New consoles, online games to keep market soaring to 2017

PARIS— The global video gaming market is set to grow 11.1 percent a year until 2017, boosted by a new generation of consoles and the increasing popularity of online games, according to IDATE digital research and consultancy firm.

The market, estimated at 53.9 billion euros ($73.8 billion) this year, is expected to soar to 82.1 billion euros in 2017, the France-based firm said in a report.

Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft, which are jostling for control of the gaming market, have each released the latest versions of their consoles ahead of the Christmas shopping season.

The wave of new devices is expected to keep the market buoyant until 2017, IDATE said.

Home consoles like Sony’s PlayStation or Microsoft’s Xbox, which make up 31 percent of the market today, are expected to have a 40 percent share of the total market in 2017.

Handheld consoles such as Nintendo’s 3DS or Sony’s PSVita, which have a share of about 22 percent in 2013, are projected to record declining share to 13 percent in 2017, in the face of increasing strong competition from tablets and mobile phones.

“Smartphones and tablets offer a radically different experience, and… in terms of the budget, the tablet is a significant competitor for the consoles,” Laurent Michaud, who is in charge of gaming research at IDATE.

“The choice of purchase between the tablet and the console will determine the success of this generation of machines,” he said.

The offline computer game is expected to record an irreversible decline, while this year online games are emerging as the leader.

The increasing popularity of online games stems from the fact that they dominate the gaming industry in China and South Korea, Michaud noted.

“They are games oriented towards ‘Free2Play’ and it is no surprise that they are gaining colossal success because the games are good,” he said, referring to the downloadable games.

One example is the online game Candy Crush which records 700 million sessions a day and racks up daily sales of $850,000 (630,000 euros).

Online games are expected to record average growth of 11.4 percent while mobile gaming is seen progressing by 12.2 percent annually between 2013 and 2017.

Traditional game developers which are used to selling physical copies of their games on discs, have not been keeping pace with virtual ones.

Many were slow to exploit the phenomenal success of games played on social networks.

In December 2012, only Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Namco Bandai Games, Konami, Take Two Interactive et Disney Interactive Studio were present on Facebook.
They have also been slow to join on the smartphone and tablette bandwagon.

In December 2012, only Electronic Arts and Square Enix were among the top revenue generators on Apple’s App Store. And only Electronic Arts and Take Two Interactive had games that ranked in the top 20 by revenues.

On Android Market, none of the traditional gave developers had games on the bestsellers’ list.

source: technology.inquirer.net

Protests, frenzy in US holiday shopping marathon

NEW YORK—The busiest shopping day of the year in the US drew frenzied crowds, worker protests and a little violence Thursday as the holiday rush toward Christmas began.

The mad dash extended across the Atlantic, where a woman was injured in Northern Ireland as shoppers rushed to get their hands on deals during a day of sales modelled on what’s known in the US as Black Friday.

In the United States, the crowds were mostly orderly, though a suburban Chicago police officer was dragged by a car driven by fleeing Thanksgiving Day shoplifting suspects, one of whom was charged with attempted murder.

Retailers have been pushing opening times earlier in recent years, so the early-morning Friday crowds now are seen the day before, on Thanksgiving night. The name “Black Friday” comes from the period when retailers traditionally turn a profit, or move out of the red and into the black.

Some workers’ rights groups had planned protests on both Thanksgiving and Black Friday because they opposed having retail employees miss family meals at home.

Some shoppers agreed, saying they believe the holiday is meant to be spent with family and friends.

That didn’t stop others from showing up at stores well before dawn.

“We like to shop this time of night,” said Rosanne Scrom as she left the Target store in New York state at 5 a.m. Friday.

About 15,000 people waited for the flagship Macy’s in New York City’s Herald Square when it opened at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving. It was the most ever, up from 11,000 last year.

In rural Virginia, a dispute in a parking lot turned violent, with one man throwing a punch and another cutting the man with a knife and brandishing a rifle. The fight outside a Wal-Mart sent panicked shoppers scattering.

