sony

Now, Swarovski lays claim to the Walkman

Say it ain't so, Sony. The standard bearer for decades in defining good taste in consumer electronics has gone Swarovski on us.

It's hardly the first design leader to fall under the garish crystalline spell. First Philips, then the iPhone and now Sony's E-Series MP3 players have fallen victim to the trend with its "Walkman Abiste" model. As if that weren't bad enough, Digital World Tokyo says the Swarovski-studded stick players will be available in blue, gold, pink and violet, as well as black, when they're released in September on the Japanese market.… Read more

Hands-on with the new PSP

James Yu at GameSpot got to spend some quality time with the newly redesigned PSP at last week's E3 show. Some of the details he confirmed during his hands-on session with the new PSP:

The reduced weight is noticeable when you pick it up. The new battery is slimmer. Old PSP batteries can be used to "double playing time," but the battery cover won't fit over top of it. Instead, Sony will offer a high-capacity power kit with a fitted cover. The control layout is essentially the same, but GameSpot editors felt the d-pad and buttons … Read more

Sony veers away from video sharing

YouTube's dominance in video sharing has prompted Sony to take a new approach to the sector.

Grouper, the video-sharing site acquired by Sony last August for $65 million, announced on Monday that it is dropping its name and changing its business plan. Grouper from here on out will be known as Crackle.

"User-generated video is dead to us," declared Josh Felser, Grouper's founder who is now Crackle's president. "We are definitely leaving video sharing and focusing on emerging talent."

In the past, visitors to Grouper could post videos to the site and eventually … Read more

E3 2007: Warhawk

Online multiplayer shooters used to be about little more than blasting the guy next to you over and over again, with perhaps a little capture-the-flag thrown in for good measure (although even that required more blasting and less flag-capturing than you?d think). After the Quake, Doom and Unreal games had run their course, gamers turned to more tactical online shooters, personified by PC games such as Battlefield 1942, that pit two massive teams of soldiers against each other in a contest that was more about capturing strategic map points than racking up a body count.

Warhawk, an online-only PlayStation … Read more

Sony G1 Cybershot

Sony Cybershot G-1 is not just another digital camera. This is another example of the miniaturization process in the electronics industry. The compact G-1 will easily slide into your pocket and has that take anywhere ability that most adventures like. With an internal 2 GB memory you can take your photo album with you and the 3.5 inch screen lets you see your images clearly. This little camera maybe small but is big on features.

The burst mode enables you to capture sports motion and the wireless capability enables easy transfer of your pictures to other Sony compatible devices. … Read more

PS3 price cut isn't going to last?

On Monday, Sony announced a $100 price cut for the 60GB PlayStation 3, taking the console's retail price down to $499. Since many gamers saw the PlayStation 3 as too expensive at its previous retail price of $599, Sony's decision was widely praised. Unfortunately, the $499 60GB PS3 isn't going to last, because Sony has just confirmed that the company is no longer producing 60GB PS3s.

On the same day the price cut was announced, Sony announced a new 80GB PS3, a console that will be bundled with Motorstorm and will retail for $599, the same as … Read more

E3: 'Infamous' trailer

First impressions mean a lot in gaming (I'm looking at you, Killzone 2), and sometimes developers choose to leave the us in the dark. Such is the case with the PS3 exclusive, Infamous, which comes to us via SuckerPunch, the makers of the cel-shaded classic series, Sly Cooper. So far the only detail we have is that in it, you must decide whether you become a superhero or villain to the people of the city it takes place in. The trailer premiered during Sony's E3 2007 press conference, and no release date was announced.

E3 2007--in under 4 minutes

Miss any of this week's big E3 news? CNET TV's got you covered. Veronica Belmont wraps up all the announcements from Santa Monica, including the highlights from Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo.

Earlier CNET TV coverage:

CNET TV: Microsoft E3 press conference highlights: Rock Star, Gears of War on PC, and--of course--Halo 3 CNET TV: Focus on 'Wii Fit'

E3: 'Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction' gameplay

While the list of upcoming PlayStation 3-only titles isn't exactly lengthy, it's good to know that Sony's exclusives still contain some excellent franchises. A prime example of one of these is the successful Ratchet & Clank series noted for its addictive action gameplay and excellent production value, thanks to Insomniac Games. The latest adventure, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, is the first entry into the HD world of next-gen gaming and is set to release toward the end of this year.

E3: 'Silent Hill: Origins' trailer

I've played every Silent Hill game since 1999's original on the PlayStation, and if there's one thing I had always wanted, it was a portable version. Well, thanks to Konami, Silent Hill: Origins, exclusive to the PSP, will be released November 13. Origins is a prequel to the Silent Hill series in which you come into contact with characters from the later games.