Microsoft sees cloud business growth, but supply woes continue for Xbox

Microsoft Corp on Tuesday forecast a strong end to the calendar year thanks to its booming cloud business but said supply chain woes will continue to dog key units such as those producing its Surface laptops and Xbox gaming consoles.

The company beat Wall Street expectations for its first quarter ended Sept. 30, with pandemic-induced demand for the software giant's cloud-based services driving sales.

Contracts for cloud services provided by Microsoft, Amazon.com Inc's AWS and Alphabet Inc-owned Google Cloud have surged since last year when the COVID-19 pandemic shut offices and schools, pushing more activity online.

First-quarter revenue growth for Azure, the company's flagship cloud-computing business, came in at 48 percent in constant currency to beat analysts' estimates of 47.5 percent, according to consensus data from Visible Alpha. Amy Hood, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Microsoft, said that the company also expected "broad based growth" for the unit in the fiscal second quarter.

Azure's growth rate is the best direct measure of competition with rivals such as AWS and Google Cloud as Microsoft does not break out revenue from the cloud-computing unit.

Microsoft appeared to hold off Google Cloud's rising challenge. Google Cloud said on Tuesday its revenue surged by 45 percent to $4.99 billion, but failed to live up to estimates of $5.2 billion.

Revenue at the firm's other business units that house Windows software, the Teams messaging service and LinkedIn professional social networking platform also beat analyst expectations.

The supply chain issues affecting much of the global tech industry had mixed consequences for Microsoft.

Hood said Microsoft has continued to increase its cloud computing margins despite higher data center construction costs because it keeps adding more profitable services to those data centers. 

Hood also said that the company was able to ship more Xbox S and X gaming consoles than it expected in the first quarter - sales of gaming consoles and accessories were up 166 percent as the company continued to see strong demand for new models after the pandemic forced millions to seek entertainment at home.

But Microsoft and its rivals have been unable to keep up with demand because of the global chip crunch. Hood told Reuters the company expects Xbox demand to continue to exceed supply in the company's second quarter, which includes Christmas.

She also said that sales of the company's Surface computers, which declined 17 percent in the fiscal first quarter, were likely to keep sinking in the second quarter, with supply chain shortages hitting premium items in the lineup.

Microsoft's revenue from selling Windows to PC makers grew 10 percent year over year, beating the overall PC market, which only grew 3.9 percent over the same period because of supply constraints, according to data from IDC.

Hood said that the company was able to outperform in the PC market because of its strength in selling licenses for Windows destined for corporate customers, where it gets more revenue per license and has better market share.

Overall, revenue rose 22 percent to $45.32 billion in the first quarter ended Sept. 30, beating expectations of about $43.97 billion.

Net income rose to $20.51 billion, or $2.71 per share. The company said its results included a $3.3 billion net income tax benefit.

On an adjusted basis it earned $2.27 per share, trumping analyst expectations of $2.07 per share.

For the fiscal second quarter, Microsoft predicted a midpoint of $18.23 billion in revenue for its intelligent cloud business for the fiscal second quarter, above estimates of $17.84 billion, according to Refinitiv data.

First-quarter revenue from "Intelligent Cloud" surged 31% to $17 billion. Analysts had expected a figure of $16.58 billion, according to Refinitiv data.

Microsoft's forecast for its software app and Windows centric segments with midpoints of $15.83 billion and $16.55 billion, respectively, were also above Refinitiv estimates of $15.40 billion and $15.51 billion.

Shares of the company, which have risen nearly 40 percent this year, were marginally up in extended trading.

-reuters

Sony moves PlayStation business to Silicon Valley

SAN FRANCISCO, California — Sony announced Tuesday it is moving its PlayStation business to Silicon Valley and consolidating its game console offerings under one roof.

The Japanese entertainment and consumer electronics giant said that as of April, its PlayStation hardware, software and online businesses will be unified in a new company called Sony Interactive Entertainment.

The freshly formed company will bring together Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment International and be based in the northern California city of San Mateo.

“By integrating the strengths of PlayStation’s hardware, software, content and network operations, SIE will become an even stronger entity, with a clear objective to further accelerate the growth of the PlayStation business,” said Sony Computer Entertainment global chief executive Andrew House.

Units being consolidated include the one working on virtual reality head gear synched to PlayStation and the teams handling streaming music, television and online game play.

PlayStation consoles have been a bright spot for Sony, with the latest generation far outselling rival Xbox One and Wii U consoles fielded by Microsoft and Nintendo, respectively.

PlayStation 4 has seen the fastest and strongest adoption since the first generation of the video game console was introduced in late 1994, according to Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE).

Some 30.2 million PS4 consoles were sold worldwide as of November 22, SCE announced late last year.

PS4 and Xbox One were both released in 2013.

