Archive for the ‘Playstation 3’ tag

Sony at E3; Playstation Network, XMB and PSP rumours

What will Sony unveil at E3 2010?

E3 is currently just under a month away and as per usual the gaming press is surmising what each of the major games companies will bring to the event. This rumour mill starts up at this time each and every year with journalists theorising what the Sony Playstation bigwigs and developers will be able to deliver for 2010 and 2011. Here at Sony insights we felt that a quick round up of the latest Playstation gossip would whet your appetites for the main event in a month’s time.

First are the rumours surrounding the release of a true second generation Playstation Portable system. Maybe Sony feel that the PSP Go has gone and that a new iteration of the device is required. If the rumours are to be believed, then the Sony PSP2 will have not only a touch screen but two cameras on the front and rear of the device, 3G capabilities and a stupendously powerful 4 core cell processor. Whether these features are correct will have to be confirmed but if production timeframes are taken into account then it is more likely we will see this device at the Tokyo Games Conference ( a theory added credence by the fact that as of yet this geographical area represents the largest market for Sony’s portable device.) Read the rest of this entry »

Sony Playstation to receive Blinkbox film streaming

Blinkbox on the PS3

It has been announced that the television and film streaming service Blinkbox will soon be coming to the Sony Playstation 3. The Blinkbox service has been working on a version of the site that will work with the PS3 internet browser. In addition to adapting the service for PS3 users the company has also optimised the control system so that it works fully with the Playstation’s controller.

According to reports the service will offer both television programmes and the latest chart films. TV will start at around thirty nine pence whilst films will be available to rent from ninety nine pence and to buy from two pounds ninety nine. Not all the content however will be paid as a number of “ad-supported titles” will also be available to Sony Playstation users. Read the rest of this entry »

PS3 now bigger than God? Well Zeus at least

God of War 3!

2010 is proving to be a strong year for Playstation 3 exclusives with the latest release, God of War III taking top spot in the UK’s gaming charts. This top spot is across all platforms and if rumours are to be believed is helping to shift a large number of PS3 consoles worldwide. Sony has been stating for some time that gamers should be excited by the great games hitting the PS3 this year and March has certainly been a bumper for PS3 owners, with Final Fantasy XIII, Heavy Rain, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and now the impressive God of War III. Heavy Rain and God of War III now make it two number 1 spots in the UK charts for Sony exclusive titles.

God of War’s main protagonist, for those that have not played any of the games in the series, is Kratos, a Spartan warrior involved in a bitter battle for revenge with the Gods of Mount Olympus after Zeus demoted him from the position of God of War. The sheer scale of the game has to be one of its strongest elements although for many the jaw dropping aesthetics and simply the chance to become a true Spartan and take on all that Greek mythology can muster has to be a major draw. Read the rest of this entry »

Move over Wii, The Sony Playstation Move has Arrived

Sony Playstation Move Logo

After so much rumour and speculation Sony have finally unveiled their motion controller, named the Playstation Move. Before the event at GDC 2010 many industry commentators had believed that the device would be called the Arc, these beliefs turned out to be wrong however as Sony spokespersons gave the official name as the Move.

The Playstation Move will hit the shops later this year and will be available in a range of different bundle options. Customers that already own a PS3 and Playstation Eye will be able to buy the Move as a sole peripheral to complement their existing set up. Customers will also be able to buy the entire package of a Move and Eye with a game and finally a bundle with a PS3 console and all the peripherals will be available. According to reports the Playstation Eye, Move and game package will sell for under $100 (£66). Read the rest of this entry »

Sony Playstation at GDC 2010: What we can expect

GDC 2010

This week sees the annual Games Developers Conference (GDC 2010) and all eyes on Sony ahead of the event despite the fact that they are not providing a keynote speech. The reason behind this intense interest in Sony is predominantly down to some of the rumours that are currently circulating in online and traditional media.

One of these rumours, now well established is that Sony is to announce the official name for the Sony Motion Controller that has been dubbed the ‘Playstation Arc’. This name has not simply been plucked from thin air however; industry commentators have taken everything from the acquisition of the PlaystationArc.com domain by Sony, the filing of a trademark for the name within Japan and even comments by Sony employees and external agencies who are now referring to the motion controller as the ‘Arc’. Sony are to hold a talk at the GDC titled “Introducing the Playstation 3 Motion Controller”, hopefully providing a real insight into how this new device will operate with the system and within games. Read the rest of this entry »

Sony Playstation Network and PS3 Consoles Working Again

Fire up COD again, PS3 is back online!

