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by Published on October 7th, 2011 23:16- Categories:
- DCEmu
Sony is reported to be preparing to buy out Ericsson's half of their joint mobile handset business, for an unspecified sum.
A report in the Wall Street Journal estimates that the price would probably be around $1.3 to $1.7 billion. Sony Ericsson was formulated as a joint venture between the two companies ten years ago in 2001.
The company's latest product was the Xperia Play, the manifestation of the long-rumoured 'PlayStation Phone'. Featuring PlayStation branding, controls and a PSone back catalogue, the phone was designed to bridge the gap between handheld gaming devices and smartphones in response to Apple's cornering of the mobile gaming market.
However, sales of the handset have been relatively low so far, despite a recent marketing push. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz at Gamescom in Cologne this year, Sony Ericsson's head of content marketing & strategy Tim Harrison discussed plans for the brand.
"We're not able to share any official sales figures as yet, but just to say where we are in terms of the journey - obviously the device has been out for a number of months but it's still very early in its lifespan.
"We're still very much building the overall content story - we obviously released with a bunch of games and we've announced a great new catalogue of games here at Gamescom. We've got a really broad cross-section of content for it."
Asked about the distinction between the Play and the forthcoming Vita, and whether the overlap caused any company tensions, Harrison was keen to stress the delineation between the two halves of the corporation.
"I don't know whether it's formal or not," he replied when asked about the prevention of feature creep. "This is primarily a smartphone, we're not trying to pretend otherwise. It's always been positioned and marketed as a smartphone that does great gaming. It's not a handheld portable gaming console - we believe that they are different markets and that there's room for both in the market.
"A mad keen crazy gamer will buy every device under the sun, but this is very firmly positioned as a smartphone with a gaming optimised control pad. Smartphone gaming has seen a massive surge of growth in the last two or three years, especially on Android in the past year.
"What we're trying to do is position ourselves as part of that, but because we have a Sony heritage, because we have a PlayStation certified device, because we have the access to PlayStation classic games, and by the end of the year full access to the PlayStation store, this is very much a smartphone that has access to the gaming audience as well. So we see them very much as distinctive devices."
Sony has been contacted for comment on the potential merger.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...et-partnership
...by Published on October 7th, 2011 23:03- Categories:
- DCEmu
The Nintendo 3DS held the number one spot in the Japanese chart despite declining sales.
According to data from Media Crate, reported by Andriasang, the 3DS sold 58,504 units in the week ending October 2 - falling from 70,159 units the week before.
However, it was a slow week for hardware in general, with all of the top 10 platforms dropping sales from the prior week's totals.
In the software chart, Legend of Heroes Ao no Kiseki entered at number one with 127,938 units sold. The next highest entry was Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends, which took second place with 82,901
However, sales of Dark Souls collapsed. From Software's latest held the top spot last week with an impressive 314,718 units sold, but dropped to third this week with only 34,718.
The full hardware chart for the week ending October 2 is listed below. Previous week's sales are in parentheses.
- 1. 3DS: 58,504 (70,159)
- 2. 2. PS3: 30,362 (39,452)
- 3. 3. PSP: 25,401 (28,533)
- 4. 4. Wii: 10,301 (14,034)
- 5. 5. X360: 2,411 (3,897)
- 6. 6. DSi LL: 2,382 (2,991)
- 7. 7. DSi: 1,679 (2,351)
- 8. 8. PS2: 1,351 (1,517)
- 9. 9. DS Lite: 52 (86)
- 10. 10. PSP go: 14 (15)
- 01. [PSP] Legend of Heroes Ao no Kiseki (Falcom, 9/29): 127,938 - New Entry
- 02. [PS3] Dynasty Warriors 7 Xtreme Legends (Tecmo Koei, 9/29): 82,901
- 03. [PS3] Dark Souls (From Software, 9/22): 34,718 (314,286)
- 04. [PSP] Evangelion Sound Impact (Namco Bandai, 9/29): 16,477 - New Entry
- 05. [WII] Dragon Quest Collection (Square Enix, 9/15): 16,298 (334,472)
- 06. [PSP] Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's Tag Force 6 (Konami, 9/22): 12,452 (76,801)
- 07. [WII] Minna no Rhythm Tengoku (Nintendo, 7/21): 11,468 (481,382)
- 08. [PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 3rd PSP the Best (Capcom, 9/22): 10,917 (25,841)
- 09. [WII] Wii Sports Resort Wiimote Plus Pack (Nintendo, 10/11): 10,625 (577,618)
- 10. [PS3] ICO/Last Guardian Limited Box (Sony, 9/22): 10,306 (102,207)
- 11. [3DS] Senran Kagura (Marvelous Entertainment, 9/22): 9,914 (62,121)
- 12. [3DS] Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D (Nintendo, 6/16): 8,830 (400,564)
- 13. [PSP] Wand of Fortune 2 (Idea Factory, 9/29): 8,800 - New Entry
- 14. [PS3] Tales of Xillia (Namco Bandai, 9/8): 8,618 (604,003)
- 15. [NDS] Atsumete! Kirby (Nintendo, 8/4): 8,219 (240,034)
- 16. [PSP] Busou Shinki Battle Masters Mk.2 (Konami, 9/22): 7,714 (40,032)
- 17. [360] Monster Hunter Froniter Online Forward .2 Premium Package (Capcom, 9/28): 6,816 - New Entry
- 18. [3DS] Super Pokemon Scramble (Pokemon, 8/11): 6,370 (176,737)
- 19. [WII] Family Fishing (Namco Bandai, 8/4): 6,218 (50,622)
- 20. [3DS] Hana to Ikimono no Rittaizukan (Nintendo, 9/29): 6,034 - New Entry
- http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-spot-in-japan
by Published on October 6th, 2011 23:16- Categories:
- DCEmu
Legend Of Heroes Ao No Kiseki is the new number one in the Japanese all-formats software chart.
