Video game industry shows signs of slowing

Sales of video game software and hardware in the US rose 9 percent in August to US$1.08 billion, the smallest monthly increase in more than two years, according to data released Thursday by market researcher NPD Group.

Hardware sales were up 3 percent to US$395 million lead by handheld Nintendo DS, which sold 518,300 units, Nintendo's Wii came in second with 453,000 unit sales, and Microsoft's Xbox 360 claimed the third spot with 195,200 unit sales.

Software sales were up 13 percent to nearly US$551 million, lead by Electronic Arts' Madden NFL 09 and Nintendo's Wii Fit and Mario Kart. Sales of accessories rose 13 percent to US$137 million.

The video game industry has weathered the economic downturn better than most industries, but August's sales increase is the first rise below 10 percent in 27 months, NPD analyst Anita Frazier said. However, she said projections for 2008 are still looking strong overall.

"Despite smaller growth this month, the industry is up 32 percent year-to-date and remains on target to achieve annual revenues in the range of US$22 billion to US$24 billion," Frazier said in a statement.

Via CNET Blogs

Oh look, Sony Ericsson's got a photo frame, too

With photo frames retailing on every corner, keep a lookout for one from Sony Ericsson some time in Q4. It's its first, though we wonder why it's taken that long for a phone company to produce a photo frame among its arsenal of camera-phone accessories. Though for its debut outing, the Sony Ericsson IDP-100 Digital Photo Frame doesn't do any fancy tricks beyond just being a vanilla photo frame. You get your typical 7-inch WVGA screen able to display up to 500 images, a world clock, touch controls, and a gamut of connectivity options that include USB, Bluetooth and card slot support for M2, microSD, SD and MS Duo.

Via Fareastgizmos

Australia more gadget-obsessed than US or Japan?

The New York Times has a cool visualization chart on its site Wednesday showing how the world population spends its discretionary income.
It highlights per capita spending on clothing and footwear, electronics, alcohol and tobacco, household goods, and recreation. At Crave, we obviously zeroed in on electronics spending, and the results seemed predictable at first: The US spends an ungodly amount of money on electronics: US$162 billion a year. "Electronics", by the way, are defined here as PCs, TVs, stereos, and camera equipment. Cell phones, notably, are not included.
Read more »

Singapore night race unnerving F1 teams

A new circuit, unfamiliar road condition, potential downpour and other variables are raising concerns among the F1 teams for the upcoming Singapore night race. So much so that the organizers have revised the practice schedule to accommodate more training sessions for the drivers after sunset. According to F1 formula 1, all drivers must participate in at least one out of the four practice sessions to be eligible for the race.

Instead of staggering two training sessions in daylight and the evening in Singapore, the first practice slated on Friday will now commence at 7pm followed by another round at 9.30pm. The same will happen on Saturday, except that the timings will be changed slightly to 7pm and 10pm, respectively. The actual race will flag off at 8pm on Sunday.

Via TSN | Photo credit: www.singaporegp.sg

LG's photo frame plays DVDs, too

If Sony's Internet-friendly photo frame (VAIO CP1 Wi-Fi) just doesn't rock your world, its Korean rival has another proposition for you. LG's photo frame will even pull double duty as a portable DVD player. Which personally makes more sense than reading news and surfing the Web off a tiny display. Style-wise, this LG isn't half bad-looking since the chaebol's clearly picked up a thing or two from its neighbor about chic, pretty lines. And being of Korean pedigree, this offering packs on the frills with an inbuilt DVD player, 8-inch screen, UBS connectivity, SD card slot and a built-in stand, for US$100 less than its Japanese counterpart. So Sony or LG? Japanese or Korean? Vogue or value? Decisions, decisions...
Read more »

Crave is...

The name says it all. Crave is our blog about cool gadgets and other crushworthy stuff.

Drop us an email if you have tips or suggestions.

Crave for...

» Mobile Phones (2211)

» Digital Cameras (974)

» Notebooks (1226)

» PC & Peripherals (1303)

» Handhelds (583)

» Printers (82)

» Home AV (1137)

» Music & Play (886)

» Gadgets (1472)

» Future Tech (391)

» Green Tech (170)

» Lifestyle (154)

» Luxury (22)

» Home Appliances (57)

» Cars (99)

» Games and Gear (245)

» Software (93)

» Web (104)

Previously...

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

Hot Topics

Subscribe to
Crave

What's Hot

apple apple inc. apple iphone apple ipod asia battery camera game google inc. iphone microsoft corp. microsoft windows mobile phone photograph singapore smart phone software sony corp. video

Today on CNET |  Reviews |  Crave |  Blogs |  CNET TV |  Digital Living |  Downloads