Microsoft Corp is slashing the price of its high-end Xbox 360 model by $100, ratcheting up the stakes in the game console fight this holiday season.
Microsoft said yesterday it would drop the price of the Xbox 360 Elite to $299.99,just days after Sony cut the rival PlayStation 3 to $299.
The price on the entry-level Xbox Arcade model will stay at $199.99, and Microsoft will phase out its mid-range Pro console, leaving it with two models.The Pro will sell for $249.99 until supplies run out. The global price cut is effective today.
The Xbox is the No.2 console in the US, behind Nintendo's Wii, which sells for $249. But Xbox sales have showed strength this year, up 17% in the US, the only console in positive territory.
Microsoft spokesman David Dennis said the price cut has been in the works for some time, and was not a response to Sony's move, which was announced last week at the Gamescom video game trade show in Cologne, Germany.
Rather, he said the company hoped the price reduction would attract new buyers and help simplify its product mix for manufacturers and retailers as well as customers.
"It really makes the decision for consumers a lot easier," Dennis said."They're either price conscious and they gravitate towards the Arcade or they the want the full Xbox 360 experience."
Game publishers such as Activision Blizzard have been clamouring for console price cuts, which help boost sales of software by increasing the installed based.
They are now getting their wish, even as the industry remains mired in a months-long slump brought on by a lack of big-name releases and a recession that has pinched consumer spending.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Nintendo updates DSi software
Nintendo said recently that it is updating DSi software to allow users to upload pictures from the camera-equipped handheld videogame devices to hot socialnetworking website Facebook.
The Facebook photo-sharing feature is now usable with a free system update to be available online.
"Facebook and Nintendo DSi build on the trend of personalisation that is so important to consumers," Nintendo of America executive vice president of sales and marketing Cammie Dunaway said in a statement.
"We're giving people the tools to express themselves in creative new ways and show off the results to their friends and family on Facebook."
DSi users will be able to tap an onscreen icon to send photos from DSi camera albums to Facebook profile pages by means of wireless broadband Internet connections, according to Nintendo.
The Japanese videogame titan has sold more than 1.7 million DSi devices in the United States since the thirdgeneration of the game system was launched here in April, according to figures from industry-tracker NPD Group.
Nintendo reported last week that sales of its Wii consoles have plunged, triggering a sharp drop in recent-quarter profits after years of spectacular growth.
The company had been riding high in recent years after trumping rivals Sony and Microsoft in the battle for dominance of the multi-billion dollar home videogame industry with its familyfriendly Wii. series.
The Facebook photo-sharing feature is now usable with a free system update to be available online.
"Facebook and Nintendo DSi build on the trend of personalisation that is so important to consumers," Nintendo of America executive vice president of sales and marketing Cammie Dunaway said in a statement.
"We're giving people the tools to express themselves in creative new ways and show off the results to their friends and family on Facebook."
DSi users will be able to tap an onscreen icon to send photos from DSi camera albums to Facebook profile pages by means of wireless broadband Internet connections, according to Nintendo.
The Japanese videogame titan has sold more than 1.7 million DSi devices in the United States since the thirdgeneration of the game system was launched here in April, according to figures from industry-tracker NPD Group.
Nintendo reported last week that sales of its Wii consoles have plunged, triggering a sharp drop in recent-quarter profits after years of spectacular growth.
The company had been riding high in recent years after trumping rivals Sony and Microsoft in the battle for dominance of the multi-billion dollar home videogame industry with its familyfriendly Wii. series.
BSA to launch online campaign
In an attempt to reach the younger generation and IT savvy users, the Business Software Alliance will launch Super Hero online video campaign via YouTube throughout the Asia Pacific region including Thailand next month.
The video campaign aims to motivate the people to inform the authorities about illegal usage of software, according to Roland Chan, Business Software Alliance (BSA) Senior Director of Marketing, AsiaPacific.
Meanwhile the BSA will raise awareness through online and offline channels to attract more users calls to the BSA hotline (02-714-1010) for legal action against copyright violators to receive an award of up to 250,000 baht.
"Clearly, the recession has led some people to call the hotline as a way to make up for lost income and to ease economic pressures and cash rewards for anonymous tips about software piracy are gaining favour among corporate managers and employees," said Chan.
Each year Thailand has 500-1,000 calls to hotline numbers and this year expects to get more from the new activities. In the first eight months of this year police raided more than 60 companies suspected of netting more than 150 million baht in unlicensed software.
"Among the hotline tips we receive are those about companies using unlicensed dictionaries without paying fees to the Thai Software Enterprise. Utilities software such as antivirus software is still the most popular for illegal use."
Moreover, there is a new viable option for copyright holders to sue illegal users though the Thai Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court to compensate their losses.
In a recent case, the court awarded the maker of design and engineering software 1.8 million baht in damages.The decision was based on evidence that the defendant infringed the software developer's copyright.
The court arrived at damages of 1.8 million in consideration of the value of the software, plus interest owed the plain-tiff starting from the date on which the defendant began using the unlicensed software.
The case began in late 2005 when a police investigation and subsequent police raid at the company's offices discovered unlicensed software being used by employees. Following a conviction in the criminal courts, lawyers for the plaintiff brought a civil case against the defendant, which culminated in victory last month.
The defendant, a 100 percent Thaiowned company, has registered capital of approximately 150 million baht and annual revenue of approximately 250 million baht.
Leonard Yeung, Autodesk's Asean Licence Compliance Manager, said that the court's opinion demonstrates once again that there are criminal and civil liabilities to be faced by companies in Thailand that use counterfeit or unlicensed copies of software in their business practices.
This case represents the second decision in favour of software developers.In January,2009, Autodesk won a milestone case as the first software development company to bring legal action against a company accused of using its software without licensing. In that case,Autodesk was awarded 3.5 million baht by the Thai Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court.
Chan continues that it is possible that these two cases will encourage more software developers to take action at a civil level. However, fighting to this has high legal is costly and takes long process,which is why more than 50 percent of cases are settled out of court.
There are several positive signs to make Thailand piracy rate in 2009 reduce from central government policy and strong police enforcement and compensation to copyright holders.
A BSA-IDC study revealed that Thailand's PC piracy rate in 2008 was around 76 percent with a value loss of US$609 million, dropping two points from 2007 and 80 percent in 2006. Thailand ranks eight out of 19 Asia Pacific economies.
The video campaign aims to motivate the people to inform the authorities about illegal usage of software, according to Roland Chan, Business Software Alliance (BSA) Senior Director of Marketing, AsiaPacific.
Meanwhile the BSA will raise awareness through online and offline channels to attract more users calls to the BSA hotline (02-714-1010) for legal action against copyright violators to receive an award of up to 250,000 baht.
"Clearly, the recession has led some people to call the hotline as a way to make up for lost income and to ease economic pressures and cash rewards for anonymous tips about software piracy are gaining favour among corporate managers and employees," said Chan.
Each year Thailand has 500-1,000 calls to hotline numbers and this year expects to get more from the new activities. In the first eight months of this year police raided more than 60 companies suspected of netting more than 150 million baht in unlicensed software.
"Among the hotline tips we receive are those about companies using unlicensed dictionaries without paying fees to the Thai Software Enterprise. Utilities software such as antivirus software is still the most popular for illegal use."
Moreover, there is a new viable option for copyright holders to sue illegal users though the Thai Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court to compensate their losses.