Falcom's PSP RPG sold 127,938 units in its first week on sale, according to Media Create data translated by Andriasang, a comfortable lead from second-placed Dynasty Warriors 7 Xtreme Legends, which sold 82,901 units.
Last week's number one, Dark Souls, slips to third place. From Software's punishing RPG sold 34,718 units, having sold almost 280,000 copies last week.
There's one other new entry in the top ten: Namco Bandai'sEvangelion Sound Impact, for PSP, debuts at number four. 3DS was the best-selling hardware of the week with 58,504 units sold, ahead of PS3's 30,362.
01. Legend Of Heroes Ao No Kiseki (Falcom)
02. Dynasty Warriors 7 Xtreme Legends (Tecmo Koei)
03. Dark Souls (From Software)
04. Evangelion Sound Impact (Namco Bandai)
05. Dragon Quest Collection (Square Enix)
06. Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's Tag Force 6 (Konami)
07. Minna No Rhythm Tengoku (Nintendo)
08. Monster Hunter Portable 3rd PSP The Best (Capcom)
09. Wii Sports Resort Wiimote Plus Pack (Nintendo)
10. Ico & Shadow Of The Colossus Collection (Sony)
http://www.next-gen.biz/news/legend-...japanese-chart
...by Published on October 6th, 2011 22:51- Categories:
- DCEmu
BT Openreach is rolling out a new 'fibre to the premises' cabling network in the UK which it promises will bring internet speeds of 300Mbs to homes by 2012.
The service launched commercially this week, giving homes access 'up to' 11Mbs immediately, but the 300Mbps download service will become available in spring.
The company is also doubling the speed of 'fibre to the cabinet' services to 80Mbps.
"These are significant announcements and good news for the UK, " said DCMS minister Ed Vaizey.
"High-speed broadband is essential for economic growth, which is why we want the UK to have the best superfast broadband in Europe by 2015.
"Improving the UK's broadband infrastructure will help our high-tech, digital industries grow. It will ensure the UK is an attractive place to start-up and base the businesses of tomorrow."
Openreach chief executive Liv Garfield was keen to stress that the service would not be limited to the UK's larger towns and cities.
"No-one is keener than us to extend these super-fast speeds to rural areas and so we will be bidding for public funds to help extend these services even further," she said.
"The challenge is a tough one but by working with the public sector it is within our reach."
Until now, nearly all UK broadband packages have been sold under an agreement of maximum speed, or an 'up to' rating. Over subscription and inferior infrastructure have meant that many of these connections never reach the advertised speeds, especially at busy times.
Recently, BT teamed up with OnLive as the streaming service's UK launch partner, offering discounts and special offers to customers. Connection speed is considered to be one of the major hurdles in streaming services' path to success.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-in-uk-article
...by Published on October 6th, 2011 22:47- Categories:
- DCEmu
Blame it on the economy, or simply chalk it up to a better way of earning revenue, but physical distributors of new video games are beginning to feel some major heat from the scrappy competition. While this mainstay segment still comprises the bulk of sales with $1.44 billion earned in the previous quarter, the combination of digital purchases, subscriptions, downloadable content, social network and mobile games -- along with help from rentals and used purchases -- now tops $1.74 billion dollars. This news comes from the NPD Group, and while we're still scratching our heads at the logic of combining second-hand purchases with electronic distribution, it provides a strong indicator of consumers' changing tastes and preferences (along with their willingness to spend). Does this industry titan simply need a new console or another Call of Duty to maintain supremacy? Perhaps a modest uptick in GDP? Or does this signal the changing of the guard for our favorite electronic pastime?
