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Changes incoming for the markets of Final Fantasy XIV
Even if you're a fan of Final Fantasy XIV, you're probably not enamored of the way that selling items among players is currently handled. It's not that the market wards aren't useful, they're just a really slow way of finding items in a game where nearly every single item is crafted by players rather than found or purchased. So it's good news for the game that the development team is aware of the issue, and adjustments are incoming within the relatively near future. The first slated update will sort the market districts by items sold, thereby allowing players to zero in on exactly what they're looking for rather than the current ambling search. There are also plans for further refinement and specialization to the wards, along with plans to better facilitate hiring and employing multiple retainers at once. Whether or not the system will ever be replaced or supplemented with the often-requested auction house has not been stated, although there are no hints that such a system is incoming for Final Fantasy XIV. Even so, the promised updates should make finding items a good sight easier.
Sezmi expands availability to 10 new markets, premium channels still can't escape L.A.
We hadn't heard much from Sezmi since its February launch, but in "response to consumer demand" it is expanding the availability of its box and $5 / month Sezmi Select package to Boston; Detroit; Houston; Kansas City, Mo.; Phoenix; Portland, Ore.; Miami, Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; and San Francisco. That means users can make use of the combo broadcast TV / over the top video box and its various IPTV services, plus whatever OTA channels are available, but at least for the moment, you'll still need a Los Angeles address to pull in the Plus-only premium channels. It's also touting a software update that added "Entertainment Zones," pulling content from various sources together in one spot, but without any access to premium channels it would seem like the market for a $299 set-top box would be limited. The $20 Sezmi Select Plus lineup is still slated for an expansion "later this year," we'll wait for some sales numbers to indicate great its initial success really is.
Survey: Consumers are replacing other computers with iPad
So, now that both versions of the iPad are out and available, it's probably time to ask the question: does a device like this replace another computer, or is it an entirely new category? Back during the announcement, Jobs was adamant that it was definitely a netbook replacement ("Netbooks aren't better than anything," he said then), but could it even replace notebook computers? According to a new survey, 44% of iPad purchasers say they won't be buying a notebook because of the device. That's not the only computing category taking a hit, either. The same survey found that 41% said they didn't need an iPod touch because of the iPad, and 27% said they wouldn't even need a desktop computer. Now, obviously a survey is a temporary screenshot of people who have just spent $500 on a computer. Just because people say they won't need a new computer in a few years doesn't mean that they won't. Likewise, netbook sales are supposedly dropping off already. After reaching a high last year, they crashed in January after the announcement and then again when the iPad released. The statistics student in us points out that cause doesn't necessarily imply effect, though (and sure enough, the iPad wasn't actually announced until 17 days after the NPD data citing the netbook drop in interest). This is early, early research, and the actual effect the iPad will have on other markets isn't clear yet. As a trend, however, it certainly appears that the iPad will do its best to take a bite out of as many computing markets as it can (and possibly even some of Apple's own device markets). While anecdotal data tells us that the iPad is still mostly a "satellite" computer rather than a full-fledged workstation, this customer survey says that all sorts of users are ready to jump ship on their older technology. [via MDN]
Rumor: Apple's iTravel being previewed in other markets
Last week, Patently Apple got a hint of a new app/service from Apple called iTravel, an official app that would allow you to make and check-in travel reservations with just your iPhone. Apparently it's farther along than we thought, because a new app co-sponsored by Apple in a Montreal newspaper appears to show off the app itself, including an on-screen seat display while checking in, a "My Flights" section for flight tracking, and a "Find Flight" search button. [Mmm, egg. Our Canadian cousins have written in to point out that the app featured in the newspaper ad is not a secret Apple travel app, but is in fact the real world, maple-syrup-and-curling enabled Air Canada app. Demerits to PA and 9to5 for misreading and to us for falling for the mixup. –Ed.] PA suggests this is all being done in time for something called the Travel Distribution Summit on June 17, but I can think of another conference in June that might have Apple showing off new official applications. It's not 100% clear that the app in the ad is a brand new app by Apple, but in addition to the Concert Ticket+ patent that appeared a while back, it's a safe guess that Apple is cooking up some new utility software. We'll have to keep eyes out during WWDC and see what we can find. [via 9to5Mac]
Apple hires two more for mobile ad sales
In addition to their Quattro Wireless buy last month, Apple has picked up two more new employees that seems like additions to an incoming mobile advertising business. Theo Theodorou was picked up from Microsoft's mobile advertising sales department and will head sales in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. And Todd Tran, from mobile ad agency Joule, will serve as general manager in Europe. Apple hasn't announced exact details of what they plan to do with all of this mobile advertising, but they did say in the conference call last week that they plan to use their Quattro Wireless acquisition to help app developers make money, especially on free apps. We don't yet know the exact specifics of that plan ("iAds," coming soon to an App Store near you?), but it looks like Apple is making a significant investment in putting mobile ads on their devices.
