Hasta La Gadget!

As if saving your PS3 games to the cloud wasn’t convenient enough, Sony’s gone and automated the process for PlayStation Plus subscribers. The v3.70 software update offers an automatic sync option for trophies and game save states, giving members exclusive access to their gaming goods wherever they go. The firmware also packs a few additional features for non-paid users, adding a recommendation function to items in the PlayStation store, and a new “TV / Video Services” XMB category for Netflix, Hulu PLUS and VUDU apps. Sony’s also thrown in a few 3D tweaks, with MPO format compatibility for photos, and support for Java-based special features and DTS-HD MA and DTS-HD HR audio output for 3D Bluray movie playback. Although the gaming giant hasn’t announced an official date for the release, expect it to hit your home console soon.

Update: Joystiq’s reporting that the update has just gone live.

PS3 firmware update v3.70 adds auto-save cloud storage for subscribers, updates XMB and 3D support originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We all know that streaming Hoarders and other guilty pleasures via the interwebs has taken off over the past few years. No news there. However, what may be surprising is that, despite the ability to stream in HD to a number of other devices (including your computer), a quarter of all Netflix subscribers view Swamp People by way of the Wii. That’s right, 1080p doesn’t matter for these folks, who prefer to live the simple life… and by that we mean life in standard def. Most viewers prefer to watch instantly via PC for both Netflix and Hulu, with a whopping 89 percent of Plus customers taking this route to catch up on The Daily Show. With those looking to ditch the red envelope and, you know, with Mad Men now available, Wii viewers are sure to increase as a new console is just around the corner. Because nothing says 1960s drama like 480p, right?

25 percent of Netflix users stream on the Wii, think composite cables are just fine originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 06:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plug Sony’s new 180g portable drive into your PC and you’ll get decent USB 3.0 storage plus some preloaded software that claims to accelerate transfers over USB 2.0. Underwhelmed? Us too. But wait — hook this baby up to some of that other Sony bric-a-brac you’ve got lying around and it’ll unlock a bunch of extra features. It can record broadcasts straight off a Bravia TV, for example, so you can watch them back later on another device. It’ll also hoover up footage directly from a new HandyCam (such as the DCR-SX21E or DCR-SR21), removing the need for a PC. And, when you’re done, you can connect the HD-PG5U to your PS3 and watch all your AVCHD videos back via the Filmy app — again, no PC required. Now, if Sony had done something similar with the MemoryStick, we might have turned down the hate. Full details in the PR.

Continue reading Sony HD-PG5U USB 3.0 drive puts family first, works best with other Sonys

Sony HD-PG5U USB 3.0 drive puts family first, works best with other Sonys originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re still waiting on that globe-like PS9 (aren’t you?), but seeing as how wireless head-to-console gaming isn’t yet available or ethical, we’ll make do with PS4 rumors. Based on nothing more than a game of component-maker telephone, sources out of Taiwan are telling Digitimes to expect a brand new PlayStation 4 for launch sometime in early 2012. Reportedly on board for this latest iteration are baked-in motion controls à la Kinect and a holographic David Lynch virtual pet. We kid, but we do hope he helms those new ads. According to these anonymous insiders, Sony has a planned production run of 20 million consoles for launch — all headed straight to eBay, we imagine. It should go without saying that news of this kind should be taken with a mouthful of salt, but with the PS3 turning five this November, it’s a safe bet that there’s a successor to the “It Only Does Everything” throne on the way.

[Image credit via CNET Asia]

PS4 production to begin later this year? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Medieval Moves: Deadmund’s Quest may be built on the mini-game mechanics of last year’s Sports Champions, but its whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We hit up Sony at E3 2011 to see if Deadmund could out-fence the Jedi in a duel of 1:1 swordplay and on-rails battle. What we found was surprisingly responsive. Deadmund himself runs on a pre-set path, plodding his way through a skeleton-filled barracks automatically. Deadmund’s on-screen sword matched our wand-equipped wrist’s every move, accurately slicing skeletor wannabes any way we saw fit. Reaching behind our back with the Move controller let us pull a virtual arrow from a quiver, or we could choose to dispatch baddies by flinging throwing stars.

If the on-screen slashfest lagged behind our physical slicing in any significant way, we didn’t notice — we were too busy loving the Move’s speedy response time. Faster swings produced “stronger” in-game sword attacks, or farther flying shurikens. Last year at E3, we accused the PlayStation Move of just skirting outside of gimmick-land, but it’s hard to argue with 1:1 motion control this responsive. Will Deadmund move Sony’s motion lollypop to the front of the gesture control race? Probably not on his own, but it’s still great to see this tech at its best. Check out our hands-on playthrough video after the break to see the action for yourself.

Continue reading Deadmund does it right: PlayStation Move and 1:1 swordplay, hands-on (video)

Deadmund does it right: PlayStation Move and 1:1 swordplay, hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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