Hasta La Gadget!

If you start counting from the Magnavox Odyssey, we’ve been playing console games for seven generations now. Yes, it’s crazy to think of, but it’s even more alarming to realize that the industry has been in an all-out “war” since generation three. For better or worse, competition became a part of the hardware cycle. The players (you know, Sega, Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft) have changed several times through the years, but until recently, the game hasn’t — the console wars were fought over who had more bits, what had the most RAM and how fast a machine could render frames. Now, as we kick off generation eight, we’re seeing a very different kind of contest.

We’re not saying that hardware specifications don’t matter — they absolutely do — but this time, the two leading armies are packing painfully similar heat. On paper, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 really aren’t that different. So, what’s going to win the war? Software, services and brand.

Filed under: Gaming, HD, Sony, Microsoft

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Back when Sony announced the PlayStation 3 many years ago, the console was sold for a rather pricey $599, and it was almost a year later before Sony decided to make it a tad more affordable at $499. Now if you think that the asking price of the extremely popular Sony PlayStation 4 of $399 was a bit too expensive and were hoping for a similar price drop as well, it turns out that you might be in for a wait because by the sound of things, Sony does not look to be too interested in dropping the price anytime soon. In fact it could even take longer for the PS4’s price to drop compared to the PS3.

Speaking in an interview with the folks at Games Industry, Sony’s boss Shuhei Yoshida states that more standardized components were used to create the PS4, hence its lower cost compared to the PS3. However “because we’re already using more standardized components, the room for costs to come down might actually be slower than when we were starting with cutting edge stuff.” While it does mean we might have to wait a while for PS4 price cuts to take place, it’s good to know that it’s on the cards and that it’s just a matter of when. What do you guys reckon? Is $399 considered an unreasonable price to ask?

PS4 Price Drops Expected To Be Slower Than PS3′s original content from Ubergizmo.

Earlier this year, Sony said that it plans to sell a total of five million PS4 units by the end of its fiscal year. It also said that it would like to sell three million units worldwide by the end of 2013. The console finally hit shelves in North America on November 15th and Sony took out a substantial chunk from its three million unit target. Sony has announced that it sold one million PlayStation 4 units in U.S. and Canada in the first 24 hours alone. However, it did not reveal exactly how much do pre-orders account for in this figure.

Andrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment says that sales remain “very strong” in North America and that the company expects “continued enthusiasm” as it gears up to launch the much awaited console in Europe and Latin America on November 29th. Despite the strong start, the PS4 launch hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing all the way. Early customers complained of bricked consoles to which Sony said that it was investigating the hardware issues. A number of customers have also been complaining about the Blue Light of Death which renders the console effectively useless. Sony is on top of these issues though and they shouldn’t hamper sales in any major way. Given the fact that sales continue to be strong in North America and are likely to be strong in Europe and Latin America as well, Sony just might reach its target of selling three million units in 2013, and then some.

Sony Sells 1 Million PS4 Units In 24 Hours original content from Ubergizmo.

There was little doubt that the PlayStation 4 would sell well on launch given the sheer amount of hype, but we now have proof: Sony has revealed that it sold over one million PS4s in North America during the console’s first 24 hours of availability. While that figure pales in comparison to the sales numbers we see for smartphones, it gets the company a long way toward its goal of moving five million units before the end of its fiscal year in March. It also suggests that Sony won’t face the same lackluster response that greeted Nintendo, which took a week to sell its first 400,000 Wii U systems in the US. The real question is whether or not the PS4 will preserve its sales momentum — with the Xbox One launch just five days away, Sony won’t keep the high end of the console market to itself for much longer.

Filed under: Gaming, Sony

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Via: Joystiq

Source: PR Newswire

The Sony Xperia Z1S has been flirting with us for quite some time now, but it is still not known when this smartphone is going to be announced. It is believed to be the international variant of the Xperia Z1 f which Sony launched in Japan last month. The Xperia Z1 f is basically a “mini” variant of the Xperia Z1, but unlike most “mini” variants, the Z1 f doesn’t compromise a lot on specifications. After making a brief appearance on Sony’s website, the Xperia Z1S is now seen in a new leaked picture posing beside the Xperia Z1.

While Sony has pulled the listing from its website, it is believed that the Xperia Z1S is going to have specifications similar to the Z1 f. The latter touts a 4.3 inch QHD display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quadcore processor with 2GB of RAM, 16GB onboard storage, 2 megapixel front and a 20 megapixel rear camera. A 2,300mAh battery is onboard as well. It is also expected to be dust and waterproof. As per the most recent rumor, Sony might officially announce the Xperia Z1S on November 26th, but the company is yet to confirm this date. It is not known right now if any carriers in the U.S. will offer this device, and if they do, how much will they charge for it. [Image via Digi-Wo]

Sony Xperia Z1S Poses Beside Xperia Z1 In Leaked Picture original content from Ubergizmo.