Tag: America - Page 2
News Sony Drops The Price Of The PSP To $129.99 In North America
Sony's revealed that its set to cut the price of the PSP to $129
99 in North America as of February 27th. The news comes a month after Sony announced the PSP's successor, the NGP, in Japan. The PSP system set the standard for complete portable entertainment and continues to be the premiere destination for gamers on-the-go, said SCEAs Tim...
News Music Unlimited (Powered By Qriocity Of Course) Launches In North America This Afternoon
We've had access to Sony's cloud music streaming service -- the tongue-twisting Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity -- here in Europe for a while now
The cool little PlayStation 3 application (also available on Bravia televisions, VAIO laptops, and even Blu-ray players), provides instant access to a catalogue of over 6 million songs for a small...
News December NPD 2010: PlayStation 3 Passes A Million, While Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cleans Up
After November's sales disaster for the PlayStation 3, December's numbers have come as somewhat of a surprise
When isolated, the PlayStation 3's 1.21 million sales are reasonable if not spectacular. Unfortunately, it's when the other platforms are brought into the equation that the numbers look meagre for Sony. While Microsoft didn't enjoy the North...
News LittleBigPlanet 2 & Killzone 3 Get Promo Slurpees At 7-Eleven
It's not entirely unprecedented for Sony to market key PlayStation 3 exclusives with custom Slurpee cups
Remember Kratos' Fury? With no God Of War this year, Sony's turned to LittleBigPlanet 2 and Killzone 3 for their yearly PlayStation-branded iced drinks partnership. Each limited cup includes a promo card which can be exchanged on the Slurpee...
News NPD: Call Of Duty: Black Ops Shifts A Not-Too-Shabby 3.1 Million Units On PlayStation 3
In many ways, the Call Of Duty franchise is an XBOX 360 exclusive
It's a "modern" exclusive if you like. Back in the day, exclusivity meant "absolutely not coming out on any other platforms". That kind of exclusive still exists in some cases, but the numbers are diminishing. That's especially accurate when it comes to third...
News NPD: PlayStation 3 Struggles As XBOX 360 & Nintendo Wii Soar
Let's get straight to the point: the PlayStation 3 did not have a good November in the US
The PlayStation 3's 530k units sold was roughly 25% down year-on-year. It's even more worrying when compared to the competition, with the XBOX 360 and Nintendo Wii both managing sales of over 1 million a piece. As concerning as the numbers are, they're also...
News "Boombassador Of Deals" Kevin Butler Teams Up With Best Buy For Holiday Sale
Kevin Butler disarms a bomb and delivers a baby in this brand new Best Buy commercial
He also happens to team up with a Best-Buy employee for a sweet PlayStation 3 holiday deal. Boom!
News Kevin Butler Sells It Straight In New North American PlayStation Commercials
Sony's released a fresh batch of North American holiday ads, once again revolving around fake executive Kevin Butler
In the two new spots designed to push the PlayStation 3 this Christmas, Butler solves a myriad of family crisis'. "Dad With A Dilemma" can't find a way to please both his wife (who wants a blu-ray player) and his children...
News VUDU Movie Service To Launch On North American PlayStation 3s Next Week
Variety is the spice of life
.. Or something. SCEA's announced that the on-demand movie service VUDU is set to join Netflix, HULU Plus and Sony's own PlayStation Video Delivery Service on the XMB. The service will launch on November 23rd in North America. VUDU offers over "4,000 HD movies" making it the "world's largest HD...
News Sony Announce New PlayStation 2 (!!!) Bundle For The US
Seriously, SCEA's just announced a new PlayStation 2 bundle for the US market
The package, which includes a PlayStation 2 Slim and a copy of Toy Story 3: The Video Game, will set you back a puny $99.99. It's due to release on October 31st in the US. Amazing. There's more on the PlayStation Blog. This kind of news is heartwarming in a way. The PS2's...
News Netflix Goes Disc-Free On PlayStation 3 Next Week, Introduces Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound
If you're in the the US then prepare to celebrate as you ditch your annoying old Netflix disc; the video streaming service is coming to the PlayStation 3 XMB next week
In addition to eliminating the disc, there's a brand new interface that promises a much "richer and faster browsing experience". The update will also introduce Dolby 5.1...
News NPD Cans Monthly Hardware Sales Data, Fanboys Retreat Into Hiding
The biggest source of fanboy entertainment every month is the NPD's US hardware sales report
Enter the wilderness of many video game forums and you'll read all about how "the PlayStation 3 sucks because it was outsold by the Nintendo Wii" and "the PlayStation Portable is dead because it sold less than 100k units". Frankly, it's...
