DCEmu Homebrew Emulation & Theme Park News
DCEmu Featured News Articles
by Published on February 23rd, 2013 21:44- Categories:
- DCEmu
Games jumped from $49.99 to $59.99 in the last generation - analysts discuss whether $70 will become the next standard for AAA titles
With the PlayStation 4 unveiled and rumors swirling that Microsoft is preparing to announce a new Xbox in April, next-gen is all the buzz right now. These are massive investments from the respective platform holders, and under the old "razor and blades" model the hope is to make back much of the money on software. And since some of that software is going to cost a good deal more to develop (although not as much as some think, says Hermen Hulst) should consumers be worried that $69.99 will become the new standard AAA game price?
GamesIndustry International posed that question to a few analysts. The consensus seems to be that $59.99 should be able to hold, but some big budget titles like Call of Duty and others could get away with higher.
"I think that games should be priced based on the value proposition, so some games should be priced higher, but I don't think the publishers have the collective will to charge more. My guess is that $59.99 will be the price point. I would applaud the publishers if they tried to charge $69.99, although gamers would probably get upset," said Wedbush Securities' Michael Pachter.
"I would applaud the publishers if they tried to charge $69.99, although gamers would probably get upset"
Michael Pachter
Sony Computer Entertainment America boss Jack Tretton told AllThingsD that PS4 will support a variety of prices from $0.99 to the $60 range (of course, "range" could imply $69.99). But the bottom line is that in this digital era, a variety of content will lead to all kinds of pricing. And as EEDAR's Jesse Divnich pointed out to us, publishers can maintain the $59.99 price but bring in much more revenue with additional DLC.
"The $59.99 price point in the United States for next-generation games are unlikely to change. As we've seen through the years, however, revenue per game has increased gradually as publishers have been able to capitalize on additional in-game and digital content," he said. "With publishers focusing on fewer, yet bigger and longer lasting titles, I'd expect publishers to keep the $59.99 price point intact, but expand on their digital offerings with more in-game content and expansion packs."
He added, "And I don't think this is a scenario where publishers ship a 'base' product and gauge on digital offerings. We believe these digital offerings, like they are today, will expand upon the player experience and offer even more value than they do today."
David Cole of DFC Intelligence agrees. While he thinks the "super AAA" games may test out the $70 price, most content will come in much lower than that. "I think we will see an incredibly wide range of prices. Premium games command premium prices. Think Skylanders, Collector's editions, Guitar Hero and Wii Fit in their day. What gets squeezed is the stuff in the middle that must compete with high-end development on one hand and low cost/low price games on the other," he pointed out. "So you have fewer big budget titles but those will have even bigger budgets and that will be cost passed on to the consumer. Of course, very few games will be able to do this."
Even if there is a slight bump on AAA game pricing, the average selling price (ASP) will beging coming down as the cycle advances, according to IDC Research manager Lewis Ward.
"While there will always be collector's and limited edition console game discs that cost $80 or more, I'm not projecting that the PS4 or next-gen Xbox will raise the typical 'AAA' game disc to $70. 7th gen disc ASPs have trended down a couple dollars per year since 2006-2007. 8th generation discs will come in closer to $60 - which we're already seeing with Wii U - and then start trending down a few dollars per year. So there will probably be a ~$10 gap in pricing between 7th and 8th gen discs, but due to ASP slippage over time, the overall console discs ASP through 2016 should remain in the low to mid-$40s range," Ward explained.
An ASP in the mid-$40s is palatable for many hardcore gamers, but the console business is still going to have to face the fact that mobile, tablets, and free-to-play are changing the gaming landscape and the business of games. With PS4 supposedly being more open than any console before it, hopefully developers will being able to offer more free-to-play games and titles at more attractive prices.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...l-pricing-hold
...by Published on February 23rd, 2013 21:34- Categories:
- PS4
...
Traditionally, the best-loved game consoles have almost always come from Japan. From the early days of Nintendo vs Sega to Sony entering the market in the ‘90s, Japan has coughed up the consoles the rest of the world wants to play games on. But the past eight or so years have seen the rise of the Xbox 360 and the decline in popularity of consoles made in Japan. Nintendo still dominates the handheld space but Wii U has so far failed to set the world alight. Is Japan’s hardware going the same way as its games?
