Science and technology news blog

First Microsoft released an SDK (Software Development Kit) called XNA Game Studio Express for individuals and hobbyists to program games for the Xbox 360. And now Nintendo seems to be following the same path with the release of WiiWare. According to Nintendo, the tool will allow game developers to release smaller and more interesting titles which gamers can purchase and download from the console’s Wii Shop channel.

Well, to me, this is just the next inevitable phase for the console makers as this would enable fans who also have programming skills to create games that they would like to play themselves and in turn earn money as well. It also enables to console to have a more broader appeal. Say for example, my friend would like to play a game that has not yet been released or may never be released. He can then go ahead and create his own game and with the number of consoles that Nintendo has sold, this will give him an opportunity to market this game and earn money from something he enjoys.

Sony, you better be watching as this is another tight slap on their face, not that they need anymore after dismal performance of their next-gen console, PS3.

Sony will not be able to match the success of PlayStation 2 with its new gaming console, the PlayStation 3, according to outgoing Electronic Arts CEO Larry Probst. He feels that Sony’s days of dominance of the console market may very well be over.

Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s’ Wii games consoles have made rapid strides even as Sony is struggling to deal with production issues that have beset the PlayStation 3. The console was also released one year after the Xbox 360 and appears to have let go of its advantage.

“We expect that there will be a more level playing field this time around than last time,” said Probst. His comments were delivered at an investor conference by Morgan Stanley. Probst added that the main issue with the PS 3 was its cost.

Last year Sony had announced that a high-end model of the console would cost $600 as compared to the $400 price tag on Xbox 360. Nintendo’s Wii is the cheapest of the lot. Probst said that Wii was off to a great start, but it would not be wise to write off Sony.

“No one should count Sony out at this point in the game. This is going to be a long race,” Probst added.

Sony has sold over 115 million PS2 consoles, but is finding it tough to get the PS 3 onto the markets. The latter is set for a European release on March 23.

THE Nintendo Wii is this year’s must-have games console, and should delight the lucky few who receive one tomorrow morning. But the huge public acclaim for the Wii and its unusual motion-sensing remote control has already ruined Sir Howard Stringer’s Christmas.

Stringer, the Cardiff-born chairman and chief executive of Sony Corporation, is relying on PlayStation 3 to help revive the misfiring Japanese electronics giant that he has run for the past 18 months. This Christmas, however, the Wii is estimated to be outselling the PS3 by more than two to one.

The faltering progress of Sony’s new games machine has been the subject of constant debate, a testament to its commercial importance. Yet the PS3 appears to have been blown away by the early success of a rival that went almost unnoticed before its launch last month.

All the focus has been on Sony’s battle with Microsoft, the software giant that launched its Xbox 360 console a year ago. Nintendo was regarded as a distant No 3 — no longer able to match its rivals’ firepower.

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After a successful launch in US and Japan and over 1 million units sold, Nintendo has some problems with its magic controller, called Wii Remote.

The console’s wireless controller is a major feature of Wii and it may be used as a handheld pointing device and can detect motion and rotation in three dimensions. The controller also contains a speaker and a rumble device to provide sensory feedback, and can be used to turn Wii on and off.

In early December, Nintendos president Satoru Iwata confirmed that the company is investigating potential problems with the straps being supplied with the Wii Remote, which secures it with the players wrist.

We are investigating. Some people are getting a lot more excited than wed expected. We need to better communicate to people how to deal with Wii as a new form of entertainment., Iwata said in a statement.

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Nintendo’s new Wii console has just been awarded a grand prize in US science and technology magazine Popular Science’s annual Best of What’s New award event.

The Nintendo Wii won in the category of Home Entertainment as “The Console That Gets You In The Game”, beating other products such as the Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray disc player and Hitachi 37HLX99 LCD HDTV. The PlayStation 3 was not included in this years nominations.

The explanation for the Wiis award, according to the magazines Web site, is as follows: Remember when videogames were fun? When the controllers had only a couple buttons and you didnt have to spend an hour learning the seven-step finger dance for walk? Nintendo does, so it took a step back, looked at its superpowered competitors, and took a totally different path with its new console, Wii.

