04/03, 3:15pm
Sony gets Amazon Instant Video, Prime apps
The teased new video service from just yesterday for the PlayStation 3 has turned out to be access to Amazon's Instant Video service. US PS3 owners will also get access to Prime Instant Video if they are subscribers. The former gives anyone access to about 120,000 à la carte-priced movies and shows, while the latter offers those who pay the $79 annual subscription fee unlimited access to 17,000 movies and shows.
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02/28, 2:55pm
Job ad hints DirectX 11 coming to next Xbox, PS4
Games developer Bethesda, which created Skyrim, is looking to hire a "Future Generation Console Programmer," according to a job posting. The description suggests the ideal candidate will have DirectX 11 experience, suggesting either Sony, Microsoft, or both will support the add-on in their next home gaming consoles. The company is also seeking programmers with experience on the Xbox 360 and PS3 platforms.
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10/03, 4:55pm
Early 2012 PS3 update to allow 4K still output
In a runaround way, Sony Japan revealed it will allow the PS3 to display 4K resolution photos thanks to an upcoming firmware update. The introduction of the company's VPL-VW1000ES 4K projector at CEATEC in Japan also contained mention of the PS3 update due at the start of 2012. It will allow the games console to natively output 4096x2160-resolution still images.
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07/13, 8:15pm
Drive designed for Bravia TVs, Handycam, etc.
Sony has introduced its first external hard drive, the HD-PG5. Although the drive works as a general USB-attached storage device, it also provides a number of features specific to Sony's range of devices. Users can record HD video directly from their Bravia TV, transfer video files directly from a Handycam camcorder without using a PC, or play videos and photos through a PlayStation 3 console.
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06/17, 10:05am
Redbox video game rentals for $2 arrive June 17
Redbox has made good on its promise to bring $2 video game rentals to its self-service kiosks by announcing the service will kick off on Friday, June 17. Game rentals will be available at all 21,000 Redbox locations and include popular and fairly new gaming titles for the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3 consoles. Some of the newer available titles include LA Noire,Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game, Infamous 2 and Brink.
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04/15, 7:20am
50 million PS3s sold, plus 8 million Move
Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) today announced that the cumulative sales of its PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system has reached a milestone of 50 million units sold worldwide, as of March 29. SCE also announced that sales of the PlayStation Move have surpassed 8 million units worldwide as of April 3. First introduced back in November 2006, the platform now boasts 75 million registered users and tens of thousands of game, music video and movie downloads available through the Playstation Store.
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03/29, 2:10pm
Roku adds free Crackle channel to offerings
Roku this week announced it has updated its Crackle channel to bring free, ad-supported movies and TV shows. Owners of Roku's streaming players can access the channel in the Roku Channel Store. The move gives a mix both of major, usually Hollywood-made titles as well as Crackle-specific titles like Angel of Death.
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02/16, 6:55pm
Feature works via DLNA
DoubleTwist has updated its self-titled Android app with new capabilities for streaming content to game consoles. Users can now stream photos, videos and music from their Android handset to an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 over a local Wi-Fi network.
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01/27, 5:30pm
Claims some ‘updates’ are actually downgrades
The Norway Consumer Council has reportedly received numerous complaints from Playstation 3 owners unhappy with Sony’s removal of the “other OS” function in the 3.21 firmware update. As a result the Consumer Council has taken the complaints to Norway’s Consumer Ombudsman claiming that Sony has breached Norway’s Marketing Control Act. The claim argues that Sony removed a key product feature after sale. The issue only affects pre-Playstation 3 Slim models – the PS3 Slim shipped without the feature.
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01/12, 1:20am
Company asks for restraining order
Sony has already taken the first step towards a formal lawsuit against individuals and organizations involved in the recent PlayStation 3 jailbreak. The company has asked for a temporary restraining order against hacking team Fail 0verflow, George "Geohot" Hotz, and other unnamed John or Jane Does who may have been involved in creating and publicizing the exploit.
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12/23, 3:45am
LG devices next, others after January
Vudu has begun rolling out its new version 2.0 User Interface for its online streaming movie rental service. The first device to receive the update is the Sony PlayStation 3, which only a month ago began offering the Vudu service to its users. Also added to the update for PS3 users is the ability to now use the Move controller in addition to the DualShock 3 controller as a remote.
