As technology marches ever forwards, there are companies who will want to make sure advertising can keep up. That’s why Sony filed a patent for next-gen ads that let you skip through them, but only if you yell a brand name at your TV. More »
We all know adverts are a necessary evil, which is why different companies are trying to make them more personalized, more engaging or just plain get rid of them. In a recently granted patent, Sony outlines its ideas for next-gen advertising on network-connected devices — essentially to make it more interactive. Many of the instructional diagrams involve PS3 accessories in the home setting, but the focus isn’t just on adverts as mini-games, which itself is nothing new. Other suggestions for keeping your interest include in-ad purchasing, casting votes or selecting the genre of commercials. To speed up, or get ads off your screen, Sony would have you performing small tasks or — more sinisterly — shouting brand names when prompted. Whether such immersive advertising will ever be employed is anyone’s guess, but we’re sure you’re smart enough to know they’re just tricks. So who’s up for a McDonald’s then?
Filed under: Internet
Sony patent wants to make advertising more interactive originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 13:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you’ve been marathoning a new favorite TV show on Netflix recently you may have noticed that on the PlayStation 3 (above) and browser-based (after the break, along with a quick demo video) players it’s got a new tweak. At the end of each episode as the credits roll it pops up a quick (and very basic cable TV post movie-like) prompt with info about the the next episode and, unless you select a particular viewing option, search or go back to browsing, keeps right on playing. For movies, it pops up three similar recommendations instead. This “post-play” experience takes a couple of remote presses out of long viewing sessions, and on Netflix’s end probably makes it easier for folks to choose to sit through “one more episode” and keep those viewing hours boosted.
On the other hand, not every one likes the automation, either here or on the Xbox 360 app. Whether that’s because viewers need an emotional pause after a particularly gripping episode of Lost or they — and by they, we mean this blogger in particular — tend to doze off mid-episode, the good news is that every other episode it prompts the user if they want to keep playing before moving on. Like every other tweak or announcement even this move will probably be debated amongst viewers, feel free to dive into the lone season of Terriers in the name of research before letting us know if you’re a fan.
Continue reading Netflix rolls out new ‘post-play experience’ on web player, PS3 (video)
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment
Netflix rolls out new ‘post-play experience’ on web player, PS3 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Europe’s premier gaming event starts today. In fact, Sony got the party started a little early, with its own press preview last night. The PlayStation maker is the only one of the Big Three to offer up a show here, but that shouldn’t mean there’s nothing else to see — this is the place for game devs and manufacturers to make an impression on Europe’s tastemakers and games journalists. If you’re in the area, the show even opens up to Joe Public later this week. But if the Rhine seems a little too far away, there’s nothing to worry about, we’ll be bringing all the notable hardware additions — just point your browser to our Gamescom 2012 tag. Our sister site, Joystiq, is also out in force im Deutschland, so check the More Coverage link for their take on what Gamescom’s got to offer.
Filed under: Gaming
We’re live from Gamescom 2012, in Cologne, Germany! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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This week at Gamescon Sony is letting the big guns rip with a brand new trailer for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, complete with several new character reveals. First you’ll find Ratchet and Clank, then dropping in on you will be the ever-so-unpopular Spike from Ape Escape, a Devil May Cry favorite you might recognize as Dante, and none other than Sackboy from LittleBigPlanet. What a strange and wild journey this is about to be!
The first video you’re going to see is called the “Main Event”, then you’re going to get a peek at individual trailers for each of the new characters including gameplay. This first video shows the characters looking fabulous in their cinematic-mode style, standing around looking epic or otherwise jumping about for glee. This trailer was released at Gamescon 2012 in Germany, if you’d like to know.
The above trailer also uses the song “Genesis” by Justice from the album Cross (or the cross symbol, if you prefer.) Below you’ll see the first character trailer with Spike from the game Ape Escape. This little guy will be rolling with a massive sword and set of energy moves for close-range attacks as well as specials like his energy blaster. Terrifying satellite bouncing included!
Next you’ll see SackBoy from LittleBigPlanet, complete with rocket packs and some undeniably hardcore-looking fists of metal. This isn’t Mortal Kombat, but Sackboy wouldn’t look all that out of place there for one reason or another.
Have a peek at Dante after that, with one of the more human looks of the game. You’ll be slicing your way through your opponents with a massive scythe and pistol, not to mention a batch of lovely white magic and a red iteration of yourself for ultimate bloodthirsty supremacy.
