For the time being, it’s probably a good idea to decline the latest system update for the PlayStation 3. Many users are reporting bricked consoles after updating.
The firmware update is intended to improve system stability and add options for in-game trophy notifications. However, several user comments on the PlayStation forum have stated that the latest 4.45 update is causing a lockdown on their consoles.
User JadeTreeInWind, for example, said that after the Playstation 3 logo was on display post update, the crossbar menu would not show up. The user tried restarting the console, but the same problem still persisted.
Restarting the system and other recovery attempts do not appear to resolve the issue. If you haven’t downloaded the update yet, avoid it until Sony gives the all-clear. If you have downloaded it and can’t access the XMB, sit tight until we know more.
Assuming the speculation that this issue arises from user-replaced hard drives, then it would bring back memories of the time when the 3.41 update caused a few corrupted Playstation 3 drives, too. Hopefully things will look up for the better in the long run, and a solution should be released sooner rather than later.
As of now, the latest firmware is 4.41, and Sony has yet to offer a statement concerning the bricked consoles.
At an event in Delhi today, Sony launched 2 variants of its X9004 Ultra-HD television range, a 55″ model and a 65″ model.
The 4K LED televisions contain 8 million individual pixels (3840 x 2160 pixels), have a 16:9 aspect ratio and come with Sony’s latest generation processing engine analysis, which cleans and refines images, restoring impressive results from lower quality sources.
The X9004 Bravia series also up-scales 2K data to 4K quality and deliver images which are clearer and sharper. This is also aided by the Reality Creation database and super resolution processing optimisation that these TVs come with.
The X9004 Bravia also comes with Sony’s unique TRILUMINOS display with Edge-LED backlight, which expand the range of colours BRAVIA TVs can display when compared with normal TVs.
As is the norm these days, the X9004 Bravia is a 3D TV and 4 pieces of 3D glasses are bundled with the television.
At a time when most TV manufacturers pay lesser attention to the audio output of TVs, Sony has added Magnetic Fluid Speakers to the front of the device, which deliver amazing sound with lesser energy consumption. These are a 2.2 channel, 2 way speaker system, and have various sound modes such as sports and cinema.
On both these TVs you can access Skype via an optional camera, with WiFi direct for WiFi connectivity. As it is a smart-TV you also get an inbuit browser and various application for accessing web content.
In terms of dimensions, the Sony X9004 Bravia is 58mm at the edge. These TVs come with a chrome plated stand with a blinking LED light at the bottom, to make the design a lot more elegant.
The 55″ X9004 Bravia has been priced at Rs.3,00,000/- and the 65″ has been priced at Rs 4,00,000/-.
You can watch our eyes-on video with the Sony X9004 Bravia TV below :
An invitation to a Sony press event teases what looks like a Godzilla sized phablet. The rumoured Xperia Z Ultra is pictured and the translation reads “Sony mobile reserves a BIG surprise for you.” The Xperia Z Ultra has a speculated screen size of 6.44-inches with a stunning 1080p HD, plus shows a stylus with the words “Don’t forget to mark your calendars!” that indicates it’ll have input support similar to the Samsung’s Galaxy Note.
The Sony Xperia Z Ultra is rumored to feature a 6.44 inch full HD Triluminos display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, the device is also rumored to feature the new quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with a clock speed of 2.2GHz.
Other rumored specifications on the handset include 2GB of RAM and 16GB of built in storage, plus a microSD card slot with support for 64GB cards, the device is also expected to feature front and rear facing cameras.
On the back of the Sony Xperia Z Ultra there will be an 8 megapixel camera for photos and video, up front there will be a 2.2 megapixel camera for video calls, the device will come with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
What we’re not sure about is that the Xperia Z Ultra is rumoured to be water resistant, yet the headphone jack is open with no port covering it. Hopefully all will become clear in the next few weeks regarding the exact specs, but either way we are looking at a very desirable device.
