January 18, 2008
Kiosk Case Study: Multiuser Stations for Internet access
 Multistation or Multi-user stations and kiosks are beginning to emerge as significant market particularly with advances in thin client services. Included here is nice picture of multi-user stations installed at Denver International Airport. |
Louisville, CO – January 21, 2008
The Procrastinator’s Dream - Denver International Airport (DIA) Now Offers Self-Service Business Centers in Main Terminal
Waiting to board a flight in Denver has never been so productive. Catering to the stringent time demands of today’s road warriors, Denver International Airport (DIA) is expanding services designed specifically for business travelers. ZOOX Stations, Inc. and RMES Communications, the prime contractor, have recently teamed up on self-service kiosk installations that provide passengers a full complement of office services throughout all concourses and the main terminal.
Armed with nothing more than ideas and a credit card, passengers can now sit down to state of the art office terminals with word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation applications. High-speed laser printers, media drives, USB ports, and laptop charging equipment provide a turnkey self-service business center on the road. The kiosks are designed for comfortable extended use; featuring a seated station, traditional office keyboard & mouse, and a 17” flat panel monitor. The enclosed booth design and privacy filters on the screens provide passengers all the necessary security to confidently tackle even the most confidential content.
In addition to the full application suite, clients can readily access high-speed Internet to efficiently manage email or distribute their work. And for those that really work best under pressure, there are also popular gaming options on these machines. While not as fully loaded at the neighboring ZOOX Stations PC Game Cafes, a complete range of casual user games are available on the business center machines as well.
The business center kiosk (commercially branded as ZOOX WORX) is the creation of ZOOX Stations, a Louisville based division of KIOSK Information Systems, the largest manufacturer of self-serve terminals in the world. ZOOX Stations was incorporated in 2006 as a subsidiary dedicated to development of cutting edge new products in the pay-for-use environment. According to Rick Malone, President of KIOSK and ZOOX Stations, “RMES Communications and DIA have beautifully equipped Denver passengers with a full range of self-service business and entertainment options. It’s consistent with the high-end passenger focus DIA is known for. The profitability and quick adoption of the equipment is a natural extension of a well-developed service offering.”
There are currently 64 ZOOX Stations Game Cafes and four business center kiosks located in the concourses and main terminal. RMES Communications and KIOSK Information Systems are currently evaluating expanding services in other selected airport locations.
About ZOOX Stations, Inc.:
ZOOX Stations manufactures & designs cutting edge business, entertainment and gaming platforms. The library of games includes titles from Microsoft, EA, Valve, Ubisoft and other prime leading developers. The products are completely turnkey, but are available in custom branded configurations. Complete installation, service, remote monitoring and activity tracking is provided. Call 1-888-661-1697 for more information or visit www.zooxstations.com.
ZOOX Stations, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of KIOSK Information Systems. Kiosk is the world leader in design, manufacturing, service and support of indoor and outdoor kiosks, public Internet stations and other electronic self-service informational terminals. KIOSK is the OEM manufacturer of self-service terminals for WalMart, Hewlett Packard, AT&T, Sony Photo, US Transportation Security Administration, and many others. www.kiosk.com.
For more information on multi-user multi-station thin clients visit http://www.thinclient.org
September 13, 2007
Gaming market - MMORPGs revenues to explode
The estimate for total gaming revenue for 2011 is $48.88 billion, and Strategy Analytics expects MMO revenues in that year to equal $5.728 billion, which would put MMO titles at 11.7 percent of the market. If the numbers are accurate, they suggest that MMORPG revenue will almost double in the next four years.
Report: MMORPGs revenues to explode over next few years - Source Link
By Ben Kuchera | Published: September 12, 2007 - 11:45AM CT
The online gaming space is growing. While some analysts are saying that games with strong online components make more money than games without, the "Online Games: Global Market Forecast" report by Strategy Analytics goes further with its predictions: they believe revenues from online games will reach $11.5 billion by 2011, a 25.2 percent compound annual growth rate. That's significant, but when compared to overall market estimates for gaming through 2011, the numbers show revenues from MMO titles almost doubling to 11 percent of the marketplace.
Related Stories
* Burning Crusade sells 3.5 million units, prepares to invade China
* Console MMOs: a brief history of one man's couch-laden adventures
* Console MMOs: looking towards the future
* From behind the eyes of an MMO addict
Strategy Analytics estimates that by the end of last year, there were 30 million subscriptions in total across all MMORPGs, with the vast majority—73 percent—coming from the Asia-Pacific region. These numbers are mirrored in sales: 189 million games were sold online in 2006, with 74 percent of the sales coming from the Asia-Pacific region. North America, it seems, is a bit player in the MMORPG world.