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11/25, 12:10pm
Thanksgiving day deals
Today is Thanksgiving, and that can mean only one thing (besides putting on a few extra pounds), it's deal time and most online retailers have heaping helpings of turkey-day deals. Save big at Buy.com's Thanksgiving Blowout sale on items like the Samsung 12MP point and shoot digital camera which offers a 2.7-inch LCD display, 5x optical zoom, scratch resistant lens and face detection technology. This digital camera was $109.99, but has been cut to $79.95 with FREE shipping.
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11/17, 12:00am
Video streams now accessible via PSN
Vudu has announced that its streaming movie content will now be accessible from Sony's PlayStation 3 game consoles. Beginning next week, users with PlayStation Network accounts can download the Vudu application from the media category in the PlayStation Store. The PS3 utility provides a similar interface to the Vudu app already available for supported TVs and set-top boxes.
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11/16, 1:40pm
Verbatim outs networking box for the home
Verbatim has just announced the release of its new MediaShare Mini network box for the home. The device connects to TVs and/or computers and lets users stream multimedia content, or play back local files from connected USB drives. The thumb drives also automatically connect to the network, sharing their files.
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06/30, 8:25pm
Streaming service fetches $10 per month
PlayStation 3 owners may be facing more than $10 per month to access Hulu's streaming video content from the console. Although both companies have only publicly acknowledged the Hulu Plus subscription requirement, the service appears to require a PlayStation Plus account as well.
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06/24, 9:55pm
Company said to be close to a deal
Sony is allegedly close to establishing an agreement that will bring Hulu service to the PlayStation 3, several unnamed sources have told Bloomberg. Both contacts suggest the collaboration could be formally announced as soon as next week.
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03/09, 9:15am
Seven45 to launch six-sting guitar, game
At the Gaming Developer's Conference, Seven45 Studios is showing off a guitar with six strings that functions both as a gaming controller for the game developer's Power Gig: Rise of the SixString title as well as a real electric guitar that can be plugged into an amp. The game and guitar will be sold together, and experienced guitarists will have the option of chording, which will be more challenging and actually require specific finger placement on the strings. The game will be offered for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
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03/08, 10:20pm
Adds Playstation 3 support, improvements
Unity Technologies has introduced a new version of its 3D creation tool for game developers, Unity 3.0. After announcing support for Xbox 360 last year, the company is continuing its platform expansion by adding compatibility for the iPad, Android, and Playstation 3. Other 3.0 features include improved performance for faster frame rates, enhanced rendering capabilities, additional support for Bluetooth multiplayer functionality, and faster in-game GUIs.
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03/08, 6:55pm
Platform expected to outlast the Wii by five years
Sony's PlayStation 3 is expected to sell more units than any of its competitors over the lifetime of the current product generation, according to a report issued by Strategy Analytics. Rather than comparing sales numbers immediately following the launch of new devices, the analysts have placed predictions regarding overall shipments across the lifetime of the product.
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11/16, 3:35pm
Feature tweask include smart sorting
Cynical Peak has released v2.3 of Rivet, its Mac media streaming software. The app shares music, video, photo and podcast content with consoles on a local-area network, namely the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. Material can be pulled direclty from Aperture, iPhoto or iTunes libraries, though video can only be streamed from custom folders.
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11/11, 8:20pm
Images taken directly from UK PlayStation site
Leaked screenshots show several new features expected in the upcoming PlayStation 3 firmware, including Facebook integration and the ability to change Gamercard colors, according to Scrawl. The images have allegedly been confirmed to originate from the UK PlayStation site, although they were quickly removed.
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10/29, 11:05am
Nintendo Wii rumored to get Netflix streaming
Leaked images that were not made public reveal the Nintendo Wii will soon get Netflix streaming capabilities, StreamingMedia reported on Wednesday. The source is said to be someone involved with the project, who confirms the development is already in testing stages and the arrival of the service is due fairly soon.
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09/15, 4:30pm
ViewSonic intros HDTVs, some double as monitors
TV and monitor maker ViewSonic on Tuesday introduced six new LCD HDTVs, ranging from a 20-inch set that can double as a computer monitor to a 42-inch HDTV. Starting from smallest to largest, the 20-inch VT2042 has a resolution of 1600x900, the 23-inch VT2342 gets a 1920x1080 screen while the VT2645 has 1366x768 pixels in its display.
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08/17, 9:05am
Logitech intros G27 wheel
Logitech on Monday announced the upcoming launch of its G27 Racing Wheel. Designed as a higher-end controller meant to replicate conventional cars, it replaces the sequential shifter from some previous Logitech wheels with a traditional six-speed H-pattern and a clutch pedal in the pedal box. Moreover, a new shift indicator cluster with LEDs let users know when to up- or downshift.
