The NPD Group has published its video game software and hardware sales figures for November. Without a doubt, Nintendo is the star of the show here, it shifted an incredibly remarkable 2.04 million Wii units, up from 981,000 last year. DS sales were equally as impressive at 1.57 million units sold. Yes, we knew Wii sales were going to be great, but this great? Wasn’t expecting it to break the 2 million barrier, I’ll say that.

You can’t count Microsoft out, though. Throughout the duration of November, Microsoft managed to push 836,000 Xbox 360 units out the door. While not a drastic increase compared to last year’s sales, the 360 managed to outsell the PlayStation 3 by more than a 2:1 margin. PS3 sales in November totaled to 378,000. See the full listing of figures after the jump. more »

Microsoft community manager Major “Larry Hryb” Nelson has revealed that Xbox Live Arcade sales have nearly tripled following the recent launch of New Xbox Experience.

Hryb further revealed that A Kingdom for Keflings, an XBLA title with a focus on avatars, registered its second-best first week of sales. Additionally, the card game UNO, which was recently updated to include in-game avatars, saw a sales boost of 650% in one day.

In terms of general statistics, the number of unique visitors on Xbox Live has increased by 66% over the past year. Movie downloads rose 49% and TV episode downloads were up 30% during the week of the NXE launch. All in all - interesting statistics, though we’d like to see raw numbers rather than percentages.

A look at a few post-NXE Xbox LIVE stats [Major Nelson]

We know Xbox 360 units with the long-awaited and RROD-defeating Jasper chipset are hitting retail shelves now, but is there a way to spot one without opening up the box? Thankfully, yes. Avid console modder Benjamin Heckendorn gives us the skinny on how to spot a Jasper.

12.1 amps equals a Jasper unit (65nm CPU, 65nm GPU). This voltage rating is also listed above the power input, but of course you can’t see that when it’s in the box.

As shown above, you’ll find the amp rating right on the back of any 360 unit, right to the left of the bar code and serial number.

Inside an Xbox 360 Jasper: Ben Heck dissects the mythical console, then tells you how to find one [Engadget]

Publisher Ubisoft today announced the imminent release of all-new downloadable content for Tom Clancy’s EndWar. Due out tomorrow on XBLM and PSN, the Escalation Pack features four new exclusive missions playable in skirmish mode, along with three unit upgrades and a total of ten extra achievements or trophies, depending on your console preference.

For 360 owners only, December 11 will also mark the release of a free title update that enables four vs. four multiplayer. A similar patch is in the works for PlayStation 3 owners, but is expected to hit in early 2009.

Several screenshots of battlefields found in the DLC pack can be found after the jump.

Tom Clancy’s EndWar Escalation Pack Screenshots

Starting this weekend on December 12, Rockstar is kicking off yet another Social Club weekend, and this time, a multitude of prizes will be up for grabs. more »

Microsoft announced today that two Xbox oldies, namely Sega Soccer Slam and Raze’s Hell, will hit its Xbox Originals download service next week on December 15. Both titles will carry a price tag of 1200 MS points. How does Microsoft choose titles for inclusion? No idea, but hey, at least these two aren’t half bad. Much better than Zapper anyway. more »

According to a report stemming from EGM’s trusty rumor-monger Quartermann, Epic Games is already hard at work on a third installment in the badass, action-filled Gear of War series. Targeted for a late 2010 release, Gears 3 is said to feature five player co-op, among various engine-level tweaks.

Sounds about right to us, seeing as there was a two year lapse between the release of the original Gears and its sequel. Although yet to be officially announced, we also know a new Halo is in development, which means that Microsoft would have two major releases in store for 2009 and 2010.

Gears 3 for Christmas 2010? [CVG]

With sights undeniably set on conquering the MMO market, publisher Atari has inked a deal to acquire MMO developer Cryptic Studios. While no dollar amount was disclosed, the transaction includes all of Cyptic’s IP, tools and technology.

Comprised of over 150 industry professionals, the Los Gatos-based developer is currently working on numerous projects, namely Champions Online, Star Trek Online, and another yet-to-be-announced title. more »

Rockstar Games announced today that a title update is now available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Midnight Club Los Angeles. Both updates are said to improve AI balance so that it dynamically adjusts to a player’s skill level. Specific to the 360 is support for additional leaderboards for Rockstar Games Social Club hosted tournaments, as well as “broader multiplayer match searching and upgraded streaming and performance.”

As usual, the update will be automatically applied when launching Midnight Club Los Angeles with an active internet connection.

Meteos Wars, the addictive block-igniting puzzler that made its debut on the Nintendo DS will hit Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade service this Wednesday. Featuring 20 levels in all, with each set on a specific planet, players are tasked with arranging colored blocks to demolish falling Meteos. Additionally, the game includes a versus mode playable either online or offline with friends.

As is standard for the vast majority of XBLA releases, Meteos Wars will cost 800 Microsoft Points.