SCE was established in late 1993 and released the first PlayStation video game system in Japan a year later.
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source: interaksyon.com

JD.com to sell Microsoft’s Xbox One games console in China

BEIJING — JD.com Inc, China’s second-biggest e-commerce company by market share, will accept pre-orders for Microsoft Corp’s Xbox One games console in China from July 28 to July 30, the firm said on Monday.

The pre-orders will be taken via Tencent Holdings’ mobile social networks Mobile QQ and WeChat, known as Weixin in China, JD.com said in a statement. Tencent holds a 17.6 percent stake in JD.com.

The Xbox One will be the first gaming console to be released in mainland China since the government banned console sales in 2000, citing games’ effects on mental health.

On Friday, China Telecom, the country’s smallest wireless carrier, said it would sell the Xbox One when released in September.

In September last year, Microsoft reached a deal with Chinese internet TV set-top box maker BesTV New Media Co Ltd to form a joint venture to manufacture the consoles in Shanghai’s Free Trade Zone.

Released in November, the Xbox One has trailed in sales to Sony Corp’s PlayStation 4, launched around the same time.

source: interaksyon.com

Junglecat is an iOS controller

CARLSBAD, California — Gaming entertainment devices and software maker, Razer, recently announced its much-anticipated Razer Junglecat gamepad for iOS devices.

Leveraging its significant experience developing high-performance gaming controllers for console and PC, Razer’s entrée into mobile phone hardware offers consumers a combination of gaming-grade control and customizability with unimpeded phone access.

The Razer Junglecat’s engineering team shaved every millimeter possible in the controller’s design to ensure it molds seamlessly with the sleek profile of the iPhone.

The result is an ultra-durable slider that reveals or hides the gamepad as desired. With a full set of gaming functions resident in the Razer Junglecat’s AXBY pressure-sensitive buttons, D-pad and bumpers, on screen controls are eliminated, leaving valuable screen real estate free.

Users can leave the Razer Junglecat attached, as all buttons and ports remain available in its pocket-ready compact form. At only 20 mm thin, the controller feels like a standard protective case.

The Razer Junglecat comes with a downloadable iOS app that lets users remap and define all of its button functions, as well as adjust pressure sensitivity according to preference.

Up to 20 personalized profiles can be stored on the app, allowing users to select a corresponding profile for their favorite games. Whether it is custom sensitivity for an adrenaline-pumping racing game or an array of programmed keybinds for an intense adventure game, the Razer Junglecat iOS companion app will allow users to tailor their gaming experiences.

As an MFi (Made For iPhone) product, the Razer Junglecat is enabled for the latest features of Apple devices recently announced at WWDC.

Game Controller Forwarding, for instance, will allow the Razer Junglecat and iPhone 5/5s to act as a wireless controller for larger-screen Apple products.

The chore of finding games for iOS controllers is made easy with the Junglecat’s iOS companion app, as well.


The software keeps gamers up-to-date on the latest titles optimized for controller play, scouring the entire App Store for titles that are perfect for a player and his or her iOS controller — whether it is a Razer Junglecat or another brand’s iOS compatible controller.

“Game development is cascading into mobile with incredible production values and at a record pace, and the crossover of console gamers playing on their iOS and other mobile devices is growing in stride,” Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, CEO and creative director, said. “The opportunity to design a sleek, high-performance gamepad controller for the iPhone was an exciting proposition that we can’t wait to share with our community and the world.”

The Razer Junglecat is the latest console-style controller from Razer and is the Company’s first interface for mobile phones.

Its other controllers include the Razer Sabertooth and Razer Atrox, as well as the Razer Gamepad Controller for the Razer Edge gaming tablet, the CNET 2013 Consumer Electronics Show “Best of Show,” “People’s Voice” and “Best Gaming” award winner.

The Razer Junglecat companion app is the latest software in a long line of developments from Razer, building upon its Razer Synapse cloud configurator and following the recent release of Razer Comms VoIP for mobile devices. Razer currently has more than 8 million user accounts registered across its software platform.



Razer Junglecat features:

• iOS7 fully supported gamepad:
• Precision D-pad
• Highly sensitive ABXY action buttons and bumpers
• Highly durable, collapsible sliding mechanism for portability
• Pocket-able for access anytime, anywhere
• Downloadable companion iOS app
• Designed for the Apple iPhone 5/5s
• Open access to all of the phone’s portals and buttons
• Approximate size: 150 mm (5.9 in.) long; 65 mm (2.5 in.) wide; 18 mm (0.7 in.) tall

source: interaksyon.com

PS4 and Xbox One fuel videogame sales

SAN FRANCISCO — NPD Group reported Thursday that new consoles from Sony and Microsoft powered a winning holiday season for the videogame industry in the United States.

“The newest consoles from Microsoft and Sony are off to a tremendous start,” said NPD analyst Liam Callahan.

“Xbox One led consoles sales in December, while PlayStation 4′s two-month total makes it the best selling console during the two-month launch window.”


The rival consoles were released in November and eagerly snapped up by players.

