Nyko to Ship Three Accessories for Nvidia’s New Shield Game System
LOS ANGELES -- Nyko Technologies took the wraps off several Shield, Xbox One and PS4 accessories at E3 this week. For the Shield, it will ship a dock at about $39.99, a $19.99 travel case and $29.99 shell case, said Marketing Director Chris Arbogast. Nyko expects to ship them for the device’s launch this month, he said.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Export Compliance Daily combines U.S. export control news, foreign border import regulation and policy developments into a single daily information service that reliably informs its trade professional readers about important current issues affecting their operations.
The dock uses Nyko’s dongle charging system that it said provides an “easy alternative” for powering the Shield and using the device’s HDMI capabilities. The dongle attaches directly to the game system and “works seamlessly” with the device, it said. When a user places the Shield into the dock, the game system will start to charge while “outputting to the attached display,” it said. The dock is powered by the same AC adapter that ships with the Shield and features a full-sized HDMI port allowing for easy connection to any TV, it said.
The Shield’s core demographic is hardcore gamers, said Arbogast. It “remains to be seen” if the device will appeal to the mass market, he said. Like with most game systems, that will depend on the content made available for it, he said.
For the next-generation consoles, Nyko will ship a Smart Clip that it said attaches a smartphone onto the game controller, “allowing for an integrated, hands-free second screen experience.” It will ship for the Xbox 360 late this year and will be followed by versions for the PS4 and Xbox One, it said. The clip will hold “any generation” iPhone, Android, Windows Phone or BlackBerry device up to 3.5 inches wide, said Nyko. The Smart Clip is “ideal” for using Microsoft’s SmartGlass second-screen technology or Sony’s PlayStation app on a smartphone during gameplay, said Nyko. The “target” price for the clip is $14.99, Arbogast told us.
Nyko will also field charging bases for the PS4 and Xbox One controllers at $29.99 each, said Arbogast. The Xbox One version will come with two rechargeable batteries, while the PS4 model will feature Nyko’s patented USB charging dongle system, it said. It will take about two hours to charge one controller with the base and about four hours for two controllers, said Arbogast. The charging bases will ship in the “launch window” of both consoles, said Nyko. The company is hoping to ship them for the holiday season, but they may not arrive until Q1 2014, said Arbogast.
Nyko also showed a headset adapter for the Xbox One shipping this holiday season that it said plugs into the HDMI port of the console and provides stereo RCA audio output for use with most gaming headsets. Pricing wasn’t finalized, but it’s expected to be in the $29.99-$39.99 range, said Arbogast. The HDMI pass-through port provides a high fidelity audio source for the user’s analog audio components, while allowing 1080p output to the TV, it said. Nyko showed prototypes of the PS4 and Xbox One accessories.
The “ideal” price point for the new consoles is $399, the price of the PS4, said Arbogast. While $499 is “not terrible” pricing for the Xbox One, he said the “economy is better than it was a few years ago” but still struggling, so that could be a factor in sales. Microsoft “overshot” with its pricing, but the enhanced Kinect motion-sensing system that’s included adds value, he said. Sony “did a lot of things right” with its PS4 announcements this week, including the lack of digital rights management for games, he said. Unlike the Xbox One, PS4 disc-based games will also not need to be connected online to be played, Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO Jack Tretton said Monday (CED June 12 p6). But the console that will sell better will be the one with the stronger game lineup, predicted Arbogast. For now, the Xbox One seems to have stronger exclusive titles, he said.
Nyko also bowed two new versions of its PlayPad controller for Android devices: the PlayPad Pro 2 and PlayPad Media. The company is “pitching” them to retailers now and can have them ready as early as fall at a targeted price of $39.99 each, said Arbogast. The new “concept” products were designed “after listening to consumer feedback,” he said. The PlayPad Pro 2 features analog stick components from the company Alps that Nyko said provides “console quality precision and feel,” making the Pro 2 the “most accurate mobile gaming controller” available. The new “ergonomic” shape was designed for added comfort and it features Nyko’s Soft Feel Surface finish, along with a rubberized controller that adds a row of media playback controls. The controls can be used to play, pause and fast-forward music and video content on an Android device, said Nyko. The controller also enables the user to adjust the volume of the Android device directly from the PlayPad Media, it said. Nyko’s plans for the controllers will be finalized based on retailer and consumer demand, it said.
E3 Notebook
About 48,200 attended E3 this week, up from 45,700 last year, the Entertainment Software Association said Thursday. Next year’s show will be June 10-12, again at the Los Angeles Convention Center, ESA said.