Wii U Priced

SEPT. 13, 2012 • Nintendo Co. Ltd. announced official prices and release dates for two Wii U launch SKUs. The Basic version features a white 8GB Wii U while the Deluxe package sports a black unit, boosts memory to 32GB and bundles in a copy of Nintendo Land. North America will be first to get the Wii U on Nov. 18 with MSRPs of $299 and $349 for the Basic and Deluxe models. The console arrives in Europe on Nov. 30, but Nintendo would not release overall European .....

Toys “R” Us Launches Tablet

SEPT. 11, 2012 • Toys “R” Us is bringing its own kids branded kids tablet to market on Oct. 21. The $149.99 Tabeo will arrive with WiFi connectivity, an HDMI port, 1GB of RAM, front and rear cameras, 4GB of storage memory, a 7-inch screen, and 50 pre-loaded games and apps that run on the Android 4.0 operating system. An SD port allows for additional storage memory to be added. Some of the games featured are Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, Fruit Ninja, Tem.....

Amazon Adds HD Kindle Fire

SEPT. 7, 2012 • While the spotlight has been on Samsung’s Android tablets and smartphones this summer thanks to ongoing patent litigation with Apple, Amazon.com finalized a direct assault on Apple’s iPad business with a whole new series of high definition Kindle Fire tablets. The original Kindle Fire has sold well since its introduction last year. How well Amazon is averse to saying, but well enough to drop the upgraded entry-level Kindle Fire (7-inc.....

[a]list Summit: Did theSocial Bubble Just Burst?

SEPT. 05, 2012 • At the [a]list summit in February, keynote speaker Michael Pachter took exception with an observation by DFC Intelligence president and principal analyst David Cole. Cole’s statement that there is a “bubble” in social games, which was used in the summit’s opening address, presented by your co-author of this piece Steve Fowler. “I think David Cole said something that’s wrong,” Pachter, researc.....

FCC Looking At Internet Fees

Aug. 27, 2012 • Back in April the agency responsible for regulating broadband in the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), went largely unnoticed when it asked for comment on a proposal for funding broadband access in areas of the country that carriers find unprofitable to service. Currently there is a fee consumers pay on their landline and mobile phone bills that is dedicated to the purpose of generating $4.5 billion for the Connect Amer.....

India Xbox 360 Prices Raised

AUG. 24, 2012 • Redington Ltd., the India Xbox 360 distributor, announced increases in street prices for the game system. The 4GB model now costs Rs 15,990 ($288) up from Rs 14,990 ($269), the 250GB system went from Rs 21,990 ($395) to Rs 24,990 ($449), and the 4GB with Kinect bundle saw an increase to Rs 26,990 ($485) from Rs 24,990 ($449). Redington did not provide a reason for the increases, but Indian retailers assumed the decreasing value of the Rupee was t.....

Xbox Kinect Now $40 Less

AUG. 22, 2012 • North and Latin America, plus the Asia Pacific markets saw the Microsoft Entertainment & Devices division shear $40 off the price of the Xbox Kinect motion sensor bundled with Kinect Sports. The new pricing will spread to Australia and New Zealand on Oct. 4. There are no plans for a similar drop in list price in Japan, Europe or the Middle East. Also arriving in October is the $80 The Essentials Pack bundle, which features a wireless Xbox 360.....

OnLive’s Radical Restructuring

AUG. 20, 2012 • Cloud gaming service OnLive Inc. invoked a little known California process similar to bankruptcy called Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors (ABC) on the 17th.  ABC is used by companies to sell their assets more swiftly than in a typical bankruptcy in order to pay creditors more promptly. In OnLive’s case, all assets were sold for an undisclosed amount to Gary Lauder who runs technology investment fund Lauder Partners. In the process al.....

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