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by Published on March 27th, 2012 22:39- Categories:
- Apple iPad
Developers take note: iPad is about to get an even bigger audience
A Wi-Fi version of Apple's new iPad has finally been cleared for sale in mainland China, according to a report by AllThingsD. The China Quality Certification Center has granted the model the Complusory Certification needed in the region. This follows Apple CEO Tim Cook's visit to China to work with partners and government officials.
The company hasn't announced the launch date for the new iPad in China yet, but the market is Apple's second largest in the world. According to 2011 IDC estimates, the iPad holds a 70 percent market share for tablets in the region.
Apple is still fighting a legal battle with Chinese tech company Proview over the iPad trademark. Hejun Vanguard Group, a consultant for Proview's creditors, said it's willing to pursue the case for "five, ten years or even longer."
"We will see how long the biggest company in the world can exploit the law and intellectual property rights in China," it said to Reuters.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-sale-in-china
...by Published on March 27th, 2012 22:37- Categories:
- Xbox 360 News
Established Xbox rumour-monger ‘MS Nerd’ has claimed Microsoft will reveal a new Xbox Lite console at E3 in June.
The device, he says, will be similar in design to Apple TV, containing an ARM-based architecture and retailing for something in the region of £100.
It will focus on Xbox’s networked features such as streaming video and social networks and also work with the newer version of Kinect that has to date only been confirmed for PC.
"At some point after [the Xbox Lite], we'll see a Xbox Next, a true successor to the 360," he claims. "Details about it are very hazy, except that, like the 360, it will do games for core-audiences and the same media apps as the other device, also with Kinect."
Indeed, could this be the disc-less Xbox that MCV was tipped off about earlier this month?
MS Nerd adds that a true successor to Xbox 360 will follow the launch in 2013.
The validity of these claims is entirely up for question, of course – we won’t have any definitive answers until the weeks running up to E3 at the earliest.
While the thirst for next-gen machines continues, it does appear that there has been a change of strategy at Microsoft.
MCV revealed in January that both Microsoft and Sony were intending to reveal new hardware at E3 this year. At the time Microsoft’s position was the usual “we don’t comment on rumour and speculation”.
This stance, however, has changed, with Microsoft now highlighting the virtues of Xbox 360 and emphasising its long life ahead in response to any rumours of a new machine.
Indeed, the platform holder has even come out and outright denied that a new machine announcement is imminent.
And the truth of it is that Sony’s strategy is being dictated by Microsoft’s decision. The platform holder is determined to not allow a new Xbox the same head start on the market that Xbox 360 had over PS4.
It would, however, be more than happy to keep developing PS4 for another year – and Microsoft’s apparent decision to put back its Xbox 720 plans gives it licence to do so.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/rumou...-reveal/093407 ...by Published on March 27th, 2012 22:36- Categories:
- Playstation Vita News
Sony has removed PlayStation Vita compatible PSP game Everybody’s Tennis from the PSN Store after reports that it had allowed pirates to crack the new handheld.
The Sixth Axis reckons that Sony previously removed MotorStorm Arctic Edge from its download portal for exactly the same reason.
Members of the PlayStation hacking community have reportedly said that both titles can be used to implement a software trick that allows users access to the system’s core functionality.
From here they are able to run unlicensed code – potentially including pirated games, though that step has not yet been achieved.
Sony’s PSP suffered heavily at the hands of software pirates and Sony will have implemented every measure it could conjure to try and prevent the same happening to Vita.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/plays...y-scare/093423
All this makes you wonder if Sony is at large in the Hacking community, pity there wasnt a way to have homebrew on the PSVita and not piracy ...by Published on March 27th, 2012 22:31- Categories:
- DCEmu
Retail naysayers would have you believe the good ship ‘boxed product’ is sinking, and salvation lies in the new world of digital games.
But this strange land has perils of its own. It is a realm of different rules and unfamiliar seasons, where developers become publishers and publishers become retailers.
Companies can take solace in the knowledge that – whether releasing their titles on console, PC or smartphones – not everything about the digital space is foreign.
“We try to treat our download titles in just the same manner as a retail boxed copy,” says Team 17’s communications manager Nick Clarkson. “Then we factor in the fast-paced and dynamic nature of digital publishing. The result is a long campaign followed by an extended tail through DLC and promotions.”
Long-tail marketing plans are essential if firms want to harness digital’s unique sales trends.
While retail sales plummet after a week or two, downloads can peak and trough at any time and slow-burn successes are commonplace.
The iPad chart, for example, is often populated by apps that have seen second or third-week surges in popularity, usually driven by word of mouth.
