pokerface
05-23-2003, 06:58 AM
Sony to launch portable console
Electronics giant Sony has surprised the gaming world by announcing plans for a portable game console.
The handheld will build on its success of the PlayStation 1 and 2 consoles that dominate the gaming world.
The move pitches it into direct competition with Gameboy maker Nintendo as well as phone maker Nokia which is also producing a gaming handset.
The console should be on sale by the end of 2004.
Fierce fight
The new handheld will be called PSP and its imminent arrival was announced by Sony boss Ken Kutaragi at the E3 trade show currently ongoing in Los Angeles.
Details about the PSP's capabilities are scant but it is expected to have an 11cm (4.5inch) backlit, thin-film transistor liquid crystal display, memory stick slots and show DVD quality images.
The handheld is likely to be equivalent in power to the PlayStation 1 console allowing Sony to draw on a huge catalogue of already created games.
Sony is already king of the consoles and has outsold both Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's Gamecube.
But it will face a fierce fight with Nintendo thanks to its decades long dominance of the handheld market with the Gameboy.
Nintendo brushed off Sony's announcement and said it would be working on tying the Gamecube console and Gameboy handheld closer together and by rolling out new versions of long standing favourites.
Despite Nintendo's confidence, Sony's announcement knocked 10% off the value of the Gameboy creators share price.
For its part Nokia said that its Ngage hybrid phone and game handheld was likely to be on sale in October. The Ngage is likely to go on sale for $299 (£185).
Nokia has signed a deal with Sega to provide games for the handset hybrid.
Exclusive deal
In other E3 news Sony said that from June the adapter that allows gamers to play against others online would be bundled in with the PlayStation 2.
Sony is also to trim 10% off the cost of a PlayStation 2 in the US, bringing the price down to $179.
Sony has also signed an exclusive deal with gaming giant EA on the software maker's sports titles.
The deal means that online versions of popular titles, such as Madden NFL, will only be created for the PlayStation console.
The move is widely seen as a snub for Sony rival Microsoft which is keen to dominate online play.
In the past EA has balked at creating online versions of its games for Microsoft's Xbox because of the cash terms of such a deal. EA is also thought to be wary of ceding control of key customers to Microsoft and its Xbox service.
Sony has also announced an exclusive deal with game maker Take Two for a follow-up to the best-selling GTA - Vice City.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/tech...ogy/3026625.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/3026625.stm)
Published: 2003/05/14 10:40:45 GMT
© BBC MMIII
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39216000/jpg/_39216457_sonypsp-nokia203.jpg http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39216000/jpg/_39216455_sonypsp-nintendo203.jpg
Talk and play while you walk and travel
Nokia has unveiled details of its N-Gage handheld game phone gadget.
The move puts it in direct competition with Asian giant Nintendo whose Gameboy dominates the market for handheld games.
Sega is signed up to provide titles for Nokia's N-Gage machine.
The N-Gage launch is part of a wider strategy by all handset makers to get consumers doing more with their phones.
Battle drawn
Nokia first announced its plans for the N-Gage in November last year.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the company said it will be available during the fourth quarter of 2003 around the world, but a price has not been set.
Although many of the latest phones have better games on board thanks to colour screens and fast processors, the N-Gage will be for more dedicated fans.
Games for the N-Gage will be on memory cards that slot into the gadget.
Sega is planning to release titles featuring its mascot Sonic the Hedgehog on the N-Gage.
In launching the N-Gage Nokia is taking on Nintendo which has sold more than 24 million Gameboy Advance units worldwide since its launch in March 2001.
The Gameboy is continuing to evolve
To compete with Nintendo's Gameboy that sells for 130euro (£85), Nokia will probably have to be prepared to make a loss on every N-Gage sold.
According to figures from Telecom One the Nokia 7210 is currently the most popular games phone and it sells for more than twice the price of the Gameboy on some UK networks.
A new dedicated device is likely to be even more expensive.
Earlier this year Nintendo launched the latest version of the Gameboy Advance, the SP, which sheaths the gadget in a sleek steel shell.
Slow burn
Although more sophisticated games are appearing on handsets, it remains to be seen whether people will be willing to buy a more dedicated games playing machine.
Nokia is hoping Bluetooth short-range radio technology will prove a draw as it will let N-Gage owners take each other on.
Mobile phone firms and handset makers are keen to get people doing more with their phones and making greater use of data services such as games, sound and images.
Games for phones are slowly catching on thanks to the emergence of phones like the Nokia 7210 and 7650, the Sharp GX10 and services such as Vodafone Live which let people download titles.
Telecom One reports that the number of phone games downloaded from its portal leapt by 250% in January when compared to the same period in December.
Newer phones can run download and run Java games and sites such as Midlet.org are springing up as clearing houses for these titles.
BBC Micro fans can even relive the glory of classic title Repton on their Nokia 7650 phone thanks to game maker Masabi.