In a recent case, the court awarded the maker of design and engineering software 1.8 million baht in damages.The decision was based on evidence that the defendant infringed the software developer's copyright.
The court arrived at damages of 1.8 million in consideration of the value of the software, plus interest owed the plain-tiff starting from the date on which the defendant began using the unlicensed software.
The case began in late 2005 when a police investigation and subsequent police raid at the company's offices discovered unlicensed software being used by employees. Following a conviction in the criminal courts, lawyers for the plaintiff brought a civil case against the defendant, which culminated in victory last month.
The defendant, a 100 percent Thaiowned company, has registered capital of approximately 150 million baht and annual revenue of approximately 250 million baht.
Leonard Yeung, Autodesk's Asean Licence Compliance Manager, said that the court's opinion demonstrates once again that there are criminal and civil liabilities to be faced by companies in Thailand that use counterfeit or unlicensed copies of software in their business practices.
This case represents the second decision in favour of software developers.In January,2009, Autodesk won a milestone case as the first software development company to bring legal action against a company accused of using its software without licensing. In that case,Autodesk was awarded 3.5 million baht by the Thai Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court.
Chan continues that it is possible that these two cases will encourage more software developers to take action at a civil level. However, fighting to this has high legal is costly and takes long process,which is why more than 50 percent of cases are settled out of court.
There are several positive signs to make Thailand piracy rate in 2009 reduce from central government policy and strong police enforcement and compensation to copyright holders.
A BSA-IDC study revealed that Thailand's PC piracy rate in 2008 was around 76 percent with a value loss of US$609 million, dropping two points from 2007 and 80 percent in 2006. Thailand ranks eight out of 19 Asia Pacific economies.
Teen answers online
A web site is now up and running with an ultimate goal of tackling teenagers' problems.
Developed by Assoc Prof Somthawin Thanasopon, www.woundwhy.com offers online games through which visitors will learn about the dangers of drugs, liquor, sexually transmitted diseases, etc, and also how to avoid them.
"We use the games to attract teenagers' attention. Learning from the games won't be boring," Somthawin said.
After playing the games, the visitors will also be asked to fill questionnaires.
"We will collect the information for researching purposes. The information will also be used to develop the web site's content," she added.
She said the web site targeted children aged between 12 and 15 years old.
However, she said the web site would also prove useful to children from different age groups or even parents.
"Our web site teaches about sex education and adolescent emotion as well," Somthawin added.
She believed the web site would be able to reach out to a large number of teenagers because Internet was now popular.
Her web site offers prizes like flash drives, pens and Tshirts for visitors who have played all the games and filled all the questionnaires.
www.woundwhy.com was launched yesterday.
Present at the launch event were Basic Education Commission secretary general Khunying Kasama Varawarn, National Research Council secretary general Dr Anond Bunyaratavej and Kasetsart University president Vudtechai Kapilakanchana.
Kasama hailed the web site as a good medium for youths.
Developed by Assoc Prof Somthawin Thanasopon, www.woundwhy.com offers online games through which visitors will learn about the dangers of drugs, liquor, sexually transmitted diseases, etc, and also how to avoid them.
"We use the games to attract teenagers' attention. Learning from the games won't be boring," Somthawin said.
After playing the games, the visitors will also be asked to fill questionnaires.
"We will collect the information for researching purposes. The information will also be used to develop the web site's content," she added.
She said the web site targeted children aged between 12 and 15 years old.
However, she said the web site would also prove useful to children from different age groups or even parents.
"Our web site teaches about sex education and adolescent emotion as well," Somthawin added.
She believed the web site would be able to reach out to a large number of teenagers because Internet was now popular.
Her web site offers prizes like flash drives, pens and Tshirts for visitors who have played all the games and filled all the questionnaires.
www.woundwhy.com was launched yesterday.
Present at the launch event were Basic Education Commission secretary general Khunying Kasama Varawarn, National Research Council secretary general Dr Anond Bunyaratavej and Kasetsart University president Vudtechai Kapilakanchana.
Kasama hailed the web site as a good medium for youths.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Sony slims PS3 console,trims prices
Sony on Tuesday unveiled a long-rumoured slim version of its PlayStation 3 videogame console and cut prices on existing models that have been struggling for momentum in the marketplace.
A PlayStation 3 console with "an extremely streamlined form factor" and a 120 gigabyte hard drive will be released in September, according to the Japanese electronics giant.
The consoles will be priced at $299 in the United States,299 in Europe, and 29,980 yen in Japan.
Sony lopped $100 off the prices of PS3 consoles currently on the market to $299 for models with 80 gigabyte hard drives and $399 for those with 160 gigabyte hard drives.
"By launching a vast library of exciting and attractive software titles for PS3 this holiday season and offering customers a line-up of hardware models and pricing to match their preference, SCE will build on the momentum and accelerate the expansion of the PS3 platform," Sony said in a release.
The slim PS3 is about two-thirds the size of existing models but has all the features of previous models, including Blu-ray high-definition disk players, according to Sony.
Since their launch with much fanfare in 2006, PS3 models have boasted power and rich graphics, but at premium prices when compared to Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's innovative Wii consoles.
Sony has since found the console wars to be bruising but is banking on its refreshed, lower-priced PS3 line and the release of blockbuster videogame titles to improve its fortunes in the crucial year-end holiday shopping season.
Sony Corp reported a net loss of 37.1 billion yen ($390 million) for the fiscal first quarter through June, blaming the global economic downturn.
The maker of Bravia televisions, PlayStation game consoles and Cyber-shot cameras maintained its forecast for its first back-to-back annual losses since it was listed on the stock market in 1958.
Sony, which announced in March its first annual loss in 14 years, expects to end the current business year 120 billion yen in the red.
A PlayStation 3 console with "an extremely streamlined form factor" and a 120 gigabyte hard drive will be released in September, according to the Japanese electronics giant.
The consoles will be priced at $299 in the United States,299 in Europe, and 29,980 yen in Japan.
Sony lopped $100 off the prices of PS3 consoles currently on the market to $299 for models with 80 gigabyte hard drives and $399 for those with 160 gigabyte hard drives.
"By launching a vast library of exciting and attractive software titles for PS3 this holiday season and offering customers a line-up of hardware models and pricing to match their preference, SCE will build on the momentum and accelerate the expansion of the PS3 platform," Sony said in a release.
The slim PS3 is about two-thirds the size of existing models but has all the features of previous models, including Blu-ray high-definition disk players, according to Sony.
Since their launch with much fanfare in 2006, PS3 models have boasted power and rich graphics, but at premium prices when compared to Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's innovative Wii consoles.
Sony has since found the console wars to be bruising but is banking on its refreshed, lower-priced PS3 line and the release of blockbuster videogame titles to improve its fortunes in the crucial year-end holiday shopping season.
Sony Corp reported a net loss of 37.1 billion yen ($390 million) for the fiscal first quarter through June, blaming the global economic downturn.
The maker of Bravia televisions, PlayStation game consoles and Cyber-shot cameras maintained its forecast for its first back-to-back annual losses since it was listed on the stock market in 1958.
Sony, which announced in March its first annual loss in 14 years, expects to end the current business year 120 billion yen in the red.
Sony slims game console, cuts prices
Sony yesterday unveiled a long-rumoured slim version of its PlayStation 3 videogame console and cut prices on existing models that have been struggling for momentum in the marketplace.
