Exciting stuff if you can't get enough of statistical figures.

If you've been curious how Sony's market share with its console and handheld division, the latest figures below reveal a rather interesting portrait of success as reported by the November 2007 NPD sales data. A few of the highlights which stood out and was generously bolded by Sony's PR division indicate the PS3 had the biggest increase of any hardware platform in between the months of October to November. Reportedly, 466K PS3 units were sold in November… a 285% increase over previous month's sales. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare stood out as one of huge hits this holiday season with 444K units sold, followed by Assassin's Creed with 377K units. All of this sounds great on paper and hopefully means that third-party developers will focus on bringing A-class gaming to the PS3 instead of exclusively hooking up the Xbox 360.

I'd go over the PSP and classic PlayStation info, but that would defeat the purpose of this article. Read on for the full NPD report:

Hardware Momentum (PS3, PS2 and PSP)

**For the month of November, PlayStation hardware unit sales reached more than 1.5 million units, an increase of 160% when compared to last month's unit sales (October 2007).

**PlayStation total hardware revenue was $373 million in November, sales dollars increased by 170% compared to last month's sales.

**For the month of November, PlayStation console sales reached 962K units.

**466K PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) hardware units were sold in November, a 285% increase over the previous month's sales. PS3 had the biggest October to November sales increase of any hardware platform.

**PlayStation 2 (PS2) also experienced great momentum in November, hardware unit sales reached 496K, a 170% increase over last month's sales.  Since its release in North America on Oct. 26, 2000, more than 120 million hardware units and more than a billion units of PlayStation 2 software have sold worldwide, making it the best-selling gaming platform ever released.

**According to the latest Nielsen data (April – November 2007), PS2 is the most played videogame console averaging 42.2% usage minutes compared to 11.8% for Xbox 360 and 5.5% for Wii.

**PSP (PlayStation Portable) continues to experience strong sales momentum with new pricing and the availability of new entertainment packs.  In November, 567K PSP hardware units were sold, nearly a 100% increase over last month sales.

Software Momentum (PS3, PS2 and PSP)

**PlayStation total software revenue in November was $414 million, sales dollars increased by 128% compared to last month's sales.

**In November, retail dollars from PS3 sales totaled $138 million, a 192% increase over last month's sales.

**PlayStation had three software titles in the top ten list across all consoles: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for PS2 sold 966K units, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for PS3 sold 444K units and Assassin’s Creed for PS3 sold 377K units.

PLAYSTATION Network Momentum

**Just one year after launch, there are more than 3 million registered PLAYSTATION Network users worldwide who have downloaded more than 60 million pieces of content.

**In North America alone there are more than 1.8 million registered users who have downloaded more than 34.5 million pieces of content.

**A recent PLAYSTATION Network price promotion for Calling all Cars™, Everyday Shooter™, flOw™ and Pixel Junk Racers™ resulted in a combined 920% increase in total downloads

Giving a low score to the featured game is now a firing offense.

Jeff Gerstmann, Gamespot's former Editor in Chief, is job-hunting after writing an unfavorable review of Kane & Lynch: Dead Men.  He gave it a 6.0 and that didn't sit well with Eidos, who have plastered the site with banners saying what a wonderful game they've published.  Eidos whined to CNet, who owns Gamespot, who employ Jeff Gerstmann.  What does 11 years of service (he started at Gamespot in October 1996) get you if you say mean things about the big advertisers' games?  A pink slip, apparently.

I wish it wasn't this blatant, that there were mitigating factors to his removal, but at this point it's a very cut and dried case of a publicist complaining to the parent corporation, who promptly fire the offending employee's ass for doing the job they assigned to him.  Gamespot is running damage control as best they can, shutting down threads as fast as they pop up, but something as ham-handed and pathetic as this is the stuff of internet flamewar dreams.  There's a good guy (Jeff Gerstmann), a bad guy (CNet), and a huge load of spectators with a very loud voice.

The headline to this article would be cheap, incendiary tabloid crap on any other story.  Here, it's a simple statement of fact.  I didn't have anything against CNet or Gamespot before (that other article was just poking fun), but now I can't imagine any reason I'd bother with them.  The Gamespot editors are being dealt a bad hand, as evidenced by this post (third one down at the time of this writing) in their forums-

"People, don't direct your anger at Gamespot. This is CNet's meddling. Gamespot consists just of the editorial, news, community, and development teams. It's CNet's marketing that puts the ads up. CNet's marketing that complained. CNet is who can fire their EIC."

