450°

Sony, Microsoft Could Make Billions if Chinese Ban is Lifted

While Apple, Samsung and Google are free to ship their devices nearly anywhere, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have been prevented from selling their most successful hardware items — video game consoles — in China. That could change in the near future.

According to China Daily USA, Chinese authorities are reconsidering their decision to ban game consoles in 2000.

The ban, which has prevented the legal sales of PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox 360 and other game consoles, was implemented after seven Chinese ministries concluded that video games could potentially harm the physical and mental development of children.

flankhim4105d ago

Nah. They will just re-manufacture counterfeit systems with worse quality.

PirateThom4105d ago

This isn't like the NES where they can mess about with a lock out chip.

4105d ago
flankhim4105d ago

@lorettajason3

Another chinese post!

blackbeld4105d ago (Edited 4105d ago )

Nice!

Finally they lift that crazy ban.

Chinese folks also deserve some entertainment not only hard labor. They work to much more then 10hours a day. Chill out please.

Daoshai4105d ago

@blackbled

Actually China only allows a maximum of 48hrs a week. The average is 44 hours I believe. I'm from Nippon where a lot of workers end up with many more hours, but I believe that is changing now.

The ban is more about keeping the public sheltered than depriving them of entertainment.

Bereaver4105d ago

Well, I live in Shanghai and I've said it many times before.

You can already buy 360's and PS3 anywhere you want pretty much. Just because it's "Illegal" doesn't mean you can't buy it. They don't really enforce the law. Take a look here.....

http://s.taobao.com/search?...

Or here

http://s.taobao.com/search?...

SolidStoner4105d ago (Edited 4105d ago )

the fun part is that 50 % of world consoles and equipment comes from China! Yup just checked.... everything about consoles in my house is made in China!!! :)

jony_dols4105d ago

I'd say that both Sony & Microsoft are waiting till they their next-gen consoles are better secured against piracy, before officially releasing in China.

Kurt Russell4105d ago

SOWWY YOR PWINSESS IS IN NUVA CARSHOLE!

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 4105d ago
Knight_Crawler4105d ago (Edited 4105d ago )

Actually no they wont as I am pretty sure Chine will be in 100% control on which games will be allowed in China.

So No Halo, Killzone or Call Duty in China just good old fashion family game rated E for everyone.

Edit: at blackbeard - true plus the Asian community is not crazy over shooter like the west is and they enjoy RPG's more.

Would be interesting to see what Chinese people are into, Japan loves JRPG's and Korea loves dancing and strategic games like StarCraft so I wonder what Chinese people are into.

Edit#2: Also how will PSN and Xbox Live work in China? I know the government likes to keep tab on everything that goes through the internet so they would want full access to PSN and XBL and I do not see MS or Sony agreeing to this...Google has had a hard time in China and are thinking about pulling out since the Chinese Gov wants to control every thing that comes in and out of China through the web.

blackbeld4105d ago

No shooters, but they can life with that.

They still can enjoy Fighting games, RPG's, racing games, sports games, etc.

Wenis4105d ago

They aren't allowed to make/let games in their country that 'dishonor' the Chinese military as well, or games that dispute China's 'territorial integrity'. But I guess that probably goes for all forms of media/speech in China at the moment..

Oschino19074105d ago (Edited 4105d ago )

They have a F2P PC version of COD in china that's basically a mash up of Modern Warfare games.
http://m.pcgamer.com/2012/0...

Also you can get PS3s and such in China, they openly sell them in backstreet stores and local shops. I even have a few online British friends who live in China (Beijing area) and anyone playing COD can see most major Chinese cities have some lit up areas on the world map.

I think the deal with Chinese Government is they don't want other countries making money off of their people without getting a nice slice of the pie for themselves.

Bereaver4105d ago

Most people will just use the Hong Kong servers. Yes, even though Hong Kong is in China, it's still kind of different. And they do have Hong Kong servers. (well at least ps3 does, not sure about xbox)

_-EDMIX-_4105d ago

Favorite comment "they openly sell them in backstreet stores" LOL

HappyGaming4105d ago

@_-EDMIX-_ I remember in the PS2 era they openly sold copied PS2 games and chipped PS2s in Greece :P

kevnb4105d ago

"They aren't allowed to make/let games in their country that 'dishonor' the Chinese military as well, or games that dispute China's 'territorial integrity'. But I guess that probably goes for all forms of media/speech in China at the moment.."

