Tribalwar

Sony launches PlayStation 'Home' Virtual Community

Submitted by: DVADER @ 10:04 AM | Thursday, December 11, 2008 | (url: http://money.cnn....)

Sony Corp.'s much delayed virtual community for owners of its PlayStation 3 game console will start worldwide Thursday, but it's unlikely to attract many newcomers to the machine, company officials said.

The free-of-charge PlayStation Home service is mainly meant to make gaming more fun for people who already own the PS3, they said.

Junji "JB" Shoda, a Sony Computer Entertainment Japan vice president, who oversees Home, said Wednesday the service isn't meant to rival virtual worlds like Linden Lab's "Second Life," which can be played on personal computers and has drawn millions of people.

Strong October NPD defies market plunge

Submitted by: DudeofDeath @ 11:34 AM | Friday, November 14, 2008 | (url: http://www.gamesp...)

US gaming industry sees 18 percent year-over-year growth to $1.31 billion; Fable II tops software, Wii retains hardware crown, while Xbox 360 outsells PS3 nearly 2 to 1.

TOP-SELLING HARDWARE - OCTOBER 2008
Wii--803,000
Nintendo DS--491,000
Xbox 360--371,000
PlayStation Portable--193,000
PlayStation 3--190,000
PlayStation 2--136,000

Blu-ray for Xbox 360 this fall?

Submitted by: KnightMare @ 07:47 AM | Friday, May 2, 2008 | (url: http://www.digiti...)

Pegatron Technology, an OEM subsidiary of Asustek Computer, has secured orders from Microsoft to assemble Xbox 360 consoles equipped with a Blu-ray Disc (BD)-ROM drive, with shipments to begin in the third quarter of 2008, according to the Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) newspaper.

Analyst: HD DVD demise hasn't meant scramble for Blu-ray

Submitted by: DudeofDeath @ 07:56 PM | Wednesday, April 30, 2008 | (url: http://news.yahoo...)

(AP) -- Sales of Blu-ray disc players haven't been helped by maker Toshiba's capitulation over producing the rival HD DVD format, research firm NPD Group said Wednesday.

PlayStation "Home" Delayed again

Submitted by: DudeofDeath @ 09:24 AM | Wednesday, April 23, 2008 | (url: http://www.msnbc....)

"Home" had originally been scheduled for launch in late 2007 but was delayed until early 2008. Now Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. plans to open up an early version of the virtual universe in the second half of 2008.

The delay is another setback to Sony, which has much riding on the PS3 but faces fierce competition from Microsoft's XBox 360 and Nintendo's Wii.

PS3 to Support DTS-HD Master Audio

Submitted by: DudeofDeath @ 10:51 PM | Thursday, April 10, 2008 | (url: http://www.dailyt...)

"Further cementing its reputation for being the most capable and versatile Blu-ray Disc player on the market, an upcoming PlayStation 3 firmware update will introduce DTS-HD Master Audio and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio support to the console". - Daily Tech

Son: MS may have punched themselves out fo the fight

Submitted by: Shadow(of)Death @ 08:50 PM | Wednesday, April 9, 2008 | (url: http://news.teamx...)

Some propaganda from Sony .. . .


"I think [the Blu-ray win] is a huge momentum builder for us and I think it is part of why we believe 2008 is going to be a monster year for the PS3. When you incorporate games like Gran Turismo 5, Metal Gear Solid 4, Little Big Planet, and Resistance 2...there will a great mixture of new IP and proven PlayStation brands. I think these factors are timed perfectly because our competition has already leveraged all their big assets in the first couple of years and may have punched themselves out of the fight. We are the [HD movie] standard and now we have the creativity and the products, so I think that formula is going to drive consumers to the PS3."

Don't shoot the messenger...

Sony BMG's hypocrisy: company busted for using warez

Submitted by: Elvis Hitler @ 01:01 PM | Wednesday, April 2, 2008 | (url: http://arstechnic...)

