If you're already one of the many gamers enjoying some sweet Grand Theft Auto IV action on your Sony PlayStation 3 or Microsoft Xbox 360, then here's an update about the ongoing sales war: GameStop reports that according to their sales figures during the first week of sales of the game, the Xbox 360 version has been constantly outselling the PS3 version by a huge margin. Check out all the details in the full article.

Gaming Target recently did a survey of the exclusive downloadable games on both the PlayStation Network and the Xbox Live Arcade to see which one has a larger collection of exclusives. The survey was conducted in response to a comment made by SCEA Head of Marketing Peter Dille.

Dille, who voiced some pretty strong opinions about the Xbox 360 during E3, also said (in the same interview with Gamasutra):

Whereas our competition takes a bunch of old content and catalogs content from previous generations and offers that in a download fashion, our development organization are making games specifically for PS3.

Because of the remark and requests from readers, Gaming Target did the exclusive games survey of the two networks. They excluded the Wii because the games they offer aren't technically exclusive since they were released on other consoles before.

They found out that XBLA offers almost three times that of the PlayStation Network, including still unreleased games on both networks. Not only did they find that XBLA has more offerings in games, but they found that almost half of the available games have a Metascore (average score from critics) of 75 or over, while the PSN only has three out of their eleven release games that achieved that rank.

To see the full list of exclusive games for both networks, check out the read link after the jump.

The E3 Media and Business Summit 2007 may have come and gone, but there's still a ton of important post-E3 tidbits that deserve every gamer's attention. Mostly because in addition to new videos and screenshots of the latest upcoming video games, there are things you probably haven't heard of yet.

For instance, you might have heard about the conflicting reports about the 60 GB PS3 getting phased out, but did you know that the advent of the PSP Slim may also herald the death of the old PSP model?

How about the strongly worded remarks Peter Dille made against the Xbox 360? You probably heard him say that HD-DVD is as good as dead. Did you know, however, that Peter Moore has a rebuttal to that? Even more importantly, it's a civil one!

You also probably know that the Nintendo Wii is selling oodles of units, but how about the possibility of the Wii outselling the grandmaster of gaming, the PS2? There's certainly some merit in that assertion, though it'll probably take the Wii a while to break the 100 million unit barrier.

Our post-E3 roundup of gaming goodness has all that and more. While you're at it, feel free to check out our E3 roundups for days one, two, and three of the summit. We're certain you'll find some talking points there. Enjoy!


Talking Points:
E3 update: Sony phases out old PSP, no price cut for existing PSPs
E3 update: Peter Moore says Dille's HD-DVD's death comment greatly exaggerated
E3: Iwata says the Wii could break the PS2 record


QJ's assorted bits of E3 goodness:

E3 video interview for Dead Head Fred
E3: Nyko's third-party accessories for Wii, Xbox 360, PS3
E3: Gamecock's E3 funeral procession
E3: three new Silent Hill: Origins gameplay videos

More tidbits of E3 after the jump!

Following the last statement from Sony's Peter Dille, it's not surprising that someone from the Xbox 360 camp comes out to say his piece as well. Enter Microsoft's head of Interactive Entertainment Business Division, Peter Moore.

Moore did not care about Dille's comment that the Xbox 360 will not be having a 10-year life cycle. He continued to say that Sony's opinion on what would happen in the next ten years is perfectly fine with him, and is not worth sparring about. However, Moore bristled a bit about Sony's claim that HD-DVD will be going out of business in a few months:

Of course, the fact that Sony has an economic interest in making sure that it's dead is interesting. I think his comments will be read with interest by folks in the European Union, and looking at the tactics the Blu-Ray forum has been using to ensure that retailers do things their way. Let's just look at what happens this holiday. I think it's kind of a preposterous statement. Within months? No.

Is Moore hinting that Sony is using underhanded tactics to ensure that the PS3 and Blu-ray come out on top of the console and format wars?

The Microsoft executive is confident that results in the future will disprove Dille's remarks. He could be right, since HD-DVD is currently doing well in European shores. When asked about the format wars, "On that mark I look forward to speaking with you at, say, CES next year," he said, referring to the next Consumer Electronics Show. "I was just looking at HD-DVD numbers over the weekend, and I think Toshiba may have an opinion about that."

As E3 winds down, you'll notice more talking points coming out of the different console camps. In this case, today's E3 coverage gives you a ton of  E3 video and screenshot goodness, as well as important quotes from the highers-up of the different camps.

Perhaps one of the biggest things that came out of the PS3 camp was the report that the price cut for the 60 GB PS3 would last only as long as there were units. Sony hasn't been able to make up its mind yet, as conflicting reports are coming from members of Sony themselves, but it's something you can definitely read about below.

On the Xbox 360 side, you've got strong words from both two different Peters: Microsoft's Peter Moore talks about the Xbox 360's US$ 1 Billion repair bill, as well as his observations on the PS3 price cut. On the flip side, Sony's Peter Dille had his own strong words against the Xbox 360.

Lastly, Nintendo's George Harrison also talked about the future of the Wii and discussed where it was headed. To them, it seems, the future lies in establishing new intellectual properties, as well as making more games that cater to the hardcore gaming demographic.

