Posts related to ‘Video Games’

Sony (SNE) Throws Cold Water On The Holidays

bearSony (NYSE:SNE) expects its holiday sales to be poor. That is terrible news for the consumer electronics and PC industries. Sony is a nearly perfect proxy for those sectors. It sells PCs, video games, TV screens, and digital cameras. Many of Sony’s competitors will have to gird for another harsh holiday selling season, unless the forecast from the big Japanese firm is based on a large drop in market share across most of its businesses.

Sir Howard Stringer, Sony’s CEO, was quoted by Reuters as saying “There hasn’t been that turning point that many had hoped for. We are waiting for a signal that hasn’t arrived.” Read More »

Posted on: November 16, 2009 – 5:00 am in Consumer Electronics, Retail, Video Games, , , ,

Video Game Sales Fall Back In October

wiiSeptember sales for video game consoles were relatively good given the economy. Price cuts on the Nintendo Wii, Sony (NYSE:SNE) PS3, and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Xbox stimulated activity. It appears that the initial surge in sales that those discounts caused is already over.

Video game sales, including consoles and games, fell 18% in October. Read More »

Posted on: November 13, 2009 – 6:30 am in Video Games, ,

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2″ Blows Records Away (ATVI, GME, MSFT)

Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) may actually hit that $500 million first week target after all.  The company has announced this morning that since the 12:00 launch on Tuesday that its much-hyped “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2″ has become the biggest launch in history across all forms of entertainment.  Forget Star Wars, forget Halo 3.  The company has put the internal estimated sell-through sales at a figure of $310 million in North America and the United Kingdom alone in just the first 24 hours. The company also estimates that it sold approximately 4.7 million copies in just North America and the United Kingdom.
Read More »

Posted on: November 12, 2009 – 8:28 am in Entertainment, Media, Video Games, , ,

Apple (AAPL) Moves To Conquer Its Next Frontier

appleThe Holy Grail of consumer electronics is still a smashing success in the video game industry. Tens and tens of millions of Sony (NYSE:SNE) PS2s and PS3s were sold over the last decade. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) has turned its game console business into a real success. Nintendo has become the darling of the Japanese consumer electronics market because of huge sales of its portable DS and Wii consoles.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has done remarkably well in the computer, handset, and multimedia player sectors of electronics, but its has little or no place in the gaming industry. Read More »

Posted on: November 11, 2009 – 5:41 am in Video Games, ,

Activision (ATVI) “Call Of Duty” Could Set All-Time Video Game Record

wiiActivision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI) is about to release its “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II: video game. Sales are expected to be half a billion dollars in the first week. That would make it the biggest entertainment product release of all time, topping even the most successful blockbuster movies.

According to the LA Times, “Activision is working with retailers to plan more than 10,000 midnight openings in the United States, including most of the 4,300 GameStop stores around the country.” Read More »

Posted on: November 9, 2009 – 6:03 am in Video Games, , , ,

Nintendo In Trouble

wiiIt looks like Nintendo may finally be pulled of its perch as the No.1 video game console company in the world. It announced April to September 2009 earnings and part of the data the firm gave out is that it only sold 5.75 million units of its flagship Wii product. That compares with 10 million in the same period the year before.

Nintendo’s profit for the six months was $772 million down 52%. The consumer electronics company also cut its full-year profit forecast by over 15%. It said that a strong dollar and price cuts on the Wii would hurt results. Read More »

Posted on: October 29, 2009 – 5:46 am in Video Games, ,

Video Game Sales Recover, Sony (SNE) Takes First Place

wiiPrice cuts work. In September, Sony’s (NYSE:SNE) PS3 outsold the Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii for the first time in recent memory.

Industry research firm NPD said that the video game industry which includes both consoles and games, had sales of $1.28 billion in September, up 1% from a year ago. Read More »

Posted on: October 20, 2009 – 6:09 am in Video Games, , , , ,

Nintendo, Under Extreme Pressure, Cuts Wii Prices

wiiNintendo has shipped more than 52 million Wii units worldwide since it was first launched in late 2006. That dwarfs the sales of its rival consoles the Microsoft (MSFT) Xbox 360 and Sony (SNE) PS3. The third generation of the PlayStation was supposed to salvage Sony’s reputation and earnings in the consumer electronics markets. Instead its has been a very public failure. Microsoft has had technical problems with the Xbox which caused the company to take a $1.1 billion charge for warranty and repair costs. Read More »

Posted on: September 24, 2009 – 5:05 am in Video Games, ,

PlayStation 3 Sales Up 300%

wiiPS3 sales are up 300% since Sony (SNE) cut prices on the devices by $100.

