PC vs Consolas

[Jorge-Vieira]

Renderam-se ás evidencias

[Jorge-Vieira]

IDC: PC market remains slow, reaching 80.8 M units shipped in Q4 2014

Global PC shipments reached 80.8 million units during Q4 of 2014, a -2.4 percent year-over-year decline, according to the IDC research group. The US and European markets proved stronger than other regions of the world, with positive signs that the overall PC market is progressing with positive signs after years of increased competition.

Hewlett-Packard saw 26.2 percent Q4 year-over-year growth, while Dell (13.7 percent), Apple (18.1 percent), and Lenovo (7.9 percent) prepare to battle in the resurgent US PC market.

"The U.S. PC market continued to grow in the fourth quarter, outperforming the global market for the tenth consecutive quarter," said Rajani Singh, senior research analyst of the personal computing division at IDC. "The past year was supported by Windows XP to 7 migrations in the commercial segment while consumer volume continued to decline."

Looking ahead, the US PC market will see flat to slightly positive growth in the year ahead, according to Singh. However, the market will head towards positive growth, as tablet sales and shipments decline - and the launch of Microsoft Windows 10 in late 2015.

PC leader Lenovo is hopeful Windows 10 will bring in new customers, as consumers and business users were largely disappointed with Windows 8/8.1.

Noticia:
http://www.tweaktown.com/news/42762/...014/index.html

[Jorge-Vieira]

There were nearly 81 million PCs shipped worldwide in Q4 2014

The rate of the decline of the PC market has slowed. Q4 2014 figures of 80.8 million units sold, recently published by IDC Corp., is evidence of a decline of only 2.4 per cent year-on-year. Analysts had expected to see a 4.8 per cent decline. 2014 marked the third consecutive year of PC industry decline, down 2.1 per cent on the year previous with a total of 308.6 million PCs shipped.

IDC says that "commercial demand, which boosted growth earlier in the year, has slowed while consumer demand is gradually coming back". The major growth areas seen are in Chromebooks and Windows 8.1 with Bing systems says the data analysis firm. But there are other successful niches "Growth of Chrome, Bing, all-in-ones, ultraslim, convertibles, and touch systems similarly make PCs more compelling and competitive. Nevertheless, some of the gains are relatively small, and weakening drivers like Bing promotions and end of XP support transitions, cast a shadow of doubt on the strength of the market going into 2015," opined Loren Loverde, IDC Vice President, Worldwide PC Tracker.
Interestingly tablets seem to be less of a headache to the PC market, as that market has become saturated. This was especially true in the Asia Pacific region.
So, how well did the big PC brands do? 4Q14 to 4Q13 growth was strong for Apple at 18.9 per cent and HP at 15.1 per cent. Shipment leader Lenovo, which sold over 16 million PCs in Q4 last year enjoyed only 4.9 per cent growth, so HP looks like it might have the momentum to regain the top spot, as it is only just behind in the sales volume stakes at 15.9 million for Q4 2014.

Table via IDC

While all the top five PC makers enjoyed gains worldwide, as you can see in the table above, the 'others,' which includes brands such as Toshiba, ASUS, MSI, Samsung and Fujitsu look (collectively) to have done disastrously with a 20 per cent drop in sales year-on-year.

Looking back in the news on HEXUS, gaming laptops seemed to be an area of attention and expansion for many systems makers during 2014. This seemed to be a reaction to MSI's apparent successful domination of the niche previously. While these gaming laptops might not rack up the high numbers in unit sales, companies can probably enjoy much better margins on these than on Chromebooks and Bingbooks, for example.

Noticia:
http://hexus.net/business/news/syste...dwide-q4-2014/

[Jorge-Vieira]

PLAYBOX laptop bundles Xbox One and PS4 together

Even among most of our die-hard PC-centric fan base, there’s still debates about which is better, the PS4 or the Xbox One, which should you get? Why not both? Etc. Etc. Still, why not both? Especially when you can bundle them both into a single chassis like reader Ed Zarick did.

