MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Home represents arguably the biggest single development in next-gen gaming, and is certainly massive news for PS3 – so it’s not surprising that talk of a public beta for the virtual world service has sent the internet into a frenzy. A poster on Sony’s US PlayStation blog has uploaded scans …
Read More »Sony beat Facebook to Facebook
Sony’s PlayStation division was tantalisingly close to spearheading the ‘online social community’ phenomenon – beating the likes of MySpace to the idea. That’s according to former Sony Entertainment President Chris Deering, who revealed to MCV that a secret Facebook-style web networking platform was being worked on behind-the-scenes by those responsible …
Read More »New Steel PS3 heading to Japan
Seemingly not content enough with the release of both Ceramic White and Satin Silver versions the PS3, Japanese weekly games magazine Famitsu reports that a new Steel version of Sony’s machine will arrive in conjunction of the release of Konami’s Metal Gear Solid 4. The game, which will be released …
Read More »Sony restructures to target MMO market
President of Sony Computer Entertainment Kaz Hirai has taken charge of the company’s online business – separate to its PlayStation division – as part of a company restructuring that will sees the platform holder aggressively pursue the online gaming market. Current president of Sony Online entertainment John Smedley will report …
Read More »US: Microsoft predicts February sales loss
Ahead of the release of the official North American NPD sales figures for February, Microsoft has conceded that its Xbox 360 was most likely outsold by Sony’s PS3 last month – though only thanks to supply restrictions. Speaking to Reuters, Greenberg claimed: "We definitely expect we will trail in February …
Read More »Sony under pressure to slash PS3 price
Following Microsoft’s official confirmation of a price drop across its entire Xbox 360 range, Strategy Analytics has stated that the move will put pressure on Sony to follow suit with its PS3. Sony will be nervous that the PS3’s recent sales surge may fizzle out now that the premium Xbox …
Read More »MGS4 bundle resurrects backwardly compatible PS3
Along with news of a God of War PSP bundle and a North American launch date for the Dualshock 3 joypad, SCEA has also confirmed a Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 bundle – which will include the backwardly compatible 80GB PS3 that Sony had previosuly said would be discontinued. The …
Read More »PlayTV to be DRM free
Though it may only be the techno-savvy who will be excited by the news, the fact that Sony’s upcoming PS3 PVR PlayTV will not implement any kind of DRM (digital rights management) is potentially quite important. Content recorded from the Freeview tuner is converted into MPEG-2 format and can then …
Read More »Sony to open up in-game ads?
Advertising Age is claiming that Sony has opened up its in-game advertising platform on PS3, representing what is one of the biggest new opportunities in the sector. Sony is reportedly in the process of beginning to sell its own in-game ads via a PlayStation Network-dedicated sales team, whilst third party …
Read More »US: High-end PS3 sales match low-spec machines
Following a strong sales period in the US that has seen the $500 80GB PS3 sell just as many units as the lower spec $400 40GB model, SCEA’s Scott Steinberg has stated that the perceived value of the machine means a price cut may not be necessary. Speaking to Reuters, …
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