Tag Archives: sne

‘Mario Kart 8’ helps drive video game sales higher

Video game sales at U.S. retail stores posted a huge month in May, led by new consoles and hot games such as Ubisoft’s “Watch Dogs” and Nintendo’s “Mario Kart 8.” Sales of new game hardware, software and accessories rose 52% from May 2013 to $586 million, the NPD Group marketing-research company reported late Monday. Hardware sales jumped 95% to $187 million on the backs of Microsoft ‘s (MSFT) Xbox One and Sony ‘s (SNE) PlayStation 4. Software sales leapt 57% to $274 million. Accessories sales rose 8% to $124 million. U.S. retail video game sales have posted four consecutive quarters of year-over-year growth thanks to the console upgrade cycle. The top-selling video game title in May was Ubisoft’s action-adventure game “Watch Dogs.” It’s available on five platforms: Microsoft’s Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Windows PCs, plus Sony’s PS3 and PS4. A version for Nintendo’s Wii U console is planned for…

Sony Pulls Plug On PSP, What’s Next For Gaming?

All good gaming things must come to an end, and Sony recently started phasing out its flagship handheld gaming console, the PlayStation Portable, after nearly 10 years and reported sales of 76 million-plus units. But is PSP’s demise more proof the game is over for all handheld gaming devices, beaten by the popularity of games on smartphones and tablets? Well, at least not yet, says Sony (SNE). Late Monday, the company was expected to announce that

Microsoft hides Kinect in E3 presentation

Microsoft endeavored to give its Xbox One console a fresh start Monday in a presentation ahead of Tuesday’s official start of the E3 video game conference in Los Angeles. The Redmond, Wash.-based company focused on its upcoming slate of games for the next-generation living room device. Missing from the media briefing was any mention of Kinect, the motion and voice controller that was initially billed as an integral part of the Xbox One experience. Starting Monday, Microsoft (MSFT) began offering a version of the Xbox One without the Kinect peripheral for $399, the same price as rival Sony’s (SNE) PlayStation 4 console. Both consoles were launched in November, but the Sony PS4 got off to a faster start, thanks in part to being $100 cheaper than the Xbox One console with Kinect. “Our goal is to make Xbox One the best place to play games this generation,” Phil Spencer, head…