Sony built a modern e-reader before Amazon and Barnes & Noble did. But it’s been slow to bring its e-book store to devices other than its own hardware. That should change next month: The company says it’s going to release iPhone and Android e-reading programs.
Tag Archives | Sony
PS3 Gets Into Streaming Video With Vudu
Microsoft and Sony are in the midst of a video feature war on their respective game consoles. The Xbox 360 was first to get Netflix streaming. The Playstation 3 followed, and now includes access to Hulu Plus as well. Sony got into live sports with baseball and hockey. Microsoft tacked on ESPN3. The Xbox 360 got streaming video on demand from the Zune Marketplace, and now, Vudu is doing the same for the PS3.
On November 23, Vudu will be available as a free app from the Playstation Network. The service has over 4,000 HD movies for rent or purchase, streamed instantly, including its own HDX format for 1080p video. The PS3 app will support Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound, and owners of the Playstation Move motion controller can use it as a pointer for Vudu’s interface. Rentals on Vudu cost between $1 (for some standard-def movies) and $6, and purchases cost $5 to $25.
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3D Will be Ubiquitous at CES, But Will It be Good?
If you head to CES in January, make sure you pack your Emetrol along with the rest of the first-aid kit. You’ll be walking through miles of aisles of 3D TVs, PCs, and other gizmos, and it’s not likely you’ll be wearing your 3D glasses. Life is about to look very out of focus.
Still, like any nascent technology, 3D has its rightful place amongst competitors in our Last Gadget Standing contest. 3D TVs and monitors, profilic as they are, don’t fit in your hand, so we’re not including them in this year’s LGS.
One big topic among our LGS judges is 3D eyewear. What happens when you invite the gang over to watch the big game? Bring your own glasses? Compatibility issues? One-size-fits-all issues? There’s enthusiasm for universal glasses that cross brand lines and work with all 3D systems.
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320 GB Playstation 3 is the Classic Upsell
Sony’s getting creative with its Playstation 3 bundles, adding a 320 GB console for $350.
That’s $50 less than a console with the same size hard drive and the Playstation Move starter kit, which includes the camera, the motion controller wand and Sports Champions. It’s $50 more than Sony’s basic PS3 with 160 GB hard drive.
I’ve read the opinion that the $350 price point shows Sony’s willingness to subsidize the Playstation Move. On its own, the Move starter kit costs $100, so in essence, Sony is cutting the Move price in half when bundled with a $400 console. I think of it in a different, admittedly unsubstantiated way: Sony’s putting out the sans Move bundle mainly to lure people towards its new motion controller.
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Sony Stops Making Cassette Walkmen
The original iconic Walkman–the one that took cassette tapes–is no more. (Actually, it sounds like it’s not completely dead: Sony is ending production, but subcontractors will apparently still make Sony-branded tape Walkmen for sale in some countries.) I never owned one myself–back when they were hip, I couldn’t afford much more than the cheapest Sanyo–but five years ago, I was one of the blue-ribbon panel that named the Walkman as the single greatest gadget of all time. Still seems like a good call.
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PSP Go Gets Price Cut, Still Pricey
A year after launching the ambitious but unsuccessful PSP Go, Sony has offered a price cut for the handheld gaming device.
The PSP Go now costs $200 instead of $250. That’s still $30 more expensive than the PSP-3000, which could probably use a price cut itself. Given the price of Sony Memory Sticks, the PSP Go no longer seems like a raw deal, but it’s still a tough sell compared to the $150 Nintendo DSi, or even the $229 iPod Touch.
The PSP Go is Sony’s attempt to get away from packaged media, thereby beating the used game market and piracy. Of course, those goals have nothing to do with what consumers want, and the Go’s perks over the PSP-3000 — a smaller, lighter build and and 16 GB of built-in memory — previously weren’t enough to justify a much higher price tag, lack of support for the physical UMD format and smaller downloadable game library. A $50 price cut might help.
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Innocent Mad Catz Controllers Killed in PS3 Counterfeit Crackdown
A recent Playstation 3 firmware update has blocked knock-off Playstation 3 controllers, but not without taking down a few legitimate third-party controllers from Mad Catz.
The Mad Catz controllers that no longer work with the Playstation 3’s latest firmware are the 2008 Wireless PS3 GamePad, 2008 Wired PS3 GamePad and PS3 Wireless MicroCon. Mad Catz will replace the controllers if they’re within the standard warranty of five years, GamesIndustry.biz reports, so anyone who acts before 2012 should be fine.
Why Sony is cracking down on counterfeit Playstation 3 controllers now is unclear. Sony’s official line is that fake controllers have been spotted in the market, and they’re prone to igniting or exploding.
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Would You Pay $30 For an At-Home, One-Time Movie?
Bloomberg’s Ronald Grover and Kelly Riddell are reporting that Sony, Warner Bros., and Disney are exploring the idea of letting consumers watch movies at home, shortly after they leave theaters and before they’re available on DVD and from services such as iTunes, Amazon Video on Demand, and CinemaNow. The movies might be available via cable companies and/or on game consoles, and the price the Bloomberg story mentions is “as much as $30.”
That sounds like a boatload of money given that you can rent Avatar for $3.99 or buy it for $14.99 right now. I suppose that the studios hope that folks will compare the $30 price to the cost and effort involved in hauling a family of three, four, or more down to a theater and paying for tickets, popcorn, and drinks.
And…well, $30 still sounds like a lot for a movie you can watch only at home, and only once. $15 might be more in my personal ballpark.
Your take, please:
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PS3 Plays 3D Blu-ray Movies
Good news for folks who aren’t completely jaded with 3D TV: Sony’s Playstation 3 is a 3D Blu-ray movie player as of today’s firmware update. Now, if only you could find some movies that aren’t exclusively tied to new television purchases.
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Surprise! Playstation Move is Out Today
It’s not uncommon for game retailers to get new products a day or two early and keep them stored away until launch. That makes Sony’s approach with the Playstation Move motion controller all the more refreshing.
With retailers getting the Move ahead of the official September 19 launch date, Sony gave the green light to start sales today. This may not make for the cleanest launch — Sony spokesman Al De Leon told MSNBC that the Move should be in stock at retailers nationwide, “for the most part” — but at least people who are anxious to get a Move can spend the whole weekend with it.