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New Sony PS3 and PSN Releases

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ps3remotes-flickruserjoo0ey

This week’s PS3 and PSN releases run the gamut from FPS games with a twist to new quest games from established franchises to games that utilize choice to affect gameplay. Consider adding some of these top picks to your must-have list, then spending a hot summer weekend in the air conditioning with your system, checking out the gameplay.

The Last of Us: This survival game uses gamer’s choice to both develop the relationship between the two main characters, Joel and Ellie, and to advance gameplay. The setting is Earth after the apocalypse, the only world that Ellie has ever known (Joel was alive before the apocalypse). Work through a series of levels to smuggle Ellie out of the quarantine zone while fighting off infected citizens, gangs of scavengers and military power. Since weapons are scarce, you’ll need to spend time foraging for supplies.

Aliens: Colonial Marines: Play as a member of the United States Colonial Marine squad and battle the aliens in the latest from the Aliens franchise. This Alien assault is bigger and badder than ever before, but as a Marine you’ve got a large stock of fire power with which to fight off the enemy. Aliens: Colonial Marines offers two gameplay modes: A single-player mode and a cooperative four-player mode where every player in the game assumes a distinct Colonial Marines persona and has a unique role to play in the battle.

Final Fantasy XIII 2: Final Fantasy fans will enjoy this game, which focuses on familiar characters Lightning, Cocoon and Serah. Set several years after Lightning saved Cocoon, the survivors have settled on Gran Pulse and started to rebuild. Lightning has disappeared and is presumed dead by some, but Serah holds out hope. As Gran Pulse is invaded by monsters, a stranger comes to save Serah and says he knows where Lightning is. Together, they go to find her.

Contra: Shattered Soldier: Releasing in demo version the week of June 10, Contra: Shattered Soldier revives the legendary NES Contra series. The demo even includes the scrolling 2D action form the initial release, which is sure to please established fans of the game. And young and old fans alike are sure to love the stellar 3D graphics and rotating cast of human, alien and machine enemies. Fight through the level to battle Contra’s signature big boss, and call in a friend using the 2-player cooperative mode if you need help to battle the big boss.

Pirates: Legends of the Black Buccaneer: Also releasing in demo form the week of June 10, Pirates: Legends of the Black Buccaneer follow the story of Francis Blade, a shipwrecked man. The game is set in the 16th century Caribbean. Wander around a mysterious island to find the medallion, which allows Blade to summon the spirit of the Black Buccaneer. Fight off natural forces and wander the island to collect washed-up ship parts so you can reassemble the ship and sail to safety. Play either as Francis Blade or as the Black Buccaneer, a supercharged character who you can only assume for a short period of time.

Try out some of these games or add them to your gift list for the game lover in your life. You just may ignite love for an old game franchise or discover something new for your system.

Sony to develop “subtitle” glasses

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Watching movies has increasingly become accessible to the deaf because of subtitling. It is now a standard feature in DVDs and blurays and even downloadable video content has the option of getting subtitles either as a built in feature or downloading a separate subtitle file. But subtitling is not just within the realm of digital media. There are many theaters now that offer a subtitling service for those who need it.

The current system revolves around the use of a glass screen that is placed in front of the person, the glass then reflects text from a pixel board that is mounted at the back of the theater. This is an effective way of providing subtitles in theaters to those who need it but the difficulty of this solution is that those who want to get subtitles will have to seat themselves in a specific area in the theater to make sure that they get to see the subtitles.

Sony realized the limitation of this problem and has developed a new technology to provide subtitles to people who need them. The prototype are a pair of glasses that a person can wear when watching a #D movie. But the technology here is far different. The glasses allow for the subtitles to be projected on to the glass you are wearing, so this means the viewer can sit anywhere he wants to and still get to see the subtitles. The subs appear like it is part of the screen, which is a cool effect. Sony is still developing the glasses but expect the final product to look slimmer and svelte.

Sony S1 and S2 Tablets Specs Leaked to CNET

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Sony S1

I may be in love with the iPad, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate other real headturners, and Sony S1 and S2 tablets are just that.

So far, what we know about the Sony S1 and S2 tablets are still quite sketchy, but just a look at the prototypes makes me want to try it out. The S1’s wedge design gives it extra oomph, while the S2’s “closable” dual screen design is just like no other tablet in the market. It isn’t their pretty hardware that’s the talk of the town these days though, but the fact that CNET was able to get inside information on the actual specs of the tablets. ((Source))

Prior to the leak, information about their OS have already been reported, with both models said to be built using the latest Android version. Though the Honeycomb wasn’t explicitly mentioned, it’s just logical for Sony to use the Honeycomb, it being the tablet version of Android. Aside from the OS though, we now know more about the S1’s and S2’s hardware.

According to CNET’s sources the S1 tablet will be available in the following four versions: 2 Wi-Fi only versions at 16GB and 32GB, and 2 Wi-Fi and 3G versions also with 16GB and 32GB memory space. All S1 models will also come with a built-in SD memory card reader, so that you won’t have to worry much about running out of memory. Other specs and features that were mentioned include a 9.4-inch display that will be using TruBlack and Bravia technologies, a vague estimation of the S1’s battery life (“comparable to the iPad 2”), and two important tablet accessories – a dock and a Bluetooth keyboard.

