Along with the release date, the retail box art was revealed. Quite strangely, the European and US release dates are a month apart. For once, Europe gets something first. Although, it’s obviously best when release dates are as close as possible. The game will be released on March 16th in Europe, and April 12th in the US.
Follow the links for the official announcements:
Just a little heads up to those who are using or are planning on using the recently announced PlayStation video delivery system VUDU. If you navigate over to the app (available in the video section of PSN), and launch it, you will notice the new 2.0 interface with 1080p HDX streaming and 5.1 surround sound. Other features include a much more streamlined interface and PlayStation Move support. Remember, new users to the service are currently eligible for one free HD rental.
As always, hit the jump for some more screen shots of the service.
There you have it folks. The first picture of Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) as Spider-Man, via Sony Pictures. The upcoming Spider-man 3D reboot is slated to hit theaters July 3, 2012, though for us Spider-man fans, that’s still eons away.
Hit the jump to check out some of our previous coverage on the Marc Web Spider-man reboot and a new high resolution image. While you’re there, leave us a comment. What do you think about the new suit and Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker.
When it comes to articles, I have to say that as much of a computer geek that I am, with 4 computers in my room alone, I hate writing about laptops. There is too many series with different processors and specs to try to make a smooth and cohesive sounding sentence without it just being a list of specs but I’ll give it a shot! During CES, though Sony had many new updates to its current Vaio lineup with the usual slight spec bumps, the main story was the Vaio Y and S series laptops, with the former packing in the newly announced AMD Fusion APU.
In a world where desktop sales have long been on a nose dive and plenty of other and cheaper all-in-one desktops on the market, is there anything Sony can do to change up their machine and stand out from the crowd, without just shoving more power in it? After playing around with the new VAIO L Series Touch HD, it seems like there is. At a first glance, the new 24 inch VAIO L looks to be just the next evolution of the all-in-one series from Sony. It packs what you would expect from a Sony machine that starts at $1,200 with HDMI in and out, built in TV tuner, DVR and Blu-ray player and burner for the media fans. For those who want more power out of their machine, you can also custom configure it with a Intel i7 processor. NVIDIA’s latest GeForce GT500M graphics, Dolby Home Theater speakers and a wireless keyboard and mouse all come standard of course. So how does this differentiate from the previous generation? With touch of course, but without the need to actually touch the screen.
Though not the PlayStation Phone, Sony Ericsson did have a new phone to show off during CES, the Xperia Arc. This 4.2-inch phone packs some of the latest from both Sony and Google by being one of the thinnest Android phones out there with a thickness just under 8.7mm and running Android 2.3 as the OS backbone. With the latest OS comes great power and a 1GHz Snapdragon processor should please the multitasker and ADHD kid inside of you, while the phones 8.3 mexapixel Sony Exmor R camera with LED flash should give the photo camps something to smile about also. Other little tidbits about the phone include a 802.11n wireless card and HDMI out. Another first for Sony is the collaboration between the Sony Ericcsson and Bravia division to produce what Sony calls “Reality Display” with a Mobile BRAVIA Engine. This new screen is meant to fight off the Super AMOLED display from Samsung and the Retina Display from Apple with Bravia engineers optimizing the engine, insuring optimal brightness and color with special focus on deep blacks when it comes to video and game playback. As I mentioned, this also marks a first for Sony as two completely separate divisions are collaborating on a singular device to draw from the strength of Ericssons phone design and the Bravia teams know how of displays. Hopefully we will continue to see further collaboration between Sony’s many different devisions as they have a vast array of products and offerings that can complement and build off of each other, while helping to reduce cost and the need to go to 3rd party venders for parts and licensing. Once released, the phone will be available in two colors, Midnight Blue and Misty Silver.
Hit the jump for another shot of the Xperia Arc and full press release from Sony.
CEO of Sony Corporation, Howard Stringer announced at CES last week that to date, there are now over 60 million registered PSN users. This is a number twice that of Xbox live’s 30 million (take that 360!). This figure of course, includes people who have registers on PSN’s website and PSP owners who also use the Playstation network. Stringer did not give the break down the 60 million between PSP and website, however this number is dramatically up from last year’s tally. Last year at CES 2010, the number was 38 Million.
It’s amazing to see that the PSN has grown so much in 2010, especially with offering Playstation Plus to consumers. With having so many incredible and exciting PS3 exclusive games being released this year, I believe 2011 will be Sony’s best in gaming and their online community.
Sony said it plans to continue expanding gaming, music, video, and PlayStation Home content and products in the new year. I know this will also be a huge year for 3D gaming and Playstation Move games.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced a March 1 blu-ray release for S.W.A.T. Firefight. This direct-to-video action/crime thriller stars Gabriel Macht as a Los Angeles S.W.A.T. officer who is sent to Detroit, and Robert Patrick as a government assassin obsessed with terminating him and his team. If the title sounds familiar, it’s because this is a sequel/spin off of the 2003 Sony Pictures film S.W.A.T. which starred Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez and LL Cool J. Though the larger box office based audience may never hear of a film like this, direct-to-video films are a very lucrative market for film studios as they can produce the entire piece for fractions of the original Hollywood version and release them to video rental stores and brick and mortar outlets for a considerably lower price, hoping to draw the casual consumer. Disney has been known to this with many of it’s animated films, like The Lion King 1 1/2, Hercules Zero to Hero and Tarzan 2 to name a few. Still, simply because they don’t have the original cast and budget shouldn’t mean that we should ride these films off as not worthy, as I know many kids who adore the sequel to their favorite Disney movies and many adults who continue to want to see more in the Van Wilder world.
