The Inquisitr » sony

About this movie piracy thing killing the industry…

Steven Hodson — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:54:37 +0000

Every time you turn around some movie exec or entertainment lobbyist is proclaiming how all the talk of free and evil people downloading illegal copies of movies is killing the movie business.

Yet it seems that just as quickly we hear stats after stats about how the current year has been one of the best. Blockbuster after blockbuster rolls through towns and cities making millions upon millions of dollars.

It turns out that 2009 is shaping up to be a year that will be breaking box office records that were set back in 2006. In a public relations release Sony Pictures announced that they have already passed the $1.634 billion mark.

The year has been driven by the success of a number of breakthrough hits in the international marketplace. The studio’s most recent blockbuster is 2012, from director Roland Emmerich, which opened this past weekend to more than $165 million internationally ($230.4 million worldwide) and has yet to open in such markets as Japan, where it is expected to perform solidly.

Also contributing to the overseas record is Columbia Pictures’ Angels & Demons, which opened in May and has taken in over $352 million in foreign markets. Sony Pictures Releasing International distributed Terminator Salvation in many overseas countries, taking in $220.6 million in SPRI’s territories. District 9 proved popular around the world, too, taking in $88 million overseas, including $67.7 million from SPRI territories. Columbia’s The Ugly Truth, a modestly budgeted comedy, took in more than $112 million from international audiences (and still going). Finally, Michael Jackson fans around the world have driven Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT to $155.2 million internationally so far and more than $222 million worldwide.

Talk about talking out of both sides of your mouth. On one hand we have the business being destroyed by evil downloaders but on the other they are making more money than in the history of the business.

Only nine years late: PlayStation 2 launches in Brazil

Chris Greenhough — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:11:46 +0000

Firstly, I must apologise, for I’m a day late with this story. Then again, my tardiness pales when stood next to that of Sony. The company launched its PS2 console in Japan, North America, and Europe in 2000, and brought the console to Brazil … uh, yesterday. Sucks to be Brazil.

Brazilian gamers wanting a slice of the hot 32-bit action can expect to pay out R$799 for a console, or around USD$465. The system is set to launch with 14 games, including such cutting-edge gems as Gran Turismo 4 and God of War II.

To put that R$799 price tag in perspective, a non-specialized worker who works 50 hours a week will make around R$500 – R$1500 a month in São Paulo, the priciest city in the country.

Game piracy is big in Brazil – now, can anyone guess why?

[Gizmodo Brazil, via Kotaku]

The $9,000 gold-plated, diamond-encrusted PlayStation 3

Chris Greenhough — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:44:06 +0000

If you’re a shallow, cliché-ridden tit and also rich, do I have the console for you.

The gadget modders at Computer Choppers have gone and dipped some PlayStation 3 Slims in gold, sprinkled a few diamonds on them, and are now selling them for $9,000 a pop. You can choose to have either an 18kt gold “PS3″ logo with white diamonds, or a platinum, diamond-encrusted logo.

These fully functioning consoles come with a limited lifetime warranty, and are pretty exclusive: only FIVE will ever be made.

[Computer Choppers, via VGB]

Sony Updates VAIO P Line With Windows 7, New Atom Processors

James Allen Johnson — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:14:48 +0000

The ultra-high end Sony Vaio P netbook line has just been updated in the US with Windows 7, including both Home Premium and Professional options, alongside faster atom processors and a solid state drive offering that surpasses past models.

The new units feature Atom processors up to 2GHz and solid state drives up to 256GB with a nice champagne colored outer casing that gives the netbooks a high end look.

The 1.33GHz Atom system with 2GB RAM and a standard 80GB HDD will run you $850 with Verizon 3G and GPS, while the 64GB SSD unit with a 1.6GHz Atom processor will be $1,000 and the high end 2GHz chipset with 256GB SSD tops the range for $1,900.

The upgraded units are expected to start selling before the end of November.

PSPgo Moves 28,000 Units In First Day Of Japan Sales

James Allen Johnson — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:05:35 +0000

The PSPgo is now on sale in Japan and first day sales were impressive with the company moving 28,000 units. That number is compared to PSP-3000 sales of 140,000 unites in October over a 4 day period. Only time will tell if the PSPgo can surpass that level.

The release was also supported by download titles which included Persona 3 Portable and Dissidia Final Fantasy Universal Tuing, alongside download-only titles that included Disgaea Infinite and LocoRoco Midnight Carnival.