A PlayStation 3 console with "an extremely streamilined form factor" and a 120 gigabyte hard drive will be released next month, according to the Japanese electronics giant.
The consoles will be price at US$299 (Bt10,200) in the United States 299 Cent (Bt14,400) in Europe, and 29,980 yen(Bt10,850) in Japan.
Sony lopped $100 off the prices of PS3 consoles currently on the market to $299 for models with 80 gigabyte hard drives and $399 for those with 160 gigabyte hard drives.
The slim PS3 is about two-thirds the size of existing models but has all the features of previous models, including Blu-ray high-definition disk players, accroding to Sony.
Since their launch with much fanfare in 2006, PS3 models have boasted power and rich graphics, but at premium prices when compared to Microsoft's Xbox 360 Nintendo's innovative Wii consoles.
A PlayStation 3 console with "an extremely streamilined form factor" and a 120 gigabyte hard drive will be released next month, according to the Japanese electronics giant.
The consoles will be price at US$299 (Bt10,200) in the United States 299 Cent (Bt14,400) in Europe, and 29,980 yen(Bt10,850) in Japan.
Sony lopped $100 off the prices of PS3 consoles currently on the market to $299 for models with 80 gigabyte hard drives and $399 for those with 160 gigabyte hard drives.
The slim PS3 is about two-thirds the size of existing models but has all the features of previous models, including Blu-ray high-definition disk players, accroding to Sony.
Since their launch with much fanfare in 2006, PS3 models have boasted power and rich graphics, but at premium prices when compared to Microsoft's Xbox 360 Nintendo's innovative Wii consoles.
Exhibition promises to put fun into science
If you think you dislike science, a range of new games and 3D books designed to boost knowledge of and enjoyment of -maths and the sciences may change your mind.
In the National Science and Technology Fair 2009, held in cooperation with the Ministry of Science and Technology and National Science Museum,which runs until August 23 at Impact Arena Hall 2-8, Muang Thong Thani,booths offering new experiences promise to turn difficult science into "fun knowledge".
For example, IBM Global has developed PowerUp , a new online 3D game that is both fun and filled with knowledge,according to IBM Thailand, Chief Technologist, Trirat Suwanprateeb.
The game encourages children to learn about science and engineering principles through interactive tasks.
Players can solve environmental issues on a virtual planet by generating "clean energy" such as solar energy, wind power and hydropower.
The game characters can interact with players to give science and engineering information which allows the players to gain knowledge about energy conser-vation and restoring the environment in a virtual world. This game is available to download for free from www.powerup thegame.org
Meanwhile, TryScience is the world's first global science and technology museum that promises to make science "fun" for students.
It will be developed in collaboration with more than 500 science institutions and science museums.
IBM has created a knowledge database at www.tryscience.org, taking the form of a multimedia game that allows students to run science experiments through a computer, and provides experimental instructions in many scientific fields for students and teachers to carry out in the classrooms.
"Advance technologies help children to access new experiences to explore science," Trirat said.
"Not every child can afford to visit real science museums around the world but these technologies can make it happen [virtually].
"In the near future, IBM will hold science camps for normal and disabled students as well as offer training for teachers."
The Office of Atoms for Peace booth also offers various animation stories that will teach students in an enjoyable manner about what is nuclear technology,atom theory and other difficult and hardto-imagine subjects.
New 3D textbook
The Technology Management Centre under National Science and Technology Development Agency, or NSTADA, will demonstrate the new technology of interactive books, which can help students to learn biology and chemistry more easily - and more enjoyably.
Larngear Technology, a software developer, turns ordinary textbooks into 3D books.
The system works by using a webcam to send pictures, while the software will process the object and show it 3D on the surface of the book page.
Every time the webcam moves, the object will move follow.
This gives the impression of the object appearing for real in front of the users.
The exhibition also has a 4D simulator displaying natural resources to try to teach visitors how to save the world from the effects of global warming.
The fair also has separate zones for robot and automatic technology.
There will be a parade of robotics including the impressive Scorpion and Spider robots, which recreate the animals from the movie Transformers 2 .It is hoped touching and examining the robots may inspire children to become the scientists of the future.
In the National Science and Technology Fair 2009, held in cooperation with the Ministry of Science and Technology and National Science Museum,which runs until August 23 at Impact Arena Hall 2-8, Muang Thong Thani,booths offering new experiences promise to turn difficult science into "fun knowledge".
For example, IBM Global has developed PowerUp , a new online 3D game that is both fun and filled with knowledge,according to IBM Thailand, Chief Technologist, Trirat Suwanprateeb.
The game encourages children to learn about science and engineering principles through interactive tasks.
Players can solve environmental issues on a virtual planet by generating "clean energy" such as solar energy, wind power and hydropower.
The game characters can interact with players to give science and engineering information which allows the players to gain knowledge about energy conser-vation and restoring the environment in a virtual world. This game is available to download for free from www.powerup thegame.org
Meanwhile, TryScience is the world's first global science and technology museum that promises to make science "fun" for students.
It will be developed in collaboration with more than 500 science institutions and science museums.
IBM has created a knowledge database at www.tryscience.org, taking the form of a multimedia game that allows students to run science experiments through a computer, and provides experimental instructions in many scientific fields for students and teachers to carry out in the classrooms.
"Advance technologies help children to access new experiences to explore science," Trirat said.
"Not every child can afford to visit real science museums around the world but these technologies can make it happen [virtually].
"In the near future, IBM will hold science camps for normal and disabled students as well as offer training for teachers."
The Office of Atoms for Peace booth also offers various animation stories that will teach students in an enjoyable manner about what is nuclear technology,atom theory and other difficult and hardto-imagine subjects.
New 3D textbook
The Technology Management Centre under National Science and Technology Development Agency, or NSTADA, will demonstrate the new technology of interactive books, which can help students to learn biology and chemistry more easily - and more enjoyably.
Larngear Technology, a software developer, turns ordinary textbooks into 3D books.
The system works by using a webcam to send pictures, while the software will process the object and show it 3D on the surface of the book page.
Every time the webcam moves, the object will move follow.
This gives the impression of the object appearing for real in front of the users.
The exhibition also has a 4D simulator displaying natural resources to try to teach visitors how to save the world from the effects of global warming.
The fair also has separate zones for robot and automatic technology.
There will be a parade of robotics including the impressive Scorpion and Spider robots, which recreate the animals from the movie Transformers 2 .It is hoped touching and examining the robots may inspire children to become the scientists of the future.
US market goes into freefall
Hurt by the recession and few game launches that have been hits,US retail sales of video games dropped sharply in July, showing an even bigger decline than many analysts had expected.
Market researcher NPD Group said on Thursday that sales of game hardware,software and accessories plunged 29%from the same period last year, to $848.8 million.
July marked the fifth straight month to show a sales decline this year. On top of that, the drop was steeper than what analysts were looking for. Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey, for example, had expected a 15% decline.
Year-to-date sales were down 14% at the end of July, totaling $8.16 billion.
"While year-to-date results are weak,there are some big titles set to be released over the next several months, including 'Madden' this month, which should help spur sales," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier in a statement.
Squeezed by the recession, customers are being more selective about what video games they buy, and many are waiting for blockbuster game launches coming later in the year.
They are also hoping for console price cuts.
