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Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 24, 2015 in Animation, Cinema 
Surprise! That leaked news from the Sony email hack from last year has turned out to be true! Phil Lord and Chris Miller are working on an animated Spider-Man film for Sony — in fact, they’ll be the “masterminds” behind the project and will executive produce as well. However, the press release doesn’t mention them directing it, and doesn’t bring up anyone else, so who will helm the pic remains a mystery. According to Sony, it will exist independently of the live-action Spider-Man film universe and they have already dated it for July 20th, 2018. I wonder if we’ll see a different interpretation of Spider-Man here? Having two Spidey films going at the same time could be awfully confusing… unless the animated one is say, Spider-Man 2099 or Miles Morales, eh? Hey, I can hope, can’t I? Read more…
Tags: Chris Miller, Phil Lord, Sony, Spider-man
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 27, 2015 in Anime, Cinema 
Warner Bros. has toyed around with the idea of doing a Robotech film for a long time, but never really got anywhere. Now, Sony has taken over the reigns, and plans to move quickly to start up what they hope to be a successful film franchise. Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton are producing (they produced 300) and Michael Gordon is writing the script (he previously wrote G.I. Joe and… 300 too). As anime fans might know, there’s quite the history between Harmony Gold (the company that licensed the popular anime series Macross and re-edited it into Robotech) and the fanbase. However, my main concern is if the film can be any good… Read more…
Tags: Macross, Robotech, Sony
Posted by Bob Muir on Mar 12, 2015 in Videogames 
I like my PS4, but in terms of exclusives, it’s been fairly weak. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End was an anticipated game this fall, but it seems that won’t be helping the PS4’s holiday sales anymore. Developer Naughty Dog has shared their decision to delay the game to spring 2016, based on their need to give the game some extra time to make sure it’s as good as it can be. While many modern games come out buggy and need patches, Naughty Dog’s games have all run smooth enough at launch. If this is what it takes to keep that standard, I reckon I can wait a few more months. I’d rather have a quality game later than a troubled game sooner. Read more…
Tags: PS4, Sony, Uncharted
Posted by Bob Muir on Mar 3, 2015 in Cinema, Comic Books 
In what isn’t a huge surprise, it seems that Drew Goddard may be writing and directing the next Spider-Man. While Goddard’s rep walked back initial reports that it was a sure thing, he apparently has a meeting with Sony to discuss the possibility. Goddard first joined the Spider-Man franchise when he left Marvel’s Daredevil (coming soon to Netflix) in favor of Sony’s Sinister Six spin-off of The Amazing Spider-Man. With that series officially dead and Sinister Six put back into development — which seems like the precursor to a mercy killing. Honestly, this just makes sense, so don’t be surprised when this is announced soon. Read more…
Tags: Marvel, Sony, Spider-man
Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 18, 2015 in Television 
Last June, PlayStation announced their plans to enter the non-TV TV market occupied by companies like Netflix (House of Cards) and Amazon (Transparent). Their first offering is Powers, an adaptation of Brian Michael Bendis’s superhero procedural comic. The ten episode series is produced by Sony Pictures, which previously did Breaking Bad. Of course, since this is a new market for Sony, it’s not a bad idea that they finally put out this behind the scenes overview of the series before its March 10 premiere. Three episodes will go up on the PlayStation Store, with a new episode following each Tuesday. Powers has caught my interest, so I might as well check it out with my PlayStation Plus account. Read more…
Tags: Powers, PS3, PS4, Sony, Superheroes
Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 11, 2015 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Quick recap: when the company was going through hard times, Marvel sold the film rights to its most popular characters, which meant when they started making movies, they needed to turn their B-list heroes into stars. They’ve reacquired some of those rights, but X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man have remained in the hands of Fox and Sony. But since Sony’s Spider-Man movies have been floundering — The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is just awful — they’ve been talking to Marvel to try and get things back on track. Thankfully, they finally have a deal, and it’s great news for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Spider-Man’s back. Or almost back. Read more…
Tags: Marvel, Sony, Spider-man
