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by Published on July 31st, 2012 11:41- Categories:
- Apple News,
- Android News,
- Apple iPad,
- Apple iPhone
Second quarter data shows Google OS losing momentum in shipments and market-share
The analyst firm Strategy Analytics believes that Google's Android mobile OS is nearing the "peak" of its popularity.
New data for the US market in the second quarter of 2012 - reported by TechCrunch - shows Android slipping in both millions of units shipped and overall market-share.
Android phones shipped 13.4 million units in the US in the second-quarter, significantly down from the 15.3 million shipped in the same quarter last year. As a result, Android's market-share fell from 60.6 per cent to 56.3 per cent.
Google's OS, which is supported by a wide range of mobile devices, still has the controlling share of the US market, but while its hold appears to be slipping Apple's iOS is on the rise: shipments of iOS devices increased from 5.9 million to 7.9 million, and its market-share grew from 23.2 per cent to 33.2 per cent.
The problem for Google is that, while companies like Samsung are producing very popular Android devices, Apple is apparently poised to launch a new iPhone in the near future. The resulting increase in demand for iOS devices could prove decisive.
"Android's...market share is approaching a peak and Apple iOS has been gaining ground," said Strategy Analytics' executive director Neil Mawston said in a statement. "Apple is rumoured to be launching a new iPhone in the coming weeks, and that event, if it takes place, is going to heap even more pressure on Android in its home market."
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-android-in-us
...by Published on July 31st, 2012 11:40- Categories:
- Nintendo 3DS News
The near-future of Nintendo's handheld looks bright, whatever size screens you're playing on, writes Johnny Minkley
Nintendo
www.nintendo-europe.com
One year, four months and four days after the launch of the tiny original, Nintendo's 3DS XL arrived in the UK on Saturday. It was, as Chart-Track pointed out for trivia nerds, only the second weekend console launch to take place on these shores, the other being N64, which hit on March 1st 1997.
But 15 years on from pioneering 3D gameplay in Mario 64, Nintendo's promised glasses-free 3D revolution has fallen so flat even its president now refers to it as a"minor" feature.
"The XL shifted a figure a little shy of five figures, outselling the original 3DS (whose total is based on seven days' data) by a factor of just over 2:1"
XL, then, comes at a critical time in the young platform's life, its momentum in the West faltering again - it's been "weak" this year, acknowledges Iwata - following an earlier revival propelled by last summer's emergency price cut.
How did it do? With only one day for the hardware revision to leave its mark in the weekly sales report (although some retailers were selling it from Friday), and a nation's eyeballs glued to the Olympics, making a splash was always a big ask.
Chart-Track doesn't give out hardware numbers, but I understand XL shifted a figure a little shy of five figures, outselling the original 3DS (whose total is based on seven days' data) by a factor of just over 2:1. At the same time, old 3DS was down slightly on its previous week.
As for software, sales were up 11 per cent for the week overall (following a 31 percent leap the previous week, probably inspired by the launch of Kingdom Hearts 3D). For specific titles, Mario Kart 7 jumped by 45 per cent, up to 13th in the all-formats chart, with Super Mario 3D Land up 37 per cent to 20th and Mario & Sonic's London Olympics caper predictably up 25 per cent into the bronze medal position.
In other words, it was a positive bump, but if there were empty seats across Olympic venues it's unlikely it was due to Nintendo fans leaving them to take part in the virtual version on its new handheld instead.
Given the sporting distractions and the short window, we'll get a clearer picture of early interest in XL next week. But bigger hopes are rightly pinned two and a half weeks hence on the arrival of a certain New Super Mario Bros. 2.
It's hard to overstate the importance of this release in timing and legacy. And it highlights both the strengths and weaknesses of Nintendo's current position. Big first-party IP is the backbone of any Nintendo console, of course, but the stature of the company's tentpole releases on Wii and DS is nevertheless astonishing - as is its reliance on them.
"The platform hasn't seen a single big-impact, platform-exclusive launch in the first seven months of the year"
Consider this: of the eight biggest-selling individual format titles in UK chart history, only one is not from Nintendo: Rockstar's GTA: San Andreas at number five. The original New Super Mario Bros. on DS is the seventh best-selling single-format title of all-time - its global total now in excess of 26m copies - out-performed on the handheld only by Brain Training.
Slashing a third off the price of the console within five months of launch and turning the marketing campaign on its head were dramatic examples of Nintendo's efforts last year to inject life back into the struggling platform.