Sales of portable gaming systems and consoles tumbled 37%, to $280.9 million.The handheld Nintendo DS was by far the month's best-selling system, with 538,900 units sold. It was followed by the Wii with 252,500 units and Microsoft Corp's Xbox 360 with 202,900 units. Sony Corp's PlayStation 3 sold just 121,800 units.
"We need hardware to turn around or the industry is going to be in trouble,"said Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter.
He added that the industry would most definitely turn around, in September, because of huge game launches planned for that month."But the trough on the decline is worse than I thought."
Last year's spring and summer saw the launch of blockbuster games like 'Wii Fit' and 'Grand Theft Auto IV.' In comparison the first half of 2009 has been unusually slow when it comes to top-flight game launches. Combined with the recession, the retail games industry is not doing too well.
But Frazier said the worst comparisons "should be behind us, and looking beyond August we have 'The Beatles: Rock Band,''Halo 3: ODST,' and of course,'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2' to look forward to."
July's software sales fell 26% to $437 million.
The No.1 game was Nintendo's 'Wii Sports Resort,' followed in No.2 and No.3 by Electronic Arts Inc's 'NCAA Football 10' for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, respectively.
Market researcher NPD Group said on Thursday that sales of game hardware,software and accessories plunged 29%from the same period last year, to $848.8 million.
July marked the fifth straight month to show a sales decline this year. On top of that, the drop was steeper than what analysts were looking for. Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey, for example, had expected a 15% decline.
Year-to-date sales were down 14% at the end of July, totaling $8.16 billion.
"While year-to-date results are weak,there are some big titles set to be released over the next several months, including 'Madden' this month, which should help spur sales," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier in a statement.
Squeezed by the recession, customers are being more selective about what video games they buy, and many are waiting for blockbuster game launches coming later in the year.
They are also hoping for console price cuts.
Sales of portable gaming systems and consoles tumbled 37%, to $280.9 million.The handheld Nintendo DS was by far the month's best-selling system, with 538,900 units sold. It was followed by the Wii with 252,500 units and Microsoft Corp's Xbox 360 with 202,900 units. Sony Corp's PlayStation 3 sold just 121,800 units.
"We need hardware to turn around or the industry is going to be in trouble,"said Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter.
He added that the industry would most definitely turn around, in September, because of huge game launches planned for that month."But the trough on the decline is worse than I thought."
Last year's spring and summer saw the launch of blockbuster games like 'Wii Fit' and 'Grand Theft Auto IV.' In comparison the first half of 2009 has been unusually slow when it comes to top-flight game launches. Combined with the recession, the retail games industry is not doing too well.
But Frazier said the worst comparisons "should be behind us, and looking beyond August we have 'The Beatles: Rock Band,''Halo 3: ODST,' and of course,'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2' to look forward to."
July's software sales fell 26% to $437 million.
The No.1 game was Nintendo's 'Wii Sports Resort,' followed in No.2 and No.3 by Electronic Arts Inc's 'NCAA Football 10' for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, respectively.
Marriage of convenience
The longest running soap opera in technology ended like all the others - with a marriage, a happy man and woman, a bright future and the bodies from the past buried and forgotten.
Manly Microsoft's soft-spoken CEO Steve Ballmer got the dowry after winning the heart of Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz, said dowry consisting of the Yahoo search engine and the right to brag about the new Microhoo or Yabing or whatever he will call the children, formerly known as Yahoo Jr and Bing; Ms Bartz claimed she was thrilled to lose a lot of weight and get Yahoo back to the past and its roots as an Internet portal, the culmination of the plot that began with the ouster of Yahoo founder Jerry Yang. In return, Yahoo gets 88 percent of the search revenue for five years, while Mr Ballmer gets to take on Google head-to-head in the Internet's hugely profitable search-and-snoop business of following consumers around; as the new battle starts, Google has about 60 per cent of all search traffic, while Yahoo and Microsoft between them have about 30 per cent.
The Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas appeared to show that the only people who gamble are those like you and us, because the hackers will have their way with us; a presentation showed how crackers can make a phony website look legitimate, and how others have fully cracked and activated the Ultimate edition of Windows 7, weeks before its release.
At the beginning of July, chief TechCrunch honcho in charge, Michael Arrington, unleashed post after post about the morality of publishing stolen internal documents; at the end of July, after a Singapore company building the latest TechCrunch "CrunchPad" gave a newspaper interview, chief TechCrunch grouch Michael Arrington in charge of bad moods and profanity unleashed tweets and posts about "unauthorised press BS"; he was last seen biting hard cheese and trying to peel tough bananas.
CEO Michael O'Leary of European budget airline Ryanair whipped out his fountain pen, inkwell and cardboard megaphone to win the coveted Iron Luggable Trophy for Quote of the Week; asked why his airline only accepts complaints by letter or fax, Mr O'Leary complained (without either): "People will say, 'As the founding fathers wrote down in the American Constitution, we have the inalienable right to bear arms and send in our complaints by email.' No, you bloody don't! So go away."
Earlier this year, the US state of Hawaii passed an Internet tax bill, and Amazon. com opted out of all advertising relationships with Hawaii; in July, Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle vetoed the tax bill, and Amazon resumed business in the Aloha State.
Scientists at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute took 18 months to discover that texting ... oh look, there's a squirrel. US scientists discovered that texting while driving was the greatest and most dangerous distraction for truckers, with a collision rate of 23 times greater than non-texters; in other words, if you're driving right now, you are safer just reading this article than you would be trying to send a comment on it; US scientists really have a great job, eh?
Steve "President For Life" Jobs and his Apple Inc minions refused to allow an iPhone app capable of displaying girls in skimpy bathing suits, but endorsed one that helps people find US marijuana salesmen.
Sun Danyong of China committed suicide after he lost a prototype of the Apple iPhone; police were asked to investigate Sun's death after reports that a "security official" of the Chinese firm Foxconn roughed up Sun; Foxconn is the actual maker of the iPhone, and apparently feared the Wrath of Jobs over the lost prototype of next year's iPhone 4, leading to Sun's decision to take his life.
eBay announced it will hive off its old acquisition Skype to make a new company which might, at last, make some sort of money. The founders of Skype, who sold out to eBay a couple of years ago, announced they may sue the auction site for using some of their licensed technology in Skype; now there's a case that should bring a few new Mercedes Benzes for the lawyers involved.
Sony and Nintendo reported that in a recession, people do not buy game consoles; sales slumped, with Wii sales in the second quarter off by 50 per cent compared with 2008.
No 3 US yuppiephone firm Sprint Nextel bought Virgin Mobile USA for $483 million, based on the stock price at the time of the sale; Sprint will assume roughly $200 million in debt of Virgin, but most importantly will launch the company firmly into the prepaid ("1-2-Call") sector, still a sleeping giant in the US mobile business.
Did you notice the big drop in spam and malware on the Internet in the past few months? Neither did the folks at McAfee's alleged security firm, which said that spam levels in the second quarter leapt to an all-time high, 80 per cent above the first three months of the year; the US still produces about 25 per cent of world spam, but is losing ground to Brazil, India and (figure this one) Turkey; according to the rough McAfee research, spam now accounts for 92 per cent of all email.