Sony today announced the PlayStation 4 and the next generation gaming console has been price at $399/€399/£349 (~Rs 23,250/-), $100 cheaper than the Xbox One.
For the £350 asking price you’ll get the Playstation 4 console complete with a 500GB hard drive, built-in Blu-ray drive and the brand new Sony PS4 controller effectively pricing Xbox One’s Kinect sensor at $100.
The console, according to SCEA president and CEO Jack Tretton, the console will not contain any authentication requirements; no “always online” and no “stopping” if you have not authenticated in 24 hours.
PlayStation Plus carries over PS4 and while you can still play all your single-player games, you will need a Plus membership to play online multiplayer games.
The new console, shown off at the company’s press conference at E3 in Los Angeles looks to be slim and thin, a vast contrast to Microsoft’s large and bulky Xbox One console.
“It is sleek and visually impactful wherever you put it.” Anthony House, head of Sony Computer Entertainment said as he revealed the new console to the packed stadium.
Keeping with the black and blue colour scheme the console will be able to be sat vertically and horizontally on your shelf.
Sony began by talking about its existing hardware: The PlayStation 3 and the handheld PS Vita. However, no hardware refresh was announced for either device.
“Vita is just beginning its life cycle,” Sony Computer Entertainment President and CEO Jack Tretton said, noting that the Vita will be the “ultimate companion device” to the PlayStation 4.
Despite the lack of new hardware, Sony did show off a slew of big-ticket new games that will work on the PS3, including Batman: Arkham Origins and Grand Theft Auto V.
The Sony Xperia Z is already a good smartphone, but the Android device’s interface may get even better thanks to a report that says a Google Nexus edition is on the way.
Sony and Google have teamed up to develop a Google Edition of the smartphone that Katrina Kaif loves to drop water on, according to anonymous Sony sources who spilled the goods to Android Geeks.
The “Google Edition” Sony Xperia Z should be sold in the U.S. through the Google Play Store later in the year, just like the two other Google Edition handsets. Being a “Nexus user experience” phone it’s very likely this new Xperia Z will benefit from speedier system updates.
Whether certain features will be compromised in the Google edition of the device is still unknown. Sony’s UI of the Xperia Z as it is close to the stock Vanilla experience. Perhaps the camera app that has certain additional features or Sony’s Bravia Engine that reduces noise in the display will be missing the Google edition. But these are certainly not something that most users would miss.
The Xperia Z comes with an impressive spec sheet. There’s a 5-inch 1080p display, a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, microSD expandability, a 13-megapixel Sony Exmor RS rear camera and IP57-rated water and dust-resistance credentials.
The Sony Xperia Z Google Nexus, if the report is accurate, will cost $599 in the Google Play Store after it is announced in July.
After the Sony’s Playstation 4 event concluded, questions immediately blew up social media asking what the console actually looks like. We have our first glimpses of the console today, thanks to an officially released teaser by Sony.
The timing of the tease is no surprise, with Microsoft set to reveal its own next-generation Xbox tomorrow at its campus in Redmond, Washington.
Sony will present its E3 event on June 10 at 6 p.m. Pacific time. At that point, we will likely see the PlayStation 4 in the flesh along with some new games and features.
The video, seen below, shows off bits and pieces of the console in quick video cuts. You’re able to see the logo, various ports, and other portions of the device that help you form a general idea of what the Playstation 4 will look like.
Sony will be shipping the PlayStation 4 with an eight-core 64-bit processor based off AMD’s “Jaguar” processor line. Though x86 cores are the brunt of the new console’s might, Sony stated at its event that another low-power core will be bundled in, as well. The additional processor exists not to help with games directly but instead to process tasks in the background.
Sony states that the PlayStation 4 graphics chip, which is derived from existing Radeon technology and integrated into the Jaguar processor die, can push 1.84 TFLOPS. That number puts the power of the GPU roughly on par with a Radeon HD 7850 video card.
Sony has also packed in eight gigabytes of RAM, an absolutely massive increase over the 512MB found in the PlayStation 3. And the RAM is high-speed GDDR5, which will let Sony maximize the system’s data pipe.
