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81595
Thu, 09/24/2009 - 21:50
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http://m.oananews.org//node/81595
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Tokyo Game Show opens amid economic slump with eyes on online games
CHIBA, Japan, Sept. 24 Kyodo -
The world's top gaming event, Tokyo Game Show 2009, kicked off Thursday in
Chiba Prefecture as key game developers unveiled new titles, focusing on
Internet-enabled games in a bid to lure consumers amid the global economic
recession.
During the four-day expo at the Makuhari Messe convention center near Tokyo,
180 companies and groups worldwide will showcase more than 750 game titles,
according to the event organizer, Computer Entertainment Supplier's
Association.
This year's expo is expected to offer 1,367 booths and attract about 180,000
game fans, who will be treated to hands-on experiences with the latest game
titles, such as Square Enix Co.'s latest Final Fantasy series for Sony Computer
Entertainment Inc.'s PlayStation 3 game console.
Also expected to be on display are 168 game titles catering to mobile phones,
as the mobile phone game industry has become increasingly popular over the
years, organizers said.
Sony Computer Entertainment took the wraps off its PSP Go, the latest of its
PlayStation Portable console which can download digital games as well as music
and movies, ahead of its release next week in North America and in November in
Japan.
In a speech at the game show, Kazuo Hirai, president of Sony Computer
Entertainment, noted that the key to the future of the gaming industry lies in
the global networking of games.
''Through networking, we can obtain games and various other entertainment
contents and speed up in creating an enjoyable environment (for both users and
game developers),'' Hirai said, referring to the potential of game software
that are downloaded from the Internet.
The annual game show comes at a time when the gaming industry has emerged as
one of the few bright spots in the corporate sector which has been hit by the
global economic slump. Although game developers have fared somewhat better than
other firms, they still face sluggish consumer appetite, according to industry
analysts.
Against this backdrop, attention is now turning to how gaming giants, notably
Sony Computer Entertainment, Nintendo Co., and Microsoft Corp., will spur
consumer appetite with new products and strategies such as price cuts.
''We will not see further growth if we continue to do the gaming business the
way we have always done and if we do not keep up with the trend of times,''
Hirai said, adding that the PS3 is the latest offering that shows how games and
networks are intertwined.
In the three weeks since its launch, PS3 has sold over one million units. Sony
Computer Entertainment is gearing up for the year-end shopping season,
preparing more than 200 software titles.
In the latest move, Sony unveiled the much-anticipated price cut to its PS3 to
counter its rivals with cheaper game consoles ahead of the year-end holiday
season.
The new PS3, which hit global markets on Sept. 3, is slimmer, lighter, and
sports a 120-gigabyte hard drive, up from the current 80 GB. It carries a price
tag of 29,980 yen, down 10,000 yen, whereas Nintendo's popular Wii is priced at
25,000 yen, and Microsoft's Xbox 360 starts at 19,800 yen.
Following Sony's PS3 price cut, Microsoft slashed the price of its
top-of-the-line Xbox 360 videogame console, offering the Xbox 360 Elite
console, which has a 120 gigabyte hard drive, for 29,800 yen.
Following in the footsteps of Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo announced Thursday
that it will cut its Wii game console in Japan from Oct. 1 by 5,000 yen to
20,000 yen. The price cuts will also take place in the United States and
Europe.
Since it was launched at the end of 2006, the Wii game console boasts global
sales of 52.6 million units, although its recent sales have been sluggish,
dropping more than half during the April to June period from a year earlier.
Although Nintendo has not participated in the Tokyo Game Show since the event
began in 1996, new titles that can be played on its Wii console will be
displayed by software developers.
As in the previous year, the first two days will be open to the media and
people involved in the gaming business and the latter two days will be open to
the general public.
Last year's Tokyo Game Show featured 1,768 booths and 879 titles on exhibit,
and drew a total of 194,288 visitors.
==Kyodo
The world's top gaming event, Tokyo Game Show 2009, kicked off Thursday in
Chiba Prefecture as key game developers unveiled new titles, focusing on
Internet-enabled games in a bid to lure consumers amid the global economic
recession.
During the four-day expo at the Makuhari Messe convention center near Tokyo,
180 companies and groups worldwide will showcase more than 750 game titles,
according to the event organizer, Computer Entertainment Supplier's
Association.
This year's expo is expected to offer 1,367 booths and attract about 180,000
game fans, who will be treated to hands-on experiences with the latest game
titles, such as Square Enix Co.'s latest Final Fantasy series for Sony Computer
Entertainment Inc.'s PlayStation 3 game console.
Also expected to be on display are 168 game titles catering to mobile phones,
as the mobile phone game industry has become increasingly popular over the
years, organizers said.
Sony Computer Entertainment took the wraps off its PSP Go, the latest of its
PlayStation Portable console which can download digital games as well as music
and movies, ahead of its release next week in North America and in November in
Japan.
In a speech at the game show, Kazuo Hirai, president of Sony Computer
Entertainment, noted that the key to the future of the gaming industry lies in
the global networking of games.
''Through networking, we can obtain games and various other entertainment
contents and speed up in creating an enjoyable environment (for both users and
game developers),'' Hirai said, referring to the potential of game software
that are downloaded from the Internet.
The annual game show comes at a time when the gaming industry has emerged as
one of the few bright spots in the corporate sector which has been hit by the
global economic slump. Although game developers have fared somewhat better than
other firms, they still face sluggish consumer appetite, according to industry
analysts.
Against this backdrop, attention is now turning to how gaming giants, notably
Sony Computer Entertainment, Nintendo Co., and Microsoft Corp., will spur
consumer appetite with new products and strategies such as price cuts.
''We will not see further growth if we continue to do the gaming business the
way we have always done and if we do not keep up with the trend of times,''
Hirai said, adding that the PS3 is the latest offering that shows how games and
networks are intertwined.
In the three weeks since its launch, PS3 has sold over one million units. Sony
Computer Entertainment is gearing up for the year-end shopping season,
preparing more than 200 software titles.
In the latest move, Sony unveiled the much-anticipated price cut to its PS3 to
counter its rivals with cheaper game consoles ahead of the year-end holiday
season.
The new PS3, which hit global markets on Sept. 3, is slimmer, lighter, and
sports a 120-gigabyte hard drive, up from the current 80 GB. It carries a price
tag of 29,980 yen, down 10,000 yen, whereas Nintendo's popular Wii is priced at
25,000 yen, and Microsoft's Xbox 360 starts at 19,800 yen.
Following Sony's PS3 price cut, Microsoft slashed the price of its
top-of-the-line Xbox 360 videogame console, offering the Xbox 360 Elite
console, which has a 120 gigabyte hard drive, for 29,800 yen.
Following in the footsteps of Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo announced Thursday
that it will cut its Wii game console in Japan from Oct. 1 by 5,000 yen to
20,000 yen. The price cuts will also take place in the United States and
Europe.
Since it was launched at the end of 2006, the Wii game console boasts global
sales of 52.6 million units, although its recent sales have been sluggish,
dropping more than half during the April to June period from a year earlier.
Although Nintendo has not participated in the Tokyo Game Show since the event
began in 1996, new titles that can be played on its Wii console will be
displayed by software developers.
As in the previous year, the first two days will be open to the media and
people involved in the gaming business and the latter two days will be open to
the general public.
Last year's Tokyo Game Show featured 1,768 booths and 879 titles on exhibit,
and drew a total of 194,288 visitors.
==Kyodo