Less information was gleaned about the S2 model, but what is known is that there won’t be any Wi-Fi only versions released for this model. However, the Wi-Fi and 3G versions will also be available in 16GB and 32GB. There was no mention of the battery life or accessories that will come with the S2 tablet.

Both tablets are said to be due for launching either late August or early September, just in time for the IFA 2011 in Berlin. Sony will be releasing the real names of both tablets then, and will probably be announcing price points as well.

Sony Walkman NWZ-W260 Goes Wherever You Go

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Sony Walkman NWZ-W260

The youngsters of today might not be impressed when they hear talk about the Sony Walkman, but those who grew up in the 80s and 90s will definitely have special feelings for this music player. It has died, or so some people have said in the past months. With the plethora of more advanced mp3 players in the market, this could be quite understandable. Then again, Sony has just proved the naysayers wrong by releasing the Sony Walkman NWZ-W260.

That does not look anything like the Walkmans that I grew up with, which may be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. What I do like about the Sony Walkman NWZ-W260’s looks is that it is very sleek – definitely in step with the idea that you can take this music player wherever you go.

But that’s not what’s awesome about the Sony Walkman NWZ-W260 – other mp3 players are at least just as portable. What gives this music player the edge is the fact that it’s waterproof. Think about the possibilities! You can work up a good sweat on the treadmill and not worry about ruining your earphones. You can even go run outdoors in the rain and still not have to worry about getting your music player wet – the Sony Walkman NWZ-W260 can handle that! Heck, if you are that hardcore about music, you can probably even wear the player while you take a shower. Or maybe even when you swim.

The Sony Walkman NWZ-W260 is definitely geared at sports minded individuals who need music to get them in the zone. It has a playback time of 8 hours (fully charged, of course). A nice feature is the quick charge that gives the player a boost of power within 3 minutes. This gives you 60 minutes’ worth of juice, which should be enough for a good workout. As for getting music on the Sony Walkman NWZ-W260, it is as simple as dragging and dropping the files. You may opt to use Sony’s own software, iTunes, Windows Media Player, or even Windows Explorer.

The Sony Walkman NWZ-W260 comes in black and white, with the option of 2GB or 4GB for storage. The former will go for $59.99, while the latter will go for $79.99. The units hit the shelves in August.

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Sony to Get into Virtual Reality Gaming

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3D is the next big frontier in home entertainment if we are to believe Sony and what it has been saying in various tech conferences and expos. The company is investing heavily on 3D that it is coming out aggressively with 3D related products like 3D-ready LCD TVs, 3D glasses (the company recently announced more affordable 3D glasses at the last E3 Expo), and has already made available a firmware update on the Playstation 3 to enable 3D gaming and content. [Read more…]

Sony reveals PlayStation Move

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I have to admit, my mind is officially blown. Sony finally revealed its new PlayStation 3 motion controller at GDC 2010 in San Francisco, and boy is it looking good.

Dubbed the Playstation Move, the advanced motion controls on this baby makes it supposedly more accurate than that other motion controller from that little-known console from Nintendo (maybe you’ve heard of it, it’s called the Wii?). You can operate the controls via action buttons and an analog trigger, with the typical shock and rumble treatment from the controller itself. You can even use the PlayStation Eye camera for 3D simulation, basically putting you in the game.

If that wasn’t enough to make any gamer stop and be excited for this, Sony is set to release at least 20 games that will cater specifically to the new motion controllers.

Just check out games like the brutal street boxing game Dukes.

You will be able to get involved with PlayStation Move in several ways:

  • Camera + controller (including a “starter disc” with a range of demos for games releasing later in the year)
  • A single controller for people who already have a PlayStation Eye camera
  • A full console pack which includes PS3, dualshock3, Move controller + camera
  • Finally some of the PS3’s biggest games will be available with a Move controller included

I admit, I’m not too crazy about the colored lightbulb at the end of those sticks. It really makes the PlayStation Move look a bit silly, but I think I might change my opinion once I get t play with one of those things.

Sony Dash streams from Netflix

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For a while, the Sony Dash is actually kind of a glorified widget machine. Kind of like an iPad, but imagine that it doesn’t have the office suite function, or anything else that makes the iPad so great. The Dash Internet Viewer is a touchscreen WiFi device which can be propped up like a digital photo frame. Oh yeah, it’s not portable. So you just have to prop it around your home.

It runs Chumby OS, which lets the 7-inch device can run Chumby apps (there are over 1,000 free ones out there already), to which Sony will be adding its own Sony Music and Sony Pictures properties for movie trailers, music videos and so forth.

But the thing is, the the Sony Dash can now actually stream Watch Instantly content from Netflix. As if that wasn’t enough, Demand Media will also be offering Dash-tailored portals to content from eHow, Golflink and Livestrong.com, and it’ll have no issues streaming “online music videos, television, or film content on-demand” to the 7-inch touchpanel.

Amazingly, this device is only $199. Okay, there’s no external battery and you can’t lug it around everywhere, but I’m sure you can hack it.