During CES, I had the pleasure to have some great conversations with different Sony engineers and get their takes on different products and features from Sonys many current and future offerings. In the mix of all the many different product launches and 27 new Bravia models from Sony, I both noticed something interesting and later confirmed something that seemed to have gotten missed by almost all other outlets. Sony has ditched the $50 3D transmitter bar on all of their 2011 3D TVs. With the current model of Bravia’s in the market, only the high end model, the LX900 offers 3D built in with no transmitter bar where the rest of the series like the HX and EX were dubbed 3D ready, meaning that you could buy a 3D transmitter bar and give it 3D. But with all 2011 Bravia models, 3D will be built in no transmitter bar needed. What’s even more amazing is when you take in the fact that 16 of Sony’s 2011 Bravia’s will be 3D, starting with models as small as 27-inches which will place them well under the $1,000 price and in the price range of many consumers.
Improvements to this year’s 3D models include panel drive enhancements that deliver quicker response time helping to reduce crosstalk, 5:5 pull down for a more realistic cinematic movie experience, built-in 3D emitters on all 3D models.
Expanding the 3D content users can view, the new BRAVIA 3D capable models can display 3D images taken with Sony’s new Cyber-shot cameras like the DSC-WX9 via USB input.
Rumors over the last week have been pointing to the buy out of IMAX theaters by Sony Corp. With the big launch 3D had during 2010 and 2011 promising to bring 3D to more devices, both professional and consumer, the move does make sense. Especially if you consider that IMAX plays a big roll when it comes to 3D movies, a venue that Sony’s movie division; Sony Pictures and Columbia Pictures can take great advantage of. Still, it’s not like upcoming 3D movies from Sony like The Green Hornet, The Smurfs, Men In Black 3D and the Spider-man reboot wouldn’t have been shown in 3D without IMAX. But with a chain of 3D theaters under its belt, Sony can take advantage of the screens and offering and not only use its own 4k 3D projectors which are considered some of the best, but to also hold events to show off 3D to consumers like the upcoming Lakers game. With Sony using their own equipment in the mix, Sony can make sure that the 3D experience is at the highest quality and wow audiences the proper way, in order to have them buy in the 3D experience, something that currently consumers are mixed about. But alas, if you were looking for CES announcement to confirm or deny it, you will be disappointed though the two companies will continue collaborate on the upcoming 3D channel.
Update:
Based on the rumor, IMAX stocks have hit a 52 week high of $32 per share though they are now trading back to their normal value of $27, due to the lack of any announcements between the two companies.
The Chinese website, TGbus, has published a preview of Sony’s – still officially unannounced – PlayStation phone. It features a plethora of images, comparing it with other popular devices. Engadget’s translator, Richard Lai, interpreted the article, highlighting the statement that, ‘…a third-party emulator was downloaded and tested, with 70 percent success.’ The emulator being referred to is unknown at the moment.
The consistent inability to prevent information from being revealed must not have a considerable impact on sales and proficiency in making a profit, because if it did, Sony would be history. In other words, it’s difficult to keep secrets when information now naturally flows so freely. I for one am glad that Sony is doing okay despite its marked information security deficiency.
Follow the link to TGbus to check out all the comparison images.
[Via Engadget]
[Original Chinese Preview – TGbus]
Sony has announced a new lineup of internal Blu-ray burners and players with 12x speed and 3D playback. The new Sony Optiarc lineup will come in 3 models: the BD-5300S, BWU-500S and BWU-500S, offering 12x BD-R burning speed and 8x for dual layer Blu-ray discs. Sony is going to be offering these in a variety of retail and OEM configurations but no price point is set yet. For those who are looking to edit some videos, the BWU-500S retail branded model comes with CyberLink’s Media Suite 8 software for capturing, authoring, editing, backing up, viewing high-definition personal content and playing back Blu-ray disc movies including 3D Blu-ray movies. For those looking for an external solution, Sony also offers the BDX-S500u. Hit the jump for a full press release.
It’s clear that the convenience and popularity of ‘HD collections’ is not going unnoticed by developers. In particular, the current set of industry circumstances, that make the process of re-releasing PS2 games in higher resolution (among other things) for PS3 feasible, are ideal.
The Anniversary, Legend and Underworld Tomb Raider titles will be found in this HD trilogy on Blu ray for the PS3. Due to Anniversary already being a remake of the original Tomb Raider game, things begin to get a little complicated, and a little suggestive of the recycled nature of the franchise. Nevertheless, the product’s premise is certainly compelling.
As always, follow the links for the official announcement.
Head over to our Flickr Page to check out pictures from the CES 2011 Sony Press Conference. Expect a lot more details overviews of products, offerings and pictures from the Sony Booth to come as we attend our second day at CES.
Following the popular trend that Amazon first set with the Kindle and Barnes and Noble followed up with the Nook, Sony has announced that it will also be offering a Sony Reader app for the Android marketplace, as well as for iOS platform (iPhone and iPod Touch. Oddly, no mention of the iPad). Following the cue of other apps, the Reader app will keep your reading in sync so, for instance, you can start off a book on a Sony Reader and finish it off on your iPhone. Although this seems logical, this is actually an important move for Sony, a company generally known for a closed platform solution. This clearly signals that the company is not shutting its eyes on the fact that others own products outside of the Sony brand. This also raises the value of the Sony Reader by giving consumers more then one avenue to enjoy the content purchased on that product.
Hit the jump screen shots of the actual app.
[Via Sony]
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