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GarageGames, the game engine technology developer, has just improved its Torque Game Builder tool through a new version release. For $100, the tool is pretty darn good, enabling developers with a little knowledge of Flash or Visual Basic, to knock together pretty comprehensive 2D console games.

InterActiveCorp has acquired a majority of GarageGames’ equity. This resulted in the creation of a new company, InstantAction.com. GarageGames’ management team will continue to lead the business as it builds out the InstantAction network. Partners include AMD, Sony Online Entertainment, Oberon Games, Microsoft, Intel, Nintendo, Reflexive Entertainment and nVidea.

Tags: AMD, GarageGames, Intel, InterActiveCorp, Microsoft, Nintendo, nVidea., Oberon Games, Reflexive Entertainment, Sony Online Entertainment

It is nearly the end of the year and the annual ‘battle of the consoles’ is well underway. This year has been particularly interesting as it is the first full year since the launch of three major console platforms: Microsoft’s Xbox360, Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s PS3. In the run-up to Christmas I thought I would take a look at the current standings, and oh boy, the trends are interesting.

Taking the cumulative volume sales for each console (thanks to vgchartz.com), Nintendo appear to be wiping the floor with Microsoft and Sony.

Looking at global sales, the Wii stands at 15.81million against Xbox360 at 14.28million and PS3 at 6.94million, this despite the fact that the Xbox360 has over a hundred weeks of sales to its credit whilst the wii has been available for only half that time. The sales growth of the PS3 almost exactly mirrors that of the Xbox360

Looking at sales in America alone, the picture will be a tad more comforting to microsoft, but not much. The Xbox360 has outsold thye PS3 over a comparable period, I guess largely because when the Xbox360 launched there wasn’t a comparable console on the market. The PS3 is battling in a more competitive market. But, the Wii is outselling them both. After 52 weeks of sales, the Wii has reached 6.94million units, which is more than the combined total of the Xbox360 and the PS3 (3.475m and 2.342m respectively).

In Europe the Wii is still king, but the PS3 is beating the Xbox360 into third place over a comparable period.

This is all very interesting but what does it mean? Well my take on it is this. First of all, assuming the current rate of sales continues, sales of the Nintendo Wii will exceed the combined total of Xbox360 and PS3 sales in less than a year (34 weeks by my calculation). [Read more]

Tags: Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony Corp

It is reported that Sony have made 1million unit sales in Japan of the new PSP handheld gaming and entertainment device in the two months since launch. when launched three years ago, the original PSP took an extra two weeks to reach the million mark in Japan. The new PSP is lighter and slimmer and is aimed squarely at the very successful Nintendo DS.

Tags: Nintendo, Sony Corp