Sony’s unveiling of the PS4 at Wednesday’s PlayStation Meeting 2013 would suggest it is, for now at least. Although Sony Computer Entertainment has become one of Japan’s most iconic game companies, its next console has an American passport. Apparently designed in the US, with American lead architect Mark Cerny taking the stage at a New York press conference at an awkward time for the Japanese (8am Thursday), PS4 is rich in exciting new features – and clearly many of these were born in the States.
Ken Kutaragi’s mad policy of creating exasperating bespoke processors is out the window, with a more dev-friendly “supercharged PC” chipset in its place. While Japanese media companies avoid streaming their content at all costs, for fear of damaging their highly controlled retail income, California-based Gaikai will power PS4’s exciting content delivery. And of the games shown at this week’s event, only two and a half were from Japan (Capcom’s Deep Down, Square’s vaguely promised Final Fantasy title and Cerny’s Knack, developed in collaboration with Sony’s Japan Studio).
http://www.edge-online.com/features/...oshi-talk-ps4/
by Published on February 23rd, 2013 21:32- Categories:
- Apple iPhone
Back in late 2012, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg attributed the increase in statistical city-wide crime to Apple, noting that thieves had a propensity to target folks using iPhones and iPads. As an illustration of the problem, there were 3,890 more Apple product thefts than in 2012 than there were in 2011. At the time, Mayor Bloomberg's press secretary Marc La Vorgna explained that 'if you just took away the jump in Apple', crime in New York City would have been down year over year. Indeed, the number of major crimes reported in 2011 in NYC came in at 104,948 compared to 108.432 in 2012. If you exclude Apple related thefts from the figures, then the crime rate in 2012 is essentially the same as it was in 2011. In light of that, a new report from the New York Post details that Apple is now working with the NYPD in an effort to curb iPhone and other Apple related thefts."
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/13/0...-iphone-thefts ...by Published on February 22nd, 2013 20:37- Categories:
- PC News
After whetting our appetite at CES, Samsung's updated Series 7 Chronos is slowly squeaking its way into US retailers. Spotted at Best Buy for $1,200, this 21mm dynamo packs a 2.4GHz Intel Core i7 3635QM CPU and an AMD Radeon HD 8870M GPU along with a 15.6-inch touchscreen. While this lean, mean, Windows 8 machine's streamlined design and spec sheet are impressive, such adornment comes at a price. Absent from the Chronos' fine engineering is room for an optical drive, so DVD and Blu-ray enthusiasts be warned. However, should this caveat not apply to you, then by all means you have our blessings to check out Sammy's new up-and-comer.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/SAMSUNG+...specifications
...by Published on February 22nd, 2013 20:31- Categories:
- DCEmu
It's a second week at the top of the Japanese software chart for Dragon Quest VII: Warriors of Eden, and while the sales might not be high as last week's 872,922, it's still over 10,500 ahead of its nearest rival, Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
- [3DS] Dragon Quest VII: Warriors of Eden - 184,993 (Total sales - 1,012,916)
- [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 78,178 (2,591,602)
- [3DS] New Super Mario Bros. 2 - 11,784 (1,922,492)
- [Wii] Taiko Drum Master Wii Super Wonderful Edition - 10,076 (396,225)
- [3DS] Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Best Price!) - 9,138 (227,235)
On the hardware chart all the consoles kept their places, with the Nintendo 3DS still reigning supreme, despite a slight drop in units sold. It'll be interesting to see if next week's chart shows any significant change in sales of the PS3, now that its successor has been announced.
- 3DS XL - 66,139 (Last week - 89,050)
- 3DS - 31,832 (38,645)
- PlayStation 3 - 16,934 (17,004)
- Wii U - 10,744 (12,185)
- PSP - 10,501 (11,056)
- PlayStation Vita - 8,044 (8,762)
- Wii - 1,655 (1,945)
- Xbox 360 - 506 (593)
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...apanese-charts ...by Published on February 22nd, 2013 20:29- Categories:
- PS4
Former Epic designer offers cheers for DualShock 4, jeers for Vita integration and returning IP
Former Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski is taking a break from active game development, but he's clearly still keeping tabs on the industry. After Sony's PlayStation 4 press conference earlier this week, Bleszinski posted his thoughts on the show to hisTumblr blog, offering some praise, some scorn, and three keys he sees as crucial to winning the next-generation console wars.