News Kevin Butler Brings The Move-Tage, Pyrotechnics, Cave-Man Costumes
So apparently people think motion control gaming's for little kids
Well Kevin Butler's here to prove you wrong. PlayStation Move is for the big-boys too. This commercial proves it. It has pyrotechnics and everything, so it must be true.
News Sony Reveal The God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta Bundle
If you're yet to buy a PlayStation Portable, it's probably about time you considered it
The current catalogue is huge (with a couple of decent gems still to come later in the year), and the prices appear to be coming down - in terms of added value at least. Take SCEA's God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta bundle. That pack's due in November, and include a...
News US PlayStation Plus Subscribers Bag 25% Off The PlayStation Protection Plan
Back in May, SCEA launched the PlayStation Protection Plan
The product was designed to give PlayStation users some added stability to their hardware. Sony's announced via the PlayStation Blog today that the Protection Plan can now be purchased via the PlayStation Store. And in addition to that, PlayStation Plus subscribers will be getting a...
News July NPD: And It's All Downhill From Here...
Well not literally downhill, but July's NPD sales don't make for particularly pleasant reading whichever way you look at it
The XBOX 360 won out this month (for the first time since 2007, apparently), but on the back of a new hardware launch, even Microsoft must be disappointed with a 2% drop over June. The PlayStation 3 dropped 30%, pulling in...
Rumour PlayStation Move Demo Kiosks To Storm The USA Next Month
A report from Destructoid suggests that big American chain stores (Best Buy, Wal-Mart) are to start demoing PlayStation Move content from next month
According to the website, Sony are planning to put demo kiosks in stores right through the holiday period. Apparently they'll also be hiring trained representatives to make sure the demos actually work...
News US PlayStation Plus Deals Announced, Going Bi-Weekly From Now On
The US PlayStation Blog has posted up a list of goodies that subscribers can expect from PlayStation Plus when the service updates on August 10th
SCEA's confirmed that US PlayStation Plus updates will be going bi-weekly from now on. We have to wonder if that decision has anything to do with the complaints aimed at the European version. We've posted...
News Madden NFL 11 PlayStation Portable Bundle Announced For The US
SCEA's confirmed that they've teamed up with EA Sports to release a new Madden NFL 11 hardware bundle next week
The pack, which is likely to stay a US exclusive for obvious reasons, includes a black PSP-3000 and a copy of the game. It'll cost just $159.99, which is pretty decent if you're in the market for a PSP. There are more details over at the...
News Search Added To The PlayStation Version Of Netflix
Netflix has just become a touch easier to use on the PlayStation 3, thanks to the addition of search functionality
While the PS3's version of Netflix won't be going disc-less for a couple more months, it will in the least be that tad easier to use. Joystiq reports that you'll be able to sort releases by letter, aswell as being more specific if you...
News LittleBigPlanet 2 Drops November 16th In The US, Gets "Limited" Collector's Edition
Good grief -- LittleBigPlanet 2 is mere months away
It's actually just hit us. The sequel to one of the greatest (and most ambitious) games ever crafted, is just over three months away. That's just a quarter of a year, folks. Get hype. The game was originally slotted in for simply "November", but Sony of America's clarified today that the...
News Netflix Goes Disc-Free On PlayStation 3 By October
While releasing a disc to get Netflix on PlayStation 3 as early as possible was a good move -- we doubt anyone would prefer having to fiddle about with external media when they could have an app for catching up on movies installed onto the PS3 itself
Thankfully Netflix has got your back, as they're planning to make Netflix Streaming a PlayStation 3...
News Sony: PlayStation 3 Retail Shortages "Resolved"
Just a quick heads-up really -- Sony's issued a statement alongside last week's June NPD report noting that the PlayStation 3 hardware stock shortages are now resolved
PS3's have been pretty thin on the ground for the past few months, but apparently, now they are not. That's all there is to say in honesty — no reason was given for the resolution,...
News If You Hadn't Seen It Already, This Is What Hulu Plus Is Like On The PlayStation 3...
A preview for Hulu Plus launched on the PlayStation 3 this week, despite a number of stipulations
(Yeah, you should probably click that last link). Anyway, if you've any interest at all in PlayStation's TV streaming service, TechThrow's put together a pretty comprehensive look at the new preview app. It's all rather swish and what-not.
News June NPD: Hardware Jumps Through The Metaphorical Roof, Red Dead Redemption Remains Perched
The American NPD numbers are in
They paint a particularly pretty picture for hardware sales after May's disappointment Both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable were up nearly 100%, shifting 305,000 and 121,000 units respectively. The XBOX 360 lead the home console charts thanks to the rejigged system re-release, though it still lost out to...
