Asia's biggest annual video game industry event got under way in Japan on Thursday, with games for phones and tablets challenging traditional console kings Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. Nearly 200 hardware and software makers gathered for the four-day Tokyo Game Show at Makuhari Messe convention hall, where gamers had their first chance to try out Sony's next generation Vita console.
Gree, a rapidly growing Japanese social networking service set up in 2004 offering games for mobile phones, made its debut at the show with one of the biggest booths.

As models dressed as game characters walked around the hall amid the clatter of electronic noise, the mood was far from the kind of Japanese restraint that followed the March 11 earthquake and tsunami six months ago.

Nintendo did not take part in the annual event, but held its own showcase on Tuesday as it looks to revive sales of its struggling 3DS console that boasts three-dimensional images without users having to wear special glasses.

One of the big attractions was Sony's Vita console, which does not hit stores in Japan until December 17.
Among the titles the new console boasts is Reality Fighters, in which players can create their own combat avatar.

The game allows users to map their face using one of the Vita's two cameras, select from a range of body shapes and weapons and even use their current surroundings as the backdrop for the battle.
The Vita is the latest step in Sony's drive to push a library of content through its game consoles, smartphones and tablet computers as it faces competition from Apple's iTunes and App store and hardware rivals such as Nintendo.

The PS Vita features a five-inch (12.7 cm) multi-touch OLED (organic light emitting diode) screen with a pad on the back for "touch, grab, trace, push and pull" finger motions. The handset also has front and rear facing cameras.

Users will be able to use the device to watch videos, listen to music, connect to internet sites and social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter. The Vita's launch comes as both Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's gaming models are under increasing pressure from cheap smartphone games that can be quickly downloaded and played, as well as social networks.

Nintendo cut the price of its 3DS game console by up to 40 percent only six months after it launched due to weak sales. On Tuesday it announced some upgrades to the device, a new pink version targeted at women and 30 new game titles to help drive hardware sales. Reflecting the popularity of social games, the number of game titles for smartphones rose to 98 at this year's show from 50 in 2010, and those for tablet PCs, such as Apple's iPad and Android-powered machines, hit 29 from 18.

"Video games used to be the domain of keen users willing to spend tens of thousands of yen," said Yoichi Wada, chairman of the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association, the organiser of the event.
But the market is now expanding for casual users as smartphones gain popularity, Wada said in a keynote speech.

Yoshikazu Tanaka, Gree's founder and chief executive officer, said the company was expanding its global operations, building offices in such places as San Francisco and London. "Our vision is to create services that can be used by one billion people," in the next three to five years, he said.

"Smartphones are offering the opportunity. We should get the chance to please one billion people and change their lives."On show Thursday were blockbuster franchises such as Metal Gear Solid and Monster Hunter as well as more unique applications.

One app helped people coordinate their daily outfits. Also popular were musical games exploiting the popularity of pop stars such as girl group AKB48 or virtual ones such as hologram idol Hatsune Miku, aimed at young Japanese men. The Tokyo Game Show opens to the public from Saturday. Organisers expect up to 190,000 people to attend.

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On August 16, 2011 at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, Sony issued a global price cut for its PlayStation 3 system, including a $50 price cut in the United States, almost exactly as we suggested last month. With the price of entry now at $250 for a 160GB PlayStation 3, many anticipated that the system would see a resurgence in sales throughout August, a surge that could continue throughout the remainder of 2011.

It had been a full two years since Sony issued an actual price cut to its flagship console. With the introduction of the PS3 Slim model back in August 2009, the price of the system went from $400 to $300. As the company focused on profitability, it has stubbornly stuck to that price and one gets the impression that the current $50 cut was given only grudgingly.

The reality is that the PS3 is the third-place console for this generation in the United States and will likely remain there for the rest of this hardware cycle. If Microsoft were to cease Xbox 360 sales today and PlayStation 3 sales were to continue at their current annual rate for two years (an unlikely occurrence in any case), Sony's platform would still not have caught up.

Fortunately for Sony, it has reached enough of an installed base in the U.S. – 17.5 million systems by our estimates – that it cannot be ignored by publishers. Taken as a whole, the high-definition console space in the U.S. is split about 40/60 between Sony and Microsoft.

