Console publishers Konami and Square Enix switch focus to mobile
Konami and Square Enix are two of the largest and most well-known publishers in the console gaming space, but according to recent comments by both companies, the two are turning their attention to the mobile market. This isn’t just a safe hedge, both companies are looking to aggressively pursue mobile gaming as their main focus.
According to a translated interview with Nikkei Trendy Net, Konami’s new CEO Hideki Hayakawa says that the company will be looking at mobile as it main platform going forward.
“We will pursue mobile games aggressively. Our main platform will be mobiles. Following the pay-as-you-play model of games like Power pro and Winning Eleven with additional content, our games must move from selling things like “items” to selling things like “features.” – Konami
Interestingly, the company mentioned a pay-as-you-play model, which will focus on offering additional content and features for cash, rather than items and power-ups typically associated with in-app purchases. We’ll have to see if this business model proves successful or not in the mobile space, as the freemium segment is by far the most popular.
The company has been having problems in the console market lately, and not just limited to its dispute with Hideo Kojima and issues with its horror demo P.T. The company has recently seen itself de-list from the New York Stock exchange and is in the process of restructuring its headquarters, both of which have been viewed as signs of internal trouble and likely cost-cutting measures for the company.
Square Enix has echoed similar sentiments, suggesting that it is becoming increasingly difficult to turn a substantial profit in the existing console market. Instead, the company’s most recent earning reports saw a huge 50 percent growth in revenues, driven by MMO subscriptions and mobile games, including its popular Final Fantasy series.
“smart devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs are spreading rapidly, while the console game markets in North America and Europe are increasingly competitive and oligopolistic” – Square Enix
This isn’t to say that these companies will be abandoning mobile completely. Popular titles, such as Metal Gear Solid V, will still be heading to consoles in the future. Instead, they are realigning their businesses to keep up with one of the fastest growing sectors in the gaming market. On the up side, this might mean that a few more high profile titles will make their way into the mobile space in the future.
Konami and Square Enix aren’t the only publishers interested in the growing mobile gaming market. EA has brought its popular Need for Speed series over to Android, SEGA has published a few mobile games already, and even Nintendo is planning a range of games specifically for mobile through until 2017 and probably beyond.
What do the gamers out there make of the news? Is it great to see more attention for mobile, or is it disappointing that two legacy companies have lost faith in dedicated consoles?
The Galaxy S6 Active appears in Samsung Plus benefits scheme listing
It’s hardly a surprise that Samsung is planning on releasing an Active variant of its Galaxy S6 flagship smartphone. In recent days we’ve seen leaked press images, carrier-branded pictures and rumours that the rugged handset will support removables batteries and MicroSD cards. Today, the Galaxy S6 Active has been mentioned in a list detailing the devices that are eligible for the Samsung Plus reward program.
The Samsung Plus program provides additional benefits to valued customers, offering you peace of mind with each Samsung device purchased. A number of points are awarded, with the amount decreasing according to how much time has passed between the product’s launch date and when the device was registered in the scheme that has Silver, Gold and Platinum levels of benefits.
According to the list of devices below, the Galaxy S6 Active’s launch date was the same as its non-rugged siblings, although it hasn’t appeared on sale anywhere just yet. But the increased frequency of leaks would point to the Galaxy S6 Active being announced soon, with AT&T being the first carrier to offer it.
Source: Samsung
Via: PhoneArena
Come comment on this article: The Galaxy S6 Active appears in Samsung Plus benefits scheme listing
The ASUS ZenWatch is receiving its Android Wear 5.1.1 update
The ASUS ZenWatch is the latest smartwatch to be updated to Android Wear 5.1.1, in what is likely to be a staggered roll-out. LG’s Watch Urbane was the first to receive the update, and its good to see the update appearing for other members of the Android Wear family.
Reddit user Verdes8891 noticed his ZenWatch updating itself to build 1.1.1.1910765 while he was at work and was quick-witted enough to take the above image.