The Nintendo DSi however is still king in Japan, having sold 170,000 units in the first two days of sale. [GamesIndustry]

Sony Adds Vaio Nebula FW Laptop To “Signature Collection”

James Allen Johnson — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:58:54 +0000

Sony loves their “limited edition” laptops and looking at the VAIO Nebula FW model it’s easy to see why, they tend to be packed full of specs, offer unique designs that will make you stand out at your next business meeting and for the most part the prices offered on these “Signature Collections” are actually fairly moderate.

The Nebula packs a manageable display size of 16.4 inches, offers two Core 2 Duo processors to choose from and features the users choice of HDD or SSD memory up to 500GB, while RAM can be upgraded up to 8GB.

The base unit starts at a cost of $809.99 and for that price Sony is going to throw in a Blu-Ray drive which comes on all of the Nebula units.

If you simply can’t get over the Nebula design you can still pick the unit up with the specs mentioned above in a stark black or business”ish” brown color. [Via Chip Chick]

Analyst: Netflix to appear on Wii in next 12 months

Chris Greenhough — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:50:39 +0000

You may have already heard, but from (some unspecified day) next month, a Netflix service will be made available on the PS3. It’s probably the story of the day for gamers! And I’m milking it for all it’s worth! Hurrah!

Anyway, the appearance of the popular streaming movie service on the console is a decent victory for Sony, as Netflix was previously available through only one game console: the Xbox 360.

But what about the third player in the race, the best-selling Wii? Fear not, Nintendo fans, because here’s Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter to tell you there’s still hope:

“We believe that the exclusive arrangement limits Netflix’s ability to appear on the ‘dashboard’ for the PS3 or the Wii. We anticipate that a similar arrangement will be announced for the Wii in the next 12 months.”

Pachter regularly makes all sorts of predictions like this – it’s kind of his job – and he’s largely correct, so who knows. On the other hand, we’re still waiting on that high-definition Wii, Michael, sooo …

[Joystiq, via Go Nintendo]

PS3 To Get Netflix Streaming Capabilities Before 2010

James Allen Johnson — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:46:40 +0000

The Sony PS3 already offers impressive multimedia functions, especially the consoles Blu-Ray player, however the Xbox 360 stole a little bit of multimedia spotlight from the PS3 when Microsoft announced Netflix Streaming capabilities for the 360. Now Sony is leveling the playing field with Netflix Streaming capabilities of their own.

Much like the Xbox 360 version of Netflix, the program will be free to obtain, however a $8.99 per month charge will be obsessed.

Unfortunately users will also need to use an “instant streaming Blu-ray disc” to access BD-Live capabilities everytime they want to stream a movie, which for many users may still be a small step to take when you consider that the other option is loading movies on your computer. [Gizmodo]

PSP Go basically dead already in Australia

Chris Greenhough — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:10:44 +0000

The PSP Go’s atrocious start is showing no signs of brightening up. In its first two weeks on sale, retailers in the UK and U.S. both dropped the price of Sony’s new handheld in a bid to actually sell some of the things.

Now, early sales figures have come in from Australia. Yeah, I know Australia is hardly the biggest market for games – they only got the Nintendo 64 last year or something – but said figures are truly grim. According to Aussie paper The Age, the Go sold under 1,000 units in its first full week on sale. I’ll repeat that, in case you misread: under 1,000. In a country of 20 million people. I mean, seriously.

But wait, did The Age get those figures wrong? Michael Ephraim, MD of Sony Australia and New Zealand, thinks the newspaper may be slightly out with its numbers. Sadly, even his figures suck. Says Ephraim:

“[The figure is] not under 1,000 but it’s slightly over 1,000″

Appalling. Of course, it doesn’t help when major stockists like EBGames refuse to carry the console (as has happened in Oz). While the PS3 continues to grow in popularity across the world, the PSP Go already seems dead in the water. Am I being premature?

[The Age, via Kotaku]

Fry’s becomes first U.S. retailer to cut price of PSP Go

Chris Greenhough — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:54:06 +0000

Remember how a bunch of British retailers cut the price of a PSP Go, just one week after the Sony handheld launched? Well, at least one North American retailer is repeating the trick, knocking a juicy $50 off the price.

This, however, is not a permanent move (as it is in the UK). Rather, retail outlet Fry’s will be offering the PSP Go for $199 for a limited period (an in-store only offer, I’m afraid).

Temporary offer or not, this is hardly great news for Sony. Most consoles that are new to market suffer short-term shortages due to rampant demand, but stores seem to be struggling to rid themselves of the PSP Go.

Or, to put it another way, what was the last games machine to see its price slashed in the same month it was launched? I honestly can’t remember.

[Via Kotaku]

Sony reveals 250GB PlayStation 3 for North America

Chris Greenhough — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:19:56 +0000

In a bid to annoy me because I find these stories rather dull to write up*, Sony has announced that a 250GB version of its PlayStation 3 gamebox will be launched in North America on November 3.

