ACCESSORIES FIRMS ON… KINECT AND MOVE 22 MCV 24/09/10
Moving forwards
New hardware from Microsoft and Sony present exciting opportunities to the gaming accessories market. Dominic Sacco speaks to peripherals firms to find out how the motion-sensing units will impact them…
NINTENDO may have pushed motion- sensing to mainstream audiences first with Wii, but now Microsoft and Sony are jumping on the bandwagon. And accessories firms are watching closely. It’s not difficult to see why third parties are so interested in the PlayStation Move controller and hands- free Xbox 360 Kinect device. Following the Wii’s launch in December 2006 the games peripherals market flourished, with all manner of controllers heading to retail including tennis rackets, golf clubs, light guns and revised Remotes. Many say history will repeat itself with Move and Kinect. “It’s always positive to have major innovations on the market, with Kinect and Move promising to bring new users to the gaming sector,” says Guillemot CEO Claude Guillemot, whose firm produces the Thrustmaster peripherals. John Moore, divisional VP of product development and marketing for Power A adds: “The high volume of advertising for these new products will bring some new customers into the market, which benefits the industry overall.”
WINTER WONDERLAND The recently launched Move, and Kinect – which arrives on November 10th – have hit the market at the perfect time during the run up to Christmas, with most accessories firms distributing new products in time for the busy trading perdiod. Interactive Ideas PR and marketing executive Yen Tru tells MCV: “Kinect and Move are going to be huge this Christmas and are sure to lift the market with a much-needed boost.
“
WWW.MCVUK.COM
September and November, the timing could not really have been better.” The general consensus, then, is that both motion accessories are a positive addition to the industry. However Hubb Accessories’ Melanie Jones believes they will present several challenges to the sector. The fact that Kinect doesn’t require a controller to be played means
Kinect and Move are going to be huge this Christmas and are sure to lift the market with a much-needed boost. Yen Tru, Interactive Ideas
“The new platforms will provide the sector with an influx of accessories to accompany the exciting developments which the new motion controller technology offers.” It’s long overdue, says AntiGrav’s CEO Robert Orchard: “It’s been a while since anything really new came along and given the respective launch dates of
the space for new products is smaller than it is for Wii.
“While it is a great opportunity for accessories companies to showcase their creative ability, there are also limitations in the number and type of products that can be produced,” Jones says. “There is sure to be a general uplift in sales of accessories for these consoles when they launch, however we will
only benefit long-term if we can enhance the consumer’s experience by producing equally exciting and innovative
accessories to sit alongside them.” THE CASUAL DIVIDE
”
It can be argued that the peripherals market isn’t as mainstream for Move and Kinect as it is for Wii. The typical current PS3 and Xbox 360 owner is a core gamer, as opposed to a light or casual player who may resonate more with Wii motion accessories.
Marketing manager Karen Hughes says: “Move offers similar opportunities to Wii – but with a more hardcore audience. Therefore there is opportunity to create more sophisticated product, albeit for a niche audience.” On the other hand, Venom and Pinpoint share optimism for Move, with the former saying the new accessories will encourage sales of other products.
Venom’s business developer Tom Hodge comments: “The added bonus is that we expect to see a spike in sales of PS3 and Xbox 360 accessories as well as the Kinect and Move specific lines we will have for launch.” Pinpoint product manager Tom Armstrong adds: “Technically these products are very advanced and offer great insight to the future of our industry.” But one key strategy – regardless of the type of product – is being first to market. BigBen Interactive’s business development manager Ann Hurley says: “Early adopters are the life blood of the sector. They keep the energy flowing through the market and innovations like Move and Kinect fuel their passion. It’ll be interesting to see what emerges.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72