Nukotoys

Nukotoys Lives in an App-Happy World

Excerpt from: Digging Into Apple’s U.S. Job Creation Engine | NBC San Diego by Stewart Wolpin of NBC News.

“A funny thing happened at Toy Fair this week. Not funny as in funny toys or funny games, but funny as in a sudden but fundamental shift in how we will play from now on…

While retailers don’t get a piece of the action from apps, they will now get to sell new app-enhanced hardware. This is a brand new economic ecosystem creating jobs at the toy companies and at brick-and-mortar stores who will hire buyers, inventory and sales people to stock and sell these app-enhanced toys.

Nukotoys is perhaps the poster child for this new Apple-generated toy economy. Nukotoys is a new company led by former high-level executives from Silicon Valley and the toy, gaming and trading card businesses, who have created a rich conductive touch-card iPad ecosystem.

You buy packs of Pokémon-like trading cards. Touch the information-packed card to the iPad/iPhone/iPad screen running the appropriate app (the first two are “Animal Planet Wildlife,” comprised of a 60-card set, and “Monsterology,” based on one of the popular Ology book series, which is a 100-card series) and that card character comes alive — and can be manipulated via touch — on screen.

In the “Animal Planet” game, you can populate an entire savannah, have lions hunt gazelles as a game while learning about how nature works. It’s sophisticated, immersive, compelling, cool — and completely new.

“As today’s three-year-olds tap around iPads with ease, Apple is powering a revolution in the $21 billion toy industry,” confirmsRodger Raderman, co-CEO of Nukotoys. “Because of Apple’s innovation, we have nearly 100 people actively working on making our vision a reality.”

Source: Digging Into Apple’s U.S. Job Creation Engine | NBC San Diego

Target gives video games, electronics more floor space »

US mass market retail giant Target is set to expand the layout of its electronics and video game departments across stores nationwide.

The new layouts, which began rolling out across the chain in April and are anticipated to be completed by June, are designed to provide additional product diversity and better access to games and information. As part of the reinvention, the video game section is being expanded by 30% and will be organized by platform and game genre. A majority of Target stores will house video game learning centers and trial stations.

The video game learning centers feature a 40-inch high-definition touch screen where guests can read reviews, learn about game features, sort by ESRB ratings, view in-store price and inventory and receive recommendations on best sellers. The trial stations, meanwhile, allow consumers to try out the latest titles before they buy.

Target’s new tack speaks to the growing sales of video game hardware, software and accessories, which generated revenues of close to US$19.66 billion in 2009, according to the NPD Group.

To further complement its product offerings, Target recently announced it is the first brick-and-mortar retailer to bring Amazon’s Kindle to stores. The Kindle is currently available at 104 Target outlets and will be rolling out chain-wide on June 6.