The report sees the increased availability of broadband around the world as key to the growth of MMORPGs. "The main driver for the rapid growth in the online games market will be the continued uptake of broadband services around the world throughout the forecast period—the global broadband user base will grow from 665 million in 2006 to almost 1.3 billion in 2011," the report states. The report estimates that by 2011 there will be 80 million subscribers to various MMORPG titles, and online sales will swell to 659 million downloads of for-pay games.
When you cross-reference these numbers with the $31.63 billion the gaming industry earned in 2006, you see that the report's estimates of the MMO revenue of $2 billion represents 6.5 percent of the total marketplace. The estimate for total gaming revenue for 2011 is $48.88 billion, and Strategy Analytics expects MMO revenues in that year to equal $5.728 billion, which would put MMO titles at 11.7 percent of the market. If the numbers are accurate, they suggest that MMORPG revenue will almost double in the next four years.
That's a significant boost, and it shows that there is room in the market for growth of existing games as well as new titles.
Related Article on China Invasion by Blizzard
Burning Crusade sells 3.5 million units, prepares to invade China
By Frank Caron | Published: March 07, 2007 - 11:13AM CT
According to Blizzard, the first major World of Warcraft expansion has managed to sell 3.5 million copies worldwide. Though these numbers are impressive, the game has yet to release in WoW's largest market, China, which will assumedly ring in another huge batch of sales. Blizzard president Mike Morhaime was understandably happy about this milestone:
We're thrilled about the overwhelming response that we've received for The Burning Crusade. We have worked hard to build upon nearly every aspect of World of Warcraft with this expansion, and it's gratifying to see that players and reviewers are enjoying the new content.
As the subscriber count rises, WoW continues to exert its dominance as the undisputed king of the MMO world—and rightly so. It's hard to dispute how successful the business model of masked "casual" play has been for Blizzard, and many can't help but fall under that trademark Blizzard spell. I've spent countless hours in the world of Azeroth, though I have since fallen away from the game in favor of something less time-consuming. The only remaining question is if WoW will be able to keep this momentum going once some real competition enters the battlefield. I'm looking at you, Age of Conan and Warhammer Online.
May 10, 2007
New Case Studies Released
Five new case studies released including Amtrak, SITA CUSS, ISI Gaming, Army Internet Gaming, and Vanguard Car Rental check-in.
Case studies published by KIOSK in Colorado and links are here:
- Amtrak Self-Service Ticketing Kiosk
- CUSS SITA Self-service airline check-in kiosk
- ISI Sports Book Betting Kiosk
- Internet Game Kiosk for U.S. Army
- Self-service Check-in Kiosk for Car Rental with Alamo and National
April 18, 2007
Airport Internet Gaming Station kiosks
Passengers with idle time to kill at Denver International Airport can now play one of roughly 19 computer games at individual stations located throughout the concourses.
Traveling video game junkies, rejoice.
Passengers with idle time to kill at Denver International Airport can now play one of roughly 19 computer games at individual stations located throughout the concourses.
Two companies have partnered to replace the "Shibby" Internet kiosks at DIA with new systems featuring 23-inch screens, enhanced graphics cards, sound systems and super-fast online connections, not to mention enclosed booths for privacy.
Users can play the games on their own or against others online, or they can simply access the Internet. The services cost 25 cents per minute.
The booths have been installed on all three concourses and will debut in the main terminal by July.
Zoox Stations and RMES Communications are behind the move.
"The single ingredient needed to make this machine a gamer magnet is idle time," Rick Malone, president of Zoox Stations and its parent, Kiosk Information Systems, said in a release. "Our development team has included the highest caliber gaming technology and a full complement of industry leading title options that appeal to even the most sophisticated gamer."
The new gaming and Internet stations give passengers another entertainment option during long connections or extended delays.
"Anytime you can help people pass the time or provide new services, it's a good thing," said DIA spokesman Chuck Cannon.
