Sony May Charge for Online Content
| Adam Bruno |
Thus far, Sony’s biggest advantage over Microsoft is that their online network, while not as robust as Microsoft’s own XBOX Live, is free. Well, for now, anyway.
Sony Archive
The Great Heavy Rain Box Art Debate
| Erik Johnson |
Recently, Sony and Quantic Dream rolled out the PAL, North America and Japan regional box art for their upcoming PS3-exclusive interactive drama Heavy Rain and boy is there some hootin’ and hollerin’ over it.
Though everything seems to make sense to me: America gets a wet t-shirt contest, Japan gets a dead guy’s nose extruding from a puddle, and Europe gets good box art.
Microsoft Offers Rebate For XBox 360 Elite Purchases Through Oct 5
| Meredith Sweet |
In an effort to stay abreast of the highly competitive gaming console market, Microsoft is offering a rebate on all XBox 360 Elite packages purchased from now until October 5. The rebate, done in response to Sony’s recent drop of the Playstation 3 price to $299, will drop the current $299 price tag down $50. Only a month ago, Microsoft slashed the price of the Elite package down $100 from $399. Details on how to get the rebate are available here.
@GDC Austin: Sony Shifts Gears with PSP Software
| Christian Martin |
Here at GDC Austin I was able to attend a presentation sponsored by Sony focusing on some changes coming to the PlayStation Network and the PSP platform. A few of the noteworthy things discussed were the Minis program, the new SenseMe application, and Digital Comics coming to PSP.
Uncharted 2 Goes Gold
| Erik Johnson |
Sony has announced that Naughty Dog’s highly anticipated action-adventure title Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has gone gold.
Activision vs. Sony: FIGHT! (Or Not.)
| Meredith Sweet |
In an interview with British newspaper The Times, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said that his company, the world’s largest publisher of third-party games, including mega-hit titles such as World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero, Call of Duty, and Tony Hawk: Ride, might have to stop supporting releases for Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Playstation Portable consoles unless Sony drops the price.
I’m getting concerned about Sony; the PlayStation 3 is losing a bit of momentum and they don’t make it easy for me to support the platform. It’s expensive to develop for the console, and the Wii and the Xbox are just selling better. Games generate a better return on invested capital on the Xbox than on the PlayStation.
Kotick added, “Activision’s royalties and other goods paid to Sony last year, totaling some $500 million, probably still worked out at 400 per cent of the profit they made.” Sony’s games division lost over $597 last year, and Kotick’s statement seems to indicate he thinks the company’s losses will mount if they don’t adjust the prices on their consoles.
Infamous Preorder Incentive Will Be In-Game Power
| Christian Martin |
I have to admit that preorder goodies have improved much from the time of crappy t-shirts and cheap little booklets. Now, gamers who preorder the upcoming Sucker Punch title Infamous will receive an exclusive in-game power. Crimson Lightning Pinkie! That’s not actually what it’s called, but it should be.
Shadow of the Colossus Movie to Be Written by Retard
| Chris Benson |
Variety’s videogame blog reports that Shadow of the Colossus, one of the best games of all time, is getting the movie treatment. Like many of you, I was stoked when I first heard the news. Until, that is, I discovered it was being written by the colossal (ha) genius that penned Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. If you’ve seen The Legend of Chun-Li, you know how completely awesome this news is.
Completely.
Awesome.
I, Sony, Internet Weigh in on RE5 Racism Debate
| Chris Burke |
These days taking a silly, psuedo-intellectual, or uninspired stand on whether or not Resident Evil 5 is racist seems to be mainstream writer’s quickest track to making themselves look like they’re hip with the gamester-vibe and loving how objectively we can talk about videogames, especially now that there’s money to be made off of them.
Microsoft, Capcom, and Sony have all been strategically silent over the matter, until now, as Sony finally revealed their thoughts on the matter.