The Sony Xperia Tablet Z is currently the thinnest tablet yet at only 6.9mm and it weighs just 495grams. That’s actually thinner than the 7.9mm Xperia Z. To find out how its top notching hardware gets packed in such a slim profile, Sony has released its official tear down of the Xperia Tablet Z. Of course, dissecting the tablet would automatically void its warranty, so don’t try this at home (if you have one, that is, which is highly unlikely for people living in India)!
The Sony Xperia Tablet Z was announced back in January, and has gone on sale in Japan today, it will also launch in the US and Europe shortly followed by Asia, the device comes with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and it features a 10.1 inch full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.
Other specifications on the Sony Xperia Tablet Z include a quad core Qualcomm APQ8064 processor clocked at 1.5GHz, plus 2GB of RAM and 32GB of built in storage, and there is also a rear facing 8.1 megapixel camera with Sony’s Exmor R sensor.
The Sony Xperia Tablet Z teardown begins with cracking the device open. Sounds easy? Well, think again. Since the tablet is resistant to dust and water damage, it comes as no surprise that taking its back cover off isn’t a job for everyone. Once that’s unglued, the delicate part dismantling process begins, starting with the Sony-made lithium-ion battery weighing 130 grams and then moving on to the smaller components. There’s plenty of glue and tape holding the Xperia Tablet Z together, which leads us to believe that its repairability score might not be very high.
Nvidia Corp. on Thursday announced support for Sony Computer Entertainment’s PlayStation 4 with the popular Nvidia PhysX and Nvidia APEX software development kits (SDKs). While Sony PS4 will not use Nvidia’s chips, it will still rely on development software designed by Nvidia.
PhysX and APEX technologies are used by developers for collision detection and simulation of rigid bodies, clothing, fluids, particle systems etc on pretty much every current platform. Nvidia PhysX and APEX technologies are designed to run on a variety of CPU architectures and can be accelerated by any modern Nvidia GPU, GeForce 8-series or higher.
[quote]Mike Skolones, product manager for the PhysX at Nvidia, said: Great physics technology is essential for delivering a better gaming experience and multiplatform support is critical for developers. With PhysX and APEX support for PlayStation 4, customers can look forward to better games.[/quote]
Both PhysX and APEX are already integrated into a handful of games. NVIDIA boasts that PhysX alone is featured in more than 150 games, and is used by over 10,000 developers. Some games that are taking advantage of NVIDIA’s technologies include Borderlands 2, the Batman Arkham series, Mirror’s Edge, and Metro 2033.
The Sony PlayStation 4 is based on a semi-custom AMD Fusion system-on-chip that integrates eight AMD x86 Jaguar cores, custom AMD Radeon HD core with unified array of 18 AMD GCN-like compute units (1152 stream processors which collectively generate 1.84TFLOPS of computer power that can freely be applied to graphics, simulation tasks, or some mixture of the two), various special-purpose hardware blocks as well as multi-channel GDDR5 memory controller.
The PS4 will come with 8GB of unified GDDR5 memory sub-system (with 176GB/s bandwidth) for both CPU and GPU as well as large-capacity hard disk drive. Sony PS4 will be equipped with Blu-ray disc drive capable of reading BDs at 6x and DVDs at 8x speeds, USB 3.0 connectivity in addition to a proprietary aux port, Gigabit Ethernet port, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR wireless technology as well as HDMI, optical and analog outputs. The new system will also utilize new DualShock 4 game controller with integrated touchpad as well as better motion sensing thanks to new PS4 Eye tracking cameras.
Sony Mobile Communications chief Kunimasa Suzuki took the stage at MWC Barcelona today to confirm that the company’s Xperia Tablet Z would begin to rollout globally starting in Q2 of this year.
In the United States, the 16GB model of the Xperia Tablet Z is slated to retail for $499 (Rs 27,500), while a larger 32 GB model will sell for $599 (Rs 33,000).