Nintendo’s Wii U consoles also fared well during the holidays, with December logging its best monthly sales since its release about 13 months earlier, Callahan said.

Videogame hardware sales more than offset a 17 percent drop in sales of game software to $1.31 billion in December, according to NPD.

For the full year, game software sales were down 11 percent from 2012 to $6.34 billion. One reason for the drop was said to be that fewer titles were released.

US videogame hardware sales for the December holiday period were $1.37 billion, a 28 percent rise over the same period a year earlier, NPD reported

Videogame hardware sales for the year tallied $4.26 billion, up five percent from the $4.04 billion logged in 2012.

When factoring in money spent on game rentals, downloadable content, micro-transactions, mobile “apps,” play at social networks, subscriptions, and used game sales, nearly $2.4 billion was spent on games in December, according to NPD.

NPD ranked “Grand Theft Auto V,” published by Take 2 Interactive Software, as last year’s top-selling videogame.

Electronic Arts’ military shooter title “Battlefield 4″ was the second most popular game with buyers, with France-based Ubisoft’s “Just Dance 2014″ taking third spot.

The latest installment of the beloved “Call of Duty” franchise was the best selling game in the United States in December, according to the industry tracker.

It was the fifth consecutive month of rising overall US sales in the videogame industry.

source: interaksyon.com

Nintendo to stop making Wii console for Japan market

TOKYO — Japanese game console maker Nintendo said Wednesday it will stop making its Wii console for the Japanese market, but will keep producing it internationally.

The move to abandon the home console, which competes with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3, will allow Nintendo to focus its efforts on its successor.

“Our new generation Wii U console is already on the market and allows users to play software originally designed for the Wii,” a Nintendo spokesman told AFP.

“So this is part of the transition of our products to new models,” he said.

The company will keep producing Wii for markets abroad including its cheaper version Wii mini, he said.

Since its release in 2006 Wii has sold more than 100 million units worldwide.

The Wii disrupted the world of consoles on its launch, with its emphasis on family-orientated gaming that made use of wireless controllers fitted with accelerometers.

These controllers, which sparked the production of games where players could actually mimic the body movements of a sport or playing a musical instrument, were widely copied.

Nintendo launched the Wii U console late last year, although analysts said a lack of games took away some of the fizz the company had been hoping for after its 3DS console saw disappointing demand abroad.

Nintendo, maker of the iconic Donkey Kong and Super Mario brands, has been locked in a war with Sony and Microsoft, makers of the PlayStation and Xbox video game consoles, for dominance of a sector worth about $44 billion a year.

Nintendo swung to a net profit of $88 million in the three months to June as a weakening yen helped inflate its overseas result.

source: interaksyon.com

Sony’s PS4 tops Xbox One as gamers’ holiday choice: poll

SAN FRANCISCO — More U.S. shoppers prefer Sony Corp’s upcoming PlayStation 4 than Microsoft Corp’s Xbox One, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, as the industry’s two leading videogame console makers prepare to do battle this holiday season.

Asked about their interest in dedicated game devices, 26 percent of 1,297 people surveyed online last week say they are likely to purchase the new PlayStation 4 when available, versus 15 percent opting for the Xbox One.

The rift widens among those below the age of 40. Of that group of 408 people, 41 percent picked Sony’s PS4 versus 27 percent for Microsoft’s Xbox One, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted from Sept 23 to Sept 27.

Though based on a limited sample, the results potentially point to a lopsided battle during the crucial holiday season, with Microsoft and Sony hoping to get their newest consoles into U.S. households. Apart from games, they act as conduits for living-room entertainment, from TV shows to music.

Microsoft came under fire from gamers after initially saying it would set restrictions on used games, and require an Internet connection to play. After a flurry of complaints, the company reversed its policies in June. In contrast, Sony has consistently touted support for used games and offline gameplay at industry events. And the PS4 comes $100 cheaper.

Sony said at video game industry trade show in Germany that it had received more than 1 million pre-orders for its upcoming console, while Microsoft has revealed only that preorders for the Xbox One exceeded those of its predecessor, the 360, eight years ago.

Microsoft “couldn’t make up their mind and Sony hadn’t wavered from the beginning,” said 26-year-old gamer Christopher Turner from Salem, Alabama, who intends to spend his cash on the PS4. “The PlayStation 4 is for both hardcore and casual gamers.”

But 56-year-old participant Jon Leigh, who plays six to 10 hours of video games a week and lives in Harlan, Kentucky, thinks the Microsoft controversy won’t sway Xbox fans.

“People who use Microsoft products will continue to use them, he said. Leigh will go with the Xbox One because of its upgraded “Kinect” motion sensor, and because he’s more familiar with the Xbox than the PlayStation.

The $399 PS4 and $499 Xbox One represent the first major upgrades of mainstream gaming hardware in years, setting game developers scrambling to put out new releases that take advantage of better graphics and faster processors.

