Ever since the launch of the Game Boy in the 1980s, Nintendo has been a dominant force in the world of handheld gaming. A number of companies tried to challenge that dominance, and the one that best gave Nintendo a run for its money was likely Sony with the PSP and its follow up, the PS Vita. Earlier this year, Sony discontinued the final remaining PS Vita SKUs with no concrete plans for any kind of follow up.
Today is a big day for the PlayStation brand, because today marks the 25th anniversary of Sony's entrance into the world of gaming. On December 3rd, 1994, Sony launched the first PlayStation in Japan. Those of us here in the US and our friends over in Europe would have to wait another 10 months to get our hands on the PlayStation, but going from its Japanese launch date, the PlayStation turns 25 years old today.
What in the world is going on here, you might be saying - aren't The Office and Parks and Recreation already over? Yes, both of these mocumentary-style television shows are done, and there will be no new episodes (for now). But the rights, the precious rights, like the spice melange, they must flow! The rights have been renewed for cable - exclusively*!
There's no lack of deals available on Cyber Monday, but if you're in the market for a PlayStation 4 Pro, Amazon has a really solid bundle on offer. The bundle packs a PlayStation 4 Pro together with copies of God of War, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and Marvel's Spider-Man, three of the strongest PlayStation exclusives we've seen this generation. At $299.99, the bundle is priced really well, but you'll need to be quick if you want to buy one.
Back in the early days of gaming consoles, each box, if you could really call them a box, exuded some personality with a unique and almost eccentric design. Perhaps due to the changing aesthetic tastes of the gaming market, that design trend stopped after the first Xbox and PlayStation consoles. Leaked patents almost suggested that the PlayStation 5 could once again sport a rather unorthodox form, something confirmed by this latest leaked photo. Sadly, the photo is reportedly that of a dev kit, which doesn't bode well for what the PS5 will actual actually look like.
Amid all of the Black Friday deals comes Sony's latest information on what you can get for free...assuming you're a PlayStation Plus subscriber, of course. The company is about to drop its latest batch of free content for PS Plus customers, including hit game Titanfall 2 for the PlayStation 4. The company will also have a special treat for PS VR customers starting on December 3.
Sony has pushed out an update to its WF-1000XM3 noise cancelling earbuds, addressing two of our small but lingering frustrations with the otherwise excellent headphones. Launched earlier this year, the in-ear sibling to the WH-1000XM3 headphones was early to the table with active noise cancellation.
Sony isn't giving up the fight, at least not yet. It is stubbornly holding on to what little it has left in the market, making sure that it launches a phone even twice a year. For 2019, that's the Xperia 1 and its smaller doppelganger, the Xperia 5. Unfortunately, if this is the best that Sony has to offer, it might not last long in that game, especially if it can't even hold a candle against more affordable smartphones with better front-facing cameras for taking those oh so popular selfies.
Sony is launching a new global division focused on artificial intelligence, with Sony AI hoping to figure out new ways to apply machine intelligence across gaming, photography, and more. The new organization will have offices across the globe, Sony confirmed today, and build on the company's existing research into how AI can be applied into everyday life.
Wireless audio equipment have gotten a surge of popularity and innovation, in no small part thanks to the demise of the venerable headphone jack on smartphones. A variety of wireless headsets have popped up, ranging from gigantic over ear cups to not so tiny earbuds. The Sony SRS-WS1 Immersive Wireless Speaker may, at a quick glance, look like one of those neck brace earphones like the LG Tone series. The difference, however, is that this pillow like contraption that hangs around your neck is no headphones. It is a full blown speaker.
Sony is the recipient of a newly published patent in Japan showing multiple illustrations of what may be the upcoming PlayStation 5 controller's design. As previously leaked, the patent indicates the new controller will feature a built-in microphone (possibly two); there are also some small changes to the overall design compared to the DualShock 4, though the two look very similar at first glance.
With rumors of Sony silently winding down its mobile business despite PR statements from executives, it's probably not much of a surprise that the company is hardly able to keep up with the latest in Android updates. That makes it an almost pleasant surprise when it does make a public commitment to upgrade its most recent phones to the most recent Android version. At least starting sometimes next month at the earliest, that is.