Sony Corp.

WTF: Why Do Digital Copies Expire?

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 29, 2010 | 23 comments

So you might have seen the post about my PSPgo experience. Well during that time, the movie we wanted to watch on Blu-ray was The International, from Columbia (aka Sony) Pictures. To my surprise, when I opened the box, there was a digital copy of this movie as well. I have actually owned this movie for a very long time, but this was the first time I had opened it. I always like to have digital copies because I can load up my PSP, iPhone or iPad with some legal movies and take them around. So it came as a bit of a surprise when I typed in the code into iTunes and discovered that my code had expired. I checked the date inside of the movie and it states, 6-2-2010. Of course I would just miss it by a month when its been siting on my shelf for over a year.

Now sadly, this is not the first time this has happened. Warner Brothers’ “The Matrix” comes with a digital copy which also expired on me, meaning this is not a Sony issue. But seriously, wtf? Isn’t the point of a digital copy to detour illegal downloads and give the consumer another reason to buy the Blu-ray? From another perspective, that also means that I paid for that digital copy right? Thats part of the premium price of a Blu-ray. So are they now taking away a feature that I have paid for? Plus, if this copy was sitting on a shelf for a long time, then the consumer finally gets a chance to watch it a year or more later, they are screwed out of a feature they thought they were getting.

Sony Does Well At Box Office (Grown Ups + Karate Kid)

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 29, 2010 | 20 comments

Three weeks ago, when “The Karate Kid” opened, we reported the fantastic box office result of the movie, opening with $55 million, well above the other big releases. 3 weeks later, Sony has followed up with a new comedy, starring Adam Sandler. Though not able to top “Toy Story” at its second week, “Grown Ups” pulled in $40.5 million, making it the #1 comedy in the US and 2nd ranking behind Toy Story 3. The Karate Kid on its 4th weekend held 4th place with a decent $15.5 million, putting its total gross so far at $135.7 Million. Not bad for young star Jaden Smith.

Weekend Box Office Ranking:
1. Toy Story 3: $59.3 million ($226.8 million)
2. Grown Ups: $40.5 million
3. Knight & Day: $20.1 million
4. The Karate Kid $15.4 million ($135.7 million)
5. The A-Team $6.2 million ($63 million)

DC Brings Its Comics To PSP

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 29, 2010 | 4 comments

DC is throwing its support behind the PSP and will now be offering its comics in the Playstation Comic Store, joining the likes of Sony Comics, Marvel and others. DC will be starting off with 80 titles; there will be more coming in the future. DC Comics co-publisher Jim Lee went on to announce that there will be: “actually a fairly wide and diverse offering of kids comics like Tiny Titans, DC core titles such as Batman: Hush and critically acclaimed classics like Neil Gaiman’s Sandman”.

Lee also confirmed that the prices of the comics will range from $1 to $3. For those who want to try out this service, there will be several free issues and samples, including a 10-page preview of “Superman No. 700,” stories from “Batman: Black and White” and the first installments of “Bayou,” “Fringe,” “Mirror’s Edge,” and “Resistance.”

Some other launch titles include:

“Batman: Hush,” “Green Lantern: Rebirth,” “Fables: Legends in Exile” and “Planetary: All Over the World,” “Other Stories,” “Superman/Batman,” “Resistance,” “Free Realms” and “God of War.”

Sony Vaio Z And Y Series Gain MiFis

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 28, 2010 | 4 comments

More Vaio news for everybody. First, we talked about the AMD comeback and how Sony quietly updated the Vaio Z series with a more powerful processor. Well the updates continue to come with the Vaio Z and Y series gaining the MiFi functionality at no added hardware cost. What Sony calls Share My Connection (SMC) turns your notebook into a MiFi for up to five devices. This is really perfect for those who travel for business or family as your laptop is now a portable router. As we also noted, there is no cost to you, the user, as it will be built into the series. The service itself is offered from Verizon which will have a fee.

Hit the jump as always for the full press release.

Sony Releases Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs On Blu-ray 3D

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 26, 2010 | 7 comments

I would love to give my own view and review on “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” but I do not have a 3D TV yet. One day, that LX900 will be mine, but until then I don’t have the $5,00o to spend and I won’t get anything but that TV. But the guys over at Blu-ray.com have had a chance to review “Cloudy” and it is guaranteed to sell to pretty much anyone who has bought a 3D Blu-ray system over the past few months as well as to those who are only now jumping into the fray with Sony’s own line of Bravia 3D HDTVs. So go ahead and hit them up for a full review on this awesome 3D movie.

