Menu PocketGamer.biz
Search
Home   >   Features

PocketGamer.biz Week That Was: Shields, Sticks and the rise of the unconsole

The past 7 days in bite-sized portions
Stay Informed
Get Industry News In Your Inbox…
Sign Up Today

This week, PocketGamer.biz editor-at-large Jon Jordan has created a new word: unconsole.

Dissatisfied with the 'micro-console' terminology that's being thrown about, Jordan argues that the era of consoles is, in fact, drawing to a close.

The current crop of Kickstarted games machines all belong in a single category, though, and 'unconsole' is the best descriptor for the job. Or so he reckons.

Regardless of designation, I'd argue that a device such as the Ouya could conceivably carve out a niche for itself catering to indies and tinkerers, while offering a price point that'll seem mighty tempting when compared to next-gen hardware.

Nvidia's newly announced Project Shield, on the other hand, will likely be pricey. And what's more, Nvidia will want to achieve scale, rather than being content with courting a small subsection of the market.

The company seems committed to achieving this promising annual hardware revisions for its handheld but its hard to see how the first version Nvidia's unconsole will be anything other than unsuccessful as a mass-market proposition.

But that's quite enough high-falutin' chatter for one week. Instead, let's move on to our bite-sized overview of the last seven days' on PocketGamer.biz.

Platform wars

  • Fresh figures from Google show that almost 40 percent of all Android users are now running Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean, as updates surge.
  • Microsoft refuses to confirm an early 2013 launch for Windows Phone 7.8, although Nokia Spain breaks the silence. 
  • In the latest PocketGamer.biz inforgraphic, we take a look at the growth of the Windows Phone Store and it might just surprise you. 
  • Microsoft announces that cumulative sales of Windows 8 have reached 60 million, and the Windows Store has served up 100 million app downloads
  • PS Vita sales are "on the low end" of Sony's expectations, admits CEO Kaz Hirai. 

Un-consoles

Monetisation

  • Apple announces free-to-play favourites Clash of Clans and DrangonVale generated $100 million in 2012.
  • In this week's edition of the PocketGamer.biz Charticle, we take a look at Kabam the publisher behind the US App Store's single highest grossing iPhone game of 2012.

Funding and start ups

Industry voices