Editorial: Will The $299 Xbox 360 Elite Be Tough Competition For The $299 PS3 Slim?

As we steer forward into the holiday season and Sony has showed what they are bringing to the table (lower PS3 price, PS3 slim), it is natural to see response from their rivals and Microsoft has aimed to fight back hard. Rumors are circulating on the Internet that Microsoft is poised to drop the price of the Xbox 360 Elite to $299 very soon, and engadget has received a clipping from a Wal-Mart ad showing a reduced price of $299. The Elite is the most feature-rich, and expensive standard variation of the console to date. It includes a 120 GB hard drive and a matte black finish. The Elite retail package also includes 1 month Gold trial Xbox live membership, HDMI 1.2 cable, HD/SD cable, and a wireless controller with headset that match the system’s black finish. Microsoft cut Elite’s price tag from $449 to $399 back in September 2008, which is almost a year ago and definitely strengthens the possibility of this happening.

I’ve played the Xbox 360, and while I never really grew into it I’ve always respected its offerings and community. It’s a great device, and the number sold have proven that. Many of my friends have them and what has built its popularity is that if your friends have one, you have to get one. The controller is good, but I have used both and I prefer what comes with the Playstation 3. Some like both, some prefer the 360 controller, some prefer the Playstation controller. There isn’t a way to say which one is better. I just happen to think that I perform more fluently on it because I have muscle memory from using it while owning a Playstation 1 and 2.

The Xbox 360 Elite sold at $299 will be very difficult for the PS3 Slim, only because people will blindly say that they are much more similar in features (games, hard drive, wireless, etc) and the Xbox Live community is better. The communities are not better than one another in any sense – when I am playing a popular title, it is not difficult to get online with the PS3 and have multiplayer opponents within a few minutes of starting the game. I’ve proven that with a video I shot called “Five Minutes Of Battlefield 1943 on the Playstation 3,” which shows me on a boat, in a tank, and in a plane all online killing people in less than five minutes from launch.

I honestly have found many mature and immature people on Xbox Live, and the same on Playstation Network. It’s like hanging out in the Mos Eisley cantina in Star Wars. Some have said that there seems to be a higher concentration of mature players on the Playstation Network, which is generally true in my experiences, but then again you will come across juveniles in Playstation Home or other socially enabled games. However, what remains true to this day is that Xbox Live is a paid service, and the online capabilities of the PS3 is free. That is a value that you cannot deny, and please don’t sit here and try to tell me that you pay for what you get, or that the quality of the online experience is better. As the Playstation Network fleshes out beyond how it already has, I feel that Sony will continue to demonstrate that their free service is worth a gamer’s time. You don’t need to pay money to have a good time online with a console.

I also wanted to comment to some of the online services Microsoft has implemented with the Xbox 360, such as Netflix, Twitter, Facebook, and so forth. While some of these services are unique and valuable, I can also access some through the PS3′s web browser that has flash support. So, while a built-in client is nice, its not impossible on the PS3. I would like to see Sony embrace more social media avenues with the PS3, and it’s unrealistic to say that Sony cannot do that. It is most certainly possible with the PS3.

Another point is that the 360 doesn’t use Blu-ray, which is extremely advantageous to Sony because it allows a game, such as Final Fantasy XIII, that could take 3 discs on DVD’s for the Xbox 360 to only be one Blu-ray disc for the PS3. I hate changing discs. Plus the movies look unbelievable – I’ve seen Comcast HD VOD, ripped HD discs, Comcast HD cable, and other “HD” and there is just something about Blu-ray quality that in my mind is superior than the rest of the generic offerings today. See Blu for yourself on the proper set up (big screen, HDMI, correct color settings, good audio) – it really is the ultimate experience. Anyone who has watched a Blu-ray movie at my house and has seen HD elsewhere is usually stunned by the quality, and those people are usually the ones who aren’t phased by such things. Why would I want to bind myself to a console such as the Xbox 360 that only has DVD capability, when the PS3 has Blu-ray and DVD. It’s a no-brainer.