The project is called the PLAYBOX and it features both a Sony PlayStation 4 and an Xbox One in the same, homemade, 22″ notebook. It only turned out a little bit bigger than his previous creation, the XBOOK DUO, which crammed an Xbox One and Xbox 360 into a similar casing. It features the same screen from Vizio and has only one drawback: the PS4′s power button is a bit fussy and doesn’t always work – fortunately, the controller can turn it on perfectly every time.




If you’re imagining that that’s a lot of hardware to fit inside a notebook chassis – even one as chunky as this one – it is. One of the interior shots shows just how much:

Surprisingly, Zarick claims that there are no overheating issues, despite the cramped interior, thanks to clever vent placement and use of fans in key areas. Switching between systems does require a full shut down, but it’s not like you would be able to play both at the same time anyway – that would be a lot of heat.
Unfortunately for those of you reaching for your wallets, this unit isn’t for sale as was a “prototype,” for a specific customer of Mr Zarick’s. He may look to build one in the future, but bear in mind that it would be considerably more expensive than buying both consoles individually.

Noticia:
http://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/co...-ps4-together/

[Jorge-Vieira]

Q4 shipment data shows double-digit PC growth in U.S.

Remember all that doom and gloom about the death of the PC industry? Yeah, not so much anymore. Fourth-quarter shipment data from two big-name market research firms suggest the market is rebounding. Things look particularly promising in the U.S., where year-over-year shipments grew 13.1% according to Gartner's figures. Worldwide PC shipments totaled 83.7 million units, a more modest 1% uptick over the same quarter last year.
Those numbers are based desktops, notebooks, and Windows tablets. Gartner doesn't classify non-Windows tablets as PCs, nor does it count Chromebooks.
IDC's results are bound by a different definition that includes Chromebooks but excludes all tablets—even Windows-based convertibles with detachable keyboards. That firm estimates worldwide shipments at 80.8 million units, a decrease of 2.4% compared to last year. The decline still beat expectations, though, and shipments were up 4.7% in the U.S.
Gartner and IDC both agree on the top-three vendors. Lenovo has the top spot worldwide, followed by HP and Dell, while HP leads in the U.S. ahead of Dell and Apple.

Noticia:
http://techreport.com/news/27668/q4-...-growth-in-u-s

[Winjer]

GDC State of the Industry: Developers double down on PS4, Xbox One

The Game Developers Conference has polled more than 2,000 North American game developers who attended GDC 2014 to compose the third annual State of the Industry Survey, which seeks to provide a snapshot of the games industry and illustrate industry trends ahead of GDC 2015 in March.Notable trends shown in the poll results include console development on the rise, digital and microtransaction sales dominating profits, and other trends that offer a glimpse into the future landscape of the games industry.

The 2015 State of the Industry Survey is the third in an ongoing series of yearly reports that offer insight into the shape of the industry as a prelude to GDC 2015 in San Francisco. Organized by the UBM Tech Game Network, GDC 2015 will take place March 2-6 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California.
PC and Mobile Remain Top Platforms for Developers, but PS4 and Xbox One are Gaining Traction

As the latest generation of console hardware matures, a larger percentage of developers are moving to make games for Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One, compared to last year. 26 percent of developers surveyed said they're currently working on a PlayStation 4 game, up from 14 percent last year, while 22 percent said they're currently working on an Xbox One game, up from last year's 12 percent (note that games often are developed across multiple platforms).
But PC and mobile still reign in terms of platform popularity; 56 percent of survey respondents said their current game will be released on PC and 50 percent said their current project will release on smartphones or tablets, as compared to 53 and 52 percent (respectively) a year prior.
Looking ahead, 29 percent of developers surveyed said they expect their next game to be on PlayStation 4, and 24 percent of respondents expected it to be on Xbox One, compared to 20 percent and 17 percent, respectively, of those surveyed last year.
Interest in mobile development slipped slightly, according to the survey; while 53 percent of those polled think their next game will be released on PC, 48 percent expect to release on smartphones or tablets.
Digital Sales and Microtransactions Trump Retail When it comes to Profits

