Sony hikes PS5 prices in some markets, US consumers spared

TOKYO - Sony's PlayStation 5 is already notoriously difficult to find, and on Thursday the popular console's manufacturer said that it will also become more expensive for gamers in many parts of the world.

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has recommended raising the console's retail price in Europe, the United Kingdom, Japan, China, Australia, Mexico and Canada, the company's top official Jim Ryan said.

US consumers will be spared from the hikes, Ryan said, without providing further explanation.

The price rises will see a PS5 Digital Edition retail in Europe for 449.99 euros ($450), up from 399.99 euros.

The same console will be sold in the UK for 389.99 pounds ($462), up from 359.99 pounds, and in Japan for 49,478 yen ($363), up from 43,978 yen.

Sony blamed "high global inflation rates as well as adverse currency trends" for the price increases.

"Based on these challenging economic conditions, SIE has made the difficult decision to increase the recommended retail price of PlayStation 5 in select markets," Ryan said in a statement.

Sony's current top priority is to address a supply crunch that has made PS5s difficult to buy, he said.

Earlier, console competitor Nintendo said it was not considering raising prices for the moment. 

"In order to offer unique entertainment to a wide range of customers, we want to avoid pricing people out," President Shuntaro Furukawa told the Nikkei business daily in an article published earlier this month.

"Our competition is the variety of entertainment in the world, and we always think about pricing in terms of the value of the fun we offer," he said.

Agence France-Presse

New Xbox hits stores, launching holiday season console war

TOKYO— Microsoft's new Xbox console hit stores worldwide Tuesday, kicking off a holiday season battle with Sony's latest PlayStation model, as the coronavirus pandemic creates unprecedented gaming demand around the world.

The Xbox Series X launches just two days before Sony's next generation PlayStation 5, in a head-to-head likely to dominate the gaming sector this shopping season.

The launches are well-placed to capitalize on a massive spike in demand for gaming. Rising numbers of people around the world are seeking distraction during a pandemic that has killed 1.25 million people and left at least 3 billion more in some form of lockdown since the virus appeared in late December.

But while lockdowns and restrictions may have boosted sales, they have also forced companies to move their launch events online.

Xbox, famous for games such as Halo, Gears of War and Forza Horizon, held an online countdown to midnight for Australia and New Zealand.

Phil Spencer, executive vice-president of gaming at Microsoft, told gamers on a Facebook live event that they were taking "the first step into the next generation of gaming."

"And you will be the first in the world to experience it."

The pandemic also means no long lines of customers camped outside stores, with the pre-orders snapped up online instead more likely to be delivered to gamers' homes.

But demand has been brisk, and is expected to stay that way, Morris Garrard, analyst at specialist financial consultancy FutureSource, told AFP ahead of the launch.

"As soon as any stock is available, it is going to be bought out, within a few minutes even," he said.

He said some of that activity would be people attempting to buy up stock for resale, but that he expects "a high level of excess demand for these consoles, at least in the short term."

"So talking sort of three to six months, I think we'll see that a lot of people who want to get a console are unable to get a console."

SWAN SONG FOR PHYSICAL CONSOLES

Microsoft is hoping its next-generation offering will help close the gap with Sony, whose PlayStation 4 sold twice as well as the Xbox One since they both were released in 2013.

Unlike the PlayStation 5, whose release will be staggered in different countries from Thursday, the Xbox Series X hit the shelves worldwide on Tuesday.

Both Sony and Microsoft have lined up a roster of eagerly awaited games -- headlined by the latest edition of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed, an open-world Viking epic -- to launch with the consoles, which will offer much more powerful central and graphics processors than their predecessors.

In a competitive industry where focus is shifting to online play, this could be a swan song for physical consoles, with both firms betting on cloud servers to do the heavy processing lifting in the future.

But for now, the Xbox design team boasts that their product, which looks much like a PC, is "the fastest most powerful ever" console.

The kit, which has potential 8K video capabilities, has a faster graphics processor than the PS5, and superior data-crunching power.

The "premium" Xbox Series X costs $499 -- the same price as the PlayStation 5 -- but both companies are also offering cheaper, digital-only "mini" versions of the new machines. On these smaller consoles, gamers will be able to play titles as downloads only, not on disk.

Microsoft's slimmed-down console, the Xbox Series S, costs $299, $100 less than the digital-only PlayStation, a move analysts say Sony can afford as the market leader.

