It’s 
much too early to dub Nintendo’s next-generation videogame system a failure, but it’s certainly off to a lousy start.
The Wii U sold just 46,000 hardware units in January at brick and mortar locations — a shockingly low number for a console that was just released in late November. To put it in perspective, the Wii sold 348,000 units during that system’s comparable period in 2007.
Reports 
this week that China was considering lifting its 13-year ban on video game consoles sent shares of companies like Sony and Nintendo soaring.
But as the euphoria wears off and the waiting period for the country’s government to take action (if, indeed, it plans to) sets in, analysts say the potential impact on major U.S. video game publishers will likely be minimal.
January 
was not kind to the video game industry.
One major publisher was split into pieces. One high profile development studio was shut down and another seems likely to be headed in that direction. And another publisher is trading in the Nasdaq red zone. What’s going on?
While 
social media has had a dramatic impact on all forms of entertainment, the effect on the porn industry has been especially notable.
Perhaps because of the nature of their business – and what they do for a living – porn stars have always been a larger-than-life fantasy figures to fans. Historically, they were inaccessible except for annual trade shows. And the common wisdom was that mystique helped build their star status.
Today, though, stars jostle for the most Twitter followers – regularly communicating with them and promoting their upcoming appearances and films. It’s a new era for porn – so, as they walked the Red Carpet at this year’s AVN Awards (adult entertainment’s equivalent of the Oscars), we asked some of its biggest stars about their thoughts on the impact of social media on their careers – and the industry.
Every 
January, the adult entertainment industry converges on Las Vegas, bringing its biggest stars, new companies hoping to break into the big time, and thousands upon thousands of fans.
It’s a carnival of flesh — with films looping hardcore scenes, women in barely-there outfits and lingerie, and people jostling in line to get a moment, perhaps a smile and a hug, from their favorite actress (or, occasionally, actor).
The Adult Entertainment Expo (AEE) is also a place where deals are signed. Toy companies court distributors to carry their new lines and big mergers have been known to happen here.
While the industry’s most ardent fans make a pilgrimage here each year, not everyone is able to make the trip. For those people, here’s a slice of life in a day at the porn show.
Only 
a couple years ago, anyone in search of adult novelties had to brave the local porn store or hop online and hope the packaging was discreet. But times have changed – and quickly.
Today, you’re just as likely to find a vibrator at your local drug store, local mall or Wal-Mart. And they’re likely to become even more prevalent in the years to come.
It’s 
not just porn films that have been disrupted by the Internet. It’s porn stars, too.
Ten – or even five – years ago, the highest earners of porn were the actresses whose names marqueed big films. Today, they’re more likely to be models who will never perform a hard core sex scene on camera – and whose face will never appear on a DVD cover.
Porn, 
historically, has been an industry that caters to the male audience. Women weren’t interested in the product – or so the theory went.
But 2012 saw books like “50 Shades of Grey” and films like “Magic Mike” strike a chord with women. And the porn industry was ready to welcome those readers and viewers to the next level.
Now 
that voters in Los Angeles have passed a resolution mandating condoms be worn in any adult films shot in the county, porn companies are scrambling to fight the law.
Among their arguments is that the presence of prophylactics ruins the fantasy elements of their films – and that using them will cause further declines in already slumping DVD sales. But that reasoning conveniently ignores Wicked Pictures. Since the late 1990s, the studio has been using condoms in all of its films, yet it is still one of the biggest filmmakers in the porn industry.
Not 
too long ago, the average consumer would blush when talking about Larry Flynt’s business. Today, they very well may be promoting his company on their shirt.
As the porn film business continues to see revenues decline – a victim of both piracy and the copious amounts of free content on the Internet – more and more adult companies have begun expanding into new fields of business. And business has been good.
Chris Morris: Journalist 