The Tanooki » Sony

Sony announces immediate price cut for PlayStation 3

Jason Leavey — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:41:37 +0000

Today at Gamescom, Sony surprised legions of German and non-German attendees by announcing a price cut for their PlayStation 3 console, effective immediately. The 160GB PS3 is now priced at a competitive $250, down from its previous $300 price tag. The 320GB PS3 will also drop $50, now coming in at $299.

Sony also announced a limited edition inFAMOUS 2 bundle, which includes a 320GB system, a copy of the game, plus a 30-day PlayStation Plus membership. The price? Still $299.

These prices are far, far away from the $600 price tag the initial 60GB model when the system launched almost five years ago. Got to love technology! Will you be picking one up?

PlayStation Blog

PlayStation Store back online with countless updates

Christian Ponte — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 19:00:41 +0000

The wait is over. The PlayStation Store is finally back online, and hopefully it’s for good.

As PlayStation Store director Grace Chen points out, the free “Welcome Back” content is not yet available. In the meantime, the store has been updated with new content, including an overwhelmingly large list of PlayStation Plus games, game trials, DLC, avatars, and more. It’s literally a plethora of content that I’m not even going to bother to sort through… you’re going to have to click on through to the PlayStation Blog and scroll in awe at the sheer volume of items ready for you to download.

PlayStation.Blog

E3 2011: Sony to stream press conference live to your Home

Christian Ponte — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 03:30:39 +0000

What are you doing Monday night? If it were up to Sony, you’d be on your PlayStation 3! SCEA will be streaming their 90-minute E3 press conference live over PlayStation Home beginning at 5p.m. Pacific Time. It’s the next best thing to seeing Jack Tretton and Co. making all the new announcements and reveals in person!

On top of that, Sony has gone ahead and recreated their entire booth from the West Hall at the Los Angeles Convention Center in PlayStation Home, so you can walk around and explore from the comforts of your own home while thousands of people who paid to be there in person spend hours upon hours in each line. The virtual booth tours begin at noon on Tuesday, and will allow you to unlock exclusive Home content and access, including a 3D render of the NGP!

PlayStation.Blog

Sony’s NGP rumored to be named “PS Vita” next week

Christian Ponte — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 17:30:44 +0000

It seems that when the NGP is showcased at the E3 Expo next week, it will do so under a new call sign. An E3 proof sheet has reportedly surfaced from two separate sources with the next generation portable donning a “PS Vita” logo. Vita, as many have pointed out, comes from the Latin/Italian for “life.” Others have pointed out that it’s the first creative name Sony has ever given to gaming system.

What do you think? Legit? The Vita name isn’t necessarily new, as it floated around months ago as a possible codename for the PSP2. If Sony does intend to launch it as PS Vita, we’ll find out by Monday at E3!

Games Pundit

Sony says their next console is in development

Holly Green — Fri, 27 May 2011 06:12:50 +0000

Sony has revealed their next console is already in development. In a financial call earlier today, executive vice president and chief financial officer Masaru KatoWhen explained the rising research and development costs in the coming fiscal year, saying:

“In the game segment, we have the NGP to launch later this year. So we have development expenses to be incurred for this product…For the home console, the PS3 still has a product life, but this is a platform business, so for the future platform – when we will introduce the product I cannot discuss – but development work is underway, so the costs are incurred there.”

As IGN points out, Nintendo will be showing their next console at E3 2011, and Microsoft began hiring for theirs this past March, leaving Sony inbetween the two. What changes would you like to see in Sony’s next console cycle?

IGN

Sony ships 150 millionth PlayStation 2

Christian Ponte — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:00:07 +0000

Sony has announced that they have officially shipped over 150 million PlayStation 2 consoles worldwide. The system launched to massive hype in Japan on March 4, 2000. The 150 million milestone was reached just under eleven years later, on January 31, 2011.

Along with the massive hardware shipments, a game library of 10,828 games have combined to sell over 1,527,000,000 software copies. Yep, that’s over 1.5 billion software units sold as of December 2010, which Sony credits largely in part to exclusives such as Gran Turismo, God of War, Ratchet and Clank, and SingStar, as well as to third party support.

