Why you no say you haz gaming machine?

Being a part of the gaming industry over the past 2 years has given me some insight into a few facts. I thought I would take some time and just highlight it - just for the heck of it.

Gaming as a job in an industry is probably the most misunderstood, to begin with. Why? It is in the name - gaming. Most people assume that being in the gaming industry is just fun and games. But it is not just that. It is some of that but it is not all that. It is a serious business for a lot of people and even large companies are beginning to see this. The only people who rely on gaming as a business are the game software developers and their distributors. The hardware makers are the ones who understand that gaming is a serious business and making plenty of headway into applying technology to make gaming that much more interesting, yet they will not trust it enough to give gaming it's own space. 

I have noticed that hardware manufacturers hide their gaming businesses in the midst of their home entertainment verticals despite the fact that these businesses account for what is possibly their most specific R&D and most expensive products in the IT industry. Examples? Sony Corporation invests a lot of money in Gaming despite posting losses in Q3-2011, and taking a hit in the sales in Consumer Electronics (source: pcmag.com). Microsoft has 2 whole divisions dedicated to the Xbox experience - the Xbox hardware and its related R&D and the Xbox Live division that works on the UI, the delivery of new games online, and the delivery of premium content through their new system! Nintendo, although being one of the first to get INTO gaming (around the same age as Sega), are moving along slowly but bringing in some absolute classic hardware - although their software could do with an over-haul! All they seem to do starts with an M and ends with an Ario ;) - Sega's games too start with S and end with Onic... nothing new in their games; but Nintendo are planning an ace up their sleeve with the Wii-U. 

These are companies who kind of focus on gaming but are hiding in plain sight. There are companies that you probably did not know about or know about but were not aware that they love gaming too. Do you know these companies: LG, Samsung, Dell, HP, Asus and MSi. Why do I say this?

All these companies have the know how and resources to invest into gaming hardware that people would trust, and they do invest in making super expensive gaming hardware assembled for optimum efficiency. Why, then, do they not make their presence felt? Why did I need to pry it out of their brains that gaming is part of their system? HP just happened to let slip about their Phoenix range of gaming deskware. LG and Samsung have HUGE budgets for gaming hardware (like monitors, 3D technology, gaming laptops) and are in fact making it a part of their regular products as well - but their marketing does not do much to promote this. Same with Asus and MSi who make the best gaming components out there - everyone knows this. But when it comes to promoting their home grown machines that cost a fraction of what it would cost with an Alienware tag, no one is aware of their capability!

This is something I find weird. Why? As a gamer, who spends a lot of money on games and hardware, I would be most happy to know that there are a LOT more options out there than the ones that actually market themselves! Any gamer is looking for the best value for money proposition out there that would give him/her the chance to improve his/her game without burning a hole in his/her pocket. The solutions are out there with manufacturers investing time, effort and money to make them - but little effort is made to promote them to the right audience.

This can be changed if communication is made to the right audience in the right manner. And it does not cost a lot too :)

Anyway, if anyone wants to make a difference and improve the visibility of the gaming range of products to the right audience, then the simple solutions are out there for everyone to see.

Posted via email from partha's posterous

HTC One X is here. I know; I saw it

For all those people who have been waiting patiently for the next big thing in mobile devices or have been putting off buying that smartphone for sometime now, I would probably recommend that you go and look at the HTC One X. I am sure that disappointed, you will not be!

For One(x) thing, HTC seem to have done things right on a lot of fronts and let me list down those things, which - in my opinion, needed work in the first place. I am not particularly fond of Android handsets. I guess I can put that down to being exposed to the lower strata of Android handsets that probably need to be rooted to get the best out of them. Quite frankly, I have tried, unsuccessfully at that, to do so and therefore have given up unceremoniously.

A few manufacturers seem to have got things right - HTC and Samsung to name the top 2 in my list. My first introduction to HTC was with the Desire. The phone is perfectly sized as an entry level, high spec smart phone. Price was almost right as well with it hovering around the $400 mark (I could be wrong you know). With a large application memory cache, it made downloading and using applications easier. HTC only improved this with the new range of phones with the Desire S, Incredible S and so on. Then came the HTC Sensation - and I was blown. That phone was not a phone - it was a mini power house. They also spoiled you with variants depending on what you wanted to focus on! Incredible - I mean, Sensational! :P

Then they went silent for some time until last week, they emailed me and said "Come check out the HTC One X" - and go I did.

What happened next was me - a devout not-liker of Android - actually jumping for the pen and recommending the HTC One X because I do really recommend that product. This mobile device can do EVERYTHING you need from a mobile technology companion. What could you possibly want?

1. Camera: The One X boasts of an 8 megapixel camera with something that HTC calls Image Sense - and its pretty cool. With low light pictures coming out really sharp and bright despite, well, low light conditions, the clarity and depth really is amazing. Burst is exactly that in the true sense of the word! Other modes do exist but Low Light HD Capture, and Burst were the highlight of the still camera. The video on the other hand records 1080P (I can't change the case for numbers!) of flawless video in the midst of which you can capture still images at 2mp quality. That is still print quality right there!! 

2. Screen and Touch: HTC have upgraded their OS to now be slightly smarter. Called the HTC Sense 4.0 this thing can now sync music through any music software and any Desktop OS. Nothing is proprietary anymore (*cough* iTunes *cough*). Easier to switch through the screens, better linked socially, improved connectivity and more through the new Sense 4.0. 

3. Media: Beats Audio - nuff said ;) 

Oh ok, fine - Audio quality is the same as the previous Sensation - with the addition of a few sensible functions like the ability to plug in ANY beats headset and get optimum quality sound through the Beats Audio engine in built!

4. Form: This is where I particularly loved the One X - it is larger than the Sensation - a 4.7" screen compared to the Sensation's 4.3" but in no way does it need me to have extra long thumbs anymore. Slimmer, more practical, a thinner bezel all make the actual phone a LOT easier to hold and manage compared to the Sensation.

5. Tech: Let's get technical for a bit here now -  out of the box with Android - ICS, the 32GB media memory, the 2GB inbuilt app memory, the 4.7 in HD screen, HTC Sense 4, Image Sense, OMG - and a companion core ONLY to manage the battery - this phone is the best thing since chocolate chip cookies - and the HTC Sensation ;). Coupled with 25 GB of Cloud Storage - really what more could you need?

Priced at AED 2499, the phone is already available in the market and I hope to get my hands on a review unit soon.

Hey you could buy your phone from JadoPado for the best deals online.

Posted via email from partha's posterous