2nd Saudi Forum for 4th Industrial Revolution to Kick off Today

2nd Saudi Forum for 4th Industrial Revolution to Kick off Today
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2nd Saudi Forum for 4th Industrial Revolution to Kick off Today

2nd Saudi Forum for 4th Industrial Revolution to Kick off Today

The Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), affiliated with the World Economic Forum (WEF), will organize on Monday the work of the Second Saudi Forum for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The event will take place at the Garage headquarters in Riyadh, in the presence of an elite group of thought leaders and decision makers from various countries of the world.

The forum aims to uncover promising opportunities for innovation in the Kingdom, highlight its leadership in emerging technologies, and create frameworks that support and stimulate research, development and innovation, according to flexible policies that contribute to accelerating the investment of the results of scientific and technical activities, and strengthening the partnership of the public and private sectors around the world to make use from deep technologies, SPA reported.

The C4IR in the Kingdom works with relevant authorities locally and internationally to enable the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to increase productivity and achieve sustainability, and strive towards digital transformation as part of the goals of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's vision 2030.



Nintendo Switch Software to Be Playable on Successor Device

A logo of Nintendo is seen at a store in Shibuya district in Tokyo November 5, 2024. (AFP)
A logo of Nintendo is seen at a store in Shibuya district in Tokyo November 5, 2024. (AFP)
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Nintendo Switch Software to Be Playable on Successor Device

A logo of Nintendo is seen at a store in Shibuya district in Tokyo November 5, 2024. (AFP)
A logo of Nintendo is seen at a store in Shibuya district in Tokyo November 5, 2024. (AFP)

Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa said on Wednesday that software for the company's Switch console would be playable on the successor device.

The Kyoto-based gaming company has said it plans to make an announcement about a successor device during the financial year ending March 2025 but has not provided further details.

"Nintendo Switch is currently being played with by many customers so we decided it would be optimal for them to be able to play their Switch software on the successor model," Furukawa said.

"Customers will be able to enjoy the games they own and choose their next title from the lineup of games already on the market," Furukawa told a management policy briefing.

Offering backwards compatibility could help encourage consumers to transition to the new device and boost the appeal of existing software.

"It's not a big surprise but might be another hint the next device will be similar to the current one," said Serkan Toto, founder of the Kantan Games consultancy.

Nintendo has sold more than 1.3 billion software units for the Switch, which is in its eighth year on the market and has an install base of more than 145 million units.

The Kyoto-based gaming company has had success in extending the lifecycle of the hybrid home-portable Switch with hit games and a series of hardware refreshes.

Hardware sales are losing steam, with Nintendo on Tuesday cutting its full-year sales Switch forecast by 7% to 12.5 million units ahead of the key year-end shopping season.

"We are not surprised by the miss on the (hardware) side, given that Nintendo's target markets appear fairly saturated in most geographies," Jefferies analyst Atul Goyal wrote in a client note.

"Software sales picked up in 2Q and are expected to continue in 3Q," Goyal wrote.

Nintendo sold 39.6 million software units in the second quarter ended September, a 29% increase compared to three months earlier.

The company's shares climbed 6% in Tokyo, compared to a 3% rise in the benchmark index.