Hacking the PSP Blog

Sony: PS3 Mfg. Troubles ‘Resolved’

Despite delivering well below the projected day one PlayStation 3 launch quantity, SCEA tells Next-Gen that it’s “pleased” with yesterday’s NPD results, adding that manufacturing issues are “resolved.”

As previously reported, research firm NPD Group found that Sony sold 197,000 PS3s in the month of November, well below the projected 400,000 unit target that the company had previously announced for the November 17 launch.

In a statement sent to Next-Gen from SCEA, communications boss David Karraker said that Sony is sticking to its previously announced North American launch targets. “While initial day-one launch shipment goals weren’t achievable due to early manufacturing issues, those problems have been resolved and we do remain focused on having one million PS3s in the pipeline by December 31, 2006," Karraker said.

Karraker also commented, "We will continue to utilize airfreight delivery for PlayStation 3 to assure a steady stream of systems for North American consumers through the end of the year.”

Despite Sony’s confidence, some analysts, such as Evan Wilson with Pacific Crest Securities in Portland, Oregon, doubt that the company will meet its goal. He told Bloomberg earlier this week, “There's no way that Sony will make its forecast for 1 million units in the U.S. this calendar year. They will face supply constraints at least through March.''

Earlier this year, Sony slashed its initial PS3 shipment targets and delayed the console's European launch because of supply issues pertaining to the blue laser diode used in the PS3's advanced Blu-ray disc drive.

Karraker emphasized that while the PS3 is experiencing supply issues, the six-year-old PS2 was the top-selling home console with a surprising 664,000 units sold. The Xbox 360 sold 511,000 units in November, while the limited-supply Wii sold 476,000 (those sales were constrained by supply).

Sony’s PSP handheld managed to sell 412,000 units for November, almost a 50 percent year-over-year increase, according to Karraker. Pocket-going rival Nintendo DS sold a whopping 918,000 units for the month.

"Sony Computer Entertainment America is very pleased with the NPD data for November, showing outstanding sales for all of its platforms," Karraker said.

Kris Graft
December 8, 2006

Source: Next-Gen

Nov. Game Industry Sales Up 34%

Research firm NPD Group has reported overall November US videogame sales were up 34 percent year-over-year, with software sales up 15 percent; NPD’s Anita Frazier optimistic about full year.

The NPD Group has informed Next-Gen that some of the historical figures that it released last night are incorrect. November results, however, are accurate. The historical errors affect forecasts, including Frazier's $13 billion-plus prediction for the full year, as well as percentage changes and year-to-date figures. The NPD apologizes and Next-Gen will update with corrections when the NPD releases the updated figures.

Figures in question have been italicized.

ImageTotal industry sales for the month were $1.7 billion and $9.4 billion year-to-date. NPD analyst Frazier expressed to Next-Gen, “I don't think any category shows any signs of the growth letting up. … I would not be surprised to see total year sales come in north of $13 billion once December figures are in.”

Videogame console software sales were $804 million versus $702 million in November 2005, topped by Microsoft’s Gears of War, which sold 1 million units and raked in $61.5 million in sales (including the higher-priced Collector’s Edition).

Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XII followed at 896,000 units and $49 million in sales, and the third slot was filled by Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess for Wii, which sold 412,000 copies and generated $20.2 million in sales. Activision’s $80 Guitar Hero II with controller came in fourth at 356,000 units and $28 million in sales.

Frazier noted that Gears of War is Microsoft’s first Xbox 360 game that it has released at the $60 price point (the Collector’s Edition was $70), and it still managed big sales. The analyst called the game “a testament to the power of great content,” adding “Price just isn't a barrier when the content delivers.”

Read the full text here...

Kris Graft
December 7, 2006

Source: Next-Gen

Devhook 0.51.0100 Released

It seems that Booster doesn't like to sit idle for even a little while. Just a few days after Devhook 0.51, he has released v0.51.01. Following the general standards, the small increment in the version number means that there's only a few minor changes. And I'll list them out here:

• 3.02 folder added, which means official support, and the ability to keep both 3.01 and 3.02 at the same time.
• Few flash1 bugfixes.
• Updates to the menu.

Again, even though we'd like you to update to the latest version, there isn't much which is pushing me to do so. In any case, we would still recommend you to update to the latest version. The update procedure is simple enough; just copy over the folders in MS_ROOT folder to the root of your Memory Stick, replacing any file that it asks about. Finally, here's the download.

Download Devhook 0.51.0100

Source: PSPUpdates