Feature: Today in Net News: 1/17/06 Subscribe to this RSS feed

We examine Peter Moore's recent Xbox 360 revelations, Microsoft's PR team tries to clear the air regarding Xbox 360 Blu-ray support, and the NPD Group proves once and for all that 2005 was a boring year in gaming. Huzzah!

For our first-ever edition of ToNN, we're tackling some seriously weighty subjects that....oh, forget it. Today was a dull news day, but at least you don't have to search all over the intarweb to find today's top stories.

Enjoy!

The Interview That Launched a Thousand Press Releases

If you haven't had an opportunity to check out the ITMedia interview with Peter Moore, GamePro has thoughtfully collected several of the best (and worst!) Japanese-to-English translations for our reading pleasure. Translating an English speaker's words to Japanese and back to English is no easy task, as you're about to see.

Give us Moore

GamePro's translation: "While we do plan on an external drive of some form, it is possible for us to adapt to future changes in the [next-gen DVD market] situation."

Our take: Nice and safe. Given the highly guarded phrasing, this is likely the most precise translation of Moore's original comments. Very PR-friendly.

IGN's translation: "[B]ecause we've gone with an external form of device, we can remain compatible with changes to the situation in the future."

Our take: Moderately safe, but definitely a notch up from the tamer GamePro translation. "Because we've gone with an external form of device" is a far more aggressive statement than "While we do plan on an external drive of some form." Next!

Gamasutra's translation: "Since we're using external drives [for next-gen media], we can change as the market changes."

Our take: BRAAAGGHH!! Though basically correct, this translation is the most gung-ho of the bunch. This quote does more than suggest that Microsoft could adapt to new next-gen DVD formats....it practically guarantees that it will. Unless Peter Moore was sucking down whip-its in the parking lot prior to speaking with IT Media, we're going to suggest that his actual phrasing was a bit more reserved.

Straight From the Horse's Mouth

You are feeling very sleepy...

Well, well. Just before the Martin Luther King holiday, this little number arrived in our inboxes, courtesy of the talented PR folks at Microsoft:

"Given some recent confusion on the Microsoft and Xbox stance on high definition formats, we want to make sure you have the official Microsoft statement:

It is important to understand the context in which that statement was made. Microsoft firmly stands behind the HD-DVD format as the best choice for our consumers. As we've said before, we're confident that HD-DVD will bring the excitement of high definition movies to the consumer faster and at a greater value. We believe that consumers have signaled what format they want to enjoy high definition DVD and we're going to follow them down that path. The question of whether Xbox 360 has the flexibility to adapt to consumers' needs is a different issue entirely. Xbox 360 is a future-proofed system--one that allows us to add features as consumers demand them--as evidenced by our offering of the HD DVD drive as an accessory. Current reports indicating that we have a back-up plan, which includes Blu-Ray support, are incorrect. At this point, we're fully committed to HD-DVD and have absolutely no plans to support other optical formats."

Our take: Either Peter Moore stepped outside his bounds while on that Japanese media tour, or video game sites use lousy Japanese translators. We're putting our money on the game sites.

2005: The Year in Review

The NPD Group today unveiled their sales data for 2005, and it's a doozy. The video game industry enjoyed a record year in 2005...but only because the PSP and Nintendo DS bailed out the flailing current-gen home consoles. Console software sales slipped by 12 percent, while portable game sales jumped some 42 percent. Console hardware sales sagged by 3 percent, while portable hardware exploded by a mind-blowing 96 percent.

Yes, oh yes, it was a very good year for portable video games. Now wake us up when something interesting happens.

Our take: Microsoft's decision to skip the handheld market is looking dumber and dumber...almost as dumb as that gigantic $300 external 360 HD-DVD drive.

Baaaa-zing!