And yet it is done, and profitably so. Sony's PlayStation 3 is expensive precisely because it uses new chips and optical drives whose manufacturing processes have yet to be refined. Moore's law has made the old silicon parts in a PS2 dirt-cheap; meanwhile, videogame studios continue to churn out games for it, making it an entertainment bargain.

Windows XP, meanwhile, has been relentlessly tested by consumers, businesses, and hackers; it is now reasonably bug-proof, reasonably easy to use, and ubiquitous. Windows Vista, by contrast, is slow, unpredictable, and uncertainly secure. (Microsoft claims Vista is safer, but any security expert will tell you that security holes only reveal themselves over time.) Microsoft perhaps recognizes this, since it's continuing to sell Windows XP in some poorer countries.

So far, Sony and Microsoft are focusing their selling of the old in developing markets. But why not sell the old stuff everywhere, instead of forcing the likes of Dell to jump through hoops to offer it to willing customers? That's exactly what Nintendo has done with the Wii. Essentially a repackaged GameCube with a motion-sensitive controller, the Wii has eviscerated Sony's overexpensive PlayStation 3. It's a classic triumph of the old.

The chief lesson Silicon Valley has taken from Moore's law is that new technology will always be better. Hence the relentless pursuit of the new. But Moore equally tells us that old technology will always be cheaper. Someone's going to figure out how to sell the old stuff at a profit. Why not have it be you?

• Business will bribe customers with discounts so they'll hand over access to private information like shopping history and online activity. Algorithms will help store clerks make better personal recommendations.
• Spectators at sporting events will be able to order nachos from their seat.
• Expect more iPhone-esque touch screens.
• Videogames will become more like movies as new technologies improve animated facial expressions.
• Motion sensors will take videogames another step beyond the Wii as users control on-screen actions with just their body.
• Made-for-Internet feature films with budgets around $10 million will proliferate.
• So will big-budget 3D movies, like James Cameron's 2009 film, Avatar
• One box will deliver the video you get from satellite, broadcast, cable and the Internet now.
• Holographic TV.
• Social networks will keep your friends abreast of all your activities including where you are and what you've purchased. (Apparently the WSJ believes Facebook will figure out how not to creep people out with Beacon.)
• After tracking your behavior through GPS, Google will give you a list of restaurants you might like for lunch when you get into your car. Directions included.
• You'll be able to locate where old home videos took place.
• News will come to you on a mobile device, from multiple sources, based on your declared tastes.

Despite generally negative review scores, it would seem that Wii owners were consumed by the prospect of more mini-games (and a second Wii remote) nearly on par with the thirst that Xbox 360 owners had for more Halo. An impressive feat for Nintendo, but more impressive for Microsoft, considering Wii Play had a seven month head start on the first-person shooter.

The top ten best selling games in the USA for last year are after the jump.

01. Halo 3 (Xbox 360) - 4,820,000
02. Wii Play with Remote (Wii) - 4,120,000
03. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360) - 3,040,000
04. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS2) - 2,720,000
05. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) - 2,520,000
06. Pokemon Diamond (DS) - 2,480,000
07. Madden NFL 08 (PS2) - 1,900,000
08. Guitar Hero II (PS2) - 1,890,000
09. Assassin's Creed (Xbox 360) - 1,870,000
10. Mario Party 8 (Wii) - 1,820,000

GameStop will sell the Wii rain checks for $249.99 on Thursday and Friday. A GameStop shift supervisor tells Consumerist that this kind of preorder counts in the store's net sales. GameStop's annual reports are mum on how the company actually accounts for preorders. The program will certainly lift the company's cash flow well in advance of when GameStop actually has to make good on its holiday promises. Ho ho ho!

Over the weekend there appeared to be another sell out of Wii consoles. On Friday, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime announced that seven retailers-Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, Sears, Kmart, Toys R Us and Circuit City- would be throwing a lot of Wii consoles out on their shelves over the weekend to try and sate the appetite of games and their families.