The hard drive argument is really irrelevant. The PS3 allows you to replace your hard drive with any compatible sized equivalent at ANY capacity (such as 500GB, 1TB, etc). The sky is the limit. So yes, both consoles going forward will have the same hard drive space, but I can expand the PS3 and to do that on the 360 is a very expensive and proprietary situation. As for software and upcoming hardware, I won’t say one thing or another about Microsoft’s Natal for the 360 nor will I really delve into the PS3′s upcoming Motion Controller. Those are still in progress, and to say one is better than the other without using the final product is silly. Natal is very exciting, and is sometimes overall more exciting, but I also see great strengths in the accuracy and the know-how Sony already has with the EyeToy.

It’s tough to compare games, because that is a very biased argument, but I can assure you that there is definitely something for everyone coming to the PS3 in the next six months and it will push the bar beyond what is available now. The line up of upcoming PS3 games is simply unbelievable. I understand that not all of them are exclusives, but they are there. I honestly think when we see a MMO or two in the next year that is only possible on the PS3 then you will see what advantages this hardware really has. A 256 player FPS on one server games such as MAG is really the beginning of large scale gaming that the PS3 will use to gain more users down the road, and upcoming MMO titles such as Final Fantasy XIV (an area in the game is pictured above) will absorb millions of reoccurring users. I don’t see that kind of longevity, nor sheer size with games in the Xbox 360. I think that if anything, investing in a 360 is almost useless at this point because it sure seems possible Microsoft is going to do a significant hardware refresh within the next two years, and I don’t see Sony doing that to the PS3 for at least another four.

With these facts and thoughts in mind – which I’m sure make sense to many people – I’m just not sure why its even a competition at all.

Matisyahu’s New Album ‘Light’ Coming August 25th

Light is the confirmed title for an upcoming third album by reggae singer Matisyahu, which will be released on August 25th, 2009. Matisyahu had been working on his third album for nearly two years, which caused months of promises and then delays, making it the longest time he has ever spent making a record. On June 23rd Light was made available for preorder on iTunes, with the single “One Day” available for download at the same time. Few artists make an impact as complete as the one Matisyahu made with his Top 40 smash “King Without a Crown”: Here was a true original, the song announced–a Hasidic Jewish musician from New York City singing reggae songs about his religious devotion. Fans responded to this one-of-a-kind voice, too, driving Youth, Matisyahu’s Grammy-nominated 2006 studio disc, to the top spot on Billboard’s reggae albums chart.

True originals, though, don’t stay put for long, and on his bold new album, Light, 29-year-old Matisyahu proves that there’s much more to his artistry than might initially meet the eye. “As my musical tastes have grown I have been re-discovering my sound and my voice,” he says.

Light is anything but safe. Produced by David Kahne (Paul McCartney, Sublime, the Strokes), the 14-track collection covers a dizzying amount of stylistic ground, from hard-edged dancehall (“Smash Lies”) and ska-inflected New Wave (“We Will Walk”) to laidback pop-rock (“So Hi So Lo”) and acoustic folk-soul (“I Will Be the Light”). While reggae is far from absent here–see the old-school toasting in “Motivate”–Light finds Matisyahu edging away from his comfort zone into more daring territory. “Being an artist is about being sensitive to how the world resonates inside you and then being able to express it,” he says. “This process is an ever-changing one.”

Matisyahu hopes his third album “Light,” a Sony Music release, will establish him as a career artist rather than consign him to one-hit-wonder status.

Here is the official music video for “One Day,” the first single.

Here is the track listing for “Light”:

1. “Smash Lies”
2. “We Will Walk”
3. “One Day”
4. “Escape”
5. “So Hi So Lo”
6. “I Will Be Light”
7. “For You”
8. “On Nature”
9. “Motivate”
10. “Struggla”
11. “Darkness Into Light”
12. “Thunder”
13. “Silence”

Playstation Home Getting Substantial v1.3 Update This Fall

Playstation Home is a cool free service for the PS3 that allows users to have their own personal space and interact with other PS3 owners in a virtual environment. There are trailers, mini-games, and other services provided by third-party companies. When I usually log into Playstation Home, I check out the bowling alley and play a couple of rounds. I also like the Mall, where you can buy new threads for your avatar, or purchase items for your home. Sony has invested a lot of time, money, and resources into Playstation Home worldwide, and with the version 1.3 update coming this Fall, things are going to get a lot better. Playstation Home is quoted to have nearly 7.5 installed users, but there is no word on how many of those are reoccurring. Here’s a recap courtesy of Playstation Blog:

That’s right – you can now launch into any PlayStation 3 game directly from Home. Titles that fully support game launching (like Street Fighter IV, Resistance 2, MotorStorm, and Far Cry 2) will be identified by separate icons that appear over an avatar’s head and will have varying degrees of additional multiplayer functionality built in. Simplified game launching will take you from Home to the start menu of your favorite games with ease. Never again will you have to sign out of Home to play with (or against) your friends. Simply insert the disc of your choice while in Home and follow the on screen directions and you’ll be good to go.

