Warcraft Critic Resigns from FCC Early

Spong Write: She's like Abraham Lincoln you know.

Debra Taylor Tate has resigned from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) - the US government agency charged with "regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable".

Debra who? Yes, we thought you'd ask that. Last year she stated that we might all, "find it alarming that one of the top reasons for college drop-outs in the U.S. is online gaming addiction - such as World of Warcraft - which is played by 11 million individuals worldwide."

Yes, Ms Tate blamed computer game addiction for college drop-out rates. She did so in a speech with no actual facts or studies to back her up. Her resignation speech was almost as revolting as that lack of responsibility - but in more of a nausea inducing manner. Although you can read the full speech here... you might not want to based on the following extract.

Is the PlayStation Doomed?

Oliver Marks of Znet writes: "Sony, putting aside the human toll of massive restructuring, is a fascinating example of the carnage happening in the business world today, and the stifling of innovation in large companies. Today's multinational conglomerate had humble origins in post WWII Japan: Masaru Ibuka started a radio repair shop in a bombed-out building in Tokyo, and was joined by his colleague Akio Morita a year later.

These two innovators built Japan's first tape recorder and went on to experiment with transistors, a new invention at the time. The resulting transistor radios and subsequent creativity produced an explosion of consumer and professional products synonymous with quality. It's hard to overstate how innovative the company was in its youth: even the name Sony - a made up word which could be copyrighted and was one of the first global consumer brands - was hugely controversial in Japan, where it was unheard of not to have a company name in Kanji, and wildly creative and attention getting in the western world.

So how did this creative dynamo deteriorate into the opaque bureaucracy that is Sony today - a company which is ubiquitous on the planet but unfocused compared to for example Apple, who claimed the next generation of personal audio - and the massively lucrative content market - after Sony's hugely successful WalkMan?"

10 Questions: Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime

After some unexpected delays, Nintendo has finally provided GameDaily with the completed interview based on its reader submitted questions. In the full Q&A, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime talks about the company's marketing, varying tastes for gamers in Japan and North America, keeping up Nintendo quality and his own favorite games.

Blu-ray’s first two years outpaces DVD’s

engadgetHD:The success of DVD is the kind that consumer electronics manufactures dreamed of, and now after two years after the introduction of Blu-ray, it appears to be gaining steam even faster -- and during the worst economic crisis of our time. According to Richard Greenfield of Pali Capital, in two years there were about 1.2 million DVD players sold, whereas Blu-ray stand-alone player sales are estimated to be at 2.5 million -- no this doesn't include PS3s which are expected to be at 8 million. Of course choosing between a $129 DVD upconverter and a $199 Blu-ray player isn't that hard of a choice, but paying 30 percent more for a movie is. The news here isn't bad for Blu-ray either as it has managed to almost double its market share of the top 20 titles in the past six months. We have a feeling the members on the panel at the BDA press conference this Thursday at 7pm EST -- which we'll be covering live -- will have a few things to smile about.

1UP sold to Hearst, EGM magazine closes?

What They Play writes: "Media business website paidcontent.org posted a story this morning with the headline "Ziff Davis sells 1UP digital network to Hearst, shutters EGM" but has since removed the piece from its website. The original content of the text is still visible using an RSS reader, and it stated:

Looking to conserve its resources for its PC Mag Digital business, Ziff Davis Media has sold off the 1UP Digital Network, its collection of video game sites, to Hearst Corp., which will fold it into the UGO Entertainment division, the companies said. In conjunction with the sale, the related print mag Electronic Gaming Monthly will publish its last issue this month. Terms of the deal were not disclosed."

Rumor: Playstation 3 possibly inching closer toward an early “Game Over”

GamerTell writes: "While there are undoubtedly a multitude of gamers who are proud of their Playstation 3 purchases, Sony business executives are not as confident, considering that their choice gaming console remains consistently behind the competition and possesses a negative stigma as a product with features that fail to justify its high cost."

Macworld 2009 keynote live update: Apple debuts new 17-inch MacBook Pro

As widely predicted, Apple have finally taken the wraps off its supersized unibody 17-inch MacBook Pro at today's keynote.

Originally set to be unveiled at the same time as its 15" cousin last October, (rumours are that issues with the it's display scuppered its original debut), Phil Schiller took the wraps off the device claiming it to be "the world's thinnest and lightest 17-inch laptop".

Edge: MS: 360 Life-to-Date Sales Hit 28m Worldwide

Edge writes: "Microsoft proclaimed Monday evening that Xbox 360 has sold 28 million units worldwide through 2008 since its launch in November 2005.

Microsoft director of product management for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Aaron Greenberg told Edge in a phone interview that the company sold 10.3 million Xbox 360s throughout the year. According to Greenberg, this puts Microsoft's console more than 8 million units ahead of the PS3, a console that launched a year after Xbox 360."

Free Radical Could Be On the Chopping Block

ReSolve Partners, which is handling the administration for embattled game studio Free Radical, indicated that the company could be sold in pieces instead of as a whole.

Panasonic, Dolby Fight to Land 3-D Blu-ray Standard

"These two proposed standards likely won't be the last. The future of home entertainment, for both movies and videogame consoles like the next iterations of Xbox 360 and PS3, is pointing more and more towards 3-D with each passing day..."