Consumer Electronics Daily News

Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, Will Retire Within The Next Year

Microsoft Corp. today announced that Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer has decided to retire as CEO within the next 12 months, upon the completion of a process to choose his successor. In the meantime, Ballmer will continue as CEO and will lead Microsoft through the next steps of its transformation to a devices and services company.

"There is never a perfect time for this type of transition, but now is the right time," Ballmer said. "We have embarked on a new strategy with a new organization and we have an amazing Senior Leadership Team. My original thoughts on timing would have had my retirement happen in the middle of our company's transformation to a devices and services company. We need a CEO who will be here longer term for this new direction."

The Board of Directors has appointed a special committee to direct the process. This committee is chaired by John Thompson, the board's lead independent director, and includes Chairman of the Board Bill Gates, Chairman of the Audit Committee Chuck Noski and Chairman of the Compensation Committee Steve Luczo. The special committee is working with Heidrick & Struggles International Inc., a leading executive recruiting firm, and will consider both external and internal candidates.

"As a member of the succession planning committee, I'll work closely with the other members of the board to identify a great new CEO," said Gates. "We're fortunate to have Steve in his role until the new CEO assumes these duties."

Readwrite.com wrote of Ballmer's legacy that he will leave with Microsoft. While he managed to restructure the company by putting technical people in charge and made significant cuts to underperforming agendas (such as the SPOT watch), Ballmer also was responsible for the ill-received Xbox One and the slipping of the Microsoft Surface. In the midst of Microsoft's technological transition, it will be exciting to watch a new CEO get thrown into the mix and translate their mission into the company's success.

Xbox One and Playstation 4 Purchase Plans Beginning at Walmart

Starting, Saturday, August 24, customers can visit Walmart stores nationwide to pre-order theMicrosoft Xbox^® One and Sony PlayStation^® 4.

"We know millions of our customers can't wait to get their hands on the Xbox One and PS4," said Laura Phillips, senior vice president of Entertainment for Walmart U.S. "As the current market share leader in video game hardware and accessories, customers can trust Walmart to have the latest gaming consoles and new releases available at a great low price."

Customers simply need to see an associate in the Electronics department and take the following steps to secure the PS4^™ or Xbox^® One:

• Provide a 10 percent down payment – $40 for PS4^™ and $50 for Xbox One.
• Make payments over time or in full when the console becomes available.
• Pick up the console on the launch date. Walmart will hold pre-ordered consoles for customers wanting more time to pay it off until December 13, 2013.

The Xbox^® One Day One Edition console for $499.00 includes an Xbox One System, Kinect, Day One Commemorative Edition Controller, an Exclusive Achievement and Special Edition Packaging. The PS4^™ console for $399.00 includes a PlayStation^® 4 System, DualShock 4 Controller and Wired Mono Headset. Walmart will also offer customers the option to reserve extra controllers and select games such as Forza Motorsport 5, Deadrising 3, Ryse, Killzone, Knack and Driveclub for $59.96 each.

For more information please visit your local Walmart store.

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PlayStation 4 Available on November 15

The console that took E3 by storm will soon be available to gamers everywhere! Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) yesterday announced that the PlayStation®4 (PS4™) (CUH-1000A series) computer entertainment system will launch on November 15, 2013 in the Canada and U.S., and from November 29, 2013 in Europe including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The PS4™ will also launch in the following 10 Latin American countries on November 29: Argentina, Brazil, Chile,Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and Peru.

For this new system, 33 titles will be available by the end of the year, including: Call of Duty: Ghosts, FIFA 14, NBA 2K14, #DRIVECLUB, Knack, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, Just Dance 4, and LEGO Marvel Superheros.

In addition to those titles already slated for release, there are 180 titles still in development, including Destiny, Diablo III, Mad Max, Witcher 3, The Order: 1886, and more.

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Nintendo Launches Animal Crossing Plaza on Wii U

Animal Crossing fans are getting a new place on Wii U where they can talk about their towns and share images with players from all over the world. Nintendo announced the free Animal Crossing Plaza application during today's Nintendo Direct presentation. 

"The second-half of 2013 is packed with great games and great experiences for Nintendo fans, from new entries in longstanding franchises to software that highlights the many benefits of connecting our hardware to the Internet," said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "We're always on the lookout for new ways that our fans can interact with their favorite game series, and Animal Crossing Plaza extends the fun of the infectious series to Wii U."