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 16, 2015 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Rumors are fun! You also can’t always take them seriously. But this one has some heft behind it: over the past month or two we’ve seen tons of leaked Sony emails and an abundance of rumors that all point to Sony being in talks with Marvel. They want to do something with Spider-Man… but as usual with giant corporations, they’re getting hung up on all the little details. However, Da7e from Latino Review is reporting that according to their sources, the Marvel and Sony deal has gone through, and Spider-Man will feature in Avengers: Infinity War Part 1. It will not feature Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man. Still, it’s hard to really believe this until we see it, because hey: it still sounds almost impossible for the two behemoths to agree. But I sure do hope that this all works out in the end! Read more…
Tags: Marvel, Sony, Spider-man
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 6, 2015 in Videogames 
The technology behind PlayStation Now, Sony’s streaming game service, is admittedly cool, provided your internet connection is up to snuff. But while streaming PS3 games (rendered on Sony’s side) to PS4, PS3, Vita, and now TVs is cool, the prices were anything but. A 90-day rental could cost anywhere from $15-50 (often the cost of a full copy or higher), while even $4 for a mere four hours of gameplay seemed unfair, considering how long it takes to play many games. Prices have shifted, but users have begged for a subscription model, which has finally arrived. Starting on January 13 for PS4, you can subscribe for one month ($19.99) or three months ($44.99) at a time. In exchange, you’ll get access to over 100 PS3 games. Read more…
Tags: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Now, Sony
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 25, 2014 in Tech, Television, Videogames 
Sony and Samsung may be rivals in the TV business, but apparently that won’t stop them from trying to make more profit together. PlayStation Now is coming to Samsung Smart TVs in the US and Canada. The service, which allows streaming rentals of PS3 games (and hopefully PS1 and PS2 games down the line), will be made available in the first half of 2015. Samsung TVs don’t have the horsepower to render PS3 games, but that doesn’t matter, because all the processing is done on Sony’s side and streamed to the TV. All Samsung owners need to buy is a DualShock 4 controller (since, you know, TVs don’t normally come with controllers). Now if only Sony would adjust PlayStation Now prices to be more attractive, because I’d rather buy the game for cheap than bother with the overpriced rentals. Read more…
Tags: PlayStation 3, Samsung, Sony
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 4, 2014 in Tech, Videogames 
It’s been 20 years since the PlayStation first launched in Japan on December 3, 1994. To celebrate that important date, Sony is producing a special gray PS4, just like the PS1. The gray extends to the DualShock 4 controller, which brings back even more memories of gray controllers, as well as the vertical stand and camera accessories. There’s no mention of the cost, but if you’re a collector, you’ll want to pay whatever they’re asking: only 12,300 units will be made available worldwide. US gamers should watch the PlayStation Experience keynote on Saturday, December 6 at 10AM PT to learn how to buy one of these rare systems. For the rest of us, we’ll have to settle for the detailed video below, which shows off details, such as etchings of PlayStation button symbols. Hey Sony, how about a gray controller for those of us who already own a PS4? Read more…
Tags: PS4, Sony
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 23, 2014 in Tech, Videogames 
I’m curious how PlayStation TV will fare outside of Japan. The little device allows you to play almost 700 digital games on your TV, from PS Vita, PSP, and PS1, as well as some Vita game cards that generally don’t require touch controls. In addition, you can use PlayStation Now to rent streaming PS3 games, as well as stream your PS4 console to the device in another room. It’s a neat little device, but I’m wondering how many people will pick one up in the US and Canada for $99.99 on October 14. The standalone system doesn’t come with a DualShock 3, which is required to play, so that price point is mainly appealing to those who own a controller already (likely from their PS3). But if you don’t have a controller, you can get the system, a controller, an 8GB memory card, and The LEGO Movie Videogame for $139.99. (Buy that bundle at Wal-Mart to get Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time added for no extra cost!) In Europe, the box is releasing for £85/€100 on November 14, with OlliOlli, Velocity Ultra, and Worms Revolution Extreme included for free. Read more…
Tags: PlayStation 4, Playstation Vita, Sony
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 10, 2014 in Videogames 
