Sony Corp.

Sony's Labor Day Weekend Box Office Results

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 7, 2010 | 2 comments

Although Sony had no new releases this weekend, it continues to do well with its three holdovers, grabbing the number 3, 7 and 8th spot at the box office. Takers, last week’s number one movie, has now slipped to the number three spot with a total gross of $39.9 million on a $32 million budget.

Now in its 5th week, The Other Guys has bagged in a total of $108 million on a $100 million budget with still no world wide release. Once that happens, expect another $10-$30 million to be added to the final gross though Will Ferrell movies don’t tend to be huge in the world wide market, as comedy and its humor tend to be region specific and don’t always translate well.

Meanwhile, the Julia Roberts film, Eat Pray Love, now on its 4th week is at $70.3 million on a $60 million budget. I would expect this picture to do fairly decent at the world wide box office, once released, hopefully helping the picture clear the $100 million mark. Unlike Will Ferrell movies, Julia Roberts flicks tend to do better overseas because of their subject matter being more universal as opposed to region-specific comedy.

Finally, the last Sony holdover, Salt, ranks in at number 19, being released almost 7 weeks ago. This $110 million action thriller staring Angelina Jolie has a total gross of $246.5 million worldwide.

Weekend Top 5:

The American ($19.5 million)
Machete ($14 million)
Takers ($39.9 million)
The Last Exorcism ($33.5 million)
Going The Distance ($8.6 million)

Sony Ericsson Xperia and Bike Have Sex

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 7, 2010 | 22 comments

During the IFA conference last week, in celebration of the launch of the new Xperia X10, Sony had a cool concept bike out. Ever wondered what a bike would look like if Sony Ericsson made one? Well wonder no more! There you have it. You can now finally sleep at night, not having to wonder about the possibility and outcome.

[Pic Via Engadget]

Playstation 3.42 Update Out. Small but Deadly!

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 7, 2010 | 2 comments

Just to let you know, in case you are ready to game it up online, that you should head to your PS3 a few minutes early. Sony has announced a new update, allbeit a very small one that shouldnt take more a few minutes of your time. This update is described as:

A minor update to your PS3 system is now available via system software update v3.42 that includes additional security features.

Many in the community of course think that there is a little more to this update. No, we’re not talking about early 3D support, but now famous jail-breaking method of the PS3. If so, this probably closes that hole now. What I’m personally curious about is that even though I’m a Playstation Plus member, my PS3 did not auto update this. I’m thinking that this may be due to the fact that I did the update an hour after it was announced while the PS3 may check for updates at a particular time.

PS3 To Gain 3D Blu-ray Playback in October

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 7, 2010 | 50 comments

Although the Playstation has been capable of playing 3D games for a few months now, including Wipeout HD and Motorstorm 3D Rift which are both downloadable currently on PSN, Sony has yet to give its machine a firmware update to play 3D movies. All of this will change in October when Sony releases the needed firmware to give the PS3 3D movie playback via Blu-ray. In the meantime, Sony has released some 3D movies like Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and Monster House. Expect the floodgates to open during this Holiday season with titles like Michael Jackson: This is It, Alice in Wonderland and of course Avatar. Till then, Sony is giving you the chance to experience 3D in other ways too.

White Dualshock 3 Available for Pre-order. White PS3 Slim Coming Next?

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 6, 2010 | 11 comments

When it comes to Playstation, and let’s be honest, most other electronics that Sony makes, Japan tends to get things first or get them entirely and leave us dry. This has always been especially true with the Playstation brand as they get limited edition colors and designs. The white Playstation 3 is no different and is something American fans have been wanting for a long time. Well, if this Amazon pre-order is any indiction, it will be coming soon.

Currently, you can pre-order the white dualshock 3 for an October 15th release and while this by itself doesn’t lend itself to a “white PS3 coming to the States”, I also wouldn’t be surprised if we got news from Sony in the following week that it indeed will be coming.

