Handheld Gaming: Forget Apple, What About Nintendo vs. Sony?

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Chris Morris

As the iPhone has stolen the media spotlight and been touted as the sole competitor for Nintendo’s dominance of the mobile gaming market, Sony has been somewhat left in the shadows.

That’s understandable, to a point. The company’s first handheld gaming system – the PSP (PlayStation Portable) – never quite lived up to its promise as a true rival to Nintendo’s dominance of the market. And despite the company’s efforts to refresh the PSP brand over the past six years, it never hit the cultural zeitgeist that many expected.

Potshots over portables

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Chris Morris

For the past four years, Nintendo and Apple have been grappling for control of the mobile gaming market — but last month, the stakes got higher.

The 3DS, a handheld system that presents games in stereoscopic 3D without glasses, hit shelves March 27, representing one of Nintendo’s biggest bets in years. And early indications are it was a winning one.

Mobile game war: How can Sony and Nintendo compete?

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Chris Morris

Ten years ago, the thought of a battle in the portable gaming market was ludicrous. Nintendo had held such a dominant position in the space for so long that it seemed impervious to any sort of challenge.

The field was littered with failed opponents, but things started to get a little more interesting in late 2004, when Sony jumped into the market with the PSP. By the time Apple launched the App Store in 2008, a full-fledged war was underway.

Nintendo’s Big Bet: High Hopes for 3D Gaming

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Chris Morris

With increasing competition from Apple, and a customer base that’s more price-conscious than ever, Nintendo has a lot riding on the 3DS.

The new handheld device, which launches Sunday, represents a leap of faith on the publisher’s part. With cheap and free games available on so many other platforms, will eye-popping effects and the lure of the strongest collection of franchises in the video game industry be enough to keep consumers interested?

Steve Jobs re-elected to Disney board

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Chris Morris

Steve Jobs will remain on the board at Disney.

Investors voted Wednesday to re-elect the CEO of Apple (and one-time owner of Pixar), despite proxy advisors who lobbied against the action, citing continuing concerns about Jobs’ overall health.

Interview: Reggie Fils-Aime On Garage Devs And The Value Of Software

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Chris Morris

When Nintendo’s global president Satoru Iwata rocked this year’s Game Developers Conference with his controversial comments about developers of social and mobile games, there were a lot of questions. Was the company showing fear? Was it being too rigid in its thinking? Was Iwata actually right on the money?

A few people, though, were asking a more practical question: If the company felt this new breed of garage developers (like Rovio in its early days or Tiny Wings developer Andreas Illiger) were undervaluing their games, why not establish an opportunity for them to sell to the Nintendo audience at higher prices?

Netflix streams 6 out of 10 digital films

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Chris Morris

Want to know why studios are growing leary of Netflix? It’s all in the numbers.

A new report from The NPD Group shows that despite the best efforts of some enormous competitors, the online rental service holds a 61 percent market share in the streaming movie field so far this year.

SXSW: Big Business Hones In On Indie Spotlight

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Chris Morris

The annual South by Southwest conference has always been viewed as a place for independent artists and startups to shine. Musicians, filmmakers and new tech companies all compete for awareness among the show’s influential show goers (who often act as evangelists for what they like when they return home).

With the surge of growth in SXSW, though, large companies have invaded the show, looking to capitalize on that same audience, to build awareness for their new products or try to woo some of those evangelists to sing their praises when they return home.

Some, though, just want to cash in on the crowd.

Publishers slash app prices for iPad 2 launch

Posted on March 12, 2011 by Chris Morris

As Apple ramps up the hype machine on the iPad 2, app publishers are hoping to ride the coattails to higher sales.

Developers both small and large are slashing prices on popular apps in hopes of capturing the attentions of people who can no longer resist Apple’s tablet device. And Electronic Arts is leading the charge.

Chris Morris: Journalist

Tag Archives: Apple