Over the weekend, Yahoo via it’s Playback video blog series took a quick look at the ongoing console wars, declaring that the PS3 is struggling against the monstrous power of Nintendo and the resurgence in love for the Xbox 360.

Taking a quick peek over to VG Chartz we’re seeing that while Microsoft has had some momentum in Japan, which was no doubt a surprising turn of events in Sony’s backyard, the Xbox 360 is by no means leaps and bounds ahead of the PS3. The real question is, can Microsoft keep the pressure up with exciting releases and rumored price drops, thereby widening the sell-through gap? Also, what to do about Blu-Ray? Sure it’s a great format, but still not perfect and certainly not excepted among the mainstream. The driving force of monopolizing the next-gen DVD market doesn’t seem to be injecting Sony with a console sales push (and will it ever be referred to as the “Blu-Ray Market” among the mainstream?). So what’s Sony to do? Price drop? We certainly hope so, but can Sony really afford to bleed anymore with the PS3?

Regardless, neither of them can compete with Nintendo’s Wii, the comeback kid who everyone discounted at the beginning as being too gimmicky or under-powered. Seems the move to cater to the casual gamers, in effect carving out your own niche in the console market, was quite a brilliant move.

After being injured on the job, Dustin Waller of Statesville, North Carolina was lucky enough to receive a Sony PlayStation 3 as a get-well gift. That was, until police knocked on his door and informed him that his high-tech gift was actually stolen and police tracked it through the PlayStation Network.

Turns out Waller’s fiance had purchased the PS3 at a local used-game shop in a mall, and after connecting online to the PlayStation Network using the previous owners account, police were able to begin tracking Waller’s IP address. We’re assuming Sony was kind enough to assist in the matter, providing police with the offending IP address.

Needless to say, the PS3 was confiscated, leaving Waller left with nothing to do but ask the used-game shop for a refund. What he got in return was a Microsoft Xbox 360, which Waller notes is not as expensive, or as sophisticated as a PS3. Yeehaw folks!

Read more at The Salisbury Post, which also happens to be my hometown newspaper!

Google is going after the TV, with the launch of it’s Windows-only Google Gadget, the Google Media Server. Finding photos, music and video, Google Media Server makes content from your PC available over your network to DLNA devices, such as the Playstation 3 and most Media Center PCs. Unfortunately at this time the Xbox 360 (or Nintendo Wii), though supporting DLNA, is not supported due to signing issues. According to a Google Media Server developer comment, Google Legal did not allow developers to ‘trick’ the Xbox 360 into believing the GMS was signed (for DRM purposes) into believing it were a Microsoft Product, though the developer pointed out there were ways around the internet to achieve this on your own.

The Google Media Server acts as a bridge, allowing you to serve up videos, music and photos as well as Picasa Web Albums and favorite YouTube videos to your Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) devices. No word on when they’ll start streaming Google Ads to your TV however.

Read more: Google Media Server

What would you do for a PS3? In our case, not a fucking lot, but I really don’t think anyone else would be so desperate for one that they’d actually do what some members of the press were recently asked to do in London at a God of War 2 party. Members of the press and other party-goers were invited to reach inside a freshly slaughtered goat carcass to eat Offal from its stomach, as part of what could possibly be one of the stupidest gaming-related promotional stunts I’ve ever heard of. Featured in PlayStation magazine, the goat’s head was still hanging by neck tissue as blood dripped to the floor, surrounded by topless women slipping grapes into attendees mouths.

What would you do for a Sony PS3?

“How about eating still warm intestines uncoiled from the carcass of a freshly slaughtered goat? At the party to celebrate God Of War II’s European release, members of the Press were invited to do just that . . .”

Read more: Sony’s stupid God of War 2 promotional stunt

…or maybe not? Thanks to a to a loyal reader for kicking us in the ass by sending us a juicy photo of lots of PS3s hanging out in a Saturn in Vienna, Austria (the “Best Buy” of Austria no less). There are several such stacks throughout the store (estimated around 100 units), which begs the question, did Saturn seriously overstock (probably), are PS3 sales SO high that Saturn *needs* such a large stock or are PS3 sales in Austria seriously that disappointing (probably, again)? Regardless, for €599 ($804) I don’t foresee the PS3 flying off shelves anytime soon here.