Sony BMG is no stranger to piracy. As one of the most vocal supporters of the RIAA and IFPI antipiracy efforts, the company has some experience hunting down and punishing consumers who don't pay for its products. The company is getting some experience on the other side of the table, however, now that it's being sued for software piracy.

US Gov't investigating Sony's Blu-ray

Submitted by: DudeofDeath @ 10:07 PM | Friday, March 21, 2008 | (url: http://www.gamesp...)

The U.S. International Trade Commission said it would launch an investigation into some 30 companies including Sony Corp on possible patent infringements related to Blu-ray disc players and other products.

Besides Sony, companies cited in the ITC announcement include Nokia, Motorola Inc, LG Electronics Inc, and Panasonic maker Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd.

HD-DVD Shutdown to Cost Toshiba $1 Billion

Submitted by: DudeofDeath @ 11:02 AM | Friday, March 14, 2008 | (url: http://www.reuter...)

Reuters reports that Toshiba stands to lose $986 million due to the shut down of its HD-DVD business, according to reports from Japanese media sources. Toshiba cut its losses last month on the HD-DVD movie format thanks to both movie studios and retailers abandoning the format in favor of Blu-Ray. Toshiba has not officially comments on this newest report.

Microsoft says No Blu-Ray for XBox 360

Submitted by: DudeofDeath @ 08:30 AM | Thursday, March 13, 2008 | (url: http://www.reuter...)

Reuters reports that Microsoft isn't in talks with Sony over Blu-Ray, and that Microsoft is investing more time on the digital aspects of distribution instead of the physical. This was indicated by statements from Aaron Greenburg. Greenburg went on to say that the 360 was still supply-constrained going into the month of February.

Looks like rival Sony asked for more money than Microsoft wanted to pay for the Blu-ray drive.

Blu-ray Player Prices Hit 2008 Highs

Submitted by: DudeofDeath @ 10:38 AM | Wednesday, March 12, 2008 | (url: http://www.tgdail...)

Pricewatch - Blu-ray Disc players from Samsung, Sony and Sharp are now the most expensive they have been all year, presumably because HD DVD's exit from the high-def disc arena has removed some of Blu-ray's pricing pressure.

Make way for another corporate reaming...

Inside Source: Toshiba about to give up HDDVD

Submitted by: Gundam @ 03:27 PM | Saturday, February 16, 2008 | (url: http://www.reuter...)

Toshiba Corp is planning to give up on its HD DVD format for high definition DVDs, conceding defeat to the competing Blu-Ray technology backed by Sony Corp, a company source said on Saturday.

October NPD numbers

Submitted by: DudeofDeath @ 02:13 PM | Tuesday, November 20, 2007 | (url: http://www.next-g...)

GameDaily notes that the industry once again saw over $1 billion dollars leaving wallets at uncanny speeds, placing total sales for the year (through October) at $10.5 billion. At the same time last year, the amount had "just" reached $7 billion.


Nintendo Wii: 519K (5 million total)
Nintendo DS: 458K (13.6 million total)
Microsoft Xbox 360: 366K (7.1 million total)
Sony PSP: 286K (8.8 million total)
Sony PlayStation 2: 184K (39.4 million total)
Sony PlayStation 3: 121K (1.9 million total)

Disney approves 51 GB HD-DVD Media

Submitted by: DudeofDeath @ 09:21 PM | Tuesday, November 20, 2007 | (url: http://www.xbitla...)

Walt Disney Home Entertainment, a major Hollywood studio and one of the strongest backers of Blu-ray disc format, voted for approval of a preliminary specification of 51GB triple-layer HD-DVD media back in September.

The fact that Walt Disney Home Entertainment, which official stance has always been strong Blu-ray support, may be an indicator that even members of the Blu-ray Association are potentially interested in the forthcoming versions of the HD DVD standard.