Technologies
- Advances in next-gen consoles. PS3 and Xbox 360 allow HD gaming, increasing realism of graphics. Audience gets more involved.
- ps3 (blu-ray) vs 360 (HD DVD) competition largely won by blu-ray
- Technologies like – eyetoy, dance mat, guitar (guitar hero), singstar, drumkit (rock band), wii controller, guns, “wii fit” etc. all are used to appeal to a wider audience and by this i pretty much mean women and old people, as they are the targets currently not “interested” in video games.
- Genres and who’s leading in them. Trademark names like Final Fantasy
Statistics:
ooh this is a convenient gold mine http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2006/apr/20/games.guardianweeklytechnologysection1
Wedbush Morgan Securities’ NPD preview of console software sales for last month suggests they were down 18% on last year to $445m.
Prior to the release of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Activision has worked with the iTunes Store to provide more than 1300 tracks of Guitar Hero-related music across more than 20 compilations, including most of the tracks from the games in the series, called “Guitar Hero Essentials”. These compilations, such as “Killer Guitar Solos” and “Guitar Anthems of the ’80s”, include songs related to but not contained within the Guitar Hero series. Dusty Welch of RedOctane has stated “Where there’s music, there’s Guitar Hero, and with iTunes, we are able to provide fans with a central location for downloading their favorite rock anthems.”[36] Both licensed and indie bands whose works have been included in the Guitar Hero games have gained further popularity from this inclusion.[37] Every Guitar Hero III song tracked by Nielsen SoundScan (62 of 70) saw an increase in digital download sales the week ending December 30, 2007, when many who got the game as a gift were playing it.[38] Indie group Bang Camaro’s recognition increased after their song “Push Push (Lady Lightning)” appeared in Guitar Hero II.[39] The band DragonForce, whose song “Through the Fire and Flames” is featured as the final song in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, saw a 126% increase in CD sales in the week after the release of the game,[40] and downloads of the song, selling fewer than 2,000 weekly, rose to more than 10,000 after Guitar Hero III’s release and approached 40,000 the week ending December 30, 2007.[38] Even older, established groups such as Aerosmith saw an increase in sales at the same time Guitar Hero games containing their songs were released,[38] such as a modest increase in download sales for its “Same Old Song and Dance”, which rose to 2,041 from 374 copies the previous week.[38] Charles Haung of RedOctane has stated that they have “been told by retailers that downloads for songs and CDs increase 200 percent after appearing in the game.”[41] Both Guitar Hero and Rock Band are seen as new methods of music distribution; an analysis for market research company NPD Group states that “As the video games industry grows, it’s becoming an ever-more attractive promotional outlet for all kinds of industries.”[42]
PSP
Units sold Worldwide: 20.25 million (sold between April 2006 and December 31, 2007)[2][3] (details)
lol at this marketing campaign http://www.ukresistance.co.uk/sonylieblog/default.aspx.htm
Best-selling game Daxter, 2 million (as of January 21, 2008)[5]
Nintendo DS
Units sold Worldwide: 70.6 million, including DS Lite units (as of March 31, 2008)[2] (details)
Best-selling game Nintendogs, 18.67 million, all versions combined (as of March 31, 2008)[3]
PS3
Units sold 13 million (as of April 21, 2008)[2] (details)
Best-selling game MotorStorm, 3 million (as of February 18, 2008)[3]
Japan 2,009,492 as of March 30, 2008[60][61] November 11, 2006
United States 4,000,000 as of April 21, 2008[62] November 17, 2006
Europe 2,800,000 as of April 1, 2008[63][64] March 23, 2007
Less that a third recognized DVD playback
According to the Diffusion Group, while 80 per cent of US households own game consoles capable of DVD playback, only 30 per cent were aware of that fact and only 13 per cent of gamers are using them for that purpose.
The Dallas-based research firm also found that, of the households who view movies on their game consoles, 74 per cent are watching physical DVDs and only 26 per cent are going online to purchase or rent a digital movie download.
“Today’s next-generation games consoles such as the Xbox 360 or Sony PS3 are true digital multimedia powerhouses,” said Dale Gilliam III, author of the Diffusion Group report.
“Yet very few of these devices are connected to the Internet and, even though these same platforms may feature a high-definition DVD playback system, very few consumers are using them for non-gaming media applications.”
The report also found that approximately half of US households with broadband own at least one game console, with 15 per cent owning two or more game consoles. Those consoles are most likely to be located in the living room or family room (52 per cent) than in a second bedroom (24 per cent) or in a dedicated games room (21 percent).
The Diffusion Group’s report, On The Use of Game Consoles for Movie Viewing, is based upon a survey of 2,000 US broadband heads-of-households.
Xbox 360
Units sold Worldwide: 19 million (as of April 25, 2008)[1] (details)
Best-selling game Halo 3, 8.1 million (as of January 3, 2008)[2]
United States 9.15 million as of January 1, 2008[83][84][85] November 22, 2005
Japan 602,558 as of March 30, 2008[86][87] December 10, 2005
Worldwide 19 million as of April 25, 2008[1] (more…)