What do you think would happen if there was a game that disrespected the US army?

slaton244105d ago

chinese = karata= fighting games

BISHOP-BRASIL4105d ago (Edited 4105d ago )

@Kevnb

I understand what you are saying, I agreed, but as much as US government would protest and try to ban it, they don't actually have the laws to do so. Even more, they have the laws protecting the creative force rather than the government... Yes it can still be banned, but at the very least, a legal struggle would take place before it happening, they would have to go around the freedon of speech law and try to put it in a light that makes such content look harmfull to the country, it's easier said than done.

In China it's already illegal, so if the government want to enforce a ban, they'll just do it. They don't need to go around and developers couldn't appeal to anyone.

But we know all countries have laws that don't actually get enforced. I don't know of anyone that tried to make a game that would offend the Chinese army (also we had to read the law to see if it specifies what is considered offensive and/or how far offensive to be considered a "dishonor"), so I think we don't know if they would actually ban anything...

The way I see, for all governments, it has little to do with honor and a lot to do with money and public support... If something will burn a hole in the pockets of the Estate or if it will turn the population against the government I would bet at least some politicians would try and (eventually) get such material banned. They always do.

EDIT: Bad grammar... Still not perfect, sorry.

violents4105d ago

@kevnb

If i remember correctly we already had a COD game where russia invaded the US after a failed espionage attempt on a terroist group made the american take the fall(ie contraversial scene called the russian, i belive) and then we had a game called homefront, where the US was being invaded and you are a normal citizen trying to defend your country.

In the middle east they ban games like these all the time because it shows US forces invading thier countries, The US has never banned a game for making us look bad and dont try and act like they do. They dont have the laws to ban things like that because no matter how much you dont like it, by our constitution we are allowed to say what ever we want about our government, good or bad.

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 4105d ago
yeahokchief4105d ago (Edited 4105d ago )

remember when sony's stock was at $9? this could change that.

wow. it already jumped up to $15.

that son of a bitch parappa the rappa was right. you gotta believe.

Mutant-Spud4105d ago (Edited 4105d ago )

@ bereaver,
Interesting, the prices in that link convert to roughly what we pay at retail for a PS3 in Australia, so I'm guessing game consoles aren't exactly "black market" items in China?

4105d ago Replies(2)
MysticStrummer4105d ago

"They will just re-manufacture counterfeit systems with worse quality."

If they copy one of the original 360s with even worse quality, there might be an international incident.

kevnb4105d ago

queue more ignorant posts...

lfclee4104d ago

I agree they will copy everything including consoles and there is absolutely nothing the console manufactures can do because of the Chinese laws , crazy or what !

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 4104d ago
GribbleGrunger4105d ago (Edited 4105d ago )

I've been thinking about this since the first mention of China opening it's doors to consoles. They closed that door because of violence in games and it would stand to reason that IF they did open those doors, it would likely be the consoles with a more 'casual' appearance that makes the most from it. Kinect seems the perfect fit, but Sony and Nintendo being Japanese isn't going to help their cause. I might be wrong but I would be very surprised if Sony made more from this than Microsoft. If, of course, it happens. I'm willing to consider any counterpoints though.

ChronoJoe4105d ago

Doesn't make much sense. Sony's products are made in China and typically sell pretty well in China.

Furthermore, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery - they currently have xbox 360 / ps3 knock offs because Japanese consumers desire ps3s / 360 systems.

With that said not much of the 360 lineup will appeal to a chinese market. 360 exclusives are very westernised and the PS3 offers many more games that're popular in the rest of Asia (Korea / Japan etc). So if anything I imagine it'll be the other way around to what you expect. I don't see this benefiting Microsoft all that much unless they want to come up with new content to back a Chinese launch.

Daoshai4105d ago

Chinese boycott Japanese products all the time. We do not have a very good relationship with the Chinese and at the moment its pretty harsh.

I believe China will come out of its shell sometime soon though. I'm sick and tired of my family (parents and grandparents) with their unnatural hatred towards the Chuugoku.

hellvaguy4105d ago

"Doesn't make much sens

It makes perfect sense when you think of it this way. The Chinese have an oppressive communist government that is opposed to any form of freedom of speech. You cant use the regular internet there. It's a heavily government censored internet.

