Google is reportedly hiring Android developers specifically to boost the number of apps available for the platform. Obviously there's money to be made, but the search giant is no doubt also driven by the gap between Android and iOS apps in both quantity and quality

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/01...e-the-Apps-Gap ...

Symbian is no longer the most-shipped mobile platform, with Android finally knocking Nokia's OS out of the number one position. Manufacturers shipped 32.9 million Android devices in Q4 of last year, compared to 31 million Symbian devices, according to Canalys. That gives Google a 33% share of the global mobile market, over 31% for Nokia's Symbian. 'It's gone from nowhere to number one in the space of two years, which is pretty impressive,' Canalys analyst Pete Cunningham said, predicting Android would double its growth rate this year

http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/...obile-Platform ...

Sony's war against PS3 hacking continues. On January 27, Sony Computer Entertainment America sent a DMCA takedown notice to GitHub demanding the removal of 6 repositories under the 'circumvention device' clause of the DMCA. All of the repositories in question were related to jailbreaking or homebrew development for the PS3.

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...tice-To-GitHub ...

Sony intends to spread the PlayStation Suite much further than Android phones - even iOS and Windows are part of the plan, and they're made by the enemy.

The exciting potential is for PlayStation Suite games to be offered far and wide, rather than be restricted like produce for App Store and Windows Phone 7.

"There are a variety of operating systems, but we're focusing first on Android," said Sony Computer Entertainment chief Kaz Hirai, in a conference translated by Andriasang.

"There's also Windows, iOS and so forth, but we don't have the resources to make it compatible with everything from the start.

"We're not ruling out PSS even on products like Sony Internet TV Powered by Google (Google TV) if adoption rate increases, or if it will help push adoption greatly."

"We have a completely open stance with carriers and handset makers," he added.

To begin with, PlayStation Suite will deliver classic PSone games to Android phone users. But in the future, Sony wants the Suite to evolve into a hardware-neutral development environment where brand new games and content are made.

Through a PlayStation Certified seal of approval, Sony will pin-point which devices work properly with PlayStation Suite. And with a QA system, Sony hopes to avoid the Suite becoming a swamp of questionable quality.

Final Fantasy VII on Android would tempt.

The announcement of PlayStation Suite came at Sony's PlayStation Meeting last week. The big news there was the unveiling of Next Generation Portable (aka PSP2). Eurogamer's blanket coverage of the event has been cobbled together in one handy place.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...ts-ios-windows ...

Need to continue supporting online-enabled titles justifies pre-owned Online Passes, Homefront dev claims
It's an argument often trotted out whenever anyone attacks the pre-owned market – "You don't see Toyota demanding a cut from the sale of a second hand Corolla."
But Kaos Studios, the developer behind THQ's upcoming shooter Homefront, says that the video games market can't be considered under the same light.
In fact, studio boss David Votypka goes as far to say that the introduction of magnetising schemes such as the Online Pass – a model that is being supported by Homefront – are vital for the future of online console gaming.
"I was thinking about it from the 'used car salesman' angle earlier and it's tough to argue [against] that side of it," he told CVG.
"I think digital media is a little different, however, and one of the things that takes Homefront even more down that path is our dedicated servers. It's expensive to run those, we want to supply them for the best experience and if a lot of the sales are going just to distributors and not to the publisher that doesn't help us to support the community.
"That's one good example of why I think it's important for the publisher and developer to get some of the revenue for the product they're putting out there."

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/42819/The-...-cars-argument ...

Monster Hunter Freedom 3 has slipped to second in the Japanese software chart, giving way to From Software's Another Century. However, the Capcom game's 68,274 sales for the week ending January 23 have tipped it over 4 million lifetime sales.

There were few new releases in Japan last week, with Arcana Heart on PS3 being the highest new entry at six. Elsewhere, the 360 SKU of Mass Effect 2 made fifteenth with nearly nine thousand sales.

In the hardware chart the PlayStation 3 remained in first place despite the strong software showing for the PSP, although all hardware figures were down over the week prior.