But Iwata put it best himself, addressing analysts recently, when he said: "In order for dedicated video game hardware to be needed continuously, it is necessary to provide games with fun elements unique to a certain video game system which cannot be realised on smartphone devices. We would like to introduce such games one after another."
Well, the only time "one after another" has happened on 3DS was last Christmas, when the rushed-forward release of Mario Kart 7 joined Super Mario 3D Land and sales duly soared. To date, both titles are the top-sellers on the platform by a country mile in the UK, each selling over twice as much as the next nearest, the 3D remake of Ocarina of Time.
If momentum has subsequently waned, then, it's hardly surprising when you consider the striking lack of big releases and must-buy games. Nintendo's biggest in 2012 thus far, Kid Icarus and Mario Tennis Open, flopped at launch, Square's Kingdom Hearts 3D's modest opening weekend tally notably bigger than either managed.
Overall 3DS UK software sales last week were double that of the same week in 2011, which you'd expect with a significantly larger installed base. But the platform hasn't seen a single big-impact, platform-exclusive launch in the first seven months of the year. And collective game sales, it's worth noting, are still some way short of what ageing DS software is doing on a weekly basis.
Nintendo's troubles were ostensibly underlined in April when the company posted its first ever annual loss after a year that saw Iwata take fierce criticism on the chin and a 50 per cent pay cut in the wallet following ...by Published on July 31st, 2012 11:35- Categories:
- Apple iPhone
Apple's plans for its next iPhone refresh may be getting very tangible, very quickly. It all started wheniMore heard that Apple was preparing to hold an event unveiling the new hardware on September 12th, with a launch the following week on September 21st. Although the relative newcomer to the iPhone release date rumor game is still building its track record, that claim may have just gotten some extra meat: AllThingsD is joining in the chorus and touts its own sources pointing to an event in the same timeframe. While it's almost a month earlier in the year than Apple's iPhone 4S event was in 2011, it's supported by an Apple filing with the SEC showing a sharp uptick in supply purchasing during the spring, which it would need to start production for the fall. All of it is still rumor, of course, but past experience suggests that iOS fans may want to plan any September camping trips for the Apple Store line late in the month, not Labor Day weekend.
Update: Jim Dalrymple at The Loop, who's well-known for his accurate one-word confirmations and denials of rumors, just posted his trademark "yep."
http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/30/t...eptember-12th/ ...by Published on July 31st, 2012 11:33- Categories:
- PC News
The GHz Edition was supposed to deliver a significant mid-cycle performance bump to AMD's flagship 7970, without any attendant rise in cost. Instead, according to AnandTech, it looks like third-party vendors are looking to exploit the GE has a chance to max out every other spec in addition to the updated silicon and then charge a premium. Sapphire's new Toxic card is a case in point -- a 6GB double-helping of VRAM and a "Lethal" BIOS mode that takes base clock up to 1150MHz and memory clock to 6.4GHz (compared to 6GHz on the stock card). Those who can splutter up $699 will surely love it, but it's no substitute for the $499 upgrade that AMD originally intended.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/31/s...adeon-hd-7970/ ...by Published on July 31st, 2012 11:31- Categories:
- PC News
The Wikipad gaming tablet has been ticking off boxes on its way to becoming a real product, and after bedding down with Gaikai game streaming and settling in to a 10.1-inch form factor, the rest of the hardware is now set. The chunky handheld will brandish an IPS display with 1,280 x 800 resolution, NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30 quad-core 1.4GHz processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, at least 16GB storage and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Other notable items include 8-megapixel rear / 2-megapixel front cameras, six hours continuous gaming battery life and a 2D-only screen instead of the 3D originally touted -- at least, for the first model. The controller remains the same with a pair of triggers, bumpers, joysticks and start/select buttons, and will cover the slate's speakers and route sound out the front. The rest of the story is yet to come, namely exactly what that price will be and when you'll actually be able to pew-pew with it, but the company has promised to 'fess up soon. Meanwhile, though airy for a tablet at 560 grams (1.2 pounds), it's not exactly PS Vita or Nintendo 3DS XL territory -- but then a heavyweight contender could be exactly what handheld gaming needs.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/31/w...lay-1-4-ghz-t/
...by Published on July 30th, 2012 20:29- Categories:
- PS3 News
Grand Theft Auto III is heading to the PS2 classics department on PSN this week.
The game will be available digitally this Tuesday, July 31st for $10.