Agence France-Presse

Sony's PlayStation recognized as world's best-selling game console

TOKYO - Sony Corp.'s PlayStation has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's best-selling home video game console, having sold 450.19 million units over 25 years, its game business unit said Tuesday.

The first PlayStation device was launched in December 1994, when Nintendo Co.'s Super Nintendo console was dominant in the home video game market, and quickly gained popularity due to its 3-D graphics and lineup of software titles.

Its producer Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC introduced the PlayStation 2 in March 2000 and sold more than 150 million units of the second-generation console worldwide, followed by the PlayStation 3 released in November 2006 which adopted the Blu-ray disc format.

With the latest PlayStation 4 console, the Japanese entertainment conglomerate established a subscription business model for video games, providing online games at a fixed charge for 36.9 million registered users.

The company plans to introduce the next-generation PlayStation 5 console in the year-end shopping season of 2020.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Sony's PlayStation 5 launch set for late 2020

SAN FRANCISCO - Sony said Tuesday its next-generation PlayStation 5 console, with new immersive features giving players the tactile experience of virtual worlds, would launch for the 2020 holiday season.

The Japanese electronics firm, which had teased its new console earlier this year, said a major new feature of the updated console would be its immersive controller.

"One of our goals with the next generation is to deepen the feeling of immersion when you play games, and we had the opportunity with our new controller to reimagine how the sense of touch can add to that immersion," said Jim Ryan, president and chief executive of Sony Interactive Entertainment.

The new controller will offer "haptic feedback" that brings players closer to the action of games.

"With haptics, you truly feel a broader range of feedback, so crashing into a wall in a race car feels much different than making a tackle on the football field," Ryan said.

"You can even get a sense for a variety of textures when running through fields of grass or plodding through mud."

Another feature will be "adaptive triggers" incorporated into controls "so that you feel the tactile sensation of drawing a bow and arrow or accelerating an off-road vehicle through rocky terrain," he added.

Sony, which leads the console segment, announced the move as more gamers move away from these boxes to streaming games powered by the internet cloud on a variety of devices.

Google, Apple and others have launched game subscriptions which compete with Sony's PlayStation Now cloud video game service.

According to NPD Group, a market research firm, 73 percent of Americans ages two and older play video games, an increase of six percentage points since June 2018.

Mobile remains the most popular gaming platform, with mobile gaming appealing to gamers across all consumer segments, the NPD survey showed. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Microsoft gives glimpse of new Xbox console

LOS ANGELES -- Microsoft on Sunday gave the world a first glimpse of a powerful next-generation Xbox gaming console that it aims to release late next year.

Xbox head Phil Spencer pulled back the curtain on "Project Scarlett," the creation of a successor to the Xbox One that will give game makers "the power they need to bring their creative visions to life."

No pricing plans for the new console were revealed at a gala event ahead of the opening of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) video game industry gathering.

The new Xbox was promised to be released in time for the Christmas holiday shopping season in 2020.

"For us, the console is vital and central to our experience," Spencer said during a media event that showcased 60 new games for Xbox.

Xbox battles in the console gaming arena with Sony, which is working on a new generation PlayStation.

The commitment to consoles by longtime contenders in the market comes with the rise of video games hosted as subscription services streamed Netflix-style from data centers in the internet cloud.

Xbox said at the E3 event that it is adding the ability for players to stream games in their libraries for play on mobile devices with Game Pass subscriptions.

"We will bring Xbox to the cloud with Project and console streaming," Spencer said. "Where you play is entirely your choice, you decide."

The new service will be previewed later this year, according to Microsoft.

Heads in the cloud

The E3 opens with gamers gradually moving away from traditional console play and Google seeking to capitalize on that trend with a new Stadia service allowing people to play cloud-powered games on any connected device.

Adapting to the new trends will be critical for contenders in the massive video game industry, which last year generated more than $135 billion globally, and $43.4 billion in the United States. 

According to the Entertainment Software Association, which runs E3, more than 164 million adults in the United States play video games, and three out of four US households have at least one video game player.

"This right now is the single most creative and energizing time in gaming history," Spencer said. "In under two decades, the number of players in the world has more than tripled; now more than two billion of us play games."

Games on smartphones have accounted for a lot of that growth.

Microsoft also announced the launch of a beta version of an Xbox Game Pass that lets people using computers powered by the latest Windows software access a library of more than 100 video games.

Included in the line-up is the entire "Master Chief" collection of the popular "Halo" science fiction shooter franchise on Xbox. The Game Pass for PC will be priced at $9.99 monthly.