The figure below shows the PlayStation 3 and Wii installed base sizes relative to the Xbox 360 installed base.

This shows just how far Sony has gotten behind its two rivals, the rapid growth and slowdown of the Wii, and the release of several key hardware models. It also shows the net effect of Sony's price cuts: far from helping Sony gain ground, they have merely slowed the rate at which the PS3's base has fallen behind.

Last month we said that the key questions were when Sony would cut its price and by how much. With those satisfactorily answered, we move now to how the price cut will accelerate sales, and for how long.

As to the former, we begin with the actual sales figures themselves. We estimate, based on comments made in Nintendo and Microsoft press releases, that the Sony PlayStation 3 sold between 215,000 and 220,000 units in the United States in August 2011. For the NPD Group, that four-week sales period included 12 days during which the PS3 was available at a reduced price.

The figure below shows the estimated average weekly sales rates for the PS3 for each month this year. The shadowed bars are the same figures but for 2010.

By this measure the price cut appears to have increased sales for the month by about 50 percent. However, the fact that the price cut was active for only 12 days means that the effect on the weekly rate was certainly quite a bit more pronounced.

If we assume that the rate from July (about 36,000 units per week) continued for the beginning of August, then Sony sold approximately 130,000 PS3 units after the price cut. That's approximately 78,000 units per week – or over twice the rate seen in July.

The actual change is likely somewhere between these extremes, and that's good news for the present, since 60,000 – 70,000 units per week outside of the holidays is a very solid rate of sales. In effect, the PS3 has been restored to the relatively strong sales it saw earlier this year.

How its price cut plays when the holidays arrive is another matter.

The $300 PS3 Slim was considered a good value by consumers in late 2009, but Microsoft has made a lot of progress tipping the value proposition in their favor. The Xbox 360 S Model and heavy Kinect promotion have combined with the platform's existing strengths (name brands like Halo and Xbox Live's feature set) to make its $200 entry-level price very popular with consumers.

In July, the PlayStation 3 sold for about $310 on average while the Xbox 360 sold for about $280. If consumers think that the Xbox 360 offers a better value, then the $50 PS3 price cut could bring the PS3's average price below that of the Xbox 360 without actually driving PS3 sales higher than Xbox 360 sales.

Except for Blu-ray playback and Sony-exclusive software, the Xbox 360 will likely look like a good alternative to the PS3 this holiday season. That will likely cap the rate of PS3 below what we saw in the last four months of 2009 (when the PS3 Slim did exceptionally well) and keep the PS3 below 5 million systems for the year. (Worldwide, Sony expects to sell 15 million PS3 systems between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2012, a quantity equal to the previous fiscal year's sales.)

Truly, that 5 million will be their best calendar year ever in the U.S. but it will still likely put them behind both the Xbox 360 and the Wii for 2011.

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The company's proprietary MP3 players, however, were a joke. Its laptops look increasingly... chunky, and not in a good way. And the PSP has never really challenged Nintendo's DS system in mobile gaming. It speaks well of the PS3 then, that the news of its possible demise caused such a flurry recently. Sony has long spoken of the latest PlayStation console having a 10 year lifespan. We're only halfway through that now, but already whispers have been heard of a refresh within 18 months.

Why?

The PS3 is an insanely-powerful piece of kit and it's arguable that game developers have only really begun to push its boundaries. There probably is four or five years' worth of button mashing fun to be had out of this generation. Could it be that Sony is taking to heart fears that the rise of cheap, simple mobile gaming on phones and slates could kill off the market for consoles?

Okay, granted, the hyperbole sirens are wailing. There is still a world of difference between the experience of playing a deep, immersive and complicated game on a console, be it a PS3, a 360 or, hell, even the Nintendo Wii, and spending five minutes ditzing around with something like Angry Birds on the phone.

In-game graphics are improving on mobile devices, but they are still nowhere near as good as PC or console-based games. Multiplayer is primitive at best. And the control schemes are necessarily simple to the point of stupidity. Without triggers, sticks and buttons, the flat plate of glass beneath which an iPad game does its little pixel dance cannot hope to compete.

But does that matter?