http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/06/d...ortar-camping/ ...by Published on October 6th, 2011 22:43- Categories:
- DCEmu
Sony is getting tired of sitting idly in sixth place in the battle for cellphone supremacy. Sure, there have been a few noteworthy devices from the company's joint venture with Ericsson (i.e. the Arc), but for the most part it has struggled since its inception in 2001 to run with the alpha dogs. The Japanese manufacturer's new strategy involves buying out Ericsson's stake in the company and having its tablet, smartphone and handheld gaming units work closely together to develop future products. According to the Wall Street Journal, a deal for the Stockholm company's half of the venture is nearing completion. Some difficulties remain, such as properly valuing the company and settling on a price for Ericsson's roughly $1.3 to $1.7 billion worth of mobile technology patents, but a deal is expected to be reached sooner rather than later. And maybe, just maybe, the new found flexibility will allow Sony handsets to keep pace with the Samsungs and Apples of the world.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/06/s...house-buy-out/ ...by Published on October 5th, 2011 23:14- Categories:
- DCEmu
Market research firm NPD Group has today revealed that revenue from sales of new games at retail fell behind other channels in the second quarter of 2011.
Sales of new, boxed products in the three months to June 30 totalled $1.44 billion, while revenue from other channels - including second-hand, full-game downloads, subscriptions, rentals, DLC, social and mobile - reached $1.74 billion.
With hardware sales included, the US videogame market was worth $4.5 billion during the quarter, an increase year on year of one per cent.
NPD analyst Anita Frazier said: "While the new physical retail channel still generates the majority of industry sales, our expanded research coverage allows us to assess the total consumer spend across the growing number of ways to acquire and experience gaming, including mobile apps and downloadable content.
"Through a combination of point-of-sale and consumer research tracking, The NPD Group is providing an expanded, more comprehensive measure of a dynamic and rapidly evolving game industry."
http://www.next-gen.biz/news/npd-dat...ance-us-retail
...by Published on October 5th, 2011 22:42- Categories:
- DCEmu
EA Sports' FIFA 12 has sold through 3.2 million units in less than one week across all console formats.
That's according to official stats from the publisher, which claims the title is the biggest video game launch of 2011.
The sell-in numbers are 23 per cent higher than last year's FIFA 11. iOS sales of the game have topped 879,000 units.
"FIFA 12 is a stunning achievement by our team at EA Canada," commented Andrew Wilson, exec VP of EA Sports.
"The massive FIFA online community has overwhelmingly connected to the new live services in the game, including EA Sports Football Club, and we intend to keep them engaged all season long as FIFA 12 follows the heartbeat of the football season."
The game was released September 27 in the US and September 30 worldwide. On October 1 it registered more than 8 million game sessions, pushing total EA Sports game sessions above 10 million.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-million-units
...by Published on October 5th, 2011 22:40- Categories:
- DCEmu
A report from e-skills on the needs and concerns of the UK technology industry has revealed that the gaming sector appears to be struggling to find appropriate graduates - something which isn't troubling other tech areas.
All other industries rated the availability of graduates very low on the list of concerns in the report, but for the games sector it was rated as the third biggest worry.
Two thirds of companies had problems recruiting staff this year, the report claims, with most predicting an increase in demand not only for the number of skilled staff required, but also their level of skill and experience.
"The UK has always punched above its weight globally in new technologies, and the digital economy is vital to the economic growth of the country in the future," said UK industry veteran and Blitz Games CEO Phillip Oliver.
"Video games will be the primary entertainment media of the twenty first century and growth in this sector and other digital sectors will only be powered by a constant flow of fresh, talented, highly skilled technical & creative staff."
Despite those concerns, the report paints a relatively positive outlook for the nation's development and publishing companies, with two thirds of respondents predicting a stable or increasing company turnover over the next twelve months.
The report estimates there being 100 UK workplaces related to the publishing of video and computer games, from 144,000 for tech industries as a whole.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-to-find-staff
...by Published on October 4th, 2011 23:47- Categories:
- DCEmu
UK games retailers are missing a trick by not stocking DVD and Blu-rays, Koch has told MCV.
The firm’s words come as GAME and Gamestation announced that it will be selling Blu-ray movies alongside PS3 hardware in around 300 of its stores.
“DVDs are much more mass market than games, and thus the more outlets that sell DVDs, the more DVDs will sell,” said Koch Media UK MD Craig McNicol.
“It does not cannibalise in the way that games do and the opportunity for specialist games retailers is clear – add-on sales of entertainment product whilst the more considered purchase of the video game is mused over in-store. The synergies are obvious for distribution and games retailers.”
As a complement to its core games business, Koch sells and distributes DVDs in the UK, Germany and Italy. It had a Top Ten hit with Super in August, and there are a number of major products on the way, such as Will Ferrell flick Everything Must Go and Jessie Eisenberg movie Holy Rollers.
“Our message to the trade is support both categories as the business processes associated with each are so similar. And in Koch you have an existing partner to help you.”
GAME head of PR Neil Ashurst added: “The PS3 is now under £200 and for that price gamers are getting a great Blu-ray player as well as one of the best consoles out there. We know gamers want to make the most of their console and use all its available functions.”
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/games...s-boost/085791
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