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noreply@blogger.com (Sherri) 292 days ago
In a move to help its next-gen console better rival the service options offered by the Xbox 360, Sony Entertainment has been trying to make its PlayStation a little more “homey” for users. The electronics giant recently announced that more than 20 different companies have signed on to have their own slice of “Home.” Some of the partners that will offer content on PlayStation Home have been confirmed as Activision, EA, Capcom, Disney Interactive Studios, Namco Bandai and Ubisoft. Gamers with access to Home can create their own 3D avatars to navigate the world, customize their experience and check out the content available to them. The Home concept has been in development for several years and entered beta in late 2008. While it looks splashy, many wonder if it’s a little too little a little too late. With the success of Xbox Live and its ever-expanding offerings, it just may be. I have to admit, however, Home does look pretty spectacular. The Sony site shows avatars worthy ...noreply@blogger.com (Sherri) 297 days ago
It seems I’m not alone in my infatuation for the Xbox 360’s latest whistle. According to numbers released today, a million Netflix subscribers are taking advantage of the ability to watch movies from that service instantly on their televisions via a connection with the Xbox. Thanks to the partnership formed about three months ago, Xbox 360 owners have been given the ability to watch any movie or television show in the Netflix instant watch library through the console. Since the program’s launch, 1.5 billion minutes of Watch Instantly footage has been viewed in this manner. The program’s popularity comes as no surprise to me. It’s useful, affordable and downright convenient. Having the ability to easily make the connection between Netflix and the television is a boon in my eyes not only to Microsoft and Netflix, but also owners of the console. Netflix is so pleased with the program’s reception so far, it is crediting it for a rise in quarterly results. This makes absolute sense. The ...noreply@blogger.com (Sherri) 304 days ago
While some gaming companies are facing major cutbacks in the face of a worldwide financial crisis, there’s at least one segment of the industry that’s experiencing a heck of a boon. Free online gaming Web sites have reported a surge in traffic. According to market research company comScore, the American audience for free gaming sites has grown in leaps and bounds. The figures for December 2008 show some 86 million American visitors to free sites. The numbers from the previous December were only 67 million. Time spent playing these games has also grown. Some of the top sites for free games trafficked by American players include Yahoo! Games, EA Online, Disney, MSN and AOL. While free online games and the console game industry both saw increases in 2008, PC game sales fell an estimated 14 percent. This makes sense on a few levels. Console games, for the most part, enable multiple players. This means buyers can justify them as “family entertainment” purchases. Free online games ...noreply@blogger.com (Sherri) 310 days ago
As the economy continues to flounder, it seems no one is immune from its bite. Sega of America and Microsoft are the latest video game maker to announce layoffs. Sega has let 30 people go in an effort to streamline its operations and reduce costs. Sega has issued an official statement about the move: “Sega of America has grown at pace with the booming videogame industry, but at this time of economic recession, harsh retail landscape, and the reality of business challenges to profitability, we must take steps to reduce our cost structure and ensure long-term success." Sega joins a long and ever-growing list of video game and related companies that have announced layoffs. Some of the more notable firms to slice their staff numbers have included Midway, EA, Funcom and Sony. Microsoft also announced it will let up to 5,000 go across many of its departments. Although I don’t have a crystal ball to predict what will happen tomorrow, next week or next year, it is interesting ...noreply@blogger.com (Sherri) 319 days ago
As the next-generation console race leaves Sony’s PlayStation 3 in the dust the problem is not with the console, it’s with the price tag. With a starting price of $399, the console’s bells and whistles just haven’t been enough to move the PS3 off the shelves. This could change in April. According to industry analyst Michael Pachter from Wedbush Morgan Securities, Sony is likely to drop the price of the console to a sweet $299. This would better position it against the Wii and the Xbox 360 in terms of investment. “Once the PS3 is at a more affordable price point, we think that sales of that device will once again begin to grow,” Pachter is quoted as saying. Pachter is convinced the price cut is necessary to make the PS3 more attractive in a market where consumers are forced to hang on to every penny they have. He also expects Microsoft to drop pricing on its Xbox 360 even more. If Pachter is right, 2009 could shape up to be an interesting year for gamers who have yet to jump on the ...