It's not just a matter of whether phones or pads make better gaming interfaces. There's a whole supply-side/demand-side thing going on that could choke off the future for consoles anyway. Not kill them, but constrain them. Every dollar spent on a fun time waster like Zombie Gunship is a temptation to developers and publishers to pour more money into more Gunship style games than, say, Dead Island or Dead Rising with their much deeper narratives and more challenging mechanics.

If phone manufacturers, Apple, HTC, Samsung or whoever are going to sell hundreds of millions of handsets this year - most of which will be loaded up with at least a couple of games - why would you invest your time and capital writing games for something like a PSP or even a Nintendo DS? Sure there is a market there for those games. A significant market. But it is utterly dwarfed by the mobile gaming market for phones and slates.

There are times I wonder whether I will ever own another console. The brutal economics of game development seem to be pushing the talent in the direction of small projects for small systems. Maybe there will always be enough of a hard-core gamer market to support two or three major console systems, but I can't help but feel that most games in the future will be played by people who don't even think of themselves as gamers, on devices that are not sold as game systems.

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The Nintendo 3DS is in a state of crisis. You could argue that's the case for all of Nintendo, too, especially this holiday season.

Handheld games are no longer the dominant domain of Nintendo anymore, not with phones offering so many alternatives for less. The 3DS needs top-notch software to help it prove its worth, and while other games are no doubt on the way, titles like Starfox 64 3D, Nintendo's latest franchise re-release, just don't do enough for a software-starved 3DS holiday lineup.
Scott:

Nintendo fans will rejoice: much like Zelda: Ocarina of Time released earlier this summer, Starfox 64 3D is a pitch-perfect and graphically remastered version of a beloved N64 console game. The only problem with Starfox is that a rails-based shooter has less to offer than a well-developed adventure game like Zelda. I loved Starfox on my N64: Its 3D graphics were unprecedented for a Nintendo console, and the sci-fi effects were a kick. Now, games like Galaxy on Fire for the iPhone can offer many of the same thrills for a few bucks.

Newly added gyro controls add motion control to the classic Starfox, using the 3DS' internal gyroscope to tilt-steer. Unless you turn off 3D, don't bother. 3D effects are bound to break up due to continual line-of-sight shifts when continually tilting. It only took one try to convince me to turn gyro off for good. You can have 3D or motion, but not both.

A variety of stages, some free-flying, others rail-based, advance the story. A multiplayer mode between local Nintendo 3DS systems makes some logical sense, but good luck finding other people with a Nintendo 3DS and a copy of Starfox. The upcoming 3DS Mario Kart is a better multiplayer game, hands-down.

This all leaves Starfox in an odd middle ground. It's a very good retro reboot, but it's not enough to make the 3DS a better platform. However, if you do own a 3DS, rest assured that Starfox is one of the best games in a very thin library--better than Pilotwings--but less so if you've already played this game before on the N64. This game, however, is precisely the type of experience that iOS can actually one-up.
Jeff:

Continuing the trend of Nintendo 64 reboots in 3D, the latest 3DS release sees a remake of the classic 1997 dogfighter, Star Fox 64. It's surprising that despite all of the negativity associated with combining gyroscopic control and 3D, the option exists to play the game with motion. Thankfully it can be turned off, and as Scott mentioned above, it should be the only method of playing utilized when in 3D mode.
Moving beyond these issues, Star Fox 64 3D is further proof that driving and flying games are really where the 3DS shines in terms of creating an immersive experience. The game's controls are ultra-responsive and intuitive enough to pick up and play right away. While graphically the game is probably topped by some similar competition available on iOS devices, it's stellar control set remains unmatched.

Nearly six months after its release, Nintendo has yet to publish an original first-party 3DS title that has the legs to aid system sales. Sure, the company is boasting a 260 percent increase in sales after dropping the 3DS' price to $170 last month. But until highly anticipated titles from the Super Mario and Mario Kart franchises are released, we still won't have an idea of the system's true selling potential--or possibly lack thereof.

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Lenovo’s eeDoo iSec, the first gaming console planned for release on the Chinese market, may not hit that market as quickly as originally expected. It was supposed to go on sale this month, but insiders at the company have divulged to Sina Tech that there is little chance the product will be ready that soon. Although technical work on the console is done, the company is still working on solidifying sales channels. The same source also told Sina that the first models of the iSec released will likely be display models meant to help drive pre-orders of the console which will then be released a month or two later.