The tablet has been hailed as Sony’s first serious contender in the tablet market, following the launch of the Sony S and Sony P tablets last year.
The Xperia Tablet Z aims to support Sony’s One Sony strategy which aims to provide a suite of converged products and services across Sony smartphones, tablets, laptops and TVs.
The Xperia Tablet Z is one of a number of high-end Android devices powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core chip, in this instance, clocked at 1.5GHz. It is paired with 2GB of RAM, while its up to 64GB of internal storage can be supplemented by its built-in microSD slot. Even though the tablet is just 6.9mm thin, it also packs in 6,000mAh battery as well as a high-spec 8.1-megapixel Exmor R camera for better low light performance. The Xperia Tablet Z ships with Android 4.1 ‘Jelly Bean’ but will be upgradeable to Android 4.2 ‘Jelly Bean’ soon after launch.
Sony’s S-Force Front Surround 3D, guarantees high quality audio performance alongside Sony’s Clear Audio+ mode and the innovative use of two in-built speakers with four ‘speaker halls’ on the left and right corners which guarantees sound whichever way it is held.
When it ships, the Xperia Tablet Z will launch with a number of accessories including a charging cradle, an LCD Screen Protector and Leather Carrying Cover that comes in black, white or red. These will be available from Sony stores or registered retailers.
Key features for Xperia Tablet Z
10.1″ HD 1920x1200p WUXGA Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2
S-Force Front Surround 3D
The world’s slimmest* design at 6.9 mm and lightest** at 495g for 10.1″ water resistant tablet
Dust and water resistant (IP55 & IP57) with a durable glass front display
Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with 1.5GHz asynchronous quad CPUs and 2GB RAM
One-touch connectivity with Near Field Communication (NFC)
A unique OmniBalance design with subtly rounded edges and smooth reflective surfaces
8 MP rear camera featuring “Exmor R for mobile” and Superior Auto plus 2MP HD front camera
Battery STAMINA mode further improves the standby time.
[toggle_box title=”Press Release” width=”Width of toggle box”]
Sony Announces Global Availability of Xperia™ Tablet Z – The World’s Slimmest and Lightest Tablet
At Mobile World Congress, Sony Mobile Communications (“Sony Mobile”) today announced that Xperia Tablet Z – the slimmest* and lightest** 10.1″ water resistant tablet available – will launch globally in Q2 calendar 2013. Additionally, Sony’s flagship smartphone, Xperia Z will roll out in stores worldwide from today.
Since it was announced in January, Xperia Z has won 13 awards and received the widest ranging of any Sony smartphone to date with 140 sales channels in 60 markets across the globe. Both products combine premium specifications with the best of Sony technology, entertainment, design and connectivity.
Premium Tablet Design
Xperia Tablet Z is the most premium, high performance 10.1″ Android tablet available. Built from quality materials and featuring the same stunning OmniBalance design as its smartphone sibling, Xperia Tablet Z is also incredibly slim and lightweight at 6.9mm and 495g. Available in black or white and in LTE and WiFi versions, it is the first tablet to run on Qualcomm®Snapdragon™ S4 Pro asynchronous quad core processor and has the highest levels of water resistance (IP55 & IP57) ever delivered in a tablet, making it immune to accidental spills and splashes.***
“Xperia Tablet Z sets new standards in entertainment by matching premium specifications and Sony technology with cross-device connectivity and a consistent user-experience,” said Kaz Tajima, Corporate Vice President, Head of UX Creative Design and Planning, at Sony Mobile Communications. “Xperia Tablet Z reinforces our intention to be a leading player in the premium Android device market, by building on the principles established by Xperia Z and perfectly optimising them for the tablet form factor.”