Video of games on the iPad, and what developers plan to do with them
Unfortunately, we weren't able to attend the event in San Francisco yesterday, but our good friends at Joystiq were, and they've brought back this video of Need for Speed: Shift [iTunes link] and a few other games running on the iPad. Not only can you see how the accelerometer works (exactly the same as the iPhone, basically), but you can see how the regular iPhone apps will upscale to full screen (via what looks like a small "button" in the corner) on the iPad. Of course, this video isn't ideal, but it actually looks better than I thought. Hopefully, of course, developers will actually put in the effort to recreate their apps for the iPad's bigger screen. That's exactly what the makers of Flight Control have said they plan to do; that game will be "re-imagined" to work on the iPad. They talk about not only making use of the bigger screen space, but actually going to the "next generation" of their games. It'll be very interesting to see, as the App Store evolves with the iPad, what kinds of markets emerge. Will we eventually have a set of games that works best on the iPhone, and a set that works better on the "big" screen?
Microsoft files motion to dismiss Datel suit, cites Apple and others in defense
Microsoft has registered a motion to dismiss the antitrust lawsuit originally filed by unofficial memory card maker Datel, in which Datel claimed that by locking out its cards, Microsoft was being illegally anti-competitive in the field of 'Multiplayer Online Dedicated Gaming Systems" and their accessories. Microsoft's motion to dismiss (here's the PDF link) actually cites one of its biggest rivals, Apple, who fought off another unofficial vendor by claiming that its users (us) had knowingly agreed that by using its products, any aftermarket products had to come from Apple as well. You can't run OS X on any computers not made by Apple, says Microsoft, and so you can't use any non-Microsoft memory cards on your Xbox. As with most legal filings, the situation is complicated. Datel is also trying to claim that Microsoft has a grip on the console market by claiming that the much better selling Nintendo Wii isn't actually a part of that market, which leaves Microsoft in the weird position of arguing that yes, there are plenty of consoles (including the PSP and even the PlayStation 2) that "have outsold the Xbox 360." And Microsoft also argues that Datel's cheat-enabling memory cards "undermine quality user experience" on Xbox Live, which would also be reason enough to keep them off the system. Interesting arguments, all, but we'll have to see which emerge victorious after a hearing scheduled for March 2 in San Francisco.
Rent seeking (or lack thereof) in WoW
Elnia continues posting some interesting (and complicated) insight into the World of Warcraft over at the Pink Pigtail Inn. This time, it's about what she calls "rent seeking," which isn't about trying to find the money to pay for your apartment so much as it's about individuals petitioning authorities (the government, or in this case Blizzard) for their own income. The post dabbles with some complicated market theory, but in the end, the conclusion is this: while players have definitely petitioned Blizzard for changes to their own class, they have generally stayed away from asking for more money, or changes to the rules that would grant it to them. In general, players are fine with Blizzard staying hands-off of the various in-game economies running in Azeroth. As the commenters over there say, there's a good reason for that, and it's because most of the economic play in WoW is completely optional. Aside from repair costs (which can be high for raiders, but for everyone else are fairly inconsequential), you don't really need money at all; given enough time, you can collect whatever you need from somewhere in the world, either by simply collecting ore or herbs, or by running instances and doing quests. But that doesn't mean that the "rent seeking" comparison isn't valid.
