Items tagged with Sony
It will be around a full year before Sony rolls out its next-generation PlayStation 5 console, and in the meantime, we are left to scrape details from little nuggets Sony shares here and there, the usual rounds of leaks and rumors, and perhaps patent applications as well. As it pertains to the latter, Sony was just recently granted an interesting patent that could potentially turn any single-player game into a multi-player experience. As things currently stand, developers choose to make a game single-player or multi-player, and players are pretty much bound to that decision. There are end-arounds, of course, such as taking turns controlling a character if two or more people happen to be in the...
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We're used to seeing teardown of all the latest tech gadgets courtesy of iFixit with its high-resolution images and videos. Today, however, the teardown experts are giving us a look inside the original Sony PlayStation to commemorate its 25th birthday. Unlike today's devices which are often riddled with proprietary screws, copious amounts of glue, and intricate designs that make them nearly impossible work on, the PlayStation is a relative joy to disassemble. In fact, getting inside the console is accomplished by using a trusty Philips screwdriver, after which the top plastic cover of the console can be lifted from its base. Inside, you'll find a rather large power supply unit,...
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This should come as no surprise, but Sony and the evolution of its PlayStation console are in the records books—the Guinness World Records, that is. As Sony celebrates the 25th anniversary of its original PlayStation console, the Guinness World Records recognized the company for having the "best-selling home videogame console brand ever." The achievements spans four main generations of PlayStation, including the original PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4 (the latter of which is the second-best selling home console in history). And of course Sony has a history of peppering each generation of PlayStation will refreshed models, including slim designs and more powerful...
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We've seen patent drawings of [the dev version of] Sony's upcoming PlayStation 5 (PS5) along with a slew of renders based on those drawings. Today, however, we're getting our best look yet at the dev boxes that have been in the hands of game studios around the globe. Not surprisingly, the devices that we see in this single image look like a dead ringer for the previous leaks. The image also confirms the weird V-shaped at the top of the console that is infused with what appears to be cooling vents. Tom Warren, a writer for The Verge, posted to Twitter confirming that the image is legit while at the same time explaining the reasoning behind the peculiar design of the dev boxes. PS5...
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It's no secret that the next-generation consoles from Microsoft and Sony will both use a solid-state drive (SSD) in an effort to improve overall system performance and game loading times. However, up until this point, we had no idea who would be supplying this speedy storage subsystem for the Xbox Project Scarlett and the PlayStation 5. However, according to a presentation at the Samsung SSD forum last week in Tokyo, we're learning that Samsung is likely the vendor that has been selected. During a presentation on SSDs, Samsung presented a slide dedicated to gaming SSDs for consoles. The performance for the so-called "Optimized NVMe" SSD show it providing a substantial decrease...
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We have two highly anticipated game console launches coming up in 2020, and they are Microsoft's Xbox Project Scarlett and Sony's PlayStation 5. Of the two, we know the most about the PlayStation 5, and according to a new leak, we now know exactly when it will launch and how it will be priced. According to a leak from Twitter user PSErebus, Sony's previous "Holiday 2020" launch has been pinned down more specifically to November 20th 2020. That launch date definitely seems to mesh with Sony's previous two launches -- PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 -- which launched on November 11th 2006 and November 15th 2013 respectively. The second bit of information suggests that the PlayStation 5 will launch...
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We're getting an early look at the Dual Shock 5 wireless controller for Sony's upcoming PlayStation 5 (PS5) game console courtesy of a new patent filing. The leak comes from the Japanese Patent Office, and details the Dual Shock 5 via relatively detailed line drawings. Looking at the drawings, the Dual Shock 5 doesn't represent a dramatic departure from the current Dual Shock 4, but there are some notable differences. The patent makes mention of an integrated microphone, which will be used for the PS5's integrated digital assistant. The light bar has been removed from the controller, and there is a USB-C port at the top of the controller for recharging purposes (instead of the...
