Gaming stock 2014 in Review

This year's winner and losers from the world's gaming stocks.

Xbox One gets price cut in China

Microsoft pre-emptively narrows price gap in advance of next month's PS4 launch in the country

Last week, Sony announced its PlayStation 4 launch plans for China, saying the console would launch January 11 at RMB 2,899 ($468). That's significantly cheaper than the Xbox One, which has a price tag of RMB 3,699 ($598) for the least expensive version of the hardware. Microsoft has since moved to narrow that price gap, according to a Kotaku translation of a Sina.com report.

The Xbox One hardware have received RMB 500 ($80.77) price drops. The new prices are RMB 3,799 ($614) and is bundles with two games, whereas the PS4 will be sold on its own.

Why there are less games on PS3 and PS4 compared to PS1 and PS2?

The excitement when you buy a new console is just amazing. but the box you just opened up may not receive the same amount of Playtime like your last console did. Why? Because every generation the number of games released is decreasing.

The original PlayStation(2418) and PlayStation 2(3870) had 6288 games in total. The PS3 just had 795 and the PS4 in its very first year just have 77(Disc Based) games.If you compare it to PS2 which had 136 games in its first year.

So the question is why is This Happening? IF the gaming industry is rising, why the number of games made are decreasing?

The only answer is Increasing Development Costs. Average PS2 game costed $5-$10 million and the original PlayStation costed just $0.8 million-$1.7( source edge-online ) per game.
The below chart will explain it all


So this is why we wont see number of games for PS4 going much higher like PS2 and PS1 sadly even after Sony and Microsoft both tried to reduce the development costs by putting x86 architecture Processor in their consoles. Yeah it will take less time to make a PS4 game then a PS3 game usually took but still the power and resources that are needed to make upcoming games are simply way much higher than PS3, PS2 and PS1 ever needed.

DICE Stockholm relocating

Battlefield developer to consolidate game development, Frostbite, and EA Nordic operations in new building

EA DICE is moving to new digs. The Stockholm studio has outgrown the building it has called home for the better part of a decade, and next year will transfer all of its operations to an office in the city's Sodermalm district.

Nintendo was the big winner at The Game Awards

Dragon Age: Inquisition won Game of the Year, but Nintendo triumphed in four categories

Dragon Age: Inquisition was named Game of the Year at The Game Awards' inaugural ceremony in Las Vegas, but Nintendo was the biggest winner overall.

Nintendo won four categories in total: Best Sports/Racing Game and Best Family Game for Mario Kart 8, Best Fighting Game for Super Smash Bros. Wii U, and Developer of the Year. That overshadowed EA Bioware, which took home arguably the most important award of all: Game of the Year for Dragon Age: Inquisition, which also won Best RPG.

The full list of winners is below:

• Best Shooter: Far Cry 4 
• Best Action/Adventure: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor 
• Best Role Playing Game: Dragon Age: Inquisition 
• Best Fighting Game: Super Smash Bros. Wii U 
• Best Family Game: Mario Kart 8 
• Best Sports/Racing Game: Mario Kart 8 
• Best Online Experience: Destiny 
• Best Mobile/Handheld: Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft 
• Best Remaster: Grand Theft Auto V 
• Best Narrative: Valiant Hearts: The Great War 
• Best Score/Soundtrack: Destiny 
• Best Independent Game: Shovel Knight 
• Games for Change: Valiant Hearts: The Great War 
• eSports Player of the Year: Matt "NaDeSHot" Haag - Call of Duty 
• eSports Team of the Year: Ninjas in Pyjamas - Counter-Strike GO 
• Trending Gamer: TotalBiscuit 
• Best Fan Creation: Twitch Plays Pokemon 
• Developer of the Year: Nintendo 
• Best Performance: Trey Parker, South Park: The Stick of Truth 
• Most Anticipated Game: The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt 
• Game of the Year: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PS4 will be $110 cheaper than Xbox One in China

And the gap widens to $210 with Kinect

The PlayStation 4 will be sold at a lower price than the Xbox One when it launches in China, according to new reports from various Chinese media sources.

The rumour started on the estimable Chinese tech blog WPDang, which reported that the PlayStation 4 will sell for 2,999 RMB when it is released (in all likelihood) early next year. By contrast, the Xbox One, which is already on sale in China, currently sells for 3,699 RMB without Kinect.

3DS XL to be discontinued in Japan

Nintendo shifts focus to New line of 3DS hardware, original 3DS will remain in production

Nintendo is poised to cease production of the 3DS XL in Japan, shifting focus to the more popular New 3DS XL model.

How This Genertion is a Complete Opposite of Last Generation

It's hard to believe but we've already passed one year of current gen gaming. So how far have we changed?