Clearwire lighting up ten more markets with WiMAX on September 1st
Not like we didn't have reason to believe that the ten markets mentioned in Clearwire's latest press release weren't getting a taste of that sweet, succulent 4G action in the near term, but it's sure good to see the official word passed down. On September 1st (as in, less than a month), the cool kids in Boise, Idaho, Bellingham, Washington and eight Texas markets (Abilene, Amarillo, Corpus Christi, Killeen / Temple, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, Waco and Wichita Falls) will be able to laugh heartily at friends in other locales as they struggle to upload their latest YouTube clip over 3G. Each market should expect their own retail store opening as well as all sorts of other launch day shenanigans, some of which involve "promotional offers" that'll undoubtedly be too good to pass up.
DirecTV announces next 44 markets to get HD locals
Not quite a month after DISH Network unveiled its summer / fall HD locals, DirecTV is continuing to excite by announcing its next 44 markets that will receive HD locals. According to the company, it will be providing local HD broadcasts in 121 cities by the end of 2008, which will reportedly represent 88-percent of US TV households. Just after 30 some-odd new HD channels go live on August 14th, it will begin rolling out HD locals to cities like Augusta, GA, Baton Rouge, LA, Boise, ID, Chattanooga, TN and El Paso, TX. There are 39 more markets to scan through in the read link -- here's to hoping your locale is listed!
NCsoft releases sales numbers for 2007
NCsoft's corporate monkeys released their sales numbers yesterday, showing off a solid net profit of $48.4 million, an increase of over 18% last year. Something has to be said for NCsoft's execs like new President Chris Chung, as the company was able to post a strong increase in profit, even as global sales dipped 3% since last year to $355.1 million. Sales for the crucial fourth quarter were up however, jumping 11% to $95.9 million on strong sales from the Lineage series and the launch of Tabula Rasa in November.Korea continued to be NCsoft's dominant market, accounting for 59% of global sales, as compared to the 17% attributed to North America. This, of course, would account for the fact the relative success of the various franchises. Lineage and Lineage II, which are still wildly popular in Korea, ran sales of $34.2 million and $36.4 million, despite their age. Tabula Rasa, a title ostensibly aimed at the North American market with it's sci-fi and shooter fascinations, saw relatively meager sales of $5.4 million since it launched in November. This is further proof that the Asian market is simply too big to ignore. Companies looking to break Blizzard's grasp on the market may do well to look abroad.
How to make RMT obsolete rather than legit
Raph Koster was nice enough to come by and read our post about Live Gamer and their attempts to make RMT legit, and responds that while I suggested RMT was cheating and reading strategy guides was not, many older gamers actually do consider sites like Thottbot and EVE-db cheating. Just as the spirit of gaming evolved to consider outside help legitimate, so, Raph argues, will designers give up to market and player pressure, and make RMT viable and "legal."Which is probably true-- it's easy to see a future where a game like Dungeon Runners becomes a big hit, and 90% of the people play the game for free (or close to it), and the other 10% of the audience pays for the game by using only the highest level items and gear, and shelling out money for both. But personally, I'd rather go for Raph's other idea-- that smart designers will find ways around integrating RMT solutions by coming up with ways to make RMT unnecessary. I've written and talked about this before-- when it's impossible and/or inconvenient to obtain ingame items with real money, players just won't do it. And no players means no market.And let's not forget, either, that these are just games we're talking about-- RMT can buy you all the items you want, but it can't buy you great gameplay, and that's the reason we're all here in the first place. If designers emphasize gameplay over simple epic item collection in the first place, there's no reason for RMT at all. Companies like Live Gamer smell money in the air around virtual items, but hopefully (and this is what Raph doubted in his first post) there is still more money to be made with a successful widespread game than just selling the items inside of it.