Starting with the positive, Bleszinski lauded the decision to have Mark Cerny introduce the hardware, saying the veteran developer was "perfect" in the role and likening him to an American version of Peter Molyneux for his captivating sincerity. Bleszinski also gave high marks to the new DualShock 4 controller, saying it appeared to have more comfortable thumb sticks than its predecessors, and a more solid build all around.
It wasn't all praise from Bleszinski. For one, the developer questioned the decision to make Cerny's family friendly Knack among the first wave of PS4 games.
"I can't help but wonder why one would make a younger skewing title such as that for the early cycle of a console when the first buyers are usually the earliest adopters who are the older crowd with the most money," Bleszinski said.
He also took issue with some of the returning series Sony showcased. He was disappointed to see Guerrilla making another Killzone instead of a new intellectual property, and was similarly dismayed by Sucker Punch's reveal for Infamous: Second Son.
"There is never a better time to launch new Intellectual Property in video games than at a console transition. Gears and Halo 'got' this."
Cliff Bleszinski
"Infamous games are fantastic but never seemed to sell as well as they should have and it feels like someone in marketing got nervous launching an all new world so they had to fall back to the Infamous branding," Bleszinski said. "Watch Dogs stole E3 last year partially because it was a whole new 'thing' and not 'Assassin's Creed: 2024' edition...There is never a better time to launch new Intellectual Property in videogames than at a console transition. Gears and Halo 'got' this."
Sony's continued attempts to push PlayStation Vita integration during the event were another sore spot for Bleszinski. The second-screen experience Sony is chasing may be something consumers want, but the developer said people already have all the second screens they need with their cell phones and tablets.
Finally, Bleszinski laid out the three big keys that he thinks will determine the winners and losers in the next generation. The first key is the games, naturally. The second key is the ecosystem, as Bleszinski pointed out that getting iTunes and the App Store just right were instrumental in Apple's success.
The third key for success in the next generation will be the ability to adapt, Bleszinski said. New hardware should be able to pass "the Minecraft test," which is basically a question of whether or not the platform is open and flexible enough that it could spawn the next Minecraft-style hit.
"If the hardware is great and the system sound then the biggest deciding factor will be how much each console creator allows the community to take over in an organic fashion," Bleszinski said. "It sounds like the Sharing feature is a great step. The next one? Indie games, mods, user levels...you know, the things that the PC is so darned good at."
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...nning-next-gen
...by Published on February 22nd, 2013 20:07- Categories:
- PS4
The streaming and cloud functionality that Gaikai boss David Perry described at PlayStation Meeting were “aspirational” rather than confirmed day one PS4 features, says SCEA president and CEO Jack Tretton.David Perry’s section of PlayStation Meeting was arguably the most intriguing part of the PS4 reveal. It promised, among other things, Remote Play through Vita, one-button ‘try it now’ instant demos, the ability to play games as you download them, access to back catalogue titles and a host of social sharing features.When asked by Forbes about PS4’s cloud and streaming capabilities, Tretton said: “I think it’s aspirational on the device, as opposed to us standing up there, pounding the floor and saying the day this thing ships all this stuff will be there.”“I think it’ll absolutely be there for the device, but I don’t know whether it will be there for day one on the device. I think a lot of these are things that we’re gonna do over time. And with that said, I think there will be a tangible example of all the things that we showed. It’s just a question of how deep it will go, how many games it will involve.”...
