Sony Corp.

PSP Also Has 10 Year Life Cycle

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 27, 2008 | 17 comments

With the PSone, Sony did something no other console maker had done, keep it relevant and supported for 10 years. Many said it was because the PSone was their first console and so Sony followed up with a 10 year life cycle plan for the PS2 (and they near that). Sony has also planned this strategy for the PS3 but many have been unsure of Sony has in store the PSP. Now news comes from Sony in regards to the PSP, “[does] not have a planned obsolescence strategy.”

The 10 year life cycle plan that Sony has been developing for its consoles means that first, their products are not an after thought and are part of a longer term strategy. This on its own is great for Sony because it means that its not just another product and that it has room for growth both from within and from competition. But also this is a win for the consumer. Nothing is worse then buying shiny new gadget, just to see in 3 years a new version come out, leaving you without any new features and many times, leaving you with a dead format as developers move on. By offering room and power to grow and adapt, we have seen the PSP in its 4 year span improve and gain grounds on its much cheaper competitors via software update and new revision, while keeping all the core functionality the same so those with a 4 year old PSP can enjoy the same content as those with a brand new PSP.

Alpha Little Big Planet

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 21, 2008 | 32 comments

It seems like this is the year of Beta’s for the PS3 as Home is getting ready for public Beta, MGS4 is to also offer one and even this little game called KillZone 2 is rumored to be offering it. Having said that, lets not forget about Little Big Planet as it gets ready for its eventual launch. The best way to make sure you have your kinks worked out? Offering a Beta of course. Only obstacles left? Getting to the Alpha first as the Media Molecule team explains:

Basically this means all the cool stuff we said will be in there should be playable, even if it isn’t pretty enough to release. The game seems to change every day at the moment and it is very exciting to be able to sit down and play what feels more and more like a complete experience.

And here we were ready for the game or a Beta.

[Media Molecule]

Sony Gives Europe Love, Introduces X4500 and W4500 Bravia

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 20, 2008 | 5 comments

Offering yet another selection option for Europe, the X4500 series comes in a 40,46 and 55 inch. Featuring the new “floating” design, designed to compliment the optional colored speakers very effectively and beautifully. Also as new options are the locally dimming LED backlight, DLNA support and the mind blowing number of speakers offered (8 in the 55 inch version and 6 speakers in the smaller versions). Sony is also introducing a “IB Reduction”, combined with the interlaced backlight dimming that is designed to reduce motion blur without giving off a flicker as some LCD can. The lower end W4500 comes in a respected 40, 46 and 52 inch sizes while also offering DLNA and IR Reduction but no LED Backlight and no word yet on local dimming.

[Via Broadcast Newsroom]

Microsoft Adds Native Blu-ray Support To Windows

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 19, 2008 | 22 comments

Dubbed “Windows Feature Pack for Storage”, Microsoft under closed doors has long been beta testing Blu-ray optical burning support for Windows. Now under the Microsoft Connect Website, this feature is promised for Windows XP, Vista and also Server 2003 and 2008. Currently no date is set for this free upgrade.

Although this isn’t directly a Sony news, Blu-ray is none the less a format created by Sony. Now many might also recall Microsoft being a key supporter of the now dead HD DVD and the bitter battle between the PlayStation 3 and X-Box 360. This has led many fans to think that Sony should not allow MS (as they very well can) to not support Blu-ray and offer it exclusively (Maybe on the Vaio lineup) and short term, this might sound like a good thing but many don’t understand what Blu-ray is meant to be. Sure PS3 boasting a Blu-ray player as an exclusive native feature is a big plus for the console wars but Blu-ray is beyond a console war. Blu-ray is meant to be the next generation format, replacing DVD. If Sony were to get into exclusiveness and slow down the adoption of Blu-ray, it would only hurt itself (as Sony makes licensing fees) and hinder the adoption rate of Blu-ray. If anything, the opposite needs to happen. The sooner Blu-ray appears in all retailers and products, the better this is for both Sony and Blu-ray as a next format.