[Brief, tangential nostalgic reflection: Does anybody remember when consoles only ever had one "SKU," and gaming journalists were free to post about daft, trivial stuff like wine for gamers and ludicrous exercise bikes for the Wii? Simpler times.]

The standalone console, which has previously been available everywhere but North America, will sell for $349. Despite my cynicism, that is remarkably good value: just fifty bucks more than the $299 120GB model.

* Or possibly to sell some consoles or stuff.

[Via press release]

Warrior USB Joystick For PS2 And PS3 Is Just Plain Creepy

James Allen Johnson — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:15:31 +0000

Sick and tired of playing PS2 and PS3 games on that same old boring black controller you’ve been using for years? Now you can spice things up with the creepy looking Warrior USB Joystick.

The warrior remote has light up eyes and vibrates with all compatible vibrating games. As the name suggests it does require a USB plug-in, but you’ll hardly notice that fact when you concentrate on how uncomfortable the controller is to handle.

The controller will cost you $25 and is available now. [Slipperybrick]

Sony Vaio L All-In-One PC Gets Windows 7, Multi-Touch, Decent “Cool” Factor

James Allen Johnson — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:01:23 +0000

The newest Sony All-In-One PC is about to hit the market and the Sony Vaio L as it’s known, features some decent hardware and software including Windows 7 and multi-touch.

The Vaio L also comes equipped with Sony’s custom touch portal known as Media Gallery which allows users to edit photos and videos using the desktops touchscreen. The units will also start with a basic setup that features a 24″ full HD display with an Intel Pentium 2.7GHz dual core processor, 4GB RAM and a 320GB HDD.

The system also comes standard with a DVD writer, GeForce G210M integrated chipset and 3D and HD Video decoding.

Pre-orders are now being taken starting at $1300 for the base unit and an expected late November ship date.

According to Electronista other higher end models will also be available with features that include:

Up to a 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad, 6GB of RAM, 1TB of disk space, a Blu-ray drive and a GeForce GT 240M to better decode HD video.

The entire Vaio L series should arrive at the same time in November.

Retailers slashing price of PSP Go in UK … a week after launch

Chris Greenhough — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:30:32 +0000

Sony’s PSP Go hardware hit stores on October 1st. Only one week on, and a number of major UK retailers have initiated a price cut.

Amazon UK, Game, Gamestation, and HMV have all dropped the launch price of £224.99 to £199.99, a worrying sign for Sony’s updated, UMD-less handheld. As if this wasn’t already a clue, UK online retailer ShopTo has revealed to 1UP that opening week sales have been slow.

Not all retailers have followed suit yet – Zavvi and Tesco.com, for instance, have maintained the original price. However, with major competitors already taking scissors to the £224.99 price tag, I’d expect others to follow soon.

The relationship between PSP Go and retailers has been uneasy so far, with many stores criticizing the handheld’s lack of a disk drive, and some even refusing to stock the hardware. Because all PSP Go games are digital downloads, retailers are set to lose out on revenue from software, where fatter profit margins usually lie.

[Via GameSpot]

Sony Offers “Pink Bundles” To Support Breast Cancer Awareness

James Allen Johnson — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:56:02 +0000

It’s Breast Cancer Awareness month once again, a time when electronics firms start pushing their pink colored gadgets onto consumers in an attempt to turn a profit and give some of that money back to Breast Cancer Programs.

Among those companies is Sony who is offering their own “Pink Bundle” packages to support the cause. Under Sony’s current offering there are two packages.

The first setup features a pink Sony Vaio W with a matching mouse and carrying case.

While the second bundle features the Sony “Rose” Reader Pocket Edition in Pink with a carrying case of it’s own.

Sony will donate up to $110,000 from the profits generated by the sale of their bundled packages. [Sony]

Quick Reminder: PSP GO Is On Sale Today

James Allen Johnson — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:05:09 +0000

Just in case anyone has had a lapse in their memory, the PSP Go is on sale today. You can pick up the portable gaming device on store shelves nationwide (North America) for $249.99.

The Go is available in “Piano Black” and “Ceramic White.” Although given the history of PSP systems I’m sure a dozen more colors will be announced sooner rather than later.

The release also marks the first time that a portable gaming system has offered full-length portable games in an “all digital format.”

Sony using Nazis to sell PlayStation 3 [UPDATE]

Chris Greenhough — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:59:26 +0000

[Update: Seems this wasn't actually sanctioned by Sony, after all. A sheepish BBDO has admitted that it sent the advert - a "mock campaign" - to festivals without Sony's permission. Read more here.]