Shop-a-holics will be stoked to see that an in-store item previewing option will be rolled out. This feature will allow you to preview items of clothing on your character in 3D (including the ability to check out multiple items simultaneously to see what combinations best suit your taste). You’ll be able to preview all furniture in 3D as well, complete with zoom and rotate options so you can check your potential purchases from all angles, right down to the nitty gritty. We’ll also offer you the ability to rent certain items and purchase “consumables” (limited use items) when available – such as the new Shrink Potion that lets you shrink your avatar to a tiny size. All in all, we think you’ll find that these new features allow for greater control over the use of your personal items. We’ve even added a new section to the Menu Pad under Personal > My Purchases to help you keep it all organized.

PlayStation Home v1.3 will also see additional portable objects (like the Bubble Machine) made available to the community. To start, we’ll be giving everyone free cameras that you can use to snap pictures from either a 1st or 3rd person view. These photos will automatically be saved to the Photo section of the XMB, from which you can then upload to the picture frames you have hanging in your personal spaces. You’ll be able to manually hide any portable object that you encounter, and objects placed by anyone on your Ignore or Block list will also be hidden.

There are tons of little updates that you’ll notice when PlayStation Home v1.3 launches. To start, you’ll see that your avatar has additional emotes – including two new action emotes (you can flip a coin with your friends or play the old “pick a number between 1 and 100” game). You will also be able to pose your avatar in a variety of ways (photo op anyone?). We’ve also added some new categories of clothing (composite and outfits) that will allow you to customize your avatar with greater ease. In addition, we’ve optimized the targeting system, added a new queuing system, fixed quite a few pesky bugs, and are giving you the option to determine your cache size (you can choose from 3, 5, 8, and 12 GB) so as to make navigating Home a much smoother experience.

Last but certainly not least, we’ll be launching a SingStar space right around the time that PlayStation Home v1.3 hits. Get down with your friends on the reactive dance floor, vote for your favorite music videos on the Video Jukebox, or test your knowledge at the SingStar Music Quiz, this space promises to have something for every SingStar fanatic.

Minidisc Community Forums And ATRACLife Merging With Sony Insider Forums

Greetings. I am very excited to announce today that all of the data (posts, topics, etc), members, and so forth from Minidisc Community Forums and its once-existing sister site ATRACLife will be converged into the Sony Insider forums. I feel that this is the best way to unify all of this important data and bring a fresh appearance (and new software) to our existing users. The forums.minidisc.org domain will forward to this new domain before the end of 2009. I understand that this is a big change, but it will be worth it moving forward. This will also create one of the largest forums ever dedicated to the Sony brand, as the Minidisc forum has more than 76,000 registered users and the ATRACLife forum had more than 30,000 if I recall correctly.

Thanks for your continued support.

Sony Malaysia And UNICEF Join Forces Through Football

Sony Malaysia has recently joined forces with UNICEF to launch the Sony-UNICEF Incredible Game website. The site’s main objective besides hosting an exciting virtual football challenge as part of Sony’s ongoing activities in the run up to the FIFA 2010 World Cup, is to reach out to members of the public, providing them with an interactive platform to learn more about UNICEF’s work in the areas of sports for development, young child survival and development, education, HIV and AIDS as well as child protection.

The Sony-UNICEF Incredible Game website features special segments with emotional images and video clips as articles that focus on UNICEF’s interventions in the core areas of its work for children.

“UNICEF is proud to be associated with Sony in such an innovative partnership. We hope that guests on the Incredible Game website will not only have fun but also be inspired by the content on this site and that they will join Sony and UNICEF in our efforts to change the lives of children in Malaysia and all around the world – especially those in the most disadvantaged communities,” said Mr. Youssouf Oomar, UNICEF Representative to Malaysia and Special Representative to Brunei.