The future of Activision Blizzard
So now that the news has broken, the CEO has been interviewed, and the dust has settled on this weekend's merger, it's time to ask the big question: Why? Blizzard and Vivendi are on top of the world in terms of their field right now. Why would they combine with Activision, especially if, as they claim, nothing at all is changing? Why go to all the trouble if it'll make no difference in either company's business?And the answer-- in my analysis-- is, as usual with most mergers: money. The fact is that Activision wants to be the biggest gaming company in the world. They want it all-- consoles, PC games, you name it-- and connecting with Blizzard helps them get a big part of that. World of Warcraft has turned Blizzard from a quality game designer into a videogame powerhouse, and Activision, in reaching for the top, has invited Blizzard on their team.Blizzard will profit from it as well-- Activision knows how to get games published and marketed (just look at Guitar Hero III, which has done incredibly well for being a game that was not only not made by the original developer, but actually released up against a strong competitor made by the original developer). Blizzard knows how to make great games, and Activision knows how to release them, so both companies obviously think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.But is it?
Low-cost MOTOFONE hits India
We knew Motorola had something (really) skinny up its sleeve way back in July, and after it got the ole thumbs-up from our constituents over at the FCC, we knew a whiz-bang release couldn't be too far out. Thankfully (at least for India), today's the day, and the MOTOFONE will finally find its way into (and surely out of) slim fit pockets everywhere. Moto announced immediate availability of the GSM-based F3 within India today at a dedicated event held in New Delhi, and stated that "international markets" could expect to get their palms on one "in the coming weeks." Furthermore, the CDMA sibling (F3c) is slated to hit shelves "before the end of 2006." While pricing details were cleverly omitted, we're sure they'll surface soon when local carriers jump on the bandwagon.[Via Mobiledia]
Kyocera K122 and K132 bring ultra low end to CDMA
Handset announcements from the floor of this fall's CTIA have come surprisingly few and far between, but Kyocera took the opportunity to show off two new entry-level handsets targeted primarily at international CDMA markets. The K132 clamshell is the "premium" device of the two -- and we use that term very loosely here -- featuring a color display, speakerphone, support for the 800 and 1900MHz bands, and a "soft touch" finish. The bare bones K122 strips away virtually every nonessential feature, leaving a basic, single-band candybar with a grayscale display. In this whole emerging markets game, we'd take a MOTOFONE any day over the K122, though we suspect the latter will find its way into consumer's hands sooner; expect both the K122 and its K132 sibling to drop before winter sets in.
DirecTV continues adding HD locals nationwide
DirecTV continues to roll out the MPEG-4 locals, today announcing a slew of cities new to the list, all starting broadcasts today. As always, DirecTV subscribers will need to have the correct new 5 LNB satellite dish & receiver to get the new broadcasts.The areas & stations announced today are: Denver, Colorado: KMGH/ABC, KCNC/CBS, KDVR/FOX, KUSA/NBC Hartford, Connecticut: WFSB/CBS, WVIT/NBC Miami, Florida: WPLG/ABC, WFOR/CBS, WSVN/FOX and WTVJ/NBC West Palm Beach, Florida: WPBF/ABC, WPTV/NBC Baltimore, Maryland: WMAR/ABC, WJZ/CBS, WNFF/FOX, WBAL/NBC Charlotte, North Carolina: WSOC/ABC, WCCB/FOX, WCNC/NBC Raleigh-Duram, North Carolina: WTVD/ABC, WNCN/NBC Cleveland, Ohio: WEWS/ABC, WJW/FOX, WKYC/NBC Olando, FloridaWFTV/ABC, WKMG/CBS, WOFL/FOX, WESH/NBC [Thanks for the tip Andy!][Update: added Orlando stations]
Sex talk: conference agenda released
The agenda for the Sex in Videogames conference has been published, and there are some interesting topics up for debate in San Fran this June. From the cultural to the technological, the conference will cover such diverse topics as cybersex, emergent behaviour, technology for realistic simulation and MMOEGs.This will definitely be one to watch; sex is becoming part of gaming as a specialist genre, as well as becoming integrated into our everyday gaming lives with emergent behaviour. As with other media before it, the human interest in sex is likely to fuel some interesting developments in games -- and not just in the field of "jiggle physics".[Via Sex & Games]
