Christopher

As far as we know, Gran Turismo 5 features the most extensive list of vehicles ever seen in any racing video game. 1,031 cars will be featured in the game, which players can drive on 26 different locations and 71 different tracks. Amongst many others, Lamborghini and Bugatti will make their first appearance in the game, following on from their introduction in Gran Turismo PSP. It has been confirmed the new “gullwing” Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG will appear, along with Ferrari’s recently unveiled 458 Italia. McLaren will also make their first appearance as a native manufacturer with the inclusion of the McLaren F1 road car (the F1 GTR race version was present in Gran Turismo 4, but was included in BMW’s dealership). Le Mans spec cars will make a return appearance. The cars in GT5 will be separated into two types, “standard” and “premium”. In the list below, standard cars are marked as (S) and premium cars are marked with (P). Standard cars will have standard headlights, no interior/cockpit view and basic damage modelling. Premium cars will be extremely detailed inside and out, have headlights capable of high and low beams and an extensive, detailed damage model. The game will feature significantly fewer “premium” cars because they take longer to model. Up to 16 cars will be able to race on track at once and up to 32 karts will be able to be on track at once. This is the first time in the main numbered series that more than 6 cars are on track at once. AC Cars 427 S/C ’66 (S) Acura CL 3.2 Type-S ’01 (S), CL 3.2 Type-S ’03 (S), DN-X Concept ’02 (S), HSC Concept ’04 (S), INTEGRA TYPE R ’01 (S), NSX ’91 (P/S), NSX RM ’91 (P), NSX ’04 (S), NSX Coupe ’97 (S), RSX Type-S ’04 (S) AEM S2000 (SEMA Gran Turismo Awards 2005) (P) Alfa Romeo 147 2.0 TWIN SPARK ’02 (S), 147 GTA ’02 (S), 147 TI 2.0 TWIN SPARK ’06 (P), 155 2.5 V6 TI ’93 (S), 156 2.5 V6 24V ’98 (S), 166 2.5 V6 24V Sportronic ’98 (S), 8C Competizione ’08 (P), Brera Sky Window 3.2 JTS Q4 ’06 (P), Giulia Sprint GTA 1600 ’65 (S), Giulia Sprint Speciale ’63 (S), GIULIA TZ2 carrozzata da ZAGATO CN.AR750106 ’65 (Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Gran Turismo Trophy 2009) (P), GT 3.2 V6 24V ’04 (S), GTV 3.0 V6 24V ’01 (S), Spider 3.0i V6 24V ’01 (S), Spider 1600 Duetto ’66 (S) Alpine A110 1600S ’73 (S), A310 1600VE ’73 (S) Amuse Carbon R (R34) ’04 (S), NISMO 380RS Super Leggera (S), S2000 GT1 ’04 (S), S2000 GT1 Turbo (P), S2000 R1 ’04 (S), S2000 Street Version ’04 (S) Art Morrison Corvette’60 (SEMA Gran Turismo Awards 2006) (P) Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Coupe ’00 (S), DB9 Coupe ’03 (S), DB9 Coupe ’06 (P), V8 