But judging by the obvious spike in eBay listings of Wii consoles, I think it's fair to say the only thing sated was greed. From 9 a.m. Eastern Sunday to 9 p.m. Eastern Sunday alone more than 13,500 Wii consoles were listed for sale in the U.S. on eBay. Coincidence? I can't imagine.

Note: These numbers might deviate a little from 100% complete authentic scientific goodness, but the trend is still relevant.

sparkly-crap mobile circuit-board garbage gizmo mass-produced by machines that stole jobs from nonunionized workers who stole jobs from the natives. I want a Nintendo Wii.
biosphere-destroying violent imagery consumer electronics death monster truly represents the future of technology Wii DJ Bluetooth just another thing with built-in obsolescence consigning it to an unknowable half-life as indigestible silicon shards. It sucks when great future innovations are doomed to become garbage. Donating to cool charities and supporting local artists is something you should be doing all year. capitalist juggernaut. Annalee Newitz is a surly media nerd.

Sony's taken the best of various community aspects and blended it into a theme called Game 3.0. Not an official trademark or anything, it's just their idea that video game equivalent of Web 2.0 and its user-created content would be Game 3.0 (goes along the three in PS3).

So how does it work?

Well, you have private and public areas. Imagine the Sims and the ability to customize your home, your body, your clothes, and your face. The 3D avatar and 3D environment actually looks pretty great, considering it's actually PS3-level graphics and not just something quickly thrown up (like Second Life). You can customize your personal apartment however you wish and invite buddies (other avatars) over to chat, play arcade games, launch multiplayer games, or just hang out.

There are loads of public spaces as well. These can be generic arcade halls where you can play pool and bowl, or game company sponsored areas where you can play demos of their latest games and chat with friends at the same time. There could even third-party non-game areas like movie theaters and clothing stores where you can watch trailers, movies, or try on the latest overpriced shirt from A&F.

Speaking of commercialization, there's going to be ads. Yes, there are 3d Banner ads and HD Video ads embedded inside "appropriate" areas in the public spaces. Fortunately for you, you can bring up a virtual PSP interface from anywhere and warp back home to the (presumably) ad-free space. But in your space, you can load your own pictures from your PS3 hard drive onto a picture frame or your own MP3s onto a jukebox.

This is definitely something we can see people sinking a lot of time into as far as socializing. It doesn't seem to have an economy in it like Second Life, as far as we saw, so all your money will be sent to Sony when you purchase arcade games, furniture, and more clothing for your avatar.

How about for the hardcore gamer? There's the "Hall of Fame", an actual hall with display cases that show the "achievements" (Sony's not calling it that) that you've unlocked by playing games. Not only can you browse what you have, you can go to a gigantic hall (imagine the Star Wars Imperial Senate) and view trophies for games you don't have. Or you can see what your buddies have and compare.

It doesn't have as much depth as Xbox 360's achievements, which has possibly 50+ achievements for each game, but it does give you a neat way to walk around a room and admire just how much time you've sank into playing video games.

Although PlayStation Home probably won't be a big enough feature to actually sell the console by itself, it may just be one of many features that Sony's adding to make it quite tempting to even non-gamers, a segment the Wii seems intent on dominating. – Jason Chen

As Brian and I were unboxing the Wii and PS3, Nintendo dropped the bomb on us. A bomb filled with creamsicles, fudge pops, and good humor.

Oh yes, dear readers, just when we were ecstatic about having a Wii, Nintendo delivers us a second Wii via Ice Cream courier. Cool? Very. Delicious, definitely. They even spotted us some ice cream sandwiches. Thanks Erin! Mmmmm, mmmm, good. Twin Wii's? Yes, we're twice blessed. (Both the east and west coast Gizmodo Wiis got delivered to the SF HQ by accident, if you were wondering.)

Click to the jump to see the Awesome Ice Cream Truck in Action.

– Jason Chen