Despite nearing its eleventh birthday, the PlayStation 2 is expected to see continued success, particularly in East Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and South America. By comparison, the PlayStation 3 has shipped roughly a third of the PS2′s hardware totals in just over four years.

PlayStation Network games must be re-purchased on Xperia Play

Christian Ponte — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:00:03 +0000

The Xperia Play phone, officially confirmed during last weekend’s Super Bowl commercials, will launch later in the year with game content featuring the “Classic PlayStation One” series and more via the PlayStation Store. Yesterday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Managing Director for Sony Ericsson UK and Ireland Nathan Vautier explained that content purchased from the PlayStation Store via other PlayStation hardware will not be transferable to the phone.

“[Xperia Play owners] will have to re-purchase the games, so it’s not totally integrated. I think the exciting thing is that there are games which people are very, very aware of.”

This is like the DSi, DSi XL mess all over again. What do you potential Xperia Play owners think: will you re-buy all your games?

GameSpot

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Sony announces new handheld codenamed NGP

Jason Leavey — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:50:18 +0000

Finally, that “PSP2″ we’ve been expecting for months has been unveiled to the public, making its first appearance at a special press event in Toyko this morning. For now, Sony is calling it the NGP or Next Generation Portable.

The device comes with a 5-inch OLED touch-screen, rear touch-panel, two analog control sticks and a high performance CPU/GPU. Sony is also touting that the powerful device will feature graphics that rival that of the PlayStation 3. The handheld will also utilize a new software type, ditching the PSP’s UMD format.

The NGP will feature built-in applications including Near, which allows players to find friends locally while seeing what games they are playing, and LiveArea, where players can share content within the designated space while also having access to an activity log. No price was announced, but Sony is aiming for a holiday 2011 release in Japan.

Want all the specs of this new device? Continue below the break for a full breakdown.

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CPU ARM® Cortex™-A9 core (4 core)
GPU SGX543MP4+
External Dimensions Approx. 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm (width x height x depth) (tentative, excludes largest projection)
Screen
(Touch screen) 5 inches (16:9), 960 x 544, Approx. 16 million colors, OLED
Multi touch screen (capacitive type)
Rear touch pad Multi touch pad (capacitive type)
Cameras Front camera, Rear camera
Sound Built-in stereo speakers
Built-in microphone
Sensors Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer), Three-axis electronic compass
Location Built-in GPS
Wi-Fi location service support
Keys / Switches PS button
Power button
Directional buttons (Up/Down/Right/Left)
Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square)
Shoulder buttons (Right/Left)
Right stick, Left stick
START button, SELECT button
Volume buttons (+/-)
Wireless communications Mobile network connectivity (3G)
IEEE 802.11b/g/n (n = 1×1)(Wi-Fi) (Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode)
Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR ?A2DP/AVRCP/HSP?

PlayStation Phone reported in Japanese newspapers

Christian Ponte — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 06:00:08 +0000

The Asahi Shimbun newspaper is reporting that Sony is taking the concepts behind the PSPgo and creating a handheld that’s both a gaming device and a phone. We’ve heard plenty of rumors about this “PlayStation Phone” before, which the newspaper report has a chance of being release first in the western markets as soon as this spring.

Does this reporter have new information or sources that we don’t know about yet? Or could this simply be a case of all the rumors only just now reaching his or her desk? The article doesn’t list a source, so for now we’ll have to keep the PlayStation Phone in the rumor bin.

Andriasang

New Lara Croft and Guardian of Light DLC adds Raziel and Kain

Holly Green — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 18:41:48 +0000

Today marks the day that the titular characters of Kane & Lynch bizarrely make their free downloadable debut in Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. In other weird-but-okay-I’ll-play-along additions, coming soon to the co-op title are Soul Reaver characters Raziel and Kain. Yes, another Kain, a different spelling. Either way, we have a trailer to mark the occasion, above.

Soul Reaver is already available for download purchase on PSN; is it possible that this is one more sign that Sony intends to reboot the Soul Reaver game series? Their last appearance was in 2003′s Legacy of Kain: Defiance. This could be a handy way to gauge interest.

I had a dog named Raziel once. I also did buy Soul Reaver on PSN. Consider my interest expressed, Sony.