Click to pre-order from Amazon:

DualShock 3 Controller 3 – Classic White

Contest: God of War: Ghost of Sparta Demo

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 3, 2010 | 9 comments

As you know, we recently attended the Playstation God of War gathering in LA where for the first time, all five God of War directors sat down together and discussed the game, industry and answered fan questions. Those in attendance were some of the biggest God of War fans but we bet there is more. Our beautiful friend Raychul Moore from Raychul.com has easily proven why she is a badass chick and a ultimate God of War fan. Do you think you are too? If so, go ahead and Email Us with the subject “GoW Contest” and send us a picture, showing us why you are the Ultimate God of War fan. The lucky winner will get an exclusive early access to the God of War: Ghost of Sparta demo for the PSP and PSPgo. We will announce the winner this Tuesday.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro Review

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 3, 2010 | 10 comments

Hot on the heals of their Xperia X10 launch, Sony is following up with a newer and different take on the Smartphone, the Xperia X10 Mini Pro. Woo, mouth full. Why not X10 Mini? Because that’s not how Sony does, they prefer extremely long and unconsumer friendly names. But that is for a different topic. With the new X10 Mini Pro, Sony is looking to target a different segment of the market. Those who want more then a phone that just makes phones calls, yet they don’t need everything an iPhone might have to offer. Now if you are reading this blog, chances are that you might not be one of those people but if you look around, there is plenty of people I’m sure that can come to mind. It seems that the guys over and Engadget agree as well.

Despite the relatively slow 600Mhz processor, the phone is actually very speedy. Running apps such as Tweetcaster and NewsRob are much faster than devices such as theGalaxy S that runs a processor nearly twice as fast.

It seems like Sony was able to take the best feature of a regular phone, add some Android to the mix and create a very functional and affordable phone for those who just don’t need a fully fledged Smartphone. Hit up Endgadget for the full review.

[Via Engadget]

Kevin Butlers Epic Playstation Move-Tage

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 2, 2010 | 1 comment

There really isn’t much to say here except to feast your eyes on the Butler and his ‘Epicness.’

God of War Meet up in Los Angeles

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 1, 2010 | 13 comments

Well I’ve finally made my way down to Los Angeles, or more so, North Hollywood and have landed at the Playstation Event, God of War. Today, Sony is going to be celebrating the up coming launch of the new God of War game for the PSP, as well as interviews and panels with the likes of David Jaffe and others. Keep an eye on this post as I continue to update it though out the day. At the moment, the event is still a few hours away and I’m sitting at the near by Starbucks, listening to gamers chat away. It’s fun.

So the following is my gear for the day:
Sony Cybershot HX5 for pictures.
Flip HD for any interviews that need be done.
iPad 3G so I can actually update this post with and of course, my trusty iPhone 4 which took this picture.

Just for anybody who is planning on coming to the event, there is parking right across the street for free, called retail parking. You can’t hang around the building till around 3 so plenty to do in the meantime with small cafe and Starbucks around.

Here is my pass. Don’t I look pretty?

And now the line waiting has begun. Lots of hilarious “gamer” conversations around.

Just did a fun interview with Playstations own Audry Cleo. She was a blast.

Still waiting to get in, although were at the door. Half seem to be in and the other half outside. Thanks LA for choosing to be hot today!

4:15

And we have finally been seated.

4:21
Aawww. Bummer. No photos or video allowed during it.

8:58
Alright. The event is now done with. Lots of goodies to write about.

Final Fantasy 14 System Requirements = Go Buy For PS3

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 1, 2010 | 11 comments

Have you seen the minimum system requirements for Final Fantasy 14 for the PC? Cause yea, the following is dead minimum for the game to install, not even whats recommended for it to run smoothly. Even then, if you meet the minium requirements, compatibility issues with certain hardware, software, and driver combinations may prevent the game from running acceptably. So the question that needs to be asked is, should I invest all that money to make my PC run this game or should I just buy a PS3 (if you don’t already own one, if you do, then the question is which system to buy it for).

