1）Flurry最新报告指出，美国用户在移动设备上所消耗的86%时间均投入了原生应用，是移动网络的6倍左右。

Flurry称普通美国用户在移动设备上平均每天所投入时间增长至2小时42分钟，而一年之前则是2小时38分钟。其中应用所占据时间比例为86%（平均每天2小时19分钟），移动网络则平均每天仅为22分钟。

apps_dominate(from Flurry)

报告认为，这一现象说是应用程序仍然占据主流，而移动浏览器则退居二线。这意味着HTML5等技术在移动设备上的表现仍未赶上应用程序。

2）据SCE Japan Asia网站报道，索尼日前宣布在索尼电脑娱乐日本亚洲分公司成立一个中国战略部门，这个新部门将由索尼高管Takehito Soeda领导（曾任索尼中国地区的企业沟通经理），此举表明索尼或许有意将一些PlayStation品牌引进中国市场。

继游戏主机解禁之后，中国文化部正研究允许上海自贸区制造的主机设备在中国地区销售这一方案，索尼可能打算借此投入资源抓住这一市场机遇。

3）据gamasutra报道，Oculus VR公司日前宣布聘请另一名Valve开发者Aaron Nicholls（曾在Valve就职4年，在虚拟现实技术方面颇有研究）。在此之前，Oculus已经相续挖走前Valve主VR工程师Atman Binstock以及另一名元老级的Valve人物Michael Abrash。

Aaron Nicholls(from pcgamesn.com)

Aaron Nicholls通过Twitter发贴表示自己迫不及待想继续与Atman、Michael共事，并与Oculus成员一起开创未来。

4）据gamezebo报道，苹果日前宣布将移除App Store中的收益榜单。从现在开始，App Store中将只有免费和付费这两个榜单。

苹果在公告中指出，过去一年中收益榜单前列的游戏几乎没有什么变化，他们认为这有可能是榜单前十名的公司投入大量营销资金维持游戏排名，也可能是一种巧合。但苹果还是决定给发行公司一个用产品而非资金竞争的机会。

top grossing iphone apps(from gamezebo)

目前暂时不清楚苹果此举将对《Candy Crush Saga》（游戏邦注：King曾在IPO文件中指出公司去年的营销投入为3.77亿美元）或《Clash of Clans》等成功游戏，以及未来的免费游戏，广告模式的每安装成本产生什么影响。

有报道称谷歌也已经宣布正考虑移除其收益榜单，因为其排名前十的游戏也基本上是营销投入庞大的公司，榜单上的游戏排名比苹果平台更固定。谷歌还考虑创造一个更为严格的审核流程，考查游戏是否属于克隆产品。

5）据pocketgamer报道，美国第一夫人米歇尔·奥巴马日前在美国国会呼吁解决美国儿童肥胖问题，并发起了关于制裁《Candy Crush Saga》的投票活动，声称该游戏存在“损害孩子身心健康和资金安全的危险”，并获得了来自参议院和众议院的支持。

candy_crush_saga(from onehitpixel.com)

她要求该游戏开发商King调整游戏的美术风格，要减少其中的糖果元素，采用更多水果和蔬菜元素；同时还要求King考虑植入一个校园模式，直到孩子们完成了家庭作业和家务时才能访问消除糖果的游戏机制。

除此之外，这项新法规还涉及到游戏的IAP机制，要求King重新考虑其中的IAP设置是否合理等问题（游戏邦注：有传闻称这一新规的出台可能与总统奥巴马连续5周以上被困在《Candy Crush Saga》第147关一事有关，但这在我们看来也有可能是个愚人节笑话）。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

1）The mobile web is still losing out to native apps, by more than 6 to 1

Dean Takahashi

Connect with leaders from the companies in this story, in real life: Come to the fourth annual VentureBeat Mobile Summit April 14-15 in Sausalito, Calif. Request an invitation.

Native apps command about 86 percent of U.S. consumers’ mobile time, or about six times more than the mobile web does, according to a mobile analytics report by Flurry.

Flurry said that the time spent by the average U.S. consumer on a mobile device has risen to 2 hours and 42 minutes per day, compared to 2 hours and 38 minutes a year ago. Apps command about 86 percent of that time, or 2 hours and 19 minutes per day, compared to just 22 minutes for the mobile web.

Flurry said that apps were considered a fad a few years ago, but they are still completely dominating mobile usage. The browser is just one more app in a sea of apps on mobile.

“It is still too early to predict the trajectory apps will take in 2014,” Flurry said. “But one thing is clear — apps have won and the mobile browser is taking a back seat. Now every company in the world, including Google, is adjusting to that reality.”

This means that web technologies like HTML5, the lingua franca for the web, aren’t keeping up with the native app’s performance on mobile devices.（source：venturebeat）

2）Sony Japan sharpens its focus on China with new strategy division

By Alex Wawro

Sony announced today that it has opened a new China Strategy Department in the Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia division.