Manly Microsoft's soft-spoken CEO Steve Ballmer got the dowry after winning the heart of Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz, said dowry consisting of the Yahoo search engine and the right to brag about the new Microhoo or Yabing or whatever he will call the children, formerly known as Yahoo Jr and Bing; Ms Bartz claimed she was thrilled to lose a lot of weight and get Yahoo back to the past and its roots as an Internet portal, the culmination of the plot that began with the ouster of Yahoo founder Jerry Yang. In return, Yahoo gets 88 percent of the search revenue for five years, while Mr Ballmer gets to take on Google head-to-head in the Internet's hugely profitable search-and-snoop business of following consumers around; as the new battle starts, Google has about 60 per cent of all search traffic, while Yahoo and Microsoft between them have about 30 per cent.
The Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas appeared to show that the only people who gamble are those like you and us, because the hackers will have their way with us; a presentation showed how crackers can make a phony website look legitimate, and how others have fully cracked and activated the Ultimate edition of Windows 7, weeks before its release.
At the beginning of July, chief TechCrunch honcho in charge, Michael Arrington, unleashed post after post about the morality of publishing stolen internal documents; at the end of July, after a Singapore company building the latest TechCrunch "CrunchPad" gave a newspaper interview, chief TechCrunch grouch Michael Arrington in charge of bad moods and profanity unleashed tweets and posts about "unauthorised press BS"; he was last seen biting hard cheese and trying to peel tough bananas.
CEO Michael O'Leary of European budget airline Ryanair whipped out his fountain pen, inkwell and cardboard megaphone to win the coveted Iron Luggable Trophy for Quote of the Week; asked why his airline only accepts complaints by letter or fax, Mr O'Leary complained (without either): "People will say, 'As the founding fathers wrote down in the American Constitution, we have the inalienable right to bear arms and send in our complaints by email.' No, you bloody don't! So go away."
Earlier this year, the US state of Hawaii passed an Internet tax bill, and Amazon. com opted out of all advertising relationships with Hawaii; in July, Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle vetoed the tax bill, and Amazon resumed business in the Aloha State.
Scientists at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute took 18 months to discover that texting ... oh look, there's a squirrel. US scientists discovered that texting while driving was the greatest and most dangerous distraction for truckers, with a collision rate of 23 times greater than non-texters; in other words, if you're driving right now, you are safer just reading this article than you would be trying to send a comment on it; US scientists really have a great job, eh?
Steve "President For Life" Jobs and his Apple Inc minions refused to allow an iPhone app capable of displaying girls in skimpy bathing suits, but endorsed one that helps people find US marijuana salesmen.
Sun Danyong of China committed suicide after he lost a prototype of the Apple iPhone; police were asked to investigate Sun's death after reports that a "security official" of the Chinese firm Foxconn roughed up Sun; Foxconn is the actual maker of the iPhone, and apparently feared the Wrath of Jobs over the lost prototype of next year's iPhone 4, leading to Sun's decision to take his life.
eBay announced it will hive off its old acquisition Skype to make a new company which might, at last, make some sort of money. The founders of Skype, who sold out to eBay a couple of years ago, announced they may sue the auction site for using some of their licensed technology in Skype; now there's a case that should bring a few new Mercedes Benzes for the lawyers involved.
Sony and Nintendo reported that in a recession, people do not buy game consoles; sales slumped, with Wii sales in the second quarter off by 50 per cent compared with 2008.
No 3 US yuppiephone firm Sprint Nextel bought Virgin Mobile USA for $483 million, based on the stock price at the time of the sale; Sprint will assume roughly $200 million in debt of Virgin, but most importantly will launch the company firmly into the prepaid ("1-2-Call") sector, still a sleeping giant in the US mobile business.
Did you notice the big drop in spam and malware on the Internet in the past few months? Neither did the folks at McAfee's alleged security firm, which said that spam levels in the second quarter leapt to an all-time high, 80 per cent above the first three months of the year; the US still produces about 25 per cent of world spam, but is losing ground to Brazil, India and (figure this one) Turkey; according to the rough McAfee research, spam now accounts for 92 per cent of all email.
Dangerous games
The public showed what a down-market daily newspaper called "a distaste for games" to say the least; according to the Abac Poll of Assumption University, 86 per cent of Thais want the government to continue and better enforce the ban on under-18s playing games in cyber cafes for more than three hours a day; the reason, said those polled - all adults - is that if children play games for more than three hours they get hopelessly addicted. Just look at the all the adults who played hopscotch and jump-rope when they were kids and can't get those monkeys off their backs; 97 per cent of the adults believed that; they also were not asked about children with parents well-off enough to have a computer at home.
North Korea’s news agency has joined Twitter, allowing people worldwide to get in on the latest news from the DPRK Weather Bureau, and the meddling of Hillary Clinton in Southeast Asia, not to mention the daily activities of the Dear Leader. Or is it a hoax?
Two weeks after the army announced that terrorists in the South are switching from mobile phones to other types of remote controls (model airplanes, for example) to set off their bombs, that the military is to purchase new, updated and quite a bit more expensive equipment to jam mobile phones; this time, the jammers come from Japan at a cost of (cough) 1.5 million baht (cough) apiece; you should be ashamed for what you're thinking right now, the leaders of the armed forces have absolutely no motive but pure national security and the idea of a kickback on such equipment is hateful thought.
No 3 hard-drive maker Hitachi Global Store Technologies of the US and Thailand announced it will hire another 1,000 workers quickly, and bring its Thai work force above 10,000 - even higher than last year; the firm is fighting Seagate and Western Digital by producing drives in its factory at Prachin Buri; "The global HDD industry has really recovered," said HGST deputy managing director for Thailand Nakorn Tangsujaritpun.
No 2 hard-drive maker Western Digital of the US and Thailand announced it will hire 5,000 Thai workers as orders pick up for data-storage products; Sampan Silapanad, president for vice at the Thai firm, said most of the new or re-hired staff will work at the Bang Pa-in plant in Ayutthaya, which had already gone on overtime shifts to meet the rising demand. It now seems only a matter of time before No 1 Seagate will also be rehiring their laid-off staff.
Srithai Superware, which makes those stools for squatting and many market-restaurant chairs for sitting, announced that the outlook is bright for recovery of its hard-plastics products in the near future, because it has "received new orders from the Sony Group to produce CD, VCD and DVD holders for Michael Jackson albums."
Cloistered NGOs and "activists" gathered for an air-conditioned and well-fed meeting in Chiang Rai to complain about those horrid Internet providers and mobile phone firms abusing consumers so badly; the Southeast Asian gathering brought up the right problems - lousy Internet services at unfriendly prices, yuppiephone spam and the like; then they spoiled it by whining that Big Business was probably giving them inoperable brain tumours from the telephones, and even worse that only Southeast Asians get horrible service and price ripoffs, not like consumers in the industrialised countries; meanwhile New York Times technology writer David Pogue tried to start a mass write-in campaign to mobile phone companies to stop using up 15 seconds of air time ($620 million/21 billion baht a year, he figured) telling subscribers how to speak after they hear the tone; the difference? The whingeing Bangkok meeting demanded that the government protect them, because consumers are dumb, powerless victims.
The Metropolitan Electricity Authority estimated that the recession will convince folks in and near Bangkok to cut back on electricity use by at least 4 per cent this year, compared to an average rise of more than 5 per cent in recent, better years; MEA governor Pornthape Thunyapongchai said that in fact, power use was down around 10 per cent in the first six months of the year, but then "improved" - the opposite of what climate change advocates might say.