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07/28, 9:50pm
Sony colorful DualShock
Sony is set to release several new DualShock 3 controllers later this year, with recent images showing patriotic offerings sporting either "Metallic Blue" or "Deep Red" housing colors, according to Engadget. Other than the aesthetic changes, the controllers appear to match the current black DualShock 3 design.
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05/05, 3:25pm
Rock Band guitars outed
It's already known that The Beatles: Rock Band game and related custom controllers are due to ship on September 9th and details on the controller guitars have been recently revealed, thanks to a few product listing on retailer Gamespot's website. The Gretsch Duo-Jet and Rickenbacker 325 guitar controllers, styled after George Harrison's and John Lennon's actual respective guitars, will launch at the same time as the game itself, priced at $100 each for all three systems.
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03/18, 6:50pm
Target to get PS3 bundle
Sony will reportedly begin shipping a new PlayStation 3 bundle to Target stores starting on March 29th, set to include an 80GB console along with what are now Greatest Hits; the original MotorStorm racing game and Resistance: Fall of Man shoot 'em up. MotorStorm dates back to March of 2007 and was bundled on its own with a PS3, while Resistance is even older, having launched in November of 2006. The bundle is perceived to be a weak attempt to make the system more appealing by adding value to it, as Sony still refuses to discount, despite current economic conditions and lower-priced Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii rivals.
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01/22, 10:25am
Paintbrush, PwdGen
Prospects 1.2 ($30) is a personal finance application that allows users to manage their finances with features such as account monitoring and budgeting. This version adds scheduled transactions and reminders, account reconciling, automatic learning of rules for payees and categories, interface enhancements, the ability to navigate and edit transactions using only the keyboard, transaction filtering, and also fixes numerous bugs. [Download - 5MB]
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01/12, 3:45pm
Web Dumper, MediaLink
Sync'Em 1.2 ($50) is an application for syncing Exchange, Google and Apple contact and calendar information. The update has added extra options to the applications uninstaller which can be helpful with a later reinstall. Users will also find a few interface enhancements, a fix for a syncing issue that could cause the application to hang and a a work around for a problem with unhandled exceptions in OS X's Sync Services. [Download - 16.1MB]
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10/29, 4:45pm
Sony game sales up 10%
Sony on Wednesday announced its second-quarter fiscal results, ending on September 30, revealing an upward trend in the company's video game operations. While the giant company was down overall by 0.5 percent from the same time period in 2007, its gaming division showed a positive trend upwards. Overall sales were up by more than 10 percent and the arm's quarterly loss was halved to $379 million. The disproportionate change can be partly attributed to the decreasing costs involved in making the PlayStation 3 gaming console as production and sales volumes go up.
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10/10, 4:50pm
SCEJ intros AC Adapter
Sony on Thursday announced it will release an AC Adapter for the PlayStation 3 gaming system in Japan that allows users to charge two PS3 peripherals at the same time, including the SIXAXIS or DualShock 3 controllers, the Wireless Headset for PS3, Wireless Headset or the Sony PSP portable gaming system using a standard wall plug instead of having to rely on the PS3's USB ports.
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07/11, 6:45pm
AccuNAS AN2L enclosure
Sans Digital on Friday unveiled the AccuNAS AN2L two-bay RAID NAS enclosure, providing users with a compact storage unit that can link disks in RAID levels 0, 1, JBOD and Spanning. The box is said to share media with Mac, Windows, and Linux boxes, as well as Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Portable, or any UPnP/DLNA-based media player. Sans Digital is selling the AccuNAS AN2L for $365, available from the company's website.
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06/18, 5:00pm
Sony hints at XMB for PS3
An entry on Sony's PlayStation Blog by Eric Lempel, Director of PlayStation Netowrk Operations, today revealed the electronics giant will soon launch a couple of software updates for its PlayStation 3 gaming console. The first update, version 2.36, will reportedly fix some bugs users experienced when playing certain PlayStation titles. The one to wait for, however, is 2.40, which will bring the long-anticipated XMB in-game main menu interface, as well as a Trophies feature previously undescribed by the console maker.
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04/22, 11:30am
Sony delays Home for PS3
Sony on Tuesday announced it will once again delay the launch of its Home virtual online world for its PlayStation 3 gaming console, with the new date slated for sometime in the fall. Last September, Sony said Home will launch early in 2008. If Sony holds to the new date, this latest announcement would mean the interactive online service will arrive about a year after its intended launch date. The company did promise a limited-test service is planned to start this summer.
