New PS3 Streaming Service Offered By Netflix

Netflix disc must remain in PS3 to access Netflix service

Yesterday Netflix announced that its streaming service would be available for the PS3. Netflix is offering a reservation program that will send the required disc to PS3 users when the software is available next month. Joystiq went directly to Netflix for more details on the service.

Joystiq reports that the special disc does in fact have to remain in the PS3 for the streaming service to work. The reason is that Netflix doesn't have a XMB solution in place at the moment and won't have one until sometime in 2010.

Netflix reports that the application was developed with help from the Sony team. The reason Netflix went with a disc based solution rather than waiting for integrated capability was the issue of timing. Netflix told Joystiq, "Netflix members and PS3 owners have really wanted a way to instantly watch movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix via the PS3 system. The instant streaming disc represented the fastest and easiest way to let them do this."

Netflix reports that late next year next year, “We expect to have an embedded solution available for PS3s via a system software update slated for release through the PlayStation Network."

With the exclusive claims that Microsoft was making many are wondering if the disc-based solution was a way to get around the "exclusive streaming" claims Microsoft touted. Netflix says that the agreement with Sony does not conflict with its agreements with Microsoft. That "exclusive streaming" claim is likely the reason PS3 owners won’t see an embedded solution from Netflix until late in 2010.

[via Daily Tech]

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PS3 Slim with 250GB Drive Coming in November for $350

Only $50 more to double PS3 Slim's capacity

Sony recently introduced the PlayStation 3 Slim in September. Available in a single 120GB model, it sold very well due to a new $299 price. The company states that it sold over 1 million PS3 units worldwide in the three weeks following the PS3 Slim launch.

The price cut was made possible by shrinking several components, most notably a 45nm version of the Cell processor. Overall, the PS3 Slim is 32 percent smaller than the original PS3 and consumes 34% less power. The console still loses money for Sony, but the platform as a whole is profitable as game licenses are sold to developers.

Seeking to capitalize on that success in time for the Christmas shopping season, Sony has announced a new PS3 Slim model on the official PlayStation blog. Consumers will be able to purchase a PlayStation 3 Slim with a 250GB hard drive starting November 3. The new model will sport the same internal components as the 120GB model, but will sell for $350.

[via Daily Tech]

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New Smaller Cell Processor on PS3 Slim

GPU on Sony PS3 Slim may stay the same

Sony on Tuesday announced that it was upping the ante in the next-generation console war, unleashing the slender PS3 slim. Eschewing the original PS3's bulbous design, the new console reportedly will drop Linux support and also won't support PS2 games. The console does bring a greater capacity 120 GB drive onboard, though, a step up from the 80 GB drive in its predecessor (low-end version).

Now another perk of the new console has emerged -- an improved CPU. According to a video posted on Sony's U.S. website, the new console will feature a 45 nm updated version of the Cell processor based on IBM's Power architecture, jointly developed by IBM, Sony, and Toshiba. The new processor will be cooler and use less power, and is also cheaper to make than the 65 nm processor found in the old PS3.

[via Daily Tech]

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PS3 Slim Officially Announced, Will Go On Sale September 1

Sony finally announces what we're all known about for months

Sony today officially announced the PS3 Slim at GamesCom. As previously reported, the PS3 Slim will retail for $299.99 when it is launched during the first week of September. Sony says that the PS3 Slim will have all the functionality of the currently available PS3 models and will be available in a single 120GB SKU.

The PS3 Slim is 32 percent smaller than the original and consumes 34% less power.

In addition to the PS3 Slim, Sony also confirmed that the existing 80GB and 160GB models are getting a $100 price drop starting tomorrow. The prices will be in effect until the stock is depleted. So if you are impatient and need to have a PS3 right now (or just prefer the “fatter” look), this is your chance to to grab the current model. However, it may be wise to just wait for the cooler-running PS3 Slim to arrive in a few weeks.

In other news, Sony also announced Firmware 3.0 for the PS3. It adds a number of new features including a "What's New" section for PlayStation news, a redesigned Friends List, PlayStation Store shortcuts, and an updated trophy system.

[via Daily Tech]

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Activision CEO "Likes to Make Noise" About PS3 Price Cuts

Sony CEO dismisses Activision CEO's threat to stop supporting PS3

Sony is taking a hard hit in the current poor economy. The firm announced a massive loss last quarter and sales for many of its divisions are at historic lows. Sony is also under lots of pressure for it gaming division to perform.

