The PS3 remained the weakest-selling home videogame console in the U.S. in February as the Xbox 360 again came out on top and the Wii followed at No. 2, according to NPD data. Sales of Sony’s console, however, were still strong, growing from February 2010 and January this year. Portable videogame system sales, meanwhile, continued to be weak ahead of the coming launches of the 3DS March 27 in the U.S. and the NGP later this year.

Moving TV stations to lower channel slots won’t let them broadcast to mobile devices, which many in the industry are banking on to help keep the medium competitive with newer media, agreed numerous executives and technical consultants to broadcasters. FCC officials have been saying publicly for some time that they hope to repack some TV stations into the VHF band. That’s part of the commission’s ongoing effort to reallot 120 MHz from TV to wireless broadband, something drawing concern from broadcasters who don’t want to be adversely affected if they don’t agree to move.

Google TV missed the boat in first-generation products that launched in October by not understanding what the consumer wants, said panelists at the NexGen Entertainment Home Experience panel at the Digital Hollywood 2011 Media Summit in Manhattan Wednesday. The platform should come back strong in subsequent generations, assuming Google addresses issues that limited its appeal the first time out, panelists said. But Google’s stab at an undefined, fast-moving target shows how far the entertainment industry has to go in defining the home entertainment experience of the future.

Makers of household rechargeable batteries would have to collect and recycle used batteries under a bill introduced in the California Senate. SB 515, by Senate Majority Leader Ellen Corbett, D, would require battery makers to submit by Sept. 30, 2012 a stewardship plan to the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery. Battery makers also will have to meet “a specified collection rate,” the bill says. State law already makes it obligatory for rechargeable battery retailers to have in place a system for collection of used batteries.

With Blockbuster’s fate hanging in the balance, NCR’s and Coinstar’s kiosk-based packaged movie rental businesses stand to benefit despite their scaling back expansion this year, analysts said at the Wedbush Technology, Media and Telecommunications conference in New York.

Environmental groups are seeking to ratchet up pressure on an interagency task force on federal government electronics stewardship to devise policies to prohibit the export of e-waste to developing countries. The White House in November set up the task force, made up of officials from the Council on Environmental Quality, the General Service Administration and the EPA to develop a “national strategy” for “responsible electronics stewardship,” including improvements to federal procedures for managing used electronics.

Rovi’s customers are pushing for media cloud-based interactive program guides (IPG) as demand for embedded versions declines, Chief Financial Office James Budge said Wednesday at the Wedbush Technology, Media & Telecommunications conference in New York.

Majesco Entertainment is “very far along in the process of signing up many new, attractive, recognizable brands” that the game publisher plans to bring to “the many new platforms,” including the Kinect for Xbox 360, PlayStation Move for the PS3, and the coming 3DS, CEO Jesse Sutton told analysts in a Tuesday earnings call. The 3DS will launch in the U.S. after its Feb. 26 and March 25 introductions in Japan and Europe, respectively.

Warner Bros. Digital Distribution said Tuesday it will begin testing movie sales and rentals through the Warner Bros. Entertainment Facebook page. Consumers will use Facebook Credits to buy or rent select titles while remaining within Facebook. According to Warner Bros., fans who “like” The Dark Knight can rent the title through that page and begin watching the movie “within seconds.” The rental fee is 30 Facebook Credits or $3, Warner said. A member buys Facebook Credits using a credit card, PayPal account or a mobile phone. The movie offer is available only in the U.S., Warner said, and additional titles are slated for availability over the next few months.

Majesco Entertainment reported improved results for Q1 ended Jan. 31 that it said were driven by strong demand for its holiday season releases. Profit grew to $6.8 million, or 18 cents per share, from $3.8 million, 10 cents, in Q1 last year. Revenue grew 66 percent to $48.5 million.