SonyRumors

SRN Is Changing to SamsungRumors.net

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 1, 2012 | 31 comments

As you guys may have realized, over the last week, our site has been having some issues. Users have experienced downtime, delays, and other odd behaviors. While it might be easy to chalk this up to being understaffed, the real reasoning is quite different. Due to lack of proper funding and support, we’ve been quietly working with the Samsung community to create a website for them. It’s ironic that Samsung has been slowly surpassing Sony in different market shares and it seems like community support is next.

Starting today and taking place over the next month, our site will slowly transition over to being SamsungRumors.net, which means we can still keep our SRN tag. Under the new SRN, you can expect the same great content, forums and features but instead of Sony products, we will instead cover ~~Apple’s~~ Samsung’s original products. After seeing ~~Apple~~ Samsung come up with so many original tablet, computer and smartphone designs, I felt compelled to start covering this now hot brand.

I thank our community who has stuck with us throughout the years and hope you will continue to stick with us through this transition.

Support the 5th Annual Autism Speaks Charity

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 31, 2012 | 18 comments

Fringe and LOST fans are probably no stranger to podcast award winners, Jay and Jack, who’ve over the years have led an outstanding LOST podcast, which has covered the now over but highly beloved series. Of course, the duo didn’t hang up their capes after the show’s awesome finale and continued to cover other shows like Fringe, Firefly and entirely new show called Jay and Jack TV where they cover the week’s TV shows and break them down for analysis. Suffice to say, if you like TV shows like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Alcatraz, Homeland, and more, this podcast is for you.

Deals: Sony iPod and iPhone Clock Radio $40

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 20, 2012 | 2 comments

If you’re looking to start your day with a charged iPod or iPhone and some tunes, then Sony’s deal might be something worth your money. Marked down to $39 from the usual $69, the Sony iPod and iPhone Clock Radio is capable of charging your iOS device and iPod while also serving as a nice big clock. The device also includes dual alarms which can tap into your stored music, AM/FM tuner with 30 presets, and a remote control. After the jump, a link to the device and a list of compatible Apple products.

Introducing ‘Community Spotlight’ With Guest Meredith Molinari

by Allegra Osati | Mar 13, 2012 | 24 comments

Many of you, specifically our long-time readers, will note that we’ve been expanding our web footprint quite a bit over these last few months. Besides our Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and revamped YouTube page, we just recently debuted our forums. Designed to give all you Sony and PlayStation fans a place to converse, debate, and troubleshoot your gear, our forums section is going to be an integral part of how we handle many of our future projects. Best of all, our new forums will help you get one step closer to the people in the industry that you care about, but more on that in a bit.

Introducing the SonyRumors Forums

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 9, 2012 | 10 comments

Hey everyone, I wanted to let you know about a cool part of the site that the team and I have been working on for the past few weeks. The forums section, which has been live for the past few months for internal testing, is now officially ready for primetime use and can be accessed by clicking the ‘Forums‘ button on the top of this page. Though each news article has a comments section directly after the ‘Read More’ button, which is perfect for discussing the latest stories, it doesn’t always lend itself to long conversations, especially if you need help with a particular topic. Of course, if the story is more than a few days old, chances are that a lot of commenters have moved on from it the story as well, creating a broken dialogue.

Ironically, the story continues, after the jump.

Deals: PlayStation 3D Display Bundle, MLB 12: The Show and 3D Glasses $299.99

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 6, 2012 | 11 comments

After wanting to desperately dive into 3D games and movies, I was able to nab a PlayStation 3D Display for $299, thanks to a promotion at Amazon which had the recently price dropped display marked down by an additional $100 for a limited time. The promotion since then has come and gone but it looks like Best Buy is now ready to carry the torch with even a better deal. This time around, for $299.99, would be owners will get:

PlayStation 3D Display
PlayStation 3D Glasses (2x)
MotorStorm: Apocalypse
MLB 12: The Show

Those who are curious about the 3D TV can view our PlayStation 3D Display and PlayStation 3D Glasses unboxing videos. Have any questions? Let us know in the comments section, after the jump.

Deals: Lord of the Rings Trilogy Blu-ray $49.49

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 26, 2012 | 15 comments

Are you ready to defend ~~Narnia~~ Middle Earth in High Definition? Do you want none of that weak sauce, normal edition DVD and instead are ready for a 9+ hours of Hobbit, Elves, and Gandolf action in 1080p? If so, then Amazon’s Gold Box has the cure for your itch with a the Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy on Blu-ray for $49.49. What better way to prepare for The Hobbit, later this year.

