Sony

PSP Firmware 5.55 Spotted On Demonstration Unit

An eagle-eyed attendee of the Paris-based Japan Expo happened to notice that one of the PSP demonstration units on display to showcase Soulcalibur Broken Destiny was running a yet-unreleased firmware 5.55. No visible changes were observed, so if we had to wager a guess, this is another minor update. Nevertheless, it piques our interest, leading us to believe that the […]

FCC Filing Reveals PSPgo CPU Clock Speed Bump

Official word from Sony PR is that the inner hardware of PSPgo units remains the same as the past two hardware revisions, apart from the obvious inclusion of a built-in 16GB flash storage device. But sometimes, as we’ve learned in the past, official word is not the end-all be-all. According to a recently published FCC filing, the PSPgo sports a […]

Report: Rumored PS3 Slim Enters Production Phase

If a report from Taiwan-based finance site UDN is to be believed, the much-rumored PS3 Slim model has entered the production phase and units will be ready to ship by July at the earliest.

Sony Patents Software Based PS2 Emulation Technology

It’s no secret that the lack of PS2 emulation on newer PS3 units is a bit of a put-off to prospective purchasers. Especially when considering that majority of would-be PS3 owners are those that own a large library of PS2 titles. Granted, not being able to play those games isn’t a deal breaker for most, but it certainly makes laying […]

THQ Testing Out Natal Tech, Still Waiting On Motion Dev Kits From Sony

Following an E3 reveal, it has come to light that Microsoft’s full-body motion-sensing technology — codenamed Natal — is in hands at various third-party development studios, including THQ. Company CEO Brian Farrell says THQ received its dev kits for Natal 4-6 weeks ago. Since then, the company has been dabbling in creating experiences that utilize the tech. At the moment, […]

Rumor: PS3, 360 Price Cut Coming This Fall

We’ve heard murmurs of a PS3 price cut in the fall, but nothing concrete. Until now, that is. A source — or mole — close to technology site Arstechnica is reporting that Sony aims to weed out supply of 80GB-equipped PS3 units during the coming months, meaning it may not be long before retail shelves only have 160GB units in […]

Sony: Expanded PlayStation Network Services May Come By Next Spring

Sony has already begun to ramp up its content library on the PlayStation Network as of late, offering more PSOne classics as well as digitally converted UMDs on the PSP side of things. But what’s next? A yet-unnamed service that will interact with the backbone of PSN and extend to other areas of interest, such as TVs.

Last Remnant PS3 Release Possibly Scrapped

Those holding out for a PS3 version of Unreal Engine 3 powered RPG Last Remnant may want to reconsider their plans, as a release on Sony’s black box is looking increasingly unlikely.

Final Fantasy VII PSN Release Shifts Over 100,000 Units Digitally

In a press release filled with much-deserved gloating, Sony revealed today that recently re-released PSOne classic Final Fantasy VII shifted over 100,000 units on PlayStation Network in just two weeks, securing top honors for the most downloaded piece of content during the week of June 17.

PS3 Firmware 2.80 Out Now

Update #2: And the firmware is live! Check Network Update to download, or this direct link. Update: In a PS Blog post, PlayStation Network director Eric Lempel has confirmed that firmware 2.80 for PS3 is indeed on its way. Changelog? Nothing to get excited about, this one simply improves the “playback quality of some PLAYSTATION 3 format software.” We’ve just […]

PSN Cards Make Canadian Debut

Canadian PS3 owners are finally unbound from the restriction of solely using credit cards to purchase offerings on the PlayStation Store, as Sony announces today that pre-paid PSN cards have made their belated debut in the region. The cards are available in $20 and $50 denominations, which when redeemed add the total dollar amount to a user’s PSN account. To […]

Activision CEO Threatens To Cut Sony Support

Corporate mudslinging, gotta love it. Speaking to The Times, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick openly admitted that the company may pull its support on Sony platforms if the adoption rate of PS3 hardware does not pick up anytime soon. Kotick is fed up with pricing of the console and feels the only way to spur sales at this point is a […]

Rumor: PlayStation Store Expanding, Opening Doors To More Developers

The PSPgo may be more of a competitor to Apple’s iTouch than we originally thought, as rumor has it that Sony is opening up its PlayStation Store to a wider group of developers, paving the way for small games and apps to be released on the service. Destructoid reports that software falling under this category is expected to cost within […]

Tretton: Confidentiality Goes Unrespected In This Industry

Sony put on a great showing at its E3 conference this year, excitement was high, but ultimately most of us were not surprised with majority of the announcements at hand. Why? Well, for a simple reason: we already knew about them. PSPgo and The Last Guardian, Team ICO’s new title, were both unofficially revealed days prior to the show. Sure, […]

PlayStation Store Update Thursday: Ultra Heavy Weapon

This week’s PlayStation Store update kicks off with a choice selection of retro and all-new downloadable games. On the retro side is Sega’s vintage effort Gunstar Heroes and PSOne Medal of Honor Underground. In terms of fresh experiences, this week brings us Bomberman Ultra and Heavy Weapon. Sony isn’t skimping on DLC either, as the long-awaited Killzone 2 Flash & […]

May NPD: Sluggish Month for Industry, Sales Dip Below $1 Billion

May was a sluggish month for the video game industry, with combined software and hardware sales figures dipping below the $1 billion mark for the first time since August 2007, according to the latest figures from NPD. Sales were stagnant across the board and in some cases, unit sales of certain platforms took a significant dive when compared to last […]

PSP Firmware 5.51 Released, Promises Stability Enhancements

Well lookie here, a new PSP firmware has conspicuously appeared on Network Update. As you’d expect, firmware 5.51 is a minor revision, with the supplied changelog vaguely mentioning of improvements in “system software stability” during use of certain features. Not to sound cynical, as stability enhancements are always important, but in the end this amounts to changes we will likely […]

Pachter Calls $249 PSPgo A Rip-Off

No matter how you shake it, the asking price of $249 for the recently announced PSPgo is a wee bit on the high side. Outspoken analyst Michael Pachter agrees, going as far to label the device as a rip-off. Pachter surmises that despite the inclusion of built-in 16GB flash storage, doing away with an expensive UMD drive means Sony will […]

Analyst Forecasts PS3 Price Cut for Mid-August

In his latest industry note, Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia is forecasting that Sony will cut the price of PS3 down to $299 on its standard tier model, a $100 reduction. The move, Bhatia expects, will be made prior to the launch of Madden 10 in mid-August. Although NPD data will not be released until later this week, fueling talk […]

Take-Two CEO: Exclusivity To Help Agent

Speaking at E3, Take-Two CEO Ben Feder explained that the decision to announce Agent as a platform exclusive on PS3, the latest original IP from Rockstar Games, was made in an strategic effort to receive full backing from Sony. Feder likened the move to releasing past Grand Theft Auto entries as timed exclusives. In other words, Agent might not always […]