Sony’s ‘Welcome Back’ campaign may have drawn to a close a bit early, but the PlayStation Network won’t make its full return to Japan until later this week. As of July 6th, Japanese gamers will once again be able to access the PlayStation Store and Qriocity, bringing an end to a nearly three-month suspension enacted after April’s widespread data breach.
These services have already been reintroduced across other parts of the globe, but Sony encountered notably stiffer resistance in its homeland, where authorities demanded assurance of the PSN’s security before allowing it to relaunch within their borders. The PlayStation Store remained down throughout Sony’s negotiations with government officials, but company spokesman Satoshi Fukuoka says those discussions have advanced far enough for full services to resume.
The PSN’s long-awaited return to Japan will also signal its full global restoration, meaning that Sony may finally be able to put the saga to rest — and try to forget about that $170 million it lost in the process. Hopefully it stays up longer this time…
Four weeks ago today, Sony announced its ‘Welcome Back’ campaign following the weeks-long PSN outage that began in April. Now, the program is entering its final weekend, giving you just two more days to download your pair of free PS3 or PSP games, along with 100 virtual items from PlayStation Home and 30 days of PlayStation Plus. To claim your gratis package from the PlayStation Store, click on the “Welcome Back” tab and make your pick. Sure, a few hand-outs may not make up for those countless days you spent offline, contemplating a switch to other networks, but free stuff is free stuff, so head over to PSN to claim what’s rightfully yours before the clock strikes midnight on July 3rd.
Sony’s got a reputation for pumping out forwardly-designed wares, but its new G-Series micro HiFi systems are a blast from the past — at a glance, anyway. Both rigs are MP3 and iPhone / iPod-compatible via USB and will be available in two different configurations. To start, the CMT-G1BiP / G1iP feature 60 watts of RMS power with DAB packed into the former for those who find only having AM/FM is passé. Next up, the CMT-G2BNiP / G2NiP add WiFi for getting your stream on from the Web or a PC and can be remote-controlled with a free iOS app. The “HiFi” moniker mixed with iPod connectivity might have audiophiles raising a brow to sound quality, but the brushed metal console and its piano-gloss satellites are lookers none-the-less. A single variant is currently listed on the Sony UK site, although there’s not a squeak regarding cost or release dates.
Sony has finally let their ultraslim VAIO Z laptop into the light, as they’ve unveiled this super slim laptop for the UK market. The specs reveal a 13.1-inch “ultramobile” notebook that comes in at under 1.2kg with a 2.7GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, 1600×900 screen (the press release mentions an optional Full HD display) and sheet battery borrowed from the earlier VAIO S for up to 7 hours of computing.
Onboard it features only Intel’s HD Graphics 3000 solution but the VAIO Z beats other ultralights with its Power Media Dock, which contributes the power of an AMD Radeon 6650M GPU with 1GB of dedicated memory connected via Light Peak when more polygons have to be pushed. The dock sports one USB 3.0 hookup plus additional USB, VGA and HDMI ports, and a slot for either a DVD or Blu-ray drive.
There’s no word on price yet, but it is promised to ship by the end of July in Europe so if the full specs are appealing then you don’t have much time to save up. Pricing starts at £1,434 ($2,294) with a Core i5 CPU, 4GB of RAM and no PMD. The dock is a £400 ($640) option with no optical drive included, while upgrading to a 1080p 13.1-inch LCD is a mere £40 extra.
First shown nearly a year ago, what appears to be a leaked official photo might finally mean the forever teased A77 is on the horizon. If you’ll recall, the high-end Alpha was sporting a svelte see-through body, and the only tidbits the Japanese firm would confirm were the 2011 ship date and that all forthcoming Alpha’s would have translucent mirrors — you know, the spiffy kind that enables DSLRs to focus while shooting video. Opportunely, the above pictured image also came with a bevy of specs, which we’ll have to assume apply to the pricier A77: a 24 megapixel sensor, 11 point AF, 10 frame per second burst and an ISO of 102,400. Also on the docket is USB 3.0, and a ship date of October. Whether or not the August announcement pans out remains to be seen, but you’ll certainly know when we do.
Fresh from the Land of the Rising Sun comes news that Sony has updated the original PS3 Slim (CECH-3001B) with a lighter, less power-hungry model. The new Japanese PS3 CECH-3000B weighs in at 5.7 pounds — as opposed to its 6.6 pound elder brother — and even lowers its wattage to 200W from the previous 230W. Based on information handed to us by SCE in February, we’re surmising that you’ll need HDMI / HDCP in order to get 1080p video playback from Blu-ray Discs; otherwise, it’ll be limited to 480i over piracy concerns. Other non-AACS content — games included — should be exempt from the restrictions. The unit will retail at the same ¥34,980 price point (or $435 for the Yanks) as the original Slim, and while a relatively plain 320GB flavor seems to be on tap for now, a 160GB Tales of Xillia bundle will purportedly hit this September. No announcement has been made for its North American counterpart, but with the system already in the FCC’s clutches, you can bet it’ll be making an intercontinental trek in short order.
It’s no big surprise that Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X10 has some Android 2.3-filled days to look forward to. At long last, the handset maker is finally delivering its promise and is offering up a few extra details about the inevitable upgrade, now set for early-August. The company has addressed some user concerns regarding changes to functionality that will come with the upgrade, assuring users that new version of the software will keep the phone’s camera UI intact and will feature newer functionality like the company’s Facebook Inside Xperia feature. Catch the Gingerbready video below, which unfortunately makes surviving the summer on a lesser build no less painless.
Like a highly atmospheric scene from your favorite film noir, Sony’s teaser video for the S1 and S2 tablets starts off with isolated sounds and a bit of quick motion before settling into a sumptuous, deliberately paced feast for your eyeballs. You might say it’s high art posing as a consumer electronics promo, particularly if you compare it to ASUS or Huawei’s efforts in the field. There’s sadly little in the way of new information, all we really get to witness are the reassuring Android Honeycomb software keys on the larger S1, but this “first impression” clip is the start of a series of ads revolving around a pair of alabaster figurines and their tablet-assisted love affair. Watch the video above to witness the awesomeness yourself!
Sony’s mainstream E and C series of laptops are getting a bit of an update with some new color options and updated processors in the case of E series. The 14-, 15.5-, and 17.3-inch Vaio E models are finally joining the Sandy Bridge brigade with second-gen Core i3 and i5s, while also adding an AMD Fusion option on the 15.5-inch version for all you Sunnyvale fans out there. The smaller members of the E family will be available in four colors (blue, pink, white, and black) while their big brother is limited to white and black. The C series is staying the same, but adding Neon Red and Thunder Blue to your selection of hues. The updated PCs will be available for pre-order on June 19th but, if you really have your heart set on that red Vaio C, you’ll have to head to select retailers like Fry’s, ABT, B&H, J&R, MicroCenter, or (wait for it…) Nebraska Furniture Mart — while you’re there, pick up a bright red sofa to match your new laptop.
Sony didn’t make a big to do about the arrival of its Music Unlimited service on Android — perhaps it’s the fact that the market for streaming music on mobile devices is getting a bit crowded these days, with recent arrivals from Apple, Google, and Amazon. Or maybe it’s that the mention of Qriocity, the service that powers the offering, is still likely to leave a bad taste in the mouths of lots of folks, after the whole, well, you know. Whatever the case may be, the app is now available as a free download for those with Google’s dessert-based operating system on their handsets, plus either the $4 a month basic or $10 a month premium plan.
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