Displaying stories with the tag "Sony". Subscribe to this URL for an RSS feed of this tag. Want more news? Click here for the Shacknews frontpage.Packed with LEGO Batman and a DVD of the Justice League: The New Frontier animated movie, the set will sell for $149.99.
Each announcement will have its own news story, but the links will be compiled below for your convenience. Also, be sure to check back later today for a number of game videos and walkthroughs directly from the conference.
"This year, our strategy is not to sell more quantity for PS3 but to concentrate on profitability," Oneda told investors at the Nomura Asia Equity forum in Singapore. "Our plan is not to reduce the price."
Oneda's remarks follow recent reports that Sony lost $3.31B over 2007 and 2008 due to an imbalance between the production cost of the PlayStation 3 and its retail price point.
Competitor Microsoft's Xbox 360 is expected to enact a $50 price reduction for the Premium version of the console next week, setting the retail price point at $299 down from $349.
The PlayStation 3 is currently available in two hardware configurations at retail: a 40GB versio priced at $399, and an 80GB version running $499.
Double Fusion, whose roster of clients includes Gearbox Software, NCSoft and THQ, utilizes specialized technology to deliver dynamic and context-oriented advertisements to audiences.
"PS3 is open for the ad business," said SCEA senior VP Phil Rosenberg. "We are very excited about hosting contextually relevant and well-crafted creative advertising on PS3. PlayStation is taking a major role in enabling this fast-developing sector that is positive for the games medium."
The companies did not directly specify which titles or services will see the incorporation of in-game ads, nor did they mention when the advertisements will materialize.
"I'm not sure where the image came from," said SCE communications director Patrick Seybold, as reported by GamePro. "At this point, we haven't made any announcements, and there are no plans for PS2 downloadable titles on PS3."
The image showing PS2 titles on the PlayStation Store appeared yesterday on the N4G forums, posted by a user who claimed to have received the image from a contact within Sony's London studio. Among the titles listed were Kojima Productions' Metal Gear Solid 2 and Namco Bandai's Ridge Racer V.
The source added that plans were to be officially announced at the E3 Media and Business Summit, with an official launch coming later this summer.
Going by information posted on the PlayStation.Blog, the new Achievement-like trophies will not be unlocked based on existing save files, and can only be "earned" once the game is updated and the player performs the specified task.
The long-awaited custom soundtrack feature is limited to music stored on the PS3's hard drive, and does not currently support music streamed over a network media server or via USB devices.
Sony stressed that the firmware update only "enables" custom soundtracks, and that it falls to developers to incorporate the feature into upcoming titles or patch... Read more
Filed on January 21 and published June 26, the two portable-centric applications were uncovered by NeoGAF Sony hardware expert Panajev2001a.
The first patent details a touch screen with multiple "tactile pixels" that would "vibrate in response to the change in state of the touch screen." The touch screen found in Nintendo's current DS hardware only supports a single-touch input, with vibration support only available through a rarely used add-on.
The second application discusses Wii-like motion-recognition capabilities. Though Sony recently debuted a game-focused motion-sensitive phone with PlayStation styling, that device hails from Sony Ericsson, not Sony Computer Entertainment... Read more
Sony Pictures is presently the only studio believed to be confirmed for the new service. The company is currently in talks with several others to bring more films to the store, slated to hit the PS3's PlayStation Store sometime this summer.
The report goes on to note that the company plans to offer more in its service than what's currently available on the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Marketplace Video Store and other digital distributors, which may include the ability to transfer downloads from the PS3 to Sony's PSP handheld.
At its launch in 2006, the Xbox Live Marketplace Video Store included content from just two major movie studios, Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures. The service has since gained the support of MGM, Walt Disney Pictures and Lionsgate Films.
Hirai added that more details would be available next month, most likely at Sony's E3 Media and Business Summit conference. The service is also slated to launch in Japan and Europe at later dates.
Competitor Microsoft currently operates a similar service on the Xbox 360 with its Xbox Live Marketplace Video Store, launched in late 2006.
Hirai stated that Sony intends to cut costs and strengthen its lineup of network services to achieve profitability in its current fiscal year. The company recently posted a $3.31B loss over 2007 to 2008, owing to an imbalance between the PlayStation 3's retail price and manufacturing cost.
Outlining potential risk factors to investors, the company revealed in its fiscal 2008 annual report that by pricing the PlayStation 3 below production cost, the company shed $2.16B in 2007 and $1.16B in 2008. Sony added that its major investment in the early development and introductory phases of the PlayStation 3 "may not be fully recovered."
These research and development costs are typical in introducing a console to market, but the costs may prove unrecoverable if a platform "fail[s] to achieve such favorable market penetration... resulting in a significant negative impact on Sony's ... Read more
Continuing the recent trend of motion-controlled cell phone games, mobile maker Sony Ericsson has unveiled the F305, a gaming-focused phone with a motion sensor.
Due out by September, the F305 is said to put "gaming at the heart" and take mobile gaming "to a whole new level," It comes pre-loaded with motion-controlled bowling, fishing, and jockey games.
The device also supports traditional game controls, with the two "dedicated gaming buttons," O and X, having a similar style and appearance to those of a regular Sony PlayStation controller. Up to 8 hours of gameplay are promised per battery charge.
