Sony Corp.

ncmogo CEO Thinks ‘NGP Will Be Dead on Arrival’

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 4, 2011 | 2 comments

Coming into the spotlight a little over three years ago, ngmogo is the game developer behind such popular iPhone games like Dropship, Star Defense, We Farm and We Rule. Since then, the small developer has grown to provide games for the full range of iOS devices (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad) and Android. With their bread and butter invested into mobile games for cellphones, it’s no surprise to hear ngmogo CEO Neil Young bash the upcoming handheld from Sony, the NGP. The CEO thinks that the NGP which previously was called the PSP2 will be “dead on arrival” because the system wont be able to keep up with the advances in the iOS and Android ecosystem. Of course, every time I hear random CEO’s taking a shot at their competitors, it’s because they need some attention or they actually know there is real competition coming.

“I think they are hurt; I think they’re clearly hurt,” Young said of the traditional portables from Sony and Nintendo. “I think PSP is done and the new [NGP] is dead on arrival. It’s really difficult to compete with an app store that has hundreds of thousands of applications and a wide range of options where the average price paid is around $1.20 and there are tens, if not hundreds of thousands of free applications that are really high quality. So I just don’t think Sony’s going to be able to compete with that.”

PlayStation 3 Stats: 41.6 Million Sold, 70 Million PSN Accounts, Revenu Way Up

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 3, 2011 | 91 comments

During Sony’s GDC press conference, the maker of the PlayStation 3 revealed some new stats that show the system making great strides in the last year to help Sony’s profitability and close the gap between their immediate rival console from Microsoft. Pierre Gravereau, SCEA digital distribution manager revealed that the PlayStation 3 has crossed over 41.6 million units sold worldwide with 80% of them being web connected, thanks to their free PSN (PlayStation Network) service, opposed to Microsofts Xbox 360 which requires $70/year to go online. Sony has also been able to pull in 70 million PSN subscribers, which helped the store see an increase of 60% store traffic and 70% boost to their profits.

Podcast: SRN Episode 2 Now Live!

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 3, 2011 | 3 comments

Last week, we launched a weekly podcast on iTunes that will cover the week in news for all things Sony. The podcast for those on the go or those who want to just listen to us entertain the world of Sony is free and recorded every Sunday night and will be in in your iTunes feed a few hours later and searchable within the iTunes store the following day. This podcast can be accessed from any iOS device (iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad), as well as Macs and PC’s.

In todays episode, we cover over a few new Sony VAIO launches, discuss the changes that are headed to Sony’s Alpha and NEX lineup and talk a little PlayStation 3 game updates and bundles. We also give you a review on Qriocity Music Unlimited, Sony’s music streaming service and more!

Listen Now!

Breaking: PSPgo Price Drops to $150 (Updated)

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 3, 2011 | 13 comments

On the heels of Sony dropping the price of the PSP-3000 to $129, Sony has now dropped the MSRP of the PSPgo to $150, down from the current $199. The PSPgo debuted over a year ago in October to a $249 price point and eventually dropped to $199 a year later. The PSPgo debuted as a sidekick to the original PSP with one major difference, outside of its form factor, the loss of the UMD drive, instead paving the way for only downloadable content from PSN. The PSP-3000 and PSPgo will be succeeded later this year by the NGP.

Updated:

It seems like the price drop has disappeared from Sony’s website with no mention left. Considering that I saw the price drop on Sony’s own site and not a random retailers, I cannot imagine it being long before this makes a full comeback. This also does play into my curiosity as to why Sony never made an announcement of the price drop. The simple answer seams to be that somebody pulled the trigger before the company was ready for it and expect to see the official MSRP down to $150 in the near future again.

[Via Sony]

US Smartphone Market Share Visualized, Sony Ericsson Currently Not On Radar

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 3, 2011 | 1 comment

In the past few months, Sony Ericsson has made huge strides with their Android ambitions and in the following two months, we will see the fruition of them. Though Sony Ericsson did have a few phones like the Xperia X10 and the Xperia X8 available in the US in 2010, the Android phones were released without a strategic plan, provider partnership or advertisement campaign. Now with their new lineup up Android 2.3 devices like the much anticipated Xperia Play and Xperia Neo, Arc and Pro, Sony Ericsson will surely do better then the above graph.

[Via Nielsen]

GSM Version of Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Revealed by FCC

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 2, 2011 | 10 comments

During the initial announcement of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, previously called the PlayStation Phone, it was believed that the device would launch as a Verizon Exclusive. Since that time, it’s became clear that an exclusivity is no longer in the cards with all mentions of it being removed from Sony Ericsson’s website. Now a new publishing from the FCC reports that the Xperia Play will also sport a global GSM bands and 900 / 2100MHz 3G, which are primarily used in Europe and Asia. This reveal here does indicate that multiple carriers will be getting the Xperia Play but for our friends in the North, Rogers will still be the exclusive carrier.