Sony has never been too shy about pushing controversial ad campaigns for its consoles, and I guess this could safely be called controversial.

Over in Chile, the company has hired ad agency BBDO to produce PS3 adverts featuring … World War II Afrikakorps General and famous Nazi Erwin Rommel. Because that’ll work out well, right?

The advert depicts a prone Rommel lying on a bed (with a swastika on its frame) and receiving a blood transfusion from a modern generic gamer. The point presumably being: PS3 brings history to life! Or Sony wants to revive Nazism. I can’t work out which. Either way: shit hitting fan in three, two …

On a less unsavoury note, an accompanying ad shows another gamer giving a heart transplant to the teenage French Catholic saint Joan of Arc. I have a feeling that one will be ignored when the furore kicks up, so here it is while it’s fresh in our minds:

[Copyranter, via Engadget]

Sony reveals release date and compatible games for PS3 motion controller

Chris Greenhough — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:13:34 +0000

When Sony first revealed its PS3 motion controller in May, details were notably sparse.

Four months on, and they’ve finally settled on a release date of Spring 2010, and published a list of compatible games for the vaguely sex toy-esque device. Here’s what we’ll be flailing to (it’s nothing like Nintendo’s Wiimote, HONEST):

Ape Escape (Working Title)
Echochrome 2 (Working Title)
Eccentric Slider (Working Title)
Sing and Draw (Working Title)
Champions of Time (Working Title)
Motion Party (Working Title)
Shoot (Working Title)
Tower (Working Title)
PAIN *
Flower *
Hustle Kings *
High Velocity Bowling *
EyePet *

Nice to see Echochrome 2 there (sequel to what I thought was an excellent little puzzler), but what’s most interesting about this list are the bottom five titles. If you didn’t already know, PAIN, Flower, Hustle Kings, High Velocity Bowling, and EyePet are already released, and will have a motion control function added to them via a PlayStation Network update.

The official PlayStation blog also reports that demonstrations of LittleBigPlanet and Resident Evil 5 using the controller were shown at the Tokyo Game Show. Looks like Sony may be adding post-release motion control patches to more games than the official press release suggests!

[Via press release]

God of War III demo included in God of War Collection

Chris Greenhough — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 05:25:06 +0000

God of War Collection on the PS3 will feature remastered versions of both God of War and God of War II on a single Blu-ray disc, complete with significantly sharper graphics.

That opening sentence alone is an excellent reason to pick this compilation up when it launches in November, but here’s another sweetener: a fully playable God of War III demo will also be included.

According to the U.S. PlayStation blog, God of War Collection will ship with a voucher code that can be redeemed on the PlayStation Network, giving you a chance to try Kratos’ latest adventure, five months before its March 2010 release date. Sexy.

The demo in question was first shown at E3 2009 in May, so if you missed that, then scope out the rather gorgeous footage below (skip to 1:10 to go straight to the game):

[Via PlayStation Blog]

BBC broadcasts ‘PS3 failure’ report, Sony not happy

Chris Greenhough — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:08:37 +0000

Tonight’s edition of the BBC’s Watchdog program has aired a report on the PlayStation 3’s alleged lack of reliability. Watchdog apparently received 155 complaints from viewers about the console, leading to tonight’s investigation into the so-called “yellow light of death.”

News of the impending broadcast came out earlier today, prompting Sony to release an impassioned press release, denying Watchdog’s claims that Sony “refuses to fix” consoles that suffer from the dreaded yellow light. In a lengthy retort (the full version of which can be read here), Sony UK boss Ray Maguire harrumphed:

“From the correspondence to date, I have serious concerns as to the accuracy of these allegations and the likely tone of the Watchdog report. [...] The information that you have provided suggests a fundamental misunderstanding of the technical issues and a mis-characterisation of SCEUK’s Out of Warranty repairs policy.”

Well, the program aired just a couple of hours ago (those in the UK can view the full programme here), and while Sony has yet to respond, its earlier statement contained an ominous message for the BBC:

“If the report is broadcast in what appears to be its current form, SCEUK will scrutinise its accuracy and will take all necessary steps to protect its reputation and that of the PS3.”

Having seen the show myself, I’d suggest Sony actually has a case here. The Watchdog report lacked credibility in my view, drawing conclusions based on very small samples of users.

Furthermore, a stunt on the show (in which Watchdog offered to repair PS3s for free outside Sony’s HQ, to show up Sony charging £128 per repair) backfired spectacularly, with four of the eleven systems no longer working after Watchdog’s technicians had fiddled with them. Oops. I can hear Sony’s lawyers cracking their knuckles from here.

[Via GamesIndustry.biz]