3DS surplus deliberate - Nintendo

Normally, the launch of any new gaming platform is quickly accompanied by shortages. Not so with the 3DS. Despite brisk sales--the portable moved over 400,000 units in a single week in the US--a quick survey of retailers shows that the glasses-free, three-dimensional handheld is in abundant supply at a variety of retailers, such as GameStop, Target, and Best Buy.Nintendo says its planning led to an ample supply of the 3DS.That's not a coincidence, according to Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime. Speaking to USA Today, the executive said that this time around, his company planned to have its latest creation on hand in quantity."I would...

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PlayStation 3 sales hit 50 million, Move ships 8 million

Sony's console reaches milestone four months after Microsoft confirmed equivalent figures for Xbox 360.When Sony released the PlayStation 3 toward the end of 2006, the Japanese hardware maker had given its American rival Microsoft a year's head start. Since then, the Xbox 360 has been ahead in the sales race, though Nintendo's Wii--which was released at almost the same time as the PS3--rapidly established itself at the front of the pack. Sony today confirmed that the PlayStation 3 hit a significant sales milestone in March, with the 50 millionth PS3 being purchased on March 29.New hardware and accessories have helped the PS3 past the 50-million...

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Wii 2, code-named Project Cafe, will have tablet controller?

What we heard: Yesterday, the game-industry news matrix was roiled by rumors that Nintendo may unveil the Wii's successor at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June. Hot on the heels of that speculation comes new purported details about the new console, the existence of which has not been confirmed by Nintendo. According to CVG's sources, the new console's controller will sport "built-in" HD video screens. "Nintendo's plans sound unreal," the source said. "Publishers are already planning launch titles, and it's all very exciting. The hardware is even more powerful than current HD consoles and backwards compatible...

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New Silent Hill: Downpour screens are high in gloom

Silent Hill: Downpour, which is due out on PS3 and 360 late this year, is being developed by Czech studio Vatra Games, and stars a prisoner, Murphy Pendleton, who has become stranded in Silent Hill. Konami has been relatively quiet about the game, but we do know two important things: if there's any place on Earth suited for the development of a Silent Hill game, it's the Czech Republic, and if there's any composer fit to provide the music, it's Daniel Licht, who scored Showtime's Dexter. The latest batch of screenshots, however, doesn't tell us much. The shots are gloomy, though. And dark. sou...

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GR’s weekend giveaway: Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker parka from Konami

This week, GamesRadar brings you the gift a garb. Check out this parka from Konami’s official Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker clothing line. It’s got more buckles than you can shake a cardboard box at and is ideal for long walk on a rainy and windy evening.Above: Make love, not Metal Gears! TalkRadar’s Chris Antista gets intimate with our resident Snake statue while sporting the peace sign on his sleeveAbove: The text on the label says, “1974: An unknown Army has taken over Costa Rica. The soldiers have also brought along the “Peace Walker”…”To enter, just leave a comment on this article by 9:00 am (Pacific Time) on Monday, April 18....

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With the Space Shuttles Retiring, Mankind is Slowing Down For The First Time in Centuries

Anyone who has seen the grim images of a crumbling Detroit circulating the Internet, or watched another so-called “Sputnik moment” wander idly by with nothing but lip service from our leaders, may feel that we aren't exactly pushing boundaries like we used to. But in a beautiful eulogy for an era of bygone glory, the WSJ has hit upon a point that’s particularly sobering: for the first time in centuries, humanity is quite literally slowing down. At nearly 25,000 miles per hour, Apollo 10 holds the record for the fastest manned vehicle ever, a record set during its return from the moon in May of 1969. It was the height of the space race--a...

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Moveable Beasts: Tracking Winged Migrations To Predict Weather, Stop Disease, and Save Species

“The animals are telling us things,” said Martin Wikelski, hopping out of the cockpit of his Cessna. He had just spent a chilly January morning chasing blackbirds in southern France. “Maybe they’re saying, ‘the next earthquake will happen this week,’ or ‘listen, we’re telling you where this ebola outbreak is headed. Pay attention.’” The blackbirds hadn’t been quite so explicit today, but by tracking data from radio tags temporarily glued to their backs, he had learned their heart rates and how fast they flap their wings. In a few days Wikelski, the director of the Max Planck institute for Ornithology in Germany, planned to fly across...

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