Integrated Sony Technology
Xperia Tablet Z includes the very best of Sony technology. With a 10.1″ HD WUXGA Display, powered by Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, it delivers enhanced colour reproduction for a brilliant TV-like viewing experience. It also draws upon Sony’s camera expertise with an 8MP rear camera featuring “Exmor R for mobile” as well as a 2MP HD front-facing camera for capturing the best images in any condition. Sony’s S-Force Front Surround 3D, guarantees soul-shaking audio performance alongside Sony’s Clear Audio+ mode and the innovative use of two in-built speakers with four ‘speaker halls’ on the left and right corners delivers amazing sound no matter how it is held. Xperia Tablet Z also includes Battery STAMINA mode, Sony’s unique battery management technology that can significantly improve standby time. The WiFi variant also offers up to 64GB of storage with an optional mircoSD card.
Seamless One-touch Connectivity
Xperia Tablet Z includes more connectivity options than any other tablet. It also includes Sony’s One-Touch functions that let users transfer content seamlessly from HD tablet to TV, tablet to speaker or phone to tablet just by touching them together. One-touch functions are a key component of Sony’s device range this year and no other consumer electronics company is bringing as many NFC-enabled products to market. The tablet’s Universal IR Remote allows users to control the TV and other Sony devices – as well as products from other manufacturers – directly from the tablet placing the device at the heart of the home. TV SideView is a new application that gives users an entirely new way to interact with the TV.****
Sony’s media applications
Sony’s signature media applications – “WALKMAN”, Movies and Album – allow users to enjoy, control and view content regardless of their device. The Sony Entertainment Network can also be accessed from these applications and includes Music Unlimited with more than 18 million songs and Facebook social integration as well as Video Unlimited with access to over 100,000 movies and TV series.*****
Xperia Tablet Z Accessories
Xperia Tablet Z will launch with a number of accessories including a charging cradle, an LCD Screen Protector and Leather Carrying Cover that comes in Black, White or Red. These will be available from Sony stores or registered retailers.
Xperia Tablet Z will launch on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and is upgradable to 4.2 after launch for the latest Android user experience.
Key features for Xperia Tablet Z
10.1″ HD 1920x1200p WUXGA Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2
S-Force Front Surround 3D
The world’s slimmest* design at 6.9 mm and lightest** at 495g for 10.1″ water resistant tablet
Dust and water resistant (IP55 & IP57) with a durable glass front display
Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with 1.5GHz asynchronous quad CPUs and 2GB RAM
One-touch connectivity with Near Field Communication (NFC)
A unique OmniBalance design with subtly rounded edges and smooth reflective surfaces
8 MP rear camera featuring “Exmor R for mobile” and Superior Auto plus 2MP HD front camera
Battery STAMINA mode further improves the standby time.
* Verified in 10″ tabletclassattime ofannouncement.
** Verified in 10“tablet class with water resistance at the time of announcement.
***In compliance with IP55 and IP57, Xperia Z is protected against the ingress of dust and is water resistant. Provided that all ports and covers are firmly closed, the phone is (i) protected against low pressure jets of water from all practicable directions in compliance with IP55; and/or (ii) can be kept under 1 meter of freshwater for up to 30 minutes in compliance with IP57.
****TV SideView – can be downloaded from Google Play – service depends on country availability
*****Sony Entertainment Network services are subject to availabilityby region, please see http://www.sonyentertainmentnetwork.comfor more details.
About Sony Mobile Communications
Sony Mobile Communications is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation, a leading global innovator of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for both the consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, computer entertainment and online businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be the leading electronics and entertainment company in the world. Through its Xperia™ smartphone portfolio, Sony Mobile Communications delivers the best of Sony technology, premium content and services, and easy connectivity to Sony’s world of networked entertainment experiences. For more information: http://www.sonymobile.com
Legal
1) Facts and features may vary depending on local variant. 2) Operational times are affected by network preferences, type of SIM card, connected accessories and various activities e.g. playing games. Kit contents and colour options may differ from market to market. The full range of accessories may not be available in every market. 3) Icons displayed are for illustrative purposes only. The homescreen may appear different in your product. Some features may not be available in your country or area.
