News
Huawei and Honor combine to break market share records in China
Smaller vendors can’t keep up
China experienced a major drop in smartphone sales during the first quarter of 2018, but things are suddenly looking up thanks to strong efforts from the top four brands, spearheaded by Huawei.
Canalys reports that smartphone shipments in China were at 104 million in this year’s second quarter after a significant slump in Q1 2018, which saw only 91 million units shipped. This is mostly thanks to a strong showing by the record-breaking 28.5 million units shipped by Huawei and its sub-brand Honor, accounting for a 27 percent of the total number in Q2 2018.
The tandem efforts between Huawei and Honor resulted in a 22 percent growth compared to the same quarter last year, but a lot of credit has to be given to the latter. Honor contributed to 55 percent of the Q2 2018 shipments — up from only 33 percent in Q2 2017.
Canalys Analyst Mo Jia says that Honor has successfully expanded into the US$ 500 and above segment, while maintaining its dominance in the lower price segments, as well.
OPPO and Vivo took the second and third spots with market shares of 21 and 20 percent in Q2 2018, respectively. OPPO had a year-over-year (YoY) growth of only three percent (enough to maintain the second-place position), but Vivo experienced a staggering 30 percent YoY growth, which is more than any other brand at this point.
Xiaomi is comfortable in the fourth spot with a 14 percent market share in the same quarter and no growth compared to last year. What really went down were all other smartphone brands; a YoY decline of 51 percent led to only 18 percent in market share for 2018’s second quarter — barely enough to compete against the top four.
Canalys claims that the shipments decline will continue on to the following quarters. Even though the plunge improved from 22 percent to eight percent in overall units shipped, only Huawei may be able to face adversity against tensions versus the US and weakening Chinese Yuan value.
It’s been a while since GPU companies focused on making chips for consoles. With how the industry is going now, chips feel like they’re destined to end up in the suffocating deluge of AI servers. Now, however, AMD is showing signs of healing by teasing the next-generation Xbox.
In the latest earnings call (via Engadget), AMD CEO Lisa Su teased that the next-gen Xbox, built with a custom AMD SoC, is “progressing well to support a launch in 2027.”
The subtle tease is vague enough to obscure any details about the upcoming console but clear enough to confirm that it’s coming. Since the Xbox Series X|S has been out for several years now, it’s not surprising that Microsoft is thinking about what’s coming next.
However, it’s still intriguing that Microsoft is going for another console. Previous reports have speculated that the company might focus on delivering games, especially through the Game Pass. Lately, both the PlayStation and the Switch have thoroughly dominated the console market ahead of the Xbox. Handheld consoles are likewise impressive, too.
Other reports have speculated that the upcoming generation will focus on delivering both a gaming and a PC experience. With the Steam Machine coming soon, it seems natural that the next consoles will be usable PCs as well.
SEE ALSO: Match Pulse: ROG Xbox Ally X
Gaming
Overwatch reinvents itself with a new story and five new heroes
And it’s not “Overwatch 2” anymore.
Overwatch 2 was not a disaster for the popular multiplayer shooter franchise. It did, however, make the game more polarizing. For 2026, Blizzard is shaking things up once again, starting by dropping the “2” from Overwatch 2.
During its scheduled showcase, the new-and-improved Overwatch will feature annual storylines that will keep the game fresh for years to come. The system will go live on February 10. By then, the year-long event called Reign of Talon will start with Season 1.
As the name suggests, this year will be all about the villain-coded Talon organization, and it’s going to be more story-driven. Right off the bat, a new cinematic sees Vendetta seemingly kill Doomfist and take over the leadership of Talon.
Blizzard says that the year will see ten new characters introduced to the roster. In fact, five of those will already be playable starting in Season 1.
Without a doubt, the highlight character for this round is the formerly cancelled Jetpack Cat. The character was first rumored all the way back in 2017 but will now be fully playable this season. The flying feline hero is a support character that can hook another hero to a location while healing them. Their ultimate reverses this by having them crash land onto enemies and then hooking one to, ideally, drop them off the map.
Jetpack Cat will join four other heroes. Anran, who is also affiliated with the Overwatch faction, deals fire damage. Domina, who, along with the next three heroes, works with Talon, is a shield-based tank. Emre imagines an evil version of Soldier: 76. Finally, Mizuki is a Talon-affiliated healer.
Besides a new story and heroes, Overwatch will feature new game modes and improvements across the board. The new Season 1 starts on February 10.
Gaming
The Nintendo Switch is now Nintendo’s best-selling console ever
Meanwhile, the Switch 2 just crossed 17 million units sold.
The Nintendo Switch 2’s success was bound to happen. After enormous success with the original Switch, Nintendo is practically destined to also put up impressive numbers for the console’s recently released sequel. Today, the company has whipped out some proof. The Nintendo Switch 2 officially sold 17.37 million units, as of December last year.
Nintendo shared the console’s numbers through an investor’s report. Despite coming out only eight months ago, the Switch 2 is already putting up impressive numbers. With those numbers, the console is already Nintendo’s fastest selling platform to date.
For comparison, the original Switch sold less than half of what Switch 2 has sold in the former’s first eight months. Though the second console is still miles away from its predecessor’s total numbers, it’s already well on its way. In fact, Nintendo already expects the Switch 2 to break 19 million units by the end of the quarter.
The second Switch isn’t the only console reaping the rewards of its hard work. The original Switch has also crossed a major milestone. As of last year, the console has sold 155.37 million units, making it Nintendo’s bestselling console ever. It just overtook the Nintendo DS, which sold 154.02 million units.
With that, the Switch 2 has a mountain to climb, just to reach the same heights that its predecessor already attained. For sure, the console’s ongoing success is buoyed by the goodwill established by the original. Now, the question is whether the Switch 2 can sustain its growth on its own.
To help, the console is expecting significant first-party titles including Pokémon Pokopia and Meetup in Bellabel Park, a Super Mario Bros. Wonder DLC.
SEE ALSO: The Nintendo Switch is nearing the end of its lifecycle
-
Gaming2 weeks agoNow playing: Final Fantasy VII Remake INTERGRADE on Switch 2
-
Gaming2 weeks agoForza Horizon 6 launches on May 19
-
Gaming2 weeks agoNintendo’s latest toy is Super Mario Wonder’s Talking Flower
-
Gaming2 weeks agoYou can now race as teams in Mario Kart World’s Knockout Tour
-
News2 weeks agonubia joins durability competition with launch of V80 Max
-
Gaming1 week agoNew DRAGON BALL game project “AGE 1000” for 2027 announced
-
Gaming1 week agoBlizzard will host four major game showcases starting this week
-
Apps5 days agoBreaking up with Adobe Photoshop after 20 years