Vantage ’99 (S), Vanquish ’04 (S) Audi A2 1.4 ’02 (S), A3 3.2 quattro ’03 (S), A4 Touring Car ’04 (S), Abt Audi TT-R Touring Car ’02 (S), Le Mans quattro ’03 (S), Nuvolari quattro ’03 (S), Pikes Peak quattro ’03 (S), quattro ’82 (S), R8 4.2 FSI R tronic ’07 (P), R8 5.2 FSI quattro ’09 (P), R8 LMS Race Car ’09 (S), R8 LMS Race Car (Team PlayStation) ’09 (S), R8 Race Car ’01 (S), R8 Race Car (Audi PlayStation Team ORECA) ’05 (S), R10 TDI Race Car ’06 (P), RS 4 ’01 (S), RS 6 ’02 (S), RS 6 Avant ’02 (S), RS 6 Avant ’08 (P), S3 ’02 (S), S4 ’98 (S), S4 ’03 (S), TT Coupe 1.8T quattro ’00 (S), TT Coupe 3.2 quattro ’03 (P/S), TT Coupe 3.2 quattro ’07 (P), TTS Coupe ’09 (P) Autobacs ARTA Garaiya (JGTC) ’03 (S), ARTA Garaiya (SUPER GT) ’08 (P), Garaiya ’02 (S) Autobianchi A112 Abarth ’79 (S) Bentley Speed 8 Race Car ’03 (S) BLITZ DUNLOP ER34 SKYLINE (D1GP) ’07 (P), ER34 D1 SPEC (D1GP) ’04 (S) BMW 120d ’04 (S), 120i ’04 (S), 135i Coupe ’07 (P), 320i Touring Car ’03 (S), 330i ’05 (S), 2002 Turbo ’73 (S), Concept 1 Series tii ’07 (P), M3 ’04 (S), M3 Coupe ’07 (P), M3 CSL ’03 (S), BMW M3 GTR ’03 (S), M3 GTR Race Car ’01 (S), M5 ’05 (S), M5 ’08 (P), McLaren F1 GTR Race Car ’97 (S), M Coupe ’98 (S), V12 LMR Race Car ’99 (S), Z4 ’03 (P/S), Z4 M Coupe ’08 (P) Bugatti Veyron 16.4 ’09 (S) Buick GNX ’87 (S), Special ’62 (SEMA Gran Turismo Awards 2003) (S) Cadillac CIEN Concept ’02 (S) Callaway C12 ’03 (S) Caterham Seven Fire Blade ’02 (S) Chaparral 2D Race Car ’67 (S), 2J Race Car ’70 (S) Chevrolet 2010 Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 AMP Energy/National Guard CHEVROLET IMPALA ’10 (P), 2010 Jeff Gordon #24 DuPont CHEVROLET IMPALA ’10 (P), 2010 Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe’s CHEVROLET IMPALA ’10 (P), 2010 Juan Montoya #42 Target CHEVROLET IMPALA ’10 (P), 2010 Tony Stewart #14 Office Depot/Old Spice CHEVROLET IMPALA ’10 (P), Camaro IROC-Z Concept ’88 (S), Camaro LM Race Car (S), Camaro SS ’69 (S), Camaro SS ’00 (S), Camaro SS ’10 (P), Camaro SS RM ’10 (P), Camaro Z28 ’69 (P/S), Camaro Z28 Coupe ’97 (S), Camaro Z28 RM ’69 (P), Chevelle SS 454 ’70 (S), Corvette C5-R (C5) ’00 (S), Corvette Convertible (C1) ’54 (S), Corvette Coupe (C2) ’63 (S), Corvette GRAND SPORT (C4) ’96 (S), Corvette Stingray Convertible (C3) ’69 (P), Corvette Stingray L46 350 (C3) ’69 (S), Corvette Z06 (C2) Race Car ’63 (S), Corvette Z06 (C5) ’00 (S), Corvette Z06 (C5) ’04 (P), Corvette Z06 (C6) ’06 (P), Corvette Z06 (C6) RM ’06 (P), Corvette ZR-1 (C4) ’90 (S), Corvette ZR1 (C6) ’09 (P/S), Corvette ZR1 (C6) RM ’09 (P), Silverado SST Concept ’02 (S), SSR ’03 (S) Chrysler 300C ’05 (S), Crossfire ’04 (S), Prowler ’02 (S), PT Cruiser ’00 (S) Citro

Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving (November 26th) in the United States, which is the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season. Black Friday is not an official holiday, but many employees have the day off (with the exceptions of those employed in retailing, health care, and banking), which increases the number of potential shoppers. Retailers often decorate for the Christmas and holiday season weeks beforehand. Many retailers will open extremely early on Black Friday 2010, with most of the retailers typically opening at 5AM or even earlier. However, the whole experience has become rather intimidating lately, with an enormous amount of deals out there that often leave the consumer bewildered. So, that?s why we condensed all Sony Electronics products (including PSP, PS2, and PS3 games) that have special Black Friday prices in one master list for your convenience. Unfortunately there aren?t any links for the deals, but a simple Google search of the store/product in question should help you on your way (if applicable). This is an early version of our list and will be continuously updated till Black Friday. Check back for more updates! View the full article

http://www.sonyinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/xperiax7-450x243.png The Internet is buzzing this morning about a random YouTube video that popped up that shows a quick spec sheet of two new Sony Ericsson Windows Phone 7 devices. The phones are called the XPERIA X7 and XPERIA X7 Mini, which are somewhat similar to the current XPERIA X10 and X10 Mini Android phones. While we have been expecting some sort of indication from SE about upcoming WP7 devices, we’re not exactly sure how credible these “leaked” devices appear to be. There are several inconsistencies in the rumor that makes me scratch my head. The XPERIA X7 is labeled to have a 480×800 (WVGA) resolution and 4.3″ capacitive touchscreen. That all checks out and seems logical for a 2011 phone. The Qualcomm MSM8260 (1.2GHz) also seems in line with what will be commonplace for smartphones at that time. However, a problem arises when I see the 8.1 megapixel camera with HD (720p) video recording. I’ll explain why in a moment. http://www.sonyinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/xperiax7mini-450x254.png The XPERIA X7 Mini supposedly has a smaller capacitive touchscreen at 3.5″ (not very Mini), and a Qualcomm QSD8250 (1GHz) processor. Those two specifications seem reasonable. However, I tripped up when I saw that the X7 Mini will supposedly have a 10.1 megapixel camera (with 3x optical zoom), which is certainly more powerful than the regular X7. Furthermore, in the slide for the X7 Mini it has a rather noticeable typo: “Noise cancellation headphones budled.” Really? Hard to believe there would be a typo in a document like this. I do want to reiterate that we expect some kind of word from Sony Ericsson about Windows Phone 7 devices, but we’re just not sure if these are going to be it. I wouldn’t expect the specifications of the real devices to be much different than what is presented here. Here is the video that started it all: [url={url}]View the full article[/url]

The Internet is buzzing this morning about a random YouTube video that popped up that shows a quick spec sheet of two new Sony Ericsson Windows Phone 7 devices. The phones are called the XPERIA X7 and XPERIA X7 Mini, which are somewhat similar to the current XPERIA X10 and X10 Mini Android phones. While we have been expecting some sort of indication from SE about upcoming WP7 devices, we’re not exactly sure how credible these “leaked” devices appear to be. There are several inconsistencies in the rumor that makes me scratch my head. The XPERIA X7 is labeled to have a 480×800 (WVGA) resolution and 4.3″ capacitive touchscreen. That all checks out and seems logical for a 2011 phone. The Qualcomm MSM8260 (1.2GHz) also seems in line with what will be commonplace for smartphones at that time. However, a problem arises when I see the 8.1 megapixel camera with HD (720p) video recording. I’ll explain why in a moment. The XPERIA X7 Mini supposedly has a smaller capacitive touchscreen at 3.5″ (not very Mini), and a Qualcomm QSD8250 (1GHz) processor. Those two specifications seem reasonable. However, I tripped up when I saw that the X7 Mini will supposedly have a 10.1 megapixel camera (with 3x optical zoom), which is certainly more powerful than the regular X7. Furthermore, in the slide for the X7 Mini it has a rather noticeable typo: “Noise cancellation headphones budled.” Really? Hard to believe there would be a typo in a document like this. I do want to reiterate that we expect some kind of word from Sony Ericsson about Windows Phone 7 devices, but we’re just not sure if these are going to be it. I wouldn’t expect the specifications of the real devices to be much different than what is presented here. Here is the video that started it all: View the full article

The Tourist, set for release on December 10th, is a drama thriller film, distributed by Sony’s Columbia Pictures and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. The biggest draw of the movie is undoubtedly the pairing of super celebrities Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. It is a remake of the French film Anthony Zimmer. Johnny Depp stars as an American tourist whose playful dalliance with a stranger leads to a web of intrigue, romance and danger in The Tourist. During an impromptu trip to Europe to mend a broken heart, Frank (Depp) unexpectedly finds himself in a flirtatious encounter with Elise (Angelina Jolie), an extraordinary woman who deliberately crosses his path. Against the breathtaking backdrop of Paris and Venice, their whirlwind romance quickly evolves as they find themselves unwittingly thrust into a deadly game of cat and mouse. The project went through a number of directorial changes. Originally the film was set with Lasse Hallstr