As always, ordering with Amazon links from our site helps pay for the site’s servers and content.

After the jump, a full listing of the specials features, found inside of this box set.

Editorial: How I Accidentally Bought a PlayStation Vita

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 23, 2012 | 34 comments

Editors Note:
In lue of the PlayStation Vita one year anniversary, this post is being bumped to the top for your reading pleasure and or dismay. But hopefully pleasure!

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Let me begin this story by setting the mood and, if you prefer (and I would highly recommend so), you reading it with a 1920’s detective noir film narrator in mind. It was Tuesday morning, to be specific, February 21st. Like most days, after a quick workout and coffee, I began to wander the internet in search of stories to bring to the site. Of course, that’s a routine I follow every day, but something about it was different today. Today marked the day before the PlayStation Vita release, Sony’s newest portable gaming device. Now, I might not be the world’s most hardcore gamer, but, ever since I was a little kid, I’ve never missed out on a PlayStation launch before. PSone, PS2, PSP, the bonanza that was the PS3 launch, and, finally, the PSPgo. However, this time, things would be different. I’m older now, a bit wiser (I hope) and a little more conscious about spending my money. So unlike past events, this time, I would stick to the sidelines.

I decided that the coverage on the site wasn’t enough for this device so I began to look around blogs and tweet people that I knew at Sony. What was I looking for? A chance to win a PlayStation Vita which, of course, I wanted? No, because I’ve never won a contest like that. Instead, I wanted to see if there were any Sony-sponsored launch events in the LA area. If New York was getting the PlayStation team out there, along with DJs and head Sony VPs, surely LA, where teams like Sony Santa Monica and Naughty Dog are based, would have an event? Heck, Sony’s US PlayStation division is in Foster City while San Diego houses the PlayStation Q/A division. Surely there would be an LA event.

My digging would point me towards Sony Century City, the first Sony rebranded retail outlet that is to pave the way for a new generation of Sony retail stores. The store, which has already been a host to many events, would surely have something planned and low and behold, they did. From 7:00pm-3:00am was the planned event with giveaways, a chance to be in the next Uncharted DLC and of course, the midnight launch of the PS Vita. I already knew that I wasn’t planning on buying one. So why was I going there, you ask? Coverage for the site is the simple answer. With my Cyber-shot in one pocket and Bloggie Live in our editor’s purse (My god those things are useful! Indy with his satchel was on to something!), we were off to Sony Century City.

Meet Our Newest Staff Member, Gar Deady

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 20, 2012 | 0 comments

A little over a month ago, I began looking for new staff members to help grow our small and humble team. The search, which lasted a few weeks would eventually land Chris and our newest team member, Gar a dream job (yes, I just called working here a dream job) with us. Gar, the our newest addition will be in charge of an entirely new division called Promotions. Between our many different outlets like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube, our smaller projects like our podcast (which hasn’t been updated in ages) and forums have been considerably neglected. That’s where Gar is stepping in, to be the evangelical voice of our site and help get the word out there to people about what we do, though we are greatly humbled anytime we hear stories about how people found our site, by being linked to us and from hearing how we were suggested to them by friends. As I’ve stated many times before, this website is run on the passion that we have for Sony and the Sony community we wish to build and your interaction and involvement is key to that. So who is this mysterious person named Gar? A little about him:

So, a little bit about me.. I’m living in Ireland and working in finance. Outside of work my time is spent doing what I love to do most – golfing, DJing, attempting to get my head around music production, gaming, social networking…. And watching the The Office! 😀

I love my gadgets and the few extra pennies I have are spent on the latest Sony gear, or adding to my Blu-ray collection.

Sport is a huge thing for me and between golf and football, I’m either playing or watching it on TV. Aston Villa is my team, for those that are interested 🙂

Last year I started a small project on Twitter, which resulted in a published e-book called “Diary Of The Tweople“. Hopefully another one on the way!

I’ve recently joined the team at SonyRumors.net and, with my love for all things Sony, I’m really looking forward to the experience.

So next time you see Gar on Twitter or in our forums section, don’t feel shy and say hi. For a listing of available staff member positions, just head over to our careers page and remember, you can find additional information about our staff by visiting our staff page.

Meet Our Newest Writer, Chris Quibol!