Sony Brings New Comedy “Grown Ups” To Theaters

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 25, 2010 | 6 comments

Let’s say you’ve had enough of ass kicking and 3D, but you also don’t want to see anything animated. Then Sony would like to invite you this weekend to see their newest comedy, “Grown Ups.” Starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Schneider, it is a comedy about five childhood friends who reunite years later to honor the passing of their childhood basketball coach. With their wives and kids, they spend the Fourth of July holiday weekend together at the lake house where they celebrated their championship years earlier. For me, Sony and Adam Sandler always produce gold with my favorite from the duo being “Click.” Other hits from them include “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan,” “Anger Management” and the classic “Big Daddy” (among many others).

Playstation Plus Content Revealed For Month 1 & 2

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 25, 2010 | 3 comments

If you’re wondering what the Playstation Plus is all about, we gave you a nice breakdown feature by feature to let you know what you have to gain from this new service from Sony. Now, here are all the goodies you will be getting:

Month 1: June 29th – August 3rd

Intro offer: Qore (LittleBigPlanet for Europe)
PSN PS3: Wipeout HD
minis: Field Runners, Age of Zombies
PSone: Destruction Derby
Full Game Trial: Shatter, Savage Moon
Discounts: LBP God of War Pack – 50%, LBP: LocoRoco costume pack – 50%, Gravity Crash – 20%, Fat Princess DLC – 20%
Premium Game Element: KillZone 2: Steel & Titanium DLC
Push demo: ModNation Racers, Heavy Rain
Themes: LBP Theme, SCEE produced: PlayStation “Game Is Just The Start” Dynamic Theme
2 x Fat Princess Premium Avatars

Month 2: August 4th – September 1st

PSN PS3: Zen Pinball
minis: Blast-Off, Alien Zombie Death
PSone: Medievil
Full Game Trial: Inferno Pool, Mushroom Wars
Discounts: Zen Pinball Earth Defence Table – 20%, Warhawk Triple Combo Pack – 50%, Super Stardust HD – 20%, WipeOutHD Fury – 20%
Premium Game Elements: Motorstorm Pacific Rift: Adrenaline Pack
Push Demo: Flower, Pixel Junk Shooter
Themes: “SCEE produced: PlayStation + Dynamic Theme (in production), Heavy Rain Crime Scene Theme
2 x Heavy Rain Avatars (Bird and Butterfly)

Sony Confirms Karate Kid Sequel

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 25, 2010 | 27 comments

After we reported the amazing box office performance of the Karate Kid, one would only assume that Sony would love to follow up the movie with a sequel. Now, we have word from Sony that they indeed do have a sequel in development and are currently in the process of pitching ideas back and forth to hit the new tone they seek. That’s because the current movie follows the formula of the original very closely, but director Harold Zwart went on to say:

I personally think it’s now so much on its own two feet, given the success, that it would be interesting to see where we could take it without ever thinking about the old ones.

When asked if they might follow the story of the originals again:

Every now and then we discussed it…But the truth is, when you see Jackie and Jaden, they’re like a really good film couple. On and off camera, I was watching how they were pulling practical jokes on each other and throwing rocks in the lake, and you just want to keep looking at them because they have a great dynamic and great humor. We have just been playing with a few different ideas, but we haven’t landed on anything at the moment.

I have to say that I’m a little behind on watching movies. Recently, I’ve only been able to see “The A-Team” (loved it) and I have seen “Prince of Persia” twice now. I am hoping to catch Toy Story 3 very soon, followed by “Knight and Day” (super excited about this). But I promise to sneak in “Karate Kid” sometime! And yes, I’m a huge movie buff.

Sony World Cup Rating Article Accidentally Released

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 24, 2010 | 1 comment

Hey everybody, I’m not sure how that post got published as it wasnt done yet. I’ll be working on it and should have it up by tomorrow, so sorry about that half-written post as it should’t have been released.

We Sent Our Resident Gamer Girl To E3

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 24, 2010 | 6 comments

One of the things I really believe in is the culture of gaming. Some write it off as “oh you’re going to play Nintendo” and others think of gaming as what is causing violence in schools. I see gaming as a beautiful culture where friends compete with each other, and artists get together to design every sound that comes from your speaker and compose Hollywood blockbuster-like stories. To me, gaming is beyond an art that is ever-expanding. Part of this expansion is indeed from the female population. Again, many either write them off or just simply assume they are playing “Guitar Hero” (nothing wrong with that). But there is so much more to them. Again, many think of girl gamers and booth babes come to mind, but there is more to girl gamers than just sexy outfits (but I won’t complain about that either). This site alone can really show you the diversity of these girls. Just the other day, I was sitting down with our very own editor Allegra Wilson and we were playing “LittleBigPlanet” and then did some racing in “Gran Turismo 5 Prologue.” Our own writer Jenni “Domino” Petot will school you in “Modern Warfare 2” and you wouldn’t think there is a girl on the other end.

