Sony Corp.

Sony Pledges BD-Live on All Releases

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 2, 2008 | 9 comments

Sony’s VP of New Business Development, Rick Marty, during the Home Media Expo pledged that Sony Pictures would include BD-Live (Blu-ray live) as a standard feature on all future Blu-ray releases. This all comes after some fantastic integration into Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and Men in Black.

Marty went on to say :

“We have seen a great response so far. Twenty percent of people who bought the titles are activating BD Live, and of that 20%, 75% went and downloaded something from the discs. There is an appetite for this.”

Marty finished off with;

“We are in the early days of BD Live, and this is just a taste of what the technology can do.”

Although Blu-ray might not be for all, it really allows those who are movie buffs to get more out of their movies with interactive content and downloadable content.

[Via Video Business]

Blu-ray Copies Coming To PSP Later This Year? (Portable Copy)

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 2, 2008 | 12 comments

So this is something that when it happens, all PS3/PSP owners who own Blu-rays will get the worlds biggest grin on their face and more so, helps expand the PS3 and PSP value and even more, further values the Blu-ray and gives PS3 and PSP users a reason to buy. Sony has stated that the technology is currently in development so its still up in the air firmware wise when we might be seeing this. But according to Sony Pictures, Portable Copy is coming “later this year”.

Two New VGX-TP1 media center PCs

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 2, 2008 | 3 comments

Sony is introducing two new VGX-TP1 media center PCs that pack a nice punch and would make a fantastic piece of hardware for those who want more out of their home media room. First comes the VGX-TP1D, a white, 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo T8100 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, GeForce 8400M GT graphics card, integrated WiFi, a dual-layer DVD writer and HDMI / VGA outs, priced at ¥150,000 ($1,392).

The higher end sister model (VGX-TP1DQ / B) steps it up with a black finish, a 500GB hard drive and a Blu-ray burner to boot. Both units also boast four USB 2.0 ports, 4-pin FireWire, a multicard reader, TV tuner and a wireless keyboard at ¥200,000 ($1,856). Currently only in Japan but expect them to hit your nearest Sony Style store soon.

PlayStation Firmware 2.4 is Live! Download Away (Update)

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 1, 2008 | 19 comments

Update: Took a max of 5 minutes to download and install and everything is working as expected. As previously stated, nobody has any Trophies. A side note, is it just me or does the PSN Store feel snappier too?

So its finally July 2nd and guess what, the firmware 2.4 is officially live so download away! For those not sure whats in store for them, the following is not rumors, but official:

* In Game XMB (Cross Media Bar) with all PS3 games.
* Trophies. The following games are confirmed to support the new Trophy system but its expected that all future games and prior games via patches will support this.
* BUZZ! Quiz TV
* LittleBigPlanet
* MotorStorm Pacific Rift
* NBA 09 – PS3
* PAIN
* PixelJunk Eden
* Resistance 2
* SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation
* Warhawk

The following can be accessed during XMB:
* Friend category
* View, send, receive messages
* Manage downloads
* Set the vibration feature of the controller
* Sign in to PlayStation Network
* Register friends
* Manage Bluetooth devices
* Terminate the game
* Music category
* Use the system BGM (play custom music in-game)
* Work the system BGM operation panel
* Settings category
* Assign controllers
* View profiles
* Game category
* Set audio devices
* Use the voice changer

Hancock In Theaters Starting Tonight

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 1, 2008 | 3 comments

Just a little reminder, the new Sony Pictures/ Will Smith blockbuster is out a night earlier for those looking to see it before others, starting on July 1st while the actual launch will be July 2nd, marking for a huge 4th of July weekend at the movies. Be sure to check out the one of a kind Superhero film. For those living in LA, join the midnight launch with SonyRumors at the Arclight Dome in Hollywood (at actually 11:10).

New Bluetooth Pieces From Sony Ericsson

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 1, 2008 | 6 comments

Newly introduced The HBH-PV715, HBH-PV720 and HBH-PV740 are the latest of Bluetooth pieces from Sony Ericsson. Boasting a variety of colors and patters and packing a mind blowing 10 hour of talk time with 700 hours in standby mode and even Automatic volume adjustment. Look for these fashionable units to hit in Q4.