A new "Ultimate" game pass lets players combine access to console and personal computer titles for $14.99 monthly.

"Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is off the charts as a consumer value proposition," said NPD analyst Mat Piscatella. "And, the sheer number and scale of games coming to Xbox Game Pass on Day One is very impressive."

Star shine

A highlight of the show was an appearance by actor Keanu Reeves, who was greeted with a standing ovation and shouts of adoration by a packed audience in the Microsoft Theater downtown.

A character in a coming "Cyberpunk 2077" video game is modeled on the looks, voice and body-motion of Reeves, who starred in "Matrix" and "John Wick" films.

The action game is set in a troubled future where humans are enhanced with technology.

"The feeling of being there, of walking the street of the future, is really going to be breathtaking," Reeves said of the game, which is set for release in April for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles as well as personal computers.

"Overall, I thought it a great showing, particularly as we head into next generation consoles in 2020," analyst Piscatella said of the Xbox E3 event.

"There was a lot to like here, especially from a services perspective, that puts Microsoft in great position going forward."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Nintendo to release next-generation console teaser

TOKYO - Japan's Nintendo Co. Ltd. said it would release a short video later on Thursday of the next-generation game console it plans to launch globally in March - an announcement that sent its shares up more than 4 percent.

The Kyoto-based games company has disclosed few details of the console beyond its codename, NX. The three-minute video will be available to watch on the company's website at 11 p.m. (1400 GMT).

The console's success will be crucial to Nintendo as the firm still places console gaming at the center of its business, even as casual gaming shifts from living rooms to smartphones.

Sales of Nintendo's current Wii U console have reached 13 million units since its 2012 launch. Its predecessor, the Wii, launched in 2006, sold 101 million units.

The disappointing sales added impetus to shareholders and observers urging Nintendo to embrace smartphone gaming. Earlier this year, Nintendo finally decided to bring some of its popular characters to mobile, leading to the runaway success of its game Pokemon GO.

Shares of Nintendo rose as much as 4.4 percent during Thursday trade in Tokyo, outpacing the broader Nikkei average share price index.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Microsoft says game over for Xbox 360

Microsoft Corp. said on Wednesday it would stop production of its popular Xbox 360 video game console, which helped the company gain a firm foothold in the market.

More than 80 million units of the console have been sold since it was launched in 2005.

Xbox 360 also introduced Microsoft's Kinect motion-sensing game device. It was the company's primary gaming console, until it launched the Xbox One in 2013.

The Xbox 360 launched with a number of popular video games including Activision Blizzard Inc's "Call of Duty 2" and Electronic Arts Inc's "Need for Speed: Most Wanted".

Microsoft said in a blog post it would continue to sell existing inventory of the consoles, and that it would continue to provide customer support.

The company's Xbox Live network, which allows online multi-player gaming, will continue to be available for the Xbox 360.

Sales of older-generation consoles, such as the Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3, have been declining as consumers shift to newer versions of the consoles from the companies.

"While we've had an amazing run, the realities of manufacturing a product over a decade old are starting to creep up on us," said Phil Spencer, the head of Microsoft's Xbox division.

The company has also introduced the ability for users to play games launched for the Xbox 360 on its latest console. Microsoft currently offers over 100 video game titles as a part of its "backward compatibility" feature.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

How PlayStation changed gaming forever

Twenty years ago, a small grey box of electronic tricks made its debut in Japan, heralding the birth of the global gaming phenomenon that changed the entertainment landscape, launching titles that now outstrip sales from Hollywood's biggest franchises.

The original PlayStation, which hit stores in early December 1994, brought revolutionary graphics, engrossing gameplay and the kind of complex virtual worlds that had only previously been available in an arcade.

"When we arrived, the video game was seen as a niche hobby. One of our achievements is to have succeeded in making a legitimate cultural object, like music or cinema," Jim Ryan, chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, told AFP.

The launch was Sony's first foray into computer games and pitted the company against the established giant of the sector, Nintendo, whose character-driven two-dimensional offerings like Super Mario had wowed children.

But unlike the 16-bit cartridges that powered the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Sony's PlayStation opted for cheap-to-produce CD-ROMs, a technology that allowed vast tracts of data to be stored.

The discs' convenience and powerful graphics in the original 32-bit machines lured game developers and players into a world where, suddenly, 3-D was in reach.

And it wasn't just the insides of the machines that Sony had re-imagined; they shunned the plain rectangle controllers of the SNES in favor of an ergonomic device that sat neatly in a player's hands.