Through this partnership, Sony hopes to bring to the public’s eyes the various issues impacting children and to reach out to them and encourage them to support UNICEF’s programmes through their donations.

“We at Sony are in a position to give something back to society and we firmly believe that we have a responsibility to do so. Sony looks forward to lending our support to UNICEF in order for us to help enhance and improve the lives of underprivileged children. Through the power of sport and the web, we hope to inspire people to help to deliver UNICEF’s goals for children,” said Mr. Taku Taguchi, General Manager Products Marketing Division.

In addition to the launch of the Incredible Game website, this year long partnership will see Sony contribute USD50,000 (RM170,000) to enhance and aid UNICEF’s local and global programmes for children.

“In this troubling time of the global economic crisis, Sony’s dedication is a welcome symbol of hope. UNICEF is extremely proud to be in partnership with such as esteemed corporate organisation like Sony who has a longstanding tradition of giving back to the communities that you operate in through direct charitable donations, environment preservation projects, fundraising or volunteerism, amongat other forms of outreach. This organisation and its people truly have a culture of compassion and integrity that is evident throughout your worldwide operations. I am humbled by your kindness,” Mr. Youssouf added.

“What ever our role in life is, there is nothing that unites us and motivates us more than the welfare of children. Children are our future. It is only by investing in them and their well-being that we can hope to build the healthy, prosperous and peaceful world we all strive for, “concluded Mr. Youssouf.

Followup To Sony NWZ-W202 Wearable Walkman Sweat/Moisture Issue Replacement Service

I still receive e-mails from people from time to time about the sweat and moisture issues that caused many NWZ-W202 wearable Walkman music players to malfunction. We originally had a post up (1, 2, 3) that had called Sony out on the matter, to which they responded very quickly by issuing a replacement service to those that were affected. The page disappeared about a week later and we never heard what happened. I just looked again today and it looks like Sony has restored the eSupport article with new information about the NWZ-W202 moisture issue, which they will fix until 2011. Very nice, Sony! I must note though that no serial number ranges are given, so I truly think that this was a problem on a bigger scale than Sony initially realized.

Here is the refreshed alert about the Sony NWZ-W202 wearable Walkman:

It has come to our attention that a limited number of NWZ-W202 headphone-style Walkman players may experience performance issues following exposure to sweat due to sports or outdoor use. We take all customer feedback seriously. While the device is not designed to be splash proof or water resistant, we have implemented additional safeguards to reduce the effect of sweat on the players. We have determined that this only occurs in a limited number of NWZ-W202 players.

Affected models: NWZ-W202BLK (black) and NWZ-W202PNK (pink) Headphone-style Walkman Players.

We have determined that this issue only occurs in a limited number of NWZ-W202 players within a certain serial number range. Until June 30, 2011, if the service center confirms that the unit is experiencing symptoms related to this issue, Sony will replace, free of charge, the affected Walkman player within the applicable serial number range. If you have any questions or require assistance, please call Sony Support at 888-868-7393.

Sony Replacing DSC-W170 Cyber-Shot Cameras Due To Splinters

Sony has recently discovered that some DSC-W170 Cyber-shot digital still cameras, made in 2008, may exhibit peeling of the metal plating on the bezel surrounding the lens (the silver circular area), resulting in splinters. This is caused by thin metal plating combined with the bezel’s grooved surface. In its continuing effort to ensure customer satisfaction, Sony will offer free service to replace the front cabinet, including the bezel, on units that fall within the affected serial number range. This issue affects only DSC-W170 model Cyber-shot digital still cameras within certain serial number ranges, which can be found on the sticker on the bottom of the camera:

DSC-W170 recall in the USA:

Color Serial Number Range
RED 6501781 – 6736570
GOLD 6530821 – 6757270
BLACK 6504371 – 6740170
SILVER Not Affected

DSC-W170 recall in Europe:

RED:

7460001 – 7863950
7470501 – 7864550
7477401 – 7832350
7480901 – 7863050

GOLD:

7464251 – 7890350
7464851 – 7891500
7479501 – 7890800
7484551 – 7895200

BLACK:

7450601 – 7868000
7453001 – 7857450
7477501 – 7786200
7479401 – 7861450

Note: Silver colored units are not affected.

Other countries might be affected, so if you notice this problem please contact Sony customer support in your area.

