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by Published on May 14th, 2012 00:29- Categories:
- Playstation Vita News
System 3 boss and industry veteran Mark Cale explains why PS Vita has the potential to be an iPad-beater and what Sony could do to help the handheld prosper in a tough market.
PlayStation Vita launched just two months ago but today you’d never know it.
Sony has some of the sexiest technology out there. So I was actually disappointed in the launch and the marketing behind the launch that supported the machine.
It’d be great for Sony to find a way to reposition its marketing to really show off the PS Vita’s hardware and performance. Vita has the potential to be a big opportunity. It is a fantastic machine. There are so many reasons for buying it but I’m unclear as to why Sony is waiting to promote these key features in its marketing plan.
Compared to the PSP, Vita is amazing. Compared to iOS devices, Vita is also amazing. Vita has a fantastic screen display. Not only is it a touchscreen device, but Sony was the first company to introduce into the marketplace a screen technology that Apple defined as a Retina display. Technology it described as ‘revolutionary’.
Vita plays games, we know that, but what else can it do? If you’re using it in the same way as your other mobile devices, you can take pictures. And these pictures are actually of higher quality than mobile phones. Its quality rivals that of the iPhone.
Another key feature Sony isn’t shouting about yet is the location-based services to log in wherever you are. I could do the tourist thing and log in at London Bridge on Facebook. But you don’t need to be online to use these location services. Vita uses these location services to pinpoint where you are when you take a picture.
You can use Wi-Fi and 3G to go online. Vita allows you to use Facebook, Twitter and even Skype, using the machine’s built-in camera. You can use screen gestures, too, on the touch pad, so it’s directly comparable to the iPad.
Price points
Some people go on about the cost of PS Vita. Granted, it’s expensive compared to the PS3, but it’s cheaper than an entry-level iPad 2 which costs £300, and it’s a bargain compared to the top-of-the-range £700 64GB model. And apart from a larger screen, the iPad has nothing over PS Vita.
That message should come through in the marketing. The consumer believes Vita is expensive because they see it as just a games machine with great capabilities, but they might not know what those great capabilities are.
The games engineered for Vita also offer a much better experience than nearly all of the titles you get on the iPhone and iPad. And even mass-market games that made mobile devices so popular with casual gamers, like Angry Birds, are on the PlayStation Network if you want them.
You’ve got a much better interactive gaming device in Vita than Apple will ever be able to deliver on a touchscreen-only product. This is because Sony has kept its traditional, excellent game controls built into the device, such as what all gamers would consider essential – an analogue stick for controlling the games.
For Sony to hit home these points they need, in my opinion, to be included in any and all future marketing campaigns. The video games industry needs this new device to succeed.
So just how important is the handheld market? Well, from April 16th to April 22nd 2012, the Top 10 games chart in Japan consisted entirely of 3DS, PSP and DS games.
The overall sales of PlayStation Portable in Japan, from launch to date, are nearly 19m. The Nintendo 3DS has sold over 5m units in just over a year. So don’t tell me there isn’t a handheld market, because there is.
Handheld hero
The PlayStation Vita is such a great machine and essential to handheld gaming, it mustn’t be allowed to fail.
This is a battle cry. It’s so important for the industry. And there is a handheld market. We’ve seen over here in the UK how well the 3DS is picking up now. Nintendo stumbled with the wrong marketing message when it started out with the 3DS handheld, but it put its hands up and changed its marketing position, message and price point. It showed off what the 3DS can actually do in its newer TV advertisements and press campaigns, just like Apple does with the iPad.
Let’s hope Sony, and everyone else releasing and promoting games for Vita, can now show off what the portable can actually do.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/j-acc...in-vita/095913 ...by Published on May 14th, 2012 00:27- Categories:
- Wii U News
The new Marvel film is taking the box office by storm, and Ubisoft is giving gamers the chance to wield their favourite heroes' superpowers.
Marvel Avengers: Battle For Earth is currently in development for Wii U and Kinect and is due for release this Autumn.