[Via MS Connect]

Got $600? The new Sony STR-DG920 has a solution

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 7, 2008 | 5 comments

Sony has a new series of receivers that its launching this year and one of them is the new STR-DG920. At first glance, it might appear like the previous Sony receivers, but this guy boasts alot of bag for the buck.

7.1 channel support
110 Watts Per Channel
1080p + 60/24Hz
Four HDMI ports
Dolby Digital Plus
Dolby True HD
DTS High Resolution Audio
DTS HD Master Audio
xvyCC
Deep Color Sony’s Digital Media Port
(networking and connectivity with iPods and other stuff)
XM Connect-and-Play ready (5.1)

No Musical Limitations On PS3

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 6, 2008 | 75 comments

When it comes to music, I prefer nothing over a good musical score. Whether its the trumpets that kicking while Spider-man is swinging through the city or soft Piano as Yuna is dancing over a lake or the awesome orchestra that comes with Sephiroth appearing on the screen. Music has a powerful way of impacting us. We don’t have to see anything on screen but when we hear the Jaws theme, we know there is trouble or when we hear the 007 snip, we already have a clue as what’s to come. Plus, music can heighten the emotion and our senses, gives us clues and help shift our emotion. There is not a better example then the eerie settings of Silent Hill that do such an amazing job of playing with the audience and giving false implications of what’s to come while scaring the big jesus out of you. But when it comes to movies, there has never really been limitations. The composer and the sound mixer were able to create the mix they wish and deliver it to their audience.

This wasn’t always the case for the gaming community, dating back to the Atari that just hand Zap Zap noises. Sure we can fast forward the PS2 and say we had Dolby Digital but there was still limitations on what the hardware could provide and so music in many cases never reached its true potential. Square-Enix’s Yoko Shimomura who is responsible for the music of Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy XIII thinks all of that is changing with the PlayStation 3.

“With the PlayStation 2, sound production was mainly based on the internal sound chip, not streaming, so it was a constant battle with memory and limitations,” she said. “With the PlayStation 3, I’m expecting to have it sound the way I please, without limitations.”

Shimomura later on went to say “the sound quality of current generation game hardware is pretty advanced, so it’s ideal if we can utilize streaming.” Fans of the PS3 have already been treated to some amazing music already from Uncharted and Heavenly Sword (although I dearly wish for a soundtrack from Heavenly Sword) and even award winning from Lair. But it seems things are only going to get better as Harry Gregson-Williams treats us to yet another Metal Gear score and Square-Enix never seems to fail with a Final Fantasy score, although we do miss Nobuo Uematsu.

Zone of Enders 3 for the PS3

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 4, 2008 | 5 comments

MGS2 was suppose to be the last Metal Gear Solid game but thank the lords of Kobal (eh eh, any BSG fans?) we got Snake Eater and now, were getting the game the world is going gaga for, MGS4. But Kojima-Son is vowing that this indeed is the end of Snakes adventures.

But now that the the Kojima Productions team is free and Konami can now invest its resources else where, rumors are starting to be heard about another possible ZOE game. For those with the need of a recap, ZOE, followed by ZOE: The 2nd Runner, a crtically accalimed game for its fantastic story and fast pasesed action. Kojima recently talked to ign:

“Finally, it’s the end of Snake, so I’d really want to start something really fresh and new when I create the game for the next one. However, maybe the sequel to ZOE, or a remake of Snatcher, for instance, if I just participate as a producer, yeah, that could be possible.”

Now this could mean that there could indeed be a new ZOE game or a remake of ZOE2. We are open to either and would actually prefer both. (Loved ZOE and ive yet to be able to get my hand on ZOE2)

Sony To Followup LCD with FED

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 19, 2008 | 17 comments

Its no secret that Sony is forefront of the next generation of TV’s that are here to replace both Plasma and the LCD and who better to lead that then the king of TV’s; Sony. With that being said, Sony isnt putting all their eggs in the OLED basket and as amazing as these TV’s are, they still have a long way to go in becoming more stable (being able to produce sizes higher then 11″ and 27″) and being afforadble (current 11″ costs a nice $2,500). With that, comes a new generation of TV’s called, FED (Field Emission Display).

