The PAX (Penny Arcade Expo) Prime 2013 video game trade show kicks off at Seattle’s Washington State Convention Center this weekend, with all the big names in gaming (yes, even Nintendo!) turning up to flaunt their wares and give gamers the chance to play upcoming titles as well as get some hands-on time with their newest hardware. Sony, however, appears to be taking this opportunity to throw its weight around and recently published the absolutely enormous list of games they’re taking to the show, which goes some way to explaining why the company is commandeering most of the south-west corner of the show floor.
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Xbox One or PS4? That’s the question that’s been on a lot of people’s minds, inspiring long-winded debates between diehard console fans. Microsoft took the lead, announcing (arguably) too much information, causing the minds of long-time Xbox fans to simultaneously explode and forcing the tech giant to rethink its strategy for the next generation console. Sony, realizing Microsoft’s blunder, has been keeping their cards close to their chest, letting Microsoft reveal aspects of their console first…that is until now. In a press conference held at Gamescom 2013 in Cologne, Germany, Sony officially announced the release date of the PlayStation 4 console for the US and international markets.
We’re already thoroughly excited about the launch of Sony’s newest home console, the PlayStation 4, but news reaching us today suggesting that the Japanese electronics giant has yet another trick up its sleeve has set us buzzing anew.
Since the PS4’s grand unveiling earlier this year, Sony has been keen to push the fact that the console will be fully integrated with its portable platform, PlayStation Vita, ensuring that all developers make their PS4 games fully playable remotely via Vita. It would seem, though, that rather than just a cool extra feature, Sony is planning to make PS4/Vita crossplay a cornerstone of the PS4 experience, with industry sources suggesting that a special PS4/Vita bundle will be made available for US$500 by the end of the year.
Withdrawing its previous objection, Sony Corporation has agreed to pay a civil fine of 37.5 million yen (about US$375,000) to British authorities after the 2011 security breach of its online gaming network resulted in the leakage of millions of users’ personal information.
They may be a little cumbersome compared to the average mobile, but ultra-large smart phones — or ‘phablets’ as many are calling them — are most definitely on the rise in Asia, whether trendsetter Apple is on board or not. Samsung’s stylus-toting Galaxy Note II has already become a firm favourite with those who require a device offering greater ease of use than a regular smart phone but with more portability than a tablet, and competitors from Huawei and Asus aren’t far behind. And now it looks like Sony is set to come out all guns blazing with its giant Xperia Z Ultra, the latest in the Japanese electronics giant’s line of mobile devices and its first foray into the phablet scene. Oh and did we mention that it’s completely waterproof?
A few days ago, tech news site CNET got hold of some new info about Sony’s next-generation smart watches. The expected upgrades to the nifty gadget include a bigger display, and added compatibility so that it’s easier for your watch to talk to your phone. Read on for more details!
This week at E3, Sony unveiled the design and retail price of the new PlayStation 4, but is still keeping us in the dark over expected release dates. However, an industry insider claims to have the lowdown on when we can expect the highly anticipated console to hit the shelves.
Jack Tretton, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America, thrilled gamers today when he declared that the company will not impose any restrictions whatsoever on used games. Suffice it to say, the crowd at E3 went wild.
Seconds after the announcement had been made, a video appeared on Sony’s YouTube channel that simultaneously shows how easy it is to trade games with friends while poking fun at competitor Microsoft. Check it out after the break.
It’s the moment millions of fans have been waiting for ever since Sony first announced that its new console would be in our hands by the end of 2013: the PlayStation 4 has finally been revealed for the world to see!
And it looks…
A telltale sign in a promotional video for Sony’s PlayStation 4 controller has led video game fans to believe that the camera peripheral for the company’s upcoming console will be sold separately from the PlayStation 4 itself, contrary to initial expectations.
While this may seem like little more than a minor inconvenience at first, if found to be true the rumour may point to a key difference between Sony and Microsoft’s console strategies, as well as potentially having ramifications for how developers approach either platform.
With kids wanting to get their hands on tablets and smartphones rather than tops and jack-in-the-boxes, traditional toy makers are beginning to feel the heat. Although, it’s hard to imagine a perennial favorite like Lego go under, they aren’t taking any chances as indicated by a display at Sony Computer Science Labs in Tokyo during a recent open house.
The building block maker is partnering with the tech giant to implant some video game magic such as AI and DualShock control into their timeless colored cubes. But that’s not all. Sony Computer Science Labs are cooking up some wild stuff for the young and young at heart.