The iSec — its official Chinese name is the aisaike — is Lenovo’s entry in the Chinese gaming console market, a market which technically does not exist since the sale of game consoles is illegal in China. For this reason, the iSec is technically classified as a “home entertainment device,” but in actuality the system is a gaming console with games based on a motion sensor copied from similar to Microsoft’s Kinect. If its official site is any indication, the similarities don’t end there. The lime-green and gray/white swooping designs will be immediately familiar to anyone who’s ever seen the packaging of an Xbox 360.

Previously, I’ve expressed some healthy skepticism about the console’s — excuse me, the “home entertainment” device’s — potential, and I remain unconvinced. For example, what I said then about their video views remains true — this console was supposed to come out within the month and they can’t even get more than 2,000 views on their promotional videos? That’s not good. There doesn’t seem to be any real hype surrounding this release, and given that Lenovo is trying to create a market more or less out of thin air — there is a thriving gray market for consoles, but that’s another issue — they’re going to need all the hype they can get.

That said, the fact that they plan to release playable display models a month or two before the official release of the console is a sign that the company is confident in its product, at least. If it’s not a solid system, of course, such a move would be disastrous, but if it is fun to play, a month or two of word-of-mouth buzz could be exactly what they need to build hype (and pre-orders).

A list of games for the system — all motion-controlled games so far — is available here. We’ll keep an eye on the iSec and see if we can’t go a few rounds with some of these games once the demo machines are released into the wild.

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If the rumors are true then the PlayStation 4 gaming console will be out in 18 months. The supposed source of the rumors is said to be trustworthy and reliable. Sony didn’t want to comment on the issue. Some see it as true while others doubt that the company would release a new console within that period.

The PS3 was launched in 2006, which is just five years into Sony’s ten-year cycle. The PS2, which was launched in 2000, is still enjoying some success even though it is an 11 year old console. Some game publishers are still putting out PS2 versions of their new games. People still buy the PS2 because it is inexpensive and has a large catalog of titles.

The only reason why the PS2 is not leading in the console market is because of the arrival of HD games as well as online gaming. But there are gamers that don’t mind the lack of online notifications and Achievements because it lets them focus on the game more.

The PS3 is still on top of its game although it is trailing behind the Xbox 360 in Western territories. It is the leader in Japan and there are lots of exclusive PS3 titles that proved to be bestsellers. People agree that there’s no need for new tech at this point in time.

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Console gaming on the go just got easier thanks to a mobile gaming kit that comes with a built-in high-definition display screen to connect to your Xbox 360 or Sony PlayStation system. The GAEMS G155, short for Gaming and Entertainment Mobile Systems, is essentially a heavy-duty briefcase with the display neatly fixed to the inner lid. Your game console is positioned inside and held in place tightly by two wide fabric fasteners straps.

A short HDMI cable comes with the unit and connects your game console to a port near the bottom of the display. Two pouches are available for power cords and a controller or two.

That's pretty much the simple science behind this $299 unit. Once you've put your console in, you can play "Call of Duty: Black Ops" to your heart's content anywhere there's a power outlet.

The system supports recent models of Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 and Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3. You'd have to buy those separately. (Nintendo Co.'s Wii isn't supported because it doesn't have an HDMI jack.)
The build quality of the unit is fine. The console sits on a padded base that helps prevent it from slipping around in the case. I noticed no shifting as I carried my PlayStation 3 from room to room and to the office.
The 15.5-inch (39-centimeter) LED HD display delivered crisp colors and sharp detail during my tests playing a FIFA soccer game and a few shooters titles. High-definition videos I had saved on the PS3 hard drive also looked fine.

The volume, brightness and menu buttons at the bottom of the display glow red and offer easy access and usability. That said, I think the unit would be better if it shipped with an optional wireless remote, instead of selling that piece separately for $20.

There are twin audio jacks on the bottom of the display, which is a nice touch if you're gaming against someone next to you.
What might you need the GAEMS G155 for?

If you're traveling on business and are passionate about your games, you could use it to continue your campaigns from the comfort of a hotel room in the evenings. You could also bring it home for the holidays and pull it out after you've eaten enough turkey and endured enough family banter for the evening. The GAEMS 155 is one of those products you probably think you don't need until you see how convenient it is. For some, surely this is overkill. For avid gamers, however, this is a pretty sweet addition for the road.