After the panic that spread throughout the gaming world yesterday; the result of the old “fat” PS3 consoles seemingly being crippled by a clock and date malfunction with the error  code 8001050F, it now seems that Sony Playstation have now fixed the problem according to a statement on the US Playstation Blog.

After warnings from Sony that PS3 owners should not use their consoles yesterday the all clear has now been given. The statement on the Playstation Blog announces that “[Sony] are aware that the internal clock functionality in the PS3 [older units] recognized the year 2010 as a leap year”. The problem seemed to occur due to the switch between February 29^th and March 1^st with the internal clock failing to carry out the date change successfully. This confirmed many theories that were espoused yesterday by industry commentators and gamers alike that the bug was a Y2K+10 issue and that because of the incorrect date on PS3 consoles they were unable to connect with the PSN servers. Read the rest of this entry »

Sony Playstation (PS3) Error; Possible Solutions to the Bug

Solutions to the PS3 Error

The wires are alive with news that the Sony Playstation Network has experienced a major error. The problem however seems to go further, with owners of the older PS3 (the larger, glossier version of the device) experiencing problems with not only accessing the PSN but also playing titles offline that use the trophy system. Reports also suggest that the error is also affecting purchases from the Playstation Network such as premium themes and downloaded games. The current error code is PSN 8001050F.

The advice at the moment is to leave your PS3 switched off until Sony has found a solution to the problem.

The cause of this malfunction is currently being debated across the entire internet; the general consensus is that the older versions of the PS3 have experienced a problem with the date. Specifically, the device, which has a hardware clock believes there to be a February 29^th this year and is experiencing problems when trying to rectify the issue internally. This Y2K+10 problem is believed by many to have led to the aforementioned issues. Read the rest of this entry »

3D Blu ray on Sony PS3 without HDMI 1.4: It’s Possible

3D Blu-ray over HDMI 1.3?

With the many rumours and stories circulating the media of 3D TV and Blu ray players capable of 3D playback it seems that Sony have not forgotten the millions of PS3 owners out there. Earlier in the year it was announced that in the coming months PS3 owners could have a 3D capable Playstation by the way of a firmware upgrade.

This however led to some confusion amongst owners and industry commentators as it was highlighted that without a HDMI 1.4 connection, 3D Blu ray would be impossible as no update to a Sony Playstation’s software would change the physical makeup of the device. Gizmodo however have reported that this may not exactly be the case, arguing that a loophole is clearly possible. Read the rest of this entry »

A Universal Controller Patented by Sony Playstation

A rudimentary impression of the Universal Controller

According to reports, Sony Computer Entertainment, the business in charge of Playstation has filed a patent for a universal computer games console; the patented device could lead to an end of cluttered living rooms, filled with controllers for each of the major games consoles.

For many years now universal remote controls for televisions and peripherals have been commonplace, it seems that Sony may now enter the console accessories market in a big way, with a controller that can be used for a variety of different consoles.

The patent, published on the 18^th of February provides an idea of how this universal controller may take shape. A touch screen LCD display will be the main interface, changing to match the layout and attributes of the controller being emulated. So far the patent states that the Sony universal controller will be compatible with Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Nintendo’s Wii and the Playstation 3 as well as older devices such as the Atari Jaguar. One of the key reasons for this backwards compatibility is that the device can be used when “an older controller may no longer be available.”

Whilst no official announcement has been made, industry commentators are expecting to see the device in the near future, although how near an actual product release is remains a matter of conjecture. A statement regarding the product is likely to be made in the coming months.

Sony PS3 Motion Controller Announcement due at GDC

the Sony Playstation 3 Motion Controller

Rumours about the Sony motion controller have been rife for some time. Since the launch of the ‘unnamed’ product at last year’s E3 show, gamers have been eagerly awaiting this accoutrement to their Playstation 3 consoles. Recently a name has even been thrown up, the result of Sony purchasing the internet domain PlaystationArc.com. Some of the rumour however may be settled next month as Sony Playstation has announced a special panel at this year’s GDC (Game Developer’s Conference).

It is likely that this panel will provide game developers and the world’s media with some updated information on the Sony Motion Controller. Whether an official name will be provided is still a matter of conjecture but it is likely that we will see new software for the device as well as ways in which it can be integrated by game developers in new titles. Read the rest of this entry »

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