gamescom

Sony shines the spotlight on Vita

Sony representatives couldn't stop talking about the Vita during the Gamescom gaming expo today in Cologne, Germany, ushering in the most announcements ever in one day for the handheld since its debut. In fact, most of the first half of the press conference spoke exclusively of new Vita games and features coming before the end of the year.

The event introduced new games for the Vita such as Tearaway (from Media Molecule, creator of LittleBigPlanet) and Killzone Mercenary, both of which look visually stunning. We also learned about some new features coming down the road for the Vita, including … Read more

PlayStation's mobile, multiscreen push

Tuesday's top tech headlines are formatted to fit your second screen:

At the Gamescom conference in Germany, Sony announced several new PlayStation games and new methods for playing. Sony talked more about PlayStation Mobile for Android devices, but we still don't know exactly when it'll hit the market or how many games will launch in the store.

And there are some perks for those that own both a PS Vita and the PS3. For one price, you can get a game for both systems, starting with "PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale," "Sly Cooper: Thieves in … Read more

PlayStation Mobile still aims to take on iOS, Android games

Despite Sony's focus on mobile games via the PlayStation Vita, there's been a second, parallel path in the mobile game front taken via PlayStation Suite. That initiative, now called PlayStation Mobile, was detailed with additional hardware partners and promises of indie-friendly openness at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany.

PlayStation Mobile aims to take small-scale gaming to a wider variety of devices: Sony Xperia phones and tablets, select Android devices, and the PlayStation Vita. These games will download on all formats and be cross-compatible, in an attempt to build an ecosystem that can extend beyond traditional handheld game systems like … Read more

Play DC Universe Online for free

Need something fun to do this weekend? Want to step into the shoes of a superhero and duke it out against evil supervillains (or vice-versa)? Don't want to spend any money for the privilege?

DC Universe Online is a massively multiplayer online game (or, as the kids like to say, MMOG) built around comic-book characters. Until a couple days ago, access would cost you $14.99 per month, but now you can play DC Universe Online absolutely free.

I'll admit I'm not a big fan of the MMOs, having never dipped my toe into World of Warcraft … Read more

Future PlayStations could read you like a book

Your hairdresser knows everything about you. So does your shrink. Soon it could be your PlayStation. Sony executives are apparently looking to give game consoles abilities that go far beyond tracking your movements.

During a panel discussion on the next 10 years of gaming at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, last week, the executives described the possibility of consoles that track players' emotions. According to a transcript posted on Develop, Sony Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida said that within 10 years games will be able to offer "almost dangerous kinds of interactivity" with players.

A second participant, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) Worldwide Studios Europe Vice President Mick Hocking, said cameras are capable of recording a player's biometric data and tracking where the player is looking. He elaborated on how Sony might be able to use this data. According to the transcript:… Read more

Gran Turismo 5 adds damage modeling

Forza has it. GRID has it. Heck, even Need for Speed has it. We now have video proof, coming out of Gamescom 2009, that Gran Turismo 5 will finally get damage modeling.

Of the 1,000 vehicles available for play in GT5, 170 of them will be "premium" models that feature full interior modeling that is affected by vehicle damage. The remaining 830 vehicles will be standard models that only feature external damage. Check the video below to see a Subaru Impreza STI rally car getting its door literally blown off.

There's a rumor that the new … Read more

Sony's first move: Cut current PS3 to $299?

With rumors flying that Sony will make some sort of PS3-related announcement tomorrow at the Gamescom Expo in Cologne, Germany, we've been going over possible scenarios here at CNET in New York.

If you've been following the situation, you're probably aware that a lot of people are hoping that Sony will bring out a brand-new slimmed-down version of the PS3 and price it at $299. However, given that Sony--or more precisely, retailers--are probably sitting on a stockpile of current-generation PS3s, a new PS3 Slim hitting store shelves at $299 doesn't seem all that likely.

The reality … Read more

Rumor: Sony to debut PS3 Slim on August 18 in Germany

No sooner had we written about reports that Sony would be dropping its 80GB PS3 in Japan on August 9, that two more PS3-related news items surfaced.

A Belgian blog, RTLinfo, is reporting that Sony will soon be lowering the price on the European version of the PS3 from 399 euros to 299 euros (that bodes well for a $299 version of the U.S. PS3). At the same time, the site claims that Sony will introduce the PS3 Slim before the opening of Gamescom expo in Cologne, Germany, at a pre-event press conference on August 18. In more concrete … Read more