Sony to unveil new PlayStation Portable at E3?
Sony is expected to reveal a new PlayStation Portable game handheld at the upcoming E3 trade show in Los Angeles, according to published reports.
Sony certainly needs to do something. The Nintendo DS consistently outsells the PSP by 2 to 1 on a worldwide basis,… Continue Reading
Will the game industry slow, or is it just getting started?
I’m giving a speech today in Berlin, Germany at the Quo Vadis game conference. I was asked to talk about the state of the game industry and the prospects for game startups. Here’s an abridged version of the speech for those who want an overview… Continue Reading
So much for recession-proof: U.S. video game sales take a 17 percent dip in March
U.S. video game sales have held up in the recession, until now. Sales of console games, hardware and accessories fell 17 percent in March to $1.43 billion from $1.72 billion a year ago, according to market researcher NPD Group.
So much for the talk that games… Continue Reading
Marketing whiz tries to juice Sony’s PlayStation business in Europe
Sony has played executive musical chairs in its game division once again. Andrew House, until recently the chief marketing officer for all of Sony, has been appointed president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.
The move is a big one — Europe is a key battleground in… Continue Reading
YouTube, Sony partnering for streaming films?
Short-form video site YouTube and Sony Pictures are rumored to be in negotiations for a new content deal. Sources close to the talks have told CNet the agreement could make full-length films like Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man” and the 1998 remake “Godzilla” available for free on… Continue Reading
Graham Hopper expands Disney’s video game kingdom
Graham Hopper, executive vice president and general manager of Disney Interactive Studios, gets to see a broad swatch of the video game business, since his video game titles range from hardcore titles such as the upcoming racing game Split/Second to the Toy Story game for… Continue Reading
Sony cuts price of aging PlayStation 2 to $99
In a move that could spur demand at the low end of the video game market, Sony cut the price of its PlayStation 2 console from $129 to $99.
The decision comes as a bit of a surprise since Sony was widely rumored to be considering… Continue Reading
Sony Online hopes to capture family market with Free Realms
John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment, hasjust delivered a keynote address for GamesBeat 2009 that covers the history of SOE, and its bold new strategy to expand in the market.
He begins by telling the story of his earliest experience playing an online game through… Continue Reading
Game Developers Conference preview
The Game Developers Conference kicks off Monday with a week-long series of events in San Francisco.
The main conference runs Wednesday through Friday, but a bunch of summits run Monday and Tuesday. Attendance is expected to be down slightly from last year’s 18,000, according to Meggan… Continue Reading
February U.S. game sales slow to 10 percent, but growth rate still up
The game industry is humming along. The U.S. video game industry grew 10 percent in February, slower than a month before but still enviable considering the weakness in the rest of the economy.
The sales of console games and hardware grew 10 percent to $1.47 billion… Continue Reading
Discovery’s Patent Lawsuit Could Reveal Kindle Sales
Sony and Amazon fighting over eBook patents? Sure, just about anyone could imagine that. But Discovery Communications (the media company behind Discovery Channel and Animal Planet) suing Amazon over the Kindle’s patents just seems odd.
On the bright side, this tussle might finally force Amazon to… Continue Reading
Sony’s PlayStation 3 blockbuster: Killzone 2 lives up to the hype
Just when we thought the Nintendo Wii had won the video game console war, along comes Sony’s Killzone 2.
In 2005, Sony whet our appetite for the PlayStation 3 (which debuted in 2006, without Killzone 2) by showing off a demo of a then-distant game. It… Continue Reading
Will the Wii jump into the TV set-top box game?
In an interview with Variety magazine, Lionsgate president Curt Marvis let slip that the Wii presents a major opportunity for Hollywood studios to distribute movies and television shows — and that this might be a reality before the year is out. While it isn’t written… Continue Reading
Sony cuts deal with NBC Universal for film/TV shows on PlayStation Network
Sony’s PlayStation Network is getting a boost today as the company announces its deal to add movies and TV shows from NBC Universal to its nascent online video store.
This development follows the addition of MTV Networks programming last month and will help keep the Sony… Continue Reading
Wireless media delivery co. Digital Fountain sells to Qualcomm
Digital Fountain, a company specializing in sending media over wireless networks — especially streaming video — just sold to San Deigo goliath Qualcomm. It’s unclear whether the flagging economy played a role, but the Fremont, Calif. company may have been running short on funds. It… Continue Reading
Sony’s game leadership goes full circle
Sony chief executive Howard Stringer shook up the ranks today with a management reorganization. He took over the president’s job held by Ryoji Chubachi and instituted other changes. The idea was to give Stringer more power to change things inside Sony, which is losing money… Continue Reading
Might Blu-ray be able to save itself yet?
Any way you slice it, Blu-ray is not the future of watching movies at home.
Eventually, distribution over the Internet is going to completely overtake any physical format, just as it has done with music. But that doesn’t mean Blu-ray can’t be a nice holdover until… Continue Reading
Sony’s PlayStation Network passes 20 million registered users
Sony just announced that its PlayStation Network has now surpassed 20 million registered users.
The PSN is the online gaming network for Sony’s PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable game devices, where players can socialize or play online games for free. By contrast, Microsoft charges $50 a… Continue Reading
Sony shows off line-up for PlayStation Portable
Sony announced today a bunch of new titles for its PlayStation Portable handheld game player as well as a new lilac-colored model aimed at female gamers.
The announcements of new games show that Sony is still fighting an uphill battle with the Nintendo DS, which has… Continue Reading
GamesBeat 09: More great speakers lined up
As the March 24 GamesBeat 2009 games conference draws near, we’re unveiling a new list of speakers. We’re proud to say that some of the biggest names in the gaming world are joining us for the program. Tickets are still available.
Chris Taylor (right), founder of Gas… Continue Reading