NateCole4104d ago

Well they are not that much more friendlier to the US.

EddieNX 4105d ago (Edited 4105d ago )

Sony , Microsoft and Nintendo could make billions*

@shut up and take money - Indeed , just seemed like a bit of an ignorant headline lol.

Nintendo and Sony would probably shaft China.

shutUpAndTakeMyMoney4105d ago (Edited 4105d ago )

fixed.. We both know MS will still have USA and sony wiiU the rest of the world.

Belking4105d ago (Edited 4105d ago )

We don't know nothing because nothing has been lifted.

adorie4105d ago (Edited 4105d ago )

China's game industry will make the US look like Japan's, once fully established. they are pushing it too, fast tracking it even. China is nothing to joke with.

Daoshai4105d ago

@adorie

You are giving china way too much credit for its economy. The US dwarfs it, the average person in the US makes 10x that of a China.

solid_warlord4105d ago

Don'f forget the UK...UK is Xbox territory.

Ezz20134105d ago

@solid_warlord

you do know UK is in europe right ?!

europe is ps3/wii land

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4105d ago
DA_SHREDDER4105d ago

I hope i meet the most sexy and beautiful Chinese woman in my nerd life online some day.

PopRocks3594105d ago

Hey, as long as they can all make better products and give us more content, power to all of them.

Show all comments (90)
200°

Microsoft’s Surface and Xbox hardware revenues take a big hit in Q3

Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.

Read Full Story >>
theverge.com
darthv7216h ago

Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.

solideagle3h ago

you should apply in MS PR team buddy, I think you will do a great job in my humble opinion :)

Sonic188122m ago

I thought darthv72 and Obscure_Observer already work for Microsoft 🤔

dveio6m ago

MS: "Xbox services and content without AB up 1%, with AB up 62%. Hardware down 31%. In total a loss of 350 mill."

darthv72: "Seems about right."

MS: "Excuse m ..."

darthv72: "I don't hardly play on my consoles directly."

MS:

Cacabunga2h ago

I can tell people like you are an absolute minority..

If service is up means their fans and fanboys accepted this model and subscribed to it. The near future you will see a big decline because the service is saturated.

shinoff21831h ago

But that's been ms for years. When things aren't going their way they try to change the way things are said. For instance console sales are down, they stop telling how many sold instead telling us how many hours spent in halo or headshots. So it makes sense console sales down just say people are playing on more devices then previous. What they won't say is how many xbox players jumped ship to ps5.

Cacabunga42m ago

Hardware sales are so bad that Sony and Nintendo are blowing the sales off the water with their hardware.

If Xbox are losers, others aren’t..
Xbox already tried everything with Xbox live then subscriptions went down so much that they had to find something else. Their fans subscribed then reached saturation rather quickly.

Hardware and exclusive games is where it’s at! Keep gamers excited, announce decent software and people will support you

purple1015h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos4h ago

I'm not surprised surface is struggling they aren't relevant anymore

XBManiac4h ago

Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.

SimpleDad3h ago(Edited 3h ago)

"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."

That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.

purple1013h ago

Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos3h ago(Edited 3h ago)

Top brass have also wanted to start seeing returns on the 100 billion they have put into various Xbox related moves so seeing more multiplatform games is highly likely especially from abk

It's basically saying that PlayStation is the reason Xbox is afloat right now thinks to Ps5 versions of COD

Kornholic1h ago

So basically PS and PC gamers' money is keeping Xbox on life support.

Show all comments (21)
150°

Sony Patents To Prevent You From In-Game Harassment By Reading Your Emotions

A new patent recently published by Sony wants to gather biometric data of gamers to track whether one is being harassed using AI tools.

Profchaos1d 5h ago (Edited 1d 5h ago )

I hope this is one of those patents that never comes to fruition.

I already dislike the fact you can pay a significant amount for a online service buy associated games and content on said service and get banned from that service over potentially a misunderstanding the bans are already handed out for flimsy reasons

I'd rather see money invested in a ban that simply removes the offensive players ability to communicate with unknown players allow them to continue party chats with friends but not with Joe blow on cod.

exputers1d 1h ago

Agreed. Blizzard recently banned a college Overwatch 2 player who's dependent for saying "shit." Pretty harsh.