About 10 years ago, I was in the market for a video games console for my older son and visited an electronics retailer. I had no idea whether to buy a PlayStation or Nintendo 64 as both were very much in the public eye and getting rave reviews. Not knowing where else to turn, I threw myself at the mercy of the shop assistant. What he told me appears to be very much same as what shoppers are being told today.

The young shop assistant obviously knew about games and he didn’t beat around the bush. “Your son is only a young kid, so get him a Nintendo 64. He won’t appreciate a PlayStation yet and he’ll find it too difficult until he gets older,” he said – or words to that effect.

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Analyst David Cole with DFC Intelligence says that Nintendo can’t simply rely on the Wii’s controller for the console’s success. Read on for his analysis, “Are Wii in for a Revolution or Evolution?”

Sometimes a name can mean a lot. In November, Nintendo launches its new hardware system, the Wii, pronounced “we,” as in you and I. Until last spring this system was known as the Revolution. There are many people that argue that Revolution was a much better name for the system. However, we disagree. Revolution implies an overthrow of the existing infrastructure. A successful revolution also generally requires an existing infrastructure that is severely broken, flawed or corrupt.

The problem with the idea of a revolution in the video game industry is that sales have been at record levels over the past few years. Why would we want the existing infrastructure to be overthrown? Of course, the video game console market could use some new innovation, but that does not mean it needs to be completely trashed. The Wii is likely to be much more successful if it creates an evolutionary change in the game industry. There really is no need for a bloody revolution.

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When you think of Sony and Microsoft, you think of music players, movie studios, record companies, batteries, software, and of course games consoles. With Nintendo, all you associate the name with is games. Thus, it really should come as no surprise that this time Nintendo has simply outplayed its two bigger rivals.

The Nintendo Wii is simply a very good games console, while the other two consoles, especially the pricey PlayStation 3, are bloated hybrid boxes that try to be many things to many people. Quite frankly, my only interest in PS3 or Xbox 360 is a way to get a cheap high definition video player that my kids can also use to play games.

Being a games console company, Nintendo needs to make a profit of its consoles. Thus, the company has obviously put a lot of thought into differentiating itself from its competitors in the gaming experience. And, with Wii, it has succeeded spectacularly.

Being only an occasional games console user, the thing that put me off the most were the ridiculously shaped two-handed remote control units with stupid toggle sticks and buttons that are totally non-intuitive and threatened to give my thumbs repetitive strain injury.

Nintendo obviously did a lot of market research with the gamer community this time, because the Wii is one out of the box for originality and innovation.

From its innovative motion sensitive 3-D one handed remote control, its ability to download previous generation games for peanuts to its very affordable price, the Wii is a breath of fresh air compared to the stale odour of its rivals.

Nintendo’s soon-to-be-released Wii video game console is getting raves from reviewers and others who have gotten an early peek.

The Wii (pronounced wee) sports an innovative controller: To hit a tennis ball, you swing it like a racket; to drive an SUV over treacherous terrain, you twist it like a steering wheel; to shoot a duck, you point it like a pistol. Getting consumers to try it – and jump-start Nintendo’s ambitious plan to trump Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s upcoming PlayStation 3 – falls to Reginald Fils-Aime, 45, Nintendo of America’s new president and chief operating officer.

Fils-Aime (pronounced FEES-oe-MEY) knows pop culture. Prior to joining the company in 2003, he worked at Procter & Gamble, Pizza Hut and MTV. He spoke to USA TODAY about why he believes Nintendo, the top maker of handheld video game players, can retake top dog status in the billion-dollar industry it helped create 20 years ago.

Question: What made Nintendo try to do something dramatically different with the Wii?

Answer: Our focus is interactive game play, a whole new way to play, that puts fun back into this business. It allows everybody to pick up and play and isn’t focused on the core gamer.

Q: The Wii seems to emphasize the controller, not heavy attention on graphics. Is that by design?