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 13, 2012 | 14 comments

Though it might seem like things have been quiet on our front end the last week or so, it’s been anything but that behind the scenes. Over the last several weeks, the staff and I have been busy going over our recent applicants and growing the SRN family. In addition to that, we’ve also been hard at work on our servers and improving the website’s speed, look, and functionality. With part of our staffing out of the way, I’d like to introduce everyone to our newest writer, Chris Quibol. Chris is a long-time PlayStation fan and a fellow comic book geek. With a degree from UC Davis under his belt and and a keen eye for journalism, Chris will be helping us expand our coverage of PlayStation, while also breathing new life into our film coverage with weekly Box Office results and other news from Sony Pictures. A little more about Chris, who’s already written a piece about the upcoming Sony Pictures release The Amazing Spider-man:

Chris Quibol has been an avid gamer and media enthusiast for his entire life. He started gaming on the Sega Genesis and has owned almost every console released since, including three Playstation 3’s. He has long wanted to be a part of the entertainment industry, and his love for all things entertainment is unparalleled. He’s also very passionate about writing, and has written about video games in both an amateur and professionally setting. He received a degree in Communications from the University of California Davis in 2011 and currently works as a tutor for elementary school children in his hometown of Stockton, California.

If you’re looking at finding more information about Chris like his Twitter account info and contact email, simply visit our staff page. In the near future, I’ll be introducing another addition to the SRN family. Till then, remember that we’re always on the lookout for exciting new members for our team. If you think you have what it takes, just visit our careers page for an opening that will match your skills.

We’re Looking For New Team Members!

by Allegra Osati | Jan 27, 2012 | 21 comments

It’s that time of the year again where we like to look back at the site and see where it was in 2011 and where we want it to head towards in 2012. One thing is simple and for certain: that we grew, and grew by a lot. Our website traffic has doubled compared to a year ago and so has the number of stories we’ve covered. In fact, in 2011, we posted 706 different articles and attended many industry events like CES, E3, and PAX. In addition to that, we’ve been busy at expanding our scope and presence so that we can better interact with you. You can now find us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Flickr where we’ve offered high resolution pictures, HD videos, live chats, and more.

Is 2012 the Year of Sony?

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 20, 2012 | 21 comments

2011 was originally going to be the year of Sony with the electronic giant planning on releasing a host of new software and hardware products that were designed to help the ailing company not only catch up to competitors but also offer something new. Things however would quickly change for the company when their main operations in Japan were hit by devastating earthquakes and tsunamis that would cause supply constraints and delays to the PlayStation Vita. Speaking of all things PlayStation, in mid 2011, hackers would have their way with the PlayStation Network, leaving Sony to take the service down for over a month for a complete rebuild, and forcing Sony to eventually rename their Qriocity services. Designed to compete with Apple’s iTunes services and perform as the backbone of Sony’s digital efforts, Qriocity (now titled Music and Video Unlimited) is designed to power and feed Sony’s growing array of products like their tablets, Android phones, and Bravia televisions with digital content. Late in the year, Sony’s Thailand plants would submerge under water due to massive flooding because of which their new and highly anticipated NEX cameras would be delayed for months.

In short, Sony’s strategic comeback, which had been in the works for the past few years, quickly led to the company to fall further behind competitors while the company recorded massive losses. So will 2012 be any different? A quick look at Sony’s product lines, and recent acquisitions will paint a much brighter picture.

PlayStation 3 and PS Vita

Despite being affected by the PSN outage, the PlayStation 3 continued to gain traction on Microsoft’s Xbox 360, which came out a year prior to the PS3, and has enjoyed a lower price point compared. Now, the PS3 leads against the 360 in both Europe and Japan while the 3D-enabled console has made considerable headway in the US, leaving a less-than-2% total sales difference between the two consoles as sales come ahead of expectation. With a slew of exclusives planned for the console, including StarHawk, Twisted Metal, and The Last of Us in addition to a likely price drop to $199 at E3, the PlayStation 3 could finally dethrone its rival from Redmond.

The biggest stumble for the unreleased PS Vita, due to the tsunami and earthquakes in Japan, has been the fact that the PS3-like portable console has yet to be release in the US, causing it to miss out on crucial holiday sales. Still, the PS Vita was released in Japan with great initial sales and has received praise from across the board with excellent reviews. With a solid series of launch games, including UNCHARTED: Golden Abyss, wipEout 2048, and ModNation Racers: Road Trip, the Vita has something to offer for all gamers.

