TECHNOLOGIES TO watch - Consumer Electronics Association

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28Quick Facts About Gamers43 percent of people who play interactive games are women.The average age of an interactive game player is 29 years old .For Computer Gamers30 percent of most frequent game players are under 18 years old25 percent of most frequent game players are between18 and 35 years old41 percent of most frequent game players are over 35 years oldFor Console Gamers38 percent of most frequent game players are under 18 years old40 percent of most frequent game players are between18 and 35 years old22 percent of most frequent game players are over 35 years oldSource: ESA, July2003computers, PDAs and handheld PCs, and portable gamingconsoles. For years, business travelers have been playing solitaireon laptop computers during long flights. But companieslike Alienware are taking laptop PC gaming to new heightswith products like the Area-51m, a laptop PC designed to bewhat the company calls “the ultimate mobile gaming machine.”Today’s PDAs and handhelds bristle with computing powerrivaling desktop systems that were considered robust only afew years ago. With stylus in hand, gamers on these handheldsystems get console-like performance with the utility of a PC.CEA believes technological advances among these technologieshas fostered an increasingly viable platform for entertainmentpursuits. Increasing processor power, better graphics capability,improved power frugality and naturally the addition of colorLCD screens have all driven consumers to accept games onthese platforms.For consumers who prefer a dedicated mobile gaming solution,Nintendo’s Game Boy systems have been the only realchoice for the past decade or so. According to the NPD Group,U.S. dollar sales of portable consoles between January and May2003 improved 43 percent over the same period a year ago. InMay 2003, Sony said it planed to enter the portable consolemarket with the PSP, which the company positioned as the“Walkman of the 21st century.” Sony said the PSP will feature aRetail Unit Shares, ASPs for PDAs andHandheld PCs Color Versus MonochromeScreensColor Share Color ASP Mono Share Mono ASP1QTR00 1.6% $674 98.4% $2902QTR00 5.3% $548 94.7% $2853QTR00 7.0% $521 93.1% $2714QTR00 7.1% $497 92.9% $2481QTR01 10.1% $490 89.9% $2392QTR01 20.3% $457 79.7% $2113QTR01 23.9% $445 76.1% $1944QTR01 24.5% $387 75.5% $1551QTR02 38.1% $393 61.9% $1782QTR02 44.5% $380 55.5% $1573QTR02 43.9% $362 56.1% $1324QTR02 48.5% $322 51.5% $1181QTR03 68.5% $314 31.5% $1102QTR03 72.9% $299 27.1% $98Source: The NPD Group / NPD Techworld3D graphics capable screen, stereo sound, USB 2.0 connectivity,rechargeable battery and Memory Stick compatibility allowingwireless communication. The PSP also will utilize universalmedia disk (UMD) technology. UMDs are like CDs, but smaller,and can hold up to 1.8GB of data.Although cell phones are not exactly a familiar face on themobile gaming scene here in the U.S., gaming on handsets isgathering momentum. And wireless technology is pushingmobile gaming into the mainstream through these devices.Many industry observers believe wireless technologies will helpmobile gaming make a quantum leap forward.The wireless gaming wave is finally resonating in NorthAmerica, but in other regions of the world, such as Europe andJapan, connected gaming via wireless devices is much moreprevalent. Supporting this growing worldwide wireless gamingmovement, new technologies such as wireless gaming decksand eventually in-vehicle entertainment systems soon will offermore ways to play games on the go.5 TECHNOLOGIES TO watchOCTOBER 2003
29PORTABLE VIDEO CONSOLE HARDWAREJAN-MAY 2003Wireless Gaming Market Prime For GrowthThe revenue opportunities beckon in the wireless gaming sectoras the installed base grows larger. The challenges surroundingwireless gaming, both technological and market-related,are working themselves out slowly. So if you’re waiting for a“big bang,” don’t hold your breath. Growth projections appearrobust and promising, however the really big money is on thehorizon – at least here in the U.S. But nonetheless, the wirelessgaming race has begun in earnest, and growing the installedbase has been one key factor over the past several years. Asprices have dropped, sales of cellular phones have accelerated.Meanwhile, Strategy Analytics projects handset total unitsales in North America will surpass the 100 million mark asearly as 2004.Following in the footsteps of Japanese carrier DoCoMo,operators here in the U.S. last year launched wirelessentertainment services based on the business model of heavilycompensating the content provider or game developer. Thismodel is one with which industry experts concur. And recentannouncements from carriers including Sprint and Verizonsuggest that demand for wireless games is heating up. Sprintannounced in May 2003 that subscribers had purchased anddownloaded almost two million single and multiplayer gamessince August 2002.International Data Corp. forecasts the number of wirelessgamers in the U.S. could reach 19.6 million by the end of theyear – rising to 112.4 million by 2007. Worldwide wirelessgaming revenues could top $5 billion in 2007 and climb evenhigher to more than $7 billion in 2008, according to StrategyAnalytics.OCTOBER 2003Dollar Change03 vs ‘02Unit Change03 vs ‘0243% 19%Source: The NPD Group / NPD Funworld / TRSTS`North America Handset Sales Forecast2003 - 2008North AmericaHandset Sales(in millions)ReplacementRates (%)Source: Strategy Analytics, May 20032003 2004 2005 2006 2007 200890.4 101.4 109.1 114.6 116.9 117.350.3% 52.6% 53.3% 53.4% 52.5% 51.2%Factory Sales of Cellular PhonesYearUnits(in thousands)Dollars(in millions)ASP1999 33,700 $6,066 $1802000 52,600 $8,995 $1712001 53,400 $8,651 $1622002 58,740 $8,106 $1382003 p 62,852 $8,171 $1302004 p 67,251 $8,406 $125Source: CEA Market ResearchTo facilitate this remarkable growth, the stakeholders in thewireless gaming value chain – network operators, device manufacturers,software developers, etc. – must profit. Cellularoperators (especially in the U.S. market) must help users climba steep learning curve to embrace more data services and mustcorrectly hit their price points with these services. Domesticcarriers have been cautious with their marketing plans – walkingthe line between generating demand and not over-promisingservices. This year, IDC predicts 13.4 million unique userswill join the U.S. wireless game ranks. By the year 2007, IDCforecasts the number of new wireless gamers in the U.S. will be71.2 million.Cellular bandwidth has broadened slowly over the years,enabling better wireless data transfer and game play, but forwireless gaming to really take off, most experts say the pipesneed to be bigger than the 2.5G network presently in use. The3G (third-generation) wireless network should remedy the5 TECHNOLOGIES TO watch
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Page 8 and 9: 6Convincing Consumers: Digital Cont
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Page 14 and 15: 12Public Wi-Fi Hot Spots WorldwideL
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Page 36 and 37: 34Ready to Get Your Game On?Mobile
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Page 46 and 47: 44and remote vital-sign monitoring

TECHNOLOGIES TO watch - Consumer Electronics Association

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