News Introducing Marcus "PSP" Rivers...
When Sony announced they were taking a Kevin Butler-esque approach to their latest PSP campaign, we were a little concerned
The PSP's aiming for a younger audience, and we just didn't think the Kevin Butler approach was going to work. Turns out, with Marcus "PSP" Rivers, they've sort of nailed it. There are a ton of adverts to check out...
News May NPD: PlayStation's Up The Rear, Red Dead Redemption The Big Winner
The NPD results are in for the month of May, and they're painting a particularly pleasant picture for fans of Westerns
Red Dead Redemption managed to shift 1.5 million copies in the US across both the PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360, with a decent proportion of sales (567k) coming off the PlayStation SKU. UFC Undisputed 2010 was the other PlayStation 3...
News SCEA To Kick Off Kevin Butler Inspired Marketing For PSP
SCEA's preparing an all new ad-campaign for the US
The promotional spots will riff off Sony's now infamous Kevin Butler ads, with the arrogant Sony exec replaced by 12-year old PSP fanboy Marcus Rivers. His first spot will cameo Butler mind, with the kiddy-winkle teaming up with the K-man to bust some "noob kids". Sony are readying adverts...
Report Blu-Ray Is A Primary Motivator When Buying PS3s
Research company Nielsen's discovered that one of the primary motivators for consumers buying a Playstation 3 is the blu-ray playback functionality
After polling a relatively small sample of 700 people, the company found that 65 per-cent of would-be consumers thought blu-ray was a pretty big deal. 62 per-cent said they wanted access to the PS3's...
News Sony Launch Official "Protection Plan" For PS3/PSP
Playstation hardware is usually pretty reliable
Particularly this generation, where the PS3 and PSP have been two of the more sound units on the market. That's not to say they are faultless pieces of hardware - no electronics are - but their respective system failure rates are typically lower than other pieces of hardware on the market. Sony,...
News Major League Baseball Streaming Heads To Playstation 3
The New York Times report this morning that Sony is to announce a deal that will allow streaming of live Major League Baseball games directly through the PS3
The report states that sign-ups will be under way by the end of the week for the US-only service, allowing subscribers to watch live games. This is more than just a game console. This is a...
News NPD March 2010: "Consumer Demand Remains Incredibly High" For Playstation 3
Console shortages are hindering the Playstation 3's performance in the US despite "consumber demand remaining incredibly high", was the message of SCEA's Patrick Seybold this morning
The statement comes in response to the Playstation 3's NPD performance which saw Sony sell 313.9K Playstation 3 systems and dominate the hardware charts. There appears...
News NPD March 2010: God Of War III Shifts 1.1 Million Units
Huge success for Sony and their Santa Monica studio last month, as God Of War III went on to rule the American software charts selling a whopping 1
1 million copies in the country. Kratos managed to oust out March's other big releases in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Final Fantasy XIII, the latter of which performed better on the Playstation 3 SKU...
News NPD March 2010: Playstation 3 Rules Software Charts, Shifts 313.9K
The NPD hardware and software sales for March 2010 are in, and Sony's given a particularly impressive showing in the region that's given them most trouble over the past few years
Despite hardware shortages limiting the PS3's performance, Sony's home system still managed to shift a whopping 313.9K, just shy of the 360's 338K. The most pleasing thing...
News Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Gets Amazing "Big Boss" Bundle Exclusive At GameStop
Big games demand big attention, and in all honesty, there's nothing bigger on the PSP this year than Kojima Production's Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Hence, American retailer are going whole hog with a specially crafted bundle for the game. The "Big Boss" bundle - which will be sold exclusively at US retailer GameStop in addition to the...
News Sony Account For 17% Of GameStop's New Product Puchased In Fiscal '09
Americans bought a lot of new games in 2009, but specifically, you guys over the pond bought a lot of new Sony products
According to an SEC filing for the past year, Sony products accounted for 17% of "new product purchases" from American games retail juggernaut GameStop in fiscal '09. Nintendo won the stakes with 23%, while Microsoft, EA...
News US Playstation 3 Greatest Hits Collection Expands With: Killzone 2, inFamous & Resistance 2
Yo Americans, you up for some new quality first-party Playstation 3 content at half the price? You betcha, yo
Looks like Sony's got your backs then, with Killzone 2, inFamous and Resistance 2 all set to join the PS3 Greatest Hits Collection. That's according to a Best Buy flyer that also sees UFC Undisputed 2009 and LittleBigPlanet: Game Of The Year...
News GameStop: PS3 Shortages To Last Until The Summer
Some people in the industry are laughing off Sony's claims of stock shortages in the US, but it actually appears to be a genuine issue for the company
According to GameStop Executive VP of Merchandising, the issue of PS3 stock shortages are likely to go on for the next few months. Despite Sony being pestered for more stock, Bartel concluded that his...