In June, Activision CEO Robert Kotick put pressure on Sony CEO Howard Stringer to cut the price of the PS3 console. Kotick said at the time that Activision might have to reconsider developing games for the PS3 is price cuts weren't made. Sony issued a retaliatory press statement reading, "We enjoy healthy business relationships with and greatly value our publishing partners and are working closely with them to deliver the best entertainment experience."

Both Stringer and Kotick are at the Allen & Co conference in Idaho this week. Reuters reports that when Stringer was asked directly about Kotick's statements Stringer said, "He [Kotick] likes to make a lot of noise. He's putting pressure on me and I'm putting pressure on him. That's the nature of business."

Stinger was also asked about the logic of not cutting prices on the PS3 console. Stringer replied, "I [would] lose money on every PlayStation I make [if prices were cut made] -- how's that for logic."

[via Daily Tech]

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Activision CEO Calls for PS3 Price Cuts

Activision CEO says support for PS3 may stop is price cuts aren't made

The video game industry is feeling the burn of the poor economy as game sales and console sales are slowing for some companies. A few smaller game developers have been forced out of business altogether and many in the game industry are calling on Sony to cut the price of its PS3 console.

Sony maintains that there is no price cut coming for the PS3 console. Sony says it can't cut the price of a console that is a money loser already when it posted a massive $1 billion loss in its last quarterly earnings report. The fact that Sony is on shaky ground financially has not stopped Activision CEO Bobby Kotick from calling on Sony for PS3 price cuts and even saying that his company's support the console may stop if price cuts aren’t made.

Kotick said in an interview, "It's expensive to develop for the console, and the [Nintendo] Wii and the Xbox are just selling better. Games generate a better return on invested capital on the Xbox than on the PlayStation."

[via Daily Tech]

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PS3 Price Cut Coming Very Soon

Rumors say PS3 will drop $100 to coincide with Madden NFL's August launch

As the global economy continues to remain weak, most markets are seeing sales at the lowest point in many years. Even the stalwart video game industry is seeing sales figures decline in the face of the economic recession.

Console sales are directly tied to software sales and many game publishers are putting pressure on Sony to drop the price of its PS3 console. The PS3 is by far the most expensive game console on the market that is currently dominated by the lower priced Nintendo Wii.

Sony maintains that no price cuts are coming on the console and some industry analysts say that Sony simply can’t cut the price of the PS3 considering that the console is still a money loser for the company. Rumors of price cuts on the PS3 continue to circulate as fast as Sony can deny price cuts are coming.

The latest rumor comes from IndustryGamers who cites industry sources that claim a price cut on the PS3 is coming in August to coincide with the launch of the latest Madden NFL game. If the rumors are to be believed this time, the price cut would be significant at $100.

[via Daily Tech]

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Video Game Publishers Pressure Sony for PlayStation 3 Price Cut

Sony risks losing more development funds to Nintendo without price cut according to publishers

Game publishers are pressuring Sony to cut the price of the PlayStation 3 or face the risk of more development funds shifting to the Nintendo Wii according to a Bloomberg article. Sony, which used to be the undisputed industry leader, currently sits in third place for this generation’s line up of video game consoles. As the VGCHARTZ sales numbers show, the Nintendo Wii has an iron grip on first place, the Microsoft Xbox 360 sits in second, and the Sony PlayStation 3 is third. 

Multiple publishers in the Bloomberg article laid down the bottom line they face due to the way console sales have played out. Development is divided in to software titles for the best selling Nintendo Wii and software titles for the rest of the market which consist of the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360, and the PC.

Electronic Arts’ Peter Moore very directly stated in the Bloomberg article, "You can't ignore the guy who has half the market." Evan Wilson, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities in Portland, Oregon believes Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 titles are typically more expensive to produce and as a result, “The publishers need the PS3 install base to grow in order for most of these games to be profitable.”