Finally there’s Ratchet and Clank, with so many gadgets your head will spin. Fly and hover, toss bombs, create little minions, and bust out some of the most massive guns in the game. You’ll be playing as Ratchet some times and Clank the others, and you’ve got a special move that includes you busting out your spaceship’s full offensive systems on the entire gaming grid at once – watch out!
Stay tuned as Sony continues to unleash fury upon Germany and brings the PlayStation universe into the future in waves. Check the timeline below for all the PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale history you can handle, and watch the gaming throne, Sony wants it back!
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale new characters drop in at Gamescon is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
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You know something, it is rather hard to believe that there has yet to be a native YouTube app for the PS3 platform – at least, not until this morning. I know, many of us have already watched YouTube over a PS3 in the past, but with a new YouTube App for PS3 in town, you can be sure that the PlayStation Store is going to get plenty of hits in the coming hours and days ahead as folks make a beeline to download YouTube App for PS3 without having to fork out a single cent from their pockets. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: PS3 To Get 3D YouTube And Blu-ray Support, Excel music video blows the mind away,
Sony’s kicked off its Gamescom event in Germany by revealing a new deal for games playable on both the PS3 and its handheld relative, the PS Vita. The incoming PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale and Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault will be two of the first titles to arrive on both — with a single purchase giving you both versions. According to Jim Ryan, president and CEO for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, you’ll get both copies in the single package but there’s no word on whether both, or one, will be digital download-only. We’ll update this post when we hear more.
Filed under: Gaming
PS Vita and PS3 cross-buy feature revealed: buy one copy, get the other free originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Aug 2012 13:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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While YouTube has always enjoyed support on Sony’s PlayStation 3 thanks to the console’s Flash-enabled browser and even offered a YouTube XL layout for connected devices, now it’s rolling out a new app to make the video experience even better (and, no doubt, compete with the experience unveiled late last year on the Xbox 360). The app has an improved search with suggestions and instant results while users type, the ability to pull in a user’s subscribed channels and it allows for remote control from the YouTube app on your smartphone after a simple pairing process (shown in a screenshot after the break.) According to the official blog it should be arriving in North America now, check under the My Channels section in the PS3 store to download the free app and give it a shot.
Update: The new app should be available in the PlayStation store now (if you’re in the US.) There’s no word on when it will arrive in other regions, however Canadians can enjoy the Crackle app that popped up today and everyone can give Madden 2013 a shot.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Internet
YouTube’s new app for the PlayStation 3 rolling out, allows remote control from smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Aug 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Microsoft must sometimes feel like its lead in the game market is a Pyrrhic victory. The Xbox 360 once again topped the NPD Group’s hardware charts in July, claiming a near-majority 49 percent market share of consoles — but the 203,000 units sold were a steep drop from the 257,000 units that traded hands in June, and a far cry from the glory days that would have given a victory more meaning. Nintendo and Sony haven’t shared their own figures, although the analyst group notes that only Nintendo’s 3DS and DSi had any kind of increase in the month. The industry as a whole was unmistakably feeling the combined effects of the pre-holiday doldrums and a console generation that’s long in the tooth: hardware revenue was down 32 percent in the month to $150.7 million, while the games in question saw revenue dip 23 percent to $260.7 million. If you need a culprit, earlier reports for the second quarter had credited similar shifts to sales of physical game copies declining faster than digital sales could replace them. Hope remains in the usual fall spike; even so, the July figures suggest the big three platforms might be living on borrowed time.
Filed under: Gaming
NPD: Xbox 360 ruled a steadily declining video game empire in July originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We haven’t exactly been lacking in SlingPlayer-supporting devices as of late, but it looks like the placeshifting service could possibly be set to expand to an entirely new area: game consoles. That word comes from a new Sling survey obtained by Zatz Not Funny, which attempts to gauge customers’ interest in a SlingPlayer app for game consoles (it specifically asks if they own an Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or Wii). As you might expect, however, details are light beyond that, with the survey only mentioning that such an app would let you watch video from your SlingBox in full HD, and that you’d naturally be able to control it with your console’s controller. Of course, while it does come directly from Sling itself, it is also still just a survey, so we wouldn’t recommend getting your hopes up too much for the time being.
Filed under: Home Entertainment
SlingPlayer survey hints at possible expansion to game consoles originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 21:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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