Titles such as Tomb Raider, Gran Turismo and Final Fantasy spurred console sales and launched what became multi-billion dollar franchises with legions of loyal fans.

Global blockbusters like Grand Theft Auto joined the PlayStation world, as well as other platforms. The latest installment took $1 billion in its first three days of sales, putting even huge cinematic hits in the shade.

Sleek design

In March 2000, PlayStation 2 burst onto the market, leveraging the mega-capacity of DVDs before the format was standard storage.

The trademark controller remained, but with additional features like vibrations and a sleek new design featuring a black tower with clean lines that had the grace of a designer's touch.

The company shifted around 150 million units worldwide, and the PS2 remains the best-selling console of all time.

Although addicts got a handheld PSP in 2004, it would be another six years until the main console got an update with the PS3, a Blu-ray equipped and Internet-ready device that allowed gamers in different continents to play against each other.

Where gaming had once been largely a solitary activity or done among friends close to home, there was now a global community of like-minded players.

Unlike the ever-contracting windows of release for mobile phones and tablets, gaming consoles have retained their strung-out lives, with engineers packing as much hardware and spare capacity into them as they can.

"In every generation, Sony has tried to bring an innovation in its machines to make the difference," said Laurent Michaud, head of consumer electronics and digital entertainment practice at Digiworld Institute/IDATE.

Acolytes had to wait until 2013 for the PS4, an ultra-powerful machine with 4,000 times the memory of the original and processing capacity orders of an ever larger magnitude.

The 13.5 million units Sony has sold in the last year allow users to play games straight from the Cloud in a universe that now includes compatible smartphones, televisions and tablets.

Sony is now introducing a cable-style television service in the United States delivered through PlayStation3 and 4 consoles, called "PlayStation Vue."

The PS4 symbolizes Sony's strategic move for future growth, as the product positions itself for a Cloud-based future where consoles might even disappear, said Yu Okazaki, analyst at Nomura Securities.

"PlayStation4 is selling well. The product shows Sony is looking at five, 10 years down the road. The number of consoles sold and their network capacity make it extremely promising," Okazaki said.

To mark the 20th anniversary, Sony Computer Entertainment is releasing a special, limited edition PS4 in the original grey, which will be offered to 12,300 fans worldwide.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Microsoft offers gaming console in China at long last

SHANGHAI - US technology giant Microsoft on Monday launched its Xbox One game console in China, the first foreign company to enter the potentially massive market after the government lifted a 14-year ban.

The launch, which was delayed a week for reasons Microsoft did not reveal, comes as the US company faces a government investigation for alleged "monopoly actions" regarding other products like its flagship Windows operating system, used on the majority of computers in China.

In January China formally authorised the domestic sale of game consoles made in its first free trade zone (FTZ) in Shanghai, ending a ban in 2000 originally instituted due to worries over content. The FTZ was established exactly a year ago on Monday.

At a branch of Chinese electronics chain store Suning in downtown Shanghai, a salesman said the outlet sold more than 30 limited-edition consoles priced at 4,299 yuan ($699) after staying open past midnight. A more basic package retails for 3,699 yuan ($602) in China.

Buyers were lured by Kinect, which obeys motion and voice commands, but some expressed disappointment at the lack of available games in China -- only 10 for the launch.

Prices are also far higher than other markets like the United States, where the website price is $400 for the basic console and $500 with Kinect.

"The console price is too high, the first batch of games has no attraction, can we buy something more practical?" said Diu Dasu in a microblog posting.

Of the ten games, half are sport or racing titles. Others are aimed at younger players, like "Zoo Tycoon" and puzzle-solving game "Max: The Curse of Brotherhood".

So far absent are first-person shooter games like the popular "Call of Duty" series, although Microsoft says it has more than 70 titles in the pipeline to bring to China.

Under the rules of the FTZ, games must pass inspection by cultural authorities, who conceivably could censor content they deem to be obscene, violent or politically sensitive.

Microsoft still beats rivals like Japan's Sony, which makes the PlayStation console, and Nintendo's Wii into the Chinese market.

A joint venture of Sony and Chinese tourism and cultural firm Shanghai Oriental Pearl Group is planning to start operations in the FTZ from December.

Microsoft chief executive officer Satya Nadella last week visited China for the first time since taking the post in February, in what Chinese state media portrayed as an attempt to appease regulators over the investigation.

The head of China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce, which is carrying out the investigation, met Nadella on Thursday and urged Microsoft to "cooperate" in the probe, China Industry and Commerce News reported.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com