Nasty .. just nasty.  If you happen to own a PS3 older than one of the slim versions Sony is actually recommending that you don't use it until they have fixed a date issue

As you may be aware, some customers have been unable to connect to the PlayStation Network today. This problem affects the models other than the new slim PS3. We believe we have identified that this problem is being caused by a bug in the clock functionality incorporated in the system.

Errors include:

• The date of the PS3 system may be re-set to Jan 1, 2000.
• When the user tries to sign in to the PlayStation Network, the following  message appears on the screen;
  

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A look at god of war 3 from gametrailers with the devs from the game.


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According to the latest rumors Sony are considering replacing the PS3
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While the PS3 Slim has just come out, it is doing extremely well in terms of hardware sales. Let's hope the attach rate for its software will be equally high just like the DS and all of its iterations. Well, Tai Chiem has come up with his own version of the PlayStation which he has rightly dubbed the PlayStation 4.

This concept is extremely nice to look at, but something tells us it isn't feasible engineering-wise. After all, it comes with clear material as the main choice of construction, making us wonder whether should it ever be released, will come with a disclaimer on the box, "Nice to touch, nice to hold, once broken, considered sold!" to deter the grubby fingers of curious onlookers from having a go at it.

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Designer Tai Chiem has created an interesting concept for the Xbox 720 or whatever Microsoft wants to call its next console. The curvy shape makes it looks like an Alien small fighter ship more than a game console, but the modeling and rendering are well done enough to entertain.

Now, there's little chance that the actual next-gen Xbox looks anything like this, but if we're going towards an all digital distribution and get rid of the optical disk, console designers might have a little more freedom.

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Sony's worst kept secret (photo's that leaked from production in a factory) is going to be released with a bang. Retailer KMart is now listing the PlayStation 3 Slim for $299 with a launch date of August 24, 2009.

It's also currently displayed on KMart's main page here with the slogan 'The rumors are reality.' and includes a 120GB HDD, with the description as follows: 'PS3, SLIM High-Definition Blu-ray player...'.

Well, it really is an affordable blu-ray player/console combo.

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Whether or not you

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Yesterday, Microsoft revealed their rumored answer to the Nintendo Wii. Project Natal was the code name for a motion camera used to play and control your Xbox 360 - hands free. Presented at the currently ongoing E3 Expo 2009 (Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009) at the L.A. Convention Center.

Just like the Wii's sensor bar, the Xbox 360 "controller bar", including a camera, a microphone and sensors, sits either on top or below the TV and tracks your movement and translates it into digital signals:

"Compatible with any Xbox 360 system, the "Project Natal" sensor is the world's first to combine an RGB camera, depth sensor, multi-array microphone and custom processor running proprietary software all in one device. Unlike 2-D cameras and controllers, "Project Natal" tracks your full body movement in 3-D, while responding to commands, directions and even a shift of emotion in your voice.

In addition, unlike other devices, the "Project Natal" sensor is not light-dependent. It can recognize you just by looking at your face, and it doesn't just react to key words but understands what you're saying. Call a play in a football game, and players will actually respond."

 

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A leak Saturday morning on Sony's own PlayStation forums has confirmed major details of the PSP Go now expected to debut at E3. Spotted in a Qore episode slipped out early, the device is as rumored and switches to a slider design that renders it much more portable. It now also has 16GB of internal memory (plus a card slot) that gives it a much greater role as a media player and signals a shift to download-only PSP games; the PSP Go drops the UMD drive entirely.

Newly spotted in the video is built-in Bluetooth support that lets users voice chat in games or Skype with any Bluetooth headset. The company also says it will be possible to tether the PSP Go to a cellphone over Bluetooth, though what features would be allowed through the link aren't known; it implies support for taking calls from the phone through the PSP itself.

Supporting the latest rumors, a Sony spokesman in the video says the Go won't replace the existing PSP for at least its initial launch and will be an alternative for those who don't depend on a library of UMD-based games. A price and a ship date aren't given.

The escaped details all but confirm an aggressive about-face for Sony in the portable world, where it has regularly struggled against its obvious competitor the Nintendo DS but has been facing added heat from the iPod touch. Although the Apple and Sony devices have different interfaces and different primary focuses, the iPod touch has been increasingly marketed as a gaming device by Apple and has long had more advanced media playback.