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04/10, 7:55pm
Sony PS3 Metal Gear bundle
Sony is offering consumers a gunmetal grey limited edition Playstation 3 console, with a matching DualShock 3 controller, bundled with Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots – Konami's latest sequel to the epic Metal Gear game series. The bundle, which has already been released and almost immediately sold out in Japan, features an 80GB hard drive for storage. Pricing and availability were not expressly mentioned, but Metal Gear Solid 4 is available on June 12th for $60.
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03/31, 5:45pm
Default Folder X
- Toast 9 Titanium 9.0.2 ($80) CD/DVD burning tool. The new release resolves a number of encoding issues related to high-definition source content and creation of Blu-ray video discs, resolves situation where high-definition DVDs would not play back on PlayStation 3 and resolves a number of TiVo related audio/video sync issues. [Download - form]
- iGlasses 2.1 ($10) adjust and manipulate your webcam's video settings from within iChat AV and many other programs, including iMovie, Photo Booth, Yahoo! Messenger, Skype and web-based chat. You can modify colors, brightness, and even pan and zoom your Mac's built-in iSight. There is also a brightness booster, image rotating, digital panning/zooming and a night vision function. New features in version 2.1 include support for seven additional applications, a digital zoom button, and numerous fixes and enhancements. [Download - 600KB]
- Studiometry 5.1 ($220) solution for companies to organize, plan, invoice, track and create with Client and Project data. Offers project summaries, customizable templates, Import/Export options, project templates, to-do suites, spec suites, file actions, contact logs, customizable ID formats, overdue invoices and to-do notices. New in Studiometry 5.1 is the ability to sync to and from iCal. Previous versions of Studiometry could post calendars to iCal, but would not receive any changes made in iCal or other programs that modified iCal items. Now, editing an item in Studiometry or iCal will immediately sync the data to the other application, and Studiometry can even receive updates to tasks and events made on a PDA or mobile phone synced with iCal. [Download - 21.7MB]
- Default Folder X 4.0.3 ($15) makes it easier for you to manage files by adding features and correcting flaws in the file dialogs of all Mac OS X applications. This release offers a new contextual menu that enables you to rename, compress, or delete files and folders directly from within Open and Save dialogs. Saving a compressed copy of a file before replacing it with a new version is now as easy as control-clicking on the old one and choosing "Create zip Archive" in the Save As dialog. Improvements have also been made in handling Finder labels and remembering the size and position of file dialogs. [Download - 8.4MB]
- Speed Download 5.0.1 ($25) download manager designed to be a unified hub for almost all downloading and file transfer activities. This new update continues to enhance and tweak the performance of Speed Download to ensure utmost reliability. Version 5.0.1 includes tons of key improvements, and is a recommended update for all Speed Download 5 users. Also added are a new 'Incomplete' option on the Filters bar and a new SD 'Dock menu' option to toggle between the info displayed on the SD icon in the dock. [Download - 7.6MB]
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02/05, 5:25pm
Yellow Dog Linux 6.0
Terra Soft today released Yellow Dog Linux 6.0 for Apple's G4 and G5 Macs, as well as the Sony Playstation 3 and IBM System p. Built on the CentOS foundation -- a popular derivative of Red Hat Enterprise Linux -- Yellow Dog Linux aims to serve as an enterprise level Linux distribution with a 'just-works' desktop experience for both PS3 and Apple PowerPC systems.
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01/21, 6:25pm
Apple's gaming lessons
Consumer-friendly design, simple operation, and putting the consumer before business are among the lessons Nintendo, Sony and other gaming companies could learn from Apple according to an editorial by GameDaily. Unlike these firms, Apple "makes customers feel that they are more important than the company's business partners," holding standard pricing for iTunes song and TV show purchases despite industry pressure. Meanwhile, Microsoft has capitulated to media producers, meaning that the Xbox Live utilizes a confusing set of prices and rules for downloading TV shows and movies.
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11/30, 1:25pm
360 sales vs. Sony flak
A considerable number of Xbox 360 consoles were sold during Thanksgiving week, Microsoft has announced. The company says that slightly more than 310,000 360s were bought during the period, which is typically devoted to sales for Christmas and Hanukkah shoppers. While this number is still less than the 350,000 Wiis quoted by Nintendo, it represents an amount greater than what Microsoft might normally sell in a month. Microsoft also says it expects to sell more games this holiday season than the figures for the Wii and PlayStation 3 combined.
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