Read the whole article @ Daily Tech

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PlayStation 3 Outsells All Competitors in Japan Thanks to Yakuza 3

Yakuza 3 sells 372,201 copies and the PlayStation 3 sells 36,513 units for the week ending March 1

Yakuza 3 (Ryu ga gotoku 3) has powered the PlayStation 3 to number one in Japanese hardware sales for the week of February 23 through March 1. The game debuted in first place with 372,301 copies sold, second only to Metal Gear Solid 4 which sold 465,000 in its debut week.

The PlayStation 3 sold 36,513 units topping even the Nintendo DSi which sold 35,827 units. The PlayStation Portable was third with 35,588 units sold.  The PlayStation portable enjoyed software success as well selling 219,139 copies of Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce; second only to Yakuza 3 in sales for that week.

The Yakuza series is an action adventure game with a story that revolves around Kazuma Kiryu, a former Yakuza, whose release from prison after a ten-year murder sentence set up the game's plot. After his release, Kiryu returns to find his friend missing and his former gang the Toujokai Clan, has had ten billion yen ($100 million USD) stolen from them. The game series is known for exploring Yakuza culture in detail.

Read the whole article @ Daily Tech

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Sony's PlayStation 3 Goal for 2009 is to "Make Money"

PlayStation 3 price cut unlikely for the foreseeable future according to David Reeves

In an exclusive interview with David Reeves, head of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Eurogamer had the opportunity to discuss with Reeves his views on Sony's current position in the video game industry. The interview covered a wide variety of related topics as Eurogamer peppered Reeves with several hard-hitting questions.

In contrast to Kaz Hirai, who was recently interviewed by The Official PlayStation Magazine, Reeves’ comments were more subdued. He also deftly danced around touchy subjects such as the decline in year-over-year hardware sales for the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Portable for the quarter ended December 31, 2008. Reeves explained, "The plan wasn't necessarily to hit sales, it was to hit a profit target - to do better than break even in Q3. The financial results show a break even in Q3 for Sony Computer Entertainment worldwide. So rather than then going for market share and sales, we went for profit, at least to break even."

Reeves disputed Microsoft's claims they are leading the PlayStation 3 in console sales numbers by one million units. He stated, "I don't want to talk about the competition too much, but Xbox 360 is not ahead by a million units. We sold through 500,000 PS3s in November. We sold through 1.1 million units in December. Our installed base now is very close to 8.5 million units in PAL territories. Our numbers show we are absolutely neck-and-neck."

With regards to Kaz Hirai's recent controversial statements, Reeves had no comment other than to stay that he believed Hirai was misquoted and that he would not be making any similar statements about the competition. Hirai was quoted as saying the "Xbox 360 lacks longevity" and that Sony still has "official leadership" of video game industry.

Read the whole article @ Daily Tech

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Metal Gear Solid 4 Sells 4.5 Million Copies - Play it on a Free PS3

Konami reports 5.1% increase in total revenue

Metal Gear Solid 4, one of the PlayStation 3's premier exclusive titles has sold over 4.5 million copies according to Konami. Konami reported its results for the April-December period; during this time frame total revenue grew 5.1 percent to 234 billion Yen ($2.56 billion USD).

Helped by the Meal Gear sales, Konami's profits were 17,826 million Yen ($198.8 million USD), up 17.3% over the previous year. Konami's video game division saw the largest increase of any other Konami group as profits were up 10.6 percent to 148.7 billion Yen ($1.6 billion USD).

In Konami's own words, "The Metal Gear series is exhibiting its strength as a brand, steadily increasing the number sold year-to-date to more than 4.5 million units." Konami also announced that Metal Gear Online is now up to one million accounts worldwide in the first four months since the June 2008 launch.

Read the whole article @ Daily Tech

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PlayStation 3 is the Official Industry Leader According to Kaz Hirai

Kaz Hirai comments on the current state of the video game console industry and his view of the future

Sony Computer Entertainment chairman Kaz Hirai made several interesting comments in an interview with the Official PlayStation Magazine. The contents of the interview were relayed to the public via Eurogamer and will be available in the February issue of the Official PlayStation Magazine.

Although Sony no longer leads the industry in console sales Hirai believes Sony still possesses "Official" leadership of the videogame industry. He stated, "This is not meant in terms of numbers, or who's got the biggest install base, or who's selling most in any particular week or month, but I'd like to think that we continue official leadership in this industry,".

