According to the creator of the blockbuster video game Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi, tablets offer a similar opportunity as consoles for developers in video games. Final Fantasy had 80 million users and was among the most popular game in the 1990's. Sakaguchi bets on mobile and tablets as the formats of the future. He gave an interview to El Pais.
Question: How do you envision the future role of video games?
Answer: The graphics and sound will continue to evolve. Not only in this format. We will see more and more advanced phones.
P. Do you think the tablets and phones can compete with the consoles?
R. The hardware offers similar architecture. For example, PlayStation Vita, coming out next week on sale in Europe, has some very similar to the iPhone. The tablets will have a similar power to home consoles. I think as a developer, it proposes an interesting scenario.
P. Do you think Sony and Nintendo will succumb to this phenomenon and stop making consoles?
R. That's a business decision. The fact is that the devices increasingly look more technically. In the future there will be much difference between supports. Soon we will see games made for television. The important thing is what the content send on the support.
P. How has meaning to re-direct 'The Last Story' after 20 years?
R. The role of producer and director is more diffuse than before. In Final Fantasy VI said goodbye to the address, but I stayed close to each creation. After, the Last Story, I took a year to think about new ideas. I realized I had to be getting involved and above all the process.
P. The critical stress games how to leverage the Wii graphics, do you think has peaked?
R. The graphics are complex.I always try to look after the maximum artistic aspect, but I think the limit is imagination.
P. One of its hallmarks is the characters, how is the process of creation?
R. Tactfully and making clear to the player who is who. Sometimes you come up with details, other times with conversations between them or commenting on aspects of the scenario to create some mystery and awaken interest.
P. In all his titles the characters have suffered some trauma vital, why?
R. All human beings have some kind of trauma. The important thing is to make it a motivation to do something, change things, brand personality.
P. Despite this depressing and very personal air has allowed users to customize to your liking, is to be projected on them?
R. The designer did not agree with me in doing something so open. It seemed to me very important that users feel closer and identified with a character with which they will live a long adventure.
P. The Last Story was released in Japan last year and has now reached Europe. Why is America? Is there much difference between these three regions?
R. The decision to take him to the U.S. is Nintendo of America. I hope so. I have great confidence in its success in Europe. I do not think that is both a cultural issue as to find the right niche audience. Depends on gender, age, interests ... When I create a new title I don't put the focus on a particular market.
P. The latter title is a renewal of the genre of role-playing games on consoles. What is the perfect combination of strategy and action to be successful?
R. I wish I had the recipe. I try always, with varying success.
P. Do you plan to create a game of this style to 3DS?
R. I have no plans for this platform. Instead I am making three games for IOS for both iPhone and iPad.
P. For five years is almost impossible to find a great production to dispense with an online version and a cooperative mode, how do you prepare for this format?
R. It is one of the most difficult aspects of the creative process. The whole team together, we discussed and we took it as an adventure completely different from zero. We have differentiated in the way of communicating because many games have the voice chat feature and I hate to use foul language. We decided that they would be used in the game dialogues themselves, which are written to communicate between players. In Japan it worked great. I hope that in Europe also like this integration.
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
Twitter: @InfocomAnalysis
A blog on the convergence of info-communications industries: communications, computing, electronics, entertainment, publications and education. Strategic, technological and financial analysis. English and French blog. Cette chronique traite de l’évolution des industries de l’information et des communications et couvre des aspects stratégiques, technologiques et financiers, comme l’économie du savoir et de l’innovation. L’auteur est Associé principal de Infocom Intelligence.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
The world of smartphones at Mobile World Congress
The Mobile World Congress (MWC) is actually in Barcelona, Spain. In a world where data is growing, SMS, short message provides 14% of the income of wireless operators.
But now is the time of the proliferation of data on smartphones: What's App and social networks are killing the SMS. Moreover, the future of any business depends on its adaptation to the smartphone and its connection to the Internet.
Smartphones grew 53.5% in 2011, 432 million of these devices were sold worldwide, 34% of the total. At year end there will be a billion humans with a smartphone in their hands, according to Telecoms and Media. The smartphone is not, as predicted a couple of years ago, a luxury, but a necessary good. Within the next four years, the penetration of these devices will be multiplied by nine in Pakistan, by six in Indonesia, five in Japan and Nigeria, three in China and Brazil.
Penetration exceeds 50% in Spain, creating a new economy. Half of their owners used to make purchases, according to research from ComScore, among other activities.
