Until 
fairly recently, the business model for adult entertainment performers was simple: Agents handled their business arrangements, and that was that.
But as the industry consolidates and develops new outlets, a different kind of star is appearing—one in charge of her own destiny. Though independent players are still somewhat rare (agents continue to represent most performers), a few big names are starting to branch out on their own.
While 
the sex toy industry has seen much more acceptance in the past two years, it still has a way to go before it’s considered an everyday part of mainstream culture.
Securing shelf space in retail stores isn’t the herculean challenge it once was, but the makers of these adult novelties have to walk a fine line to ensure their products are identifiable, but not something that will cause a backlash among conservative shoppers.
Stung 
by a rough holiday season and consumer apathy towards its latest console, Nintendo has slashed its financial forecast for the fiscal year ending March 2014 and cut its Wii U sales estimate by over two-thirds.
Nintendo said early Friday that it no longer expects to earn 55 billion yen this quarter. Instead, the company says, it will lose 25 billion yen. To put that into context, it’s a shift from a $527 million gain to a $240 million loss. Ouch.
The 
impact of “Fifty Shades of Grey” on the porn world is hard to overstate.
The explicit best seller sparked an interest in areas that were largely considered taboo at the time—resulting in a sizable interest in both DVDs that dealt with the subject of bondage and the multiple adult novelty accessories that are part of the culture.
The 
Xbox One might have won December, but the PS4 is winning the war.
According to brick and mortar retail tracker The NPD Group, both of Microsoft’s consoles outperformed Sony’s in the final month of 2013 in the U.S. Microsoft sold 908,000 Xbox Ones and 643,000 Xbox 360s in December, surpassing the totals for both the PS4 and PS3, though Sony did not provide specific numbers.
Apple 
and Google have both pulled a controversial plastic surgery ‘game’ aimed at children from their app stores after a hailstorm of criticism.
Plastic Surgery for Barbie (on iOS) and Plastic Surgery (on Android) were both removed from the storefronts this week. The games encouraged children to perform plastic surgery on an overweight girl the games described as “ugly.”
When 
Jenna Jameson retired from porn six years ago, she went out with a bang.
On stage at the 2008 AVN Awards—porn’s equivalent of the Oscars—she announced her exit at the peak of her career, saying, “I will never, ever, ever spread my legs again in this industry. Ever!”
There’s 
a saying in the technology world: If you want to know the next big thing, keep your eye on the porn industry.
Though retailers have begun to warm to bitcoin, however, adult entertainment companies have resisted accepting the virtual currency—even as revenues at many studios have plunged in recent years.
The 
market for professional money managers isn’t going away anytime soon, but as the mobile industry becomes more sophisticated, apps are starting to handle some of the heavy lifting.
That’s a good thing, too, since Americans on the whole are woefully bad at managing their finances. A study by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s Investor Education Foundation found that 19 percent of Americans are spending more money then they make. Meanwhile, the FINRA Foundation’s “State-by-State Financial Capability Survey,” which surveyed more than 25,000 respondents, found that 56 percent don’t have enough tucked away to cover three months of unanticipated financial emergencies.
The 
gaming world thought it had said R.I.P. to R.B.I. Baseball in 1995, but the long-dormant sports franchise is coming off of the bench.
Major League Baseball has revealed plans to bring back the series that debuted on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986. In a succinct announcement, MLB Advanced Media said it would be bringing R.B.I. to “current- and next-generation consoles and smartphones and tablets.” The league didn’t offer any additional details.
Chris Morris: Journalist 