Electronics giant Sony has surprised the gaming world by announcing plans for a portable game console.
The handheld will build on its success of the PlayStation 1 and 2 consoles that dominate the gaming world.
The move pitches it into direct competition with Gameboy maker Nintendo as well as phone maker Nokia which is also producing a gaming handset.
The console should be on sale by the end of 2004.
Fierce fight
The new handheld will be called PSP and its imminent arrival was announced by Sony boss Ken Kutaragi at the E3 trade show currently ongoing in Los Angeles.
Details about the PSP's capabilities are scant but it is expected to have an 11cm (4.5inch) backlit, thin-film transistor liquid crystal display, memory stick slots and show DVD quality images.
The handheld is likely to be equivalent in power to the PlayStation 1 console allowing Sony to draw on a huge catalogue of already created games.
Sony is already king of the consoles and has outsold both Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's Gamecube.
But it will face a fierce fight with Nintendo thanks to its decades long dominance of the handheld market with the Gameboy.
Nintendo brushed off Sony's announcement and said it would be working on tying the Gamecube console and Gameboy handheld closer together and by rolling out new versions of long standing favourites.
Despite Nintendo's confidence, Sony's announcement knocked 10% off the value of the Gameboy creators share price.
For its part Nokia said that its Ngage hybrid phone and game handheld was likely to be on sale in October. The Ngage is likely to go on sale for $299 (£185).
Nokia has signed a deal with Sega to provide games for the handset hybrid.
Exclusive deal
In other E3 news Sony said that from June the adapter that allows gamers to play against others online would be bundled in with the PlayStation 2.
Sony is also to trim 10% off the cost of a PlayStation 2 in the US, bringing the price down to $179.
Sony has also signed an exclusive deal with gaming giant EA on the software maker's sports titles.
The deal means that online versions of popular titles, such as Madden NFL, will only be created for the PlayStation console.
The move is widely seen as a snub for Sony rival Microsoft which is keen to dominate online play.
In the past EA has balked at creating online versions of its games for Microsoft's Xbox because of the cash terms of such a deal. EA is also thought to be wary of ceding control of key customers to Microsoft and its Xbox service.
Sony has also announced an exclusive deal with game maker Take Two for a follow-up to the best-selling GTA - Vice City.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/tech...ogy/3026625.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/3026625.stm)
Published: 2003/05/14 10:40:45 GMT
© BBC MMIII
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39216000/jpg/_39216457_sonypsp-nokia203.jpg http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39216000/jpg/_39216455_sonypsp-nintendo203.jpg
Talk and play while you walk and travel
Nokia has unveiled details of its N-Gage handheld game phone gadget.
The move puts it in direct competition with Asian giant Nintendo whose Gameboy dominates the market for handheld games.
Sega is signed up to provide titles for Nokia's N-Gage machine.
The N-Gage launch is part of a wider strategy by all handset makers to get consumers doing more with their phones.
Battle drawn
Nokia first announced its plans for the N-Gage in November last year.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the company said it will be available during the fourth quarter of 2003 around the world, but a price has not been set.
Although many of the latest phones have better games on board thanks to colour screens and fast processors, the N-Gage will be for more dedicated fans.
Games for the N-Gage will be on memory cards that slot into the gadget.
Sega is planning to release titles featuring its mascot Sonic the Hedgehog on the N-Gage.
In launching the N-Gage Nokia is taking on Nintendo which has sold more than 24 million Gameboy Advance units worldwide since its launch in March 2001.
The Gameboy is continuing to evolve
To compete with Nintendo's Gameboy that sells for 130euro (£85), Nokia will probably have to be prepared to make a loss on every N-Gage sold.
According to figures from Telecom One the Nokia 7210 is currently the most popular games phone and it sells for more than twice the price of the Gameboy on some UK networks.
A new dedicated device is likely to be even more expensive.
Earlier this year Nintendo launched the latest version of the Gameboy Advance, the SP, which sheaths the gadget in a sleek steel shell.
Slow burn
Although more sophisticated games are appearing on handsets, it remains to be seen whether people will be willing to buy a more dedicated games playing machine.
Nokia is hoping Bluetooth short-range radio technology will prove a draw as it will let N-Gage owners take each other on.
Mobile phone firms and handset makers are keen to get people doing more with their phones and making greater use of data services such as games, sound and images.
Games for phones are slowly catching on thanks to the emergence of phones like the Nokia 7210 and 7650, the Sharp GX10 and services such as Vodafone Live which let people download titles.
Telecom One reports that the number of phone games downloaded from its portal leapt by 250% in January when compared to the same period in December.
Newer phones can run download and run Java games and sites such as Midlet.org are springing up as clearing houses for these titles.
BBC Micro fans can even relive the glory of classic title Repton on their Nokia 7650 phone thanks to game maker Masabi.