FED is built on the same concept of the tube television, but its extremely super thin (think LCD) but it has all the qualities to be next gen, like deep blacks and zero motion blur. Another benefit of this new standard is that their extremely easy to build in larger sizes, especially compared to the OLED according to Nikkei.

With that in mind, it seems that Sony is eager to begin production as soon as Holiday 2009 by taking over a plant ran by Pioneer. But like any new technology comes the adaptation rate and mass production capabilities and so Sony is first going to push these displays to broadcasting and medical agencies first, building them up slowly, rather then releasing them in mass sizes and attempting to take them head to head with the current standard of LCD’s.

Warner Brothers To Cut Blu-ray Prices

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 17, 2008 | 1 comment

Although this isnt a direct Sony news, it does impact Sony who is the God Father of Blu-ray. Warner Brothers has recently announced that they are cutting the prices of their Blu-ray movies, starting this September. Some are to be even as low as $11 (although its safe to assume thats not going to be new releases). Although no official list was given, so far The Shining, The Aviator, 300, and I Am Legend were currently mentioned to kick things off with.

The sooner Blu-ray prices fall (although players I believe are a larger barrier then the media itself), the sooner people will begin a mass adaptation of Blu-ray and this not only effects Sony from a manufacture standpoint (and im sure Sony makes spiffs on this stuff) but Sony Pictures profits from this as well the PlayStation 3, being the only console with native Blu-ray support.

[Vis CrunchGear]

The PSN Video Rental/Purchase Service Is Live

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 15, 2008 | 17 comments

As promised during todays E3 Press Confrence, the PlayStation Network has indeed been updated with movies, tv shows, rentals and purchases. Best of all, all these content are transferable to your PSP via USB Cable. Currently Sony Pictures, Warner, Fox, Lion’s Gate, Disney, MGM and Paramount. Leaving only Universal Studios to drag their feet (but they seem to be late comers as they were the only supporters of HD DVD and looked what happened there) so it seems like fresh of its Blu-ray victory, Sony and the gang are here to back up the PlayStation Network service.

My impressions so far is just wow. The sheer content available on launch date is fantastic and this ranges from TV shows to old cataloge movies. But most surprising is the fact that there is already 53 movies available in HD. Not bad at all (although the one information I cannot find yet is if the HD content is 720p, 1080i or 1080p)

As it stands, the store has a few nice catigory selections to help you find the content your looking for easily with New Arrivals, Movies, Television and Anime to name a few (and yes, there is even an Anime Section!) For example, under Television Shows, you can either find your show via the Network it airs under (and all Networks have their own page) or you can browse with Titles. So if you just know you like Prison Break, go ahead and glance under P while somebody else might just be curious as to what Discovery has and can select the given channel to find their content. My one beef currently and although everybody else does the same (like iTunes and the AppleTV) is the fact that TV shows cannot be rented. So as it stands, shows are $1.99 and only offered in SD (another bummer but again, iTunes seems to be the same way). Also, there dosent seem to be a simple Purchase Season button. Im currently hot off the heals of finishing “Prison Break Season 1” on Blu-ray and I wanted to purchase all of Season 2 on the PSN, but I must instead go through episode by Episode. This of course in the grand scheme of things should be a simple fix. Another odd issue is the placement of content. For example, if you go under new releases, there is Season 5 of 24. But if you go under Fox and selection 24, you are only offered Season 1 and 2. Again, small little glitches that dont take away from the experience in any shape or form. Mostly for it being live for only an hour so far.

The Movies section also gives you the same option, but also breaks it down via Rental or Purchase. With that in mind, if you selection a title that has all the given options (Rental SD, Rental HD and Purchase) you do not need to exit out to find its other options as once you have clicked on it, it will display it all for you.