At long last, Sony PlayStation has confirmed a November 24th release date for Gran Turismo 5 in North America, Asia and Europe while our friends in Japan and Australia can pick the game up on November 25th. Considered to be one of the most anticipated driving games of all time, the franchise has tested the patience of gamers everywhere with years of teasing. The game is a powerhouse. Some of the most tantalizing features include an online mode that will be available in the game with 16 player capability. 1,031 cars will be featured in the game; it will feature 26 different locations and 71 different tracks. An optional Stereoscopic-3D resolution will be available. Night racing will return in GT5. Go-Karting will also make its first ever appearance in the franchise. World Rally Championship, NASCAR and Super GT licenses will be featured for the first time in the Gran Turismo franchise. A damage model has been confirmed with variations of damage depending on whether the vehicle is “standard” or “premium”. The game was first revealed at E3 2005 under the name Vision Gran Turismo. This was not GT5 as we know it today but simply Gran Turismo 4 (for the PlayStation 2) with more cars on track and PC-rendered footage. The PlayStation 3 (PS3) wouldn’t release until November 11, 2006 and with no Gran Turismo game in the console’s launch line-up. Various bits of information and news was revealed about the game from then on but it was not for another 3 years that the public got a chance to have a proper look at GT5. At Sony’s E3 2009 Press Conference, a trailer for Gran Turismo 5 was shown, revealing the inclusion of Super GT, NASCAR and WRC but no release date was revealed. In an interview with Eurogamer, Yamauchi said that “We’ve actually reached a point where we can probably release (GT5) anytime, except that you can also keep working as long as you want to as well, it’s just a matter of timing.” However, in an interview with Auto Express in April, 2010, Yamauchi explained that, “Deciding a release date for a game is always difficult, as it?s not something I can decide on my own. The agreement on a date comes between various parties at Sony, and it?s not necessarily a date I would be hoping for. March would’ve been too early. We could have produced the game in time to make that deadline, but the finished product wouldn?t have had everything that I wanted to include.” Here is a really great fan-made video for Gran Turismo 5 by KopparbergDave: After missing its initial March 2010 Japanese release date, Sony announced at E3 2010 that Gran Turismo 5 would be officially launched in around the world in early November. They infamously missed that date, but now everything is set for later this month. View the full article

The first offical single from Michael Jackson’s upcoming Michael album was released today. The song, entitled “Hold My Hand” (recorded in 2007), is a duet with Akon. A handwritten note from Michael belonging to his Estate indicated his desire that “Hold My Hand” be the first single on his next project. However, in its unfinished state, the song leaked out in July 2008. Before the release, Akon stated that the final version would have more of Jackson’s vocals. MTV.com has a very astute description of the song: Unlike “Breaking News,” the beat-heavy anti-media screed that was streamed on the MJ site last week, the uplifting “Hold My Hand” is one of Jackson’s classic love ballads, a heart-stirring call to unity with a touch of a Caribbean lilt. “This life don’t last forever,” Jackson sings in the opening lines in his signature quavering falsetto. “So tell me what we’re waiting for/ We’re better off being together/ Than being miserable alone.” Then together, the men sing, ” ‘Cause I been there before and you’ve bee there before/ But together we can be all right/ ‘Cause when it gets dark and when it gets cold we hold each other till we see the sunlight.” As the three-and-a-half-minute single comes to a close, the strings swell and a gospel choir comes in, clapping hands and giving the tune a majestic feel. You can listen to the song in this official YouTube video for “ The Michael album is set for release on December 14, 2010 in the United States. View the full article