All figures are courtesy of Media Create. Bracketed software figures are lifetime sales, hardware numbers in parentheses are last week's sales.

01. Another Century's Episode Portable (Bandai Namco, PSP): 70,217
02. Monster Hunter Freedom 3 (Capcom, PSP): 68,274 (4,051,743)
03. Donkey Kong Country Returns (Nintendo, Wii): 29,412 (734,268)
04. Ni no Kuni (Level 5, DS): 19,020 (438,544)
05. AKB1/48: If I loved an Idol (Bandai Namco, PS3): 18,616 (339,178)
06. Arcana Heart 3 (Arc System Works, PS3): 17,219
07. Wii Party (Nintendo, Wii): 15,986 (1,746,021)
08. Pokemon Black & White (Pokemon, DS): 15,542 (5,027,870)
09. Gundam Musou 3 (Bandai Namco, PS3): 12,804 (331,682)
10. Mario Sports Mix (Nintendo, Wii): 12,173 (546,234)
11. The 3rd Birthday (Square Enix, PSP): 10,572 (223,433)
12. Magician's Quest: The Merchant's Store of Sorcery (Konami, DS): 10,211 (307,117)
13. SaGa 3: Shadow or Light (Square Enix, DS): 9,772 (37,116)
14. Wii Fit Plus (Nintendo, Wii): 9,275 (2,232,218)
15. Mass Effect 2 (Microsoft, X360): 8,864
16. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo, Wii): 8,511 (3,139,306)
17. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Nintendo, Wii): 8,114 (4,210,586)
18. Wii Sports Resort w/ Wiimote Plus (Nintendo, Wii): 8,053 (254,827)
19. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2011 (Konami, PSP): 7,764 (138,846)
20. Call of Duty: Black Ops Dubbed Version (Square Enix, PS3): 7,586 (65,104)
PS3: 33,190 (59,612)
PSP: 29,806 (28,757)
Wii: 21,291 (56,547)
DSi LL: 17,452 (44,122)
DSi: 13,416 (38,486)
X360: 2,636 (3,859)
DS Lite: 1,956 (4,510)
PS2: 1,629 (2,547)
PSP go: 1,208 (4,084)

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-japanese-no-1 ...

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has set the record straight on the launch of the 3DS eShop - it won't be ready for the launch of the new handheld console.

The eShop is Nintendo's digital marketplace for the 3D system, offering demos and trailers, as well as retro titles and DSiWare games.

"The first system update is scheduled for late May, at almost the same time around the world," he told a recent investor conference.

With the console going on sale in February 26 in Japan and March 25 in Europe, early adopters won't have access to the service for two or three months.

Nintendo had originally said that although the eShop and web browser would not be included in the console, an update to add the features would be available on day one.

Iwata admitted that previous digital services on the Wii and DS have not been marketed well, and the eShop will be another attempt by Nintendo to improve its digital distribution methods.

"So far, Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi Shop, which are based on internet-browser technology, have not provided the users with a sufficiently easy and accessible interface because switching from one screen to another takes time and, for Wii, promotions by Nintendo Channel and sales at Wii Shop Channel have not been closely linked," he detailed.

"As it is critical in digital software distribution that the software available there won't be buried and go unnoticed, and that we can prepare pleasant encounters for consumers, we will be running a drastically redesigned shop for Nintendo 3DS in which you can more comfortably purchase software through downloads."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...for-3ds-launch ...

The world of gaming can be a nasty place. The internet seems to highlight the worst bits; full of bickering, flaming and criticism, it's a cruel world. Just ask Treyarch.

I suppose that's what happens when you take a bunch of passionate and opinionated folk and cram them in the same cyberspace together. Of all the Holy realms of geekdom, gaming seems to be the one where the old saying, "You can't please everyone" rings particularly true.

To tell the truth, I expected all out war this past couple of weeks.

We've seen the battle lines in the handheld market form, as both Sony and Nintendo whip their weapons from their holsters and let them glisten in the sunlight for all to see. (I'm talking about 3DS and NGP, by the way. I know how you lot like to make things dirty.)