The rapid expansion of mobile phone is no stranger to the business the ability to exploit someone else to operators and manufacturers. It is an income source for everyone from the automotive industry to public health. The smartphone saves routine visits to the doctor, permanent driver serves our vital signs, medication or view monitors in its early stage disease.
At the fair of Barcelona, the spotlight is going to lead to spectacular new phones, but the most important thing is not: are operating systems, with news W8 Mozilla and Microsoft - and especially the chips becoming more and more quick and ready. The quad-core Qualcomm (Snapdragon 4) and Nvidia (Tegra 39), born for the smartphone are able to get along with computers and television sets, connect to social networks, make payments or play real-time events and HD. All at once, in a single chip, and using less energy; an essential step for the nightmare of any owner of a mobile phone: the battery life, an area where progress is not enough for physical reasons.
In 2011, the biggest mobile sectors were: mobile games (31.5% of all admissions), music (21%) and applications (16%), but in four years it will be payments and applications.
Mobile users are taking advantage of broadband and connectivity in every corner. While traffic has tripled with just pictures, the application was multiplied by 15, by 13 for publications and video by 22. Telephone traffic will grow by 62% each year until 2016, the minority will be voice.
New mobile opportunities emerged: a computer is a company,and can be an application developer. Major events in the world today have not taken more than half a dozen people, as is the case of the most successful mobile game in the world: Angry Birds, which is only possible with a smartphone. It is the rule of smartphone.
Source: El Pais
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
Twitter: @InfocomAnalysis
But now is the time of the proliferation of data on smartphones: What's App and social networks are killing the SMS. Moreover, the future of any business depends on its adaptation to the smartphone and its connection to the Internet.
Smartphones grew 53.5% in 2011, 432 million of these devices were sold worldwide, 34% of the total. At year end there will be a billion humans with a smartphone in their hands, according to Telecoms and Media. The smartphone is not, as predicted a couple of years ago, a luxury, but a necessary good. Within the next four years, the penetration of these devices will be multiplied by nine in Pakistan, by six in Indonesia, five in Japan and Nigeria, three in China and Brazil.
Penetration exceeds 50% in Spain, creating a new economy. Half of their owners used to make purchases, according to research from ComScore, among other activities.
The rapid expansion of mobile phone is no stranger to the business the ability to exploit someone else to operators and manufacturers. It is an income source for everyone from the automotive industry to public health. The smartphone saves routine visits to the doctor, permanent driver serves our vital signs, medication or view monitors in its early stage disease.
At the fair of Barcelona, the spotlight is going to lead to spectacular new phones, but the most important thing is not: are operating systems, with news W8 Mozilla and Microsoft - and especially the chips becoming more and more quick and ready. The quad-core Qualcomm (Snapdragon 4) and Nvidia (Tegra 39), born for the smartphone are able to get along with computers and television sets, connect to social networks, make payments or play real-time events and HD. All at once, in a single chip, and using less energy; an essential step for the nightmare of any owner of a mobile phone: the battery life, an area where progress is not enough for physical reasons.
In 2011, the biggest mobile sectors were: mobile games (31.5% of all admissions), music (21%) and applications (16%), but in four years it will be payments and applications.
Mobile users are taking advantage of broadband and connectivity in every corner. While traffic has tripled with just pictures, the application was multiplied by 15, by 13 for publications and video by 22. Telephone traffic will grow by 62% each year until 2016, the minority will be voice.
New mobile opportunities emerged: a computer is a company,and can be an application developer. Major events in the world today have not taken more than half a dozen people, as is the case of the most successful mobile game in the world: Angry Birds, which is only possible with a smartphone. It is the rule of smartphone.
Source: El Pais
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
Twitter: @InfocomAnalysis
The vast majority of smartphones and tablets at work are owned by employees
According to new data from Forrester Research, 73% of smartphones and 66% of tablets being used at work are bought and owned by employees. Surveying almost 10,000 workers across 17 countries, the findings revealed that half of laptops are also employee-owned.
But with this Bring Your Own Device trend seems to come perhaps too many net devices. Forrester says that three-quarters of workers wield two or more devices and over half wield three or more.
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
Twitter: @InfocomAnalysis
But with this Bring Your Own Device trend seems to come perhaps too many net devices. Forrester says that three-quarters of workers wield two or more devices and over half wield three or more.
