PlayStation 3 has almost stopped being a money loser, says iSuppli
After Sony debuted the slimmer, cheaper PlayStation 3 in September, the formerly "too expensive" home video game console enjoyed an explosion in sales. At the $299 price point, it quickly went from the slowest-selling console to the fastest. NPD Group statistics are now showing that sales cooled off slightly in November, and PlayStation 3 receded to second place (710,400 units) behind Microsoft's Xbox 360 (819,500 units).
Though sales may have relaxed after the initial surge, market research company iSuppli says the 120 GB PlayStation 3 slim has brought Sony closer to the "breakeven point." Each unit sold still loses money for Sony, but because of the revised bill of materials in the new design, Sony is losing less, and that's something.
Video: Netflix on PlayStation 3
As a PlayStation 3 owner, I did not have the luxury of Netflix Instant streaming through my video game console until today. Now, with the aid of Blu-ray's BD-Live and a free Netflix disc which must remain loaded in the PS3, I now have access to an experience similar to the one Xbox Live Gold subscribers had on their 360s.
These discs shipped out to subscribers this week and started landing in mailboxes today.
How long can Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 survive on life support?
Your first car is as special as your first love. Whether you purchased it after years of working after-school jobs, or it was a graduation gift from thrilled parents, that otherwise soulless piece of machinery takes on the characteristics of a beloved pet. You name it, we dress it up, you let it become an inextricable part of our personality, and you have trouble letting them go. Even after the thing has become a leaky, noisy, smelly hazard to the health and safety of everyone around it, you still hold onto it for long after it should have been retired.
As we endure the Next Great Recession and are forced to make our possessions last longer, I wonder if the same sort of attachment will apply to home video game consoles.
PlayStation 3 takes top-selling honor in Japan, nowhere else
According to market research firmMedia Create, month-to-month sales of Nintendo's newest handheld, the DSi, have dropped 19.42%, PSP sales declined 17%, both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 sales dropped 10%, and Nintendo Wii sales dropped 4.5%.
Even though the PlayStation 3's sales dropped further than the Wii's in March, Sony's console actually outsold Nintendo's by a margin of 47,000 units, according to statistics released by gaming magazine Enterbrain today.
Report: Sony to introduce $99 PlayStation 2
Nine years and more than 140 million consoles later, Sony's PlayStation 2 may finally be dropping to the sub-$100 price point.
A $99 PlayStation SKU has been captured on what appears to be a point of sale scanner showing two dates: 4/5/09 and 4/11/09. Unfortunately, there is little in the way of data outside of this photograph. It does not give the origin of the photo, and it does not say if those dates simply represent a brief window when the consoles will be sold at $99.
Nvidia gives PhysX to PlayStation 3 devs
Nvidia yesterday announced that it will be offering its PhysX SDK for free to registered PS3 developers. The technology generates real-time physics in games by calculating the trajectory of objects, their angles of collision, and their impact force. By using it, developers can make sure that in-game object interactions are unique every time, instead of re-using a standard animation each time.
The technology has been used in more than 150 games on PC/Mac, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii, including the Gears of War series, Mirror's Edge, and Unreal Tournament 3.
PlayStation Network claims 20 million users
While the PlayStation 3 continues to be regarded as the runner-up in online console gaming, the system's growing library of free to play online titles has helped PlayStation Network (PSN) grow to double every year, and the growth continues.
Last year, Microsoft said it had reached the 17 million subscriber mark for Xbox Live, but more recent numbers are not yet available. The company made a strong push early this year to attract more users to the online gaming service by dropping the price of an annual subscription to $30 from the customary $50.
Sony to close its only US PlayStation retail store
As Microsoft ramps up its own retail efforts, Sony will be closing its flagship PlayStation store in the Metreon Mall in San Francisco, California.
It may seem hard to believe, but the 5,500 square foot store has been open for nearly ten years, a substantial chunk of the life of many PlayStation fans. Sony representatives said the lease to the store expires on June 16, and it will not be renewed.
Users find PlayStation Network movie downloads are one-time only
A PlayStation 3 owner has brought to attention Sony's policies regarding movies purchased from the PlayStation Network: if one is deleted, it is rather difficult to obtain again.
According to Sony's licensing agreement: "Content cannot be redownloaded once it has been downloaded to either a PLAYSTATION 3 or PSP system. Content cannot be redownloaded once it has been downloaded to either a PLAYSTATION 3 or PSP system."
PlayStation Network video store opens
PlayStation 3 users are now able to rent or purchase movie and television content from the PlayStation Store, delivered both in standard and high definition.
Through partnerships with MGM, 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, Disney, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros., Paramount, and Turner Entertainment, PS3 users have access to over 300 movies and 1,200 television episodes.
Sony announces $399 80 GB PlayStation 3
When early reports said Microsoft was dropping its Xbox 360 price, fans of Sony immediately began to speculate on a sympathetic price drop for PS3. While not a price cut per se, Sony today announced something similar.
At the E3 conference in Los Angeles this afternoon, Sony Computer Entertainment America President and CEO Jack Tretton hosted the company's press conference where he announced that in September, an 80 GB Playstation3 Core unit will be made available for $399.
PlayStation Home delayed once again
Now delayed by almost a full year, Sony has warned that its Home MMO virtual world for the PlayStation 3 is still not finished.
The service was announced in July of last year, and was supposed to release in the fall. However, that never happened and Sony said at the Tokyo Game Show that a release was targeted for the spring.
DivX playback arrives on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
DivX has announced that Sony's PS3 -- like Microsoft's Xbox 360 -- will now support the company's video format with the 2.10 firmware update, but who will use it?
While not fully certified, DivX says it expects Sony to give the PS3 console a full certification in the future.
Is Sony finally getting its PlayStation 3 act together?
Will last month's PS3 price cuts and this week's set of additional announcements help Sony's Playstation gaming platform to hold its own against Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's Wii? The verdicts from analysts are mixed.
"I see the PS3 as running head-to-head with the Xbox [360] this holiday season in terms of units sold," said Michael Cai, a gaming analyst with Parks Associates. "What happened this week will add to the momentum that's already gotten started."
Sony inoculates the PlayStation 3
With networking a major feature of modern game consoles, the first tools for game system security are inevitably beginning to appear.
Trend Micro is the first to throw its hat into the ring, with a security suite released a week ago as part of a PS3 system upgrade. Trend Micro Web Security for PS3 checks the reputation and security of unknown sites, and has user-defined filters to block certain other types of sites. It is touted as a family product, with password-enabled free browsing.
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