In an effort to suss out where developers do their best business, this year's survey included a question about where respondents make the majority of their profits. 29 percent said they made most of their profits from direct sales to consumers or digital sales, while 21 percent named micro-transactions as their primary source of profit.
Just 13 percent of those surveyed said they saw the majority of their company's profits from sales at retail. 19 percent said they saw no profits, were non-profit or didn't know where the majority of their profit came from.
Over 40 Percent of Developers Saw Profits Rise and Staff Expand in 2014 Compared to 2013

Those surveyed were also asked how their company's profits last year compared to the year prior. 41 percent said profits were higher in 2014, and 9 percent said profits were higher in 2013, while 20 percent said profits remained the same year-over-year. 28 percent admitted they weren't sure.
Survey respondents were also asked whether or not their company expanded or contracted during 2014 in terms of staff; 44 percent said their ranks had swelled during the year, while 15 percent said they lost people. 1 percent said their company closed entirely and 38 percent confirmed their headcount remained the same throughout 2014.
More Than 1 in 10 Developers Surveyed Say They are Making an eSport Game

12 percent of developers surveyed said they're working on a game they consider to be an eSport -- competitive, skill-based multiplayer games. 79 percent of all respondents said they perceive eSports to be a long-term, sustainable business.
"Twitch is making broadcasting competitions very accessible, and high-profile events like Evo are getting more and more attention," wrote one developer.

"Creating a game as an eSport causes it to become a hobby and an interest outside the act of playing it," wrote another. "This increased engagement is one way of allowing a game to become part of a player's life in ways that [don't] require them to always be investing their time into playing it."

Mais uma vez o mercado jogos de PCs a arrasar com as consolas.

[reiszink]

Micro-transacções a render pouco menos do que a venda de jogos ao público.

Não admira que cada vez mais esta indústria esteja lotada disto.

[Winjer]

Isto só endireita quando tivermos outro crash dos videojogos como o de 1984 nos EUA.

[Jorge-Vieira]

Nada de novo, o PC é a melhor plataforma, melhores jogos e mais exclusivos.

[Winjer]

Nada de novo, o PC é a melhor plataforma, melhores jogos e mais exclusivos.

Mas é menos cinematográfico...

[Jorge-Vieira]

Eles tratam de os por cinematograficos, contratam a malta da Ubishit

[tiran]

Micro-transacções a render pouco menos do que a venda de jogos ao público.

Não admira que cada vez mais esta indústria esteja lotada disto.

Anda tudo atrás do ronaldo e do messi no FIFA...

Gastar dinheiro em skins e merdices...

[Winjer]

[Jorge-Vieira]

The DeanBeat: The pendulum will swing from consoles to PC games in 2015

Above: Phil Spencer, head of Xbox at Microsooft
Image Credit: Microsoft





In the past week, we’ve learned that PC gaming is going to have an outstanding 2015. Microsoft’s revelations about its Windows 10 operating system show that it is investing heavily in games on Windows, even as it forges ahead on the Xbox One game console.
Microsoft ticked off a bunch of features that gamers will love. These include the game DVR, or the capability built into the operating system to be able to record a game session and share it with friends via an activity feed. Another is DirectX 12, the graphics software for the PC that Microsoft claims makes existing games run as much as 50 percent better. You’ll be able to play games cross-platform, with PC players challenging others on consoles or mobile devices. And you’ll be able to stream a game session from an Xbox One to the Windows 10 PC or Windows mobile devices — something that the PlayStation 4 does not offer.
“We will treat gaming on Windows 10 with as much passion and energy as we have on the Xbox One,” said Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, speaking at Microsoft’s Windows 10 event this week.
Partners like Nvidia are also racing forward. The graphics chip maker just announced its new GeForce GTX 960 graphics chip, which will take Maxwell-based 3D graphics into $200 videocards, or the sweet spot of the PC market. Since Nvidia launched its high-end $500-plus cards in the fall, the company said it has sold more than 1 million chips to PC enthusiasts, who have spent more than 100 million hours playing games on Maxwell-based computers. And now the players who are playing hits like multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBA, think League of Legends or Vainglory) will have a reason to upgrade their systems.
The GeForce GTX 960 has a feature known as dynamic superresolution, which renders a game in 4K in the background and outputs it to whatever quality your device can display, such as 1080p (the high-def TV standard). That means that the latest GeForce GTX 960 computers will be able to render games in better quality than the Xbox One can on a big screen TV.
Above: The GeForce GTX 960 can make images look like 4K resolution on an HD monitor.
Image Credit: Nvidia