A new IP like current iPhone hit Draw Something is as much a testament to this as a long-running brand like Team 17’s own properties.
“Worms games traditionally have an exceptionally long tail,” says Clarkson. “Week one sales usually account for around 10 per cent of lifetime revenue for a digital Worms game. And carefully planned marketing can extend its lifecycle.”
THE FIRST BYTE
However, as with any retail product, early adopters are vital to kickstarting sales momentum and publishers must support the initial launch.
“We focus on a game’s release but we need also some campaigns for all post-launch promotion or additional content,” says Thomas Paincon, Ubisoft’s digital publishing manager for EMEA.
“Day one, first week and first month sales are crucial. The long tail effect is only valid if you raise first week and month sales to the highest level.”
It’s a strategy that works. Ubi’s XBLA, PSN and PC?god sim From Dust has sold more than 500,000 units since July, and the publisher reports recent XBLA?release I Am Alive is on course to match this.
Choosing the right time to release a game is also important. While the digital marketplace is less affected by the seasonal patterns that steer retail, High Street sales trends still have an affect on ambitious download blockbusters – particularly on console.
“January to September are the best months to release downloadable games because the triple-A titles released over the Christmas period prevent us from being visible in players’ mind,” explains Paincon.
“That is not the right period for consumers to try original games. They want to focus on triple-A games – whereas during quieter periods, it is easier to convince players to test and buy new titles.”
Clarkson concurs: “Weekly sales remain pretty level and consistent throughout the year regardless of seasonal variation. Spikes in sales can be directly traced to promotional activity, either actioned directly by ourselves or as part of an online store’s strategy.”
As with any product release, aggressive and clever marketing is crucial. Competition in the download space is increasing all the time – especially on the already packed PC scene – making it even harder to stand out in online marketplaces than it is on shelves.
Even established players must go the extra mile to maintain their success. Rovio is treating the launch of Angry Birds Space like a Hollywood blockbuster, even teaming up with NASA to promote the game.
GETTING NOTICED
Many digital publishers say that websites and social networks are more efficient at targeting their audience than the highly sought ad space available in print and on TV.
Paincon observes that consumer attitudes to new releases are also different, requiring new approaches to advertising: “Downloadable games are seen more as impulse buying – like candies near the cashier store.
“So advertising at the point of sale [Xbox Live Marketplace, PlayStation Store, Steam] is just compulsory. The goal of the advertising is mostly to drive players to know about the brand and the availability of your titles but also to push them to try the demo.”
Clarkson adds that developers need to “adopt a publisher’s mentality” in order to promote their game effectively – and that means targeting the most relevant medium.
“While there is an argument that print media is the bastion of core gamers, I believe online is by far the most effective vehicle for reaching consumers, especially when you consider its global nature,” he says.
“The agility and ability to respond to stories and communications in such a fast manner makes both online and social media ideal channels for Team 17.”
Paincon agrees: “Online campaigns enable us also to monitor performance metrics and be more efficient in terms of ROI.
“We also favour cross-promotion tools such ...by Published on March 27th, 2012 22:29- Categories:
- DCEmu
In a piece published on the Playtime.co.uk blog, long-term indie games retailer Gareth Rowbotham shows that he knows how it feels to be downed by the quarterly rent bill.
Here he highlights the similarities between what happened to his chain and yesterday's events at GAME, and also discusses the problems facing all of High Street retail...
Todays events at GAME and GameStation have brought back some memories for all of us at Playtime, some of which are not very pleasant. When I say to all the staff at the GAME Group “We feel your pain” it is from first hand experience.
Playtime (originally known as Playtime Multimedia Ltd) went into administration in March 2009 – three years ago to the day – that GAME did.
And for the very same reasons. We found out first hand that it just isn’t possible to run a profitable business on the high street, selling just games.
We didn’t have 606 stores when we first closed – we had 10. We didn’t have 5,500 employees, we had 53. But the similarities are striking.
We got into retailing because we loved games, and wanted to work with them. That’s how GAME and Gamestation both started. And we grew as gaming became more mainstream, just like GAME did!
But when the supermarkets move in, there’s very little any specialist retailer can do. Online has grown but over 70% of games are still sold through conventional boxed retail channels.
It’s just that most people don’t come shopping on the High Street now. Shoppers flock to supermarkets for their weekly “one-stop” shop and pick up the latest release there, or they go to the huge shopping centres where they can park and “leisure shop”.
Any business analyst will tell you that most businesses need a Gross Margin of at least 30% to be sustainable. Supermarkets do it by margin mixing. High street brands do it in shopping centres like Bluewater and Meadowhall by selling expensive, premium brands.
