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Sony Cuts PlayStation 2 Price From $179 to $149

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 11, 2004 - 2:20am.
Los Angeles -- Sony announced on Tuesday from the Electronic Entertainment Expo video game industry trade show in Los Angeles that it will slash the price of its market-leading PlayStation 2 video game console from $179 to $149. The move follows Microsoft's decision in March to lower the price of its rival Xbox console to $149. Sony said the new price will apply to its standalone PlayStation 2 and a formerly $199 bundle that also included its Network Adapter, which enables online gaming.
tags: Sony | PlayStation 2 | Price |

Microsoft Previews E3 Lineup, Including EA Titles for Xbox Live

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 11, 2004 - 2:20am.
Los Angeles -- Microsoft announced on Tuesday that independent game developer Electronic Arts has pledged to release versions of its popular titles supporting Microsoft's Xbox Live online gaming service starting this summer. The long-term agreement includes EA's top-selling sports titles like "Madden NFL," "NBA Live" and "FIFA Soccer," as well as "Need for Speed Underground 2" and "Battlefield." Microsoft reported that it has now sold 14 million Xbox consoles, and that there are currently nearly 1 million Xbox Live members in 24 countries. The company said it is developing a videoconferencing feature for Xbox Live, which will first launch in Japan later this year, as well as plans for Xbox Live Arcade, a service that will let Xbox Live users purchase and download games to the console's hard drive. Microsoft also announced a Nov. 9 release date for the anticipated "Halo 2" title for Xbox, as well as details on 12 other upcoming Xbox and Windows game titles it will display at E3 this week, including "Forza Motorsport," "Fable," "Jade Empire" "Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict" and "Vanguard: Saga of Heroes."
tags: Xbox | Microsoft | E3 Lineup | EA Titles |

Report: 2003 U.S. Spending on Online Content Up 18% to $1.6 Billion

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 11, 2004 - 2:19am.
New York -- U.S. consumer spending on online content grew over 18% in 2003 to $1.6 billion, with personals sites, business-related sites and entertainment/lifestyle sites garnering 64% of total spending, according to a study conducted by ComScore Networks and the Online Publishers Association (OPA). U.S. consumers spent $449.5 million on personals and online dating site during 2003, up 48.8% from 2002 totals. "Paid content revenue growth continues to be driven by the acquisition of new customers to the category," said Online Publishers Association president Michael Zimbalist. "The number of Internet users who participate in eCommerce continues to be significantly larger than those who pay for content online. As a result, we believe there is still significant growth potential for this market." The report also found that the top five sites ranked by 2003 consumer content revenue were Yahoo.com, Real.com, Match.com, Classmates.com and WSJ.com. Subscriptions were found to be the dominant paid online content model, with monthly subscriptions now eclipsing annual subscriptions in popularity.
tags: Reports | U.S | Internmet |

Japan Arrests P2P Software Developer on Copyright Charges

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 11, 2004 - 2:18am.
Tokyo -- A professor at the University of Tokyo has been arrested on charges of copyright infringement, for his role in developing the Winny encrypted peer-to-peer file-sharing software and offering media files for download, the Asahi Shimbun reported. The arrest of 33-year-old Isamu Kaneko is the first file-sharing software-related prosecution in Japan, and could result in three years in prison or a fine of up to $27,000. Two other Japanese men were arrested in November for using the Winny software to distribute copyrighted movies and games online.
tags: P2P | Software | Japan | Copyright |

Report: Portable Gamers to Number 43 Million by 2009

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 11, 2004 - 2:17am.
New York -- The number of gamers playing on portable devices like Nintendo's Game Boy Advance, Sony's upcoming PSP and Nokia's N-Gage will grow from 23 million in 2003 to 43 million in 2009, with revenue growing from $1.6 billion in 2003 to $2.7 billion in 2009, according to a report from New York-based market research firm JupiterMedia. Additionally, a separate group made up of gamers who play more than five hours per week on their cell phones is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 16% through 2009. "Competition is the major driver of growth over the next five years. As device manufacturers and content developers cater to broader audiences, we will see some amazing things happen," said JupiterResearch vice president Michael Gartenberg.
tags: Games | Reports | Portable |

Report: Boys Increasingly Shun Other Toys for Video Games

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 11, 2004 - 2:15am.
Port Washington, N.Y. -- Boys aged 5-12 spend more time on average each week playing video games (4.2 hours) than they do with any other traditional toy category, while girls the same age still play with other toys as much or more than video games, according to a report from New York-based market research firm NPD Group. The study also found that 32% of boys and 10% of girls report playing video games for more than six hours per week. Nearly half of the children from the study say they started playing video games between the ages of 4 and 5. "For toy manufacturers, determining how to leverage the 'power' of video games in order to take advantage of their popularity through different marketing tactics is essential," said NPD senior analyst Michael Redmond.
tags: Reports | Toys | Video Games | Shun |

Webcasting Software Developer ON24 Lands $3.3 Million in Funding

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 11, 2004 - 2:14am.
San Francisco -- ON24, a San Francisco-based maker of webcast and multimedia communications software, said on Monday that it has secured $3.3 million in a new round of funding, co-led by U.S. Venture Partners, Canaan Partners and Rho Management. The company, which began turning a profit late last year, has now raised a total of about $40 million in private equity. ON24 said that it plans to use the capital, in part, to expand operations to support its growing customer base, as well as to develop new products. ON24 currently has more than 400 corporate clients, including Cardinal Health, Cisco Systems, Credit Suisse First Boston, Hewlett-Packard, Merrill Lynch, the NCAA, Philips and Sun Microsystems.
tags: Software | Funds | Developer | ON24 |