However, it will not be based on the smash hit blockbuster movie. Instead, it will follow the events of the Secret Invasion storyline from the comics. Fans will battle an shape-shifting alien race known as the Skrulls, who have invaded Earth and disguised themselves as Marvel's most iconic heroes.
Ubisoft has promised more than 20 different characters will be featured, including Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America and Thor.
The game is being developed by Ubisoft Quebec, the team behind Kinect's superpowered beat 'em up Powerup Heroes. Expect similar gameplay with more than a smattering of Hulk Smash.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/aveng...-kinect/095914 ...by Published on May 14th, 2012 00:25- Categories:
- PC News
Jagex will finally show off Transformers Universe to the UK public later this month.
MCM Expo will be the first UK event to host the MMO based on the popular Hasbro toys. Attendees will be able to meet members of the Transformers Universe development team and learn more about the game in a special panel session.
And it will be the first time UK consumers will be able to reserve their character names and choose whether they will side with the Autobots or Decepticons when the final game launches later this year.
Jagex will also be showing off its flagship MMO RuneScape, marking the first time the game has been showcased at MCM Expo.
The pop culture convention will be held at London's ExCeL centre and runs from Friday, May 25th to Sunday, May 27th.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/trans...cm-expo/095916
...by Published on May 14th, 2012 00:23- Categories:
- DCEmu
The money generated from overall game sales in the US during April has been estimated at a whopping $1bn.
This figure from The NPD Group includes sales of hardware, accessories, new and used physical games at retail, rentals, digital downloads, add-on content, subscriptions, mobile games and social network titles.
It’s the first time the entire US games market has been taken into account during a single month. Previously, the data only included sales of boxed product.
Prototype 2 was the best-selling game in the US last month, and boxed sales made up $630.4m. Read the April 2012 NPD salesnews story for more specific details.
NPD industry analyst Anita Frazier said: “I think the new physical retail content sales reflect a very light release schedule in terms of the amount of compelling new games.
“Last April, the top seven titles outsold the top-selling title this year, and, simply stated, there were notably fewer new market introductions. I think it’s a simple as that because when we see compelling content come into the market, the games are still selling as well as ever – we just saw a lot less this April as compared to last.
“For some insight into digital purchasing of content, we can look at the performance of points and subscription cards which were up 75 per cent in units over last April. These could very well have been last minute additions to Easter baskets early in the month."
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/npd-o...n-april/095917 ...by Published on May 14th, 2012 00:18- Categories:
- Apple iPad
Rumours suggest Apple will release a smaller iPad this Autumn at a lower price point.
Dubbed the iPad Mini, the new device will reportedly boast a 7-inch Retina Display, according to iMore (via Stuff). It will initially only be available as an 8GB model.
Sources also claim it will retail for between $200 and $250 – the equivalent of £125 to £155.
Apparently the iPad mini will be identical to the current 9.7-inch iPad, meaning the tablet's 2048x1536 resolution will be delivered at 365ppi.
Naturally, nothing official has emerged from Apple yet be we'll be sure to let you know if and when it does.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ipad-...october/095925 ...by Published on May 14th, 2012 00:17- Categories:
- Apple iPad
Back in March, Apple was sued in Australia and criticized in Europe over its marketing of the iPad as supporting 4G speeds when it only did so in the U.S. and Canada. Now, reader TheGift73 writes with news that Apple has given in and changed the 'Wi-Fi + 4G' label to 'Wi-Fi + Cellular.' From the article:"In the U.K., a number of complaints by customers pushed the ASA into acting against Apple for its misleading advertisements. The regulator had received 'dozens of complaints' from customers, and had pushed for Apple to remove any mentions of '4G' from its websites. It should come as little surprise considering Britain has yet to see its mobile networks divide up its 4G spectrum without bickering furiously about it. Some networks had even opted to avoid litigation directed at them by including stickers to inform potential buyers that the new iPad will not work on existing 4G networks, or even 4G networks that don't even exist yet. This should come as bittersweet news for consumers. Apple has already sold millions of iPads across the U.K., Europe and Australia, while the vast majority are unaware that they will not be able to connect to high-speed mobile broadband networks."
