Technologizer

No Netflix for Xbox Live-Averse

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The Playstation 3’s upcoming support for Netflix isn’t enough to shake Microsoft, which will still require an Xbox Live Gold subscription to stream Netflix movies through the console. IGN confirmed that Microsoft won’t offer Netflix streaming to users of the free Xbox Live Silver service, a bare-bones offering that doesn’t include online play, among other features. [...]

Playstation 3 Gets Netflix. What About the Wii?

Monday, October 26, 2009

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Starting next month, the Playstation 3 will be able to stream Netflix Instant Watch movies, and just like that, the Xbox 360 and Netflix are no longer an exclusive couple. But does this open relationship signal a similar offering for Nintendo’s Wii? Doubtful, for now at least. The details thus far: PS3 owners will be able [...]

Note to Rude Gamers: You Don’t Have the Right

Friday, October 2, 2009

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I got a chuckle today reading about the failed lawsuit of Playstation 3 owner Erik Estavillo, who tried to sue Sony after getting banned from the Playstation Network for bad behavior. If you’ve ever played a competitive online game, you know the type: Loud-mouthed, cussing, insulting, maybe even racist, sexist or homophobic. It’s not clear which [...]

Sony Stumbles With Blu-ray to PSP Copy

Thursday, October 1, 2009

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Starting in November, Sony will revert to its old, closed-system ways by packing a PSP-ready digital copy on its Blu-ray discs. The reasoning is obvious: If you’re an owner of one device, you’ve got a reason to pick up the other. Why buy an iPod for video when the PSP gives you a chunk of your [...]

Gaming in Theaters Sounds Cool, Won’t Be Easy

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

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As a gamer, I’m enamored with the idea of playing a shoot-em-up on a 50-foot screen, surrounded by Dolby audio. And I can’t be the only one. Unfortunately, these incidents are rare, but on Monday and Tuesday, the stars will align, and Sony will let people in four U.S. theaters try the upcoming (and universally lauded) [...]

Wii Price Drops, Sony and Microsoft Beat Chests

Thursday, September 24, 2009

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Nintendo finally responded to the pressure from Sony and Microsoft, cutting the Wii’s price to $200, effective this Sunday. There were plenty of warning signs – store circulars, retailer’s internal e-mails, and plain old common sense — but now it’s official. I’ve said my piece about the Wii’s holiday prospects, but I had to chuckle today at [...]

The Video Game Bundle Wars of 2009

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

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Evidence that the Wii will become a $200 console is piling up, with the latest rumor coming from Best Buy management. Engadget scored a screen grab of a company letter, warning that the price drop will happen on Sunday, following an official announcement this Friday. Alongside price cuts for the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360 [...]

Calling It: 2009 is the Year of the Playstation 3

Friday, September 11, 2009

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Even with the reduced-price PS3 Slim arriving at the tail end of August, Sony’s console gained considerable ground on the Xbox 360 and the Wii according to the NPD Group, coming in just behind the former by 5,400 sales, and the latter by 67,400 sales. Indeed, the stage is set for the PS3 to top both [...]

RROD Explained: You Play Too Much

Monday, August 31, 2009

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Microsoft’s never been particularly forthcoming about the Xbox 360’s hardware issues. The company said earlier this year that the worst troubles are behind us, only to see new problems spring up. We’ve never heard an official failure rate (estimates vary, wildly), and after all this time, there’s no way to tell whether a working console [...]

Keep Your Old PS3, and Best Buy May Reward You

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

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With every upgraded product launch, this is bound to happen: A few unlucky and ill-informed customers buy the old product, just before the upgrade is revealed and released. They complain, hoping to exchange their outdated product for the latest one. If this happened to you with the Playstation 3 Slim (unlikely if you’re a regular around [...]

Five Questions About the PS3 Slim

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

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I’m taking a page from Harry here, as I know he likes prodding on upcoming products when their makers intentionally ignore salient questions. With Sony finally revealing a 36 percent lighter, 33 percent smaller, 40 GB roomier and $100 cheaper Playstation 3 today, I’m left with a few queries of my own. What will become of [...]

GamesCom, Where All Your Console Rumors Come True

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

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So, E3 didn’t really pan out as the place to announce price cuts for video game consoles. The rumored PS3 Slim/$100 price cut remains a rumor, and the Xbox 360 is holding steady at $200 for the Arcade model, $300 for the Pro and $400 for the Elite. Things will reportedly change at GamesCom, a conference [...]

Playstation 3 Now 70% Cheaper … To Build.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

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Here’s a tidbit from Sony’s recent investor conference call that everyone but TotalVideoGames apparently missed: The Playstation 3 is roughly 70 percent cheaper to build than it was at launch. This is according to Nobuyuki Oneda, Sony’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, who provided the figure when pressed by investors. More than any of the [...]

The Xbox 360’s 3-Disc Dilemma

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

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Sony likes to boast that it’s selling “future technology” in the Playstation 3, but let’s be honest, most games hardly show it. An exception could come from Doom 4, a distant release that will apparently take full advantage of the PS3’s Blu-ray discs. In a Game Informer interview (via VG247), id Software’s John Carmack said the [...]

Bravia Gets Netflix. What About Playstation 3?

Thursday, July 9, 2009

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Thanks to a partnership with Netflix, Sony Electronics’ Internet-capable Bravia televisions will be able to stream Netflix movies starting this fall. That’s great news for Bravia owners, but I want to know whether Sony ever intends to bring Netflix to the Playstation 3. The odds of finding out for sure are admittedly slim, so let’s take [...]

PS3 Gets a Joost Player, With Crippled Content Of Course

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

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I’m getting used to the idea that when an online video portal creates a TV-optimized viewing experience, it won’t let people watch any of the content they actually care about. Such is the case with Joost’s new video player, designed with the Playstation 3’s Web browser in mind. While it’s good for watching music videos and [...]