But that still doesn't change the fact that this taints the entire site.  Gaming journalism is already filled with enough dodgy crap soiling its reputation, we really don't need events like this making it even more obvious how little integrity has to do with anything that might generate ad revenue for the big sites.  I'm not asking for lily-white ivory tower purity, just a little hint that maybe they're there for something more than being a big advertising outlet for whatever product is being spewed forth from the industry's gaping maw.

This blog article should be recognized as the sole opinion of the editor and does not necessarily reflect GotNext's official position on the subject.

I already managed to get Microsoft's HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 over an offer I couldn't refuse, and have been enjoying Batman Begins, King Kong, and especially Planet Earth all in their high definition glory with a sharpness and clarity that makes DVD seem like some old VHS copy taped off of UHF.

Not everyone has been convinced it's worth the additional expense, however, which is why Toshiba has temped new buyers by lowering the prices of their standalone players.  Now Microsoft has fallen in line, reducing the price of the add-on to $179.  If that wasn't enough, buy the add-on within the next month, and you'll get your (somewhat limited) pick of five free HD-DVD movies, which just happens to include the greatest movie of all time, Casablanca, in an absolutely stunning transfer that's worth the price of the drive alone.

To drive the spear of temptation right through your heart,  Microsoft are also working hard to promote the upcoming HD-DVD releases of the 300 and Heroes Season 1 with exclusive content on the Xbox Live Marketplace.  300 in HD will be showing up in their on demand service come August 14th, while soon XBL subscribers will be able to download the pilot episode of Heroes for free.

"With the price reduction to $179, the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player continues to be the most affordable way to enjoy high definition," said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of Global Marketing, Interactive Entertainment Business, Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "From the beginning, we set out to offer Xbox 360 owners an unrivaled high-definition experience, with a choice of optical discs on the HD DVD format and digital downloads through Xbox LIVE Marketplace - both of which have a selection of the best content Hollywood has to offer. Today's announcements around '300' and 'Heroes: Season 1' are great examples of how we believe HD content can be offered to consumers."

This is the perfect time to jump in on this offer, since in only a few days the second and third greatest movies of all time, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, will be hitting store shelves, with all the high definition gore and gunplay exclusive to HD-DVD.

The transition from E3 '06 to E3 '07 was a jarring one, with the size downgrade being only the most obvious change.  The central hangar where the E3 show floor was held was supplemented by several hotels where exhibitors demonstrated their biggest titles behind closed doors, all but defeating the point of having a smaller, press-only event in the first place.  Additionally, press meeting rooms would be used, cleared out, rebuilt in about 15 minutes or so, and then everyone would troop back in.  A smaller, more exclusive E3 isn't that bad an idea, but a less effective one doesn't help anybody.  So, onwards with the evolution.

Now that everyone has come home, a survey has been sent around indicating the possibility of more changes for next year.  A few tweaks to efficiency are a given, of course, but bigger differences are also being discussed.  It's pretty obvious that the E3 organizers are aware of the problems, as indicated by questions about Barker Hanger and the Fairmont Hotel, which were farthest away from the hotels where events were scheduled.  Also up for the possibility of change is the date, with options being discussed for May through August.  The most surprising change for regular E3 attendees is a potential move from LA, though, to San Francisco, Laguna Beach, Sand Diego, or Santa Monica.  Or maybe E3 will stay put in its home city.  Who knows at this point?  The only thing definite is that more changes are coming.

No, you read that correctly. Effective July 30, Peter will be stepping down from his position as Senior President of IEB at Microsoft. Moore has decided to return to his family in Northern California, where they lived until he took he position at MS. He'll be remaining on board to assist with the transition for his successor, Don Mattick. 

Update: In case you just tuned in — we've found out the TRUE reason why Peter left Microsoft. Hm… makes you wonder where some of Nintendo of America's top execs have gone off to, eh?

"“Peter has contributed enormously to the games business since joining Microsoft in 2003 and we are sad to see him go,” said Robbie Bach, president of Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. “Since that time, he presided over the global launch of the Xbox 360™, spearheaded a revitalized and rebranded Games for Windows business, and helped steer the console’s ascent."

Mattrick will take over as the senior vice president of IEB at Microsoft, effective July 30. Mattrick was the founder of Distinctive Software Inc., which operated as a private company from 1982 until its merger with EA in 1991. Mattrick held various senior positions within EA, most recently as president of Worldwide Studios, until his resignation in February 2006. In February 2007, Mattrick began working with the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft as an external advisor.

Good luck Peter, you've made a huge asset to MS and wish you the best! Hopefully EA will reach some new strides of innovation with his addition.