DCEmu Homebrew Emulation & Theme Park News
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by Published on April 24th, 2012 22:22- Categories:
- PC News
Major PC makers such as Dell, HP and Asus are said to be planning withdrawing optical drives from larger 15-inch and up notebooks, potentially marking the beginning of the end for optical drives in mobile PCs.
While rumours circulated that Apple may axe the default DVD drive from MacBook Pro notebooks, while retaining it as an optional add-on, Windows-based notebooks could also be planning such a move.
Taiwan based industry watcher the DigiTimes quoted supply chain sources tipping that HP, Dell and Asus were among those looking to ship larger 15-inch models without optical drives. Previously only the most portable of models has gone down that road.
Yet the same manufacturers may be looking to how Apple's mooted discless move is received before deciding one way or another. Acer had already commissioned a design but was "still fonder" of a design that keeps the optical drive.
It's interesting that the issue is coming up again given that the costs of incorporating an optical drive are now so minimal. Discless models could be just 1mm thinner and save just US$20. On that basis you'd have to say the only reason the move is being considered is because the manufacturers believe no one really uses optical discs any more.
While that $20 price difference doesn't sound much, it may also be part of a strategy to drive down the cost of Ivy Bridge-powered 15-inch ultrabooks to suitable levels. Sensibly priced 15-inch ultrabooks are believed to be a prerequisite before Intel has a chance at cracking the European market.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...way-out/028247 ...by Published on April 24th, 2012 22:18- Categories:
- PC News
Business Insider unearthed the figure in an SEC filing ahead of Facebook's IPO later this year.
The social media firm recently announced plans to monetise its mobile platform by introducing 'Sponsored Stories' to the newsfeed, a method similar to Twitter's Promoted Tweets platform.
Facebook is also generating 3.2 billion 'Likes' and comments from users each day, 300 million uploaded photos daily and a total of over 125 billion friendships.
The half a billion mobile users milestone is up from 350 million in September 2011.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...e-users/017829
...by Published on April 24th, 2012 22:15- Categories:
- Apple iPhone
The current iPhone 4S has a depth of 9.3mm but, according to Apple Insider, Apple will trim the fat on its next device using new touch panel tech.
It reckons a thinner battery and metal back will provide a final depth of 7.9mm – with no reduction in responsiveness.
Apple is expected to cut the size of the iPhone 5 in order to keep up with rival devices. Meanwhile, Samsung is expected to unveil a 7mm-thick Galaxy S III on May 3rd.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...in-2012/017830
...by Published on April 24th, 2012 22:13
Business intelligence firm MBA Online has created an infographic pinpointing the highs and lows of Canada-based RIM.
It calls it the 'death of RIM' which is a bit premature given that the OEM sold 10m units in Q4 2011.
Mind you, the firm is on an abysmal slide.
It entered the market in 1999 with the BlackBerry 850, which pushed its annual sales up by 80 per cent over five years, and delivered one million users by 2004.
The success story continued until 2008, by which time the iPhone and Android had been launched and the RIM graph began to slide downwards.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...-of-rim/017836 ...by Published on April 24th, 2012 13:37- Categories:
- Nintendo 3DS News
In what appears to be ground-breaking advancement on the development of the first-ever Nintendo 3DS flashcart, the Crown3DS team have updated their website to increase their progress bar from 70% to an amazing 72%! There is no doubt that we are getting closer to release, in fact I am going to preorder my own copy right now!
http://www.eurasia.nu/modules.php?na...ticle&sid=2992 ...by Published on April 23rd, 2012 21:36- Categories:
- Wii U News
How the Wii U can thrive in a tough market
Nintendo is unveiling its next console, the Wii U, in early June for shipment this holiday season. The launch of a new console, every 5 years or so, is a crucial moment for any console manufacturer. The stakes are much higher than normal for Nintendo's Wii U launch, since Nintendo is projecting its first annual loss in 30 years, estimating a net loss of ¥45 billion (about $552 million, or £343 million, or €420 million) after previously projecting a ¥20 billion profit. The Wii, after a very successful run, has seen steep sales declines in the USA, from 7 million units sold in 2010 down to 4.5 million sold in 2011; Nintendo is now estimating only 10 million units sold for the FY 2012 worldwide.