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Accompanying the launch of Resident Evil 5 in March, Microsoft today confirmed the release of its long-rumored limited edition of the Xbox 360 Elite. Officially, it is called Xbox 360 Elite Limited Edition Resident Evil 5 Bundle, and besides its red finish, it comes with a red Xbox 360 Wireless Controller, a black Xbox 360 Headset, a 120 GB Hard Drive, and an exclusive premium "Resident Evil 5" theme (downloadable via Xbox LIVE).

Here's an excerpt of its included features:

• Xbox 360 Elite Console with Exclusive Red Finish
• Matching red wireless controller
• 120GB hard drive
• Resident Evil 5
• Super Street Fighter
  

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Microsoft said in an interview that Xbox 360 users don't seem to want Blu-ray, as they don't get a ton of requests for this feature:

"Even though our market sources indicated Microsoft Corp.

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Japan's Eizo recently introduced the ColorEdge CG242W LCD monitor that offers a 24.1-inch display and offers 1920x1200 resolution. The monitor's colors cover 97 percent of the Adobe RGB spectrum, and is meant to be used with video editing applications that include 3D-look-up table (3D LUT) support. New MacBook Pros use a mini Display Port connection and nothing else, so once an adapter is released, users will be able to add EIZO's LCD as a secondary, external display to the notebooks. Apart from the DisplayPort, there is a DVI connection, and both are HDCP compatible.
More mainstream specifications are comprised of a 178-degree viewing angle, maximum brightness of 270cd/m2 and 1100:1 contrast ratio. Black-to-white response time is rated at 12ms, while grey-to-grey is set at 6ms. Viewing angles from all four sides are fixed at 178 degrees. The LCD also includes a pair of USB ports that allows users to add external devices to their computers.

Buyers have the option of purchasing sensors that, when combined with the included ColorNavigator software, ease the process of setting up the monitor to display true-to-life colors.

When the CG242W launches in Japan on January 13th, 2009, it will cost the equivalent of about $1,975.

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Microsoft is facing a class action lawsuit for the Xbox 360's chronic breakdown problems, a summary notes. Although the company has already extended warranties to account for the "red ring of death" -- a failure where regular overheating loosens chip connections and usually ruins the system -- a Sacramento County complaint accuses Microsoft of not only manufacturing a known defective product but of deliberately hiding the failure rate, encouraging customers to buy without warning them that their system will likely fail.

The document points to reports that claim Microsoft knew about the inherent flaw as long ago as the November 2005 launch, when the failure rate was potentially more than 50 percent. Studies from the turn of the year would still have the failures as high as 16.5 percent despite refinements to the production method and additional cooling. The failures have been predicted by some to stem from cost-cutting measures that include a reduced number of third-party components and relatively lenient testing.

The suit calls for a refund program that lets dissatisfied owners obtain a refund and would also demand that Microsoft give up profits from the Xbox 360 as punishment.

Microsoft hasn't commented on the lawsuit, which comes just as the company is believed to be quietly shipping revisions of the console with cooler graphics processors that will partially alleviate overheating issues. The issue isn't expected to completely disappear until the launch of a late 2009 update, nicknamed Valhalla, that would generate an all-in-one chip cool enough to prevent any overheating and also shrink the power brick [via macnn].

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Spotted this one at en-gadget, good read. You know who Microsoft hates? No, not Apple. It really hates DHL.

Apparently, the delivery service has hit the folks in Redmond where it hurts: in the Xbox. It seems that 21,600 consoles were totally messed over by "impact damage, wetting, pilfering and shortage" when one of the company's freight trains derailed en route to Long Beach, California.

The big M claims that DHL refuses to compensate for the lost goods, and has filed a complaint at a US District Court in Seattle, calling for $2 million in damages and stating that the shipper "negligently breached its duties as a common carrier, handler, bailee, warehouseman, agent, or in other capabilities."

Harsh words, but really, who's to blame for this mess?

 

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According to a Blockbusters' memo leaked to us today Sony is permanently dropping the price of the discontinued 40GB model of the Playstation 3 starting Sunday.

The price drop, which was verified by calls to a number of Blockbuster stores, will drop the 40GB model to $360 and an PS3 40GB bundle with an HDMI cable, Spiderman the movie and Transformers the game to $400. Stores that have trade-ins of the PS3 40GB will be selling it for $360 as well.