PS3 sales have run behind those of the Microsoft (MSFT) Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii since Sony introduced the product. According to Reuters, the move up in sales will allow Sony to hit is fiscal year target of 13 million units shipped.

But, if PS3 sales are up, who wins and who loses? Read More »

Posted on: September 23, 2009 – 1:24 pm in Video Games, ,

Shanda IPO Taking Shape (SNDA, GAME, CYOU, SOHU)

The spin-off IPO for Shanda Games Limited (NASDAQ: GAME) is coming next week and the company has set the expected price band for its 63+ million American Depositary Shares in range of $10.50 and $12.50 per share.  The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited (NASDAQ: SNDA) and will in many ways continue after the IPO to effectively be under the parent.
Read More »

Posted on: September 16, 2009 – 4:05 pm in ADR, China, Entertainment, IPOs, Video Games, , , ,

The Unusual Suspects (ATVI, AIG, ALTH, TREE, GOOG, PAY, EXPO, WIRE, AXYS)

bull-and-bear-image2We have almost a whole new slate of stocks in this week’s round of “The Unusual Suspects” for key stocks traders need to keep an eye on for the week ahead.  Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) was singled out by Barron’s.  We ran a bit noting $100 as a possible target for American International Group Inc. (NYSE: AIG), and let’s just say that it was widely read.  Allos Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTH) has a key FDA ruling this coming week.  Tree.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: TREE) may have its model crushed by none other than Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG).  And troubled VeriFone Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: PAY) has earnings due this coming week, right at a key stock inflection point.  Exponent Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPO) and Encore Wire Corp. (NASDAQ: WIRE) are S&P index additions as new entrants.  Axsys Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: AXYS) also has a shareholder proxy date this week, and some think a higher buyout price may be in the works.  We have run key details and previews for all of these to watch in the coming week.

Read More »

Posted on: August 29, 2009 – 12:00 pm in Activist Investor, Analyst Calls, Biotech, Calendar, Charts, Earnings, Editor's Picks, FDA, Financial Stocks, Index, Internet, Mergers and Buy Outs, Rumors, Technology Companies, The Week, Video Games, , , , , , , , ,

Microsoft (MSFT) Makes It Official: Cuts Xbox By $100

balllmerWhat had been rumored is now true. Microsoft (MSFT) will cut the price of its Xbox 360 Elite by $100 to $299, the same price as the Sony (SNE) PS3.

Microsoft and Sony are still chasing industry leader Nintendo and its remarkably successful Wii. Industry analysts report that the Xbox has sold 31.4 million units since its launch compared to 23.7 million for the PS3 and 52.6 million for the Wii. Read More »

Posted on: August 27, 2009 – 5:33 am in Video Games, ,

Following Sony (SNE), Microsoft (MSFT) Likely To Lower Xbox Prices

wiiSales of the Sony (SNE) PS3 and Microsoft (MSFT) Xbox 360 run behind those of the Nintendo Wii most months and in most countries. Sony has attempted to remedy that by dropping the price of its game console. The could cut into sales and the market share of the Xbox.

As a response to Sony’s move and in a play to keep its sales competitive with its two rivals, Microsoft will probably lower the price of the Xbox as early as the end of August. Read More »

Posted on: August 26, 2009 – 5:18 am in Consumer Electronics, Video Games, ,

Video Game Sector Preps For Tough Year-End (GME, SNE, MSFT, ERTS, AMZN, NTDOY, TTWO, ATVI)

burning-money-picThe video game sector was supposed to be one of the relative beneficiaries of the recession even if it was not to be entirely immune.  The sector was part of the ‘in-living room entertainment’ trade.  Yet, it isn’t working out that way.  It seems that there has been almost no good news in the sector and the economic recovery is skipping the leaders.  Earnings from GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) were not helped at all by guidance.  Sony Corporation (NYSE: SNE) has potentially started a war of emasculation among console makers with its recent price cuts.  And game publisher Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) gave a poor showing with its most recent results.  Recent NPD data for video game sales showed some of the worst reports imaginable.
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Posted on: August 20, 2009 – 10:52 am in Earnings, Entertainment, Video Games, , , , , , , ,

24/7 Wall St. TV: Video Game Players Are Old And Fat

24/7 WallSt TVIn the not too distant future, video games may have health warning labels like the ones found on Marlboros and Jim Beam.