We close out E3 2014’s “Day 0” with Sony’s press conference. Last year, this was the conference that helped propel the PS4 ahead of the Xbox One in terms of consumer excitement. With Cross-Buy, the ability to buy a game on one platform and get any other version for free (like buying on PS4 and getting the PS3 and Vita versions for free), Sony gives gamers a big incentive to play on all their systems. And this press conference was filled with a ton of game footage — nothing too in-depth, which allowed them to fit in even more game coverage and reveals. Read more…
Tags: Playstation Vita, PS3, PS4, Sony
Posted by Bob Muir on Mar 27, 2014 in Videogames 
Opinion is currently split on backwards compatibility, or the ability to play games from previous consoles on a new console. On one hand, it’s great to not need older consoles to play your favorite games, letting gamers sell their old systems for some extra cash and free up space under their TV; it ensures that we don’t lose the ability to play generations worth of games, something movies haven’t had to worry about as much. On the other hand, including old chips isn’t cost-effective, and emulating them is very difficult due to their complicated architecture; plus, backwards compatibility is only a strong selling point for the first year of a console’s life, when game choices are limited. It’s a real shame that the PS4 can’t play any previous games, but it’s understandable. But that may soon change. Read more…
Tags: PS2, PS4, Sony
Posted by Bob Muir on Mar 20, 2014 in Tech, Videogames 
The Oculus Rift has been in development for a while and is getting close to release, but Sony must figure it can do it better. They’ve announced Project Morpheus, a prototype virtual reality device that is being developed for PS4. While much is up in the air, including the design and specs, here’s what the prototype can do. It has a 1080p display at 1000hz with a 90-degree field of view. There’s 360-degree movement, 15mm eye relief, and support for forward prediction. So far, there’s a VR version of God of War being developed, as well as a special build of the recent Thief game, though it will only be key sections, not the entire game. EVE Valkyrie is playable on the dev kit right now, and there are two games called The Deep and The Castle; to complete the VR experience, you can use the PlayStation Move controller in The Castle. It’s a cool idea, but I do wonder why Sony needs their own VR device instead of working with the Oculus Rift. Will the market support a separate VR headset for each platform? Will it even support one? Read more…
Tags: PS4, Sony, Virtual Reality
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 8, 2014 in Cinema, Videogames 
Interesting: Sony announced yesterday The Last of Us will be adapted as a live-action film. The big thing for many fans will be that Neil Druckmann, the creative director of the original game, is attached to write the script. Screen Gems will be distributing the film, and Sam Raimi’s production company, Ghost House Pictures, will be producing it. I saw some people interpreting this as Sam Raimi possibly directing it, but I’m not sure about that. Just because he’s producing it doesn’t mean he’ll direct too. We’ll have to wait and see. My guess is that we’ll instead see a newer director get this project as a chance to prove themselves to the studios. Read more…
Tags: Sony, the last of us
Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 11, 2014 in Tech, Videogames 
It may have few must-play games, but the PlayStation Vita is one sexy handheld. Part of that is thanks to its OLED screen, which provides a vibrancy rarely seen on handhelds. I’m a diehard Nintendo handheld fan, but even I admit that the Vita’s screen blows the 3DS out of the water. Of course, screen makers are still working the kinks out of OLED technology, and they take up lots of energy. It’s not entirely surprising that Sony would consider replacing the OLED screen with a cheaper, more energy-efficient LCD screen. That’s what they’ve done with the new PlayStation Vita slim model, which is so far only available in Japan. But sometime in Spring 2014, the new LCD model will be made available in the US. It will retail for $200, coming bundled with an 8GB memory card and a Vita port of Borderlands 2. Read more…
Tags: Playstation Vita, Sony
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 14, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Keen eyes may have noted two interesting hints in the recent trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. At one point, you can see suits in the background that look like they might be intended for Vulture and Doctor Octopus. And with Electro being one of the main villains in the next movie, it’s easy to imagine a scenario where some other villains join these three to form the Sinister Six, perhaps even the Green Goblin/Hobgoblin and Rhino that are appearing in next May’s movie. Well, Sony just confirmed that they’ll be producing two spin-off movies: The Sinister Six and Venom, the latter of which has been rumored for years. Read more…
Tags: Sony, The Amazing Spider-Man
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 4, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