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
Twitter: @InfocomAnalysis
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
New article on Seeking Alpha about 5 best stocks expected to gain from tech trends and growth areas
Our new article about 5 tech stocks expected to gain from tech trends and growth areas is now available on Seeking Alpha.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/384841-5-tech-stocks-expected-to-gain-from-tech-trends-and-growth-areas
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
Twitter: @InfocomAnalysis
http://seekingalpha.com/article/384841-5-tech-stocks-expected-to-gain-from-tech-trends-and-growth-areas
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
Twitter: @InfocomAnalysis
Social gaming will reach around 5.5 billion in 2015
The US social gaming market will blow past $5.5 billion in 2015, according to a new report by BI Intelligence. The social games market, including smartphones, will more than double from last year, where BI estimate it was $2 billion.
-Social games will disrupt the traditional gaming industry, by turning gaming into a service and making it free-to-play.
-Social games will break into the mainstream, as new kinds of games appeal to new audiences beyond today's, including hardcore gamers.
-Monetization will improve as more people pay and as social games advertising becomes valuable.
Zynga is well positioned to benefit from this growth, but it will face better competition.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-social-gaming-market-will-explode-to-5-billion-by-2015-2012-2?nr_email_referer=1&utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=SAI%20Select&utm_campaign=SAI%20Select%202012-02-22#ixzz1n8yuQKu5
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
Twitter: @InfocomAnalysis
-Social games will disrupt the traditional gaming industry, by turning gaming into a service and making it free-to-play.
-Social games will break into the mainstream, as new kinds of games appeal to new audiences beyond today's, including hardcore gamers.
-Monetization will improve as more people pay and as social games advertising becomes valuable.
Zynga is well positioned to benefit from this growth, but it will face better competition.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-social-gaming-market-will-explode-to-5-billion-by-2015-2012-2?nr_email_referer=1&utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=SAI%20Select&utm_campaign=SAI%20Select%202012-02-22#ixzz1n8yuQKu5
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
Twitter: @InfocomAnalysis
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Tech sector is now 20% of the S&P 500 index
For the first time since the tech bubble popped back in 2000, technology companies represent now a 20 percent weighting in the Standard & Poor's 500 index. The peak was 34% in March 2000, before the krash. Since the current sector classification was introduced by S&P in 1989, only the financial and tech sectors have ever reached a 20 percent index weighting.
It also helps that the five highest-weighted tech stocks are all up double-digits since the S&P 500’s 52-week high. Notably, those five names make up 10 percent of the S&P 500 (or half of the tech sector’s 20 percent weighting):
The S&P 500 tech sector has been down just four times this year and is currently leading the gains in 2012, up 12 percent, followed by financials, up 11 percent.
Source: CNBC
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
Twitter: @InfocomAnalysis
It also helps that the five highest-weighted tech stocks are all up double-digits since the S&P 500’s 52-week high. Notably, those five names make up 10 percent of the S&P 500 (or half of the tech sector’s 20 percent weighting):
The S&P 500 tech sector has been down just four times this year and is currently leading the gains in 2012, up 12 percent, followed by financials, up 11 percent.
Source: CNBC
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
Twitter: @InfocomAnalysis
Monday, February 20, 2012
Social, Mobile And Deals Categories Led US 2011 Private Tech Investments.
According to the CrunchBase, a venture capital database of TechCrunch, Social, Mobile And Deals Categories Led 2011 Private Tech Investments. (Courtesy of Alexey Tolkachiov at BuzzSparks.org.)
421 Companies with the “social” tag in CrunchBase raised a total of $5.2 billion over the year. Out of this, Facebook alone was $1.5 billion; out of the 1,941 companies that were included in this analysis, Facebook alone raised 7.3% of the $20.5 billion total.
A few other social companies, including Twitter, Zynga, LivingSocial, Kabam, along with Chinese sites 55tuan and Lashou, count for another $2.29 billion. We’ll see how this category looks in 2012 — that is, look for a drop in private funding considering that so many of the leading companies in the category have already raised late-stage capital.
Some of these companies not only social but also deals sites, or game developers. This analysis in some cases double-counts ones that could fit in more than one category. The goal in doing so is to show how companies that are in multiple areas area impacting each of those areas. In any case, this type of categorization problem exists with any such data set.
Moving along… “Mobile” comes in second, with 393 companies raising a total of $2.3 billion. The fundings are relatively less concentrated at the top — InMobi, Square and Rearden Commerce all raised above $100 million, but that’s it. The third-largest category, Deals, is even more unbalanced than social. Groupon alone makes up more than half of the $1.9 billion total.
