

It notes that the Elite doesn't even include an HD-DVD player or even built-in internet Wi-Fi. It's saying that this makes the Sony PlayStation 3 more cost effective in terms of video playback. It says that the Elite migrates the Xbox 360 towards a high-definition recorder/player.

Expounding on its Sony comparison, Next Generation notes that Microsoft basically slammed the door shut on the original Xbox and is now doing the same with its audience who purchased the Xbox 360. They say that Microsoft is saying that in order to get a true high-definition one must get the Xbox 360 Elite. This is in contrast to Sony, who continues to try to satisfy the PS2 consumer by continuing to release good content for the console despite the presence of the PS3.

For a product that's marketed as an elite toy for A/V connoisseurs, it seems a bit sad that an HD-DVD player is not bundled. However, Microsoft has made it known multiple times before that content might move from the physical storage (HD-DVD's and Blu-ray) to download distribution. Admit it: Microsoft is way ahead of other gaming companies when it comes to distributing movies, shows, and other media in their online service for their console.