[Via FCC]

NEX-C3 to be Release on May 26th? (updated)

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 2, 2011 | 18 comments

Though we don’t have much to report on, the folks over at SonyAlphaRumors are reporting that the NEX-C3 might be released on May 26th though they don’t have much more then a tip. As we previously reported, the NEX-3 is currently discontinued as Sony starts production on the NEX-C3 which can take a few months to reach appropriate levels for a product launch. A late May time frame also gives Sony’s retail partners ample time to clear their inventory levels before the next NEX release.

Updated:

The guys at SonyAlphaRumors gave us a little clarification. The NEX-C3 is still expected to ship in April for what I presume is the US with a worldwide launch date of May 26th.

[Via SonyAlphaRumors]

Sony to Launch PlayStation Home Version 1.5 in Spring

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 1, 2011 | 17 comments

LittleBigPlanet space in PlayStation Home

Today at GDC, Sony lifted the vail off of the upcoming PlayStation Home 1.5 update, showing a slew of improvements that the company has in mind for the free PlayStation 3 service. For those who are not familiar, PlayStaiton Home gives users a play to hang out, chat, talk games and actually play tons of games, many which are free. Home is a destination to meet players who enjoy the same games, and gives users options like shopping for virtual items, decorating their Home space and avatar. With all that, the core existence of Home is gaming. Here, users can create groups and launch into multiplayer games together like Uncharted 2 or LittleBigPlanet, making it a great pre-gaming environment. Since the service launched, Sony has had many updates which have added to gaming spaces, and user features. PlayStation Home Community Manager had this to say:

While versions 1.3 and 1.4 brought user-facing features like Voice Chat, Cross Game Invites, Navigation Improvements, In-Store Previews, New Item Types (such as Active Items and Companions), Optimized Load Times and Universal Game Launching, PlayStation Home v1.5 is packed with tools and features that will enable developers to expand the types of games possible on the platform – from first-person shooters with real-time, peer-to-peer multiplayer to kart racers and more.

Home currently offers a ton of free mini games, based around popular franchises like Killzone, LittleBigPlanet and Resistance while the company has also created many unique games like Sodium. Now with PlayStation Home 1.5, Sony is looking to up the ante by giving developers more control and power to create deeper, richer and more fulfilling games that will be exclusively on PlayStation Home.

[Via PlayStation Blog]

Sony to Supply All iPhone 5 Camera’s

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 1, 2011 | 2 comments

For those who follow the tech sector or more specifically, Apple closely, you will note that a new iPhone, currently being called the iPhone 5 is in the works. Unless something at Cupertino changes, we can all expect a late June, early July announcement and release of the next generation iPhone which like every previous version will see spec bumps, including a better camera. Over a year ago, we reported that Apple was looking to Sony for an 8 Megapixel camera and sensor to fulfill the iPhone needed spec bumps but hadn’t heard much since. Currently, Ominivision Tech provides the camera’s in the iPhone lineup, including the iPhone 4’s impressive 5 Mexapixel but with news that the company is having trouble producing them, this could be great news for Sony. Each iPhone so far has launched to a bigger crowd then before and each model has done better in sales then the previous one. Still, Apple has always gone on record that they could have sold more had they had more in stock and you can bet that they don’t want to deal with a bottleneck in supplies, just because Ominivision cannot produce the numbers they need. This would leave Sony as the sole manufacture of iPhone 5 camera’s which could be a nice boom to Sony’s bottom line, with millions of iPhone 5 expected to be sold.

[Via WallStreetPit]

Sony Ups Itself, Creates World First 17.7 Megapixel CMOS Sensor for Cellphones

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 28, 2011 | 10 comments

16.1 Megapixel Sensor

Last year, Sony was able to create the worlds first 16.1 Mexapixel camera sensor and set a target date of April 2011 for shipment. Since that time, Sony has already starting manufacturing these sensors with at least one cellphone utilizing this sensor, well ahead of the mass production month. Not to be outdone, Sony has again created a world first, a 17.7 Megapixel SMOS sensor for cellphones. In this round, Sony not only upped the resolution, but added a 34.8Gbps bandwidth which is roughly 5 times faster then any previous offerings. This allows the sensor which can be utilized in both cellphones and digital cameras to record at 120fps. There is no product announcement to follow this new sensor and we don’t expect to see it being used anytime soon. However with greater speeds and offerings, this will help push down costs of current sensor like Sony’s own 16.1 Mexapixel sensor, which means the consumer will see them sooner in products.