The rerelease of Rockstar’s decade-old effort was confirmed during the latest US Playstation Blogcast, along with the launch date (which at the moment is presumed to be specific to the release in North America).
Earlier in the year the ESRB rated both GTA III and Vice City for PSN, though no official word for Vice City has arrived as of yet.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/grand...s-week/0100365 ...by Published on July 30th, 2012 20:28- Categories:
- DCEmu
After what seems like an eternity of legislation limbo, PEGI age ratings for video games have become law in the UK today.
UKIE has done a great job of getting decent coverage of the achievement on the BBC this morning – all the more impressive considering the blanket reporting of the London Olympics that is currently dominating the nation’s consciousness.
The headline change is that it is now for the first time illegal to sell 12-rated video games to youngsters below that age.
But there’s more to it than that, of course. As outlined in Parliament’s Video Recordings (Labelling) Regulations 2012 legislation, games will now be classified by a single body – PEGI.
The actual rating process will be conducted by the Video Standards Council (VSC). It also means an end to BBFC ratings on the front of game cases.
Retailers who are found guilty of selling games to underage customers face a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a £5,000 fine. Those who sell titles without the necessary age-rating certificates could find themselves with a two-year jail sentence and an unlimited fine.
Trading Standard officers will, in the words of officials, “be working with all retailers over the next few months to help them manage the transition”.
“The UK has one of the most dynamic and innovative video games industries in the world, and the games they produce not only entertain millions, but can also educate and foster creativity,” culture minister Ed Vaizey stated.
“Today’s simplification of the ratings system benefits both industry and consumers and will help ensure that the millions of games sold in the UK each year are being played by the audiences they were intended for.”
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/pegi-...-today/0100368 ...by Published on July 30th, 2012 20:26- Categories:
- Cloud News
Streaming games service OnLive has officially launched in Belgium.
It’s the second country – after the UK – to receive an official launch for the platform.
The service is being provided by telecoms company Belgacom, which is offering its customers one month’s free subscription to OnLive PlayPack bundle. The promotion will run until September 30th. PlayPack subscriptions will cost €9.99 a month.
“Offering OnLive cloud gaming fits perfectly with Belgacom’s strategy of convergence and its aim to enrich its entertainment and application offerings,” an unattributed quote in the press release explains.
“Belgacom wants to create a customer experience that enables the integrated use of platforms, content and devices. Belgacom is extremely well-positioned to offer the OnLive Game Service through its advanced broadband network. Its smart networks will perfectly enable Belgacom customers to play and enjoy the highest-quality gaming experience through OnLive.”
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/onliv...elgium/0100383 ...by Published on July 30th, 2012 20:25- Categories:
- PC News
It has been discovered that the Uplay system Ubisoft uses to both check a game is legal and offer up gaming achievements, multiplayer, and additional content, actually contains a rootkit. The discovery was made by Tavis Ormandy, an information security engineer at Google, when he installed Assassin's Creed: Revelations on his laptop. He noticed that during the installation Uplay installed a browser plug-in that allows any website to gain access to your machine through a backdoor and take control of it.The plug-in can be classed as a rootkit because it is thought to allow continued privileged access to a machine without a user's consent."
Update: Ubisoft has released a statement saying it has issued a forced patch to correct the flaw in the browser plug-in for the Uplay PC application.
http://games.slashdot.org/story/12/0...lude-a-rootkit
...by Published on July 30th, 2012 20:24- Categories:
- DCEmu
Sega's official Olympics tie-in London 2012: The Official Videogameis the new number one in the UK all-formats software chart.
The games-buying public appears to have been inspired by Danny Boyle's opening ceremony on Friday night, propelling Sega's game to the top of the charts - and the publisher's other tie-in, Mario & Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games, has also profited, rising five places to number three.
It means London 2012 ends the recent chart dominance of Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, which last week became the first game this year to top the chart for five consecutive weeks.
In a quiet week for new releases, there's just one new entry in the top 40: Nintendo's DS title Pokémon Conquest debuts at number 17.
01. London 2012: The Official Videogame (Sega)~
02. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (Warner Bros)
03. Mario & Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games (Sega)
04. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (Ubisoft)
05. Batman: Arkham City (Warner Bros)
06. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision)
07. The Amazing Spider-Man (Activision)
08. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda)
09. FIFA 12 (EA)
10. Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (Square Enix)
http://www.edge-online.com/news/lond...-tops-uk-chart ...
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Catherine: Full Body’s English translation for the Vita