From the Austin Game Conference Asia Track:

• Anime and realist art are the most popular in Asia; realist art hasn’t done as well in the US.
• Individualism matters more in the US; community interactions (trading, graphical embraces, etc) matter more in Asia. (My two cents: it is dangerous to underplay community functionality in any region — it always matters.)
• Simple game controls are more important in Asia, due to habit of gamers in Asia to play with one hand while doing other things (such as eating, text messaging, etc).
• One Asian company reported that 60% of its customers were unemployed (living off unemployment checks). Some player’s wives wrote in thanks, preferring this to the possibility of gambling.
• Game companies are big buyers of advertising time in Asia — benefits of such spending are currently unclear.
• In China, companies pay fees to put up game posters in Internet cafes. Other companies can pay to have them removed. *grin*

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In no particular order:

• 25,000 wireless hotspots throughout Europe (unclear how many of these will be McDonald’s locations)
• Revolution will be “as graphically powerful” as PS3 / 360
• Revolution users will be ablet to play some games online without actually owning a copy.
• Online content will not be restricted by geographical region

Between the serious committment to online play and the nifty position-sensitive wireless controller, I’m getting more psyched abou the Revolution every day.

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Hacking isn’t just for fame and glory. Nintendo DS users have come together to financially incentivize the documentation and creation of utilities that will enable anyone to make programs that take advantage of the DS’s wifi. The first half of the challenge just got completed … and the winner is walking away with $1,400.

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Unless this thing spins at 5,000 rpm I can’t imagine it selling well. Come to think of it… the spinning would suck, too.

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Nice article on rapid prototyping… breaks down the methods and benefits in a very clear way.

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Looks like all those marketing dollars spent by Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo aren’t quite helping the average consumer understand the argument for choosing one console over another. Maybe a few more really loud, adreline-inducing tv ads will help?

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More evidence of the closing geographic / business divide in entertainment…

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