127 million, that’s how many PlayStation 3 consoles Strategy Analytics predicts Sony will sell by generation’s close. Compare with 103 million Wii units. And the Xbox 360 lifetime sales figure? The press release strangely neglects to provide one.

The report further claims the PS3 will still be commercially viable five years after the Wii’s been replaced by its successor.

“Nintendo has done a great job with the Wii in bringing console games to new audiences,” says David Mercer, the report’s author and principal analyst. “But its sales are now falling, particularly in mature markets, and its installed base will peak in 2011.

By contrast, Mercer believes PS3 and Xbox 360 ownership will peak between 2012 and 2014.

2010 could be a slump year, however. The report predicts worldwide console sales will drop 9 percent in 2010 to 47.5 million. The sales breakout by console: 17.5 million to the Wii, 14 million to the PS3, and 10.5 million to the Xbox 360.

Current system ownership should peak in 2011, says the report, after which companies will have to intro new systems to maintain industry growth. Translation: Look for the Wii’s successor as well as new or further discounted versions of the PS3 and Xbox 360 next year.

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How to Hack Your Wii For Homebrew Apps and Games

Looking to do more with your Wii? The Homebrew Channel provides a thriving community of developers and users looking to bring some amazing new features to the aging Wii console, including emulation, DVD and game playback from other regions, and the ability to run Linux. Mike Keller provides instructions for installing Homebrew on your Wii, which is easier than ever thanks to the mature Homebrew scene. Game on!

AMD Details Speed, Power Saving Features of Fusion

Code-named Llano, the new quad-core AMD Fusion processor running at speeds in excess of 3.0 GHz is due for release in 2011. A hybrid chip that combines a graphics processor and a CPU on a single piece of silicon, Fusion’s integrated graphics processor will natively support DirectX 11, allowing users to view Blu-ray movies or play 3D games. While the heat output from all four cores on a Fusion chip could be 100 watts, AMD’s new power management capabilities allow more efficient control of the chip’s energy draw, ensuring a cool processing and gaming experience.

ATI Introduces Radeon HD 5570, Targets Small Desktop PCs

Right after announcing the affordable Radeon HD 5450 line of GPUs, ATI introduced the energy-efficient, high-performance Radeon HD 5570, which is geared toward small form factor PCs. The new card supports both Direct X 11 and OpenGL 3.2, can drive up to three monitors, and only draws 45 watts when under a full processing load. Newegg is selling the HD 5570s for around $85.

Rumor: Core i7 Coming Soon to MacBook Pro?

The Apple rumor mill is at it again, but this time it has nothing to do with mythical tablets: Instead, reports are circulating that Apple will release an updated MacBook Pro featuring Intel’s newest Core i7 chips. What leads credence to this rumor? A recent benchmark test spotted on the Geekbench Web site lists a system that identifies itself as a MacBookPro 6,1. Current MacBook Pros identify themselves with “5,x” codes.

Details include a 2.66GHz Core i7 processor and an unreleased build of Mas OS X (10.6.2 Build 10C3067; the current release is 10.6.2 build 10C540). However, the track record of the site that announced this rumor is spotty at best, so your guess is as good as ours as to the validity of this leak.

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New Super Mario Bros
by Nintendo
164 days in the top 100
Platform: Nintendo Wii
(79)

Buy new: $49.99
34 used & new from $42.77

(Ranking is updated hourly. Visit the Bestsellers in Video Games list for authoritative information on this product’s current rank.)

Developers at Nintendo have dreamed of creating a simultaneous multiplayer Super Mario Bros. game for decades. The Wii console finally makes that dream come true for everyone with New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Supporting 2-4 players in side-scrolling co-op and competitive platforming action, and featuring a mix of fan favorites and new characters, new powerups and various input options via the Wii Remote, it is destined to become an instant classic in one of the most beloved game franchises of all-time.

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Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board
by Nintendo
90 days in the top 100
Platform: Nintendo Wii
(47)

Buy new: $99.99 $89.99
36 used & new from $89.99

(Ranking is updated hourly. Visit the Bestsellers in Video Games list for authoritative information on this product’s current rank.)

Wii Fit attracted millions of new players to the world of video games. Now Wii Fit Plus offers a range of new features and enhancements to help players reinvigorate their workouts, along with exercises and balance games designed to keep them fun. Players will find a new dimension to the Wii Fit experience as they easily set their own customized workout routines, or choose 20-, 30- or 40-minute workouts based on how much time they have available.

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Wii
by Nintendo
1097 days in the top 100
Platform: Nintendo Wii
(1803)

Buy new: $199.99
255 used & new from $174.99

(Ranking is updated hourly. Visit the Bestsellers in Video Games list for authoritative information on this product’s current rank.)

Nintendo’s Wii video game system (pronounced “we”) brings people of all ages and video game experience together to play. This simple yet ground breaking idea is expressed not only though the system’s evocative name, which is easily pronounced in a variety of languages, and suggests two players side by side, but also through its innovative list of features and extensive list of playable titles.

Wii with Wii Remote. View larger.

A Little Box With Plenty of Power
As with every console, much of the buzz surrounds the specs. The Wii boasts 512 MB of internal flash memory, two USB 2.0 ports, and a slot for SD memory expansion. The system’s technological heart — a processing chip developed with IBM and code-named “Broadway” and a graphics chipset from ATI code-named “Hollywood” — deliver stunning performance. And instead of a tray, Wii uses a single, self-loading media bay that plays both 12-centimeter optical discs used for the new system, as well as Nintendo GameCube discs.

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