Your CAT Telecom, for the second century in a row, announced it will spend mere billions of baht to build an optical fibre network for nationwide Internet traffic; in the 1900s, CAT built the fibre-optic network along the railways and then into your homes, remember that? No? Well, this time, director Thaneerat Siripachana said, CAT will invest six billion baht in what he called "the last mile project," a three-year programme that will give Cattelecom a great revenue source, but more importantly will allow everyone to have much better Internet service.
North Korea’s news agency has joined Twitter, allowing people worldwide to get in on the latest news from the DPRK Weather Bureau, and the meddling of Hillary Clinton in Southeast Asia, not to mention the daily activities of the Dear Leader. Or is it a hoax?
Two weeks after the army announced that terrorists in the South are switching from mobile phones to other types of remote controls (model airplanes, for example) to set off their bombs, that the military is to purchase new, updated and quite a bit more expensive equipment to jam mobile phones; this time, the jammers come from Japan at a cost of (cough) 1.5 million baht (cough) apiece; you should be ashamed for what you're thinking right now, the leaders of the armed forces have absolutely no motive but pure national security and the idea of a kickback on such equipment is hateful thought.
No 3 hard-drive maker Hitachi Global Store Technologies of the US and Thailand announced it will hire another 1,000 workers quickly, and bring its Thai work force above 10,000 - even higher than last year; the firm is fighting Seagate and Western Digital by producing drives in its factory at Prachin Buri; "The global HDD industry has really recovered," said HGST deputy managing director for Thailand Nakorn Tangsujaritpun.
No 2 hard-drive maker Western Digital of the US and Thailand announced it will hire 5,000 Thai workers as orders pick up for data-storage products; Sampan Silapanad, president for vice at the Thai firm, said most of the new or re-hired staff will work at the Bang Pa-in plant in Ayutthaya, which had already gone on overtime shifts to meet the rising demand. It now seems only a matter of time before No 1 Seagate will also be rehiring their laid-off staff.
Srithai Superware, which makes those stools for squatting and many market-restaurant chairs for sitting, announced that the outlook is bright for recovery of its hard-plastics products in the near future, because it has "received new orders from the Sony Group to produce CD, VCD and DVD holders for Michael Jackson albums."
Cloistered NGOs and "activists" gathered for an air-conditioned and well-fed meeting in Chiang Rai to complain about those horrid Internet providers and mobile phone firms abusing consumers so badly; the Southeast Asian gathering brought up the right problems - lousy Internet services at unfriendly prices, yuppiephone spam and the like; then they spoiled it by whining that Big Business was probably giving them inoperable brain tumours from the telephones, and even worse that only Southeast Asians get horrible service and price ripoffs, not like consumers in the industrialised countries; meanwhile New York Times technology writer David Pogue tried to start a mass write-in campaign to mobile phone companies to stop using up 15 seconds of air time ($620 million/21 billion baht a year, he figured) telling subscribers how to speak after they hear the tone; the difference? The whingeing Bangkok meeting demanded that the government protect them, because consumers are dumb, powerless victims.
The Metropolitan Electricity Authority estimated that the recession will convince folks in and near Bangkok to cut back on electricity use by at least 4 per cent this year, compared to an average rise of more than 5 per cent in recent, better years; MEA governor Pornthape Thunyapongchai said that in fact, power use was down around 10 per cent in the first six months of the year, but then "improved" - the opposite of what climate change advocates might say.
Your CAT Telecom, for the second century in a row, announced it will spend mere billions of baht to build an optical fibre network for nationwide Internet traffic; in the 1900s, CAT built the fibre-optic network along the railways and then into your homes, remember that? No? Well, this time, director Thaneerat Siripachana said, CAT will invest six billion baht in what he called "the last mile project," a three-year programme that will give Cattelecom a great revenue source, but more importantly will allow everyone to have much better Internet service.
Digital camp for antsy athletes
With all due respect to Pong Pac-Man Tetris Super Mario
Bros and World of Warcraft ,there may not be a more important title in the young history of video games than Wii Sports .It is almost impossible to overstate the vital role that Nintendo's Wii console has played in rescuing video games from the cultural sidelines. Just when the other big console makers, Microsoft and Sony, redoubled their focus on core young male gamers, Nintendo came along with the Wii three years ago and reclaimed video games as accessible entertainment for everyone. All around the world, tens of millions of people who would never pick up an Xbox or PlayStation controller have had a good time with the Wii.(Nintendo has sold more than 50 million Wiis since the system's debut.)
In the West, every Wii comes with Wii Sports, the cartoonlike collection of baseball, boxing, bowling, golf and tennis that has brilliantly occupied rainy weekends, family holidays and random weeknights at home too numerous to count.
But after three years it's time for more than the same five sports. It's time to whack your boyfriend over the head with a virtual sword (wielded in your living room in the form of the Wii's motion-sensitive controller). It's time for Frisbee, archery, wakeboarding and table tennis. It's time for Wii Sports Resort , the new game and accessory from Nintendo, to be released in North America on Sunday.
Wii Sports Resort is basically a musthave for any Wii owner. Not only are most of the package's dozen games fun,but Wii Sports Resort comes with Wii MotionPlus, a new add-on for the system's wireless controller.
The MotionPlus is a small white cube,about an inch long on each side, that attaches easily to the Wii controller's base. The Wii controller has always been admirably responsive to the user swinging and moving it, but the MotionPlus uses some fancy technology to make it even more accurate. In particular, the MotionPlus accessory makes the controller more sensitive to being twisted along its axis, which corresponds to turning one's wrists over in a golf swing or angling a Frisbee to curve left or right.
MotionPlus works so well that it appears poised to become a de facto requirement for Wii owners. Other games that support MotionPlus include the excellent new Tiger Woods golf game from Electronic Arts and tennis games from EA and Sega. In the fall, big thirdparty games for the Wii including Ubisoft's Red Steel 2 are also set to support MotionPlus.
Of course, nothing comes free.Wii Sports Resort with one MotionPlus included will carry a price tag of about $50(1,700 baht), and each additional MotionPlus (for your friends and family)will cost around $20(680 baht).
But for the hours of hilarity and competition the package will provide, it seems worth it. Like the original Wii Sports ,Wii Sports Resort 's beauty is its breadth. With 12 activities, there should be something for everyone. Over the last few weeks I've spent anywhere from 45 minutes to many hours on each of the minigames, with friends and alone,and here are a few impressions of each.
Swordplay
Basic in its complexity but visceral in its appeal, at least as much so as punching your best friend in the face in the original Wii Sports boxing. Can definitely be an upper-body workout.
Wakeboarding
You hold the controller horizontally like a tether and steer left and right,flipping off the boat's wake to do tricks and score points. I found it diverting,but it could not hold my attention for hours.
Frisbee
Almost entirely intuitive and natural.You either play fetch with a digital dog or, far better, Frisbee golf on the same courses you can also attempt in "real"golf. With some practice you can put some nice curves on each throw.
Archery
A real gem. One of the only video games I have ever played that is about deep concentration and focus rather than the more frenetic sort of eye-hand coordination. Archery truly capitalises on the sensitivity and potential of the MotionPlus.
The first time a buddy makes a loud noise as you release your arrow, you will not find it funny. Of course, your buddy will.
Basketball
The one Wii Sports Resort activity that didn't work for me. Either Nintendo messed up the programming or I'm just horrible.
Table Tennis
Along with golf and archery, one of my favourites. It's fast, and MotionPlus makes it phenomenally accurate and powerful.