April 03, 2007
KIOSKS Case Study -- WoW and Halo gaming at the Airport
News story on Colorado television station on new kiosk mpog game stations installed at Denver International Airport. Nice video of the kiosk units. Not your usual units as they have large 26 and 22 inch LCD screens and are housed in a payphone type private sitdown. Users can check their favorite portal like MySpace or YouTube or they can log on and play high end games like World of Warcraft, Battlefield, or any number of Steam/Valve. Here's the link to the video. The units are the Zazoox units and their website is here.
repeat -- News story on Colorado television station on new kiosk mpog game stations installed at Denver International Airport. Nice video of the kiosk units. Not your usual units as they have large 26 and 22 inch LCD screens and are housed in a payphone type private sitdown. Users can check their favorite portal like MySpace or YouTube or they can log on and play high end games like World of Warcraft, Battlefield, or any number of Steam/Valve. Here's the link to the video. The units are the Zazoox units and their website is here.
December 06, 2006
Writeup on Game Kiosks for MPOG MMOG MMORG
Writeup on KMC on MARS application brief on mpog gaming kiosks. An co-incidental/Interesting side development today was a note from Sega about them now doing a coin-op machine with internet connection to Sega site.
West Chester, Pa., November 6, 2006 – Multiple gaming enthusiasts can now compete head to head in public, thanks to the recently launched ZAZOOX Game Café kiosks. Enhanced with MEI bill acceptors, consumers can now easily “pay to play” the most popular PC Game titles from the world’s most prominent and competitive developers.
The ZAZOOX Game Café is a direct response to the explosive market for multi-player online gaming (MPOG). With estimates of the current MPOG market of $500 million to reach $2 billion in 2007, Kiosk Information Systems (KIOSK) formed a new subsidiary, ZOOX Stations, Inc., to focus on this sector.
The ZAZOOX Game Café will be deployed in truck stops, airports, destination hotels, youth hostels, malls, and family entertainment centers across the United States. More than 300 of these MPOG kiosks have already been rolled out to American Army bases throughout the U.S. and Germany.
REST OF ARTICLE -- Gamesters Shelling out Cash to Play Online Games at Kiosks | KioskMarketplace
October 13, 2006
MMOG Valve and Activision Join Forces
The online mmog/mpog gaming channel just took a new turn. Activision signs a deal to now distribute Call of Duty and others online via the Steam/Valve channel. Last year Valve had a deal with EA but that seems to have gone by the wayside with this new agreement with EA's arch competitor. To rub it in a bit, Ubisoft is also now distributing as part of the Valve channel. Significance -- online games are one of the new channels being monetized on pay-for-use self-service terminals such as zazoox.
Activision unscrews Valve
[UPDATE] Publisher to release Gun, Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2, and Call of Duty: United Offensive on popular download service; all but one will be $20.
By Tor Thorsen, GameSpot
Posted Oct 12, 2006 3:12 pm PT
Last year, Valve struck a deal with Electronic Arts to have the publisher distribute the retail copies of its popular shooter Half-Life 2 and its sequels. Today, the Washington-based developer announced it is doing a deal with EA's archrival, California-based publisher Activision.
The agreement will see five titles from Activision's PC catalog be made available on Steam, Valve's popular download service. "Our agreement with Steam enhances our current online distribution model by allowing us to bring our games to the broadest possible audience," Activision senior director of business development Dave Anderson said in a statement. "As broadband penetration continues to grow worldwide, offering our titles digitally to the millions of gamers connected through Steam makes sense to us."
[UPDATE] Three Activision games offered on steam will be from the wildly popular Call of Duty series, which is developed by the now-internal studio Infinity Ward. Call of Duty 2 ($39.95), Call of Duty ($19.95), and the Call of Duty: United Offensive expansion pack ($19.95) will all be made available, as will the Western shooter Gun ($19.95), which was developed by NeverSoft.
Whenever Valve does open the digital spigot on the four Activision games, they will join an increasing number of third-party titles available on Steam. This week, Majesco's critical hit Psychonauts was made available on the service, and Ubisoft's Dark Messiah of Might & Magic will launch on the service later this month.
September 18, 2006
KIOSK Dives into Online Gaming
Nice interview in Daily Camera on KIOSK and new game kiosk endeavor with Zazoox.
LOUISVILLE — Consider Kiosk Information Systems an ongoing rags-to-riches-to-nearly-rags-to-riches story.
And now the latest chapter in the tale: A bold shift for the Louisville-based company, with its sights set on even greater riches.
It's moving beyond just offering its bread-and-butter business of churning out highly acclaimed hardware for the kiosks used by consumers nationwide in a variety of settings, including airports, train stations and retailers like Borders Books and Music and REI.
Online article is condensed version of print edition which is much longer.