The Sony Building in New York City (at 550 Madison Avenue at 56th St) is home to several interesting aspects of the company, including the official Sony Corporation, Sony Music, Sony Pictures, and so forth. The building also houses some great places for the general public to visit, such as the Sony Wonder Technology Lab, a lavish SonyStyle store, a restaurant on the lobby floor, and now a new PlayStation Lounge. Created by Sony’s Joby Hirschfeld (Director, Creative Services, Channel Marketing and Events) and his team, the PlayStation Lounge could be considered heaven for some gamers and design enthusiasts. The layout of the Lounge is somewhat similar to trade show booth design, and there is a reason for that. The creator of the Lounge and his team have quite the background: My name is Joby Hirschfeld and I oversee the team responsible for the design and build of such things as the incredible booths you see at conferences like E3 and CES, the visuals for PlayStation press conferences, video production, the look and feel of the displays at your local retailers as well as the designs on the packaging of the PlayStation products you know and love. The Lounge is a storefront for just about everything PlayStation. All of the latest first and third-party games are available there (for example, Call of Duty: Black Ops was available on release day), as well as the PlayStation Move and all of its games and accessories. There is also some exciting titles that fans can check out before they are released, such as Killzone 3, Motorstorm: Apocalypse, and Gran Turismo 5. The Gran Turismo 5 area is impressive because it has incredible Recaro-style seats, each with a flatscreen LCD, steering wheel and pedals for the best possible driving experience. The PlayStation.blog provided a gallery of the PlayStation Lounge: SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC Here is a video tour of the PlayStation Lounge on YouTube by user THGNews (Marcus Yam): View the full article

The XPERIA X10 blog has leaked the Anzu, aka XPERIA X12 (2), which could very well be the successor to the popular Sony Ericsson X10 smartphone. Undoubtedly a flagship model for 2011, this rumored cell phone has several interesting features, such as a 4.3 inch screen and will run Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). Other features include 1080P video recording, front-facing camera, HDMI output, and a very crisp vivid LCD (16m colors?). I would imagine the phone would have at least a 1GHz processor. Aesthetically the phone reminds me of the X10 in several ways because of the button layout and the overall shape of the phone, but you can obviously see this is much larger. The rear of the phone is rather interesting, it is certainly quite qide and the rear camera is very large and placed at the very top next to a LED flash. The shape is fascinating, almost an arc in some ways. The XPERIA X10 blog states that the “loudspeaker and in-ear performance of the ANZU is much clearer/louder than the X10.” Launch window looks to be sometime in early 2011. View the full article

Several months ago Sony announced its yearly refresh for the Walkman S-Series (JP portal), and we wanted to take an in-depth look at the player and see what’s new in this generation (S750). First things first, there are several model used for this product, with Europe having the NWZ-S755 (16GB) and NWZ-S754 (8GB) options. Japan will actually have access to three models: NW-S756 (32GB), NW-S755 (16GB), NW-S754 (8GB) plus a variant series with matching color speaker. Here is the full array of colors for the Japanese S750 series, in Blue, Green, light pink, White, Vivid Pink, Violet, Gold, Black. Europe will have access to five of those colors, including Black, White, Blue, Light Pink, and Gold. We assume that the USA will have something similar to Europe, perhaps with an exotic color or not. I’m not sure when Sony USA will start selling this model, but it shouldn’t be too much longer from now. So what about the features? Let’s talk about them real quick and we’ll get back to the pictures. This is your advanced Walkman. Not flagship, but all the bells and whistles have really trickled down this generation. The S750 Series Walkman has Digital Noise Cancelling (and an included 13.5mm driver EX series earphone), which is a truly phoenominal way to listen to music. Or completely shut out the world around you. I checked out this technology in a crowded Sony booth at CES and could barely hear anyone around me. It was jaw dropping. In this model you have three modes to choose from (Train/Bus, Aircraft, and Interior), a silent mode that simply blocks out ambient sound without music, and The S Series has a 2 inch LCD screen and actually has TruBlack technology built-in, a feature popularized in their digital photo frames. Audio on the S750 series can be colored with the Clear Bass, Clear Stereo, DSEE, dynamic noramlizer, VPT (surround), and a 6-band Equalizer. Battery life, usually a strength of Sony, is robust at 50 hours music playback and 10 hours of video playback. Of course, that is built on the industry standard 128kbps mp3 audio test, which is a far cry from my usual 320kbps collection. Thankfully the S750 can achieve a 80% recharge in 1.5 hours and a full recharge in 3 hours. It can play the usual fare of audio codecs, including MP3/WMA (include DRM)/AAC-LC/ Linear PCM/AAC, and AVC(H.264/AVC) Baseline Profile/MPEG-4/WMV (including DRM) video codec support. There’s also a FM radio, voice recorder and alarm/timer to keep it fresh. The S750 series can also connect to a TV and display video content on the big screen, all from the Walkman. Sony Europe boasts the S750 series is also quite good at handling media and making it easy to transfer it to the Walkman, including AVCHD and Divx content. Supplied Content Transfer software simplifies drag-and-drop transfers to WALKMAN