The mayhem in Belfast occurred at the British supermarket chain Asda — owned by Wal-Mart — which had been advertising its Black Friday deals throughout the U.K. The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said it took a woman with an arm injury to the hospital.

In Seattle, Michael Wiggins stood in a crowd of shoppers trying to sell a $2 newspaper that supports the causes of homeless and low-income residents. The 50-year-old once was homeless himself.

Wiggins said it was sad to see people spending to potentially put themselves in debt.

“How are you getting ahead?” Wiggins said. “Why are you killing yourself for a pair of underwear?”

Last year, sales on Thanksgiving were $810 million last year, an increase of 55 percent from the previous year as more stores opened on the holiday, according to Chicago research firm ShopperTrak. But sales dropped 1.8 percent to $11.2 billion on Black Friday, though it still was the biggest shopping day last year.

Sales figures for this year’s Thanksgiving and Black Friday will trickle out in the next couple days, but some big chains already were saying early Friday that the holiday shopping season had a successful start.

Store sales numbers won’t be available until Saturday. The National Retail Federation said 140 million people planned to shop during the four-day holiday weekend.

IBM Benchmark, which tracks e-commerce for 800 retailers, said online sales on Thanksgiving were up 19.7 percent from last year. Online sales on Black Friday rose 9 percent, based on preliminary data.

source: business.inquirer.net

Apple offering free shipping until December 22

Holiday shoppers looking to grab some items from Apple can enjoy free shipping on all online orders until December 22.

To ring in the holidays, Apple is offering the free shipping on any product ordered through its online Apple store or through its Apple Store iOS app. Apple normally provides free shipping only on online orders of more than $50. So the new promotion gives shoppers incentive to buy less pricey stocking stuffers or to pick up multiple items throughout the holiday season.

Last-minute shoppers who need their items delivered quickly can also opt for two-day shipping for $10 or one-day delivery for $16.

Apple is even serving up a holiday gift guide on its Web site to steer potential buyers to a variety of items and accessories. In addition, the company is offering gift wrapping and engraving on certain products such as iPads and iPods.

Apple also served up some bargains last week on Black Friday by offering Macs, iPads, iPods, and other items at discount prices. That strategy apparently paid off since the company reportedly took in four times the number of sales that it typically brings in on a Friday.

source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57332991-37/apple-offering-free-shipping-until-december-22/?tag=mncol

Araneta Center parade of lights kicks off today

MANILA, Philippines - Christmas continues to shine brightly at the Araneta Center with the launch of the weekly Magical Parade of Lights starting today, Nov. 26.

A spinoff from the electric parade of lights held during the Capiztahan feast in Roxas City, the Magical Parade of Lights features several floats depicting creatures of the sea lit up by thousands of flickering light bulbs in a grand spectacle that will snake through the major streets of the Araneta Center.

This shimmering pageant of lights will beam a Christmas glow around the center and holiday shoppers will be regaled by drumbeaters and street dancing Christmas characters that accompany the visual explosion of electric lights. The Magical Parade of Lights is also reminiscent of the Main Street Electrical Parade, famous for its long run at Disneyland until 1996. Just like its Disney counterpart, the parade features floats covered in thousands of electronically controlled lights blinking in sync to music.

The Magical Parade of Lights is just one part of the menu of Christmas activities lined up at the Araneta Center this season. After last week’s traditional Christmas tree lighting, be serenaded by the different chorale groups as they sing your favorite Christmas carols every day until December 31 at Farmers’ Plaza, Ali Mall, and Gateway Mall. Marvel at the weekly fireworks display. Also, be sure to watch Disney on Ice “Let’s Celebrate” which will be shown from December 25 to January 3 at the SMART Araneta Coliseum. For ticket inquiries, call 911-555The Magical Parade of Lights at the Araneta Center is co-sponsored by the Meralco and the Araneta Group. It is scheduled on Nov. 26, Dec. 3, 10 and 17. Parade starts at 5 p.m. from the giant Christmas tree parking lot.

Source: philstar.com