A: That is exactly by design. Our visuals for Wii will look fantastic, but in the end, prettier pictures will not bring new gamers and casual gamers into this industry. It has to be about the ability to pick up a controller, not be intimidated, and have fun immediately. The trick is being able to do that, not only with the new casual gamer, but do it in a way that the core gamer gets excited as well.

Q: Microsoft has made the comment that people can buy an Xbox 360 and Wii for about the same price as a PlayStation 3. Would you mind terribly if that happened?

A: I’d much rather have the consumer buy a Wii, some accessories, and a ton of games, vs. buying any of my competitor’s products.

Q: A few years ago, Nintendo made a conscious decision to lie low when Microsoft introduced Xbox Live and began promoting its subscription online gaming service. In retrospect, does that look like a good decision?

A: I wasn’t here. What I can tell you is the way we’ve approached online play now is really with a view to the masses. With Nintendo DS (a dual-screen handheld player), for example, we offer free Internet play in a wide-ranging series of games. Our focus is getting as many consumers to enjoy that online experience as possible. And we’ve done that.

Q: You’re not pursuing a subscription model?

A: We view online gaming as essentially an enhanced way to enjoy the gaming experience and drive more sales of hardware and software.

Q: How do you extend your online strategy to Wii?

A: It’s the same premise. We will offer online-enabled games that the consumers will not have to pay a subscription fee for. They’ll be able to enjoy that right out of the box. The Wii console is going to be Wi-Fi enabled, so essentially, you’ll be able to plug it in and go. It won’t have hidden fees or costs.

Q: What is your plan for getting folks who aren’t normally interested in video games to try the Wii?

A: We need to get the consumer to admire what we’ve done. We need them to say to themselves, “Wow, this new Wii console by Nintendo is really interesting!” And they need to try it. They need to get bought into the proposition.

Q: Your background is in marketing. Without divulging competitive secrets, can you characterize your marketing plan?

A: It’s going to be massive amounts of hands-on activity, as well as showcasing exactly how Wii games are different. We’re going to create advocacy. We’re going to make it so that everyone who tries the Wii experience talks to their friends and neighbors. It’s going to be a really provocative sight to be seeing teens and 20-year-olds and 40-year-olds and 50-year-olds talking about how different this experience is.

Q: What can you tell us about timing and price?

A: We’re well on our way to sharing all of that information with our retailers and our licensees. We’ll be sharing that information publicly later on.

Q: Can the Wii take Nintendo back to the top of the mountain?

A: Our goal is to have as many teens and young adults as we have 40-plus-year-olds excited about the platform. We’re trying to expand this business here in the U.S in a way that it really hasn’t been expanded … for the health of this industry.

Q: Sounds like you’re more focused on new customers and not necessarily taking share from the other guys.

A: The interesting thing is if you do expand the market, you do both. You grow the category, but you’ll also dramatically increase your market share. As an example, Nintendo DS in Japan outsells all of our competitors by a factor of five to one. We are so far in advance of our handheld competitors that they’re not even on the map. That’s all based on a market expansion strategy. And that’s what we’re looking to do with home consoles.

Q: How do you handicap your competitors; what worries you most about them?

A: Our competitors are both going down the same path. Both believe that more and more performance with a higher and higher price tag are their keys to success. So what do I see? I think our two competitors will trade share between them, while we go off and grab share in a completely different way.

Nintendo has been awarded a patent for a video game messaging service that utilizes a buddy list and can display information about game activities and user status. Initially filed in 2000, a year before the release of Microsoft’s Xbox and two years before the official launch of Microsoft’s Xbox Live Internet service, Nintendo’s patent is relatively broad and could potentially lead to litigation against other major players in the game console market. Although the text of the patent itself refers to the Nintendo64 and Game Boy Color by name, some have speculated that this patent could portend an instant messaging system for the Wii.

In the claims section, the patent describes a chat system that uses a remotely stored buddy list, supports multiple statuses, broadcasts information about active gaming activities, displays notification of events including the arrival of new e-mail messages, facilitates transmission of player preferences, and enables users to communicate with each other either with voice or text messages. Keep in mind that this patent does not cover game-oriented chat in general; it specifically describes a console gaming chat mechanism that displays game information and uses a buddy list.