Read the rest of this entry »

Console gaming on the go just got easier thanks to a mobile gaming kit that comes with a built-in high-definition display screen to connect to your Xbox 360 or Sony PlayStation system. The GAEMS G155, short for Gaming and Entertainment Mobile Systems, is essentially a heavy-duty briefcase with the display neatly fixed to the inner lid. Your game console is positioned inside and held in place tightly by two wide fabric fasteners straps.

cA short HDMI cable comes with the unit and connects your game console to a port near the bottom of the display. Two pouches are available for power cords and a controller or two. That's pretty much the simple science behind this $299 unit. Once you've put your console in, you can play “Call of Duty: Black Ops” to your heart's content anywhere there's a power outlet.

The system supports recent models of Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 and Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3. You'd have to buy those separately. (Nintendo Co.'s Wii isn't supported because it doesn't have an HDMI jack.)
The build quality of the unit is fine. The console sits on a padded base that helps prevent it from slipping around in the case. I noticed no shifting as I carried my PlayStation 3 from room to room and to the office.
The 15.5-inch LED HD display delivered crisp colors and sharp detail during my tests playing a FIFA soccer game and a few shooters titles. High-definition videos I had saved on the PS3 hard drive also looked fine.
The volume, brightness and menu buttons at the bottom of the display glow red and offer easy access and usability. That said, I think the unit would be better if it shipped with an optional wireless remote, instead of selling that piece separately for $20. There are twin audio jacks on the bottom of the display, which is a nice touch if you're gaming against someone next to you.

What might you need the GAEMS G155 for?
If you're traveling on business and are passionate about your games, you could use it to continue your campaigns from the comfort of a hotel room in the evenings. You could also bring it home for the holidays and pull it out after you've eaten enough turkey and endured enough family banter for the evening. The GAEMS 155 is one of those products you probably think you don't need until you see how convenient it is. For some, surely this is overkill. For avid gamers, however, this is a pretty sweet addition for the road.

Read the rest of this entry »

Console gaming on the go just got easier thanks to a mobile gaming kit that comes with a built-in high-definition display screen to connect to your Xbox 360 or Sony PlayStation system.

The GAEMS G155, short for Gaming and Entertainment Mobile Systems, is essentially a heavy-duty briefcase with the display neatly fixed to the inner lid. Your game console is positioned inside and held in place tightly by two wide fabric fasteners straps.

A short HDMI cable comes with the unit and connects your game console to a port near the bottom of the display. Two pouches are available for power cords and a controller or two.

That's pretty much the simple science behind this $299 unit. Once you've put your console in, you can play "Call of Duty: Black Ops" to your heart's content anywhere there's a power outlet.

The system supports recent models of Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 and Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3. You'd have to buy those separately. (Nintendo Co.'s Wii isn't supported because it doesn't have an HDMI jack.)

The build quality of the unit is fine. The console sits on a padded base that helps prevent it from slipping around in the case. I noticed no shifting as I carried my PlayStation 3 from room to room and to the office.

The 15.5-inch LED HD display delivered crisp colors and sharp detail during my tests playing a FIFA soccer game and a few shooters titles. High-definition videos I had saved on the PS3 hard drive also looked fine.

The volume, brightness and menu buttons at the bottom of the display glow red and offer easy access and usability. That said, I think the unit would be better if it shipped with an optional wireless remote, instead of selling that piece separately for $20.

There are twin audio jacks on the bottom of the display, which is a nice touch if you're gaming against someone next to you.

Read the rest of this entry »

The G155 from Gaming and Entertainment Mobile Systems (GAEMS) is a self-contained mobile gaming environment system and tough travel case that is compatible with Xbox 360/360S or PS3 Slim. The G155 includes an integrated LED HD 720p display, stereo speakers, dual headphone jacks, and HDMI / power cables. Just pop the lid and the self contained unit lets you can play anywhere.

The rugged case featuring console-securing straps and foam base complies with TSA (Transport Security Administration) guidelines and airline carry-on guidelines. The G155 safely protects your game console while you are on the go. The G155 is ideal for students in dorm rooms, hardcore gamers, or kids when the main TV is not available in the home.

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