Parks Associates hosts "Social Gaming" Webcast - FEB 24

Join Parks Associates on Thursday, February 24th at 1 PM CENTRAL for the webcast, SOCIAL GAMING, and examine the current state of the social gaming industry and its business models.

Parks Associates research finds:
-- More than 200 million people play games on Facebook every month
-- 64% of U.S. broadband households with an Internet-connectable game console have it hooked to the Internet, a major increase from 2007, when only 25% had their next-gen console connected
-- PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 have higher connectivity rates among the current generation of consoles, showing the power of multimedia offerings and popular game franchises in getting gamers online

Pietro Macchiarella, Research Analyst, Parks Associates will feature analysis and forecasts from examining:
-- How are social gaming publishers monetizing their popular games?
-- Are these companies at the mercy of social networks, or are they capable of developing brand loyalty?
-- Are open platforms, free distribution, and low development costs creating low entry barriers to this market?

Click here for registration information.

Microsoft Launches Kinect, Misses Bing Opportunity

Microsoft will capitalize on the Kinect launch Thursday to rebrand the Xbox 360 from a game box into an entertainment console, but some wonder whether the Redmond, Wash. tech giant will integrate its search engine Bing into the experience.

Kinect will allow Microsoft to better compete against video game console makers Sony and Nintendo, but the ability to search the Internet via voice commands would put it in a position to take search and advertising market share from Google by becoming an alternative to Google TV.

The Xbox allows its 25 million subscribers to experience entertainment in their living room through high-definition (HD) movies on Zune and Netflix, as well as sports on ESPN -- all through Xbox LIVE. The console also offers social options on Facebook and Twitter, and chat with other LIVE players around the world. Kinect launches with about a dozen video games and allows players to control the content through the wave of a hand or sound of their voices.

For the complete article, please click here.

U.S. households using PCs and game consoles to extend online video to the TV

Parks Associates finds consumer interest in Web-on-TV applications is so strong that households are making their own connections via PCs and game consoles. From 2008 to 2009, the number of U.S. households using Web-connected game consoles increased by 64%, and the number connecting a PC to a TV increased by 36%, according to the firm’s latest report Digital Lifestyles: 2010 Outlook.

Over three-fourths of U.S. households with PC-to-TV connections and one-third of Xbox 360 owners are using these connections to stream online video. These households, as they extend online video and other Web experiences to the TV screen, are laying the foundation for future behaviors with connected CE and entertainment services.

Digital Lifestyles: 2010 Outlook examines the rise of Web-connected CE as one part of the many developments in consumer electronics and services. The report provides analysis and forecasts for a variety of digital lifestyle product categories, including broadband Internet, television services, digital content services, and products (home networks and consumer electronics).

For more information, visit http://www.parksassociates.com.