News Report Hints At American Playstation 3 Stock Shortages Hindering God Of War III Sales
March: officially the biggest month in Playstation 3's history
Not only has the month already seen the arrival of Final Fantasy XIII, a traditionally Playstation franchise, but it's also about to witness the arrival of one of Playstation's biggest exclusive franchises: God Of War III. Sadly, there's a hitch. While Sony have two of the biggest games...
News February NPD: Playstation 3 Fares Well, Beaten By Wii & XBOX 360, Heavy Rain Starts Strong
Despite losing out to the Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii and XBOX 360, there are very positive signs for the industry in general in February's NPD
Namely that every major piece of hardware sold pretty well, with just 62,000 units between the XBOX 360 and the Playstation 3. Sony shifted 360,100 units for the month of February, a pretty impressive...
News Sony Get Back To The Old Days: Trash-Talking The Competition
After a successful six months or so for Playstation 3, Sony are feeling pretty buoyant
It's a mood emphasised by Sony's VP of Publisher Relations Rob Dyer, as he talks 360 in a recent interview with IndustryGamers.We do better for our publishing community than 360 does, the SCEA man said. As our installed base starts catching up and gaining on...
News Sony: Playstation 3 Stock To Be Tight Over The Next Few Months
Sony's warned that Playstation 3 stock will be tight over the coming months
SCEA's director of communications, Patrick Seybold explained the company are working hard to ensure stock is available for everyone. "We're working very hard with our retail partners to meet consumer interest, but the demand is tremendously high for the PS3 and we...
News Sony Fare Well In January NPDs, Lose Out To Microsoft & Nintendo
Despite a decent month for January in the US, Sony's PS3 lost out to both the XBOX 360 and Nintendo Wii for the month of January, according to the NPDs
Sony shifted 276.9k units during the month, a respectable number, but they were some way off Microsoft's 332.8k tally. Regardless, both Sony and Microsoft fell to the might power of Nintendo once...
News Pach-Attack: Playstation 3 Hardware Sales Up Massively In January
Everyone's favourite video games analyst Michael Pachter has come away from the glitz of his GameTrailers TV spot to talk hardware sales, and most importantly the Playstation 3's performance this January
Pachter reckons it's looking pretty good. In his pre-NPD report, the analyst cited that he reckons the PS3 will be up 62 percent over January 2009,...
News Playstation 3 To See Greatest Year Over Year Growth In January
Hardly a surprising revelation, but one analyst believes that Playstation 3 will see the greatest YoY growth in next week's January NPD report
Arvind Bhatia of Sterne Agee reckons that the PS3 will keep its momentum throughout January and "will have the best year-over-year growth in January among all consoles." This is on the back of the...
News More Terrible US Boxart Emerges, This Time Yakuza 3
What's with American boxart being so rubbish? First Heavy Rain, now Yakuza 3
The super stylish Japanese boxart has been replaced by a red background and an uber close-up of the protagonist's face. Rubbish. To be fair, the art has only shown up on GameFly so may just be a placeholder. We hope so. Here's the Japanese box.
News Playstation Revenue Down $1.3 Billion Last Year
Gamasutra's reporting that despite a Playstation 3 resurgence in recent months, the Playstation family as a whole dropped $1
3billion due to a contracting Playstation 2 market. Playstation family revenue was $6.4billion in 2008, but Gamasutra reckon that number dropped as low as $5.1billion last year. Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter reckons...
News Hopefully God Of War III Boxart Isn't God Of War III Boxart
Eagle-eyed IndianVideoGamers have found what they believe to be the US boxart for God Of War III
While kinda awesome, we preferred the "other" boxart that was tentatively shown off earlier in the year, but we did assume Sony would opt for a picture of Kratos looking angry.
News Sony: 2009 "Was A Great Year" For Playstation 3, We Agree
Y'know, aside from all those top games Sony put out in 2009, the biggest success story of the Playstation 3 has been re-entering the race
This year we saw Sony outsell the Wii for stretched periods in Japan, and we even saw Playstation 3 overtake XBOX 360 on Microsoft's home-turf a couple of times. The potential has always been there, but the...
News December NPD Hardware Reports Put Playstation 3 Above 360, Just
Sony can claim a very minor victory over their closest rival the XBOX 360 today, after the December NPD reports revealed that the Playstation 3 came in just ahead of Microsoft's XBOX 360 for the month
With 1.36million Playstation 3 hardware units sold for through the month of December (and in the US alone), Sony's marketing department can officially...