At first glance, it certainly appears as though Microsoft’s Xbox Live service may be infringing upon Nintendo’s patent. Although I doubt that Nintendo could shut down Xbox Live with this patent, the gaming company could possibly use the patent as leverage to extort a settlement out of the Redmond giant, assuming that the patent is valid and that Microsoft’s service infringes on it. Nintendo could also use the patent to force Microsoft into a cross-licensing deal. Cross-licensing deals are becoming increasingly popular, and many companies cultivate massive patent portfolios purely for defensive purposes and cross-licensing negotiations. Microsoft has several rather broad patents of its own that Nintendo may want to license, including a patent on a video game voice communication system that performs audio compression in real-time. Microsoft may challenge the validity of the patent by demonstrating that the patented invention is obvious, or that prior art exists. It is worth noting that the Dreamcast featured an Internet chat system that shares some (but not all) of the relevant features described by Nintendo’s patent. (more…)

Nintendo reported its full-year fiscal results today, but more important to gamers is that the company stated that its Wii console will be priced no higher than $250. Nintendo now expects to sell 6 million Wii units globally by next March. Analysts seem encouraged. More within…

Amidst reporting full fiscal year results today, that revealed a profit increase of 12.5 percent to 98.4 billion yen (about $879 million) for the year ended in March, Nintendo announced a projected unit shipment forecast and price range for the Wii console.

In Japan Nintendo promised that the Wii will sell for no more than 25,000 yen (about $223) and in the U.S. Nintendo said that the console will not exceed $250 when it launches later this year. Speculation has put the Wii at $250 for some time now, but we still wouldn’t be shocked to see a $199 price announcement. Either way it’s likely to sell out this holiday season.

Currently the company expects to ship 6 million Wii units worldwide between the system’s fourth-quarter launch and the end of the current fiscal year in March 2007. It should be noted that Sony is projecting the same number of PS3 shipments within this timeframe. Nintendo also is anticipating the sale of 17 million Wii games in the period. “Exact launch dates, identification of the launch library of titles and details on the unique Virtual Console aspect of Wii will be announced soon,” Nintendo stated.

Sales for the last fiscal year totaled $877 million, up from the $776 million posted the year prior. This was due mostly to a combination of a foreign exchange gain and the tremendous success of the Nintendo DS and its corresponding software. The DS sold 11.5 million units in the last fiscal year, which is about double the total sold in the previous year.

For the current fiscal year sales are projected to grow by 18 percent globally, “based on anticipated continuing strong demand for the Nintendo DS portable game system, as well as a successful launch for Wii.” Sales are expected to climb to $5.3 billion, but the company’s profit for the year is currently forecast to drop by more than a third to $579 million.

With the DS performing quite well and Nintendo continuing to push its “blue ocean” philosophy with the Wii, analysts seem encouraged by what the future holds for the company.

“Sony’s PS3 costs nearly 60,000 yen ($530) so if Nintendo can set a competitive price it will be able to win over a lot of customers, especially among DS users,” said Tatsuo Nishimura, a portfolio manager at Meiji Dresdner Asset Management.

“They basically have a very stable and growing handheld business and it looks like for the first time in 10 years they will actually have a successful console business,” commented Hiroshi Kamide, a game analyst for KBC Securities Japan. “So if you add the two together it would be very hard to come up with a negative view of the company.”

“The release date is critical because it gives Microsoft a six-month head start over the projected launches of Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution,” said Yankee Group analyst Michael Goodman, who pointed out that some 50 to 60 percent of all gaming consoles are sold during the holiday season.

Gamers got their fix today with the official launch of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 , made available at some 4,500 retailers throughout the U.S. just after midnight. Long lines were the norm as the first major new game console to emerge in years made its debut.

The Xbox 360 is aimed primarily at hardcore gamers, but the software giant is touting the platform as a multipurpose home-entertainment device that plays CDs, DVDs, MP3s, and digital content from all kinds of devices, including portable-music players and digital cameras as well as Windows XP PCs. (more…)