There are blurry posters and trailers out there for The Amazing Spider-Man 2, so it makes sense that Sony is putting out the official posters and trailers this week. That image up above is all three posters, showing off Rhino, the Green Goblin, and Electro; click the image to check it out full-res, because they do look great. The trailer is coming out Thursday, so that’s something for fans to look forward to. In the meantime, Sony also released four stills of the movie. Check them out below while you wait for the trailer. Still, I doubt this movie will be as good as the original Spider-Man 2. Read more…
Tags: Sony, The Amazing Spider-Man
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 12, 2013 in Videogames 
So this is what it’s come to, huh? Unboxing videos are so popular that companies are not just putting out official unboxing videos, but they’re infusing them with high production values. After years of rumors and a longer previous console generation, the PS4 is launching this Friday, November 15, in North America. Sony wants to show you what you’ll be getting when you open your own box, and they’re showing you in style, reusing the set from the unboxing of Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories earlier this year. (I guess they have to cut costs somewhere.) It’s everything you’d expect to be in the box, including a mono headset, something the PS3 didn’t include by default. (That doomed the PS3 to a life without much audio chat compared to the Xbox 360, which generally included a headset.) Read more…
Tags: PS4, Sony
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 22, 2013 in Videogames 
Were you aware that the first PlayStation console launched in the West in 1995? Yep, besides the December 1994 Japanese release date, it’s been 18 years since Sony fully entered the console market after Nintendo’s tragic betrayal. Sony Europe made this great video that shows several people growing up with PlayStation products throughout the years. While it’s a little unusual that this guy has lived in the same room for 18 years, I guess it’s still plausible now that the economy has forced recent graduates to delay moving out of their parents’ home. Read more…
Tags: Playstation Vita, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, Sony
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 10, 2013 in Tech, Videogames 
If you didn’t get the memo, Sony really, really wants you to buy a PlayStation Vita. The ailing handheld is in desperate need of a good install base. In Japan, they just announced two new products that will hopefully help turn the tide for the system. The first is the PCH-2000, a slightly redesigned Vita that is 20% thinner, 15% lighter, and comes in six colors. The battery now lasts for 6 hours, you can charge it via micro USB, and it comes with 1GB of storage, though you’ll want to consider buying a memory card, like the new 64GB one that costs about $100. A key difference is that this redesign sports a LCD screen instead of an OLED screen, which is sure to help battery life and screen consistency, but is a shame for those of us who love the current OLED screen. This WiFi-only Vita will be out on October 10 and cost the same amount as the current model. But the bigger news is their other big Vita announcement. Read more…
Tags: Playstation Vita, Sony
Posted by Bob Muir on Aug 21, 2013 in Videogames 
It’s really annoying when console producers are coy about when their new consoles will launch. It’s obvious that they’ll launch shortly before Thanksgiving, yet they dance around like the date is some treasure to be hoarded. At least Sony has finally come clean about when the PlayStation 4 will launch at its Gamescom event. Come November 15, you can buy a PlayStation 4 for $499.99. Europe and other PAL territories will have to wait just a bit longer, as the console will launch there on November 29. Time to start getting in line! Read more…
Tags: PS4, Sony
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 11, 2013 in Videogames 
Microsoft came out strong today, showcasing 13 console exclusives and even showing off multiplatform games playable on Xbox One. Sony, however, has an advantage in that it doesn’t have a horrible used game/online DRM policy, as far as we know so far. With that said, let’s get into what they announced during tonight’s last conference. Read more…
Tags: Playstation Vita, PS3, PS4, Sony
Posted by Bob Muir on May 30, 2013 in Videogames 
Do you remember wirelessly connecting your PSP to your PS3 to play PS3 games on your PSP? You probably don’t, because it was used for a scant few games, most of which were PSN games. Maybe that’s because the PSP not only didn’t have L2 and R2 buttons, but more importantly didn’t have a right analog stick. So when Sony started talking up the same feature for the PlayStation Vita and the PS4, seemingly just to compete with the Wii U Gamepad, it made sense to be skeptical. But thankfully, Sony has some good news. Read more…
Tags: Playstation Vita, PS4, Sony
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