According to the latest data figures from Media Create, the popular Sony handheld PlayStation Portable has once again topped hardware sales in Japan.
For the week ended June 29th, the PSP sold 58,861 units in the region, followed closely by both the Nintendo Wii and the DS which sold 48,884 and 48,480 units respectively.
With the sales of Metal Gear Solid 4 falling, the PlayStation 3 saw its sales fall abit as well, down to 17,973 from 20,336 console unit sales the week before.
Bringing up the rear was the ever popular PlayStation 2 which still moved 7,673 units and the Microsoft Xbox 360 which sold 5,104 units.
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Sony has announced that it will launching a fourth model of the PlayStation 2 in Europe and India on October 28th in an effort to “penetrate India’s and Russia’s burgeoning market for games.”
Sony country manager Atindriya Bose says the launch will be simultaneous for the new markets and that the new model will be a slim model with built-in AC adapters.
“PS2 is an entry-level console, which helps first timers to enter the gaming zone,” added Bose.
Bose also noted the new model will keep the same retail price of the outgoing PS2 models, older, fatter versions.
“We feel PS2 has the potential to penetrate further into the Indian and Russian markets. Console gaming is in its nascent stage in India. These are untapped markets and are new to the gaming world, hence we have no plans to phase out PS2 anytime soon,” he added.
Wont the latest decision impact PS3 sales? “We do not market it as a PS2 or PS3. It is the experience of the PS that we market. PS3 is for the next generation. People who are first timers in the gaming market want to pick up PS2 and experience that, before upgrading to PS3,” Bose finished.
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Noel Gallagher, songwriter and guitarist for the popular band Oasis is making headlines with his comments suggesting that videogames are partially to blame for the explosion in knife crimes that have occurred in London over the course of the year. So far, 18 teenagers have died in knife related attacks.
“People say it’s through violent video games and I guess that’s got something to do with it,” he said, “If kids are sitting up all night smoking super skunk [cannabis] and they come so desensitised to crime because they’re playing these videogames, it’s really, really scary.”
The knife crimes have been big news in the UK over the last couple of months and celebrities have called upon the government to find a solution.
“In my day, status was trying to be somebody, do you know what I mean, not trying to kill somebody? I was up in Liverpool for a week a couple of weeks ago and even on the news there it’s every single night.
“I don’t even know what Cameron or Gordon Brown are going to do about it,” he added.
In March, the government looked into the impact of violence in videogames on children and released a list of recommendations that included letting the BBFC have a bigger role in game ratings. Publishers have complained however saying that last provision could make games “more expensive or face delays in being released.”