Third-party developers have slowed development of new Wii titles to a trickle, and Wii software sales have plunged. "Everybody needs to realize that the Wii software segment is trending down 50 percent year over year, and has been for the last 12 months. That is a massive decline," said Cowen and Company analyst Doug Creutz. This all occurs at a time when overall sales in the console industry have slowed, and many analysts attribute this to the impact of mobile, social, and downloadable games. Analysts have begun to wonder if the console industry can ever get back to the size it reached in 2008, with sales dropping every year since then.
"As of March 2012, Nintendo had over $10 billion (£6.2 billion, or €7.6 billion) in cash in the bank"
The Wii U has already come under fire, even before solid information has been released. The graphics and processing capability is rumored to be about the level of the Xbox 360 and the PS3; the retail price may be $300 or more in the USA; many wonder if the tablet controller will actually add to gameplay or just become a focal point for arguments over which player gets to use it, since there can be only one. It's a tough market, and there's a skeptical crowd of analysts and consumers who are already hearing rumors of vastly more powerful consoles from Microsoft and Sony that may be released by the end of 2013. Does Nintendo have a chance?
Absolutely. In fact, Nintendo has many advantages in this battle, and if they extend some of the boldness and creativity they show in game design to their marketing and business practices, Nintendo could once again be the leader in the console business. Let's take a look at some of Nintendo's key strengths and how they could leverage them into a profitable leadership position.
Start with a fact that's not mentioned often enough: As of March 2012, Nintendo had over $10 billion (£6.2 billion, or €7.6 billion) in cash in the bank, and another more than half that again in premises, equipment, and investments. That is a huge competitive advantage over Sony, which is looking at a loss of over $6 billion for the year. Microsoft has a huge pile of cash, more than 5 times that of Nintendo, but they have many other places to spend money (such as the mobile phone business, and Windows 8). Nintendo can afford to spend a lot of money in order to grab market share, and can easily outspend Sony (Microsoft might be a different story if they feel sufficiently threatened).
Nintendo's vast resources give it many chances to recover from mistakes, and they've shown how they can recover from severe mistakes with the 3DS. Nintendo made a number of big mistakes with the 3DS launch: They priced the handheld much too high, at $250; they didn't have any top-notch titles or key franchises available at launch; the eShop wasn't working for months; and Nintendo was so confident they didn't bother with much in the way of marketing. Not surprisingly, after a good initial sell-in sales fell off a cliff. Nintendo watched this for a few months, then surprised everyone with a bold $80 price cut. By the holiday season, when several key 3DS titles shipped, the 3DS had recovered and turned into a solid seller (though still not up to their initial projections for the year). Nintendo showed that they can recognize a problem and figure out the correct solution, and return to leadership in the handheld console market.
The Wii U's strategy for success is simple. It's value.
Think abut it. The raw power of a console is not the most important thing; it's price performance and the total value of the package to the user. Nintendo has usually tried to make money from the sales of their consoles from day one, unlike the vast amounts of money that Sony and Microsoft lost with each sale of the PS3 and the Xbox 360 when they launched (said to be $300 per unit or more). The rumors point to a hardware cost for Nintendo of $180, and suggest that Nintendo may need to price the Wii U at $300 or more in the USA in order to make a profit. What if Nintendo were to price the Wii U at $249, or even $199? This would instantly change the battle for console leadership. Microsoft and Sony would have a huge problem trying to meet that sort of price even with their current consoles; for their next-gen consoles, forget it.