New research performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University, and Andrews University shows that the average age of video game players is 35.  That means a lot of very old people are spending endless hours on the Nintendo Wii, Sony (SNE) PS3, or Microsoft (MSFT) Xbox 360 consoles. It also means that gaming is not dominated by people under 20 and a portion of younger adults are probably doing something constructive with their time.

The data, which will appear in The Journal of Preventive Medicine in October, shows that video game players tend to be fat (have high BMI indexes), depressed (self assessment of mental state), and shut-ins (rely heavily on internet for social support). Read More »

Posted on: August 19, 2009 – 1:57 pm in TV, Video Games, ,

Video Game Players Are Fat, Depressed, And Old (SNE)(MSFT)

wiiIn the not too distant future, video games may have health warning labels like the ones found on Marlboros and Jim Beam.

New research performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University, and Andrews University shows that the average age of video game players is 35.  That means a lot of very old people are spending endless hours on the Nintendo Wii, Sony (SNE) PS3, or Microsoft (MSFT) Xbox 360 consoles. It also means that gaming is not dominated by people under 20 and a portion of younger adults are probably doing something constructive with their time. Read More »

Posted on: August 18, 2009 – 6:53 pm in Video Games, ,

Sony (SNE) PS3 And Microsoft (MSFT) Zune: Does Cutting Price Matter?

wiiSony’s (SNE) PS3 and Microsoft’s (MSFT) Zune both have the same problem. They substantially under-sell the market leaders. In the case of the Zune, that is Apple’s (AAPL) iPod which has a huge lead. In the case of the PS3, its foe is the Nintnedo Wii. Its lead is only substantial.

Sony (SNE) has cut the price of the PS3 and added new features. The unit will now cost $299 instead of $399. That is a lot of margin to give up in the hopes of getting new sales. Read More »

Posted on: August 18, 2009 – 5:40 pm in Video Games, , ,

No Recovery For Video Games

wiiJust when it looked like consumer spending might pick up, one of the hottest retail sectors, at least a year ago, video games, fell apart.

In July, the industry had a 29% drop in revenue to $849 million, according to the NPD Group. Hardware sales dropped 37% to $281 million. Microsoft (MSFT) was the only company that did well as sales of the Xbox 360 rose 17%. Read More »

Posted on: August 14, 2009 – 5:47 am in Video Games, , ,

EA Good Enough, on non-GAAP Basis (ERTS)

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced results for its first quarter of fiscal 2010, and shares are holding their own. Non-GAAP net revenue was $816 million, a gain of 34% from a year ago, and better than Thomson Reuters estimates of $729.5 million. EA’s non-GAAP loss was $6 million or -$0.02  EPS, down from -$0.42 a year ago.  Thomson Reuters estimates were for -$0.13 EPS.
Read More »

Posted on: August 4, 2009 – 4:46 pm in Earnings, Video Games,

24/7 Wall St. TV: Sony–No Hit Products Since The Stone Age

24/7 WallSt TVSony has been skewered for its lack of innovation for the last half decade. Its last big consumer electronics hit was the Walkman which went on sale in June 1979. Sony had another hit in 2000 when it launched the PlayStation 2 which has sold over 140 million units, but game consoles are not a mainstream electronics business, no matter how profitable they are. Video games don’t sell across the broad spectrum of consumers the way that PCs, TVs, and handsets do. Read More »

Posted on: July 31, 2009 – 4:37 am in Consumer Electronics, Earnings, Editor's Picks, Entertainment, Hardware, PC Companies, Satellite, Software, Video Games, Wireless, , , , , , , , , ,