With this, I was excited that Domino got a chance to head to E3 this year. Look for her reports soon as she covers E3 from her own perspective.

Playstation Plus: Full Details

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 24, 2010 | 11 comments

I’ll be giving my thoughts on PSN Plus later on, but I can tell you that indeed I will be getting this new service from Sony when it launches in the US and Europe on June 29th. Because the internet seems to go nuts and lose sight of what’s really going on, I will have to point out that all the remaining services you enjoy on your Playstation 3 and PSP will continue to be free. So online gaming, access to the Playstation Store, firmware updates etc. will all continue to be free. So what does Playstation Plus give you? Lots of content. Lots and lots of content. So what are these?

Games
Discounts
Exclusive items on PlayStation Store
Full Game Trial
Automatic Downloads

Hit the jump for full details and breakdown of every feature.

Sony Designs New Surround Sound Bar Around PS3

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 24, 2010 | 8 comments

Available this fall for $199, the Sony CECH-ZVS1 is a new Surround Sound Bar with a built in subwoofer , designed “to enjoy immersive audio on the PlayStation®3 system, including upcoming games supporting PlayStation®Move motion controllers, Blu-ray movies, as well as stereoscopic 3D content”. The idea is to give anybody, while also targeting PS3 owners, the capability to enjoy better sound while watching movies and playing games with a stylish and simple setup. For the price, this is especially of great appeal to the younger generation (again, those who own a PS3 and their own place and setup) but don’t have the room or money for a full blown surround sound setup. I have to say, I’m looking to get a Sony 52″ EX700 for my bedroom and this might not be a bad solution, pending the quality of the sound vs the EX700 speakers. Can’t wait until fall to find out.

Hit the jump for the official press release.

Sony Gives Core i7 processor And 1920 x 1080 display To Vaio Z

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 23, 2010 | 5 comments

Sorry worldwide Vaio fans, the following is just for the United States. Sony has updated its extremely thin and powerful Vaio Z series with the option of a Core i7 processor and a 1920 x 1080 display screen. For those who have been waiting for a refresh this is the time and Sony will give you the option to get the new screen as a free upgrade until July 3rd.

[Via Sony]

PSN: Warhawk Expansion "Fallen Star" For $1.99

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 22, 2010 | 0 comments

If you have never played Warhawk on the Playstation 3, you have been missing out on a gem of a game. I cannot express how much fun this game is and how much it has grown from its start. It is now boasting the mighty Warhawks, Tanks, Jeeps, Dropships, APC Units, Jetpacks and more. Best of all, all these units can run around the same time in a lag free multiplayer that still to me stands as the best.

In honor of the 4th of July, Sony will be having a tournament from July 1st till July 5th and for those who want to practice a little bit or just dont have the latest expansion, Sony is dropping the price for the Fallen Star Expansion to $1.99 starting today. Thats 75% off! If you’re game, let me know. PSN: Fusion_Id.

[Via Playstation Blog]

Sony Brings Back AMD Processors In Vaio, More Affordable Than Ever

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 22, 2010 | 4 comments

If you have been a AMD fan, it’s been a rough ride the last few years. During the Pentium 3 and Pentium 4 era, AMD units ran cooler, faster and were first to the 64bit race. What slowly began as a transformation of hard core gamers building their new rigs with AMD units slowly began to seep into the consumer area as well. Once Intel exclusive, Dell, HP and Sony began to slowly offer AMD as well, not because it ran better but because they were also cheaper; a win win for a company. Fast forward to today and its been 5 years since Sony has used any AMD in its Vaio units and the same can go for the other big manufactures, especially when it came to the laptop arena. Once Intel had introduced its Core Duo and Core 2 Duo, AMD had nothing to offer to counter it and soon Apple came on board with Intel and AMD seemed dead in the water.

In the last year, AMD has been working on a comeback in the laptop sector as many consider desktops a dying beast. With the likes of HP, Dell, Toshiba and Lenovo bringing back AMD processors, AMD was able to woo back in Sony as well with two new models:

The Sony Vaio EE for $650:

15.4-inch
AMD AthlonII X2 Processor 2.1GHz
4GB RAM
320GB Hard Drive
Blu-ray Player (You see that, Apple?)
Built-in wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n)
4 high-speed USB 2.0 ports

The Sony Vaio EF for $750:

17.3-inch
AMD Athlon II X2 P320, 2.10GHz
4GB RAM
500GB Hard Drive
Blu-ray player
Built-in wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n)
4 high-speed USB 2.0 ports

So there you have it, folks. If you’re looking for a nicely sized laptop with plenty of storage and a Blu-ray drive, these units seem to fit the bill just right.