Sony, make.believe, WALKMAN, WALKMAN W logo, Sony Entertainment Network, PlayMemories Online, Exmor RS, Clear phase, BRAVIA, and xLoud are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Corporation. Xperia, Xperia Z, Xperia ZL PlayNow, SensMe, and TrackID are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Mobile Communications AB. PlayStation is a trademark or registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment. Media Go is a trademark of Sony Electronics. Android, Google Play, Google Chrome, Google Voice, Latitude, YouTube, Google Maps and Google Mail are trademarks of Google Inc. Snapdragon is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. Twitter is a trademark or registered trademark of Twitter, Inc. Facebook is a trademark or registered trademark of Facebook, Inc. Microsoft ActiveSync is a trademark or registered trademark of Microsoft, Inc. Bluetooth is a trademark or registered trademark, and any use of such mark is under license by Sony Mobile. Neoreader is a trademark or registered trademark of NeoMedia Technologies Inc. microSD is a trademark or registered trademark of SanDisk Corporation. eCompass is a trademark or registered trademark of Genoptix, Inc. Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. DLNA Certified is a trademark or registered trademark of the Digital Living Network Alliance. SyncML is a trademark or registered trademark of the Open Mobile Alliance. Skype is a trademark or registered trademark of Skype, Ltd. LTE is a trademark or a registered trademark of ETSI. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved. All terms are subject to change without prior notice.
Additional information regarding trademarks may be located on our website at: http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/legal/trademarks-and-copyright/.
And shortly after the event, it added to the day’s announcements by unveiling its official PlayStation mobile application. The app, which will land on both iOS and Android, will expand PS4 gameplay by offering a ‘second screen’ experience…
Here’s Sony’s press release on the app :
[quote]“A new application from SCE called “PlayStation®App” will enable iPhone, iPad, and Android based smartphones and tablets to become second screens. Once installed on these devices, users can, for example, see maps on their second screens when playing an adventure game, purchase PS4 games while away from home and download it directly to the console at home, or remotely watch other gamers playing on their devices.”[/quote]
Sony boasted that the PS4 will feature integration with third-party services, phones, and tablets that will allow players on mobile devices to view gameplay videos and challenge friends in head-to-head play.
There will be no actual gaming available on the app, rather it’s meant to be a companion for the consolem kinda like the Smart Glass app. The PlayStation Vita, however, has gained a “Remote Play” feature that allows gamers to pull PS4 games from their TV and play them on the 5-inch device.
It is currently unknown if the app will be similar to Microsoft’s Smart Glass Xbox app that allows users to view the stats of other gamers. Sony has yet to announce a release date, but the console is scheduled to arrive during the 2013 holiday season.
The PlayStation 4 was the highlight of Sony’s media event, with a PC-style architecture, an eight-core x86 processor and 8GB of RAM, the new Dualshock 4 controller with touchpad and new social layers for a better gaming experience.
Sony has officially lifted the lid off the PlayStation 4 during its New York City event today, showing that it wasn’t just gathering journos, developers, and the watching world for the biggest practical joke ever.
The console, which Sony didn’t show once during the 2-hour gathering, should arrive by holiday time 2013. It marks the first major system introduction from the Japan-based company since the PlayStation 3 was launched in 2006.
News.com.au sums up the much hyped PlayStation 4 event perfectly, it was like hosting a gala wedding and not inviting the bride.
[quote]Not surprisingly, Microsoft’s Xbox Live programming director Larry Hryb was quick to mock the Sony event. “Announce a console without actually showing a console? That’s one approach,” he tweeted. [/quote]
However, we do know SOMETHING about the PS4.
With under-the bonnet power considerably in excess of that of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, it will usher in a new breed of games with startlingly lifelike graphics, set in virtual worlds that operate in a much more believable manner than the current crop. But it will not have that ground to itself: Microsoft is applying the finishing touches to a successor for its Xbox 360 which, it is believed, it will unveil at the E3 Show in Los Angeles in June. That, too, is likely to go on sale this Christmas, unleashing a titanic battle for living room supremacy between Sony and Microsoft.