Golf
A genuine step up from the golf in the original Wii Sports . Obviously not as detailed as the Tiger Woods game,but if you can't control your wrists you will not hit straight, as it should be.
Bowling
A remake of perhaps the most popular game in Wii Sports . The new Resort bowling is certainly more accurate than its predecessor. And who can resist 100-pin bowling (maximum possible score 3,000)?
Power Cruising
A bit too similar to wakeboarding,just without the tricks. Good for 20 minutes, little more, unless you're just looking for shoulder exercise.
Cycling
Ingeniously designed, blending rhythm and precision with some deceptively deep strategy in terms of deciding how to manage your energy over a racecourse. When do you exert yourself for a boost of speed, and when do you conserve your breath?
Air Sports
Think how you hold a paper airplane.That's how you control your plane here.The dogfighting wasn't fabulous, but I have to admit I spent more than an hour just flying around Wii Sports Resort's digital island.
In all, Wii Sports Resort is destined to keep far too many people indoors over the rest of this summer. I can't say I'll blame them.
Bros and World of Warcraft ,there may not be a more important title in the young history of video games than Wii Sports .It is almost impossible to overstate the vital role that Nintendo's Wii console has played in rescuing video games from the cultural sidelines. Just when the other big console makers, Microsoft and Sony, redoubled their focus on core young male gamers, Nintendo came along with the Wii three years ago and reclaimed video games as accessible entertainment for everyone. All around the world, tens of millions of people who would never pick up an Xbox or PlayStation controller have had a good time with the Wii.(Nintendo has sold more than 50 million Wiis since the system's debut.)
In the West, every Wii comes with Wii Sports, the cartoonlike collection of baseball, boxing, bowling, golf and tennis that has brilliantly occupied rainy weekends, family holidays and random weeknights at home too numerous to count.
But after three years it's time for more than the same five sports. It's time to whack your boyfriend over the head with a virtual sword (wielded in your living room in the form of the Wii's motion-sensitive controller). It's time for Frisbee, archery, wakeboarding and table tennis. It's time for Wii Sports Resort , the new game and accessory from Nintendo, to be released in North America on Sunday.
Wii Sports Resort is basically a musthave for any Wii owner. Not only are most of the package's dozen games fun,but Wii Sports Resort comes with Wii MotionPlus, a new add-on for the system's wireless controller.
The MotionPlus is a small white cube,about an inch long on each side, that attaches easily to the Wii controller's base. The Wii controller has always been admirably responsive to the user swinging and moving it, but the MotionPlus uses some fancy technology to make it even more accurate. In particular, the MotionPlus accessory makes the controller more sensitive to being twisted along its axis, which corresponds to turning one's wrists over in a golf swing or angling a Frisbee to curve left or right.
MotionPlus works so well that it appears poised to become a de facto requirement for Wii owners. Other games that support MotionPlus include the excellent new Tiger Woods golf game from Electronic Arts and tennis games from EA and Sega. In the fall, big thirdparty games for the Wii including Ubisoft's Red Steel 2 are also set to support MotionPlus.
Of course, nothing comes free.Wii Sports Resort with one MotionPlus included will carry a price tag of about $50(1,700 baht), and each additional MotionPlus (for your friends and family)will cost around $20(680 baht).
But for the hours of hilarity and competition the package will provide, it seems worth it. Like the original Wii Sports ,Wii Sports Resort 's beauty is its breadth. With 12 activities, there should be something for everyone. Over the last few weeks I've spent anywhere from 45 minutes to many hours on each of the minigames, with friends and alone,and here are a few impressions of each.
Swordplay
Basic in its complexity but visceral in its appeal, at least as much so as punching your best friend in the face in the original Wii Sports boxing. Can definitely be an upper-body workout.
Wakeboarding
You hold the controller horizontally like a tether and steer left and right,flipping off the boat's wake to do tricks and score points. I found it diverting,but it could not hold my attention for hours.
Frisbee
Almost entirely intuitive and natural.You either play fetch with a digital dog or, far better, Frisbee golf on the same courses you can also attempt in "real"golf. With some practice you can put some nice curves on each throw.
Archery
A real gem. One of the only video games I have ever played that is about deep concentration and focus rather than the more frenetic sort of eye-hand coordination. Archery truly capitalises on the sensitivity and potential of the MotionPlus.
The first time a buddy makes a loud noise as you release your arrow, you will not find it funny. Of course, your buddy will.
Basketball
The one Wii Sports Resort activity that didn't work for me. Either Nintendo messed up the programming or I'm just horrible.
Table Tennis
Along with golf and archery, one of my favourites. It's fast, and MotionPlus makes it phenomenally accurate and powerful.
Golf
A genuine step up from the golf in the original Wii Sports . Obviously not as detailed as the Tiger Woods game,but if you can't control your wrists you will not hit straight, as it should be.
Bowling
A remake of perhaps the most popular game in Wii Sports . The new Resort bowling is certainly more accurate than its predecessor. And who can resist 100-pin bowling (maximum possible score 3,000)?
Power Cruising
A bit too similar to wakeboarding,just without the tricks. Good for 20 minutes, little more, unless you're just looking for shoulder exercise.
Cycling
Ingeniously designed, blending rhythm and precision with some deceptively deep strategy in terms of deciding how to manage your energy over a racecourse. When do you exert yourself for a boost of speed, and when do you conserve your breath?
Air Sports
Think how you hold a paper airplane.That's how you control your plane here.The dogfighting wasn't fabulous, but I have to admit I spent more than an hour just flying around Wii Sports Resort's digital island.
In all, Wii Sports Resort is destined to keep far too many people indoors over the rest of this summer. I can't say I'll blame them.
China bans gangster games
China has banned websites featuring or publicising online games which glamorise mafia gangs, saying violators will be "severely punished",state media reported recently.
The Culture Ministry said such games "advocate obscenity, gambling, or violence," and "undermine morality and Chinese traditional culture", the official Xinhua news agency said.
"These games encourage people to deceive, loot and kill, and glorify gangsters' lives," the report said, citing a ministry circular.
"It has a bad influence on youngsters.""The ministry ordered its law enforcement bodies to harshly punish those sites that continue to run such games,"it added, without elaborating.
In the early years of Communist rule,the government almost totally extinguished mafia-like gangs, but they have made a comeback in recent decades as China relaxed its social and economic controls.
Despite their involvement in unsavoury activities, movies and television series made in Taiwan and Hong Kong about gangs are very popular in China.
The online game industry in China is expected to grow by between 30 percent and 50 percent this year, with a sales revenue of 24 billion yuan (119 billion baht) to 27 billion yuan (134 billion baht),according to officials.
China has about 200 million online game players, and more than 300 million Internet users, the largest number in the world.
The government has closed hundreds of websites in an ongoing crackdown on pornography and "vulgar content"that in some cases has netted dissident sites.
The campaign is part of a broader tightening of the media ahead of October's 60th anniversary of the founding of Communist China.
The Culture Ministry said such games "advocate obscenity, gambling, or violence," and "undermine morality and Chinese traditional culture", the official Xinhua news agency said.
"These games encourage people to deceive, loot and kill, and glorify gangsters' lives," the report said, citing a ministry circular.
"It has a bad influence on youngsters.""The ministry ordered its law enforcement bodies to harshly punish those sites that continue to run such games,"it added, without elaborating.
