PlayStation US head Jack Tretton parts ways with Sony
Or at least, he will have done so come April 1st, no foolin‘. Sony just announced that the long time SCEA executive will be making way for his replacement Shawn Layden, current EVP and COO of Sony Network Entertainment International. According to the company, Tretton’s parting is the result of a “mutual agreement,” but naturally, neither side’s saying how that agreement was reached. The move certainly comes as a surprise, as Tretton had been with SCEA for almost 20 years, and was a part of the PlayStation team from the very beginning — most recently overseeing the successful launch of Sony’s most recent console, the PS4. Evidently, that wasn’t enough to keep him around… time will tell if Layden’s a worthy successor.
Image Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images
Source: Sony Computer Entertainment
Watch Dogs arrives on May 27th
When Ubisoft showed off Watch Dogs for the first time in 2012, there was no such thing as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Well, okay, they existed in some sense of the word, but both consoles were far from publicly ready, making Watch Dogs an unbelievably pretty game for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Unbelievable to the point that many journalists were incredulous about it not being touted as intended for next-gen, but Ubisoft couldn’t say it was headed to unannounced consoles. In so many words, Watch Dogs was essentially the first “next-gen” game shown off…even before the consoles were unveiled. It’s somewhat hilarious then that we’re here to tell you today that Watch Dogs now has a release date — May 27th — after being delayed past the actual launch of the new consoles. It’s unclear if that means all versions (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC and Wii U) will arrive on the same day, though the Wii U version was already given a release date sometime after the other versions. Sorry Wii U, owners!
Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo
Source: Ubisoft
Sony Xperia Z2 available for UK pre-order April 11
Phones4u have unveiled their on-contract pricing for the Sony Xperia Z2 for the UK and state that it’s set to be available for pre-order on April 11, 2014.
The Sony Xperia Z2 will be available in black and white for free on a 24-month contract from Vodafone and EE at £47 per month. The purple version of the Z2 will be available exclusively at O2, with Phones4u getting the exclusive rights to the white model.
If you pre-order the Xperia Z2 you’ll also get a free Sony SRS-BTX300 wireless speaker, valued at £119, in addition to ”exclusive Sony content including games, music and six movies”, together with a 50% discount on Sony Smartband accessories. Not a bad deal if you’re considering picking up the Z2.
The Xperia Z2 run a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 3,200mAh battery, as well as a 20.7-Megapixel camera.
Drop us a comment if you plan on picking up an Xperia Z2 on April 11th.
The post Sony Xperia Z2 available for UK pre-order April 11 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
HBO Go arrives on PlayStation 3 today
It’s been a long time coming, but today the HBO Go app is finally available on PlayStation 3. Sadly, those of us who moved last-gen’s consoles out of the living room to make space for shiny new ones are still in the lurch — the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions are still missing release dates. But for the rest of us, still enjoying The Last of Us‘ DLC or soaking up those delicious free PS+ games, there are episodes of True Detective to watch! Starting today!
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Software, HD, Sony
Source: HBO
Batman: Arkham Knight headed to Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC in 2014
In a move that won’t surprise Batfanatics, a new Batman game is headed to Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC at some point this year. The latest caped crusader game entry is titled Batman: Arkham Knight, and it’s set to complete the trilogy that Rocksteady Games started back in 2009 (which includes Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, and doesn’t include Arkham Origins). We’ve dropped the first teaser video below the break, which heavily features both very serious sad talking and a totally sweet Batmobile. We’ll let you decide which is more exciting.
In our count, the first tease shows Penguin, Two-Face, Harley Quinn, and we can hear Scarecrow. That all makes sense given the video’s blurb:
“In the explosive finale to the Arkham series, Batman faces the ultimate threat against the city he is sworn to protect. The Scarecrow returns to unite an impressive roster of super villains, including Penguin, Two-Face and Harley Quinn, to destroy The Dark Knight forever.”
Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Sony, Microsoft
Source: Warner Bros.
Sony says the PlayStation 4’s ‘Share’ button has been used 100 million times
Sony has a released a bunch of statistics covering the first four months of life of its new baby. Beyond regular sales figures (six million units so far, and nearly 14 million game sales), some of the more interesting numbers relate to how PlayStation gamers are engaging with the console’s online features. We’re told that half of all PS4 owners have been persuaded to cough up for a PS Plus subscription, which grants access to online multiplayer gaming as well as a number of discounted and free titles. Meanwhile, the ‘Share’ button on the DualShock 4 controller has apparently been used 100 million times to share recorded game highlights with the PS4 community, and 3.6 million gameplay broadcasts have been streamed over Twitch and Ustream — a feature that still hasn’t been enabled on the Xbox One. And who knows? The PS4′s Twitch numbers might have been even higher if people hadn’t gotten themselves banned for playing real-live strip poker.