http://www.edge-online.com/news/ps4s...l-not-day-one/by Published on February 22nd, 2013 20:05- Categories:
- PS4
The week’s headline news was actually a little predictable. As we revealed a few weeks ago, PS4′s new controller has a Vita-style touchpad on the front and comes with a ‘share’ button, a nod to the console’s more social outlook. PS4 will also be PC-like and easier to develop for, and arrive ‘holiday 2013’, though question marks remain over whether that includes Europe.Consumer-centric and developer-inspired were the early beats at PlayStation Meeting, and beyond any mere game announcement, the most striking part of Sony’s presentation was the shift in tone.Hyperbole was mixed with humility – with PS4, Sony wanted to show that it was listening. This week served as an unspoken apology for PS3’s troubled launch and a tacit acknowledgement that the game industry simply won’t wait around for Sony much longer, and neither will consumers.Mobile and tablets will be part of the PlayStation experience, Sony said. And its own second screen, Vita, was part of that. We noted some months ago that what the struggling Vita needed most was PS4, and clearly Sony thinks so too. Here it was pitched as a companion device to PS4, with David Perry demoing Remote Play live to the audience.If it was indeed live. In the flurry of interviews that followed PlayStation Meeting, SCEA head Jack Tretton made some interesting comments about how Gaikai, streaming and the cloud fit into the PS4 vision. What we saw was ‘aspirational’, rather than part of PS4’s day one offering. It’s a choice of words which might remind some of the infamous ‘target footage’ masquerading as realtime play we saw before PS3 arrived.It was this part of the pitch which seemed most elusive. Appropriately for all David Perry’s talk of the cloud, we didn’t come away with anything tangible during his segment. Every suggestion of instant-play demos and back-catalogue downloads was qualified by rather woollier language. It was fifteen minutes of what Sony would like to do with Gaikai’s technology, rather than what it will do for launch day....
http://www.edge-online.com/features/...e-open-future/by Published on February 22nd, 2013 19:51- Categories:
- Xbox 360 News
Growing number of developers suggest unveiling post-GDC
Microsoft will reveal the next Xbox at a special press event in early April, according to a report.
Speaking to CVG, a “growing number of developers and other industry professionals” such as Sony staff said that Microsoft would unveil its next-gen plans in early April.
A senior Sony official also remarked that the console giant had “caught Microsoft off-guard” with its reveal, and that it had “ruffled some feathers”.
An April reveal for the next Xbox could be seen as a surprise given that Sony has already fired the first shot in the next-gen race and revealed the PS4, with GDC also taking place during the interim in March.
Microsoft has yet to officially announce when it will unveil its next-gen console, refusing to recognised it has even been working on a new Xbox.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...r-April-reveal
...by Published on February 22nd, 2013 19:45- Categories:
- Apple iPhone
Apple shifts 27.4m units.
Strategy Analytics has released smartphone shipment figures for the final quarter of 2012, and it was Apple's iPhone 5 that the captured the hearts of the public, bagging a 12.6 per cent market share, equivalent to 27.4m handsets.
The Cupertino firm continued its stronghold with the iPhone 4S in second place having sold 17.4m devices, while Samsung's Galaxy S III moved 15.4m units. It's a flip reverse from Q3 when the S III was the top dog, the 4S was still second, the the 5 was in third position.
Neil Shah, senior analyst at Strategy Analytics, said: "The iPhone 5 captured an impressive 13 per cent share of all smartphones shipped globally and it has become the world's best-selling smartphone model for the first time ever. A rich touchscreen design, extensive distribution across dozens of countries, and generous operator subsidies have been among the main causes of the iPhone 5's success."
Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, added: "Samsung's Galaxy S3 has long proven wildly popular with consumers and operators across North America, Europe and Asia. However, global demand for the Galaxy S3 appears to have peaked and Samsung will surely be keen to introduce its rumored Galaxy S4 upgrade in the coming weeks to fight back against Apple's popular iPhone range."
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...e-of-q4/020660 ...- Search DCEmu
- Advert 3
News Categories
- Links of Interest
Sony Consoles News
- Nintendo Consoles News
- Sega Consoles News
- Apple & Android News
- Xbox Consoles News
- Open Source Consoles News
DCEmu News Archive
- Advert
- Retro Consoles News
- PC News
- Latest DCEmu News
- DCEmu Network Sites
-
Menu 
Forum Stats
- What is the DCEmu Homebrew & Gaming Network
Catherine: Full Body’s English translation for the Vita