More Articles By George T. Chronis

• Nintendo reveals new Wii peripherals
  JULY 15 | E3: Wii Speak, Will Motion Plus to be released in fall, spring More
  
• Microsoft makes play for casual gamers
  JULY 14 | E3:  Offering new Xbox 360 interface, growing Netflix presence More
  
• EA uses Wii to target casual gamers
  NOV. 21 | Christmas 2007 isn't shaping up to be the high-definition love-fest that Sony and Microsoft envisioned for their videogame platforms. Nintendo upset those assumptions with its hot-selling Wii, and game publishers such as Electronic Arts have had to adjust. More
  
• Retailers get behind heavy Halo 3 push
  SEPT. 21 | Microsoft Game Studios predicts next week’s release of Halo 3 will push the franchise past $1 billion, and retailers are doing their part to get it there. Microsoft estimates that 10,000 U.S. retailers will be holding midnight Halo 3 promotions. More
  
• Xbox to offer digital rentals for Disney movies
  JULY 11 | SANTA MONICA, Calif.— Microsoft Game Studios did not announce a price reduction for the Xbox 360 during its July 10 press event at the Electronic Entertainment Expo here. Instead, the division is placing its bets on a strong release slate of titles led by Halo 3 on Sept. 25 and an agreement with Disney-ABC Domestic Television making Walt Disney Studios films available for download via the Xbox Live online service. More
  
• Nintendo launching three new Wii peripherals
  JULY 11 | SANTA MONICA, Calif.— With little expectation of tinkering with a winning formula, Nintendo at E3 concentrated on expanding on that formula with new Wii accessories and software. President Reggie Fils-Aime cited NPD FunWorld data to show that Nintendo's DS and Wii have led to 69% of all videogame industry growth. More
  
• PS3 sales suffers from weak software slate
  MAY 25 | Despite all the hype surrounding Sony’s PlayStation 3 launch, the game system trails Nintendo’s Wii, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and even Sony’s own PS2 in sales, due in part to a weak software slate. More
  
• Sony offers free PS3 firmware update
  MAY 25 | Sony Computer Entertainment of America has made a free firmware update available for the PlayStation 3, which will upgrade the video quality of standard-definition DVDs as well as PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games to 1080p resolution. More
  
• Play N Trade sells more than 200 franchises
  Videogame franchisor Play N Trade has sold more than 200 franchises, with 40 stores already open and a goal of 500 outlets by the end of 2008. The company is taking a community-minded approach to a retail market dominated by such corporate players as Best Buy, Wal-Mart and GameStop. More
  
• Wii sales beat PlayStation 3 in January
  Consumers snapped up the Wii console in larger numbers than any other videogame system in January, far more than the PlayStation 3. More
  
• PS3 game sales disappoint EA
  Despite have the largest market share in PlayStation 3 titles, EA reported today that sales of games for the platform were less than expected during the holidays. More
  
• Videogame biz sets new revenue record
  The videogame industry ignored the traditional travails of a major console hardware transition in 2006 by posting a bold 19% gain in revenue to $12.9 billion, compared to $10.5 billion last year. During December, retailers raked in $3.7 billion, an increase of 28%. More
  
• Gears of War shows Xbox 360’s weight
  Microsoft Entertainment received an early Christmas present—the Gears of War action game for the Xbox 360. Within six weeks after its Nov. 7 release, the Microsoft title had amassed sales of more than 1 million units domestically and 2 million total units worldwide. More
  
• New consoles drive all game hardware
  The media spotlight may have been on the recent introductions of the PlayStation 3 and the Wii, but consumers opened their wallets wide to buy Xbox 360s, PS2s, Nintendo DSs and Sony PlayStation Portables during November. Each of the platforms more than doubled their unit sales in October, with 663,000 PS2s; 511,000 Xbox 360s; and 920,000 DSs sold through during November, according to NPD Funworld data. More
  
• Wii to get DVD playback
  The Nintendo Wii will get DVD movie playback after all. The gamemaker plans to update the Wii with the feature in 2007, using a software engine provided by Sonic Solutions. More
  
• Rumors of new videogame expo in ’ 07
  As the Entertainment Software Assn. plans to drastically transform its behemoth E3 Expo into a much more exclusive and tidy E3 Media and Business Summit for 2007, International Data Group could be angling to fill the E3 vacuum. More
  
• Stronger year for videogames
  Retailers expected to get hit with a videogame slump this year, with consumers delaying their purchases until advanced consoles and software hit store shelves in the fall. But nine months into 2006, hardware and software sales of existing products are relatively strong, and it looks like sales will be up leading into November’s PlayStation 3 and Wii launches. More
  
• Microsoft HD DVD drive under $200
  Microsoft Entertainment announced at the Tokyo Game Show that its HD DVD add-on drive for the Xbox 360 will launch first in Japan for 19,800 yen ($170) on Nov. 22. More
  
• Nintendo to whirl out Wii on Nov. 19
  Nintendo Co. Ltd. will launch its new Wii console on Nov. 19 in North America at $250. More
  
• Grey market for Xbox 360 games
  Many third-party publishers are distributing their Xbox 360 games in Asian territories such as Taiwan and Singapore without region-locking, creating a source of relatively inexpensive inventory for the U.S. market. More