In the early years of Communist rule,the government almost totally extinguished mafia-like gangs, but they have made a comeback in recent decades as China relaxed its social and economic controls.
Despite their involvement in unsavoury activities, movies and television series made in Taiwan and Hong Kong about gangs are very popular in China.
The online game industry in China is expected to grow by between 30 percent and 50 percent this year, with a sales revenue of 24 billion yuan (119 billion baht) to 27 billion yuan (134 billion baht),according to officials.
China has about 200 million online game players, and more than 300 million Internet users, the largest number in the world.
The government has closed hundreds of websites in an ongoing crackdown on pornography and "vulgar content"that in some cases has netted dissident sites.
The campaign is part of a broader tightening of the media ahead of October's 60th anniversary of the founding of Communist China.
GAMING SHOP ON LOCKDOWN
By this month, it is likely that the Thai society will have a new law that curbs the servicing hours of online gaming shops for users of different age groups. This measure reflects yet another attempt by the government to solve the gaming addiction. 'Muse' asked you what your thoughts were on this time restriction regulation. Do you think the law can be effectively enforced? And will this really help to reduce the rising number of children addicted to games, and why? If not, then how do you suggest we solve the problem?Muse's PICK
This is not the first time the government has tried to impose a law on the opening hours and age restrictions for online gaming shops. And I'm certain this is not the last. However, I hardly see the difference between the previous regulation to the new one. In my opinion, there is an overabundance of law but never enough management and implementation. There should be a system in which all online gaming shops must be registered in order to control the volume of shops, their hours of operation and hygiene, etc.
"Still, I doubt whether this law will achieve its goal to cure online game addiction. We may see less children in these shops, but I'm afraid there will be underground online gaming shops immediately popping up, which will be extremely hard to manage.
"My idea is the community should play a local policing role by forming community teams to inspect these shops and set up networks that will allow residents to file complaints. For curing the gaming addiction, you need more museums, libraries, parks and areas for playing sports, and a budget to hire staff to turn these places into something more fun to visit."
BOONTHIP JAREECHAIYOTHIN,
Corporate employee
Ultimately, this (the government's decision to impose age-restriction for online gaming shops) tells businesses who they can or cannot do business with and at what hours. I do not think that the solution lies within discriminating against certain businesses. Otherwise, let's close restaurants after a certain hour because eating late leads to obesity. While we are at it, we need to restrict driving hours because carbon monoxide is bad for the environment.
"The solution lies in enacting a curfew for children. Additionally, parents should take more responsibility in raising their own children and monitoring where they are at. Crime and mischief will be reduced, the gaming problem is resolved, and children will grow to be a more responsible and productive generation of people."
NIMNUAL YAOSUNGNOEN,
Nanny
I welcome the new law. What's needed is more surveillance to control the opening hours of the gaming businesses as it seems to me anyone can open one if they have a vacant space and enough money to rent or buy several computers. In reality, there are many underground online gaming shops, which no one really knows what improper activities are being conducted.
"But you need more than just law to address the online game addiction problem. The government needs to impose higher taxes or financial measures to make the price of time spent playing at an online gaming shop is more expensive than what children can afford, which will also cut down the amount of time at such shops."
PORNTHIP BANCHERDPAIBOON,
Businesswoman
The curbing of the online game service hours to be initiated by the government is better than none at all. Although, it's like putting up a fence when the cows have already gone astray.
"Restricting the time can place a limit on how long the children can spend at an internet shop each visit. Due to the ubiquitous shops in town, those who are indeed addicted to online games could hop from one shop to another.
"Though the law can be enforced, which is one way of reducing the number of children becoming an addict of online gaming, it might not be so effective for the reason mentioned above.
"A warm, loving and understanding parent should help guide their child to do something that is considered more productive and better for his/her health and future."
LUCY T,
Retiree
Next week: With the endorsement from the State Council, it seems the Government Lottery Office is up for the online lottery scheme that would allow lottery players to buy tickets from vending machines. With surveys to examine the public's opinion on the project being conducted, 'Muse' asks you what you think of the project? Do you think the online lottery will win public approval and why? Will the online lottery help solve the problem of ticket overpricing and illegal underground betting and why? Send your
answer along with name and profession to muse@bangkokpost.co.th by August 12. A little prize awaits the person who gives us our favourite answer.
Relate Search: different age groups, Internet cafe
This is not the first time the government has tried to impose a law on the opening hours and age restrictions for online gaming shops. And I'm certain this is not the last. However, I hardly see the difference between the previous regulation to the new one. In my opinion, there is an overabundance of law but never enough management and implementation. There should be a system in which all online gaming shops must be registered in order to control the volume of shops, their hours of operation and hygiene, etc.
"Still, I doubt whether this law will achieve its goal to cure online game addiction. We may see less children in these shops, but I'm afraid there will be underground online gaming shops immediately popping up, which will be extremely hard to manage.
"My idea is the community should play a local policing role by forming community teams to inspect these shops and set up networks that will allow residents to file complaints. For curing the gaming addiction, you need more museums, libraries, parks and areas for playing sports, and a budget to hire staff to turn these places into something more fun to visit."
BOONTHIP JAREECHAIYOTHIN,
Corporate employee
Ultimately, this (the government's decision to impose age-restriction for online gaming shops) tells businesses who they can or cannot do business with and at what hours. I do not think that the solution lies within discriminating against certain businesses. Otherwise, let's close restaurants after a certain hour because eating late leads to obesity. While we are at it, we need to restrict driving hours because carbon monoxide is bad for the environment.
"The solution lies in enacting a curfew for children. Additionally, parents should take more responsibility in raising their own children and monitoring where they are at. Crime and mischief will be reduced, the gaming problem is resolved, and children will grow to be a more responsible and productive generation of people."
NIMNUAL YAOSUNGNOEN,
Nanny
I welcome the new law. What's needed is more surveillance to control the opening hours of the gaming businesses as it seems to me anyone can open one if they have a vacant space and enough money to rent or buy several computers. In reality, there are many underground online gaming shops, which no one really knows what improper activities are being conducted.
"But you need more than just law to address the online game addiction problem. The government needs to impose higher taxes or financial measures to make the price of time spent playing at an online gaming shop is more expensive than what children can afford, which will also cut down the amount of time at such shops."
PORNTHIP BANCHERDPAIBOON,
Businesswoman
The curbing of the online game service hours to be initiated by the government is better than none at all. Although, it's like putting up a fence when the cows have already gone astray.
"Restricting the time can place a limit on how long the children can spend at an internet shop each visit. Due to the ubiquitous shops in town, those who are indeed addicted to online games could hop from one shop to another.
"Though the law can be enforced, which is one way of reducing the number of children becoming an addict of online gaming, it might not be so effective for the reason mentioned above.
"A warm, loving and understanding parent should help guide their child to do something that is considered more productive and better for his/her health and future."
LUCY T,
Retiree
Next week: With the endorsement from the State Council, it seems the Government Lottery Office is up for the online lottery scheme that would allow lottery players to buy tickets from vending machines. With surveys to examine the public's opinion on the project being conducted, 'Muse' asks you what you think of the project? Do you think the online lottery will win public approval and why? Will the online lottery help solve the problem of ticket overpricing and illegal underground betting and why? Send your
answer along with name and profession to muse@bangkokpost.co.th by August 12. A little prize awaits the person who gives us our favourite answer.
Relate Search: different age groups, Internet cafe
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