Profchaos10h ago(Edited 10h ago)

How rediculas really. You can't say a word that's allowed in most PG films and prime time TV but the game is based around killing the enemy team using guns, explosives etc.

It's just backwards.

just_looken12h ago

What your talking about is called block list

In 2006 a spaceship dropped of the playstation 3/xbox 360 i say that that generation was the last great gen with game functions/tech that has yet to comeback

Anyhow the playstation 3 if you block listed a id they could not talk to you in chatroom with either text or voice. But that was pre mind fucked 2018 when people were more human than sheep.

But hey gta 6 is coming out billion dollar budget without a single player custom character creator and without singeplayer coop off/online something saints row 1-3 had on the xbox 360.

z2g21h ago

Take my social security and bank account numbers too! Here’s a picture of my wife and our address.

phoenixwing21h ago

Cmon where's the pictures of your children. Don't hold out on them.

H921h ago

At this rate I feel Sony will eventually sell a room to play games in it where they can monitor your every breath

jambola17h ago

I genuinely get a bit worried sometimes when a friend says something that could be offensive In a party
Because I have no trouble believing some bans would happen when in a private party for saying something wrong

SegaSaturn66920h ago

I want them to censor erotic content by measuring my groin temperature so i dont get too distracted while playing black ops 2.

Popsicle20h ago

Terrible idea. Not only do I not consent to providing my biometric data, the potential for mishandling biometric data is almost a certainty. Positive stress and negative stress can produce similar changes in biometrics. Interpreting the precise emotion a person is feeling is not only invasive but could be easily misconstrued. I hope this never comes to fruition.

Show all comments (14)
300°

Microsoft Seemingly Closes Bethesda France

As part of its plans to cut 1,900 jobs, Microsoft has reportedly shut down operations at Bethesda France, letting go roughly 15 people

Read Full Story >>
insider-gaming.com
Hereandthere1d 12h ago

Microsoft should have left them stay 3rd party

GamerRN1d 10h ago

If they are let go, they can be whatever they want. They ARE 3rd party now... 🤦

Barlos1d 7h ago

Yeah, they're also jobless.

GamerRN1d ago

They can form a company if they want, they are just as jobless as if "Microsoft had left them as 3rd party".

peppeaccardo1d 2h ago

"MIcrosoft leaves Bethesda do what they know how to do best" ... close! Oh the irony ....
(Citation from a week old article)

ChasterMies22h ago

I think Microsoft and other game publishers are letting people go because they think ai will replace them. Doesn’t matter how much profit they make. They were always going to be let go.

PassNextquestion1d 12h ago (Edited 1d 12h ago )

Bethesda France was made up of roughly 15 people... they couldn't of being doing much

Bethesda France mainly did publishing and marketing within the region

blacktiger1d 10h ago

that's a shame for you to say that, i'm sure Elite loves hearing what you just said.

Mr Logic20h ago

What a stupid thing to say. The elites give 0 fucks what we say on an obscure website in the comments section.

Crows9019h ago

You can always reach out and give them jobs at your company man. Don't wait

Profchaos1d 12h ago (Edited 1d 12h ago )

Bethesda France focused on publishing and marketing in the region. And 15 people lost their jobs as part of the closure.

I wonder if this is part of Microsoft's strategy to abandoned physical media or possibly gamepass advertising makes their roles redundant you don't need to market a game as hard when the majority of players get the game as part of a sub which already promoted upcoming games

Tacoboto1d 11h ago

It's France too, there's a high likelihood only 1-2 people on the team even had an Xbox.

Profchaos1d 11h ago

Possibly guven all the leaks we know the Xbox brand is really struggling in the region.

Yi-Long1d 8h ago

Well, if your consoles and games are barely found in any stores any more, of course you're gonna struggle finding consumers ...

XiNatsuDragnel1d 10h ago

Tbh Microsoft I think Bethesda being 3rd party same with Activision would probably more competitive than thus scenario imo

Profchaos1d 9h ago (Edited 1d 9h ago )

I think it would have been better for all parties really especially gamers

TheColbertinator1d 10h ago

The recently purchased Activision French offices might take over all the licensing and marketing for Microsoft in France from now on.

Show all comments (21)