360 Roundup: More shortage concerns
Another round of hand-wringing from the newspapers, plus the future of online gaming and some interesting 2006 predictions.
FULL STORY:
• We don’t mean to harp on the issue, but the Los Angeles Times has a nice package about the short supply of Xbox 360s and the outlook for Microsoft’s head-start on Nintendo and Sony. Here’s an excerpt:
“Steve Jobs will announce a product and it will ship that day and be in pretty good supply,” said Geoff Keighley, a host on G4, a cable channel devoted to video games. By comparison, Keighley said, Microsoft created “an object of desire they weren’t able to deliver to the vast majority of people who were intrigued.”
The story also breaks down Xbox sales by region, as of Dec. 31. It’s 900,000 for North America, 500,000 in Europe and 100,000 in Japan. [L.A. Times / Tribune]
• Meanwhile, Reuters delves into online gaming, which is apparently “growing up” and moving to consoles in a big way. Speaking of growing up, we noticed that all the gamers interviewed in these stories (three of them) are in their mid- to late 20s. Glad to see we’re growing old in style.
David Cole, president of DFC Intelligence, a video game market research firm, estimates that less than 5 percent of console owners now connect for online play on a regular basis. He said that number could hit 10 percent in the next two years as next-generation units debut.
And here’s one more canned quote: “This will be the online generation.” Stop the presses. [Reuters]
• We’ve got one more analyst’s musings to throw out there — some guy says that 360 shortages will continue into the summer, making it all the more a “hot item.” To be fair, we’re beyond the hotness and ready to play some games.
The same analyst, for what it’s worth, predicts Nintendo’s Revolution will debut at $200, as opposed to the less precise official line: “less than $300.” [GameSHOUT]