Source: PR Newswire, PlayStation.Blog
MHL 3.0 does 4K video output, 10W charging and data transfer over a single cable (video)
You may have already followed the announcement of Sony’s Xperia Z2 and Xperia Z2 Tablet last week, but did you know that they are also the first mobile devices to feature MHL 3.0? For those who haven’t caught up, this standard allows 4K video output — over a bandwidth of 6 Gbps — from a micro-USB port, while giving back up to 10W of power to keep your phone or tablet juiced up. Better yet, you also get a dedicated 75 Mbps channel for data transfer, as opposed to just 1 Mbps in earlier versions, which is only enough for HID input (like keyboard, touchscreen, mouse and even gesture control). It’s still snail pace compared to the likes of USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt, but at least you can now transfer files to and from your mobile device over the same cable. Besides, it’s possible to achieve a higher transfer rate of up to 600 Mbps using special connectors, such as USB 3.0′s 10-pin configuration.
At MWC last week, Silicon Image demoed MHL 3.0 — powered by its SiI8620 transmitter chip — working between an Xperia Z2 and a Sony 4K TV, with the bonus capability of navigating through the phone using the TV’s remote. The company also showed off file transfer between a USB drive and a Snapdragon 800 development board over MHL 3.0, though products (likely monitors, set-top boxes and docks) that support this feature won’t be out until later this year. For now, you can check out our demo video after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony
System Dump for the Sony Xperia Z2 is now Available
Despite being heavily leaked prior to its announcement at MWC 2014, the Sony Xperia Z2 is somewhat of a surprise release. This is mainly because it is being launched a mere 5 months after its predecessor, the Xperia Z1, was released, and while many people assumed it was rushed out to correct the mishaps of the Xperia Z1, Sony admitted it has had a change in strategy. Specifically, this change is going to likely see 2 flagship devices a year, which means we might even see a Xperia Z3 later in 2014, but that’s another story completely.
While you might think this strategy is a bit of a bummer for early adopters, there is a silver lining, at least for those who like to dabble in development and mucking around with their phones. This silver lining is that while software OS updates will likely come at the same rate, these increased number of new devices means you can update your older device with these updated apps. So when owners of the Xperia Z and Xperia Z1 see that the system dump for the Sony Xperia Z2 is now available, they now have a reason to smile.
If you are a developer and want to get your hands on the system dump, it can be found over at the XDA forums (links will be below) and with any luck, we’ll be seeing custom ROMs and Zperia Z2 apps becoming available in the very near future. The files are for Android 4.4.2, so those of you with Sony devices waiting for your KitKat update may want to keep a close eye on this space.
Are you going to get a Sony Xperia Z2? And what do you make of this increased cycle of two devices a year from one manufacturer? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Source: XDA forum via XDA News
[Download] Get the Sony Xperia Z2 wallpapers here now!
We’re in a very wallpaper mood here today at AndroidSPIN. The Samsung Galaxy S5 wasn’t the only flagship device to be announced at MWC 2014 earlier this week; Sony also announced their Sony Xperia Z2 device which replaces their previous flagship, the Xperia Z1 after only 5 months at the top of the roost. The new flagship boasts an updated Snapdragon 801 processor, a larger 5.2-inch display, and crucially, the Triluminos display has been tweaked to address all the viewing angle issues that were reported on the Xperia Z1.
While many people liked the wallpaper that they saw on the Galaxy S5 at its announcement, less noise was made for the Xperia Z2, despite the fact that the Sony Xperia Z2 wallpapers also happen to be quite beautiful; while they haven’t deviated much from Sony’s standard artistic flavour, these wallpapers will be standard on Sony’s Android KitKat builds when it finally rolls out to all its devices, and they really do make for some nice backdrops.Thanks to XperiaGuide, we have access to the full collection of wallpapers that will be on the Xperia Z2 when it launches; download the collection from the link below:
Official Sony Xperia Z2 wallpapers.zip
Let us know what you think of the wallpapers or if you’re considering getting a Xperia Z2 when it releases.
Source: XperiaGuide
Sony to reportedly offload its old Tokyo HQ for some quick cash
It appears Sony isn’t quite done selling off assets in a bid to reverse its financial losses. Just weeks after it sold its VAIO PC business, the company is reportedly in talks to offload another one of its properties: its former headquarters in central Tokyo. The deal could net Sony more than 15 billion yen ($146.5 million), adding to the $2.3 billion it recouped from the sale of its New York and Osaka buildings last year. Locals have blasted the potential move, however, arguing that the company’s “birthplace,” where founders Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka worked on the Walkman and Trinitron TV, should be exempt from its restructuring efforts. The proceeds could be used to cushion the $1.1 billion loss Sony expects to make in its current financial year, putting no pressure whatsoever on the new Xperia Z2 family to sell well when it hits stores in April.
[Image credit: Wikimedia]
Filed under: Sony
Source: WSJ Digits
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