Sony Corp.’s Playstation 3 this week ranked No. 4 in overall hardware sales in the latest Japan retail tally. The hardware was unable to rank software titles in the top 10 game sales.

Sony this week price cut the PS3 in Japan by 10 percent. In addition, it will offer the new 40GB PS3 SKU to Japan in Nov.

Sony this week said that it will offer a PS3 IPTV option in Korea. The Internet-based television service will allow the PS3 to act as a set-top box to store television content.

The Hollywood Reporter this week claimed that the 40GB PS3 will be sold in the U.S. this Nov. The model is currently sold in Europe and will be offered in Japan next month.

Sony this week offered new demos and videos to the Playstation Store. New offerings include the Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction Demo and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune Video.

Sony this week released the fantasy action title Folklore to the PS3. The title utilizes the Sixaxis controller to tug and reel powers out of enemy bodies.

Sales for Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 fell back one week after the debut of Halo 3 in Japan. The hardware ranked as the No. 6 best-selling game product in Japan.

The Mercury News this week reported that the Xbox 360 Jasper will succeed the Falcon motherboard. The Jasper will reportedly feature a new 65-nm ATI GPU.

Bungie Studios this week updated online multiplayer matchmaking for Halo 3. Updates include less Shotty Snipers games for Team Slayer matches and more frequent Lone Wolves games in Slayer matches.

Amazon.com this week sold out of the Xbox 360 Premium SKU on strong demand for Halo 3. The item was restocked later in the week and quickly shot to the top 20 video game product sales.

Sega this week began offering the Virtua Fighter 5 Demo via the Xbox Live Marketplace. The Xbox 360 version features online fighting and an enhanced Quest Mode.

Handhelds held Nintendo Co.’s Wii sales down in the latest Japan retail sales data. Wii ranked as the No. 3 best-selling game hardware in Japan.

Nintendo this week said that it will keep the Wii at $249 in present market conditions. The motion-sensitive console has been sold out since launch in Nov. 2006.

Nintendo this week said that it will offer the Wii Ware online service to Japan this Mar. The service will allow owners to download new original titles to Wii.

Nintendo this week disclaimed on the Wii Fit product website that the Wii Balance Board cannot exceed a weight of 299 lbs. The product will be released in Japan on Dec. 1.

Nintendo this week said that the Wii game library will grow to 140 titles by the end of 2007. Anticipated titles include Guitar Hero III, Super Mario Galaxy, and Link’s Crossbow Training packaged with the Wii Zapper.

Nintendo this week announced that it will showcase a range of new software at the E for All Expo next week. Highlights include Wii Fit, Super Mario Galaxy, the Wii Zapper, and a daily Super Smash Bros. contest.

Plus get full commentary on this week’s news from the Punch Jump Crew on Brew Episode #96 available at the official Punch Jump Brew website, iTunes, and Yahoo! Podcasts!

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