Amazing Microsoft Black Friday Sale Offers Tons of Xbox One Discounts, Recent AAA Games and Much More

Microsoft unveiled its Black Friday deals on its own web store, and they’re definitely quite rich, offering discounts on a wide variety of games and hardware, including the Assassin’s Creed Unity Xbox One bundle with one free game for $329.
Maybe even juicier is the fact that the sale offers recent games like Sunset Overdrive or Forza Horizon 2 for $39.99 and $29.99 respectively.

Warlords of Draenor pushes WoW subscriber numbers to 10 million

The latest World Of Warcraft expansion pack, Warlords of Draenor, has pushed global subscribers to the MMO past the 10 million milestone. 3.3 million copies of the add-on pack sold-through in the first 24 hours on sale.

Analyst: Digital makes up ‘as much as 25%’ of total new-gen game sales

The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are moving game purchasing into digital faster than ever before.

Yesterday, industry-intelligence firm The NPD Group reported results for October. It was another strong month for hardware, but software sales were down 28 percent year-over-year. That is worse than what analyst Doug Creutz of investment firm Cowen and Company was expecting, and he credits digital for the discrepancy. The NPD’s figures only track new sales for physical games at U.S. retailers, so it doesn't include titles that people are buying on the Xbox One Games Store, for example.

US XBOX ONE SALES TRIPLE SINCE PRICE DROP

The Xbox One has been the brunt of sales jokes for months now, with people citing the PlayStation 4's impressive 13 million sales since launch as a feat Microsoft couldn't dream of reaching.

Microsoft has been keeping quiet about its sales numbers for some time now, refusing to update its 5 million sales number from the summer time. But, coming close to the anniversary of its launch, they have now stated that, with the help of serious price cuts, and some killer IP's on the way, they have almost reached the 10 million mark for their console.

Sony Celebrates 20 Years of PlayStation

Sony Computer Entertainment just released a lovely trailer celebrating the 20th anniversary of the PlayStation Brand.

The trailer, titled “Everyone Who Loves Games, Thank you,” goes through many of the games appeared on PlayStation platforms, all the way from the beginning (actually before the beginning, with titles from before the PlayStation era) to the newest and unreleased ones.

Xbox One in Japan Two Months After

The launch event was barely populated, and the morning after the prepared spaces for the lines in front of retail stores were nearly deserted.

The console debuted with 25,674 units sold on its first week, which can be seen as relatively decent at first sight, but it’s also the worst launch of a major console in recorded history for Japan.

But that wasn’t the end of the Xbox One’s ordeal in the country. Sales literally collapsed in the following weeks, taking just over a month to drop under 1,000 units sold in each seven day window. In two calendar months the Xbox One sold only 34,927 units, just over a third of the sales of the Xbox 360 in the same period.



As Phil Spencer mentioned a while ago, maintaining a presence in Japan isn’t just a matter of selling consoles. While the console gaming industry in Japan has lost a bit of its glitz since the PS2 generation, it’s still home to a very relevant niche of publishers and developers that still account for a sizable slice of games, both large and small, that represent a precious resource for Microsoft.

3.3 million PS4 sold in Q2

Sony released its Q2 financial results, and reports a + 3.3 million PS4 units sold (13.5 million) from July-September, and reporting a loss even though the PS4 is showing strong performance.



Sony just disclosed its financial results for the fiscal quarter between July 1st and September 30th 2014, showing solid results for the game division with an operating income of 200 million dollars.

The company as a whole unfortunately posted a rather sizable operating loss of 785 million dollars resulting in a net loss of 1.247 billion dollars.
Despite that, sales were up 7.2% compared to the same period last year, even thanks to the strong performance of the PS4, that also determined a strong increase in income from network services.

And the performance of Sony’s new console is indeed strong, with 3.3 million units shipped in the quarter, bringing the total up to a very flattering 13.5 million, making it the fastest selling console in its first fiscal year of sales.

[Rumour] 3DS CFW Has Been Released

The keys for 3DS firmware 7.xx had been leaked and it seems that GovanifY  the person who leaked them has also leaked a 3DS CFW, here is a quote from the source:

• This is a 3ds CFW. It will patch the signature checks, and some other parts of the firmware. It have the ability to run a CIA server and to use it for install the CIA wanted.
• This CFW works only on 4.5 because, firstly, the keyX isn’t implemented, the mem allocations of the Home Menu, for exemple, changed between firmwares, etc…
• This CFW is launching something that can be compared to Gateway’s emuNAND system(I’ll call it redNAND from now), then patching parts of the firmware for let it launch unsigned code.
• This allows a lot of things, such as piracy(you can convert CCI(3ds roms) to CIA(Home menu apps)using 3dsguy’s makerom software.) and home menu homebrews. Tho this would need mods in the CFW for allows so.