For sure, the PC is always evolving and taking advantage of new hardware while console technology is mostly static after a launch. So it’s only natural for the momentum to return to the PC. But this doesn’t happen automatically, just because of a new tick of Moore’s Law, or the doubling of computing power every couple of years. It requires constant reinvestment in the PC platform so that it can race ahead.
Ecosystem partners have questioned Microsoft’s commitment to games on Windows. But after yesterday, when Microsoft announced it will make Windows 10 free for a year (for those who own Windows 7 or 8) in order to boost adoption, you can no longer accuse the company of sandbagging on the PC.
We can think of this as a kind of pendulum. It’s just like 2013, which was a great year for game consoles. During the launch of the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, PC gamers felt like they weren’t getting enough love. Those consoles are enormously successful, and they’ve sold nearly 30 million systems to date. Consoles stole the attention and the imagination of game developers.
But in 2014, PC games did great. Nvidia calculated that 338 PC games debuted in 2014, compared with 146 on the PS4 and 98 on Xbox One. People also spent 179 million hours watching the League of Legends Championship finals — on the PC. We can expect to see a lot of outstanding PC games this year, including multiplatform releases such as Dying Light, Evolve, and Fable Heroes. And some lucky fans will be able to play those games at superfast frame rates on gaming monitors that can display images quickly in 4K resolution or better.
I’m also encouraged by the PC’s openness. Even as it added features, Microsoft was careful not to kill its golden goose. Spencer said that Valve’s Steam digital download store will be able to run just fine on Windows 10. Valve was so concerned that Microsoft would establish its own store as the primary destination on Windows 10 that it came up with a contingency plan, Steam Machines. The Linux-based PC gaming systems would ensure that you would be able to play your full Steam library on your computer or your TV, wherever you want. Microsoft also touted this capability with Windows 10, as you’ll now be able to stream your Xbox One game sessions to the PC or Windows mobile devices.
Now, Valve can’t sell its Steam Machines on fear alone. It will have to justify the existence of an alternative gaming PC platform.
Above: Microsoft’s HoloLens, in action.
Image Credit: Microsoft

Microsoft also showed us the frontier. It’s no secret that the open PC platform is the best place to experiment with new gaming experiences. Facebook’s Oculus VR has reignited interest in virtual reality through its Oculus Rift goggles, which show you amazing virtual worlds while connected to a computer. Virtual reality is stirring a huge amount of excitement among developers, with some of the world’s best game creators forming virtual reality game studios.
Microsoft went a step further by showing its Windows Holographic augmented reality platform and its Windows HoloLens augmented reality headset. The possibilities for gaming on these platforms cold be huge and entirely original. Ideas like these could turn those who don’t play games, like our own Jordan Novet, into gaming enthusiasts. Novet used the headset to play around with Minecraft in a faux living room, and he loved it. I heard the same from gamers as well, like P.J. McNealy of Digital World Research.
“The HoloLens demos were fascinating and fun,” McNealy wrote. “Seeing is believing with these demos, and Minecraft will definitely be the most talked about.”
McNealy has been around for a while, and he usually doesn’t fall in love with brand-new stuff.
“We have bigger hopes and higher aspirations for Windows,” said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, at the Windows 10 event. He said Microsoft would pursue “excellent and world-class work” when it comes to creating gaming experiences.
If some of this goodness comes to pass and it all works well, we’re going to love our Windows PCs again.
This week, companies like Microsoft and Nvidia showed they’re putting the gamer at the center of their efforts, and that they’re investing in the PC as a platform. That’s good news for all of us.
Above: Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft

Noticia:
http://venturebeat.com/2015/01/23/th...games-in-2015/

[Winjer]

A nVidia a mandar umas bocas às consolas

Leiam as duas últimas linhas.