Hirai expanded on his statement explaining how he did not view the Nintendo Wii as competition and declaring the Xbox 360 as a console that will lack longevity. Describing how he viewed the Nintendo Wii's position in the industry Hirai, stated, "It's difficult to talk about Nintendo, because we don't look at their console as being a competitor. They're a different world, and we operate in our world - that's the kind of way I look at things." For the Xbox 360, Hirai continued, "And with the Xbox - again, I can't come up with one word to fit. You need a word that describes something that lacks longevity."

Read the whole article @ Daily Tech

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Free Xbox 360 Kicks Free PS3 Butt on Black Friday

Microsoft says Xbox 360 outsold PS3 3 to 1

The console wars are still raging even though all three of the top-tier consoles are getting older now. Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo are battling for the gamers dollars and Microsoft has claimed a victory over Sony for the all-important Black Friday shopping dollars.

Microsoft announced that the Xbox 360 had record-breaking sales over the Black Friday/Thanksgiving weekend. Microsoft giddily notes that the Xbox 360 outsold the PS3 by a margin of 3 to 1 and turned in a 25% increase from Xbox 360 Black Friday sales in 2007.

Microsoft says that it also saw record-breaking sales for its software with Xbox games like Gears of War 2, Fable II, and Lips turning in the highest game attach rate of any console at 8.1 games per console.

Microsoft Senior VP of Interactive Business Don Mattrick said in a statement, "We entered into the Black Friday sales period with cautious optimism, knowing that dollar for dollar, Xbox 360 offers more social entertainment value than any other console on the market. Record Black Friday sales in the U.S., coupled with our existing global install base of 25 million and an online community of more than 14 million Xbox LIVE members, have laid the groundwork for continued global sales momentum in 2009."

Microsoft claims that the Xbox 360 has outsold the PS3 week over week across Europe since the September price drop bringing the basic Xbox 360 system to $199.99 worldwide. The Jasper revision of the Xbox 360 was recently launched with revisions to make the console cooler among other things.

Read the whole article @ Daily Tech

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Sony Says No to PS3 Price Cut as the PS3 Outsells Xbox 360 Globally

Sony "has a business to run" and shareholders come first

Sony has clearly said “no” to calls for a PS3 price cut in time for the holiday season. At the Games 3.0 conference in London, Sony Computer Entertainment managing director Ray Maguire told Videogamer.com a PS3 price cut was not planned.

Maguire was asked directly if Sony was feeling any pressure to cut the price of the PS3 in time for Christmas to which Maguire replied, "Well the pressure comes from the consumers obviously and so therefore there's always pressure on price, but you know we have a business to run, and we have to make sure we're doing the right thing for the shareholders as well."

Read the whole article @ Daily Tech

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Xbox 360 Outsells PS3 in America - even a Free PS3

Video game industry continues to be healthy despite economic downturn

According to data from market research firm NPD, the Xbox 360 outsold the PS3 in September. Nintendo continued to lead sales charts with 687, 000 Wii and 537,000 DS systems sold. The Xbox 360 sold 347,000 consoles compared to the PlayStation 3’s 232,000 consoles. The PlayStation Portable sold 238,000 units and 173,000 PlayStation 2s were also sold as well.

The increase in Xbox 360 sales follows price cuts made in early September. Compared to September 2007, the overall video game market was down 7 percent according to a Reuters article that summarized the NPD statistics. Several factors contributed to this decline as last September was when the much anticipated Halo 3 was released which had a large impact on software and hardware sales. According to NPD analyst Anita Frazier Halo 3 generated a full 35 percent of software sales for all of 2007.

Read the whole article @ Daily Tech

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Sony Implements Restrictive DRM for PlayStation Network Video Service

Sony to allow one official download per purchase

According to an Ars Technica article, PlayStation 3 owners who download video through the PlayStation Network Video Store are allowed one official download, and if necessary, one additional download after contacting customer service. The files cannot be backed up and moved to another hard drive or copied onto a CD or DVD.

An Ars Technica forum poster found this out the hard way after he deleted video content to make room on his hard drive and then found he could not re-download the content. Sony’s official policy is “Purchased content can be downloaded to a single PlayStation 3 or a single PSP system”, and "Purchased content can be played on a single PlayStation 3 system and up to 3 PSP systems simultaneously". Their policy on downloads is, “Content cannot be re-downloaded once it has been downloaded to either a PlayStation 3 or PSP system”.