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/12/0...avoid-lawsuits ...by Published on May 12th, 2012 23:34- Categories:
- Nintendo 3DS News
Heres another special offer from Amazon UK:
Select a 3DS console shown below by ticking the box to the left of your chosen console. You may now add the following to create your 3DS bundle:
Offers available with your 3DS purchase
- £10 game: You can add one of the games listed below to your order for £10. Add one of these games, sold by Amazon.co.uk, to your order by ticking the box to the left of the game. The promotional price of the selected game will be applied to your total order value at checkout. £10 game terms and conditions.
- Free Screen Protector: You can add a screen protector to your order for free. Add one selected screen protector shown below, sold by Amazon.co.uk, to your order by ticking the box to the left of the game. The promotional price of the screen protector will be applied to your total order value at checkout. Free screen protector terms and conditions
- Important: Click the "Add to Basket" button on the right of the page to add all your selected items to your basket.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature.h...pf_rd_i=506846 ...by Published on May 12th, 2012 23:23- Categories:
- Xbox 360 News
Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition has smashed all previous Xbox Live Arcade sales records after selling the most units in just 24 hours.
The downloadable title – priced at 1,600 Microsoft Points (around £15) – went on sale on Wednesday, May 9th.
Within its first hour on sale it had become profitable, and in around 24 hours it had amassed more than 400,000 sales.
Minecraft creator Markus ‘Notch’ Persson said on Twitter: “Well then. Saw the official sales numbers for the first 24 hours of Minecraft Xbox 360, and it's very, very good. Profitable in an hour.”
Minecraft was developed by Mojang and ported to Xbox 360 by 4J Studios and Microsoft Studios.
Today Notch added: “Mojang and 4j will be celebrating today like only slightly socially awkward game developers can. Much standing around with beers in hand.”
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/minec...records/095931 ...by Published on May 12th, 2012 23:21- Categories:
- DCEmu
Sega has declared it will "streamline" its operations in the U.S and Europe after poor sales of its new titles last year.
In its financial results for FY2012, the publisher reported total sales of packaged games had dropped to 17.2m units, a year-on-year decline of eight per cent.
Sega said sales of new titles were weak "primarily in the U.S. and Europe", attributing this to "adverse market conditions".
6.1m games were sold in the US during the twelve months ended March 31st, 2012, while 8.3m titles were sold across all of Europe in the same period.
"In the consumer business, we have decided to carry out streamlining of the organization responsible for the packaged game software field in the U.S. and European markets in a bid to establish a structure that can consistently generate profit, as part of the strategies to restore growth as well as improve profitability," the company said.
"Due to the cost of this move, we have posted ¥345 million for impairment loss and ¥6.3bn for restructuring loss. From here on, we will endeavor to shift our business structure with a view to adapting to the changes in the business environment, including further focus on the development of the field of digital games."
The company's renewed focus on the digital games sector follows the success of smartphone titles such as Kingdom Conquest, which passed the 2.5m download mark after three months on sale.
Comparatively Sonic Generations, Sega's second best-selling title of the financial year, sold 1.8m units in just over four months. Mario & Sonic 2012 led the publisher's sales with 3.2m units sold to date.
The entire Sega Sammy Group, which also operates arcade and Pachinko slot machines, reported net sales of ¥395.5bn, almost the same as that of last year. However, net income fell by nearly 50 per cent year-on-year to ¥21.8bn.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/weak-...or-sega/095932 ...by Published on May 12th, 2012 23:19- Categories:
- Nintendo DS News
The video game adaptation of Disney Pixar's latest movie will arrive in the UK on July 27th.
Brave: The Video Game is in development for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PC and Mac. It follows the events of its cinematic namesake with players taking on the role of Merida, a Scottish princess determined to buck tradition and prove her worth in her own way.
A second player can join in the action as a Will o' the Wisp, using its ethereal powers to help the ginger lass in quest.
In addition to the main adventure, the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions will feature a virtual archery range where players can hone their skills with a bow and arrow. This mode will be compatible with Kinect and PlayStation Move.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/disne...in-july/095933 ...- Search DCEmu
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