Sims 2 hits 1m sales

Over one million copies of The Sims 2 were sold in retail stories worldwide since the PC game`s launch 10 days ago, according to publisher Electronic Arts (EA).

"The Sims franchise has become a cultural phenomenon and The Sims 2 is a game that changes the way we think about our industry," says Frank Gibeau, senior VP of marketing for EA.

"More than 50% of the one million copies were sold in Europe.

"At a time when console gaming tends to dominate the hype and headlines, The Sims franchise is one of the current saviours of PC gaming," writes Jeff Green, editor-in-chief of Computer Gaming World.

Microsoft will release a low-cost version of its Windows operating system for the Russian market in an effort to combat the country`s software piracy problem and growing Linux adoption, reports Newsfactor.com.

The Windows XP Starter Edition is similar to the slimmed down, low-budget version Microsoft released earlier in the year in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Priced at about $36, the version gives users limited options and features, for example only three programs can run at the same time and home networking is not available.

According to a recent study by the International Data Corporation and the Business Software Alliance, 87% of software used in Russia is pirated. This is exceeded only by China, Vietnam, Ukraine and Indonesia.

Reports that Sony has priced its PSP handheld gaming device at $349 have been classified as a hoax, according to Gamejournalism.com.

An article that appeared on the Slashdot site attributed the news to the as yet to be launched PSPAdvanced site.

However, stories posted earlier this week from the Tokyo Game Show noted that "Sony...has yet to release the price for PSP." In fact, one story from the show focused specifically on the speculation about PSP pricing.