Wedbush Morgan videogame industry analyst Michael Pachter has made some more interesting comments this week on GameTrailer’s Bonus Round, stating that Microsoft is ready to move on from PC gaming, and that the company will eventually raise the price of Xbox Live Gold subscriptions.
“Microsoft wants you to never play a game again on your PC and play everything on your 360,” says Pachter. “You give a PC gamer an incentive to buy a 360 if you put something that he really wants only on the 360.”
Why would Microsoft want to kill off its still popular PC platform?
“You can’t hook a guy into Xbox Live Gold if he’s playing on PC. So, I mean, that’s the other problem is you really wanna hook every gamer who has a 360, you want them to buy all their games on 360, play everything multiplayer, pay you 50 bucks a year so that in a couple years, it’s 100 bucks a year. And that’s going up — we all know that,” Pachter declares, via 1up.
Sony confirmed Gmaeindustry.biz that the PSPgo will retail at GBP 224.99 in the UK when launched on October 1
The handheld sells for $249 USD and EUR 249, which is what the the original “fat” version sold for in 2005, however the handheld is selling at a premium in the UK, where it originally sold for GBP 199.99.
Additionally, the PSP will get a “Digital Reader” by December, that will allow users to read comic books on their handheld from Marvel.
ADULT GAMERS tend to be overweight, inclined to depression and illness and, well, are getting older.
A study conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that adult male gamers have a higher than average body-mass index, and that adult female gamers have a higher than average incidence of depression and illness.
“The average age of an “adult” gamer? 35, according to the study, a number that’s been creeping up for years as those of us who grew up with Commodore and Atari and Pong carry the flag forward toward quadragenarianism.”
networkworld.com Says.
The CDC-led study sampled responses from 500 adults aged 19 to 90 in the Seattle-Tacoma area, of which roughly 45 percent said they played video games. Of that 45 percent, male gamers had higher body-mass indexes (BMIs) and used the internet more than non-gamers, while female gamers reported higher incidence of depression and health issues. Both male and female gamers reportedly depend more on the internet when making new friends.
Another great news for gaming world. XBox is expecting to launch XBox 360 with natal support in 2010 Q3.
For all who are not familiar with the name NATAL.
Natal is a technology in which camera sensors are used for detecting movements made by users( game players in this case ). Then this is turned to video game play back.So the thing we dont need a controller for controlling the game.
Project Natal according to Microsoft:
Introducing Project Natal, a revolutionary new way to play: no controller required. See a ball? Kick it, hit it, trap it or catch it. If you know how to move your hands, shake your hips or speak you and your friends can jump into the fun — the only experience needed is life experience.
Now if that comes to XBox thats good news right?.
Digitimes Report about this:
Aptina Imaging has been selected as the exclusive supplier for CMOS sensors to be used in Microsoft’s Project Natal motion sensor system that will be bundled with Xbox 360 consoles.
“to meet demand for the Xbox 360 game controller, Aptina plans on upping capacity at its fabrication facility in Italy that makes 8-inch wafers and look for a partner in another foundry.”
According to Microsoft corporate vice president Shane Kim, speaking to Kikizo the hand hel version for Xbox can be expected in near future. and this will rival the PSP, Nintendo DSi and even the iPod Touch/iPhone.
“For us, it’s a matter of focusing on ‘when’, because if we chased after a mobile or handheld opportunity, we would not have the resources and ability to do things like… Project Natal. So we’ve chosen to focus on the living room experience from a hardware standpoint, if you will, but we’re building a service in Live that will… will extend to other platforms. No question about it.”
“So the question will be, how do we enter into that market – do we do our own device, do we create our own phone – that’s a question for the company itself – do we continue to go down the Windows Mobile path which is that path that we’re on today, etc, etc,”
says Kim.
This handheld is supposed to take aspects of Upcoming Zune HD. Also if this handheld have the phone part in it, it means a direct fight with the Apple and could force sony to come up with the long rumored PSP Phone.
). Then this is turned to video game play back.So the thing we dont need a controller for controlling the game.
