Google Teams Up With Sony And Logitech, Introduces Google TV

The rumors where there, it was not one of the best kept secrets, but it surprised many tech analysts when Google didn't announce some kind of TV play on day 1 of its annual developer conference in San Francisco. Day 2 did not disappoint however, with Google and partners announcing the coming of Google TV an Android based service which "lets people visit any Web site from their televisions and easily search for programs and Web video without scrolling through unwieldy on-screen TV directories." according to this NY Times article.

Google TV will come built into Sony's high-definition televisions and Blue-ray players later this fall and will also be available via a set to box developed by Logitech. Price was not discussed but the service is said to require Intel's Atom chip set which is bound to drive costs some. Sony exec's also hinted that they were likely to adopt Google's software over their own Bravia software at some point down the road as it is more robust.

“Google TV is more than anything finally going to create some energy over at Apple to make a television, or at least a version of the iPad that docks with a TV,” said James McQuivey, an analyst at Forrester Research.

The Official Google Blog has more details.

Sony Takes On Wii With Motion Controller Of It's Own

Sony announced today the introduction of PlayStation Move, a motion sensing controller reminiscent of the Nintendo Wii's nunchuk or the handle of a light saber without the cool glowing laser part. Sony isn't hiding the fact that they have Nintendo in their sights either "The migration path from the Wii household to the PlayStation 3 household is a pretty natural path, partly because of the experience that you can get on the PlayStation Move, but also because of the content that we find on PlayStation 3," says Peter Dille, senior vice-president of marketing for Sony Computer Entertainment.

The PlayStation Move is set to debut this fall and the precise price has not been released but it is thought that a bundle including one controller and PlayStation Eye will retail for under $100.

Read more: CBC Technology

Sony Urges PlayStation 3 Owners Not To Play Online

Owners of the older generation PlayStation 3 game systems are being warned by Sony not to play online until a coding error in the clock functionality of the system, similar to the Y2K bug, is fixed. Errors began being reported recently that resulted in the system date being reset to Jan. 1, 2000. Using the systems online could cause errors, make it impossible to record gaming achievements or restoring some data, cause an error message saying the user has been logged out of the online game network, and result in game trophies to disappear. The error does not occur in the newer slim version of the PlayStation 3 that began shipping in September '09.

Source: CBC 

3-D TV Making Noise At CES

The big TV manufactures are all at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) demoing or promising televisions that "have three-dimension-enabled televisions, providing the same sort of immersive high-definition depth found in movies such as the box-office blockbuster Avatar."

There is so much hype that Sony chief executive Howard Stringer has said, "This whole thing is turning into the CES 3-D show." While Avatar producer Jon Landau said "3-D is not about gags coming off the screen, it’s about creating an immersive experience," he said. "It heightens the experience, it becomes a voyeuristic experience."

"It’s not just smoke and mirrors. It’s real," said Yoshi Yamada, North American chief executive for Panasonic.

Sort of makes you wonder if that HDTV purchase was a good idea or if next Boxing Day might have been a better option? I'll save my comments until I can actually see how the products preform. Besides, how much content is available and do we really want to watch everything in 3-D? Perhaps the makers of Gravol will be the big winner? Time to buy some shares...

Sony Delays Global Release Of LittleBigPlanet

Sony has recalled all of the copies of LittleBigPlanet and is delaying the global release because a music track that was licensed for the game contained two phrases that can be found in the Koran. "We're sure that most of you have heard by now that one of the background music tracks that was licensed from a record label for use in the game contains two expressions that can be found in the Koran. We have taken immediate action to rectify this and we sincerely apologise for any offence this may have caused."says a statement on the LittleBigPlanet website. The company now plans to begin shipping in North America the week of October 27th. Described as a game about making games, the title has been highly anticipated.

Resistance 2 - Interview With Ted Price

G4 sat down with Ted Price, President and CEO of Insomniac and maker of Resistance 2 the game that pits you against a 300 foot tall monster in the middle of Chicago! I'm not a Sony Playstation 3 player but this is one game that really gets my attention... check out the video!

Greenpeace Rates Tech Manufacturers Eco-friendly Practices

Nintendo has been given a 0.3 out of 10 by Greenpeace in its March Guide to Greener Electronics. Remarkably this is an increase over the December ranking in which Nintendo scored a 0.0! Other electronics companies fared better with Microsoft coming in at 4.7, Sony at 7.3, and Samsung and Toshiba tied for the top spot at 7.7! Perhaps Mario and Luigi should be paying more careful attention to what is being flushed down those pipes! Wired blog post here.

US Video Game Sales Doing Well In '08

US sales of video game hardware and software are up 34 per cent over the same period last year hitting $1.33-billion in February. “With several marquee titles still to come in the front half of the year, the industry is poised to achieve another year of record-breaking sales despite difficult economic conditions,” NPD analyst Anita Frazier said in a statement. The Wii out paced both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with February marking the second straight month that Sony beat Microsoft in console sales. Microsoft exec's are saying their stronger than expected holiday season has caused inventory shortages and that's affecting current numbers. “Our manufacturing team guesses five months out. They made their forecast and didn't have as high a forecast as they should have,” said Microsoft spokesman David Dennis. Globe and Mail story here.

Netflix Joins Long Line of Blu-ray Supporters

In a press release today, Netflix is saying that it will "move toward stocking high-def DVDs exclusively in the Blu-ray format." The Netflix decision is said to be based on the decisions of four of six major movie studios to publish high-def DVD titles only in the Sony-developed Blu-ray format. "We're now at the point where the industry can pursue the migration to a single format, bring clarity to the consumer and accelerate the adoption of high-def. Going forward, we expect that all of the studios will publish in the Blu-ray format and that the price points of high-def DVD players will come down significantly." said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix. Having lost the Betamax - VHS showdown, it looks as though Sony has the definite leg up on Blu-ray - HD DVD... glad I waited to let this play out! Might be a good excuse to buy a Playstation 3!