Firmware 2.4 Rumors Overdrive

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 30, 2008 | 27 comments

So by now, we all know that firmware 2.4 is going to bring in game XMB (Cross Media Bar) and Trophies. What we dont know is the release date although E3 makes big sense. But of course as with any new firmware comes loads of rumors so here is a new list of supposid new features:

* Friend category
* View, send, receive messages
* Manage downloads
* Set the vibration feature of the controller
* Sign in to PlayStation Network
* Register friends
* Manage Bluetooth devices
* Terminate the game
* Music category
* Use the system BGM
* Work the system BGM operation panel
* Settings category
* Assign controllers
* View profiles
* Game category
* Set audio devices
* Use the voice changer

Also expected is time travel.

[Via Gizmodo]

Life with PlayStation

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 30, 2008 | 11 comments

Sony is soon introducing a new service to the PlayStation 3 called “Life with PlayStation” to give users real time weather and news. Using its web ready capabilities and powerful cell processor explained Kiz Hirai, the PS3 will display the globe with real time rendered weather satellite image showing cloud patterns, and it also supports geo-tagged photos and other content. The most amazing part about the given demo was the fact that all visuals were in real time. That means that the weather patterns seen at the time were exactly the same as say the Weather Channel but in 1080p! Kaz Hirai went on:

“For the primary version the application sticks to the present time but in the future we plan to build a system that can visually present stored photos and movies according to their recorded time and place, allowing users with their friends and family to enjoy the visuals in chronological order.”

The service is in many ways expected to be like Folding@Home, using the same engine but aiming to be more informative and visual. This is expected to be a free update and a nice feature to the ever growing PS3 platform. Although this in no way is a game changer, its nice to see the PS3 grow and the idea of just checking around the globe visually and seeing weather and news events is an interesting on its own.

Hit the MagicButton for some more pictures.

MagicGate!

Face Detection Comes to the HDR-CX12 AVCHD

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 26, 2008 | 90 comments

Ive long been a fan of the Sony camcorders, owning all be it a much older unit myself and am indeed looking for a new one (eh? what do you think Sony? Accidently shipping one to my house would be much appreciated) and of course, my recent purchase of the Sony T400 during my trip to Japan. Now one of the most impressive features about the T400 is the face detection, to the point that the unit will find faces on billboards and on TV. With such an advantagous feature, it looks like Sony is going for round two, introducing it into their camcorder lineup.

Meet the HDR-CX12 AVCHD. Boasting :

1,920 x 1,080 AVCHD (1080i) video from a 10 megapixel ClearVid 1/3.13-inch CMOS sensor,
BIONZ image processing,
image stabilized Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T 12 optical zoon lens,
a 2.7-inch LCD,
5.1 surround sound mic,
and Memory Stick PRO Duo (4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo (Mark2) in the box) storage (that’s nice of them, now if the PSP only did that…better yet, where is the built in Hard Drive!)

But like we said, what makes this unit even more impressive is the Smile Shutter technology, giving you the capability to even prioritize by children or adult. This should be a nice feature for those who just turn on their camcorder and begin to film, allowing the camera to use its image stabilize and now Smile Shutter to keep your subjects in focus. Look to find these guys hitting stores in August or online now for $900.

Hit the MagicGate for a video presentation.

MagicGate!

Europe Gives 1 Million Love to MGS4

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 25, 2008 | 35 comments

Who loves MGS4? I do. But I guess so does Japan and even the US. But better yet, it seems like the ever growing love for the PS3 in Europe is now shinning its lights on MGS4 with reports that they have already hit the 1 Million mark in just the first week. An impressive number, only better held by Grand Turismo 5: Prologue that had 1 million on just pre-order but that’s to be expected from the content that gives us BMW, Ferrari and Porsche to name a few. Martin Schneider, Sales and Marketing Director Germany for Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH, comments with SPOILER: (Minor but still, consider it)

Full Press release after the MagicGate. Keep in mind, SPOILER!

MagicGate!

