| | |
New Phone/Arcade Game Technologies
NTT DoCoMo, Inc. (NTT DoCoMo) and SEGA Corporation (SEGA) have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop a new service that combines NTT DoCoMo's i-mode phone and video arcade game machines equipped with SEGA's "NAOMI" arcade board.
Through their collaboration, both firms intend to realize a new "home," "street" (game arcades) and "mobile" network service that can be enjoyed anywhere and anytime. The service will seamlessly fuse game machines at SEGA's own video arcade facilities, i-mode phones and home video game consoles. SEGA owns and operates video game arcades throughout Japan. In effect, a game player can play a game and develop its characteristics at home, save it to their mobile phone and upload this when playing at their local arcade.
According to Sega, there is 100,000units of the Naomi system sold in Japan with a further 170,000units sold throughout the world. It may be possible to expand the market by connecting, via networks, the popular arcade game machines that are used worldwide.
Both firms aim to provide new forms of entertainment and other innovative services through the new network. In addition, the two firms will study the possibility of a new service that can be realized by combining FOMA (NTT DoCoMo's 3G service) and SEGA's arcade game machines. The study will be conducted from both a technical and marketing point of view. The partners expect to introduce the new service and compatible content in autumn this year.
This coincides with the news of an alliance between NTT and AT&T Wireless Group (AWE), Hutchison Telephone Company Limited (HTCL), Hutchison 3G UK Limited (Hutchison 3G UK), KG Telecommunications Co., Ltd (KG Telecom), KPN Mobile N.V. (KPN Mobile) and Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM). The group will jointly develop and market a new mobile communications network service and related applications that combine DoCoMo's mobile Internet and currently PlayStation technologies.
Under the terms of their agreements, NTT DoCoMo and SCEI have agreed to share their service know-how with the six companies so that each can begin offering new services to mobile phone users in their respective markets in Europe, North America and Asia. They are also encouraging other companies to use this service.
Whilst the present news is for Japan, there is a good chance that the technology of mobile phone/arcade/home world game play is a real possibility.
389
|
|
|
|