The console owns an eight core, x86-64 AMD Jaguar CPU.
It houses 8GB of GDDR5 unified high-speed memory, and a “highly advanced” PC GPU with “remarkable longterm potential.”
That processor, also made by AMD and referred to as a “next-generation Radeon based graphics engine” in a post-conference press release, boasts 18 compute units that together produce 1.84 teraflops of processing power.
We’ll also see Blu-ray and DVD support in the PS4, along with HDMI, Analog-AV, and optical digital output.
Sony has inserted a secondary chip completely dedicated to uploading and downloading titles, regardless of whether the system is on or off.
Using Gaikai’s technology, a company which they bought in 2012, to provide backwards compatibility gives the PlayStation 4 an economic edge, too: it means that costly backwards-compatibility chips can be dispensed with, making it cheaper to manufacture.
PlayStation Cloud will let gamers stream games from former PlayStation consoles, including the PS1, PS2 and PS3 to their shiny new Sony PS4 over their home broadband connection, using integrated Gaikai tech.
With Gaikai, the lion’s share of the game processing will take place server-side, rather than within the Sony PS4 console itself, but your PS3 disks will not be compatible with the PS4.
We’ve also been introduced to the all-new DualShock 4, a touchpad-packing controller especially designed for the new system.
The PS4 DualShock 4 controller features two sticks, four triggers, a directional pad, plus triangle, cross, circle, and square buttons, just like a classic PlayStation controller.
But it also has a touchpad across its face, and a PlayStation Move-like “light bar” across the top. The start and select buttons have been moved to the sides to make room for the touchpad, and the DualShock 4 also features a “share” button next to the triggers and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The touchpad can be used for touch interactions and doubtless other processes that have yet to be revealed or imagined, while the color-changing light bar allows the controller to interact with the PS4’s evolution of the PlayStation Eye, presumably for motion and pointing controls.
The PlayStation controller hasn’t changed much over the years, from the original PS1 DualShock to the PS3’s Sixaxis and DualShock 3 controllers.
The PS4’s DualShock 4 controller is both a huge departure from that formula and more of the same.
No pricing details were revealed at the event, so all we’ve got to go on are various rumours from before the launch – but it might be that Sony has a price point of around $400 in mind for the US release. That translates to around Rs 22,000.
With the PlayStation 4’s incorporation of cloud gaming and power, Sony appears to have launched a convincing first salvo in the impending console showdown with Microsoft. Final pricing, a launch date and the console’s physical design, along with a firm line-up of launch games will surely emerge at the E3 Show in June, along with Microsoft’s rival console. This Christmas could be the most exciting one ever, as far as gamers are concerned.
Sony posted a couple of videos on YouTube for the PS4, check them out below :
Sony Mobile has just announced that they have rolled out the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean alpha ROM for the Xperia T, and if you prefer to go by model numbers, then LT30p would fit the bill nicely. This is certainly in line with the corporate character of Sony Mobile, as their tradition had always been to introduce alpha and beta ROMs for upcoming firmware updates. Needless to say, you ought to take into consideration that pre-release firmware is only meant for folks who want to check out what is to come in the most recent update.
A few caveats apply here — radio functionality like Bluetooth, Wifi and mobile data is not included (likely for regulatory reasons), nor are Google apps. In addition, Sony says the UI has not yet been updated to reflect the final look and feel of the Xperia Jelly Bean firmware — i.e. what’s on the new Xperia Z. And crucially, if you unlock your Xperia T and apply this alpha ROM, you won’t be able to update to the official Jelly Bean firmware once it’s released. So this ROM really is one for advanced users and adventurous devs only.
The Xperia T is a great phone, and should find itself significantly better with a dash of Google Now and Project Butter, the main ingredients in Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
Hopefully today’s release will accelerate the progress of Jelly Bean-based custom ROMs for the Xperia T. If nothing else, we’d expect this to be hacked into something with working radios and Google Apps in a relatively short space of time. If you possess both a Sony Xperia T and a strong sense of adventure, you can find full instructions over at the source link.