The update brings several features such as wrist gestures, always-on apps, and the ability to draw emoji’s on the watch display. One notable absentee is WiFi support. This is because, much like the LG G Watch, the ZenWatch doesn’t have the necessary WiFi component. The update should be hitting your ZenWatch soon, in the meantime, you can always get a sense of what Android 5.1.1 will bring by having a look at our walk-through here.
Source: Reddit
Come comment on this article: The ASUS ZenWatch is receiving its Android Wear 5.1.1 update
Amazon drops the price of the Fire Phone to £99, again
Remember Amazon’s Fire Phone? It hasn’t even celebrated its first birthday yet but you’d be forgiven for never giving the retailer’s first smartphone a second thought. In a bid to rectify the device’s original sky-high pricing, the company took a hit and dropped the cost of the Fire Phone to £99 back in January. Now it’s back. For the next week, you’ll be able to pick up the 32GB model for under a ton, with the 64GB version setting you back £179. For some reason, the 64GB model is actually £30 more than it was during Amazon’s previous Fire sale, but you’re still making a £200 saving on either O2-locked device.
Despite being a complete flop, Amazon has said that this won’t be last Fire Phone we’ll see. Like the original Kindle, the company reckons it will learn from its mistakes and come back with better devices. It could mean that today’s promotion will help clear the way for something new from the internet giant — it certainly can’t expect customers to remain interested in an aging phone that it’s all but given up on.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Amazon
Source: Amazon UK
Panasonic debuts first Firefox-powered Smart TVs in Europe
Panasonic lost some mystique when it stopped making those amazing plasma sets, but its new Firefox OS-powered 4K Smart TVs are showing a return to form. First revealed at CES this year, those sets are now available in Europe and will be rolling out to the US and elsewhere in the coming months. The Smart TV space has become crowded with players including Google’s Android TV platform, Samsung’s Tizen and Roku, to name just a few. However, Mozilla touts several unique advantages to its own platform, like plenty of HTML5 web apps including Netflix and Hulu, along with the ability to share content from any device with a Firefox browser.
New models include the curved 4K Viera 65-inch CR850 and 55-inch CR730, along with various flat 4K models in the CX series (pricing and models will vary by region, but we haven’t seen any in shops yet). Along with the smart features, Panasonic has a new wide color phosphor “4K Studio Master” picture engine it says will deliver professional color accuracy thanks to 3D look-up tables (LUTs) used by film industry color pros. The CR models also sports HDR and 10-bit color capability for more subtle gradations between colors — features that will be de rigeur for the fanciest new sets this year. Early previews are promising so far, but expect pricing to be pretty high — though not 4K OLED high.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Mozilla
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Iron Man Edition teased: I need that box in my life
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We know that Samsung has an Iron Man themed Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge in the pipeline, but today Samsung has started the process of teasing the device with an aim of releasing the device sometime at the end of May or early June. Samsung put up the following image on its Twitter page which shows off presumably the box that one devices – we’ll call it the “Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Iron Man Edition” – is going to come in, and by golly does it look good:
Coming Soon (*Detailed availability in markets may differ by region) pic.twitter.com/oseZi3fOKn
— Samsung Electronics (@SamsungTMRW) May 15, 2015
I want it just for the box. Accompanying the picture is “Coming Soon (*Detailed availability in markets may differ by region)” which suggests that this won’t be a device available everywhere, but we hope its accessible enough that fans of Samsung and The Avengers around the world are able to take advantage of these presumably once-in-a-lifetime themed devices. Here’s to hoping that Samsung makes more versions for the other Avengers – I’ll bet a Captain America one would sell like hotcakes.
What do you think about this Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Iron Man Edition? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The post Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Iron Man Edition teased: I need that box in my life appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Download and install latest Google Play Store 5.5.12 APK (Material Design)
The Google Play Store has just received a version bump, bringing it to version 5.5.12 and few minor changes, only a few moments after version 5.5.11 was released.
