The DS didn’t exactly blow its doors off, though. The DS sold 524k, the PS3 sold 491k, the Wii sold 462k, the Xbox 360 sold 352k, and the PSP (pre-Go, remember) chugged along at 191K. In last place, limping along, is the PS2 with 142k units sold. The 360’s number is nothing to sneeze at, but it looks like that PS3 price cut showed that consumers still really did want a PlayStation 3 after all this time. Does Microsoft consider that along with having sold a full 110,000 units less than the Wii this time a problem?

September was also notable for stopping a long slide of months where game sales were down significantly from the previous year. This is no small feat, even if this month just meant staying on par with 2008. New consoles on the market could have been a big part of that and if the holidays are good to those new console owners it could very well be a very happy holiday for all three console makers after all.

Seen at Gamespot.

After having its coming out party at E3 2009, Project Natal will now have a compliment of developers working on software for its feature set.  Microsoft touted a list of developers, including Konami, SquareEnix, Electronic Arts, Activision, MTV Games and more as having signed on to provide games for the Project Natal experience.  The list of developers equals 70% of the third party developers that released games for the 360 (their numbers, not ours).

There was no word on whether these would be new franchises or existing ones, and if existing, would they only allow Project Natal control schemes.  At least it is good to know that there will be something there when Project Natal does finallyhit retail shelves.  Whether it will be good or not is a totally different story.

Now that the PS3 is $299 and Microsoft is throwing a rebate at the 360 to take it down to $250 for a couple of weeks to blunt Sony’s numbers Nintendo has decided to up the value proposition on its little white juggernaut of a console by cutting the price to $199 effective Sunday the 27th. So says Engadget.

Anyone else think that the surge from this won’t hit previous sales numbers? I’m guessing everyone that really wanted a Wii by now has one. Then again, a recession is a recession, and this is a convenient excuse to spend unnecessary money on something around the holidays, and it probably means even I will have one before the year is out.

Thanks to Joystiq.

It looks like the rumors were almost completely true about a 250GB Xbox 360.  Yes, the unit is coming, but it is not a full blown production model.  Major Nelson posted up a couple of pictures of the Call of Duty Modern Warfare Limited Edition Xbox 360.  The unit, priced at $399.99, will include an Xbox 360 with a 250GB drive, a custom Call of Duty Modern Warfare design, two wireless controllers and a copy of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.

Looking at the contents of the console, this is a really good deal.  You are getting a $60 hotly desired game, a second $50 controller, and twice the hard drive space of the Xbox 360 Elite, considering the pricetag of a 120GB hard drive (since you would need a second hard drive to get the same comparable space).

Check the jump for a straight on picture of the console.  Also, let us know if you might be picking one of these up.

The plaintiffs claimed:

“Defendants knew or had reason to know that Halo 3 was being purchased by consumers for use on an Xbox 360 and that the buyers of Halo 3 were relying on Defendants’ skill and judgment to furnish goods suitable for that purpose…. However, Halo 3 does not function with the Xbox 360, and to the contrary, attempted use of Halo 3 consistently causes the Xbox 360 to ‘crash,’ ‘freeze’ or ‘lock up’ while the game is being played.”

They also stated Micosoft had ignored

“repeated and mounting consumer complaints and inquiries concerning this operational flaw in Halo 3″

Finally, they asserted (hey, I’m full of synonyms today!)

“Because Halo 3 is not fit for either its ordinary purpose or for the particular purposes for which it was sold, defendants have breached the statutorily implied warranties of the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act.”

You may notice most of this article is block-quotes from the TG Daily original. That’s because there’s very little else to this story. My opinion: The claimants are nuts.

Knowing that Bayonetta has a style, look and flavor all of her own, the good folks at Maxim feel that there have to be a lot of women out there in the real world that can convey these character traits.  To enter the contest, one only has to submit a photo of themselves doing their best improvisation of Bayonetta.  The pictures do have to be at least 500K in size, and in the form of a JPG graphic file.  More details and contest rules can be found on the offical contest page.  The grand prize winner will win a Microsoft Xbox 360, 50″ Panasonic Plasma TV and a copy of Bayonetta when it comes out.

So do you think you have what it takes to be Bayonetta?  Make sure to send all pictures to tips@aeropause.com first for a “special” analysis before sending them to Sega.  Okay, so we are half-joking.

With our guests, we had a discussion about the new announcements from Sony hit Gamescom, and what they would do for them coming into the busy Christmas season.  Does the price cut give Sony solid footing for the holiday season, and can they keep up with the possible demand from this new price.  Also, are we upset about the final nail in the coffin for backwards compatibility.

We also covered a full slate of news, community corner items and even a few random topics, like what happens if you are a female and venture on Uno with other users and their cameras.  The results are hilarious.

Thank you to our guests from www.themarriedgamers.net podcast.  We loved having them on the Aeropodcast.  The podcast is mixed together by our very own Stephen “DJ Yoda” Munn and features music from Revolution Void.  Please make sure to review the podcast at iTunes via the link below.  Also, send us questions via voice mail at 206-339-8362, email them to tips@aeropause.com or just post them in the forums.

Download the podcast from here or subscribe to the podcast using one of the services below: Also make sure to review us on iTunes.

A survey of 5000 console owners concludes that over half of XBox 360s – a whopping (though not particularly surprising) 54.2% – have failed their owners. Worse still, 41.2% have experienced hardware failures twice. Place those stats next to Sony’s PS3 10.6% failure rate and the Nintendo Wii’s 6.8% and seriously … Microsoft should be feeling kind of embarrassed. It’s worse when you think of it in actual terms; with 30m sales worldwide, that works out at around 15.72 million red rings of death … or three times the population of London, if you’re like me and enjoy sensationalising things.

The results stem from a poll undertaken by Game Informer magazine, which surveyed subscribers for its September issue. It’s that second hardware failure statistic – a staggering 41.2% (or 1.2 times the entire population of New York City ZOMG!!11!) – that surprises me most. Not to mention the subsequent statistic that revealed that 96.2% of the respondents wouldn’t let a hardware failure put them off buying a 360 again. No wonder MS is hiking up prices.

People are trying to justify it. The Wii looks healthier on paper, sure, but is that just because it’s played less? 40% of 360 owners play for 3-5 hours day; compared to the Wii’s paltry less-than-one-hour-a-day, you can see why some are trying to play it down.

Want more numbers? No problem! Hit the jump and discover just how badly MS’s customer services seems to fair, too …

Game Informer also asked respondents about their experiences with the three platform-holders’ customer service departments. Again, Nintendo came out on top, with 56.1% of people surveyed reporting they were “very satisfied” with their experiences. Sony came in at 51.1% satisfaction rate, trailed by Microsoft and 37.7%. Here’s the rundown:

Console Failure Rate:
PlayStation 3 – 10.6 percent
Wii – 6.8 percent
Xbox 360 – 54.2 percent

Second Console Failure Rate
PlayStation 3 – 14.7 percent
Wii – 11 percent
Xbox 360 – 41.2 percent

Gamers with Friends Who Have Had a Failure
PlayStation 3 – 12.4 percent
Wii – 6 percent
Xbox 360 – 69.9 percent

“Very Helpful” Customer Rating
Sony – 51.1 percent
Nintendo – 56.1 percent
Microsoft – 37.7 percent

Does this tally with your own experiences?

Source: GameSpot UK