Rob Fahey (Page 47)

John Young on Microsoft's in-game ads investment

Even if it were technically possible to restrict console titles to being played on a single machine, any attempt to shut down the second hand software market is likely to run into major legal concerns, a top UK lawyer has told <i>GamesIndustry.biz</i>.

PlayStation 3 is part of a "new digital strategy to try and create a new software mentality" at Sony, according to the firm's CEO Sir Howard Stringer, who admits that the transition to digital has been tough for the firm.

Senior developers working on PlayStation 3 titles have told <i>GamesIndustry.biz</i> that reports of serious problems with the system's Cell and RSX hardware are "misleading and uninformed."

Magazine publisher Future Plc has announced a pre-tax loss of GBP 12.1 million in the six months leading up to March 31st, with the weak performance of videogame titles cited as a key reason for the firm's decline.

An update to the Xbox 360's backwards compatibility system is in testing, with Microsoft hoping to add "at least a dozen titles" - a move which should reassure consumers after Peter Moore's recent assertion that "nobody is concerned" about this feature an

The Virtual Console functions of the Wii platform will enable small games to find a large audience, according to Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata, who says that the download system is an alternative to the "single-minded" approach of the industry at present.

Comment: Microsoft's handheld ambition in the spotlight

The massive growth of the online games market in China looks set to propel the country past South Korea in the market size stakes this year, which would make it into the second largest online games market in the world.

Speaking at a conference organised by the Wall Street Journal in California yesterday, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates has made comments implying that the firm may be preparing new initiatives in the portable device space.