Read the whole article @ Daily Tech

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Sony to Ditch Cell Chipmaking Facilities

Toshiba, Sony and SCEI sign a joint venture deal in production of PlayStation 3 processors

Last month, a report from a Japanese news publication claimed Sony will sell its chip making business to Toshiba. Specifically, the facilities used to manufacture the Cell Broadband Engine – the CPU powering every PlayStation 3 console – would be sold to Toshiba in a deal that would complete sometime in 2008.

The day following the initial report, both Toshiba and Sony publically denied such a deal. Sony’s been restructuring its chip business for months, but Sony spokesman Tomio Takizawa said “nothing concrete has been decided,” regarding its Cell Broadband Engine plant. Toshiba spokesman Keisuke Omori also said nothing has been decided on such a deal.

Today, just a month after the initial report, Toshiba and Sony announced intent to establish a joint venture that will produce high-performance semiconductors, which not only includes the Cell Broadband Engine but also the RSX graphics engine. The deal also includes the transfer to Toshiba from Sony Group the 300mm wafer line fabrication facilities installed in Fab 2 of Sony Semiconductor Kyushu Corporation's Nagasaki Technology Center (SKC) by the end of March 2008.

Read the whole article @ Daily Tech

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Sony Confirms Spider-Man 3 PS3 Bundle; Announces U.S./Canadian Dollar Parity

Canadian dollar finally acknowledged as more than just funny money

Early this morning, word of the 40GB PlayStation 3’s release date came from Jack Tretton, revealing that the new SKU will be launching on November 2. Shortly after, Sony Computer Entertainment America sent out an official press release confirming its president’s words.

As Tretton noted earlier, the 40GB PlayStation 3 will start selling on November 2 at $399. As many have been expecting, the 80GB will be priced at $499 – effective immediately.

In a move that is sure to delight Canadian gamers, SCEA is pricing its consoles nearly on par with the current U.S./Canadian dollar exchange rate. Gamers in Canada who once were looking at 80GB PS3 consoles for $699 each will now be able to pick them up for $499 – the same price paid as their U.S. counterparts. The 40GB PS3 will also be available in Canada for $399

Read the whole article @ Daily Tech

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FCC Documents Show Another New PS3 Model Coming

Another New Sony PS3 Model (Source: FCC)

FCC documents offer little data on another new PS3 model coming from Sony

With the holidays coming game system manufacturers and video game makers are getting their new wares ready for the shopping season. Sony expects to sell many of its PS3 game consoles this holiday season.

Sony is hoping that the recently announced 40GB PS3 with its lower price, thanks to smaller storage capacity and the lack of compatibility with PS2 games to help bolster adoption of the PS3 console. The FCC outed the 40GB CECHG01 PS3 console only a few weeks back.

Today the FCC again has exhibits up that provide us a few details on yet another new PS3 model CECHH01. Most of the meaty details are not included under a confidentiality request, but what is available shows the new model will have WiFi and Bluetooth like the other PS3 models currently available.

The system will be powered by a 3.2GHz processor, have 66MHz ATA, 133MHz ATA, 33MHz PCI and 750MHz SATA just like other models. The similarities to the model number of the PS3 that cleared the FCC last month could point to a version with a similarly sized hard drive, but no information on hard drive size is offered in the FCC documents.

Read the whole article @ Daily Tech

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Unreal Engine 3 Games on PS3 Delayed

PlayStation 3 architecture slows development of Unreal Engine 3 games

The PlayStation 3’s architecture departs far enough away from traditional development platforms to give game makers a sizeable challenge during the initial learning curve. Unreal Tournament III, one of PlayStation 3’s supposedly big time-limited exclusives for this holiday season, might not make it out to stores this year at all due to technical issues.

A financial update (hosted at Kotaku) from Midway Games revised estimates for the company’s third quarter with the news that several Unreal Engine 3 games would be delayed from their original intended ship dates. Midway now expects Unreal Tournament III to ship on PlayStation 3 sometime during the first quarter of fiscal 2008, which for the company runs from January to March next year.

The update does not affect the release of the PC version, which is still slated for a November ship date. Not only will PC gamers be assured of playing the game next month, but they will also be able to purchase a special Collector’s Edition tin

Read the whole article @ Daily Tech

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