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My first introduction to gaming on a console was the Atari 2600, and like several systems that would follow, it used game cartridges. These days, onboard storage drives, memory cards, and digital downloads rule the day, and there is no going back. Or is there? A curious patent filing from Sony may tip the return of the old school cartridge for the PlayStation 5, but with a new school twist. There is very little information to go on right now, just a patent with a mostly bare patent with a rough sketch of a cartridge. Much of the context is missing—does Sony envision using these cartridges to store games like back in the day, or could they be simply be a way of expanding the PS5's storage...
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In a little over a year, Sony will launch its next-generation PlayStation 5 console, and already there has been much made about the hardware inside—it will feature a custom Zen 2 CPU and Navi GPU with hardware-accelerated real-time ray tracing support and a solid state drive for faster load times. But while we already have an inkling of the PS5's brute power, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan wanted to clarify some points about the behind-the-scenes development strategy and transitioning users from the PlayStation 4 to the PS5. Those things go hand-in-hand, and there is a lot at stake. Notably, Sony recently reached 100 million unit sales of the PS4, which is somewhat of a rare benchmark in consoles—the...
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Sony tacked on an additional 2.8 million PlayStation 4 console sales during its second quarter for fiscal 2019 (July through September). Those sales bring the cumulative tally to 102.8 million PS4 units to date, making it more successful (in terms of units sold) than the original PlayStation, and second only to the PlayStation 2. Second place among four generations of PlayStation consoles is nothing to sneeze at—the PS2 sold 155 million units during its lifetime, a record that might never be broken at Sony. Incidentally, the PS4 not climbed to second place among Sony's own game consoles, it also edged ahead of the Nintendo Wii, which has seen 101.6 million unit sales. This achievement is...
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PS4 gamers who have worn out their controllers from heavy use or from tossing the controller on the ground in a fit of gamer rage may want to listen up. eBay seller antonline is running a smoking deal on a brand new Dual Shock 4 controllers with a full warranty for $35 instead of the $60 MSRP. The listing shows that 1,877 of the controllers have been sold and calls out that the seller is an authorized Sony distributor. The only caveat is that the controller is offered in black only. Gamers wanting any of the fancy colors available from Sony will need to go to another retailer and possibly shell out full price. Antonline is a seller that most won't recognize by name, but it has...
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Sony is gearing up to launch the PlayStation 5 game console in 2020. Ahead of the launch of the console, a bunch of rumors are flying around about the console and its controller. A new patent has turned up that describes a very odd sounding controller that speculation suggests could be for the PlayStation VR 2 system as well. The patent describes a controller that sounds as if it can control how much of the buttons stick out of the surface without impacting the functionality of the buttons. As with all patents, the wording is odd. The patent states, "Proposed is a controller which can suppress an amount of protrusion of an operation member from an external surface of a chassis while operability...
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It goes without saying that we all expected this result, but Sony today confirmed the obvious. Its next-generation gaming console will indeed by called the PlayStation 5, or PS5 for short. This news came courtesy of a blog post by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) President and CEO Jim Ryan. The PlayStation 5 will be all-new from the ground up, and will be powered by an octa-core AMD Ryzen 3000 processor backed by a Radeon Navi-based GPU. Other items of note include the fact that standby mode power consumption has been dramatically cut from 8.5 watts to 0.5 watts, while a new SSD storage subsystem will completely revolutionize the gaming experience with respect to load...
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Sony has announced that the latest update for the PlayStation 4 is coming this week around the world. The new software will take the PS4 to system version 7.00. The update brings with it key system features, including features for Party and Remote Play. Sony notes that a number of the new features, including the enhanced Party play, were unveiled in beta earlier this summer. The Party Feature Update makes it easier for players who enjoy playing along with their friends and community members to set up a Party. The updated Party feature includes key changes like the maximum number of Party users increased to 16 people. Network connectivity has been improved. Sony has improved Audio quality and...
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