PlayStation Plus reaches 7.9 million members

Sony reveals current subscription service numbers, plans to bring PlayStation to Chinese market next year

In the past, Sony has been cagey about just how many PlayStation Plus subscribers it has. But in a post-earnings conference call with overseas investors today, Sony executives confirmed that the PS Plus service has reached 7.9 million members.

Xbox One will be cheaper than PS4 this Christmas

Major US retailers will be knocking $50 off both the console and its various bundles

Microsoft is reducing the price of the Xbox One in the US by $50 this Christmas, giving it a lower price-point than the PlayStation 4 for the first time this generation.

The promotion, which starts on November 2, applies to any version of the console on sale, including those bundled with some of the biggest releases of the year. Both the Assassin's Creed: Unity and Sunset Overdrive bundles will be available for $349 without Kinect, which is $50 cheaper than a PlayStation 4 with no games.

However, while the Xbox One has gathered some momentum since then, it has been lagging behind the PlayStation 4 in the US. In September, Sony's console had been outselling it for eight consecutive months.

Xbox console sales jump 102% in Q1

Microsoft today announced its earnings for the first quarter ended September 30. The Xbox business grew with Xbox console sales increasing 102 percent for the period.

Microsoft said that it sold 2.4 million Xbox consoles (presumably most of which were Xbox One) as the Xbox One launched in a total of 28 new markets.

Console declines delay $100 billion mark for industry to 2019 - DFC

DFC Intelligence is revising its global forecast because consoles are "losing their second tier audience"

Earlier this year, research firm DFC Intelligence predicted that the worldwide game software market would reach $100 billion by 2018. This week, however, DFC revealed to GamesIndustry.biz that it's now revising that forecast thanks to trends in the console space. While total software revenues (online plus retail) will still come close to $100 billion in 2018 (hitting $97.9 billion) it won't be until 2019 that the industry eclipses the mark with $102.7 billion in sales.

As you can see from the data table below, while console software does climb by several million in the next few years, by 2019 it's expected to drop back down to be essentially flat with 2014 numbers. Meanwhile, the smartphone and tablet gaming sector continues to soar; DFC's forecast shows it nearly quadrupling 2013's numbers totaling over $35 billion in 2019.

Dell goes for the consol market - Game Computer Consoll

The Alienware Alpha unites the freedom of PC gaming and the ease of a console, forever changing the way you game. Shipping in November 2014.

For many years has Dell subsidiary Alienware strived to deliver high-quality video game entertainment for the living room. Alienware Alpha is the first console that is specifically built around Valve's Steam Big Picture Mode, and they think this is the best way computer games to experience entertainment in the living room. 

With over 75 million active users and upwards of 7 million online users continuously, Steam has grown into a force to be reckoned with in the gaming world. But at the same time Steam users have been very keen to have the opportunity to play in the living room. With Alpha console and Steam Big Picture has the opportunity to do just that. At last, the users do not need to miss out on their favorite games, online friends and all the Steam features they like just to be able to play on the big screen. With Alpha console will provide users with the best games and user-generated content, as well as 500 control custom games and local cooperative multiplayer games.

Alienware Alpha console comes with Windows 8.1, which can be navigated easily using the included Xbox 360 controller through a customized software that is unique to Alienware. Neither the mouse or keyboard needed. Alpha console is also prepared for the launch of SteamOS and Steam control, which means that they will be able to be used easily and smoothly.

Alienware Alpha will have a starting price of 549 USD, and will go on sale for the holiday season 2014

PS4 Gets Qi Compatible Inductive Wireless Charger to Help With Your DualShock 4′s Battery

The Japanese manufacturer SPEC Computer is taking its turn with its removable battery receiver for PS4, which is basically a device weighing 21 grams and measuring 77 mm × 50 mm × 20 mm that attaches snugly to the bottom of your DualShock 4.

The peculiarity of this little product is that it’s compatible with the increasingly popular Qi standard charging pads (not included), which are normally used to recharge smartphones. You put your DualShock 4 on the pad and it’ll charge up without any need for a cable or to use one of your PS4′s USB ports.

Below you can check out a gallery of pictures of the device, which has just been released in Japan. A western release hasn't been announced for the moment. The local price is 2,200 yen (about 22USD).

iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3 confirmed

New hardware revealed in publisher's iOS 8 user guide, features Touch ID new models ship next week, older iPads see price cut

Apple held its press conference this afternoon and announced that the pre-orders for the two new iPad models would start tomorrow, with shipments taking place by the end of next week.