They are scheduled to hit store shelves from mid-November, about a year after Nintendo’s slow-selling Wii U. Of the 1,297 respondents, only 3 percent said they now played games on the Wii U, versus 20 percent on the Xbox 360, 20 percent on computers, and 18 percent on Sony’s PlayStation 3.

Reversing the tide

More broadly, the shrinking videogames industry hopes the advent of the two new game consoles can breathe fresh life into a sector battered by the proliferation of free games on mobile devices and PCs, as well as on social networks like Facebook Inc’s.

Indeed, 64 percent of total respondents said they would not buy any new game hardware at all this season, when posed with choices ranging from the Xbox and PS4 to Nintendo’s 2DS and Valve’s Steam Box.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll underscored strong interest in Activision Blizzard Inc’s “Call of Duty: Ghosts,” slated for November, which will try and take on Take-Two Interactive Software’s mega-hit, “Grand Theft Auto V.”

GTA V, the latest in the critically acclaimed series that helped ignite a nationwide debate about violence in the media, became the fastest game to hit the $1 billion sales-mark, just three days after sales began on Sept 17.

About a quarter of 715 participants who owned gaming devices said they were likely to buy GTA V, while 22 percent said they would pick up a copy of “Ghosts,” the latest from Activision’s money-spinning Call of Duty franchise.

Analysts say GTA V, which won rave reviews, benefited from pent-up demand as the first major game from the franchise in five years. In contrast, Activision spits out a new Call of Duty game annually. Last year’s “Call Of Duty: Black Ops II” raked in $500 million on its first day.

Ubisoft’s historical action-game “Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag” came in third place in the poll with 19 percent expressing interest. Electronic Arts’ “Madden NFL 25″ and shooter “Battlefield 4″ were the participants’ fourth and fifth choices, respectively.

source: interaksyon.com

Sony says it has over 1 million preorders for PlayStation 4

COLOGNE, Germany — Sony has had more than 1 million preorders worldwide for its new PlayStation 4 console, the head of its SCE computer entertainment division said on Tuesday.

SCE Chief Executive Andrew House added that the console will be available from November 15 in North America and will hit stores in Europe from November 29.

“The response we have received is nothing short of incredible,” he said at a news conference on the sidelines of Gamescom, Europe’s biggest videogames fair.

He added the console will be available in 32 countries worldwide during the holiday season.

Microsoft Corp has said it will start selling its latest console at some point in November, intensifying competition ahead of the year-end holidays and gift-giving season.

Sony has priced the PlayStation 4, its first new console in seven years, $100 lower than the new Xbox One by Microsoft at $399.

Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One in May, its first new gaming console in eight years, marking its strongest push so far to dominate consumers’ living rooms with an array of exclusive media content.

Microsoft Europe’s Vice President of Interactive Entertainment Chris Lewis said on Tuesday preorders for the Xbox One were “unprecedented” but declined to give more details.

Sony said it would also cut the retail price for its PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita devices to $199 in the United States and 199 euros ($270) in Europe.

Previously the Vita was 249 euros and the PlayStation 3 was 229 euros.

source: interaksyon.com

Sony takes on Microsoft, prices new PS4 below Xbox One

LOS ANGELES — Sony Corp on Monday priced its latest PlayStation 4 console $100 lower than the new Xbox One by rival Microsoft Corp as competition for gamers’ pockets intensifies ahead of the year-end holidays and gift-giving season.

Sony said it would sell the latest PlayStation model for $399 late in the year shortly after Microsoft announced a $499 price tag for its first new Xbox in eight years and said it would go on sale in the United States in November.

Sony also drew cheers from the audience at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles when it said the PS4 would run second-hand games and did not require an always-on Internet connection.

Microsoft had earlier elicited groans from gamers when it announced restrictions on used games for the Xbox One and said players had to log onto the Internet for authentication.

“The PlayStation 4 won’t impose any new restrictions on used games,” said Jack Tretton, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America as the audience whistled and applauded.

Microsoft and Sony hope the consoles will attract new fans and retain users who are increasingly playing games on smartphones and other mobile devices, gradually diminishing the $66 billion video game business. Both companies are also offering more entertainment options.

The Xbox 360 is currently the best-selling gaming console in the United States, but global sales are almost on par with the PlayStation 3.

The new Xbox and PlayStation are both pricier than the $300 Wii U which Nintendo Co Ltd launched late last year but which has sold poorly, partly due to a dearth of new gaming titles. Nintendo is expected to announce new games for the device at the E3 on Tuesday.

Sony did not give details about original programming content for the PS4 but said new game titles would include Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag by Ubisoft and Kingdom Hearts III by Disney Interactive Studios and Square Enix Holdings Co Ltd.

“It’s a very compelling price… given the entertainment PS4 will provide to gamers,” Sony Computer Entertainment President and CEO Andrew House told the E3 event.

The Xbox One is costlier than the current Xbox 360 and includes a Kinect motion sensor for hands-free game playing. Microsoft also announced several exclusive game titles, including a rendition of ‘Minecraft’ and a new installment in the popular ‘Halo’ franchise, which will be released in 2014.