The new Animal Crossing Plaza application on Wii U for Animal Crossing fans is now available for download for free in the Nintendo eShop. The service will run through the end of 2014, and allows Animal Crossing fans from around the world to meet, interact and exchange information through the Animal Crossing Miiverse community. Players can import images they took in Animal Crossing: New Leaf for Nintendo 3DS, custom design QR Code patterns via their SD cards and organize them in albums. Players also can post messages to Miiverse with those images. The QR Code patterns posted can also be directly scanned and used in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Players can select their favorite animal in the Animal Crossing Plaza to post about those specific animals or view posts only about them. If players want to see more posts, they can jump directly to the Animal Crossing series Miiverse community from Animal Crossing Plaza.

Nintendo Wii U Outsold by Nintendo Wii Console

The Wii U, an eighth generation Nintendo console, was intended to compete with the PS4 and Xbox One, as evidenced by the announcement of new games at E3 this year. However, sales reports show that the Wii U's biggest competition at the moment is its predecessor. To make matters worse, the Wii sales have significantly declined as well, making the Wii U sales very few-- in Q2 of this year, only 160,000 units were sold.

How could this have happened? Users are likely satisfied with the technology the Wii console has to offer-- the big screen on the Wii U remote doesn't make the new console necessary to enjoy Nintendo games, so people aren't springing to update their consoles. More games must be released that use the game pad in an innovative way, or else it will remain a fun gimmick (but not a useful one) attached to the Wii U console. 

Image: Statista

Read more at Slate.com.

Gameloft Announces Order & Chaos the First OUYA MMORPG

Gameloft, a leading global publisher of digital and social games, today announced that its hit game Order & Chaos Online will be the first MMORPG available on the new OUYA and can be downloaded for free from DISCOVER, the OUYA Store.

Since its release in 2011, Order & Chaos Online has brought several million fans from around the world together on smartphones and tablets. Fans of the franchise can now meet and battle against other players and complete a myriad of quests on a large screen.

"We're thrilled to release one of our most popular games on the new OUYA console," states Alexandre Tan, Vice President of Business Development & Brand Partnerships at Gameloft. "Thanks to OUYA, we can offer players an even more immersive gaming experience on their TV screens right in their own living room."

"OUYA is excited to be working with Gameloft to bring the wildly popular Order and Chaos Online to the consoles world for the first time," said Julie Uhrman CEO and founder of OUYA. "This also marks our first MMORPG expanding the gaming possibilities for all OUYA gamers."

Order & Chaos Online is now free to download from DISCOVER, the OUYA Store.

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Sony's PS4 Has Fifty Percent Lead Over Microsoft's Xbox One

Because of its stellar reception at E3 this year, Sony's PS4 has a leg up on Microsoft's Xbox One in this year's games console battle, according to a study from Strategy Analytics' latest ConsumerMetrix survey. According to the report, "Games Consoles: Purchase Intention Index Q2 2013", 14.2 percent of consumers are very or somewhat likely to buy a PS4 within the next twelve months compared to 9.5 percent who will buy an Xbox One. If the results were reflected in sales data this would imply that sales of PS4s would be nearly fifty percent higher than Xbox One. The survey interviewed a representative population sample of more than 6000 respondents across the US and Europe in June 2013.

The report notes that the PS4 leads in both the US and Europe, in spite of the fact that Xbox 360 currently has a lead over the PS3 in the US. In the key 20-35 age group nearly 30 percent of respondents are very or somewhat likely to buy a PS4 compared to under 20 percent for Xbox One.

"There are still likely to be a few twists and turns before market launch," says Ed Barton, Director, Digital Media Strategies (DMS). "Microsoft has already demonstrated a willingness to listen to consumer concerns and it will now need to leverage the retention power of Xbox Live and invest in exclusive games if Xbox One is going to recover from its poor showing at E3."

The Last of Us™ Sales Exceed 3.4 Million Units Worldwide

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today announced that the global sales of The Last of Us exceeded 3.4 million units as of July 3rd. This remarkable sales figure was achieved in less than 3 weeks since the global launch on June 14. The PlayStation®3 (PS3®) exclusive title-- released to universal critical acclaim-– has surpassed all sales expectations to become the fastest-selling PS3 title of 2013.

The Last of Us delivers an evocative journey of survival in a world radically transformed, twenty years after a virulent pandemic of the cordyceps fungus has ravaged the human population. The rich story provides a realistic experience that explores the depths of humanity through main characters Joel and Ellie. Their journey is rife with emotionally charged moments as the narrative centers on themes of survival, loyalty, love and redemption.

