Sony updates PS3 to version 4.00 ahead of PS Vita launch

Sony is setting the table for the PlayStation Vita today, with the release of a new PS3 update. With version 4.00, rolling out now, PS3 users will be able to share content like music, video and images with the forthcoming Vita, scheduled to launch in Japan on December 17th. The refresh also allows gamers to save PS Vita games and data on their PS3 hard drives, while updating their handheld software using the PS3's network. There are some more PS3-specific features, as well, including enhanced PSN privacy settings and game patches, among others. Find out more at the source link below.

PlayStation Blog

Xperia Play finally lands at O2 UK, available in black or white

It took a while, but that O2-exclusive white Xperia Play is finally with us. Earlier this month, the UK carrier had promised to deliver the Play in June, but evidently things have gone better than expected, as we now see "in stock" signage next to both the black and white models of Sony Ericsson's gaming phone. Pricing is identical for both color variants, starting at "free" when attached to expensive (£34 per month) two-year contracts and peaking at £430 ($702) on pre-pay deals. O2 also throws in a matching multimedia dock plus three bonus games to sweeten the deal. We're guessing that Android 2.3.3 update that Sony Ericsson just rolled out for the Xperia Play might finally have allayed O2's software concerns, which has allowed it to now start selling the device in earnest.

dialtosave.co.uk

O2 (White), (Black)

Sony announces 160GB PlayStation 3 bundle with Call of Duty: Black Ops

If you still haven't given in to your hankering for a PlayStation 3, you might want to check out this promotion Sony is teasing. The company just announced a limited edition PS3 bundle pairing Call of Duty: Black Ops with a 160GB console. For $299, Sony's also throwing in the First Strike content pack -- not too shabby, considering that's the standard price for a bare console. Depending on your proclivities, that may or may not trump a complimentary RC toy or Michael Jackson singalong, but if you've got a taste for first-person shooters, it should be right up your alley. First-time buyers can find it next week, starting on May 31.

Sony

Sony to remaster select PSP titles for PlayStation 3, allow cross-device continuous gameplay

As much as you love your PSP, we suspect that its low graphics definition is starting to bug even the most devoted fans. Sure, you can wait for the almighty NGP, but for the time being, Sony's offering the next best thing for you game connoisseurs: the PSP Remaster series for PlayStation 3. As the name says for itself, Sony will be porting select portable game titles to the PS3 in high-def Blu-ray flavor, and some may even come with new add-on content plus stereoscopic 3D support. But that's not all: gamers will also be able to share game save data between the two platforms, meaning you can pick up where you left off on your preferred device. Pretty neat, though it'll be interesting to see how much Sony and the studios wants to charge for what are essentially the same games you already own. The first PSP Remaster title announced is Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, but this is only heading to Japan at an unknown date -- gamers in other countries will just have to keep squinting at the PSP for now.

Engadget Japanese, PC Magazine

Sony S1 and S2 dual-screen Honeycomb tablets get official (video)

Sony's hosting a press event in Tokyo today where it just made the first announcement: a pair of Android 3.0 tablets -- yes, the very two Honeycomb slabs we told you about exclusively back in February. The first is the Qriocity-focused 9.4-inch S1 media tablet with both front- and rear-facing cameras and a curved wrap design that resembles a folded magazine. The S1 features a Tegra 2 SoC and customized "Quick and Smooth" touch panel UI with "Swift" web browser. It can also be used as a remote control for Sony gear thanks to integrated infrared.

The second tablet is the dual-screen S2 clamshell with its pair of 5.5-inch 1,024 x 480 pixel displays, Tegra 2 SoC, and camera. While it sounds bulky, Kunimasa Suzuki just pulled the hinged tablet from his jacket pocket on stage. Sony takes advantage of the two screens with a custom book-style UI layout for its e-reader app, split keyboard and messaging displays for email, and split display and game controllers for PS One gaming. Both the S1 and S2 are PlayStation Certified, support DLNA, and are WiFi and 3G/4G "compatible" according to Sony. See the Sony tablets codenamed "S1" and "S2" in action after the break on their way to a global release in the fall -- possibly sooner in the US.

P.S. While the company isn't ready to talk prices yet, our sources told us back in February that Sony was considering a $599 MSRP on the S1 while the S2 would likely come in at $699. Still no word on the Windows 7 slider but with the other two leaks official, it's now only a matter of time.