The iPad Air 2 has been designed to be even thinner than the first iPad Air, offers 10-hour battery life, an anti-reflective coating, a CPU that is reportedly 40 percent faster than the original iPad, and it includes a new iSight camera (8MP photos, 1080p video). As mentioned previously, it will also come with Touch ID support and it's compatible with 802.11AC networks with MIMO Wi-Fi. The iPad Air 2 is priced starting at $499 with 16GB of memory - it's $599 for 64GB and $699 for 128 GB. Including cellular network support tacks on another $130.

The smaller iPad mini 3 is a cheaper option at $399. It comes with a 7.9-inch Retina display, 5MP iSight camera, 1080p recording, FaceTime HD camera and Touch ID. Cost concscious consumers can also opt for the older models, which are receiving price cuts. The iPad mini will be sold for $249, while the iPad mini 2 will retail for $299 and the first iPad Air will be $100 cheaper as well.

Google reveals Nexus Player

Preorders for $99 Android TV set-top box open this week, device goes on sale Nov. 3

Google
Google is partnering with Asus to introduce a new set-top box to its Nexus line of Android-powered devices. The company has announced its new Nexus Player will be available for preorder this Friday.

Beyond being a streaming media device, the Nexus Player will also let users play games on an HDTV with the addition of an optional game pad. It will run Lollipop, the latest Android OS update, on a 1.8GHz quad core Intel Atom processor and requires users have a Wi-Fi connection. It will also sync with users' other devices so they can start playing a game or watching a movie on a phone and pick it up on the Nexus Player, or vice versa.

Samsung Tests Experimental 5G Network, It's Fast

Samsung has been messing around with experimental 5G, the next generation of mobile data, and what they found with their tests is mind-blowing. Stationary, Samsung was able to get a stable data rate of ~7.5gbps (which is about 950MB/s). On a test track going ~60MPH/110KPH, they were able to achieve a stable data rate of 1.2gbps (or ~150MB/s). In short, Samsung has managed to get data speeds that are Sanic fast working in South Korea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MVZyr7-cj0

Xbox One NAND Dumped - Old News but still interesting

C4eva has confirmed that the first Xbox One games has been read successfully. If the Xbox One is protected with similar protection mechanisms such as the Xbox 360, then the reading brings in itself is not much. A firmware flash similar solution it will this time not be sure, because Blue Rays are relatively safe.

The Nand Xbox One 4,9 GB is large and can be as in the 360 ​​dump with a SD card reader.

Resident Evil TV Show Coming Soon

Resident Evil has had numerous Media Iterations over the years from Movie Adaptations, Books, and the enormous Game Franchise it's degenerated into today. The Movies have been hit or miss for most people, following the story of Alice, a bio weapon created by umbrella, and sprinkling in it's own little nods to the game franchise with characters like Chris and Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine, and the likes.
However now, the series is getting its own TV show sometime after the final movie comes out in the coming years.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra Performed a 20-Minute Final Fantasy VI: Symphonic Poem

Earlier this summer at Stockholm Concert Hall, the Symphonic Poem of Final Fantasy VI was performed by The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and today, in cooperation with Merregnon Studios, that performance is now online.

http://rspoplay.com/#DcYk7tk9fdSiKvNw_aykcw

Sony preparing around 200,000 PS4s a year for Chinese market

Company readies for new market after Xbox One's success

Sony has confirmed that it is preparing to enter the Chinese market, verifying the authenticity of a document which says it will produce around 200,000 PS4s a year for the territory.

Destiny averaging 3.2 million players a day

Bungie reveals the stats for Activision's online shooter

Bungie has revealed the essential statistics for Destiny's audience, leading with the impressive figure of 3.2 million daily players on average.

Those players are deeply engaged, too, spending around 3 hours a day in game. That time is split over 1.8 plays a day and 20.9 plays since purchase, Bungie says.

Xbox One sales in China already top Japan

Over 100,000 units sold during its first week on sale, according to Chinese media

Microsoft launched the Xbox One in China, the first video game console there in 14 years, on September 29, only two days before the "golden week holiday." Considering it's the first console to be sold since the ban, it's hard to judge performance, but Chinese news site 17173.com (via Kotaku) has reported that Xbox One did sell more than 100,000 units during its first week in China. To compare that to another Asian territory, Xbox One could only sell about 30,000 units during its first month in Japan.

Microsoft not satisfied with Xbox One launch in Japan

Reaching out to let more people know about the Xbox One is vital," says Xbox Japan head Takashi Sensui

It's no secret that Xbox has never been able to match the success of PlayStation or Nintendo in Japan. Despite repeated attempts to build a sizable market in the land of the rising sun, Microsoft has yet to truly capture the Japanese gaming audience. That's only been emphasized lately with the poor start of the Xbox One, which has failed to sell even 30,000 units in Japan in its first month. The Xbox 360 had sold over 60,000 units in two days, so something isn't clicking, and Xbox Japan boss Takashi Sensui isn't happy.