There’s no question the PS Vita packs some serious hardware grunt, but how will it stack up a year or two down the road, given the rapid rate at which smartphones are advancing? Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli feels this a significant hurdle Sony faces, further noting his concern that it may already be too late. “The Vita is an absolutely fantastic […]

Given that Sony is taking a more serious approach to online with the PS Vita, will we see games that bank entirely on online connectivity, like MMOs? To that end, Square Enix is mulling over the prospect of bringing Final Fantasy XI over, according to producer Hiromichi Tanaka.

The console space has become increasingly more viable for small-budget indie studios with digital avenues like Xbox Live and PSN. With PS Vita, Sony hopes to rally even more support from indies, as it believes innovation will stifle if the barrier to entry is too high.

Sony’s just announced a region-wide management shakeup that sees Kaz Hirai of ‘Riiiiidge Raaaacer’ fame as the chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment Interactive. Andrew House, formerly president of SCEE, has took over Hirai’s previous role as President and Group CEO of SCEI. The newly appointed positions take effect on September 1. Hirai’s official title is Representative Corporate Executive Officer and Executive Deputy […]

Sony CEO Howard Stringer is feeling the heat over the recent PlayStation Network attack, as Reuters reports that shareholders have begun pressuring the exec to step down. At an investors meeting in Tokyo, Stringer dodged the request to step down, shifting attention to a global hacking crisis. Stringer believes the situation is bigger than any one company can handle: “If […]

When developers first came to grips with the PS3, many were overwhelmed by the sheer complexity of Sony’s framework, notably the multithreaded Cell processor and taking advantage of SPUs. While Sony has since addressed many dev concerns over the PS3, with Vita, this steep learning curve is something Sony aimed to do away with from the very start. Sony-owned partner SN Systems, which […]

Where is George “Geohot” Hotz? The prolific iPhone hacker and most recently a prime target of Sony’s sweeping PS3 jailbreak lawsuit is now reportedly working at Facebook. A recent wall post on his Facebook page confirms involvement with the company, though in what capacity is unclear.

Update: The firmware is now available, grab it via Network Update or from our download section. Sony’s just announced that PS3 firmware 3.66 is scheduled to drop soon, likely by tonight. It’s a minor update that “improves stability during use of PS3 format software.” Additionally, refinements have been made to PSN services. We’ll update when the firmware goes live.

Released on Xbox Live months ago, the HD re-release of Beyond Good & Evil will make its belated debut on the US PSN next week, June 28. Ubisoft calls it the “best version of Beyond Good & Evil HD” on offer, boasting updated visuals and audio. Check out the gameplay reel after the break. Released to critical acclaim circa 2003, the […]

Sony’s ongoing effort to cut costs and increase the efficiency of PS3 hardware continues, it seems, as a Japanese retailer has reportedly been briefed that a CECH-3000 PS3 model is due out soon. It incrementally improves on the PS3 Slim design spec by cutting power consumption from 230W to 200W. Storage space will remain at 320GB. The system itself is also […]

Following its massive E3 presser, Sony has quietly pushed out firmware 3.65 for the PS3. It’s a non-mandatory maintenance update, merely adding tweaks that improve “the operating stability of some PS3 format software.” In addition, the dialog text for XMB item SaveData Utility has been changed to specify the PSP platform. Grab the system software update on your PS3 or […]

Now with PSN back up and the PlayStation Store running full steam, Activision sent word today that the Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation map pack will finally hit PS3 on June 10. It’s about time. To coincide with the launch, developer Treyarch plans to kick off another Double XP weekend on the same day. 

At Konami’s pre-E3 show yesterday, famed game designer Hideo Kojima revealed that his next project will be powered by the proprietary Fox Engine. It’s an in-house engine built from the ground-up to complement multiplatform development. A tech demo showcasing the new engine was shown off, depicting a lush jungle environment that would lend itself well to the stealth mechanics of Metal Gear […]

Konami’s long-running Silent Hill survival horror franchise was well-received on PSP across two installments, so it’s not too surprising to see it make the jump to NGP. At the company’s pre-E3 presentation, it revealed that Silent Hill: Book of Memories is hitting Sony’s next-gen portable platform. Unfortunately, no further details were spared, but one thing’s for sure: we can’t wait […]

Although Sony is firmly standing behind its “no 3D” stance with the NGP for the time being, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida isn’t ruling out the possibility that it may be included in a future iteration, or hardware refresh. While factoring in cost, R&D, and related expenses, he says Sony weighed in the pros of cons of implementing […]

Pre-E3 coverage of Sony’s upcoming handheld — the NGP, Vita, whatever you’d like to call it — is beginning to trickle out. Eurogamer has written up a glowing preview of wipEout 2048, the latest installment in Sony’s hit futuristic racing series. Among the highlights, is the fact that it will support cross-platform play between the NGP and PS3. While details […]

As revealed last week, The Witcher developer CD Projekt RED is gearing up to showcase its next project at E3 2011. It looks like we’ll catch a glimpse at the fruits of their labor a bit earlier than that, though. The company sends word that it has begun collaborating with Plastige Image Studio to release a new trailer directed by Oscar-nominated Tomasz […]

Rejoice! After over a month of downtime due to the PSN security incident, the PlayStation Store has finally reopened for business. As expected, Sony has sped up its update schedule to fill the backlog. According to PS Store director Grace Chen, the next update will commence on Friday, June 3. Additionally, Sony is promising “special publishes” starting next week in […]

Progress is steady on Ninja Gaiden III. Developer Team Ninja has revealed to Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu that the title is 30 percent complete. In addition, the first wave of screenshots have surfaced, and as we’ve come to expect from the franchise there’s no shortage of blood. Heed warning, squeamish types. Interestingly, according to a translated account of the Famitsu report […]

The return of the PlayStation Store is no longer a moving target, as Sony officially announced today that it will fully restore PSN services by the end of this week in North America, Europe, and certain parts of Asia. The planned rollout excludes Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea, due to complications Sony is dealing with in the aforementioned regions. In appreciation of customer loyalty, Sony […]