Sony S1 and S2 dual-screen Honeycomb tablets get official

Sony S1 and S2 tablets press shots

Sony S1 and S2 tablets eyes-on

Sony reportedly tells developers PlayStation Store will return May 24th

We wouldn't recommend setting aside time to enjoy your "Welcome Back" package just yet, but it looks like we now have our first solid indication of when the PlayStation Store will finally return to PlayStation 3 and PSP users. According to a memo reportedly sent by Sony to its publishing partners and obtained by Gamasutra, the store is set to return on Tuesday, May 24th -- assuming there aren't any more unforeseen hiccups, that is. That will also, of course, bring with it a backlog of new games and other content that should have been released by now, although those will apparently be released in stages over the following weeks, rather than all at once.

Eurogamer

Gamasutra

PSN logins exploited again, Sony takes pages offline

This isn't as bad as it could have been -- Sony's PSN hasn't exactly been hacked again -- but what can only be described as a glaring oversight looks to have forced the company into hastily switching off PSN logins on its websites. The issue? If you legitimately forget your password and need to reset it, previously all you had to do was type in your e-mail address and date of birth, then choose a delightfully cunning new password. Sounds good? The problem is that if you were a PSN member before the hack then both your e-mail address and your date of birth (plus a lot of other frightening stuff) is known to the hackers. So, whoever has the millions of rows of data that were exposed could, in theory, re-exploit any account. Sony was made aware of the issue and those pages are now offline again, which should make the Japanese government feel just a little big smug.

MCV

Nyleveia

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play hits Verizon for $200 on-contract, in stores May 26th

It may not have been the first in the world to get it, but Verizon can now at least claim to be the first US carrier to offer the long fabled, oft-leaked PlayStation Phone, otherwise known as the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. It will be available for pre-order on the carrier's website starting May 19th, and be available in stores on May 26th for the usual $199.99 on a two-year contract. That, of course, gets you the first PlayStation Certified handset with console-style controls -- a real D-pad and PlayStation face and shoulder buttons, plus a pair of miniature touchpads for dual-analog gameplay on the go. You'll also get seven games pre-loaded on the device (including Madden NFL 11 and The Sims 3) but, as we saw in our recent hands-on with the Verizon version of the phone, you won't get Sony Ericsson's custom skin -- the carrier has instead opted for a mostly stock UI with only some SE wallpapers and widgets. As Verizon also notes, those opting for the phone will have to sign up for both a Nationwide Talk plan and a smartphone data package as well, the former of which start at $39.99 a month, while an unlimited data plan will run you $29.99. Head on past the break for the full press release.

Sony Ericsson

Sony's 'Welcome Back' campaign apologizes to distraught PSN users with free games, good vibes

Remember the recent PlayStation Network outage? You know the one, right? It started in late-April and lasted up through this weekend's phased restoration (and continues on for many un-phased users). Well, Sony would like to sincerely apologize for the whole thing the best way it knows how: free video games. The company today announced its "Welcome Back" program, which is letting all existing PSN and Qriocity users in North America pick two of the following games: Dead Nation, inFAMOUS, LittleBigPlanet, Super Stardust HD, and Wipeout HD + Fury. PSP users, meanwhile, can chose two from LittleBigPlanet, ModNation Racers, Pursuit Force, and Kill Liberation. You can claim the games at some point in the next 30 days, and once you've downloaded, they're yours to keep. The gesture may well prove too little, too late for many disgruntled users -- but even they'll likely have trouble staying angry at Sackboy's adorable little dirt-stained mug.

PlayStation Blog

Japan won't allow Sony to turn PSN back on until it's assured it's safe

Sony may be busy flipping the PlayStation Network switch back to the "on" position around the globe, but one locale where it won't be doing so just yet is its homeland of Japan. The Dow Jones newshounds report that the Japanese government refuses to allow Sony to reactivate its ailing network until satisfaction is reached on a couple of outstanding issues. The first is that the company's promised counter-hacking measures announced on May 1st have not yet been fully enacted -- though details of what has or hasn't been done yet are understandably unavailable -- and the second is that Japan wants to see further preventive measures taken to ensure users users' credit card numbers and other private data won't be exposed through their use of Sony's online services again. These sound like rational demands to us, and Sony is already in talks with the authorities to make sure it lives up to their expectations.

News.com.au

Dow Jones Newswires (Fox Business)