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Sony creates a new company to run everything PlayStation
Okay, so this is kind of weird: Sony just announced that it's spinning off PlayStation into its own separate company, dubbed Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC. It combines Sony Computer Entertainment (basically any and all PlayStation-related hardware and software) with Sony Network Entertainment (services like PlayStation Vue and the PlayStation Store) and will be led by Andrew House as president and global CEO. Head of Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, retains his title, but will now report to Shawn Layden.
Light pink/white PS Vita announced for Japan
Sony announced a new pink PlayStation Vita system during its SCEJA Press Conference today. The back of the system is light pink and the front-facing part is white. Sony will launch the pretty new Vita on November 13 in Japan. It will cost players 18,980 yen (roughly $182.20). [Image: Sony]
PlayStation Home turns off the lights in Japan this March
After closing its doors to new content last August, Sony has decided to turn off the lights on PlayStation Home in Japan entirely. The PlayStation Home social network will end in March 2015 in Japan, Sony announced on the Japanese Home website. A translation of the message indicates that the Home service maintained by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Sony Computer Entertainment America is exempt from the shut down. Sony's PlayStation Home service, a 3D-environment social network for the PlayStation 3, first launched its beta test in Japan in August 2008. The service was powered by advertisements, tricking other users, and dancing with hamsters. [Image: PlayStation]
Final Soul Sacrifice update adds 16 new (and tough!) quests
The Marvelous AQL and Japan Studio-developed Vita-exclusive Soul Sacrifice has been given its final update, SCEA producer Kumi Yuasa revealed in a post on the PlayStation Blog. Update 1.30 adds "16 challenging new quests" to the game, for free. Unlike previous updates, unlock keys from the PlayStation Store are not required to enjoy the content. Yuasa says the game's final bonus quests are all at level ten difficulty. "You'll be tasked with facing challenging boss characters you may have come across before," Yuasa adds. Soul Sacrifice launched for the PlayStation Vita in North America on April 30. The Joystiq review noted that playing it could exact an "unexpected toll on your thoughts." Spooky!
Take a break and watch penguins dance with the new Vita
If you can't spare 15 seconds to watch some technicolored penguins dance around with the new Vita-2000, you need to seriously think about the direction your life has gone in. Look at their little beaky faces.
Final Fantasy 14 PS3 players will be able to play PS4 beta for free [update]
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn players that begin their quest on the PS3 will be able to play the PS4 version's beta for free, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan announced today. The beta for the PS4 version of A Realm Reborn will launch alongside the console in Japan on February 22. Update: A Square Enix Europe press release confirms players will be able to carry over character data when transitioning from PS3 to PS4. The date noted in the press release is also February 22, indicating the PS4 beta will likely begin globally on that day.
PSA: Sony Japan conference begins at 2AM ET on Monday
Make a cup of tea, put on your bunny slippers and curl up with a laptop for Sony Computer Entertainment Japan's press conference at 2AM EDT on Monday, September 9 (7AM BST on Monday; 11PM PDT tonight). This is a PlayStation conference, meaning we can expect some PS4 provisions. It'll be streamed with English translations on the European PlayStation Blog, Sony tweets. This conference hits 10 days before Japan's Tokyo Game Show 2013, which runs September 19 - 22 at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba. We'll have all of Sony's conference news right here as soon as it breaks, so keep the front page as fresh as that cup of tea, night owls.
Sony Japan hosts early morning streaming press conference on Monday
Sony Computer Entertainment Japan is scheduled to host a press conference in the wee hours of morning on Monday, September 9, says the PlayStation Europe Twitter account. What exactly will be discussed remains a mystery, though it seems almost certain that the PlayStation 4 will be a focal point. If you'd like to watch the event unfold you can catch a live stream on the official PlayStation.blog. The stream begins at 7 a.m. BST, which translates to 2 a.m. Eastern/11 p.m. Pacific, with the latter technically falling on Sunday night. Sony's translators will be on hand to create a live, English-language transcript of the conference.
Puppeteer pulls PS3's strings September 10
During a demo at GDC, Sony confirmed that Puppeteer will launch on September 10 for the PS3, simultaneously on Blu-ray disc and as a PSN download. "So that's our release date," art director Gavin Moore concluded after showing me a promotional trailer.Puppeteer is the story of a boy-turned-wooden-puppet on a quest to vanquish the evil Moon Bear King, played out entirely on a single stage. As players progress from one area to the next, the settings of the stage change in real time.
