Sony Computer Entertainment has decided it's better to work with Connectix, a developer of software that helps PlayStation games run on PCs, than to fight the company.
Published:
16 March 2001 y., Friday
The companies announced Thursday a joint technology agreement under which they will work together on advanced "emulation" products that will allow PlayStation software to run on other systems. In addition, all legal issues surrounding San Mateo, Calif.-based Connectix's Virtual Game Station software have been resolved.
Sony filed a copyright and patent infringement suit against Connectix in early 1999. Sony argued that because Virtual Game Station allowed PlayStation games to be played on PCs, it was harmful to game publishers, developers, creators and ultimately consumers.
Sony makes a majority of its PlayStation-related revenue from licensing and royalty fees for PlayStation software; the actual consoles are sold at a loss. The same is true of other game manufacturers. But sales of peripherals such as controllers and memory cards help make up a significant revenue stream, and that may be part of the reason Sony has been so adamant about the suit against Connectix according to Gartner analyst P.J. McNealy.
Under the agreement, Sony will acquire Connectix assets related to Virtual Game Station, but Connectix will continue to sell the software for Macintosh and Windows until the end of June. The companies will continue to develop emulation technology.
Competition in the gaming industry is expected to get fierce this year as new consoles from Microsoft and Nintendo are released. However, Sony's PlayStation 2 will have a considerable head start. The consumer electronics giant said it expects to sell 3 million units in the United States by the end of the year and 9 million worldwide.
Šaltinis:
CNET News.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
New rules for the EU's single market will make it easier to live and do business anywhere in Europe.
more »
MEPs were disappointed that the Commission's EU budget review document had not sought the radical revision that the EU needs, they told Budgets Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski in a Policy Challenges Committee debate on Thursday.
more »
On 25 October, the Commission adopted the decision to financially support the 2011 electoral process in the Central African Republic.
more »
New EU framework for crisis management in the financial sector for managing problems before they spiral out of control.
more »
The financial crisis laid bare the limits of self-regulation, demonstrating the need for strong EU economic governance, surveillance and policy co-ordination, say two non-legislative resolutions voted by Parliament on Wednesday.
more »
The European Commission has approved an application from Germany for assistance from the European Globalisation adjustment Fund (EGF).
more »
Global and EU- level taxes on financial sector would help to fund international challenges such as development or climate change and fix the fallout from the global economic crisis.
more »
The European Investment Bank and African Development Bank today agreed to provide EUR 45m to design, build and operate onshore wind farms on four islands in the Cape Verde archipelago.
more »
MEPs want future EU budgets to accommodate new policy priorities as well as negotiations on new sources of financing.
more »
The European Parliament's Budgets Committee on Monday backed EU funding for 3,731 workers in Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain and Denmark who were made redundant due to the closure of their companies.
more »