"These sales figures are a testament to the blockbuster quality of The Last of Us," said Shuhei Yoshida, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios. "The teams at Naughty Dog are true visionaries and their storytelling capabilities are second to none, this title is an undisputed demonstration of that. SCE continues to be committed to delivering unique gameplay experiences that redefine the interactive entertainment industry and The Last of Us is a perfect example."

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The Rumors are True: Xbox President Don Mattrick Leaving for Zynga

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer issued a statement today, saying, "Zynga announced today that Don Mattrick would be its new CEO, effective July 8. This is a great opportunity for Don, and I wish him success. Don's directs will report to me and will continue to drive the day-to-day business as a team, particularly focused on shipping Xbox One this holiday."

After the public preview of the new Xbox One console at E3, Mattrick's performance has been the subject of negative public opinion and the target for backlash linked to the new console's debut. This news certainly comes at a busy time for Microsoft, as the Xbox One's release date is slated for November 2013. However, it doesn't appear that Microsoft will be slowing down their efforts-- Ballmer said, “This is a great opportunity for Don, and I wish him success. Don’s directs will report to me and will continue to drive the day-to-day business as a team, particularly focused on shipping Xbox One this holiday.”

OUYA: $99 Game Console Thunders Into Retail And Online Stores Across North America, Canada, And U.K.

One little video game console. 170+ new games and growing. 17,000 registered game developers. And gamers ready to play. OUYA is here.

OUYA, a new kind of video game console, launches today at retail locations across the U.S., Canada, and U.K., including Amazon, Best Buy, GAME, GameStop, and Target, for only $99.99. With a current library of more than 170+ free-to-try games and media apps in 1080p HD, OUYA is the most affordable, accessible, and innovative new video game console on the market today.  

Whether racing in Flashout 3D, answering trivia in You Don't know Jack, exploring an otherworldly RPG in Chronoblade (an OUYA exclusive from the creator of the Grand Theft Auto franchise), testing patience and agility in The Little Crane That Could, or inviting friends over to compete in couch gaming fun with games like Towerfall or Hidden In Plain Sight, OUYA has something unique for every gamer, at every age. Plus, with streaming services such as Twitch.tv, TuneIn, and Plex loaded on, this little box will answer every digital entertainment need.

On OUYA, gamers can try out every game with no obligation to buy, and new games are uploaded constantly. Games are ranked based on the "fun factor," not revenue or number of downloads, with all games and apps digitally delivered-– meaning the gamer has no more discs to buy, and they own their games forever.  To date, more than 17,000 game creators worldwide have registered to make an OUYA game-- from established publishers like Sega and Square Enix, to emerging studios like Double Fine Productions, Tripwire Interactive, and Kim Swift's Airtight Games, and up-and-coming indie creators like Matt Thorson and Adam Spragg. This ensures a steady stream of games spanning familiar genres to mind-blowing, out-of-this-world game experiences.

"It's incredible to think that a little under a year ago OUYA was just an idea-- we wanted to do something completely new in console gaming: build a $99 game console, with no discs to buy, open to all developers, and affordable to all gamers," said Julie Uhrman, CEO and co-founder, OUYA. "Today, OUYA is real. Console gaming has never needed something new more than it does now."

OUYA features:

• Console: A sleek 3" x 3" cube of brushed aluminum, OUYA features an open OS with custom interface built on an NVIDIA Tegra 3 chipset that delivers fast performance, amazing graphics, and surround sound in 1080p HD.
• Controller: Designed specifically for OUYA, the controller features all the button combinations for a truly immersive game play experience, including two analog sticks, D-Pad, eight action buttons, a system button, touchpad, and Bluetooth connectivity.
• Games: With more than 170+ games already available for download on the system, OUYA's ever-growing game library covers every game experience imaginable, including Chronoblade, Beast Boxing, Final Fantasy III, Saturday Morning RPG, No Brakes Valet, and Sega's Sonic games. All games are free-to-try. No more discs, and you own your games forever.
• Apps: OUYA fans can access their favorite streaming video and music apps including content directly from Twitch.tv, Plex, XBMC, TuneIn, Crunchyroll, iHeartRadio, and many others.
• DISCOVER Store: OUYA focuses on discovering the most fun games. Games are organized by player engagement, plus an ongoing roster of guest curators share their favorite game picks.
• MAKE Channel: An evolving channel that uses OUYA's built-in software development kit to enable creators to build and test games, later allowing a direct relationship with OUYA gamers through the system.

OUYA is available now for purchase in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. through retailers Amazon (U.S., Canada, and the U.K.), Best Buy, GAME (U.K.), GameStop, and Target, and on OUYA.tv for $99.99. Additional controllers retail for $49.99. 

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