Fight for Asia's gamers heats up

The fight of the gamers is heating up this year in Asia's comparatively untapped markets with fans no longer enduring long waits for the latest games consoles, companies said. " South East Asian consumers like new technology". Sony COmputer Entertainment group chief financial officer Masaru Kato told Digital Living, a Straits Timers publication.

"We cannot delay out South East Asia on launch too much," he said. Alan bowman, general manager of Microsoft's entertainment and device division in the Asia Pacific region, said the company is constantly evaluating Asian market for potentinal opportunities.

Efforts are also being made to engage the Asian game with " culturally relevant games,"Bowman was quoted as saying. Plans are under way to release in English version of the Japanese role playing game Blue Dragon, and Kato expressed hope that Asian made games will take off.

"One of the things we look foward to from the South East Asia market is the content," he said." We are seeing that already" in taiwan, South Korea, China and Singapore, he added. He predicted many games will be originating from the region within three to five yeard "not just for the local but hopefully for the global market," - dpa