Sony's 'Rain' shows its invisible world in a downpour of pictures
Sony's Rain stars a young boy trapped in an invisible world brought to life only by the rain – when it pours, the boy, a young girl and all manner of strange creatures are made visible, gallivanting around our own world. Six new images, separated into dry and wet pairs, demonstrate the breadth of emotion and action Rain hopes to achieve.The first set of images come with the tagline, "Sometimes rain reflects loneliness." The second reads, "Sometimes rain brings melancholy," and the third pair says, "Sometimes rain soaks through the heart." We'd like to add that rain also helps flowers grow. Check out all of the images in the gallery below.[Thanks, Roger!]%Gallery-183058%
Patapon 3 comes to Vita next week
Patapon 3 will become a PS Vita-compatible game next week. The news comes via the latest PlayStation Blogcast, episode number 62, wherein social media manager Sid Shuman and crew confirm the new PS Vita compatibility will be available alongside next week's PSN update.Predecessors Patapon and Patapon 2 are both compatible with PS Vita. A multiplayer demo for Patapon 3 was issued ahead of its launch a few years back, though our quick check on PSN shows that free demo is no longer available.
Keiji Inafune's favorite game is Zelda: A Link to the Past
During the Tokyo Game Show this year, we asked some of Japan's biggest game industry figures what they felt is the most important game to them (outside of games they've actually created). For Keiji Inafune, creator of the Mega Man series and the brainnnnnz behind the upcoming zombie action game, Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, that fundamental game is The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the Super Nintendo. As important games go, we'd agree that Link to the Past is definitely on the list (and handily available on Virtual Console).Meanwhile, Hiroshi Kawano, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan, picked Crash Bandicoot, which was conveniently (perhaps too conveniently) just released as a PSOne Classic for the PlayStation Vita. While it may not be the game many would have picked, it certainly has a memorable spot in PlayStation history, especially considering its developer, Naughty Dog, went on to create the phenomenal Uncharted series.
Kaz Hirai drops some titles at Sony, still president
One morning, Sony president and CEO Kaz Hirai woke up and said, "I probably have too many titles." Beyond being the president and CEO of Sony Corporation (the umbrella parent company of PlayStation, Bravia, and many other Sony brands), Hirai is also "representative director" and "chairman" – until today, that is. Hirai is relinquishing his responsibilities and titles for both his positions as representative director and chairman of Sony Corp.Hirai is dropping both titles and responsibility in today's move, only remaining on Sony's board in a "part-time capacity." He became president and CEO earlier this year, taking over former CEO Howard Stringer's spot in early February. Sony Computer Entertainment president Andrew House is taking over the vacated chairman position, effective this month, and former Sony Corp. head Howard Stringer is also exiting his board seat.In case the bizarre-looking hierarchy isn't clear enough, this means that Andrew House – the guy who runs the PlayStation brand – is the head of Sony Corp.'s board, followed by eight Japan-based Sony Corp. employees. One of those is his boss, Kaz Hirai. Yup.
Vita launch issues in Japan result in apology, software update [update]
For us suckers in North America, the PlayStation Vita is still just a distant object of desire. For the Japanese, though, the Vita is already a couple days into its life, but apparently it's got some ... issues. Our tech savvy brethren at Engadget are reporting that some users are experiencing "software bugs, unresponsive touchscreens and complete system freezes," resulting in many taking to social media to voice frustration. Sony, as it turns out, is listening, already issuing a software update and penning an apology letter. The video above showcases some of the Vita's problematic issues, and it should at very least help you to sympathize with your Japanese equivalent's frustration. The letter, well, it's in Japanese, and it's kinda non-specific, so you may wanna skip that part. Regardless, with any luck, said issues will be ironed out by the time Vita arrives on US shores on February 22. Here's hoping, anyway. Update: Sony UK counters this report and others, saying the company, "can't find any evidence of widespread glitches." [Thanks Gerry!]
