Every week we do a quick wrap-up of some news items that may have slipped through the cracks. The wrap-ups will be shorter versions of our articles, lumped together to give you an idea of things you may have missed.

Xbox 360 Launch Units No Longer Under Warranty

When Microsoft finally owned up to the issues that enveloped their system early on (and now, although to a lesser extent) in terms of complete system failures, their first provision to appease the fans of the system was to extend the warranty to three years. If you ever spotted the three red lights that indicated massive damage to your system, you could call Microsoft who would offer a replacement without charge. The gravy train has come to its final stop for the faithful now, as that three year extension is no longer being honoured on launch systems. For those who have relied upon the customer service system to keep their console afloat, it’s a nerve-wrecking time that is only made tolerable by the fact that they have made such massive improvements to their internal systems.

One of the things that has continued to shock me in this generation of consoles is the amount of people I know that have had their Xbox 360 kick the bucket, multiple times, and yet continue to come back to it as their primary gaming console. It speaks to the loyalty that the brand has been built by Microsoft this generation, and is a bit worrying in just how the consumer will treat major setbacks like the Red Ring of Death. Truth is, Microsoft has won in a big way if they are able to have such a visible gaffe and still maintain strong sales and continued growth in their overall brand. It’s now a harrowing effort on the part of the launch crowd, people that have stuck around this long, to have to worry about a possible second purchase, but it is the business of consumer electronics and Microsoft’s gaming console is no different from any other phone, TV or product you’d buy that has a life expectancy that is far too low.

Saving a buck or two – Game price average dropping

While one of my recent articles discussed that game prices may be on the rise, it seems someone has been out and ready to contradict my opinion and release the exact opposite figures. Yes, it appears as if average game prices this year are down significantly from years past, meaning that anyone on a shoe-string budget may still be able to pick up yesterday’s classics on the cheap. The study cites the underlying factors in reduced development cost as the cycle has gone on further, and more competition for shelf space that has occurred as more games appear for each system. That combined with more time that games have been left on shelves, some rounding up three years now, it means that prices are continually dropping as new games are added to the library. Game prices have also been pushed out lower on average, with the price of a new game below $59.99 becoming much more likely (66% more) than in the year previous. This is also due to the fact that the Wii has a much lower price point on average, and the amount of games released for Nintendo’s console has increased significantly along with their sales and profits.

Having gone through a lot of discount games, there’s a lot of evidence on shelves now that game prices on average are going down. As the generation settles, the high costs that are associated with the initial releases have come down significantly, and once the consumers get a taste for that price range it’s hard to move it back up for titles older than a few months. Speaking to Microsoft this week regarding their upcoming release Halo Wars and seeing that it was priced at $69.99 CDN in many stores brought up the point that it was indeed the publisher setting this higher price point, stating that the wavering dollar was mostly responsible. So there is more pressure being applied to publishers to equalize on that part of selling, so many markets outside the US may see game prices for new games gradually moving up as their dollar moves down (if that is the case).

One million Europeans can’t be wrong!

Reviews are starting to pour in for Killzone 2, the new savour of the PlayStation brand and one of the biggest titles for the PS3 so far. It was the darling of the initial launch, with a breathtaking trailer that turned out to be a little spurious in terms of what it was actually delivering, and with Resistance 2 meeting a lukewarm reception, it seems as if it is being treated as the last great hope for shooters on the system. Considering the lack of commercials pushed through the airwaves, it would seem as if the hype for the consumer isn’t all their yet, but Europe has gone out to prove that people are pretty excited for this game. More than a million copies of the game have been pre-ordered in Europe, which is a pretty good indicator that it can achieve success right off the start worldwide. Obviously, it’s not a sure shot, but at least it’s a trend towards a product that could sell a million copies within its first month, something that not even Metal Gear Solid could achieve.

The PS3 could certainly use a runaway hit right now to clear the air regarding major loses at the company, at Killzone 2 looks poised to do that. Regardless of the quality of the game, it has all the excitement of a launch title surrounding it right now, and what has been shown so far shows a lot of care and detail put into the visual experience of the game. It looks and feels like a Sony exclusive, something that is very important to establish the PS3′s identity as the true successor to their successful PlayStation series, a this along with titles like God of War 3 will start to draw in that familiar crowd as long as Sony is able to keep up the momentum. The game hits stores later this month, but the fights have already begun regarding review scores and the overall quality of the game. It’s become a schism between Xbox and PlayStation communities, and it truly does represent a big push for Sony’s identity this generation.