More Impressions to come but first, a Dominoes Run

Greatest Hits Games For The PS3. Priced At $30

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 15, 2008 | 5 comments

Sony was the first company to introduce the now industry standard “Greatest Hits”. Although speculation began to rumble a while back about the inevetible Greatest Hits coming to the PS3, its now official and priced for $30. Sony is looking to kick off the new deals with:

Resistance: Fall of Man

Motorstorm

Warhawk

Call of Duty 3

Fight Night

Need For Speed: Carbon

New 80GB PS3 for $399

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 15, 2008 | 32 comments

At Sony’s E3 press conference today, aimed at the gaming market for those who dont follow, Jack Tretton showcased a brand new PS3 package. Dubbed as “The Core”, the $399 PS3 boasts all the same features of the current 40GB PS3 with one difference, having an 80GB hard drive instead. Available during September, this seems to bring Sony back towards their PS2 and PSone strategy of offering a single sku (Bundles of course are a different story). With this follows speculation of will there ever be a higher end model that offers bigger hard drive, more USB ports with a Multi-Media Card Reader and of course, PS2 backwards compatibility, or is the only way to live the PS2 era will be through an unannounced PSN downloadable service.

Mr. Tretton finished with “This new 80 GB PS3 is perfectly suited for HD games, music, movies and more.”

As always, hit the MagicGate for the full press release.

MagicGate!

BioShock PS3 Details = Legit Rumors

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 5, 2008 | 2 comments

By now, we all know that Bioshock is coming to the PS3 later this year but besides the fact that PlayStation users will be getting “exclusive content”, we had never actually known what it was going to be. PlayStation Lifestyle claims that they indeed have the scoop on this so take this all with a grain of salt but their also a trusted source so we wouldn’t be surprised if it all turned to be true and not a fanboys dream. So with that being said, its looks like the PS3 version will get a new opening video that’s showcases to the users what Rapture was like before and that should give you 6 minutes worth of eye candy. Also is the “Zoo Level” that never made it to the 360 version due to the time constraint and resources. Trophies and Sixaxis Motion Control is to also be included and it’s even thought that better visuals will trickle down with less texture pop-ups and lower loading times.

Now if all this didn’t satisfy your thirst, let this be a Shock to you (couldn’t resist). But PS3 users are also said to be treated to free downloadable content. Now its been also confirmed that all the downloadable content that 360 users have to pay for (and they have to pay to go online…yesh) will also be included on the PS3 version. So if this is the same thing or more coming to the PS3 has yet to be clarified.

PSN Live

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 4, 2008 | 16 comments

By now, the all confirmed firmware 2.4 and i’m sure downloaded firmware is on every PS3 that’s connected to the web, but that dosen’t mean that Sony is looking to stop now. A “Senior” PS3 developer told VG247 that “there is Live-like stuff coming to PS3, yes. It’s going into titles in the works now”. Currently, a limited number of PS3 games support the new Trophy system, although older games are expected to be patched to also support the new system while future games are all expected to support this. With that have said, it seems like Sony has a lot more in mind for Trophies and possible Web/Home integration in the future. Look for a potential tease of the up coming features at E3? Till then, lets do what we PS3 owners always do after a new firmware, start bitching and moaning again about other things.

[Via VG247]

Sony Ericsson stumbles with profits. Hopes to break even in Q2

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 3, 2008 | 19 comments

It seems like the world wide recession isn’t holding back on Sony Ericsson as the cellphone giant struggles to make that division profitable. Last week, SE pointed out that “disappointing European sales of its mid- and high-end mobile phones”, putting to company to hopefully just break even for Q2 of 2008. Some analysts are suggesting that shipment delays and a dearth of low-end handsets also carry a share of the blame, although Sony is introducing some brand new low-end sets to hopefully pull in those, looking to spend less. On the flip side, as the high end, smartphone handsets get more popular, Sony has the highly anticipated and eagerly awaited Xperia X1 on the way. Hopefully some advertisement will help educate customers that there will be other phones besides the iPhone.