The device will go on sale in 21 countries, including Britain, before the year-end holidays, the company said. Yusuf Mehdi, an executive at Microsoft’s interactive entertainment unit, did not set any sales targets for the new Xbox.

(Writing by Bill Rigby; Editing by Gary Hill and Miral Fahmy)

source: interaksyon.com

Microsoft unveils Xbox One with Spielberg, Activision tie-up

EDMOND, Washington — Microsoft Corp gave the world a first look at its new Xbox One on Tuesday, announcing that its first gaming console in eight years will come with exclusive video and software content, including a “Halo” series produced by Steven Spielberg.

The Xbox One, which will be available later this year at a price to be announced, will also be the first platform to release the next installment in Activision Blizzard Inc’s blockbuster shooter franchise, “Call of Duty”.

Microsoft hopes its third-generation console will attract video game fans who are increasingly sampling games on mobile devices, while also becoming a hub for living room entertainment.

The console took four years to develop and will launch worldwide “later this year,” games unit chief Don Mattrick told reporters at an event at the software company’s campus near Seattle, without providing details on timing or pricing.

The device’s launch came after months of intense speculation on industry blogs about what new features it might sport.

The new device interacts with a television, responds to voice and gesture commands, and includes Skype video calling, 15 exclusive game titles and original programming content.

The Xbox One will chiefly compete with Nintendo Co’s new Wii U and Sony Corp’s forthcoming PlayStation 4 for a bigger slice of the $65 billion-a-year computer game market.

Lion’s share

Console gaming still takes the lion’s share of a growing gaming market – about 42 percent of the $65 billion world market, according to Microsoft. But playing games on smartphones and tablets, or as an offshoot to online social networks, is gaining ground fast.

The world’s largest software company also sees the Xbox One as a broader strategic piece in the battle with Apple Inc, Google Inc and others to control consumer entertainment in the age of tablets and smartphones.

To that end, Microsoft presented the new box as more than just a video game console.

Acclaimed movie maker Steven Spielberg will be executive-producing a television series based on Microsoft’s blockbuster sci-fi game “Halo” for the Xbox One, the company said.

The new console will offer exclusive National Football League content and eight new game franchises, executives said.

Activision Blizzard Inc will launch “Call of Duty: Ghosts” later in 2013, first for the Xbox.

The device will have 8 gigabytes of memory, with an updated controller and new-generation Kinect sensor that communicates a user’s voice and gesture commands to the console. The technology is built on the Xbox operating system and the kernel of Windows software to handle Internet-based content.

Moreover, the device will let users store entertainment content, including movies, games and music, on cloud servers, the company said.

Despite its strong brand and ‘cool’ factor, the Xbox itself is not a key financial factor for the world’s largest software maker. Its Entertainment & Devices unit is set to break $10 billion in sales for the first time this year, but that’s half the sales of its Windows unit, and a lot less profitable, averaging less than 15 percent margin compared to 60 percent or higher for Windows or Office.

The company has more than 46 million members who subscribe to its online gaming and digital entertainment service Xbox Live, but that’s still a fraction of the people who pay for its software.

Microsoft’s stock was up slightly at $35.02 in afternoon trading on Nasdaq.

source: interaksyon.com

Sony bills PS4 console as gaming’s future

NEW YORK — Sony unveiled a new generation PlayStation 4 system Wednesday and laid out its vision for the “future of gaming” in a world rich with mobile gadgets and play streamed from the Internet cloud.

At a press event in New York, computer entertainment unit chief Andrew House said PS4 “represents a significant shift from thinking of PlayStation as a box or console to thinking of the PlayStation 4 as a leading place for play.”

Absent from the Sony event was mention of what plans the company had regarding films, music, television shows and other digital content offered on the PS4.

In a move that was not lost on observers, there was no glimpse of a PlayStation 4 at the launch event.

“It was odd that Sony did not show a physical device,” said Gartner consumer technologies research director Brian Blau.

“These days, people love beautiful devices, especially because of Apple.”

Sony spoke ambiguously about the device, leaving much to the imagination during a two-hour presentation aimed primarily at gamemakers and players.

“They don’t want to give it all away, which is the nature of the industry,” Blau said. “Sony was really trying to get developers excited about what is going on.”

PS4 was designed to get to know players, ideally to the point of being able to predict which games people will buy and have them preloaded and ready to play.

It also allows to gameplay to be broadcast in real time, letting friends virtually peer over one another’s shoulders and gamemakers act as “directors” guiding players along.

Sony has also given a green light to building “the most powerful network for gaming in the world,” according to David Perry, chief of the Gaikai cloud gaming company that Sony purchased last year.

Gaikai specializes in letting people play videogames streamed from the Internet “cloud” instead of buying titles on disks popped into consoles or computers.