"Encounter gaming in a completely new way," Sony Ericsson teased. "The phone can, for example, follow your actions to imitate bowling or casting a fishing line."
Though motion-controlled gaming recently reached broad public awareness thanks to Nintendo's Wii, lesser-known devices had been implementing motion sensors long before the system debuted. One such example is an LG Electronics phone, premiered in February 2005, that sported a motion-controlled skiing game.
Though Sony did not specify a release date alongside its announcement, the company had previously pinned a summer release window for the update, which will bring the system to version 2.40.
The firmware will grant users access to the system's XMB front-end interface, used to navigate features such as friends lists and music, while playing a game. Meanwhile, the oft-rumored trophies stand as Sony's answer to the Xbox 360's Achievement system, which recognizes players for completing a title's more difficult or unusual... Read more
According to unspecified sources, working units have been delivered to development partners, although it's not clear when the pad will be officially unveiled. As expected, Sony Computer Entertainment declined to comment.
A differing report at Kotaku, however, suggests that the control system consists of a small device that attaches in the body. Multiple devices can be worn, such as two on the hands to move a character's hands in-game or four on the hands and feet. Kotaku's source disputed the notion that the pieces would merge into a single controller.
At present, the PlayStation 3's Sixaxis controller allows for basic motion... Read more
The program is aimed to teach computer science and engineering students about PlayStation platforms using the same development kits deployed by developers and publishers, typically unavailable to the general public.
"SCEA wants to make sure that students who are graduating from college are ready to program on PlayStation hardware and that means getting it into your hands," wrote SCEA developer support manager Mark Danks on the PlayStation Blog.
Participating schools are required to sign unspecified legal agreements with Sony, as well as purchase the development kits themselves. Though Danks did not disclose pricing for the units, they are known to be quite costly—a PlayStation 3... Read more
According to Gamasutra, the studio cited an "incredibly strong list of exclusive first party titles" which demanded a reallocation of the company's resources and budget as impetus for the cancellations. The games were axed following an internal review of all the studio's titles currently in development.
Announced alongside the PlayStation 3 at E3 2005, The Getaway was planned as the third installment of Sony's gangster flick-inspired action series, kicked off with two titles on the PS2. The third-person shooter and driving hybrid title Eight Days made its debut at E3 a year later.
The cancellations come not long after the appointment of Shuhei Yoshida as new president of Sony's worldwide game development studios. Yoshida replaced former executive Phil Harrison, who resigned to take up a position as president at Atari parent Infogrames.
No specific details were provided as to how invasive the integration may be, though SCEA senior VP Phil Rosenberg said that ads "organic to the environment" help create "a richer experience for gamers."
Only one advertising partner, IGA Worldwide, has been named thus far. IGA Worldwide CEO Justin Townsend commented that the setup will help its clients, which include EA, target a "global user base of 16-35 year old consumers with disposable income."
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced it had extended a PC and Xbox 360 in-game advertising deal with EA for another two years. Developer Gearbox Software also recently revealed its intent to utilize context-sensitive in-game... Read more
According to Gamasutra, the executive noted that while excessive revenue is still beyond the PS3's reach, but things are moving swiftly upwards for the once ailing console.
"We're coming along, I think," he said. "Culturally, the word 'profit' is not high on anybody's agenda in Japan, and we've turned that around. We closed our 5 percent margins... There's a sort of sense of, we're climbing up the mountain... Read more
Koller added that the PSP keyboard—officially announced at this year's CES conference—would not be joined by the PSP TV Tuner in North America, citing an incompatibility with the over-the-air broadcasting infrastructure in the United States.
The executive went on to comment on possible implementations of the PSP GPS peripheral, which Koller says is coming to North America in the near future. He said that the device could make "mobile social communities" a reality for PSP owners, and bring the handheld into a more social space to reflect its broadening and diverse userbase.
"The expansion of PSP is going to continue," Koller added. "It's going to be a very big growth area."
In his 15 years thus far at SCE, Yoshida has served as a product development producer, vice president of product development at SCE America, and senior vice president of SCE worldwide studios.
Yoshida replaces former SCE studio boss Phil Harrison, who resigned in February for a presidential position at Atari owner Infogrames.
"Under the leadership of Yoshida, who has proven track record in managing creative talent, SCE WWS will accelerate the software development for the PlayStation 3 and PSP platforms and vigorously expand the gaming market," said SCE president and CEO Kazuo "Kaz" Hirai.
The PlayStation 3 hardware has sold over 12.85 million units worldwide since its 2006 debut, Sony has revealed. The figures were included within its results for the 2007 fiscal year, which concluded on March 31, 2008.
As both Nintendo and Microsoft have already chimed in with their worldwide sales figures as of March 31, 2008, the worldwide install bases of the three major home consoles are:
In its 2007 fiscal year, Sony's Game division had an operating revenue of $12.83 billion and posted a $1.24 billion loss.
Across that time, Sony sold 13.73 million PlayStation 2 units, 13.89 millions PSP units, and 9.24 million PlaySation 3 units. Lifetime sales were not available for PS2 and PSP, as this is the first year Sony reported sales figures instead of shipment... Read more
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