Author Archives: Chris Morris

What excites consumers when it comes to 3D?

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3D is coming to the living room – we all know that. TV manufacturers are making certain of it. But what do consumers want from it? Software company Roxio asked over 2,000 consumers about their interest in 3D programming and what they’d like to see. 

An impressive 84 percent of those surveyed said they were interested in viewing 3D movies at home. And nearly as many expressed interest in capturing their own memories using the technology – with 80 percent saying they believe they will film or photograph family events in 3D within 5 years. But price remains a factor.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog

Ubisoft CEO sees big jump coming in 3D games

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3D gaming hasn’t really caught on yet, but it has certainly captured its share of headlines over the past 12 months. Now, one of the industry’s largest publishers says it expects the technology to break through into the mainstream within two years. 

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, in a recent earnings conference call, said he expects up to 50 percent of all games published to be 3D by 2012.

Read more at Variety’s The Cut Scene blog

BlizzCon hits pay-per-view

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The hottest ticket in America has nothing to do with a film or touring musical group. Blizzard Entertainment holds those honors each year with its annual Blizzcon show. Tickets, which will go on sale June 2 and June 5, vanish in seconds, leaving thousands of fans out in the cold. 

This year, the company is looking to widen things a bit. Blizzard and DirecTV are once again teaming up to provide live coverage of the event. The $39.95 fee will net fans high definition coverage of the two-day show, including demos, interviews and other features.

Read more at Variety’s The Cut Scene blog

Now Best Buy has a streaming media service, too

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When Wal-Mart purchased Vudu in February, it was really just a matter of time before other big box stores launched their own streaming media services. Now Best Buy is joining the race. 

The retailer will launch CinemaNow later this month, letting owners of LG’s Blu-Ray players rent (and buy) downloadable video. Rentals will run $3-$4 each – roughly the same as Vudu. They’ll be available the same day as film and TV DVD releases, which gives the service a slight let up on Netflix, which remains the top dog in the streaming video category.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog

Review: Alan Wake

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Story is typically an afterthought in videogames. The intense focus on gameplay elements (and often graphics) leaves little room for a well-thought-out tale, let alone a nuanced one. “Alan Wake” is an exception — offering a carefully crafted saga that still manages to be one of the better titles put out in the past year. A suspenseful mystery-thriller, set in the same style as “Lost,” the game is one of Microsoft’s big bets of 2010 — and has been one of the industry’s most anticipated titles for several years; today is the day the wraps come off.

Developer Remedy is well respected in the industry and among players, having created the “Max Payne” franchise (which Fox adapted into a 2008 film). Any Remedy game is going to appeal to the sweet spot for gaming’s core audience (typically males 18-24). But with Microsoft’s marketing machine behind it, the title may reach beyond that to a mass audience, as did the “Grand Theft Auto” franchise.”Alan Wake” blends a spooky atmosphere with tremendous combat elements, adding some creative storytelling to keep the player riveted from beginning to end.

Read more at Daily Variety

Appeals court takes wind out of Tivo’s sails

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Tivo’s March court victory over EchoStar may be short-lived.

A U.S. Appeals Court has granted the parent company of Dish Network a rehearing on the battle over the long patent dispute between the companies. Tivo says it has a patent on the “time-warping” technology in DVRs, allowing viewers to watch one show while recording another.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog

Video Game Sales Make Surprise Plunge in April

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Sales of video game software and hardware plummeted in April, shocking industry observers who were expecting the numbers to be slightly positive or, worst case, down just slightly. That could mean a rough Friday for video game stocks.

(AP)

On the whole, sales were off 26 percent to $766 million, with software sales (the most closely followed of the numbers) plunging 22 percent to $398.5 million, according to NPD Group, which tracks video game sales. Because April 2009 had relatively light sales (and thus, an easy comparable) industry insiders and investors were hoping to at least tow the line.

Read more at CNBC.com

April videogame sales plunge

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Here’s some unwelcome – and unexpected – news. Video game sales in April took it on the chin, falling 26 percent compared to 2009 to $766 million. That’s roughly five times worse than the most pessimistic analysts were expecting and the fourth-worst year-over-year decline in the industry’s history. 

Software sales, according to NPD Group, were down plunging 22 percent to $398.5 million, while hardware fell 37 percent to just $249.3 million.

Read more at Variety’s The Cut Scene blog