Having been a player of all Final Fantasy games, including Final Fantasy XI which I’m currently still playing on my PC (although I used to play it on my PS2), I would highly recommend leaning towards the PS3 version. Think of it like this, there is no system incompatibility to worry about or lack of system power. You will be running the game, exactly as its intended too, without the headaches of the above paragraph. Also, remember that any Bluetooth/USB Keyboard, Mouse and headset work with the PS3 so you are not going to lack anything that your PC counterpart might have. In fact, you are at the advantage because next time you are running a quest and you won’t the teams only WHM and get booted because your damn Antivirus popped up.

Rumor: Sony To Launch Music Service During Apple Event Today

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 1, 2010 | 2 comments

The Financial Times has an interesting tidbit. They believe and touch upon what we had talked about a year ago, that Sony will be finally launching a rival music service to iTunes. Of course the timing is interesting as today, Apple will be taking the stage to announce what many believe will be new iPods, a new AppleTV and potentially an expansion to iTunes.

Sources in the media industry told the Financial Times that Sony would use its PlayStation games consoles as the starting point for a new service that users will be able to use across a range of other internet-connected devices. That could include Walkman music players, Vaio computers, Bravia TVs, Blu-ray players and Sony Ericsson mobile phones.

Of course, we won’t have to wait long to find out if this is true or not.

[Via Financial Times]

Xbox Final Fantasy 13 Commercial gets pulled for using PS3 FF13 Footage

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 31, 2010 | 2 comments

It’s no secret the Final Fantasy 13 was of superior design on the Playstation 3, compared to its Xbox 360 brother that was later ported. Not only did xbox owners have to put up with multiple discs and longer loads times, but being that the Playstation 3 was the lead platform and the game was optimized for it, the Xbox 360 version also had inferior graphics as well. Of course, the Advertising Agency behind the Xbox 360 campaign for Final Fantasy 13 seemed to know this as well and so they decided to use footage from the Playstation 3 version instead. Of course, being the internet and DVR age that we live in today, it didn’t take long for viewers to notice that there was something wrong and reported it to the Advertising Standard Agency.

The ASA commented that “we noted that there was a discernible difference in the picture quality of the two—the PS3 image in video sequences appeared sharper and colors were more vivid than those of the Xxbox 360.”

Sony Takes a Shot at Samsung, Tells You Why Their 3D TV is Better

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 30, 2010 | 6 comments

Sony products tend to be more expensive then their counterpart, Samsung and many assume it’s because it’s Sony. Think of it like a Sony tax. However, that usually tends to not be the case and because of actually superior parts and technology that get missed in the blog world and don’t think for a second the 17 year old kid at Best Buy is going to tell you. In this new ad, Sony tells you why you should stick with their 3D TV and it makes great sense.

Sonys new DR-GA500 Headset gives you 7.1 Surround

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 27, 2010 | 6 comments

Sony is unleashing their new DR-GA500 headset for the gaming world. Sporting a mic and Dolby Pro Logic IIx built in audio, this new headset is designed to stimulate 7.1 surround sound while keeping you comfortable and stylish. Of course, part of this is because of the external drives the come with the unit to make sure all the audio processing is done correctly and also reducing the weight of the unit. Hit the jump for a look at the box and official press release. So if your girlfriend or mother has ever yelled at you for playing too loud or you just want some quality sound, Sony has the cure for your itch.

Sony To Bring Six New 3D DVRs

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 26, 2010 | 20 comments

Can’t say I saw this coming but Sony has announced 6 new DVRs for that will launch on September 25th in Japan and the rest of the world on October 22nd. Having last seen a true DVR for Sony years ago, this new series from has the latest technology you can think of. Five out of the six units will come with a dual tuner (meaning you can record two shows at once) and the hard drive sizes range from a 320GB to a 2TB unit. But in case you still need room to record or would like to burn your content for viewing later, all of these units can read/write to a BDXL drive. A Blu-ray Extra Large is a new size blu-ray disc that can store 100GB on each disc, verse the traditional 25GB and 50GB blu-ray disc. As we states in the head line as well, these units will indeed be able to record and transmit back 3D via the hard drive or blu-ray disc. Oh and to top it all off, these units will be able to boot from sleep mode to fully operational in .5 seconds.

Hit the jump for a list of model numbers with hard drive sizes and some additional pictures:

[Via Sony Japan]