Author Archives: Chris Morris

Social Games MIA at E3 Expo

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E3 likes to position itself as the launch point for the future of gaming.

Already this week, Nintendo has unveiled Wii U, its next generation console; Sony has shown off its new portable device (dubbed PlayStation Vita) and the big games of holiday 2011 — and, in some cases, 2012 — are on display.

But while console and dedicated handheld systems are well represented here — and games for mobile phones have a moderate presence — there are very few social network gaming companies at the show. And given the growing size of that segment of the industry, that’s a major hole.

Read more at CNBC.com

Nintendo debuts Wii U

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Nintendo, for the majority of this console generation, has been content to play its own game. Now it’s ready to take the fight to Microsoft and Sony.

The company on Tuesday unveiled its next generation home video game machine — dubbed Wii U — that will be flush with the high-definition graphics gamers have come to expect, as well as a unique, touch-screen controller. It’s scheduled to launch in 2012.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

Wii to Wii U, Nintendo’s next system

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Nintendo raised the curtain on its latest videogame console, the Wii U, on Tuesday, but there was one key piece of hardware missing at its presentation — the console itself.

Instead, Nintendo used the Nokia Theater to turn the spotlight on the controller that consumers will use in a variety of ways to play games.

Read more at Daily Variety

Xbox factor

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Microsoft is closer to turning Xbox into the everything box.

Sticking with a strategy to promote the Xbox 360 console as more than just a videogame player, Microsoft used its pre-E3 presser on Monday to reveal that the device will start offering live TV in the U.S. and integrate YouTube and search engine Bing as part of a relaunch this fall.

(Co-written with Marc Graser)

Read more at Daily Variety

 

How Investors Can Profit From E3

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Investors haven’t had a lot of luck with the video game sector over the past few years. Stock prices of traditional publishers have been down as new ways to play emerged on the market and many of those same publishers instituted turnaround plans that took longer than expected to bear fruit.

But as the industry gathers for E3, its annual trade show, there’s a sense of excitement about the future—and if the recent boosts in share prices of Electronic Arts (which hit a 52-week high at the end of May) and Activision (which climbed on news of a new method to monetize the “Call of Duty” franchise) are any indication, the sector could be on the move again.

Read more at CNBC.com

Microsoft Aims to Triple its Portfolio of Kinect Games

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The launch of Kinect for Xbox 360 was one of the big success stories of holiday 2010. With life -to-date sales of over 10 million units, the motion sensor controller caught the imagination of the casual audience, while boosting console and software sales at the same time.

But the months that have followed have been pretty barren. There have been no major Kinect releases since December and that has consumers getting antsy.

Read more at CNBC.com

A Video Game Based on Jewish and Christian Texts

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While the theme of good versus evil is present in just about every video game on store shelves, developers and publishers have taken pointed steps to avoid specific ties to scripture.

It’s hard to blame them. Religion is something that people take so personally that the risk of offending someone is high. And that risk is essentially doubled with so many different, passionate views on what represents the truth.

Read more at CNBC.com

Sex and Violence: The 10 Most Controversial Games

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Every new entertainment medium is initially seen as something detrimental to the nation’s youth. It happened with comic books. It happened with music. And it’s still happening with video games.

The majority of titles that are released each year are made for general audiences and enjoyed by families. But it only takes a few bad apples to damn an entire industry. And the gaming industry has had its share.

Read more at CNBC.com

Sony announces PlayStation Vita

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The NGP has a real name at last.

Sony, at its pre-E3 press conference Monday, announced that the next generation handheld system, which was previously codenamed NGP, would be called PlayStation Vita – and would carry a price of just $249 for the Wifi version and $299 for the 3G-enabled version. The system will hit store shelves this holiday season.

Read more at Daily Variety