Gaming Roundup: YouTube/PS3/Wii; VGAs; 1Up Editor Defects To Ignition

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Gaming Roundup: YouTube/PS3/Wii; VGAs; 1Up Editor Defects To Ignition

Watch YouTube through PS3, Wii: PS3 and Wii owners can now watch YouTube through their console's browser.
The beta YouTube for Television site has enlarged text and simplified navigation that makes it easier for gamers to navigate with their controllers.
Noticeably absent from the pack is the Xbox 360, though the YouTube blog said support for additional devices was coming down the pike.

Google already has deals to connect YouTube directly to TVs from Sony and Panasonic, as well as AppleTV and TiVo.

VGA online viewership up; TV ratings down: Arguably one of the more expensive mainstream gaming events, SpikeTV's Video Game Awards attracted a sizable online audience this year: total video streams hit 350,000?up 30 percent from 2007?and the VGA site got more than 1.3 million pageviews. But according to Variety, all the celebrity appearances and exclusive game trailers didn't woo as many TV viewers as last year: just 680,000 people watched the awards the night they debuted?down 26 percent from 2007?and the second lowest since their inception in 2004. The awards also didn't do very well with Spike's sweet-spot demo: just 229,000 men aged 18-34 watched that night, down 29 percent year-over-year, and the lowest ever for the show.