Sony Computer Entertainment has been fined a record £250,000 by the data protection watchdog after the personal details of millions of gamers – including passwords and credit card numbers – were leaked online.
The Information Commissioner’s Office on Thursday said the security breach was “one of the most serious” it has handled under the Data Protection Act. The £250,000 fine is the maximum penalty awarded by the ICO against a private company.
The privacy blunder happened in April 2011, when computer hackers targeted the Sony PlayStation Network. It compromised the personal information of millions of customers, including names, addresses, e-mail addresses, dates of birth and account passwords. Customers’ payment card details were also at risk, the ICO said.
“An ICO investigation found that the attack could have been prevented if the software had been up to date, while technical developments also meant passwords were not secure,” it added.
Sony, however, has released a statement saying that it plans to appeal the fine.
“Sony Computer Entertainment Europe strongly disagrees with the ICO’s ruling and is planning an appeal,” it said. “SCEE notes, however, that the ICO recognises Sony was the victim of “a focused and determined criminal attack,” that “there is no evidence that encrypted payment card details were accessed,” and that “personal data is unlikely to have been used for fraudulent purposes” following the attack on the PlayStation Network.”
Sony executives, including President and CEO of Sony Corporation Kazuo Hirai, made a public apology for the PSN hack in May 2011
Sony will be rolling out an update to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean shortly after they launch their new Xperia Z smartphone sometime in the next couple of months, likely in March. Talk Android reports that the news came earlier today on Twitter, during a company question and answer session.
From Sony’s Twitter account: “Xperia Z launches on JB 4.1, but will receive 4.2 shortly after launch. As always, we’ll share more info on this over the coming weeks on the blog.”
The Jelly Bean 4.2 update will bring some modest improvements over 4.1, like a more reactive user interface through touch-responsive CPU boosting, automatically resizing widgets, lock-screen widget options, and Android Beam, which is basically that “tap to share” feature that the Samsung Galaxy S3 boasted in its launch advertisements.
While it’s great that Sony is promising quick action on the update front, especially since if they do follow through with it in good time it will be one of the first non-Nexus devices to run Google’s newest OS, we’re left wondering whether the whole thing is lip service to a very small group of users and journalists.
As we’ve reported earlier, the Sony Xperia Z will be a quite impressive piece of hardware to run Android Jelly Bean on, no matter what version you have. With a five inch screen capable of 1080p high definition resolution, a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor with 2 GB of RAM, and a 13 megapixel rear camera with 16x digital zoom, the Xperia is going to be a hot smartphone to have when it releases sometime in the next couple of months (it’s being released in the United Kingdom on March 1st, so it’s a safe bet that soon after it will land here).
Sometime in the middle of last month, the Sony C530X (otherwise known as the C5303 as well), which carries the code name HuaShan, was seen in an AnTuTu benchmark, where it was revealed to the world that the HuaShan will carry a 1.7GHz processor after picking up a not half bad score of 16,133 in the benchmark. Other than that, very little else was revealed concerning the smartphone, but its latest outing on GLBenchmark has lifted the curtain a wee bit more.
Little else was known at that stage, but an outing on GLBenchmark reveals a few more details, as spotted by the Xperia Blog.
The Sony C530X (C5302, C5303, C5306) will be armed with the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro MSM8960T chipset with a 1.7GHz dual-core processor and Adreno 320 graphics. The benchmark also reveals that HuaShan will have a 720 x 1280 display with onscreen touchscreen buttons. The handset tested was running Android 4.1.2. We don’t know whether HuaShan will make an appearance at CES next week, but if not, MWC in February is a dead cert.
Beginning last year, Sony had decided to use a different nomenclature for naming its devices. We saw many devices in the Xperia series differentiated with alphabets like U, S, J and so on. But these didn’t clearly indicate what the user should expect from the handset.