“By combining PlayStation 4, PlayStation Network and social platforms, our vision is to create the first social network with meaning dedicated to games,” Perry said during the event.

He spoke of letting people access and play videogames on the Internet using PS4, smartphones, tablets or PS Vita handheld devices.

“We are exploring opportunity enabled by cloud technology with a long-term vision of making PlayStation technology available on any device,” Perry said.

“This would fundamentally change the concept of game longevity, making any game new or old available to get up and running on any device, anywhere.”

Sony needs to adapt to changing lifestyles while not alienating videogame lovers devoted to its hardware.

Low-cost or free games on smartphones or tablet computers are increasing the pressure on videogame companies to deliver experiences worth players’ time and money.

A PlaySation App will let iPhones, iPads or Android-powered smartphones or tablets be used as “second screens” augmenting play taking place on televisions connected to PS4 consoles, according to Sony.

Sony said the PS4 would hit the market in time for the year-end holiday season but did not provide details.

New-generation consoles are typically priced in the $400 to $500 range, and blockbuster game titles hit the market at $60 each.

Using Gaikai streaming technology to let people play PlayStation 3 titles on PS4 hardware was likely aimed at calming worries that fans switching to the new system would be forced to give up beloved older games, according to Blau.

He was unimpressed by word the PS4 would integrate with Facebook, saying that “pretty much everyone else” already has hopped on the trend of syncing with the leading social network.

“I’m a little worried about their integration of social,” Blau said. “You would think that a company like Sony would have lots of experience in exposing users to social mechanisms, and I didn’t see that today.”

He referred to the PS4 as evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

“Sony believes the future will be like the past and has built the game console to prove it,” Forrester analyst James McQuivey said in a blog post.

“While the technology that goes into the console is definitely of the future, the idea behind the PS4 is rooted firmly in the past,” McQuivey continued. “Specifically, the PS4 yearns for a glory day of gaming.”

Sony shares fell in the wake of the presentation, ending down 1.77 percent at 1,331 yen on Tokyo’s Nikkei index.

Ratings agency Fitch meanwhile warned the new gadget was unlikely to turn the firm’s fortunes around.

It was “unlikely to be Sony’s savior,” Fitch Ratings said, noting the company lost money on the PS3 for the first several years after its launch until production costs fell.

“The competitive nature of the market may also constrain profitability,” the agency said in a note Thursday.

“The key to the product’s success will be price, timing, content and how it compares with the yet-to-be-announced next generation Xbox. None of these details are currently available.”

source: interaksyon.com

Sony unveils new PlayStation 4 console

NEW YORK — Sony Corp unveiled its first video game console in seven years on Wednesday that will let users stream and play video games hosted on servers, hoping the move will help stem user losses, pre-empt the next version of Microsoft’s Xbox and propel it back to the top of the videogame hardware industry.

The company revealed its PlayStation 4 console, which will succeed the PlayStation 3, at a flashy event in New York with game developers like Ubisoft and Activision Blizzard in attendance.

Sony said the console would be available for the holiday 2013 season. It did not immediately disclose pricing.

The console will be up against the next version of the industry-leading Xbox console, which is expected later this summer.

The controller on the new console dubbed “DualShock 4″ will have a touch pad, Mark Cerny, lead system architect on PlayStation 4, said.

Sony purchased U.S. cloud-based gaming company Gaikai for $380 million in July. Using that technology, the new console will offer a cloud-gaming service, the company said.

The 8GB PlayStation 4, which has been in development for the last five years, can also instantly stream game content from the console to Sony’s handheld PlayStation Vita through a feature called “Remote Play,” the company said.

Sony has also revamped the user interface on the new console that keeps tabs on user preferences and added social networking features.

Sony’s announcement comes amid industry speculation that Microsoft is set to unveil the successor to its Xbox 360 later this summer. The market-leading Xbox 360 beats the seven-year-old PlayStation 3′s online network with features such as voice commands on interactive gaming and superior connectivity to smartphones and tablets.

Gaining a lead over Microsoft’s Xbox and Nintendo Co Ltd’s new Wii U could help Sony revive an electronics business hurt by a dearth of hit gadgets, a collapse in TV sales and the convergence of consumer interest around tablets and smartphones built by rivals Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.

Tablets and smartphones already account for around 10 percent of the $80 billion gaming market. Those mobile devices, analysts predict, will within a few years be as powerful as the current slew of game-only consoles.

After six years, Sony PlayStation sales are just shy of Xbox’s 67 million installed base and well behind the 100 million units of Wii sold by Nintendo, according to analysts.

source: interaksyon.com

Sony faces challenge with new PlayStation

SAN FRANCISCO — When Sony pulls back the curtain on the next-generation PlayStation videogame console, the world will see how much the Japanese consumer electronics titan has been paying attention.

Sony could double-down on hardware to power even more realistic graphics and rich game play than the impressive specifications of PlayStation 3 consoles nearing the end of a life cycle started in 2006.

