Archive for the ‘Gaming’ Category
Darko on June 13th, 2008
The research firm NPD has released US console hardware sales data for the month of May, and Nintendo was the clear winner, again, although Sony and Microsoft did have a few figures to boast about.
The ever popular Wii had sales of 675,089 for the month, and the extremely popular handheld, the DS had sales of 452,608.
Sony continued to beat out Microsoft, selling 208,709 PlayStation 3 units compared to 186,500 Xbox 360 units sold.
Software sales were up exponentially for Sony year-on-year thanks to strong sales of Grand Theft Auto IV, Haze and SingStar. Overall for the month, sales were up 234 percent. The company also noted that GTA IV had a higher attach rate than the Xbox 360 with a 32 percent rate for US PS3 owners.
“The dual platform release of the much anticipated Grand Theft Auto IV title reaffirmed its legacy on the PlayStation platform with a 6 percent higher attach rate than Xbox 360, reinforcing consumer choice of PS3,” commented Jack Tretton, CEO of Sony America.
Of course, Microsoft responded by saying that the 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV outsold its PS3 counterpart by a 2:1 ratio.
Without getting petty, Nintendo took the time to make statements on how the Wii was unique and fun for everyone.
“The Wii Wheel and Wii Balance Board accessories make gameplay fun for new gamers while presenting new challenges for those who have been playing a long time,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales and Marketing.
Darko on June 13th, 2008
People who play video games for long periods of time are not necessarily lonely nerds without social skills according to an Australian study.
The study by Victoria University psychology graduate Daniel Loton revealed that 15 percent of 621 adult respondents were flagged as “problem gamers” who spend more than 50 hours a week playing games.
Just one percent of “problem gamers” were found to have poor social skills, such as shyness, Loton said, going against the stereotype that video game players are likely to be lonely, geeky and addicted to gaming because they lack social skills.
“We also looked at whether problematic play is impelled by social difficulties, by using a multiple regression analysis to see if high scores on the social skills and self esteem scales could predict problematic playing scores,” Loton said. “Our findings strongly suggest that gaming doesn’t cause social problems, and social problems are not driving people to gaming.”
The study found that those who played Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs), such as “World of Warcraft,” which has more than 10 million paying subscribers, were more prone to problematic gaming. Even “problem gamers” did not show significant signs of poor social skills or low self-esteem.
Loton said,”I think it’s an evolution of social and cultural stereotypes that suggest only nerds and geeks play computer games. The reality is that nowadays everyone is playing video games. A 2007 report by Bond University found that in Australia online gaming is more popular than downloading music and Internet shopping.”
Darko on May 21st, 2008
Sony has confirmed that it is planning to “integrate YouTube functionality in upcoming or existing PlayStation 3 games” and that developers are currently working on such integration.
The new integration will enable gamers to stream capture and upload footage they have recorded while playing games.
“This YouTube upload functionality can be incorporated not only into new PS3 game titles, but also existing PS3 titles that have the ability to receive network updates,” explained a YouTube statement.
“Gamers will now be able to upload their in-game video captures to YouTube. We’re excited at the opportunity this presents and look forward to more and more games to be enhanced with YouTube,” the statement added.
Darko on May 6th, 2008
Despite reports that a Blu-ray Xbox 360 is in the works from an ASUS subsidiary, Microsoft has once again moved to deny the rumors.
Microsoft had no comment when the reports hit last week, but now an official has sent an email to the popular gaming website GamePro denying the reports.
“As we have stated, we have no plans to introduce a Blu-ray drive for Xbox 360. Games are what drive consumers to purchase game consoles, and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster games available.”
It seems that more and more reports will hit the Internet that a Blu-ray Xbox 360 is coming and Microsoft will continue to deny them. Will a Blu-ray Xbox 360 be coming anytime soon, or will Microsoft stick by its guns and stay with HD digital downloads?
Darko on April 17th, 2008
Electronic Arts (EA) announced a significant milestone on Wednesday for itself and the entire games industry, revealing that 100 millions copies of The Sims series of games have been sold. The series was first launched in 2000 and since has been available on PC, Sony PlayStation 2 (PS2) and Nintendo Wii. The PC platform has hosted its strongest performance. It’s original creator Will Wright (no longer involved with Sims) is considered to be one of the brightest sparks in the industry.
The milestone for Sims puts it up with some of the biggest names in gaming history, including Nintendo’s Mario and Pokemon games, which sold 201 million and 175 million units respectively. The series, which allows players to control the day-to-day lives of simulated characters online or offline, has been published in 60 countries and 22 languages.
About 60% of all players of the Sims series are women. “It’s appealing to a large market that core video games have traditionally ignored,” said Colin Sebastian, an analyst with Lazard Capital Markets. Nancy Smith, who leads EA’s Sims Label, said that the 100,000 Sims video clips posted on YouTube shows the creative nature of the players that are attracted to the Sims series.
The videos include a version of Michael Jackson’s Thriller video with Sims characters and the Broadway musical Rent.