[Via Engadget]

PlayStation 3 Shipments to Europe Now Halted, Thanks to Sony vs. LG Lawsuit

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 28, 2011 | 4 comments

You might remember that at the beginning of 2011, Sony Electronics started a lawsuit against Korean giant, LG. The lawsuit alleged that LG had violated on Sony’s cellphone patents in which case, Sony wanted all shipments of LG phones to the United States halted and civil damages be award to them. Quick to respond, LG filed a set of patent claims against the Sony’s PlayStation 3, indicating that they were the actual victims in this sad electronic world we all live in. With the first round over, LG has come out on top with the courts ruling in LG’s favor. This means that all current PlayStation 3 systems headed to Europe will be confiscated by customs for at least ten days while this mess continues to be sorted. The good news for European PlayStation fans is that most retailers have a few weeks worth of inventory on hand and there should not be an immediate impact. The bad news is that this is a temporary stock and until this lawsuit is settled, Sony cannot feed that market with new PlayStation 3 units. With an average of 100,000 units shipped to Europe each week and Sony closing the world wide sales gap of the PlayStation 3 versus Microsofts Xbox 360, Sony cannot let this drag on for long. Sony would not comment much on this matter:

“We are currently looking into this matter, and cannot make any comments at this point in time.”

[Via The Guardian]

Why I Love the Sony NEX-5 Commercial

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 26, 2011 | 5 comments

I haven’t been shy on my feelings for Sony and their handling of their advertisements. Although they have done a lot to improve that over the last year, I believe the company still has a long way to go. However, this new ad for the NEX-5 gives me much renewed hope and excitement for what Sony’s advertising can achieve and how it can resonate with the viewers. The idea of the ad is so simple and yet it achieves everything it should. It not only shows off the product for almost the entire time, instead of having people talk vaguely about how Sony products are great, it also shows off the features that differentiate it from the other companies while not being a powerpoint presentation.

I cannot stress enough that Sony has some fantastic and unique products but it does them nothing if the average consumer has no idea they exist. With an ad like this, not only is the product shown, but there is also a reason why you would want it. Also, as we have seen in the States, Sony has plenty of celebrity power. Make the same ad and insert one of the many stars that Sony has, and voila!—people will not forget the product.

The PSP Drops to $129

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 25, 2011 | 26 comments

Well ahead of the NGP, Sony has dropped the price of the PSP-3000 down to $129.99 MSRP in hopes of spurring up sales and cleaning out inventory slowly. Now you can find older games at $9.99, greatest hits at $19.99 and brand new titles at $29.99. This is great for those who want to experience some amazing AAA games like Killzone: Liberation, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7, God of War: Ghost of Sparta and Gran Turismo to name a few. Fans can also expect the PSP to live beyond the release of the NGP (PSP2), much like the PS2 currently still lives on with new releases. Despite the stigma, with nearly 67 million units sold, the PSP has been an extremely successful handheld, despite its lack of 3rd party publisher support, something that Sony is looking to change with the NGP.

SOCOM 4 Full Deployment Edition Gives You Move Bundle with $70 Savings

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 25, 2011 | 14 comments

2011 is gearing up to be an exciting time for PlayStation 3 and Move fans. January saw the release of LittleBigPlanet 2 and just this week, Killzone 3 was released with full native Move and 3D support. Now set for an April 19th release, SOCOM 4 will give PlayStation 3 owners another exclusive FPS with full Move support from the ground up. The SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs Full Deployment Edition for $149.99 will come packed with:

SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs video game on Blu-ray disc
PlayStation Move Motion Controller
PlayStation Move Navigation Controller
PlayStation Move sharp shooter
PlayStation Eye Camera

This limited time bundle will allow those who want to experience Move for the first time to save $70 versus buying the individual pieces needed for the full Move experience. Of course FPS fans, SOCOM 4 is Dualshock 3 compatible as well with the regular edition costing $59.99.

Gran Turismo 5 Update 1.07 Now Available

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 25, 2011 | 13 comments

Hey GT5 fans, a new small update awaits you before your next gaming session that is set to fix some glitches and bring on some overall enhancements.

[Major Changes and New Features]

Friend Rankings

In Drift Trials and Time Trials, you can now display leaderboards that shows only your friends. While it was difficult before to locate your friends in the general leaderboards, this now makes it easier to compare laptimes with them, allowing you to compete between just your friends for the best laps and scores.

[Correction of Known Issues]

– The calculation of performance points (PP) which is an index of a car’s performance, is now calculated without taking into account the tyre selection.You can now combine the performance point restriction and the tyre restriction when setting the regulations for a lounge.

– Fixed the issue where the performance of electric cars increased/decreased after a certain amount of driving.

– Downloaded replays from Seasonal Event Rankings can now be viewed properly.

[Other Changes]

– Cars worth over 1,000,000 Cr. (Including those in a gift car ticket form) are now prohibited from being traded to prevent issues during the trading process. When lending and borrowing cars between friends, please utilize the car loan system.