Sony Smartphones

Luckily for Sony’s smartphone devision, 2011 had no real bad news but with no big gains for the company, 2011 would end on a quiet note. Competitors should have heeded this as the calm before the storm as, though things were quiet on the sales and expansion from Sony during 2011, the company was anything but quiet behind the scenes. Sony Ericsson’s biggest fault in the US has always been a lack of partnerships with major carriers. While releasing unlocked phones at full price in Europe and Japan might work, the US market has long been tied to two-year contracts with prices of phones cut by 2/3. Sony has since learned this lesson as the company partnered with Verizon and AT&T to offer their Xperia PLAY. Speaking of partnerships, Sony Ericsson, the company once behind on Android releases, has been quick to bring Android 2.3 to their smartphones and has an aggressive plan to release Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich on a range of their smartphones. With Ericsson now out of the picture for 2012 after Sony bought out the remaining stakes in the partnership to bring all mobile phone operations in house for 2012 and on, a new set of friends at AT&T and Verizon, and an aggressive Android strategy, all Sony needs is to align the three pillars with a new lineup of phones and a marketing strategy to start winning back shares from main rival Samsung and HTC.

Sony Televisions

Sony fans tend to cringe when they hear Samsung televisions being compared to their beloved Bravia TV. While the two companies have shared an LCD plant, Samsung has had a barrage of advertisements with lower-priced television sets, leading Sony to lose market share and post an eight consecutive loss for their Bravia division. On the other hand, Sony has been unable to properly market their televisions and educate customers on the difference between the two brands. So how will 2012 be different? The big news from Sony was just announced last week that the company would sell its remaining shares of their Samsung LCD partnership for $939 to Samsung, instead opting to buy from the company. With Sony now a customer instead of a partner, the company hopes to achieve better costs on LCD while removing the headache and costs that go into manufacturing them. The other shakeup that started in late 2011 and could lead to big things in 2012 is from a company who currently produces zero televisions: Apple. With the passing of Steve Jobs and release of his biography, the Apple CEO famously stated that he had finally “cracked” the television market. With nothing more than a line, the TV business has gone into a frenzy, attempting to beat Apple to the punch in what they believe will be a television, powered by Siri, Apple’s all new voice-enabled assistant. So how does this translate for Sony? The company who’s fallen behind to Samsung in sales and to Apple in imagination is looking to reinvent the television and you can bet that Music and Video Unlimited will play a big part of it in addition to recent restructuring plans. We don’t know what else is in store from the electronic giant but Sony’s CEO seems to think the company has an ace up their sleeve.

Sony Cameras

If the above sounds like a picture perfect year for Sony, then let’s not forget Sony’s award-winning camera lineup. 2011 might not have been a good year for Sony’s camera division but that was mainly out of the company’s hands. In 2012, the Sony NEX-5N and NEX-7 are looking to challenge the competition with the compact 16- and 24-megapixel cameras with 1080p already receiving praises from users and reviewers. With proper production in 2012 and Sony’s Alpha A77 joining the lineup, Sonys hybrid and DSLR cameras are beating rivals Nikon and Canon with innovation and creativity while they continue to offer more of the same.

Agree or disagree? Let’s talk after the jump.

Editorial: Dear Sony Legal, You Have Apple’s Name Wrong

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 17, 2012 | 15 comments

If you’ve ever been part of the press/media and or any other entity that has to deal with large corporations like Sony, you will note that their legal departments are very active. Prior to any product, image, or news being released by a large company, the legal team runs through all scenarios prior to the announcement. In fact, some companies tend to lead with their legal team first and then follow up with products and customer service. The mentioned isn’t necessarily our take on Sony’s legal, but instead a reminder of how active legal teams are within a corporate structure.

That’s why we were surprised when we found a blatant error on their part when it comes to Apple. You see, when Sony on their website mentions that their product in compatible with Macs, usually in the footnote, a legal notice is given that Mac or OS X is a registered trademark of Apple. Indeed Sony does this, noting that:

Mac OS is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners.

This is all fine until you note that Apple Computer, Inc. was dissolved in 2007 and renamed to Apple Inc. when then Apple CEO, Steve Jobs told audiences that:

The Mac, iPod, Apple TV and iPhone. Only one of those is a computer. So we’re changing the name

Seeing how this event took place 5 years ago at MacWorld, I hope Sony legal takes note and updates their website as, technically, due to their incorrect wording, they are still legally infringing on Apple’s trademark. It should also be taken into account that this post is on the light-hearted side and I don’t believe in any shape that Apple would take legal action on Sony if they found out about this. Just something I noticed and therefore I am, a big Apple and Sony geek.

