Sony considered removing the optical drive from its next-generation Playstation gaming console, The Wall Street Journal reported. The Japanese electronics maker decided against a download-only model, however, because “Internet connectivity is too inconsistent around the world.” Removing the optical drive would have also hurt the adoption of Blu-ray, which Sony heavily pushed with its Playstation 3. The next-generation PlayStation, codename Orbis, is rumored to launch during the holiday season of ...

Sony Mobile on Friday confirmed that it no longer plans to update its Xperia Play smartphone to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich due to compatibility issues with the device’s gaming features, Phone Scoop reported. “Ice Cream Sandwich demands more from the phone hardware than Gingerbread,” a Sony spokesperson said. “Android 4.0 is a more powerful OS and thus, more resource intensive – applications require more RAM, CPU power, and network bandwidth. From internal testing and feedba...

Sharp and Sony on Wednesday released a joint statement to announce the end of the companies’ joint venture to produce and sell LCD panels. Due to the “rapidly changing market for LCD panels and LCD televisions,” Sony will sell its shares of the venture, which represent 7.04% of the company. The manufacturer will also receive a cash payment equal to its original investment of 10 billion yen that will be paid by Sharp. Both the sale of shares and Sony’s cash payment will be completed by ...

Both Samsung and Sony, two of the world’s largest television makers, have begun enforcing minimum prices on their HDTV sets, in an effort to preserve profit margins, The Wall Street Journal reported. The plan could also protect retail chains such as Best Buy and Target from being undercut by online merchants such as Amazon. The new policy prevents U.S. retailers from advertising or selling televisions in stores or online for less than a certain price set by the manufacturers. The move comes after HDTV p...

Sony and Panasonic are reportedly in talks to develop the technology needed to mass produce next-generation OLED televisions, according to Reuters. The two companies would be playing catch up to their South Korean rivals, Samsung and LG, both of which plan to market 55-inch OLED TVs later this year. “Overseas competitors have gotten a head start in this area and I feel like they’re stepping into this too late,” said Masayuki Otani, chief market analyst at Securities Japan. “There̵...

NPD Group last week announced that video games sales for the month of April were down 26% and software sales plummeted from $630.4 million to $307.2 million, representing a 42% decline from April 2011. The numbers shocked industry analysts, who predicted a maximum software decline of 27%. The only segment of the gaming industry that did not suffer was the accessories segment, which grew a mere 0.5% from $147.8 million last year to $148.6 million this year. According Gamasutra analyst Matt Matthews, “sho...

Sony on Thursday reported a net loss of $3.2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011 to close its fourth straight year in the red. The electronics and entertainment giant struggled throughout the year, reporting an annual loss of $5.7 billion, the worst in the company’s 66-year history. Sony’s factories and supply chains were plagued by last year’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan as well as massive flooding in Thailand. The company’s annual sales plunged nearly 10% to $81 billion, with s...

Research In Motion on Tuesday named two new executives as the shake-up atop its organization continues. Recently-appointed chief executive officer Thorsten Heins said during his first day on the job that finding a new marketing boss and making drastic changes to the company’s marketing strategy were top priorities for the struggling smartphone maker. While the company’s marketing efforts have yet to pay off — though it does seem to be trying new things, at least — a new chief marketing officer...

​Approximately 27 million U.S. households, more than one in five, have either an Internet-ready TV, game console, standalone Blu-ray player, and/or smart set-top box connected to their home network, according to ABI Research. Gaming consoles are the most popular devices, with a connection rate of over 80%, followed by Internet TVs (27%), standalone Blu-ray players (24%) and smart set-top boxes (13%). The research also indicated that a relatively large number of consumers have not connected some devices to t...

Android smartphones are not typically updated very frequently, leaving many owners to either try and update their own device, or wait for months or even years to get the latest operating system. The technical lead developer on the Android Open Source Project believes the slow update rate many Android users have had to endure is “very reasonable.” Sometimes, Jean-Baptiste Queru revealed his opinion on his Google+ page in a congratulatory post towards Sony, who recently updated its Tablet S to Andro...

The rumor mill has gone back and forth a number of times regarding whether or not next-generation video game consoles from Microsoft and Sony will support used games. While GameStop CEO Paul Raines seems confident they will — GameStop’s business relies on the resale of used games — game developers clearly stand to benefit if consoles force their owners to purchase new copies of games rather than used copies. ”From a business perspective that would be absolutely awesome,” Rasmus Højenga...

Sony on Thursday confirmed earlier rumors suggesting plans to release 10,000 workers during the course of fiscal 2012. The figure includes employees expected to leave Sony as part of various business sales, however. The move, which is part of a larger effort to restructure and cut costs, will result in a 6% workforce reduction. The Japan-based consumer electronics giant has been in decline for years, and the company said earlier this week that it will report a worst-ever $6.4 billion loss when it posts its f...

U.S. consumers are more interested in Samsung HDTV models than any other brand, according to a recent study from ABI Research. The South Korean manufacturer captured the top spot with 20% of respondents citing interest in a Samsung HDTV, passing Sony, which had previously held a commanding lead with 27% before dropping eight points to 19% in this latest poll. Consumer interest in LG’s HDTVs increased from 6% to 12%, while interest in Vizio jumped from 8% to 11%. “Regardless how long-lasting this...

Sony has revised its full-year earnings projections for the fiscal year ended March 31st to include a tax hit that will see the company report a record $6.4 billion loss. The net loss will be twice what the consumer electronics giant projected, and it marks Sony’s fourth consecutive annual loss. ”There have been several reasons for our poor results,” Sony CFO Masaru Kato told reporters at a briefing Tuesday morning. “We are aiming for a rebound and for this we have made management cha...