Data and Dimensions

Microsoft recently said it will respond to an increasingly strained gaming market by maximizing the potential of its core intellectual properties. And they are not the first publisher to have told us that this year. This week, we resurface a conversation from the Entertainment Software Association's iicon conference in April with Mark Nash, COO and co-founder of Balor Games, and Wade Rosen, chairm...

Last year, we made a call that smart glasses are on track to surpass 20 million units shipped annually by 2029, and current market signals suggest that may have been a conservative forecast. As the category evolves, we thought it prudent to talk to one of its most experienced players. Ralph Jodice, general manager of North America and global head of partnerships at XREAL walks through what his com...

In some ways, GameStop is the story of the suburbs, of being an idle teenager, of sifting through the bargain bin, of late night Call of Duty launch parties, of buying your first console and then selling it back a few years later. But it's also the story of the end of the shopping mall, the decline of physical media and the shifting center of power in the $200 billion gaming industry. Oh, and it's...

The artificial intelligence boom is monopolizing global semiconductor capacity, sparking a severe shortage of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) modules. As data centers gobble up high-bandwidth memory for AI accelerators, consumer electronics are facing skyrocketing costs and supply constraints. In this episode, host Neil Barbour joins Chris Rogers, head of supply chain research at S&P Global Ma...

The games industry hit a record $201.3 billion in software and services revenue in 2025, but the growth rate is a shadow of its pre-pandemic heyday. Publishers are hunting for the next big growth story. In this episode, Neil Barbour joins colleague and fellow gamer Eiman Hussain to list the 10 console and PC games that will shape 2026's commercial momentum and creative direction, from prestige reb...

Visual positioning technologies are everywhere, quietly powering advancements in disaster response, autonomous vehicles and precision geolocation. And it all started with a Snorlax. In this episode, Neil Barbour talks with Brian McClendon, CTO at Niantic Spatial, about how data collected from Pokémon Go plays a major role in reshaping the way machines and people interact with the real world. Key t...

Video games are everywhere, with a wide reach across various demographics, industries and modalities. In this episode, Neil Barbour talks with Stan Pierre-Louis, President and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, about gaming's often unexpected reach across demographics, industries and modalities. Even Pope Leo XIV recently revealed that he enjoyed playing Wordle with his brother. Our co...

In this episode, we talk with Matthew Ball, CEO of Epyllion, a venture and advisory firm. We discuss why gaming's tide keeps rising but is not necessarily lifting all boats. Key points include. Video gaming's uphill battle in the attention economy China's dominant role in the revenue opportunity Subscriptions in a saturated console gaming market The opportunity around Valve's most ardent fans And...

In this episode, we talk with Nic Hill, co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Sawhorse and host of the Brands in Play podcast. Nic is at the front lines of connecting brands with interactive experiences. In the past year alone, his agency has brought How to Train Your Dragon to Roblox and Sinners to Fortnite. Join us as we discuss The impact of AI on the creative process Would you rather own...

In this episode, we discuss the emerging consumer metaverse with Sean Mann, CEO of RP1.  He sees the emergence of smart glasses as a key computing paradigm shift, connecting people with their environment with a way that isn't possible with current hardware. To respond to that changing dynamic, RP1 is building the "world's first 3D browser," offering relevant visual data to users as they move throu...

In this episode, we discuss the emerging industrial metaverse with one of the segment's foremost experts, our very own Ian Hughes. A digital twin can help train employees, allow robots to map out their workspace and give new dimension to operational data. Ian walks us through highlights from S&P Global Market Intelligence Worldwide Metaverse B2B Survey 2025, including adoption levels, top use case...

Meta recently scaled backs its commitment to the Quest ecosystem after struggling to build a durable, self-sustaining community in virtual reality.   We spoke with Wagner James Au, author of Making a Metaverse That Matters , to unpack why Meta struggled to grow in VR after a strong start and what those missteps can teach other builders in the space.   We also contrast Meta's experience with Roblox...

Data & Dimensions is a podcast dedicated to exploring the transformative evolution of the internet into immersive 3D virtual spaces. Guided by S&P Global's coverage of the metaverse, where the tools and tech of video games shape the next phase of the internet into shared 3D virtual spaces, where humans and machines interact with one another and with data, enhancing and augmenting the physical worl...

In the inaugural episode of Data & Dimensions, we discuss the next class of AR/VR headsets entering the market from Samsung and Apple and go in depth with Chris Parkinson, president of enterprise systems at Vuzix, about the future of smart glasses. XR hardware has evolved from a curiosity among gamers to an increasingly vital component in industrial and enterprise work. And now it may be headed ba...