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
Twitter: Infocomanalysis
421 Companies with the “social” tag in CrunchBase raised a total of $5.2 billion over the year. Out of this, Facebook alone was $1.5 billion; out of the 1,941 companies that were included in this analysis, Facebook alone raised 7.3% of the $20.5 billion total.
A few other social companies, including Twitter, Zynga, LivingSocial, Kabam, along with Chinese sites 55tuan and Lashou, count for another $2.29 billion. We’ll see how this category looks in 2012 — that is, look for a drop in private funding considering that so many of the leading companies in the category have already raised late-stage capital.
Some of these companies not only social but also deals sites, or game developers. This analysis in some cases double-counts ones that could fit in more than one category. The goal in doing so is to show how companies that are in multiple areas area impacting each of those areas. In any case, this type of categorization problem exists with any such data set.
Moving along… “Mobile” comes in second, with 393 companies raising a total of $2.3 billion. The fundings are relatively less concentrated at the top — InMobi, Square and Rearden Commerce all raised above $100 million, but that’s it. The third-largest category, Deals, is even more unbalanced than social. Groupon alone makes up more than half of the $1.9 billion total.
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
Twitter: Infocomanalysis
John Frankel is the head of FF Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm that includes some of the web’s hottest startups in its portfolio, including Hashable, Klout and IndieGoGo.
Below is a 6 minutes interview with Frankel to learn what motivates him as an investor, why he’s so attracted to early stage companies and his thoughts on where the next tech bubble will manifest. This Venture Studio Classic was originally released on October 24, 2011. According to Frankel, we are seeing a bubble in later stage private tech investing and IPOs: such as Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.
http://mashable.com/2012/02/14/frankel-video/
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
Twitter: @Infocomanalysis
Below is a 6 minutes interview with Frankel to learn what motivates him as an investor, why he’s so attracted to early stage companies and his thoughts on where the next tech bubble will manifest. This Venture Studio Classic was originally released on October 24, 2011. According to Frankel, we are seeing a bubble in later stage private tech investing and IPOs: such as Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.
http://mashable.com/2012/02/14/frankel-video/
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
Twitter: @Infocomanalysis
Forrester Research forecasts 1 billion smartphones and tablets by 2016
According to Forrester Research, smartphones and tablets consumers will reach a billion global consumers by 2016.
"Mobile is not simply another device for IT to support with a shrunken website or a screen-scraped SAP application. Rather, mobile is the manifestation of a much broader shift to new systems of engagement. These systems of engagement help firms empower their customers, partners, and employees with context-aware apps and smart products. To remain vital in this business technology reformation, CIOs must step up and work with other executives to establish an "office of the chief mobility officer" to implement an enterprisewide mobile strategy. This team will coordinate the business and technology investments under a "design for mobile first" mantra that delivers four immediate benefits:
1) fuel profitable growth with stickier offerings and mobile self-service;
2) move faster along the mobile learning curve;
3) aggregate mobile project budgets to fund needed engagement technology; and
4) grow from an IT group focused on systems of record to a business technology group focused on systems of engagement".
Infocom Intelligence covered the Canadian wireless market in a 2007 report, analyzing technologies and strategies. The report is available online for US$85 (with taxes). For more information see http://www.infocomintelligence.com/newreports.htm
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
Twitter: @InfocomAnalysis
"Mobile is not simply another device for IT to support with a shrunken website or a screen-scraped SAP application. Rather, mobile is the manifestation of a much broader shift to new systems of engagement. These systems of engagement help firms empower their customers, partners, and employees with context-aware apps and smart products. To remain vital in this business technology reformation, CIOs must step up and work with other executives to establish an "office of the chief mobility officer" to implement an enterprisewide mobile strategy. This team will coordinate the business and technology investments under a "design for mobile first" mantra that delivers four immediate benefits:
1) fuel profitable growth with stickier offerings and mobile self-service;
2) move faster along the mobile learning curve;
3) aggregate mobile project budgets to fund needed engagement technology; and
4) grow from an IT group focused on systems of record to a business technology group focused on systems of engagement".
Infocom Intelligence covered the Canadian wireless market in a 2007 report, analyzing technologies and strategies. The report is available online for US$85 (with taxes). For more information see http://www.infocomintelligence.com/newreports.htm
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
Twitter: @InfocomAnalysis
A map of new emerging technologies
here is a map of emerging technologies according to Michell Zappa of http://envisioningtech.com/
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
Twitter: @InfocomAnalysis
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
Twitter: @InfocomAnalysis
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