Guitar Hero times four = Rock Band

Wired magazine has a thorough look at the new Rock Band game soon to be released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. The game allows you to take on the role of lead guitarist, bass guitarist, drummer or vocalist. The review includes the video trailer and I'm not sure if it makes me want to play the game more or less, it looks like a little busy... at $200 its a bit pricey too, but it includes all of the peripherals!

Gizmodo reports the release of Sony Rolly in Japan

Well the wait is nearly over according to Gizmodo! The egg shaped Sony Rolly is said to be released on September 29th in Japan. The egg-shaped dancing MP3 player is motion-controlled, having sensors that know which way is up. Volume is controlled by turning the player clockwise or counter clockwise, and you can skip or repeat tracks by rolling the player forwards, backwards, or shaking it. Dance moves can be downloaded to the Rolly or you can create your own with the available software on your computer. The price is reported to be $351. It's interesting but is it $350 interesting? We'll see! More photos and video on Gizmodo.

Sony's Rolly, what is it... what's next?

c|net's Crave blog is as puzzled about this video for the Sony Rolly as everyone else is... what the heck is it?

Toyota and Sony team up to develop robot cars?

Toyota and Sony have announced that they are teaming up to produce an innovative, intelligent, single-seat vehicle. Sony is apparently selling some of its technology and loaning researchers to Toyota to assist in the project. Sounds a little like a one seat Smart Car, but I think the most interesting part of the deal is represented in this quote, from The Globe and Mail, "Toyota is introducing as a guide at its showroom at headquarters TPR-Robina, a womanlike robot-on-wheels it has developed. The robot can dodge obstacles, sign its name, carry on simple conversations in Japanese and deliver preprogrammed information in an electronic voice..."

Sony PS3 to have PVR add-on

At an industry show in Germany on Wednesday, Sony announced a TV-tuner add-on that will turn the Playstation 3 game console into a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) giving owners the ability to pause and record live TV using the console's hard-drive. A price was not announced and according to this CBC article, there are no immediate plans to roll-out the device in North America.

Sony to drop PS3 price by $100 US, new model coming

Just in time for the industry's big trade show, E3, Sony has announced a reduction in the price of the Playstation 3 by $100 US and a new beefier model to be rolled out in Asia initially. Sony's PS3 has lagged behind the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360 and the move is an attempt to draw more customers to the gaming platform that has been badly beaten at the cash register. A new PS3 with an 80GB hard drive has also been announced, it will sell for $600 US and come bundled with the breakout title "Motorstorm" which has sold a million copies to date. The new price makes it just slightly more expensive than the most expensive Xbox 360, although Microsoft is rumored to be contemplating a price shift of it's own. Good news for the gaming crowd! CNN has the story.

Your favourite shows from childhood in 6 minutes or less

Sony has re-purposed some of your favourite old television shows and released the trimmed down versions on the myspace minisode network. Now you can take a trip down memory lane and view the original Charlies Angels, Starsky & Hutch, Diff'rent Strokes, VIP, T.J. Hooker... the list goes on. The videos are all edited down to between 3 and 6 minutes, just long enough to get the plot and keep you from wasting too much time watching really bad TV. Though I'm having difficulty viewing any of these at the moment, seems like a lot of people need their Farrah Facett fix.

Take-Two holds back controversial title (two posts in one)

After being banned in Britain and being given an adult only rating in the US, game maker Take-Two Interactive has decided to temporarily hold back it's 'Manhunt 2' title due to be released on July 10th. Saying "We continue to stand behind this extraordinary game. We believe in freedom of creative expression, as well as responsible marketing, both of which are essential to our business of making great entertainment," Take-Two is contemplating the future of the game which was to be released for the Sony Playstation 3, PSP, and Nintendo Wii platforms. CNet has the story here and while you are on their site check out the 'Hottest Story' navigation they have going on in the form of coloured blocks! The larger the block the hotter the story, it's a novel idea and one that I think I can really get into. I'm not sure if I would want to see anymore than the 15 or so stories they are currently displaying though.

Blog Watch

As reported earlier this week, we are the proud new owners of a PlayStation Portable (PSP)... well actually my son is but I sneak a little game play in when the PSP is not tightly clenched in his little hands. In my quest for all things PSP, I've come across a site that I thought I'd share. Sony has recently open the doors on an official company PlayStation blog. The site is the official word on PlayStation rumours and contains sections dedicated to game titles, developers, hardware, etc. The jury is out on whether or not they will be an open (transparent) forum for all things PlayStation or if we will only be fed what Sony wants us to believe. I'll be keeping an eye on the site for release dates and upcoming titles.

gbg on psp

I was hoping to create this post using our latest gadget acquisition, but it turns out that I don't have much patience for typing on the Playstation Portable. I am impressed by the little device none the less! The picture is very sharp, the sound better than anticipated, and set up was relatively painless. I was connected to our wireless network within minutes and surfing the web soon after, though figuring out the browser controls was a little bit of a challenge. I recommend you save yourself the frustration and read the manual no matter how much of a geek you are... though what's the fun in that? Web surfing is better than you'll get on your cell phone but the experience is much the same, only with a larger, crisper screen. I expect the PSP will get plenty of use, especially the gaming, and while the Internet experience is not ideal the PSP weighs much less than a laptop! A great little device that will be easily slung in a backpack and invaluable on trips.