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September 2010

Kinect for the Xbox = "awesome"

I had the opportunity to try out the Kinect device for the Xbox at the new Microsoft store in Scottsdale's Fashion Square Mall this weekend.  I highly recommend visiting the store if you live in the Phoenix metro area, San Diego, Mission Viejo, or Denver metro area.  There was no one watching the Microsoft store employee playing with the game (prominently located right in the window for maximum exposure), but by the time we left there was a crowd of people around, and a line of people waiting to play.  The employee was playing a driving game that actually looked quite complicated in terms of the motions he had to use to drive the car. 

However, for us to demo Kinect, he pulled up the bowling game (what was odd is that he had to turn the system off and then back on before doing so).  My 6-year-old was first, and easily picked up the directions on how to play (stand in a certain spot, raise your right arm straight out to "pick up" the ball, then throw like you normally would).  We all got a turn, and the Kinect seamlessly transferred from one of us to the other, even though there was three feet difference in height from the shortest to the tallest of us. 

3rd Party Semiconductor Intellectual Property Market: Resumption of Growth

2008 was forecast to be a good growth year, until external events in worldwide financial markets overtook the SIP market. The SIP industry was not immune to the market forces unleashed in 2008, declining 21.9% in 2009. However, the recovery which arrived in the second half of 2009 prevented the 3rd Party SIP from declining at an even steeper rate. It is Semico’s view that the SIP market will continue to perform at rates comparable to other semiconductor markets, with 17.1% growth in 2010.

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Sony PSP Conquering Other Markets

As a handheld console, the PSP in North America is on its last leg.  It has been losing market share to smart phones, Apple products, and the NDS.  But this doesn’t mean the PSP is out for the count.  As Sony recently said, “the PSP has life left in it yet.” Sony claims that right now their main market is the children’s arena, and their game line-up seconds that claim.  Its true of most handhelds, but especially for the PSP, that they are great entertainment devices while on the road.  A parent can pick up a PSP, games, and movies and be set for the entire road trip.  They might even appropriate the PSP for one of their own long trips because the screen is so perfect for viewing movies.  But only if they don’t already have a notebook, or netbook, or portable dvd player, or iPod, or smart phone, etc. And that’s part of the problem.  When the PSP first came out, it was the most advanced handheld device on the market.  Those days are long since gone.  According to Steve Jobs, the iPod Touch is now a more popular gaming device than both the PSP and NDS.  The market has dramatically changed.

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