Uncharted: Drake’s Journal by Nolan North Overview

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 26, 2011 | 30 comments

One thing that PlayStation users have always been blessed with is the sheer amount of exclusive games available for the platform. This was true in the 90’s with series like Final Fantasy and Resident Evil. With the PlayStation 2, Ratchet & Clank, Devil May Cry, SOCOM, and Grand Theft Auto were the titles that took the exclusive spotlight. The launch of the PlayStation 3 and high development costs of current generation titles pushed 3rd party game developers towards more even releases but thanks to Sony’s great first party developers like Naughty Dog, Guerrilla Games, Media Molecule, Santa Monica Game Studios and more, the PlayStation 3 is at the center of quite possibly the most diverse titles. Furthermore, the majority of first party titles from Sony have all scored a 90%+ score, bringing forth unique/compelling gaming with quality development. Some stand out exclusive titles include (though are not limited to):

Gran Turismo 5
Killzone 2 & 3
Ratchet & Clank
Resistance 1-3
LittleBigPlanet 1 & 2
God of War 3
inFamous 1 & 2
Warhawk
Metal Gear Solid 4
Uncharted 1-3

The last title mentioned should be a name that every gamer is familiar with, especially those on the PlayStation 3. Created by Naughty Dog, creators of Jak & Dexter on the PlayStation 2, Uncharted follows the adventures of Nathan Drake, a modern day Indiana Jones. One of the traits that has set the Uncharted franchise apart from other games out there has been the enduring characters and shorelines that the series follows. Naughty Dog wen’t against the traditional style that you find in games like Gear of War where the game designers pumped as much steroids as possible with the most ludicrous designed guns possible with a simple objective of kill. Instead, Uncharted dives into the world and the characters in a human way.

Long before fans were able to play Uncharted 1-3 for the full experience, Sony and Naughty Dog showed of a trailer that would capture the game industries attention. The first trailer, which introduced the world to Nathan Drake, and every trailer and game since then has raised the bar on what the PlayStation 3 can produce visually with the latest installment, adding 3D as well. If one thing has been true since the leap from the PS2 to the PS3, it’s been the visual quality of games, both during cut scenes and during gameplay. However, unlike the PS2 with relied on video cut scenes, usually created in a separate CGI engine, games like Uncharted, Metal Gear Solid and Killzone instead base all their visuals on the games engine. What many might not realize though is what it takes to put these scenes and worlds together and how the gaming industry has changed in order to provide these visuals. Unlike the transition from the PSone to PS2 which was simply a more power CPU/GPU switch, developers could then use better game engines, the PS3 has given developers a whole new way to create games.

And when thinking of new games with a lifelike world and characters, nothing fits the bill more than the Uncharted franchise. Instead of relying on traditional programming (which definitely happens throughout the entire game development), Naughty Dog decided to use motion capture, or mocap, as their technique to capture the game’s lead. This meant bringing in actors and having them act out the scenes at hand while wearing a suit that would be tracked and logged into the computer, giving the programs the most authentic movements possible. Still, mocap is nothing but a tool if there isn’t great actors behind it, and Nolan North, the voice over and mocap artist behind Nathan Drake, is a testament to the art that goes into creating the compelling Uncharted world. Nolan North, who has been with the project since day one has not only added a depth rarely found in video games to Nathan Drake, but also brought humility and unexpectedness to the character, which is one of the reasons fans (including me) have been so dazzled by the series.

To celebrate the end of a trilogy and to give readers an idea of what it takes to bring Nathan Drake to life, Nolan North has put out a book called Uncharted: Drake’s Journal which is an inside the making of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. In the book, Nolan goes over every chapter from Uncharted 3 and breaks down the scenes and techniques used to bring the entire world to life. Long-time Uncharted fans should get a great kick out of browsing through the book while those who are looking at entering the video game or film industry should read the book from cover to cover as the book truly gives you an idea as where the industry is headed. Film fans should look no further than Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of TinTin.

We’ve put together a video overview from Uncharted: Drake’s Journal, which highlights what you can expect to find from this book.

The Horror Of Corpse Party

by Jan Hutchings | Dec 21, 2011 | 21 comments

I’ll be honest; I’m a big horror game fan and not that many games have truly terrified me this year. Of course there’s the occasional action horror game like Dead Island and Dead Space 2 which provides jump-out-of-your-seat scares, but none of these games force the feeling of dread and absolute terror throughout the entire adventure quite like Corpse Party.

To millions of you who haven’t heard about it, Corpse Party is a PSN-exclusive PSP game that combines Asian supernatural and North American gore-horror elements, Corpse Party is like a 16-bit interactive amalgamation of modern and classic horror.