While the $40 or so price drop isn't much, maybe it signals other drops in line for the other versions of the console in the near future. Or perhaps Sony is clearing stock to make room for a Tokyo Game Show announced new SKU for the Playstation 3.

Blockbuster employees across the country, SCEA says that this price cut did not come from Sony but rather is something Blockbuster is doing, likely to clear stock.

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A week after exposing the shoddy manufacturing of Xbox 360s to Venture Beat, Robert Delaware lost his job for speaking out about the Red Ring of Death.

Robert Delaware, 29, was fired for talking about Xbox 360 failures
"I don't regret it," Delaware said in a phone call to Venture Beat on Thursday. He says it was important to come forward as a game tester to ensure the problem gets corrected.

Delaware worked for Excell Data, a temp agency, but was fired by his Microsoft manager last Wednesday for speaking to Venture Beat, the paper said. As a result of his whistleblowing, he may face civil lawsuits from both his former employer and Microsoft for breach of contract.

"I'll fight it," he said, speaking of possible litigation. "If they want to come after me, bring it on."

Last week, Delaware told Venture Beat in its six-page expose of Xbox 360 defects that Microsoft rushed development of the console to beat PlayStation 3 and Wii to market, resulting in a reported 33 percent failure rate. Microsoft has since increased the original 90 day 360 warranty, first to one year, and later to the current three year extension.


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Well, it wasn't exactly a surprize, but Microsoft has made it official: the Xbox 360 is officially going to drop to as low as $199 starting Friday, September 5 starting in the U.S.

The three currently offered SKUs will get a price drop in North America, following multiple retail leaks and a similar pricing adjustment for the Japanese market. The new MSRP for the current line up is as follows.

- Xbox 360 Arcade (No Hard Drive): $199, down from $279
- Xbox 360 Pro (60GB HDD): $299, down from $350
- Xbox 360 Elite (120GB HDD): $399, down from $449

Indeed, that makes the Xbox 360 officially the least expensive current generation console following an $80 price cut on the Arcade model.

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Well, there it is, the Lenovo IdeaPad U8 launched official at the Beijing games just as we expected. With the launch come the final specs for this Asia-only MID we've seen incubating now for months: 4.8-inch touchscreen; the latest, sub-3 watt processor from Intel (uh hem, that'd be a Silverthorn-class Atom); 350-grams and 21 x 173 x 84-mm; up to 2GB memory and 6GB flash storage; dual-cameras; support for China Multimedia Mobile Broadcasting (CMMB) digital television via that protruding USB dongle; and 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, EDGE data and China-specific TD-SCDMA 3G, presumably. Expect to see it trotted out tomorrow as Intel's San Francisco IDF gets underway -- with any luck, it'll be sporting WiMAX for a North American / European release.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/18/lenovos-ideapad-u8-makes-official-olympics-debut/



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MSI confirmed that it would raise the official price of its Wind mini notebook by an average of $50. A base model with a three-cell battery pack now costs $499 while a longer-lasting six-cell version costs $549.

The company has had "no choice" but to increase the price as the raw manufacturing costs for the battery and other notebook materials have increased significantly, according to an MSI official. Retailers such as Buy.com are being asked to cancel orders at the original prices to avoid facing sanctions from the PC builder.

The Wind was set to be one of the least expensive mini notebooks available and undercut multiple Eee PCs and similar models despite its 1.6GHz Atom processor, 80GB drive and 10-inch screen, which put it at the top end of the system category. These increases reduce the gap between the Wind and same-size opponents like the $649 Eee PC 1000H and are compounded further by unofficial increases by resellers hoping to expand their own profits. A six-cell Wind now sells for $599 at some retailers.

It's unknown whether the cost increase will spread to other mini notebook designers that may share similar parts.

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Sony has no plans to slash the PlayStation 3's price in the near future, company CFO Nobuyuki Oneda said on Friday. The Japanese executive insists that Sony's goal remains to make the Blu-ray game system profitable by reducing the price of its individual parts. Selling extra games should also help the PS3's bottom line, Oneda says. He declines to estimate when a price cut could take place.

The official's remarks cast doubts on Sony matching at least temporary price cuts to the Microsoft Xbox 360 but come with a history of Sony denials of rumors that quickly prove accurate, including the discontinuation of the 60GB PS3. An alleged Wal-Mart leak also points to a replacement for the 40GB PS3 in early August.

Oneda

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