Sony Corp. unveiled a new handheld gaming device, the first to feature 3G wireless connectivity, as it battles with Nintendo’s best-selling DS and tries to fend off competition from smartphones including Apple Inc.’s iPhone. Get the full story »
Inside these posts: Video games
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Disney confirms layoffs in video game unit
The Walt Disney Co. is confirming layoffs amid a restructuring of its video game division, a money-losing unit that is focusing more on mobile and social games and away from expensive-to-produce console games.
The company didn’t specify the number of people affected, however. Get the full story »
Nintendo: No 3-D games for kids under 6
Nintendo Co. has issued a warning that children under the age of six shouldn’t play 3-D games on its soon-to-be-released handheld game machine, as looking at 3-D images for a long period of time can have a harmful effect on the growth of young children’s eyes.
The company posted the disclaimer at the bottom of its Japanese-language Web site promoting a three-day event in Japan where people can try its new Nintendo 3DS, due to launch Feb. 26 in Japan. It asks that 6-year-olds and those younger play games on the 3DS in 2-D mode. Get the full story »
Blockbuster kiosks to test early rentals for $2.99
The company that runs Blockbuster Express kiosks is testing whether people will pay more to rent DVDs and Blu-ray discs of new movies 28 days before they are available from other vending machines. Get the full story »
Nov. 26, 2010 at 1:31 p.m.
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Filed under: Advertising/Marketing, Entertainment, Government, Internet, Video PR firm settles FTC suit over iTunes game reviews
The Federal Trade Commission said Friday that it has settled charges that a California public-relations firm posted fake video game reviews on Apple Inc.’s iTunes Store.
According to an FTC complaint, employees of California-based Reverb Communications Inc. allegedly engaged in deceptive online advertising by having paid employees and company managers pose as consumers and write glowing video game reviews of clients’ games. Get the full story »
Viacom to get rid of Rock Band
Viacom plans to rid itself of Harmonix, the video game developer behind the Rock Band franchise, ending a failed foray into the gaming business.
Shares of Viacom rose more than 4 percent in morning trading on Thursday as the company reported quarterly results that topped Wall Street expectations.
Analysts had long questioned the value of Rock Band for a company known more for its cable networks MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and film studio Paramount Pictures. Get the full story »
Consumer Reports: Kinect not ‘racist’
Looking to debunk a report that Microsoft’s new motion-sensing video game controller might be racist, Consumer Reports says it found no evidence that Kinect has problems recognizing users with darker skin.
GameSpot, a popular video game website, said earlier it found through testing Kinect that its facial recognition camera system did not work properly for some players with darker skin. Get the full story »
WMS Industries 1Q earnings beat Street
Gaming machine maker WMS Industries posted fiscal first-quarter earnings that were a penny above Wall Street’s expectations late Monday.
The Waukegan, Ill., company reported net income of $19.5 million, or 33 cents per share, on $187.5 million in revenue for the three months ended Sept. 30. That compares with net income of $19.8 million, or 34 cents per share, on $165.3 million in revenue in the same quarter last year.
Oct. 25, 2010 at 10:54 a.m.
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Filed under: Consumer electronics, International, Technology Sony cuts PSPgo handheld prices in U.S., Japan
Sony Corp. said on Monday it would cut the price of its PSPgo portable game player in the United States and Japan this month as game makers enter the crucial year-end shopping period. Get the full story »
Redbox adding video games in Chicago
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Oakbrook Terrace-based Redbox is adding video games to its $1 a night DVD-rental kiosks in Chicago this month as part of an expanded video game test pilot.
Kiosks will be stocked with games for Wii, Playstation and Xbox 360, the company said, in select markets in the West, Midwest and Atlantic coast regions and are available for $2 per night.
Get the full story »
Sep. 29, 2010 at 6:31 a.m.
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Filed under: Nintendo 3DS handheld to miss holidays
Nintendo Co Ltd said on Wednesday the launch of its 3D-capable DS handheld game player will miss the busy year-end holiday shopping season, forcing Japan’s leading game machine maker to slash its full-year profit forecast by one-third. Get the full story »
Sep. 16, 2010 at 6:19 a.m.
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Filed under: Consumer electronics, Consumer news, Media, TV, Technology Playstation 3 to play 3-D movies, games
Sony’s PlayStation 3 game console will work as a Blu-ray disc player for 3-D movies and music videos, not just 3-D games, with a software update download starting Sept. 21.
The free-of-charge update for movies and other content had been promised for later this year. But the date is being moved up to ride on the momentum of 3-D popularity, Sony executive Hiroshi Kawano said at the Tokyo Game Show Thursday.
Aug. 17, 2010 at 2:30 p.m.
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Filed under: Consumer electronics, Entertainment, Technology Sony to boost capacity of PlayStation 3 by 33%
Sony Corp.’s Playstation 3 will feature higher-capacity hard drives in North America this fall to let consumers to download more games and entertainment, the company said Tuesday.
The game console will come with about 33 percent more storage capacity than previous versions, but at least one analyst said that it is not likely to be a major selling point. Get the full story »
Nintendo posts loss on slumping sales
Nintendo, maker of the Wii home console and DS handheld, slumped into the red last quarter as sales faded amid a strong yen and a lack of new game titles. Kyoto-based Nintendo Co. said Thursday it suffered a loss of 25.22 billion yen ($289.17 million) for the April-June period compared with a profit of 42.32 billion yen a year earlier — the first in six quarters. Sales for the fiscal first quarter sank 25.6 percent to 188.65 billion yen ($2.16 billion).
July 13, 2010 at 1:08 p.m.
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Filed under: Advertising/Marketing, Consumer electronics, Consumer news, Media, Retail Kmart goes after gamers with reviews on shelves
Kmart is launching a new program where online reviews of video games will be displayed on store shelves, an initiative aimed at building ties between the chain’s online and in-store gaming fans.
Kmart, owned by Sears Holding Corp., announced the feature on its KmartGamer blog and in a live chat with gaming enthusiasts via Twitter. Get the full story »