What’s New
– Popular opinions now surface
– Circular animation to TV shows
Of course, there could be more undisclosed under the hood performance enhancements not immediately noticeable.
If like me you like to be on the cutting edge of developments, you can go ahead and grab the latest Google Play Store 5.5.12 APK from here.
Notice anything else different in the newest version of the Google Play Store? Drop us a comment below.
The post Download and install latest Google Play Store 5.5.12 APK (Material Design) appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Leaked photos of OnePlus packaging adds to the anticipation of new device
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Talk about a tease. OnePlus has openly communicated that it is working on a successor to the brilliant OnePlus One smartphone, the OnePlus Two, and they have previously gone on the record to say that it is going to be released in Q3 2015. Even so, that still hasn’t stopped some leaked images of what appear to be OnePlus packaging. Presumably the fear of reprimand is so great that the leaker has taken pictures only of the box’s corners with the OnePlus logo adorning them, but unfortunately it’s impossible to tell what the box is for from what we have here – it might not even be a smartphone.
Even so, presumably OnePlus is working on quite a lot behind the scenes after a strong showing last year with its maiden smartphone. There is plenty of expectation on this next device and if it’s anything shy of great value for powerful hardware, we’re likely to see some kind of outcry. In the meantime, all we can do is stare at these pictures and wonder if we’re actually looking at the OnePlus Two until the device is actually announced.
What do you think about this OnePlus packaging – is it the real deal? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Gizmochina via TalkAndroid
The post Leaked photos of OnePlus packaging adds to the anticipation of new device appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Android 5.1.1 for Android Wear is starting to roll out, ASUS ZenWatch gets first dibs
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We know that the LG Watch Urbane is currently the only smartwatch on the market that is available with Android 5.1.1 for Android Wear, but we’ve been stumped by when the other devices running on the operating system would be receiving the update. Hopefully, it’s been a little demystified today after users have started reporting that their devices are receiving the Android 5.1.1 update as of today. In particular, Reddit user Verdes8891 posted a photo of his ASUS ZenWatch which had just received the update:
While it appears the rollout of Android 5.1.1 does indeed appear to have started, you shouldn’t get too excited just yet if you’re an Android Wear device owner – the ZenWatch is among one of the few Android Wear devices that doesn’t support the new Wi-Fi capabilities of Android 5.1.1 which would intuitively mean its update would ship first. By that logic, the LG G Watch and LG G Watch R should be receiving their updates quite soon as well, with all the other devices getting update some time after that. We’ll be interested to see who is actually next to update their smartwatch though – please be Motorola.
What do you think about the rollout of Android 5.1.1 for Android Wear starting? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Reddit
The post Android 5.1.1 for Android Wear is starting to roll out, ASUS ZenWatch gets first dibs appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Sony Smart Tennis Sensor to analyze games in North America and the UK
Sony’s Smart Tennis Sensor has finally arrived in the US, Canada and the UK from Japan, and just in time for the perfect weather to start working on being the next Nadal. It’s been a while since we saw it at CES 2014, though, so let’s all refresh our memories: the sensor’s a small circular device that fits into the bottom of a compatible racket’s handle once you remove its logo cap. It can not only detect the swing type you use, but also the shot count, ball impact spot, ball spin and swing and ball speeds. Plus, the accompanying iOS or Android app can record videos and associate data with specific parts, so you’d know what you need to improve on.
It could be a pretty useful tool for anyone who takes their matches seriously — or for those tired of getting almost nothing but “love” the whole game — but the downside is that you might have to get a new racket if the ones you have aren’t listed on the compatible models page. In the US and Canada, the sensor itself will cost you $200 and CA$250, respectively, and can be purchased from Sony’s online or select Wilson brick-and-mortar stores. Unfortunately, Sony didn’t reveal a price for the UK, where it can only be purchased from Wilson dealers.
Source: Sony US, Sony Store US, Sony UK, Sony Store Canada, Wilson (UK)
AIVAnet 