In it’s second week available in the UK, sales of the Sony PS3 have dropped drastically, tumbling over 82%, according to the latest sales figures from Chart Track. Without going into specific sales numbers, a spokesperson for Chart Track revealed that PS3 hardware sales have dropped by 82% with software sales slipping 60%. After Sony’s victorious sales data a week prior this must come as a disheartening blow, even considering the natural sales drop after a launch.

Read more: Sony PS3 sales plummet

Poor Sony. They just can’t catch a break. With their overpriced monster of a console failing to ignite the sales charts and now launching in Europe (for around $800 USD after conversion!) to a deafening lull, they have Microsoft trying to trip them up at every turn. From the official PS3 launch party held in Paris, the festivities were rudely interrupted when a barge carrying huge banners stating “XBOX 360 <3 YOU" floated on by, making PS3 fanboys around the world consider taking up high-seas piracy.

Watch video of the drive-by after the jump..

Read more of “Microsoft crashes French PS3 launch party“

A few days old, but hey, even old news is post-worthy when it points out how badly the PS3 is doing in the market. Over in Japan, the sales figures for January have rolled in and boy was it a surprise. Nintendo sold through around 405,000 units of their Wii console in comparison to the Sony PS3’s paltry 148,000 units. These are sold, in the homes, not ’shipped’ which Sony (and to a degree Microsoft) are so often touting as their sales figures. The key for Nintendo’s success is to stretch their current lead throughout the rest of the year, with solid first and third party new releases and some real expansions in their online service, which is a bit weak to say the least. Online Wii Sports anyone? Yes please!

For the PS3? Sony can probably just hope their marketing team and execs don’t completely alienate the Europeans, who are their last hope of reclaiming market dominance. Though it’s starting to seem quite clear that mainstream games and consumers are replacing their PS2s as this generation’s console of choice with the Nintendo Wii, leaving the PS3 battling it out with the Xbox 360 for the fickle hardcore gamers market.

Read more: Wii outselling PS3 by 3 to 1 in Japan

Gaming and financial analyst Roger Eherenberg’s epic post tracking EA’s stock price and strategy is a great great read which he’s just revisited and revised. I’m actually still ingesting it all after the third read, but I can’t help but agree on just about every point raised. Focusing on EA’s mistake with focusing too much on the PS3, the article also takes Sony to task for their continued mis-steps in getting the PS3 into the homes of gamers and Nintendo’s brilliantly handled Wii which Eherenberg predicts is replacing the PS2 as the console of choice for mainstream gamers.

Read more: EA Revisited: Playing Catch Up on the Wii, Waking up to the Failure that is PS3

Game designer / celebrity David Jaffe (God of War) recently live-blogged a focus testing session for Calling All Cars, the upcoming PS3 download title and there’s much to take away from it. It’s quite clear Jaffe cares deeply about his craft and it’s also pretty fucking clear that high quality focus testing groups are hard to find.

An amusing back and forth over IM between Jaffe and Adam (one of the designers):

adamorth (6:00:57 PM): GOD DAMMIOT!!!!!
spdrmn375 (6:01:06 PM): what?
adamorth (6:01:13 PM): not only is #4 stupid, but he’s a fucking asshole
spdrmn375 (6:01:18 PM): y?
adamorth (6:01:23 PM): jesus!
adamorth (6:01:27 PM): what a fucking snot
spdrmn375 (6:01:29 PM): what?!?
adamorth (6:01:39 PM): no swag!
spdrmn375 (6:01:49 PM): lame
adamorth (6:01:55 PM): he called me an idiot
spdrmn375 (6:02:01 PM): why?!?
adamorth (6:02:18 PM): becuase i told him not to keep pressing the buttons
spdrmn375 (6:02:24 PM): for what reason?
adamorth (6:02:46 PM): because he kept rushing through the menu to create game ahead of the host
spdrmn375 (6:03:07 PM): ah…sweet! BLOG TIME!!!

Read more: David Jaffe live blogs focus testing for Calling All Cars