Or, Sony may step toward a vision outlined by chief executive Kazuo Hirai by introducing an improved console as part of an ecosystem that weaves the company’s film, music, games and electronics together with the trend toward getting home entertainment online.

“Sony needs a living room experience,” Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey said while discussing expectations that a PlayStation 4 will be showcased at an event being hosted by Sony on February 20 in New York City.

“They need more software, not more hardware.”

The PlayStation 3 launched as an engineering triumph complete with Blu-ray high-definition disk player capabilities only to see rival Microsoft score with Xbox 360 consoles for gaming as well as online films, music and more.

“Sony can’t build a company on those few people who are hardcore gamers, so they have to figure out how to bridge to the all-purpose consumer who likes games, which is most of us,” McQuivey said.

“If they emphasize how this is really a television set-top box with your favorite channels and Netflix, it will mean Sony has paid attention.”

Sony has remained mum, but that hasn’t stopped talk of hardware upgrades such as improved graphics and controllers with touchpads, and chatter of Sony announcing its own cable-style service to route film or music content to PlayStation consoles.

Sony needs to adapt to changing lifestyles while not alienating videogame lovers devoted to its hardware.

Low-cost or free games on smartphones or tablet computers are increasing the pressure on videogame companies to deliver experiences worth players’ time and money.

New generation consoles are typically priced in the $400 to $500 range, and blockbuster game titles hit the market at $60 each.

“Sony is under a lot of pressure,” said National Alliance Capital Markets analyst Mike Hickey. “Gamers are desperate for innovation and better games.”

While Sony is tethered to “legacy” hardware, companies such as Apple and Google are driving innovation with tablets, smartphones, and ways to route Internet offerings to television sets, according to Hickey.

While ramping up content and services for PlayStation, Sony also needs to motivate people to upgrade from the current model.

“If Sony wants to win it, they need to show some killer games to get people to go out and spend a lot of money for the core game experience,” Hickey said.

He blamed a dearth of compelling titles as a reason for disappointing sales of Nintendo’s innovative Wii U consoles introduced late last year.

“The Wii U is a case study you can’t ignore,” Hickey said. “Sony at least has to nail it with the games; the core market can drive the mass market.”

Industry tracker NPD Group reported that just shy of $9 billion was spent in the United States last year on purchasing or renting video or computer games.

Another $5.92 billion was spent on game downloads, subscriptions, and play on mobile games or at social networks, according to NPD.

French videogame star Ubisoft reported that sales surged 23 percent overall in the final quarter of last year with hit installments of its “Assassin’s Creed” and “Far Cry” franchises while online revenue leapt 143 percent.

“People are gaming more now than they ever have,” McQuivey said. “More minutes on more devices over more types of games from consoles to mobile phones.”

“Console gaming is going to face challenge because you can pull out your tablet and have some pretty amazing gaming experiences for $1.99 or free with ads,” he added.

Forrester predicts that while US households will turn increasingly to accessing the Internet through videogame consoles and smart televisions, games on smartphones and tables will “negatively impact” the console market.

“Tablets are in every household and the computing power of tablets is going up every year,” Hickey said. “Eventually, the tablet could very well become the console.”

Analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities expected Sony to remain mum about pricing and specific release date while unveiling the PS4 later this month.

“The new console will clearly be more powerful,” Pachter said. “How they will use that power is unclear.”

source: interaksyon.com

Rumors of Playstation 4 fly as Sony announces phaseout of PS2

TOKYO — Japanese electronics giant Sony said it has stopped producing its PlayStation 2 consoles in Japan, fuelling online rumors a PlayStation 4 is in the pipeline.

Since launching in 2000 the PlayStation 2 (PS2), which has a DVD player, has sold more than 150 million units worldwide, making it the best selling console of all time and was so popular it outsold the its replacement for the first three years.

Shipments have been “completed” for the hardware of PS2, the Japanese website of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. said with no further comment. The firm did not say what its plans were for production in other parts of the world.

Software for the console is expected to continue being produced.

The announcement sent gamers posting messages online, with some surprised the PS2 was still being made.

The news has sparked rumours that embattled Sony, which has been hit by falling sales owing to the popularity of games on smartphones, is planning a PlayStation 4, more than six years since launching the PS3.

source: interaksyon.com

Wii U Launch Day Resource Round-Up

A new era of video game consoles kicked off at midnight with the launch of the Nintendo’s dual-screen wielding platform, the Wii U. Whether you’ve already run to the store and picked one up, or still aren’t sure whether you see a new Nintendo console in your future, you probably have a lot of questions about it: “What exactly can this thing do?” “What games should I buy?” “Do I really need to download that day-one patch?”

First of all, the answers to those three answers are: ”Right now, it plays video games.” ”Generally, speaking stick to console exclusives like Super Mario Bros U. and ZombiiU.” Lastly; “Technically no, but without the patch you won’t be able to play online, buy games via Nintendo’s E-Shop, or play Wii games, among other things.” Those answers, however, barely scratch the surface of everything you should know about the platform, so we’ve compiled a list of resources so you can all of the answers you need.