Single product, specialist chains like Playtime and GAME are not sustainable if they have to sell most games at the prices customers expect to pay! And in any free market, that is the price you have to charge. I’m not complaining. I’m a great fan of the free market, even though we have suffered at the hands of it. If you get knocked down, get up, you brush yourself down, and try again!
I’m sure it would have happened a lot earlier to us and to GAME, had it not been for the pre-owned part of the games business. Margins in this area are much closer to the 30% GP required than they are for selling new games. Perhaps though that just stayed the execution.
So try again we did. We only have three stores now and we have diversified, both online and into collectables & other game related items. To be honest though, it still doesn’t make any money. We do it because we have lease commitments to meet and we are still gamers at heart – we love being around games & gamers!
I’m sure GAME will return too. Maybe not with 600+ stores. But if they can find someone to service the debt they’ve built up (or even wipe it out) they can then start again with a lower cost base.
There are still people who want to buy their games from a specialist.
For the foreseeable future anyway….
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/indie...-street/093430 ...by Published on March 27th, 2012 22:24- Categories:
- DCEmu
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers has criticised parents who fail to adhere to videogame age restrictions.
The association's general secretary Mary Bousted has said that students are being allowed to stay up till early morning, playing games inappropriate to their age, and are becoming desensitised to aggression and bloodshed.
She also raised a more general concern that the time children could spend interacting with friends or playing outdoors was being eaten into by an over-exposure to screen-based entertainment, harming their long-term development and education.
Bousted's comments come ahead of the ATL's annual conference next week during which members are expected to call for "stringent legislation" to be placed on the videogame industry, though exactly what this will entail, and what effort will be expended trying to better educate parents, is unclear.
The ATL's Annual Conference 2012 takes place on April 2, in Manchester.
http://www.edge-online.com/news/teac...ry-legislation ...by Published on March 27th, 2012 22:23- Categories:
- DCEmu
The Australian city of Canberra will pilot an R18+ rating from this week, ahead of a national introduction in 2013.
The rating has been a long time coming, and follows the submission of the R18+ bill to parlianment in February this year.
The bill will see an end to games such as Syndicate, Left 4 Dead 2and Mortal Kombat being refused classification in the country, while many games currently under Australia's previous highest rating, MA15+, will be reclassified.
"This is part of a national reform that will allow adult gamers to view R18+ material in the same way that can already be done for film and printed material," said Australian Capital Territory attorney-general Simon Corbell.
"But at the same time it will also provide protection to parents and children by giving parents better guidance about what material is and is not appropriate for people under the age of 18."
http://www.edge-online.com/news/aust...ction-canberra ...by Published on March 27th, 2012 22:17- Categories:
- PC News
BrowserQuest is a tribute to classic video-games with a multiplayer twist. You play as a young warrior driven by the thrill of adventure. No princess to save here, just a dangerous world filled with treasures to discover. And it's all done in glorious HTML5 and JavaScript. Even better, it's open-source, so be sure to check out the source code on GitHub!"
http://games.slashdot.org/story/12/0...o-browserquest ...by Published on March 27th, 2012 22:14- Categories:
- DCEmu
The big three must adapt or will face huge challenges, says Ben Cousins
The free-to-play model is not being pursued by console manufacturers due to deep-rooted fears that it would empty traditional revenue streams, a director at Ngmoco has said.
Ben Cousins told Develop that consoles are “the only platform where freemium isn’t making a huge impact because the console holders, as I understand it, are scared of it”.
Cousins’s theory – that Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony suffer from anxieties over a freemium revolution – is outlined in a new interview with Develop, published one day before his keynote speech at the inaugural free-to-play conference in London.
“There will be a perception within these companies, because they are very inexperienced in this area, that if they allow a high-quality free-to-play experience on their console it will eat into sales of premium games,” he said.
“They will be thinking they make more money, from a licensing fees standpoint, from packaged goods than from virtual currency.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...f-free-to-play
...by Published on March 27th, 2012 22:13- Categories:
- Playstation Vita News
Hackers say certain games can be manipulated to provide access to handheld's core
Sony has removed PlayStation Vita compatible PSP game Everybody’s Tennis from the PSN Store after reports that it had allowed pirates to crack the new handheld.
News site The Sixth Axis believes that Sony previously removed MotorStorm Arctic Edge from its download portal for similar reasons.
Members of the PlayStation hacking community have reportedly said that both titles can be used to implement a software trick that allows users access to the system’s core functionality.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...r-piracy-scare
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Catherine: Full Body’s English translation for the Vita