On May 1, market researcher Risk Monster released the results of its first ever “Companies the Japanese Can be Globally Proud Of” survey. Conducted February 25 to 27, the survey received valid responses from 1,000 men and women between the ages of 20 and 69. A total of 200 companies with annual sales of at least 250 billion yen and a minimum of 5,000 employees were targeted by the survey.
Coming in at number one was…
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And here we were feeling smug about our regular fibre optic Internet connection…
Sony Corporation announced yesterday that its own Internet service provider So-net Entertainment has launched what is thought to be the world’s fastest Internet connection for home use, with download speeds clocking in at a massive 2 Gbps, on average twice as fast as competing high-speed fibre connections in Japan.
Hashima Island, better known as Gunkanjima (lit. Battleship Island) due to its warship-like silhouette, is a small island off the coast of Nagasaki with a remarkable history. Owned by Mitsubishi as a coal mining facility from 1887 to 1974, this was once the most densely populated place on the planet, with more than 5,000 inhabitants crammed into its 6 square-kilometre dimensions. Now, the place is deserted and all that’s left of the once-bustling metropolis is an eerie landscape of crumbling, grey buildings.
When the Bond villain Raoul Silva chose the island as his secret lair in the latest 007 movie Skyfall, Gunkanjima received worldwide attention. But did Bond’s nemesis know that the island is home to Japan’s first-ever multi-storey concrete reinforced apartment block? We visited the island and checked out areas off-limits to the public to find out more about what makes this the perfect villain’s lair. Take the full virtual tour and see our photos after the jump.
GIFU PREFECTURE — With the shuttering of a factory belonging to a Sony subsidiary in Minokamo City at the end of this month, it became clear on the 27th that more than 1,000 people stood to be out of work on April 1 due to the closure.
The world may well be completely besotted with iPhones and Samsung-made Android devices right now, but Sony isn’t prepared to take a back seat and watch its profits and reputation go down the U-bend. In a recent conference, head of Sony Mobile Kunimasa Suzuki pledged to step up and reclaim ground lost in recent years. Rather than making unrealistic promises and declaring out-and-out war on the iPhone, however, the Japanese tech giant is keeping things realistic and is aiming at third place in the world’s mobile market.
Just a couple of hours ago, Sony Computer Entertainment began streaming its worldwide presentation being held in New York. In it, the console giant invited dozens of acclaimed game developers to give us brief glimpses of their upcoming titles and to discuss the ethos behind the new console.
Curiously, the company did not give attendees and viewers at home a peek at the console itself – something that we’re sure will disappoint many fans – but in many respects, perhaps this is in line with Sony’s new mission statement as the company focuses less on physical hardware and more on the online interactive experience as a whole. With streaming, remote play and even the ability to watch and remotely operate a pal’s game from thousands of miles away, Sony is promising gamers “the fastest, most powerful network in the world,” and aims to bring gaming and social networks together in a big way.
Despite Sony Computer Entertainment’s head honcho Kazuo Hirai going on record just 10 days ago to state that he thinks it better to let competitors make the first move when it comes to releasing details of new consoles, a sudden official announcement from Sony earlier today has whipped gamers and tech fans alike into a frenzy.
Although the electronics giant’s video, simply titled “PlayStation 2013”, does not show any actual hardware footage or make any promises, it looks a lot like a teaser for a big forthcoming announcement if you ask us.
Ah, the video game rumour mill! There’s none better when it comes to excited fans and the thirst for knowledge.
With the current generation of consoles now starting to show their age and high-end PC users increasingly looking back as if to say “What the hell are you guys still doing back there?” news and rumour of the next wave of video game consoles is slowly heating up. While some gaming pundits maintain that we’re still years away from getting new Sony and Microsoft toys, others are, with a healthy dollop of optimism, hoping to see next-gen console gaming before the end of 2014.
While there are still next to no confirmed crumbs of information about the next crop of machines for gamers to stuff into their hungry mouths, Sony Corporation’s president and CEO Kazuo Hirai went on record yesterday to speak about the launch of the company’s new technology, hinting that gamers may have to wait until after Microsoft makes its move for details of the next Playstation.
An Internet survey asking Japanese men and women aged 20 to 39 which company they would like a potential marriage partner to work for ranked Nintendo number one.
The survey, conducted November 28 and 29, 2012, received 500 valid responses. Filling out the top five were All Nippon Airways (ANA), Tanita (electronic scales), Google and Apple. Reasons given for choices were wide-ranging including, “It’s a hot company,” and “My partner is unlikely to gain a middle-aged bulge (working there).”
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