Sony UK Offering TV Trade In Program Similiar To “Cash For Clunkers”

Sony UK (and possibly other regions, soon) are running a Rock n’ Roll themed campaign where you can trade in your old TV for a discount on a new Sony Bravia. Its not a bad bit of compensation for those out there looking to upgrade. It reminds me of the “cash for clunkers” vehicle trade-in they are doing here in the USA. I’ve also read that have a similar program in the UK where you can get up to 2,000-pound discount on a vehicle there if you trade in one that is ten or more years old. Anyways, the promotion says, “Not so long ago, if you were really rock ‘n’ roll you threw your TV out the window. These days, you can trade it in and get up to £150* off a new BRAVIA TV from Sony. And since all new BRAVIA LCD TVs, 26” and above, now come with a 3-year guarantee as standard, you won’t have to worry about a thing. Just plug it in and discover a world of home entertainment. Rock on.” They even have a cool commercial with Alice Cooper to promote it:

This is only valid in the UK for now. Here are the list of stores that are participating in the trade-in program, as well as the terms and conditions.

So trade up today and not only will you get a top quality TV for less but we will recycle your old TV for you. Just follow these simple steps:

1. Visit one of the participating stores
2. Choose which new BRAVIA you would like to purchase from the list below
3. Hand over your old TV to the member of staff at the participating store where you purchase your new BRAVIA.
4. Complete a trade-in form and receive a discount of up to £150 for the purchase of a new BRAVIA. Discounts depend on the screen size of the BRAVIA you purchase. If you choose a model of 46” or larger, you will receive £150 discount, a model of 40” will receive £100 discount and a model between 26” and 37” will receive £50 discount.
5. This offer runs from 21 August 2009 until 18 October 2009.

Here is the list of eligible Sony Bravia TV’s that you can get a discount on (click to enlarge):

Sony Insider Will Be At CEDIA Expo 2009

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up and note that Sony Insider will be present during CEDIA Expo 2009 (September 9th-13th) in my hometown Atlanta, Georgia at the Georgia World Congress Center. Sony will also be there at booth 1409, which we plan on covering extensively. We’ve heard rumors that there will be several announcements on the Bravia front, so it should be an interesting experience. CEDIA Expo is the #1 show in the residential electronic systems industry, which offers great networking, incredible special events and speakers, and the world’s leading education and certification. Only the best of the best residential home theater, multi-room audio or home automation installers are CEDIA certified.

PS3 Slim Has A Few More Surprises: 45nm Cell Microprocessor, 250GB Version On The Way

The Playstation 3 Slim (PS3 Slim) is Sony’s true power play of 2009, and has been mostly well-received because of its “sweet spot” price point of $299 for truly incredible features. You can’t even get a PC with the same features for the same price, plus the product is relatively still in its infancy stage. There’s more good news to be had though – it appears that the console will be shipping with a 45nm version of the Cell processor. That is a pretty big accomplishment to have a 45nm version ready for retail this year as the original PS3 came with a 90nm Cell. The 45nm Cell will use about 40 percent less power than its 65nm predecessor (found in models available today), and its die area will be reduced by 34 percent. The greatly reduced power usage will cut down on the amount of active cooling required by the console, which in turn will make it cheaper to produce and more reliable. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that it will run faster, which is something other technology sites are reporting today.

In related news, we commend Sony for being so sneaky when they submitted the PS3 slim to the FCC. Sony has had some problems in the last few years with products being leaked early due to the requirement that all wireless products pass FCC tests (that must get posted on the FCC website). I knew that it wouldn’t be long before they got creative to keep us bloggers away. Sony created a shell company called “Sand Dollar Enterprise, Inc.” and was able to gain FCC certification for the PS3 slim without anyone knowing. While the FCC report was laced with confidentiality agreements, there was one nugget of gold within the listing – the mention of CECH-2001B, which is detailed as a 250GB PS3 slim. So, it is very possible that right before the holidays that Sony is going to release a 250GB version of the PS3 slim at $299, and perhaps strategically price cut the 120GB PS3 slim to $250 at the same time. We have no confirmation of this, and the only other possibility is that Sony releases the 250GB for $350-399 and keeps the 120GB at $299. It’s hard to tell, but I would imagine that a $250 120GB PS3 slim at the holidays would be a total market juggernaut.