Sony and Sir Howard Stringers #1 Priority is Gaming Profits

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 25, 2008 | 4 comments

During its annual shareholders meeting in Tokyo, Sir Howard Stringer (CEO of Sony) said that the number one priority across the entire Sony divisions is restoring profitability to its Gaming Division and boosting their TV business. The PlayStation has lost around $3.4 Billion over the last 2 years because of the high R&D cost of the PS3’s Cell and Blu-ray components. Hopefully, this means that Sony will continue to strive towards a more unified company, helping cross promote its products across its rich lineup.

Montevina Coming to Sony’s VAIO FW, Z, SR and BZ

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 25, 2008 | 1 comment

Laptoping is reporting that Sony is poised to be introduced the new Intel Montevina chipsets to its up coming FW that usually boasts a 16.4″ display and the smaller Z, SR and BZ lineup. Moving to this new chipset will help the units both run cooler (with a smaller processor chip) while having a better Cache speed, meaning faster units. Faster and cooler and last but not least, less power consumption, meaning better battery lifetime sounds good to me.

PlayStation Network is Back, Nothing New

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 24, 2008 | 3 comments

So as many might know, today from 8am-2pm, Sony took down the PlayStation Network, no PlayStation Store or online friends in order to do some maintenance on the network. Now many people started to speculate that this meant that the up coming Firmware 2.4 with now confirmed Trophies and in game XMB (Cross Media Bar) but that is not the case as pointed out and confirmed by a SCEE employee at the Official European Playstation forum:

“The PLAYSTATION Network will be offline for 5 hours today from 3pm BST (4pm CEST) for maintenance work. It’s pretty much all behind-the-scenes work and is, most definitely, not the 2.4 System Software update. Sorry, you need to wait a little longer for that one!”

With that in mind, there is no doubt that the update is coming at this downtime with the recent firmware 2.36 is setting up the ground work, but were not at 2.4 just yet. Im gonna go ahead and pen down E3 for firmware 2.4 but im down for a surprise Sony.

MGS4 Bundle Will BRB

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 24, 2008 | 11 comments

For Sony, the MotorStorm bundle was an extremely popular bundle, helping MotorStorm near the 3.5 million sold mark. Not bad for a launch title, let alone a new IP. But sense then, Sony has introduced two new bundles. A 40GB MGS4 bundle and a more limited edition 80GB. (Now neither of these the extremely rare MGS4 Bundle that Konami itself made). Its no surprise that MGS4 was going to be huge but word comes out that within days, the more limited edition 80GB MGS4 bundle is sold out nation wide. With that comes word from Sony Style:

“Due to overwhelming demand, the product is currently unavailable. The new estimated time of arrival date for when this will be available is the beginning of July.”

Now Sony isn’t giving a number in terms of sales with a sold out supply, we can only assume their happy. A SCEA representative stated:

“While we cant provide specifics on inventory levels, the Metal Gear Solid 4 PlayStation 3 bundle is a limited-edition offering thats experiencing high demand from Metal Gear and PlayStation enthusiasts. Were pleased with the strong consumer interest in the bundle and are working to ensure that additional shipments are provided to retailers.”

So for those looking to get their hand on the limited edition of the MGS4 bundle, there is hope. Pros? Cheaper then buying an 80GB PS3 and then the limited edition of the MGS4. Cons, the wait. Verdict?, eBay!

Sony Introduces the BRAVIA S4000

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 23, 2008 | 55 comments

Sony is introducing four new BRAVIA models that make up the new S4000 series. Coming in a 26, 32, 37 and 42 inches that are part of a new design concept dubbed “draw the LINE”, focusing on a deep piano black finish with clean lines while being curved around the edges with a swivel base. The 42-inch model comes in a 1080p FULL HD panel, 24p True Cinema mode and the new BRAVIA ENGINE 2 signal processing technology with the 3 smaller units come with the BRAVIA ENGINE and “HD Ready”. All four units are share a 3 HDMI Input, intergraded DVB-C / DVB-T TV tuner and a contrast ratio of 22,000:1. Rumors put these guys in Europe first, followed by a State side release. I’ve been looking for a new bedroom TV and with 3 HDMI inputs, it seems to be the perfect fit, mostly with that Swivel stand, making it easy to turn for different viewing options if your limited by your bedroom size/design/placement of equipment.