Digital distribution “overwhelming,” “confusing” for Sony

Christian Ponte — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:00:21 +0000

As much as I loved the premise of the forward-thinking PSPgo, no one on the planet is doubting its status as a failed commercial experiment. Sony is still trying to grasp all the reasons it flopped, in hopes that one day, a completely digital distribution-based PlayStation system can be a complete success. Andrew House, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, had this to say:

“The reason retail has been around for thousands of years is because it works really well at showing you a range of content, having experienced store staff that can find the game you are looking for, tailor choices to your needs and up-sell you something you hadn’t thought of. Digital, for me, still has a challenge in that it doesn’t have the equivalent of that. Browsing is a little overwhelming and too confusing, and that’s the challenge that makes me think there’s a strong role for physical media for years to come.”

Of course, there’s also the argument that some people just like having a physical item to own once they pay for it, or at the very least have complete freedom to move software across all like-brand devices they own.

MCV

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception announced for 2011

Jason Leavey — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:12:48 +0000

Earlier this month, we reported a rumor that Nathan Drake would be desert bound for his next adventure. The rumor was dead on, as Naughty Dog prepares to unleash Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception on November 1, 2011.

The third tale will keep in line with the franchise’s theme of creating an original storyline with ties to true historical events. The upcoming title will be set within the Arabian Peninsula, in a stretch known as Rub’ al Khali Desert — a.k.a. the Empty Quarter. The story will center on Drake’s relationship with Victor “Sully” Sullivan — his mentor, not the mustached Hudson River pilot — while on his quest to search for a lost city.

Naughty Dog states the reason for the desert locale came strictly from a technical standpoint. The development studio states that rendering water, fire and sand effects would be immensely challenging, but felt confident enough to tackle the task. The game’s full trailer will air during the Spike Video Game Awards this Saturday, December 11.

UPDATE: Now with teaser trailer!

Ghostbusters sequel “Sanctum of Slime” announced

Jason Leavey — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 04:31:04 +0000

While we wait for what seems to be an eternity for the promised Ghostbusters 3 film, there’s still more busting to be had in console form. Atari and Sony are teaming up to bring you Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime.

The download-only title will serve as a sequel to the 2009 Ghostbusters: The Video Game. Players take on the role as the same recruit from the previous game, blasting the traditional proton stream in co-op, presented in a top-down view. The four-player game supports both on and offline play, with some big boss battles thrown in — plus, you get to drive the Ecto-4 WD.

Look for the new adventure to hit Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and Windows PC in spring 2011. For another screenshot, click below the break.

USAToday

Rumor: Nathan Drake desert bound in Uncharted 3

Jason Leavey — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 15:19:44 +0000

It appears the next installment of the Uncharted series is about to get sandy. Nathan Drake’s high-action adventures are rumored to be set within an African desert territory for the third Uncharted game, according to an “informed source” to Kotaku.

The previous entries in the series featured ice-cold mountains and muggy jungles, so an expedition set in warm weather would be a welcome change for Nathan.

There’s also a rumor we’ll get some Uncharted 3 news confirmation during the Spike TV’s Video Game Awards, scheduled for December 12. We’ll update you once more information is revealed.

Kotaku

Snakebyte launching third-party PlayStation Move, related products

Jason Leavey — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 17:36:17 +0000

Peripheral developer Snakebyte wants a taste of the motion controller action on Sony’s current next-gen platform. The company has announced several PlayStation Move products in the works, including their own versions of the PS Move, PS Eye and PS Navigation controllers, currently dubbed Motion Controller, Snake-Eye and Navigation Controller, respectively.

Snakebyte is also releasing the above in bundled packages — all three products include in one bundle and both controller options in another bundle– offering quite an attractive deal for those that aren’t financially sound enough to purchase Sony’s first-party offerings. Snakebyte confirms that the controllers have built-in USB ports making software updates a breeze. Both controllers will also be compatible with any available charger.

No prices have been determined. Currently, these products are set to release in January 2010 in all PAL regions.

UPDATE: Snakebyte let me know their new PlayStation lineup will get an official unveil during January’s CES in Las Vegas, with a Q1 scheduled likely for North America.

Snakebyte

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The Tanooki » Sony

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