Except, there's been a kind of joyous harmony at play. The two mighty competitors have stepped into the coliseum... only to be greeted with genuine and enthusiastic applause.

Strangely, there's been little in the way of fan-baiting, mockery or condemnation. We haven't even had any claims of an 'Epic fail' taking place. Whisper it, but it's almost been polite.

Oi! You lot! What's going on!?

We asked a biggie over the weekend: "Sony NGP vs. 3DS: Which will you buy?" It was a fair question, but demanded you pick aside. In all honesty, we awaited the outcome from the safety of the CVG nuclear bunker.

Instead of a verbal mushroom cloud, though, we got the likes of this from altitude2k: "Neither at launch, but definitely the NGP out of the two. Just more to my taste, especially the quality-looking lineup." - a perfectly reasonable, well explained opinion, and representative of the masses.

"3DS. Resident Evil Revelations. Starfox. Paper Mario.Yum yum," said razors edge with absolutely no attempt to bash the NGP at all.

"Prob the NGP. 3DS looks cool but, no not for me," pondered gobbybobby, giving props to both consoles.

"Neither," said The_KFD_Case with not a sniff of a swear. Fair enough.

When we cranked open our lead door, what should we see but a circle of cross-legged gaming fanatics singing 'Kumbayah'. The only flames were toasting confectionery. Brought a tear to the eye, it did.

It seems that rather than forge the next great gulf between gamers, the arrival of the NGP and the 3DS has actually brought us all together.

I guess the reason is simple: You Sony folk might not quite understand those Kirby loving kids, but you have to admit you'd like a peek at that fancy 3D screen. And those pixel-pinching, hardware whores might seem a bit full-on, Ninty nerds, but their line-up is looking pretty special (and you have to envy that second analogue stick...)

In fact, my biggest gaming surprise this month wasn't the sheer amount of tech packed into the NGP. It wasn't even how taken I was with my first eyes-on with the 3DS. It was that both Sony and Nintendo actually managed to come up with the goods.


Both entries into the next generation of portables - so far - have absolutely fulfilled potential and met the hype. The 3DS is no gimmick and the NGP is far more than a half-hearted PSP2.

The 3DS and the NGP are targeting opposite ends of the gaming spectrum, but they meet in the middle to push at least a few buttons in every gamer. It's a nice status quo, one where everyone is able to recognise the opposition but feel completely unthreatened and satisfied with their own choice.

In some miraculous, once in a lifetime achievement, together Sony and Nintendo have managed to please just about everyone. Except The_KFD_Case.

That's why the announcement of a dedicated gaming handheld from Microsoft would probably be the worst decision since Nick Clegg... erm... Well, since Nick Clegg.

While Nintendo would no doubt left to its own devices once again, quietly and successfully occupying its own unique 3D space, Sony would be forced to take up arms in retaliation to Microsoft thrusting any handheld Xbox in its NGP's face.

Slowly the divisions would begin to form once more; the colours would bleed away from neutral as Sony supporters claimed dibs on originality and Xbots shouted about Halo this and Gears that.

Aside from the commotion it would cause, there are serious market reasons for MS to stick with PC and home consoles. The NGP is looking like such a complete machine for the hardcore, filling the portable gap purposefully left by Nintendo so well, I just can't see what Microsoft could offer that would be worth disrupting the balance.

Then there'd be Apple to contend with, who wrapped the app gaming sector up rather neatly a long time ago with the iPod. And we all remember what happened when Microsoft tried to encroach on its fiercest rival in the US with Zune. Flop-tastic.

Microsoft makes a fantastic gaming product already, but there's no room for it around the warmth of this crackling campfire; no call for it in our harmonious handheld gathering of gamers.

Whilst I doubt the green team has much desire to ...

Figures by analyst Localytics have suggested that some 26 per cent of mobile apps are used only once following their download.

The survey, covering iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone 7, found that the number of one-use apps had fluctuated between 22 and 28 per cent over the last year.

While this does mean a good 70 per cent of apps are used repeatedly, if accurate Localytics' figures present a new context for another recent survey which found that the average iOS device owner had downloaded some 60 apps.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...used-just-once ...