According to the press release, which was published in Japanese on the website of SCE Japan Asia, the new department will be led by Sony executive Takehito Soeda. Soeda has previously served as Sony’s corporate communications manager in China, and his appointment to lead the newly-opened department suggests that Sony is interested in putting some official muscle behind pushing the PlayStation brand in China.

While game consoles have been available for purchase on the Chinese gray market for years, they were officially banned from being sold in the country until this year, when China’s State Council formally lifted the ban.

China’s Ministry of Culture is currently in the process of figuring out how — or if — it will allow consoles manufactured in the Shanghai free-trade zone to be sold in the country, and it appears that Sony is devoting resources to figuring out how to take advantage of that allowance.

Gamasutra has reached out to Sony representatives for further comment on the news.（source：gamasutra）

3）Oculus swipes yet another VR expert from Valve

By Mike Rose

Newsbrief: Oculus VR already snapped up a couple of Valve veterans last month — and today the company said that it has hired yet another Valve developer to help steer its virtual reality business in the right direction.

The company has announced the addition of Aaron Nicholls to its team. Nicholls has previously worked as a developer at Valve for the last four years, and in particular is known for his research into virtual reality tech.

This follows the news that Oculus has hired both Atman Binstock, Valve’s lead VR engineer, and Michael Abrash, another big name in VR at Valve. Nicholls took to Twitter to say that he “can’t wait to continue working on the future with Atman, Michael, and the Oculus crew tomorrow.”（source：gamasutra）

4）Apple removes Top Grossing Charts from App Store

By Joel Brodie

In a surprising move, Apple announced that it is removing its Top Grossing Chart from the App Store.  From now on, there will only be two top ranking charts – free and paid.   In typical Apple fashion, the company made this move at midnight last night, on the first day of April, without giving anyone any notice.
Apple released the following statement:  “We’ve noticed, as many of you have, that the games in the Top Ranking Lists have not changed in the past year.  We suspect it’s because the game companies in the Top 10 are spending millions of dollars a day to keep their position, but it could just be coincidence.  So, we decided to take the high road and give game companies the opportunity to compete on merit than money.”

It’s unclear what impact this will have on the success of games in the Top Lists like Candy Crush Saga or Clash of Clans, the future of free-to-play games, or the cost per install ad model.  In their S1 released anticipation of going public, King disclosed that they spent $377 million last year on marketing.

“Surely, we’re disappointed,” a King spokesperson admitted on the condition of anonymity, “but we’re highly confident that Candy Crush Saga will retain its top position because it’s an addictively awesome game.  Though, we do wish Apple made this move a week ago before we went public.”
In other news, Google made an announcement, that it is considering removing its top grossing chart, since the Top 10 games, who also happen to be the top advertisers, have been entrenched in the same position even longer than on the Apple charts.  Google is also considering creating a more rigorous approval process where they take into a consideration whether a game is a clone.

“It’ll require hiring more staff, but heck, we spent $3 billion earlier this year to buy a company that sells a smart thermostat for $250 that no one outside Silicon Valley has ever used,” said a Google spokesperson.  “Besides, 2048 derivatives of 2048 are being released on Google Play every 2048 minutes.  This is getting ridiculous.”（source：gamezebo）

5）Candy Crush Saga blamed for US obesity: Michelle Obama demands candies only become available after 5 veggie matches

by Normal Mainer

[If you were wondering, yes this is an April Fool story...]

In a surprise move initiated by Michelle Obama, the US Congress has voted to crack down on Candy Crush Saga.

Calling King’s match-3 game a “danger to our children’s waistlines and its wallets”, the First Lady gained bipartisan support across both the Senate and House of Representatives for the deal under her Let’s Move program.

This is designed to solve the US epidemic of childhood obesity.

Out with candies, in with kale

The new legislation demands that King changes the game’s art style to include more fruit and vegetables.

Candies will now only become available after what Mrs Obama labelled at least five ‘healthy portion-sized matches’ of non-sugary foodstuffs.

“We want to set an example to our kids. A 3-way match of tomatoes or peas is okay, but we want them to do better,” said Mrs Obama.

“Can we inspire the next generation to make a 5-way match of superfoods like pomegranates or kale? Yes we can.”

Bigger IAP portions

She also requested King consider a School Day mode, further limiting access to candy matches until children had ‘completed their homework and household chores’.

The most controversial part of the new legislation involves the game’s in-app purchase system, however.

With many governments considering the issue of virtual purchases, particularly those targeted at children, there was widespread support for an additional clause forcing King to rethink its portion sizes when it comes to IAPs.

In an unprecedented move, the oversized governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, demanded more extra moves for his dollar.

“Three Lollipop Hammers for a buck is unAmerican,” he fumed, while chewing on a rack of honey-glazed pork ribs.

“That sort of thing may cut the mustard in the socialist republic of Swedenland, but here in the good ol’ US of A, one greenback is worth nothing less than ten lollipops with chocolate sprinkles on, and as many Coke refills as I want.”

Rumours that the new law comes with President Obama stuck on Level 147 of Candy Crush Saga for over five weeks remain, as yet, unconfirmed.（source：pocketgamer）