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Microsoft Ups Japan Xbox Sales Forecast; Details Virtual World

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 9, 2008 - 8:17am.

Tokyo - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) announced on Thursday that recent price cuts bolstered sales for its Xbox 360 game console in Japan, which outsold rival Sony's (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation 3 in the country last month for the first time -- pushing the company to raise its sales forecast for the device. The company sold 53,547 Xbox 360 units in Japan in September, compared with 33,071 PlayStation 3s, Reuters reported, citing data from Japan's Enterbrain.

Sony Postpones Launch of "Home" Virtual World for PlayStation 3

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 21, 2007 - 9:59am.

Chiba, Japan - Sony said this week that it will postpone until next spring the launch of its "Home" virtual community service for the PlayStation 3, citing a need to improve the quality of its product, Reuters reported. The virtual 3D service will allow users to create avatars and other content, much like the virtual world "Second Life." "This is going to be a worldwide service that needs to offer a wide range of functions required in Japan, in the US, in Europe and in Asia," said Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai. "We aim to launch this as something that can meet expectations of people all over the world."

Sony Introduces Two Virtual World-styled Titles for PlayStation 3

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 8, 2007 - 2:51pm.

San Francisco - Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) has introduced two new titles for the PlayStation 3 that incorporate many of the same virtual world features found in "Second Life," as part of its "Game 3.0" initiative announced at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

Report: U.S. Home Internet Adoption Rate Projected to Slow

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 23, 2006 - 3:21am.

Dallas - Of the estimated 39 million U.S. homes without Internet access, only 2 million said they are planning to subscribe in 2006, contributing to overall U.S. Internet adoption growth of just one percent in 2006, from 63% to 64%, according to a report from market research firm Parks Associates. Only 8 million of the 39 million homes without Internet access even own a computer, although 14 million reported having access to the Internet at work or other locations. Some 300,000 households said they might subscribe if services were cheaper. "We are clearly facing a problem of demand, not supply," said Parks Associates research director John Barrett. "Computers and Internet service have never been cheaper, yet many households still show little enthusiasm for the technology." The firm found that among households not interested in subscribing to an Internet service at any price, 31% said their Internet access at work was sufficient, while another 18% claimed, "I am not interested in anything on the Internet."