I don't mind guiding people to other forums or websites, but I do want to reinforce that we love to discuss Sony audio products here at THESE forums. It hurts my feelings if you tell people to go somewhere else. How will we ever grow that way? Anyway, Darkside was alluding to a conversation that basically took place in this topic at anythingbutipod. However, the conclusion is basically that no one has any solution for you. Apparently you can go into the service mode and hike up the EQ and so forth, but even that doesn't seem like much help.

In a very surprising move SonyStyle USA has announced that their

Michael is a posthumous album of unreleased tracks by Michael Jackson. Set to be released by Epic Records on December 14, 2010 in the United States, Michael features previously unreleased music. The first full track to be released by Sony Music is the song “Breaking News”, which was originally recorded in 2007 in New Jersey and completed after the singer’s death in 2009. Ahead of the album’s release, lawyer Brian Oxman claiming to speak for Jackson’s father Joe said Jackson “would never have wanted his unfinished material to be released.” Will.i.am, who collaborated with Jackson for the album prior his death, also criticised the release, saying it was “disrespectful” to release the unfinished material because Jackson was not able to give it his blessing. Allegations by unnamed sources in the press, claim Katherine Jackson and Jackson’s two eldest children believe the vocals are not genuine, an allegation denied by Sony Music Entertainment. Jackson’s sister La Toya has said that the song “Breaking News” doesn’t sound like Michael. What do you think of the song? If the video above doesn’t work, check out the official Michael Jackson website to hear Breaking News. View the full article

Call of Duty: Black Ops is a FPS video game developed by Treyarch, published by Activision and due for release on November 9, 2010. The game is the seventh installment of the Call of Duty series and the third game in the series to be developed by Treyarch. It is a sequel to the developer’s previous title in the series, Call of Duty: World at War. Call of Duty: Black Ops takes place during the Cold War. The player mainly controls two characters: Special Forces operative Alex Mason and CIA agent Jason Hudson, both members of the Studies and Observations Group, a clandestine black operations unit tasked with carrying out critical missions behind enemy lines. The single-player campaign will revolve around an experimental Soviet chemical weapon code-named “Nova-6,” whilst trailers have shown Mason being interrogated by an unseen tormentor. The game will include locations such as the Ural Mountains in central Russia, Cuba, Laos, and Vietnam. Black Ops also allows the player to enjoy the experience of piloting a Hind helicopter and guiding friendly troops from an SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft in single player mode. Viktor Reznov, a key character from the Soviet campaign in World at War has been confirmed to return for Black Ops, joining Mason and the Studies and Observations Group in Vietnam. The game features a star-studded voice cast, with notable actors such as Gary Oldman (Reznov), Sam Worthington (Alex Mason), Ed Harris (Jason Hudson), Ice Cube (Corporal Bowman), Emmanuelle Chriqui (unnamed character), Topher Grace (Special Agent Harris), and several others lending their voice. The online multiplayer mode of Black Ops retains the experience points and unlockable reward system that has been kept since Call of Duty 4. The game’s multiplayer focuses on socialization and customization. Here is an unbelievable one hour long overview of Black Ops multiplayer mode, courtesy of Gamespot: “Create-a-Class 2.0″ will allow enhanced personalization with appearance items as well as upgradable perks: weapons will be extensively customizable with clan tag writing, emblems, attachments and camouflage painting. Even reticles can be modified. There will be more than one style for an attachment, which allows for a lot more personalized weaponry; for example, the player can choose between a Red Dot Sight or a Reflex Sight, both of which share the same traits only visually look different. Character models will depend on the first tier perk instead of the weapon’s type. Furthermore, face paints can be unlocked. A currency system has been implemented allowing players to buy weapons, accessories and clothes. Players can gamble with their “COD Points” in a free-for-all based playlist called “Wager Match”, which is composed of four game modes. Time limited objectives known as “Contracts” can be purchased to gain more currency and experience points. New custom killstreak rewards include RC explosive cars, guided missiles and controllable attack helicopters. For the first time in the series, clips from online gameplay can be recorded. Players will be able to play alone or with friends against AI opponents in “Combat Training” with a separate progression system. Online split screen (which was featured in Call of Duty 3) is re-introduced on Xbox 360 and PS3. The guest account can rank up but will be reset after each sign out. The zombie mode of World at War will return as a four-player online and two-player split screen co-op mode in which players take the roles of John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Robert McNamara, and Fidel Castro as they fight zombies at the Pentagon. Limited editions of the game will offer four zombies maps from World at War. Are you going to buy Call of Duty: Black Ops? Let us know in the comments! View the full article

