Sony announced Resistance: Burning Skies for the PlayStation Vita at their Gamescom conference earlier today.
Developed by Nihilistic, developers of the critically acclaimed Vampire: The Masquerade, Burning Skies acts as a prequel to the events of Resistance 2. Burning Skies casts players as Tom Reilly, a New York Firefighter caught in the midst of the Chimeran invasion of the United States. Hit the jump for more on Resistance: Burning Skies for the PlayStation Vita.
With every new portable on the market, manufacturers try to outdo their previous model and competitors when it comes to batterylifetime. Although the rage these days might be mostly centered around smartphones and tablets, digital cameras and other small portables are no exception to the rule and have long been increasing their quality while also giving better battery lifetime. Enter Sony’s new WhiteMagic LCD technology, which promises to give better brightness than any other VGA screen out there while also lowering the power consumption required. This new 3-inch panel is expected to be deployed on cameras and smartphones in the near future.
Part of the magic behind this new tech centers around the traditional RGB color spectrum. In order to boost brightness, Sony incorporated a W (white) pixel to the conventional RGB pixels, creating a new RGBW scale. With a new ‘low power mode,’ the new WhiteMagic LCD is capable of producing the same whites as traditional LCD screens while utilizing 50% less energy. For those looking to venture into the outdoors, the WhiteMagic LCD screen also delivers an ‘outdoors mode’ which is designed to boost the LCD’s brightness, allowing the user to view their content where other LCD screens might not be powerful enough. With an early October 2011 shipment, it’s doubtful that this year’s models of smartphones and cameras will see this new screen but with CES 2012 around the corner, expect the 2012 models of Sony products to incorporate this new technology.
After the jump, a full press release awaits you.
The critically-acclaimed Child of Eden is finally coming to the PlayStation 3 next month and will feature PlayStation Move motion control as well as 3D functionality.
Child of Eden is a unique multisensory shooter that engages the player with trippy visuals and audio. Child of Eden was released on the Xbox 360 in June but only sold a meager amount. It seems players were confused by the game’s advertising and believed that the game was only for Kinect, when really they could also play the game with a standard Xbox 360 controller.
It looks like Q Entertainment has learned from that marketing gaffe and is now advertising the PS3 version as “Move-compatible” which most PlayStation owners understand to mean “can be played with or without PlayStation Move.”
Child of Eden comes to the PlayStation 3 on September 27, 2011.
The newly re-designed BBC iPlayer will be available for PlayStation 3’s soon.
The new design looks to be more TV and large monitor-friendly similar to that of Youtube XL’s PS3 functionality. That means it will be easier to see and access content as compared to older designs which were geared more towards a PC, Mouse, and keyboard setup.
Some additional features include:
On-demand television and movies have been on the rise with big media and television conglomerates rushing their own products in order to compete with companies like Netflix (who has a set, cheap monthly price for unlimited viewing), and BBC (whose iPlayer can be watched for free since its not allowed to charge for shows), VUDU, and HULU.
DISCUSS:
Will you use the new BBC iPlayer when it launches on the PlayStation 3? Which of the streaming services available do you use the most?
Or, do you download movies and shows from the PlayStation Network Video Store?
[Via BBC]
A few days ago, we reported that Sony has dropped Resistance 3 from its PlayStation 3DTV bundle, and replacing it with MotorStorm: Apocalypse. It seems fans looking forward to the bundle weren’t too happy with the sudden switch and started complaining on forums, blogs, and social media sites all over the web.
Well, it looks like Gamestop has heard fan complaints and have added Resistance 3 as a bonus item when players pre-order the PlayStation 3DTV bundle online and from their stores.
PlayStation 3DTV Specifications:
So now, not only are players getting the intense, edge-of-your-seat MotorStorm: Apocalypse, they will also receive the much anticipated exclusive in Resistance 3 for free.
The PlayStation 3D Display (and bundles) releases on November 26, 2011.
[Via Gamestop]
Sony is no stranger to the riots that have taken place in London. The company just experienced first hand, the destructive nature of the mobs who turned their attention to Sony’s optical disc warehouse and burned it to the ground. Luckily, no employees were directly affected (other then not having a place to work now) and no one was injured during the fire. Ashraf Haziq, a Sony fan and PSP owner was not so lucky though. In an unrelated incident, looters in the streets of London turned their attention to Haziq, a 20 year old Malaysian student. After mugging Haziq, which caused a broken jaw for the unfortunate boy, a man reaches into his backpack and takes what he could grab which happened to be a PSP. All of this can be seen in the video below.
Now, SCEE marketing director Alan Duncan wants to do something nice for the boy and wants to “give Ashraf a new PSP and games.” The only thing standing between this good will gesture is if Sony can be put in touch with the hospital that Haziq is being treated at. “If we can find out how to get it to him we’ll replace the PSP,” added a SCE UK rep. According to VG247, Namco Bandai also wants to support SCEE’s good will gesture by giving the young boy some games.
Video can be found after the jump.
Pandora, rival of Sony’s Music Unlimited cloud streaming services is getting a boost today, from Sony. The two companies have announced that Pandora’s music streaming capabilities are coming to a handful of Sony in-dash receivers. The following models will be making the partnership:
Remember how a few months ago, Sony and LG were embroiled in a bitter patent infringement lawsuit which spanned across their smartphones, TVs and Blu-ray technology lineups? The lawsuit even went as far as to have the goverment order an injunction against PlayStation 3 shipments into the UK, due to the Blu-ray drives inside of them, before the court favoring Sony on the matter. However, this didn’t matter much as the lawsuit itself was still dragging on between the South Korean giant and Sony. Now, in what will only account for millions of dollars in lawyer fees, both companies have decided to drop suit against each other and enter in a cross-licensing deal.