How could Nintendo afford to lose ...by Published on April 23rd, 2012 21:18- Categories:
- Xbox 360 News
The Professor behind the study that led to Metro’s sensational“Xbox paedophile predators” last week has stated that the paper misinterpreted its findings.
Furthermore, professor of criminology and director of research in criminology and co-director of the centre for abuse and trauma studies at Kingston University Julia Davidson has asked that the paper run a correction.
It has so far refused to do so, despite the urges from what Davidson describes as a “displeased” Microsoft.
"The focus of the study was not online gaming," she toldEurogamer. "It was just very unfortunate that the Metro misunderstood some of the central findings.
"Anywhere where kids hang out in large numbers on the internet provides the opportunity for offenders to search for them, and that includes social networking sites, chat rooms, peer-to-peer networks.
"There was some evidence around PlayStation and Xbox, but very little to be honest with you. It was referred to in one or two interviews. But if you read the Metro article you'll see it's muddled.
“We put our data out in good faith and have no control over how it's interpreted. Sometimes you get sensible coverage and sometimes you get coverage that's frankly not very sensible."
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/kings...rection/094843 ...by Published on April 23rd, 2012 21:14- Categories:
- Xbox 360 News
CallofDuty.com has gone live with a countdown pointing to a “World Reveal” on May 1st.
This, of course, will be the first official details of the next Call of Duty game, due out more likely than not this November.
All we know for certain is that the world-first glimpse of the game will take place during the US basketball playoffs on cable channel TNT.
Beyond that the incredibly fuzzy image seen on the website seems to depict a figure similar to if not the same as the fellow who graced the cover of Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Black Ops 2 has been the safe bet for some time now. MCV doesn’t know for sure whether that will be the name of the game or not, but can reveal one thing – there’s a big surprise in this news.
We’d love to tell you more but we genuinely fear we’d be killed.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/next-...may-1st/094846
...by Published on April 23rd, 2012 21:05- Categories:
- Apple iPhone
Apple’s next iPhone design could use a high-tech new metal to distinguish itself from rival smartphones, reports suggest.
Wired reports that in 2010 Apple was granted the rights to use a material called LiquidMetal.
Sadly it’s not the same material as was used to construct the T-1000 in Terminator 2. It’s actually an alloy comprising titanium, zirconium, nickel, copper and other metals that results in a finish that is supposedly “smooth like water”.
Furthermore, it boasts a high strength and wear resistance qualities and compares favourably against its rivals in strength-to-weight terms. It also allows parts to be fabricated in a method similar to plastic injection machines, paving the way for a MacBook-like unibody shell.
Apple has already used the material once in the construction of its SIM card ejector in some North American models of the first gen iPad.
In other iPhone 5 news, there have been conflicting reports regarding its possible launch date, with some outlets claiming that an Apple-standard June arrival is one the cards and others claiming the new device will mirror the iPhone 4S by releasing later in the year.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/iphon...dy-case/094857 ...by Published on April 23rd, 2012 21:02- Categories:
- PS3 News,
- Xbox 360 News
The PlayStation 4, Xbox 720 and Wii U will fail to match the sales of their immediate predecessors, analyst Piper Jaffray believes.
In fact, analysts Michael J. Olson and Andrew D. Connor believe that between them the three machines will see an average software sales decline of 53 per cent compared to PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii throughout their first 14 months.
Gamasutra reports that the analysts add that they expect Wii U to be priced at $299 or more and sell only 35 per cent of the total units shifted by Wii in a comparable 14 month timeframe.
They go on to predict a summer 2013 launch for PS4 and for sales of that machine will be 50 per cent of its predecessor.
So what about the Next Xbox? 2014, the firm reckons, with sales of around 55 per cent that of the Xbox 360’s first 14 months.
"We believe console gaming will continue to be a time-share donor to social networks, mobile games and tablets,” it said. “We therefore favour companies with increasing exposure to social/mobile gaming, including Zynga and EA."
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ps4-a...elieves/094858 ...- Search DCEmu
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