August 29, 2006
ZOOX Stations, Inc. launches “ZAZOOX” Plug & Play Game Café
ZOOX Stations is formally launching the first turnkey pay-for-use game café at A.M.O.A. in Las Vegas on September 28, 2006. It’s an exciting turning point for the industry, providing operators distributors, and location owners an affordable venue to tap into the $500M online gaming market.
ZAZOOX is a high-performance self-serve game station loaded with many of the most popular titles marketed by PlayStation™, X-Box™, and a host of other top tier developers. Games including Halo. Counter-Strike™: Source™, Half-Life, and others, not only meet the standards of today’s sophisticated local machine gamers, but also accommodate the massive on-line gaming market. Internet access with quick links to popular sites like MySpace, Google, and Yahoo, provides an additional tier of solid pay-for-use revenue.
“ZAZOOX is designed to address stringent operator ROI concerns by efficiently delivering the fast-paced criteria advanced gamers demand,” said Rick Malone, President of ZOOX Stations. “The bar has been raised in home gaming, and it’s time for a paid game station that fully leverages the popularity of these releases. ZAZOOX maximizes game play revenue with a library of over twenty high-end games that can be played individually, in local competition mode, or online. Multi-Player Online Gaming (MPOG) is a market that is expected to reach $2B by 2007, and we’ve built an incredibly attractive access point. While forging this new market space has been challenging, I’d say we’ve been very successful in effectively increasing operator market share and profit opportunity.”
ZOOX Stations has over 300 custom-branded self-serve café stations already purchased and being rolled out to Army bases throughout the U.S. and Germany. “Initial field stations have been in place since January and have been exceptionally well-received,” said Malone. “The Army Recreation Program (ARMP) has indicated aggressive expansion plans this year, which obviously speaks well to the station’s adoption, performance, and ROI.”
Based on a first-class PC platform, ZAZOOX is easy to service and comes loaded with remote monitoring and sales reporting. Down the road, new titles and site links can be inexpensively added to the same interface / platform, providing a unique level of hardware longevity. “In addition to leveraging multiple games and interactive Internet, ZOOX Stations is banking on the extended play and intensely competitive arena provided by on-line gaming,” said Malone. “Given the continued rise in on-line and home gaming popularity, it’s a completely natural extension to provide this caliber of entertainment in a self-serve environment.” www.zooxstations.com.
About ZOOX Stations, Inc.:
ZOOX Stations manufactures & designs cutting edge entertainment and gaming platforms. The library of games includes titles from Microsoft, Valve, Ubisoft and other leading developers. Products are completely turnkey, but are available in custom branded configurations. Complete installation, service, remote sales reporting, and activity tracking is provided. Call
1-888-661-1697 for more information, or visit www.zooxstations.com.
ZOOX Stations, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of KIOSK Information Systems. KIOSK is the world leader in design, manufacturing, service and support of indoor and outdoor kiosks, public Internet stations and other electronic self-service informational terminals. KIOSK is the OEM manufacturer of self-service terminals for Dell, Hewlett Packard, Sony Photo, US Transportation Security Administration, and many others. For more information, visit www.kiosk.com.
Extended Press Coverage
February 01, 2006
Xbox 360 Kiosk Downloads
Electronic Arts revealed will offer its new game Burnout Revenge via kiosk download at Best Buy, Target and Walmart. This would seem to imitate the recent initiative by Nintendo in Japan to offer product for download. In any case, buying and downloading product on store premises is growing.
360 Burnout Revenge coming 3/7/06
Next-gen version of wreck-happy racer hitting the road in just over a month; free theme, car available via retailer-kiosk download.
No category of Xbox 360 games is as well-stocked as the racing genre. Of the 19 titles released to date, three center on driving at dangerously high speeds: Ridge Racer, Need for Speed Most Wanted, and Project Gotham Racing 3.
However, that category will soon gain a particularly fast and furious entry. Late today, Electronic Arts finally revealed the release date for the Xbox 360 version of Burnout Revenge, the critically lauded racer from its internal studio Criterion Games. The game will take off from the retail starting line on March 7, 2006--just over a month away.
In addition to Burnout Revenge's ship date, EA also revealed that it will help hype the game via a campaign reminiscent of Nintendo's DS Japanese download-kiosk program. Starting tomorrow, retailers such as Best Buy, GameStop, Wal-Mart, Target, and Circuit City, will offer a Burnout Revenge download for free via their in-store Xbox 360 kiosks. To get the download, Xbox 360 owners must bring in their memory cards and insert them into a kiosk. Included in the download will be a Burnout Revenge dashboard theme, gamer pic, and Xbox 360-themed car (pictured).