“LG and Sony recently agreed to drop patent infringement lawsuits against each other,” a spokeswoman at South Korea’s LG Electronics said. Sony confirmed this, but declined to comment further.
We don’t have much more information or details on the exact licensing agreement between the two companies but seeing how it would probably come in the form of a 500 page written agreement between the two sides lawyers, were just ok that the two companies can move on to more important things.
[Via Reuters]
Just a little over a day ago, Sony released the PlayStation 3 System Update 3.7, adding user requested features such as auto trophy sync and auto game saves to the cloud. In addition, 3D Blu-ray playback got a bump while recommendations to friends has made its way to the PlayStation Store. Below is our video walk through which will take you over the installation, as well as where and how to activate some of the features mentioned.
Ubisoft announced today that the Assassin’s Creed: Revelations multiplayer beta is coming exclusively to PS3. Of course, only PSN Plus subscribers get to play the beta when it hits the service on September 3rd. Hit the jump to learn more about the characters, maps, and modes made available for the Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Beta.
Many of Sony’s upcoming and hotly anticipated devices like the PlayStation 3D Display, PlayStation Vita, NEX-5N, Alpha A77 and S1 & S1 Android tablets all hold a vague “Fall” release window. Though mostly through leaks and insider information we’ve gotten to know most of these devices fairly well, Sony’s Android Honeycomb Tablet plans continue to be shrouded in mystery. Sony for its part has done a good job of releasing teaser episodes every few weeks which reveal some of the upcoming Tablets functionalities like video out. Now for the first time, we have more information to share with about the two Tablets, thanks to a handful of screenshots which reveal new information like the presence of Android Honeycomb 3.2, the tablets keyboard, music player and more in the Sony S1 and S2 Tablets. More pictures for your viewing pleasure, after the jump.
When 3D is brought up in most conversations, whether people are fans of the ever-growing format or not, two things tend to come to mind; the dislike for 3D glasses, and how expensive the technology can be. These two topics have turned into a sticky point for consumers while big companies like Sony are hard at offering 3D in whichever way they can. Currently, Sony Pictures has released 3D films like The Green Hornet, The Smurfs and will be releasing the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man which has been shot in native 3D. In the meantime, their PlayStation division has an ever-larger list of 3D games with titles like Gran Turismo 5, Killzone 3 and the highly anticipated Uncharted 3. Of course, 3D content is without an avenue to playback the medium and so to address the cost and availability of the format, Sony this fall is releasing a PlayStation branded 3D TV for $499 which includes Resistance 3 (which is 3D compatible) and a pair of 3D glasses. Sony also knows that, in order for the 3D format to advance, they cannot just rely on professional content. No format has ever survived without availability to the everyday consumers, and thats where the Bloggie 3D steps in for Sony.
The Sony Bloggie 3D (MHS-FS3) is designed to break the stigma of 3D and address the two sticking points of 3D. First, the Bloggie 3D, which is capable of recording in both 2D and 3D, is priced at $249 which automatically makes it accessible to a large demography. Second, the Bloggie 3D is capable of playing back 3D footage right on screen without the need of 3D glasses. We’ve long at the site been using the Bloggie Touch as our main source of capturing footage when at an event, seeing that it would only be fair to use the products that we talk about. So two days prior to Comic-Con, we trooped out to our local Best Buy to buy a Bloggie 3D (yes, we have to purchase all of our review products) and put it to the ultimate test. You see, in order for a format like 3D to succeed, it has to be able to form to your current workflow and lifestyle. Sure we can make tweaks here and there but if it requires us to completely change our flow to make it work, then the technology has failed. Comic-Con presented the perfect opportunity, seeing how we were going to cover the event with our Bloggie Touch anyways. The question then was, can we substitute our Bloggie Touch with a Bloggie 3D and still have a successful Comic-Con. Hit the jump for our full review, as well as sample video and photos.
Sony has finally released details on the upcoming system update 3.7 for the PS3. The update brings a number of new interesting features to the system; automatic trophy sync to player’s online profile as well as the enabling of automatic cloud game saves.
One thing of note is that the features discussed above are exclusive to PlayStation Plus subscribers.
To regular, non-PS Plus users, a new feature allows everyone to share their recommended videos, DLC’s, games, demos, and more to people on their friends list. In addition, players can now send a message with a link to the recommended item for download.
Other additional functions to be added through system update 3.7:
There has been no firm release date announced. Sony has only said that the system update will be coming “soon.”
Stay tuned to SonyRumors for more information on additional features and applications once the firmware goes live.
Update:
View our video walkthrough of the PlayStation 3 System Update 3.7.
DISCUSS:
What features and/or applications would you want to see added to the PS3 on the next firmware update?
[Via PlayStation Blog]
When Skype made its video chatting debut on Android handsets, Sony Ericsson phones were in line to be some of the first phones to receive this functionality. Now, the list of Sony Ericsson smartphones with Skype video chatting compatibility of gone up again. This latest rounds of update now adds the Xperia PLAY, Xperia ray and Xperia mini pro to the elite list. However, there is still no word on when Sony will drop this silly name capitalization scheme. Head to the Android Market to download the free Skype app.
With looters running around wild in London and the stock market taking a nose dive in the US, this week might be better spent at home gaming then going outside and facing all the crazies. This week’s PlayStation Store update note worthy titles include:
As always, hit the jump for a full breakdown of this weeks PlayStation Store update.
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