Sony confirms Ueda's departure; The Last Guardian to be completed on contract
The real news, of course, is that Sony is publicly promising The Last Guardian will be finished ... at some point. The respected creative force behind the project, Fumito Ueda, is "committed to completing" his third major game with Sony on a contract basis. Sony confirmed his departure with Gamasutra, concluding a swirl of rumors from last month. The Last Guardian has yet to receive a solid release date after being bumped out of holiday 2011. "I sincerely apologize to all the customers who have been waiting for 'The Last Guardian' for so long, but I beg for your patience," Ueda said in April. "I will also announce the new release timing at a later time." The game's other notable departure, Executive Producer Yoshifusa Hayama, has joined social gaming studio Bossa Studios. Ueda hasn't provided a clear indication of his post-Guardian future yet, giving us enough time to envision dream team-ups with Grasshopper Manufacture's Suda 51, or Shinji Mikami at the Zenimax-owned Tango. Who's going to say no to Mr. Shadow of the Colossus?
'UMD Passport' application moves UMD-based PSP games to the Vita (for a price)
Sony realizes that you, Japanese PlayStation Portable owner, want to keep playing your UMD version of Nano Diver when the PlayStation Vita launches on December 17. The Japanese electronics giant last night announced its "UMD Passport" program, wherein PSP owners can download a free application to register their UMD games and receive a discount on repurchases of said games through the Vita's digital distribution store. The repurchase price varies from game to game, but it averages between 500 and 1,000 yen ($6 to $13), going as high as ¥2,400 ($31). And to get a jump on the conversion process, Sony will be releasing the PSP app on December 6. It's unclear whether the Passport program will arrive Stateside or in Europe when the Vita launches early next year in other territories, but we expect Sony will reveal as much in the coming months. The initial titles included in the program are detailed by Sony here, and the company apparently intends on expanding it to approximately 200 games.
Tokyo Game Show 2011 wrap-up
All good things must come to an end, and likewise with this year's Tokyo Game Show which wrapped up yesterday. Despite the PS Vita's dominance and the lack of newly-announced hero hardware at the show, we were still able to keep ourselves entertained with the odd peripherals here and there, alongside some very interesting exhibits both at TGS and the Amusement Machine Show next door -- head past the break to humor yourselves. Alternatively, feel free to catch up on our TGS coverage while you're here (we have a list after the break as well), and don't forget to check out our awesome buddies over at Joystiq for even more gaming news. %Gallery-134244%
Sony shows off PlayStation Vita's initial setup process and user interface (video)
While we're still months away from seeing the PlayStation Vita show up in the stores, Sony continues to tease us with more live demonstrations here at the SCEJ press conference -- what we saw just now was a quick walkthrough of the initial setup procedure, and our first look at the interface in action. Setup is simple and predictable: select your region, create or log into your PSN account, enter your birthday -- pretty standard for today's handheld gaming devices. The UI itself looks primed to make smartphone users feel right at home, spreading a cloud of large, friendly app icons across the Vita's five-inch touchscreen.Our hosts skipped through a few media applications, showing off a pair of movie trailers and concurrently running the device's music player and photo viewer. We didn't see it live today, but Sony suggested that cross-app multitasking is compatible with games as well, stating that a player could hop out of a game session, pop-into a Twitter app, and then jump right back into the game. We'll give you a more detailed account once we've hit the TGS show-floor. Can't wait? Peek our gallery below, or see Sony's live demo above.%Gallery-133574%
Sony announces bucketload of PlayStation Vita launch games, teases PSP downloads for UMD lovers
Wondering how many games the PlayStation Vita will be launched with on December 17th? 26 is the answer, with 100 games in total to be released. Launch titles include Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, Power Smash 4, Fish On, Project N.O.E.L.S and more in the photo above. These will be followed by Metal Gear Solid HD Edition, Rayman Origins, FIFA, etc. If new titles aren't enough to whet your appetite, Sony announced that as many as 500 to 600 PSP titles will be available for download via the PlayStation Network, given that you're willing to re-purchase your last-gen favorites. Don't toss out your UMDs just yet though -- Sony said they are working on a solution to bring your old games to your new handheld, mentioning "special download plans" that they will discuss at a future point. We wouldn't hold our breath, but hit the break for a splash image featuring the full list of launch games you will be able to get -- good luck with the Japanese.
Sony's TGS 2011 press conference, live from Tokyo
After a harrowing flight and about fifty trains across the Tokyo metropolitan area, we've arrived at Sony's Tokyo Game Show 2011 press conference and we're ready to kick off the livebloggening. As Mr. Samuel Jackson might say, "Hold onto your butts." Any minute now ...