While you're going over today's list of E3 goodies, feel free to also visit our previous E3 roundup articles. You may find something you missed beforehand. At the very least, there are some nice promotional videos that you might want to have a look at.

Talking Points:

E3 news: 60GB PlayStation 3 to be phased out
SCEA denies 60GB PS3 phaseout rumor, but Kaz Hirai confirms it
E3: Microsoft's Shane Kim on dropping the Xbox 360's price
E3: Microsoft's Peter Moore talks about the Xbox 360 and the PS3
E3: Sony's Peter Dille talks about the Xbox 360
E3: Tretton talks PS3 games going multiplatform and sports titles doing 30fps
E3: Nintendo's George Harrison talks about the future of the Wii

More news and goodies after the jump!

Gamasutra recently sat down with Peter Dille, Sony's senior vice president of marketing for PlayStation, during E3. Although Gamasutra hasn't released the whole interview yet, they have released a rather interesting comment by Dille on the PS3's edge over the Xbox 360.

Dille's take on the Xbox 360 is that, unlike the PS3, it doesn't have a 10 year life cycle. Xbox 360 owners don't have a guarantee that games will still be released for their consoles within the next decade.

He cites the original Xbox for his argument: "They stopped the Xbox and I kind of feel for the guy that bought an Xbox the month before they said 'we're out of business, we're moving on.'" The PS3 however, will still be releasing marketable games even on its later years.

Dille admits that he gets a little emotional over the subject, stating his views rather strongly about the Xbox:

With the Xbox 360 you've got an inconsistent design, some have a hard drive, some don't, and none of them have Blu-Ray, and the HD-DVD will be out of business in a matter of months. Is this a 10 year product? And by the way, it doesn't even work. Do they want to be selling it for 10 years and refurbishing them all for 10 more years? I don't think that's a 10 year product. You could disagree with me, or they could disagree with me, but I'd put that up against the PS3 any day.

His views on the HD-DVD dying may be held off though, as HD-DVD players are rising against the Blu-Ray in Europe. Blu-Ray discs are still outselling HD-DVDs though. The next few months may still see a huge shift in trends though, and the responses in E3 will dictate a lot of those shifts.

 

Apparently it isn't only Peter Dille who thinks that Microsoft's Xbox 360 Elite is an affirmation of Sony's strategy. GamesIndustry reports that Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter also sees the Xbox 360 Elite as a sign that Sony's game-plan was on target. Pachter explains:

Microsoft's move is an endorsement of high-definition output, and its inclusion of HDMI validates that Sony's initial strategy was correct.

...The 120 GB hard-drive is focused on helping the roll-out of IPTV, and I expect a progression of HDTV broadcast from the current 720p to the 1080p standard over the next few years, so the HDMI output will be relevant.

...On balance, this is a very smart move by Microsoft, but it appears to validate Sony's strategy, and serves as an acknowledgement that HD content matters.

Pachter sees the Xbox 360 Elite as a move by Microsoft to encroach on PlayStation 3 functionality, only this time, instead of offering an all-in-one package, Microsoft is giving consumers choices. Basically gamers get the option to get a system that has components relevant to their needs, at a price they're willing to spend.

Pachter goes on to say that Microsoft is probably seeing that Blu-ray will win the movie format war. Matt Martin of GamesIndustry speculates that given that Microsoft isn't offering an external HD-DVD drive as part of the Elite package is an omen of Microsoft's future plans: a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360 Elite.

Here's Michael Pachter's analysis:

It appears to me that Microsoft sees the writing on the wall – Blu-ray is going to win the format wars. ...Ultimately, Microsoft will likely offer a Blu-ray drive with the 360 Elite, and I think consumers will be able to select based solely upon other drivers.

At this point we feel that it is good to note that Blu-ray on Xbox 360 is starting to seem more likely as time passes. For one thing, Xbox UK boss Neil Thompson did note that "Whatever format wins it is highly likely we will offer a solution."

Pachter goes on to note that he hopes that Microsoft does not phase out the 20GB model, saying that he believes that most users will be perfectly happy with it. He also says that he believes that Microsoft is in a good position at the moment to lower the price of the US$ 399 version.

Oh, and before you categorization Nazis go ballistic, this is also posted in the PS3 blog, not under news, just under Blu-ray. Happy?

 

So, the Xbox 360 Elite is out, and some folks are rejoicing, but what's Sony's take? GamesIndustry reports that SCEA has responded to the unveiling of the high-end Microsoft console by noting that this displays a universal adoption of high definition standards. In a statement, Vice President of Marketing Peter Dille comments that every PS3 owner should have an "elite" experience. He says:

We think every PlayStation 3 owner should have an "elite" experience, which is why we include an internal hard drive and HDMI output in every PS3 we sell, along with the 50GB of storage capacity on a high definition Blu-ray disc.

...Microsoft’s announcement today not only legitimises Sony's PS3 strategy, it moves us closer to adopting universal standards in the area of high definition gaming that will benefit game developers and ultimately the end user.

Dille adds that Sony's been the strongest advocate of high definition as the future of gaming and notes that this requires high-definition components, including HDMI output and large storage devices to better handle all that HD content. Yeah, that's why the X360 elite comes with a 120 GB hard drive, and an HDMI cable right out of the box.

GamesIndustry reports that Sony Computer Entertainment Europe declined to offer further comment. Good for them.