1. A Nintendo history lesson, as a prologue to the Wii U (Wired)
2. What can Wii U do before you download that massive day-one patch? (Polygon)
3. A complete list of every Wii U game available today and in the near future (GamesRadar)
4. How To: Transfer your Wii game saves to your Wii U (IGN)
5. An inside look at the guts of the Wii U gamepad (Twitch.TV)
6. Nintendo’s terms of service for MiiVerse are hilarious (Kotaku)
7. Jeff Ryan, author of Nintendo’s corporate biography, picks apart the Wii U (Kill Screen)

Now that many of your questions have been answered, (we hope) it’s time to tackle the big question: Should you buy a Wii U? Reviews of the console have been a mixed bag. Positive or negative, every review so far comes with a serious caveat; that Nintendo’s inability to ship a fully-functional console isn’t indicative of a company that will make good on their promises of significantly improved third-party support and comprehensive online features. While Joystiq’s JC Fletcher liked what he saw, but concedes that the console “doesn’t feel exactly like the ‘next generation.’” One of the few scored reviews from a gaming site, Polygon gave the box a 6.5 out of 10.

Interestingly enough, hardware-centric tech sites like Gizmodo and TechCrunch have generally been a little more lenient than their gaming counterparts, though they’ve taken issue with their own set of problems. Both The Verge and Engadget, for example, are concerned with the quality of the gamepad’s construction.

For all the negativity, however, there was also plenty of optimism about the console’s core features. Apparently the act of “cutting the cord” and playing Wii U games solely on the portable gamepad screen works so well, that some reviewers may prefer playing games that way. Kotaku editor-in-chief Stephen Totilo, calling the console “a bold new player” is excited that Nintendo has finally made a machine that has the same features as the competition, while showing the potential to become something more.

In the end, the thing that will determine whether or not you buy a Wii U, at least this year, will be your love Nintendo and their games. As with the Wii, the best thing Nintendo has to offer right now is the promise of their own unique games. Though that may change as more features and new games become available, as of today the Wii U is a Nintendo product for Nintendo people.


source: geekosystem.com

Nintendo prices Wii U above PlayStation3 and Xbox in Japan

TOKYO — Nintendo Co will sell its latest game console, the Wii U, in Japan starting at 26,250 yen ($340) as the creator of Super Mario looks to regain the lead in gaming from Sony and Microsoft and fend of tablet and smartphone makers led by Apple Inc.

In addition to the basic 8 gigabyte model Nintendo will sell a 32 GB version at 31,500 yen, both from December 8, Nintendo’s president, Satoru Iwata said in a webcast on Thursday. The Japanese company will reveal prices and the launch date for the U.S. market at an event in New York starting at 1400 GMT.

Nintendo is fielding the successor to its hit Wii console in the busy year-end shopping season, going up against Sony Corp’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Corp’s Xbox 360. Current prices on entry-level consoles from those two makers in Japan are 24,980 yen and 19,800 yen.

The original Wii took the gaming world by storm in 2006 to become the world’s biggest selling home console, with motion-controlled gaming and a slew of software titles that appealed beyond a core of traditional gamers.

What became a 100 million machine bonanza for Nintendo is waning. In the three months to June 30, sales of its Wii game machines more than halved to 710,000 from 1.56 million a year earlier.

Supporting two “GamePad” controllers designed to look and function like tablets, the Wii successor, the first new console from Nintendo in six years, will come with a social-gaming network function dubbed “Miiverse” installed and will be its first machine in 16 years to launch with a dedicated “Super Mario” game title.

Apple challenge

Repeating the Wii’s success, however, will be tough as Nintendo contends not only with Microsoft and Sony, but tackles tablet and smartphone makers lead by Apple that are eating into the $78 billion gaming market.

Apple on Wednesday revealed its latest iPhone with bigger screen, better definition and a wireless function that allows users to view their smartphone images and games on TVs equipped with an Apple TV receiver.

For now, Nintendo, which began in 1889 making playing cards in the back streets of Kyoto, has a big enough cash pile built up during the Wii boom — about $14 billion — to stick with its hardware strategy.

However, if the Wii U fails to win over gamers amid a flood of tablets and smartphones, it may, say analysts, have to consider leveraging its software assets by letting Super Mario roam across devices built by other companies.

The console, unveiled in June, is available in black and white and has a 6.2-inch touch screen that includes a stylus. The GamePad controller has traditional buttons with left and right analog sticks. It will carry video content from Netflix Inc , Amazon.com Inc , Google Inc’s YouTube and Hulu.

Nintendo has said 23 new Wii U titles, including Nintendo Land, are in development. Third-party titles include Mass Effect 3 from Electronic Arts, Darksiders II from THQ and Ubisoft’s exclusive Wii U title Zombi.

source: interaksyon.com