Sony Optiarc America has revealed its next-generation half-height internal Blu-ray Disc (BD) rewritable drive (BWU-500S/BD-5300S) for after market computer enthusiasts. The specs are pretty impressive with the ability to write single BD-R media at up to 12X and dual layer BD-R media at up to 8X speeds, recording a full 25GB disc in about 10 minutes. The 12X recording speed can be used with 6X compatible BD-R media. The new drives can record up to 50GB of data for random access storage and backup on BD-R (write once) or BD-RE (rewritable) discs, or up to 220 minutes of high-definition 24M bps MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video on a BD-R/RE 50GB disc. The drives also record standard 4.7GB DVD+/-R discs at up to 16X speeds, 8.5 GB DVD+/-R Double/Dual layer at up to 8X, DVD+RW at up to 8X, DVD-RW at up to 6X, CD-R at up to 48X, CD-RW at up to 24X, and support DVD-RAM recording at up to 12X speeds. The internal drives feature a Serial ATA (SATA) interface and standard 5.25-inch form-factor for easy installation inside a desktop PC. They also incorporate intelligent monitoring for consistent recording, and adjusting read-speed technology which enhances smooth playback. The BWU-500S retail branded model comes with CyberLink’s Media Suite 8 software for capturing, authoring, editing, backing up, viewing high-definition personal content and playing back Blu-ray Disc movies including 3D Blu-ray movies. Also included in the retail box is one 25GB Sony BD-R blank disc. Interestingly enough I found both versions (retail, OEM) of the drive on Google Shopping. The BWU-500S was $167, and the BD-5300S was $139 at the time of this writing. View the full article

PlayStation Move is a motion-sensing game controller platform for the PlayStation 3 (PS3). Based on a handheld motion controller wand, PlayStation Move uses the PlayStation Eye camera to track the wand’s position, and inertial sensors in the wand to detect its motion. Hardware available at launch includes the main PlayStation Move motion controller, a supplementary PlayStation Move navigation controller, and an optional PlayStation Move charging station and other form-fitting accessories. The PlayStation Move competes with the Wii Remote (with MotionPlus) and Kinect (the system formerly known as Project Natal) motion control systems for the Wii and Xbox 360 home consoles, respectively. Although PlayStation Move is implemented on the existing PlayStation 3 console, Sony states that it is treating Move’s debut as its own major “platform launch,” planning an aggressive marketing campaign to support it. On the boxart of PlayStation Move games, underneath the PlayStation 3 logo banner, a blue bar with white letters indicates when a game supports the PlayStation Move. When a game can only be played with the PlayStation Move, it will say “PlayStation Move Required”. When a game supports traditional DualShock 3 controls and PlayStation Move controls it will say “PlayStation Move Features” (or “PlayStation Move Compatible”). One of the biggest questions about the PlayStation Move is what games are out there for it? There are actually quite a few games already available and more are on the way. Alongside Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios and its second-party partners, a total of 36 third-party game development companies have confirmed that they will support the PlayStation Move. We have spruced up a great list found on Wikipedia have embedded it in this blog entry for easy reference: View the full article

Sony Music just announced the greatly anticipated album of newly completed recordings from Michael Jackson, MICHAEL, will be released on December 14th. The album is being released by Epic Records in association with the Estate of Michael Jackson. Tomorrow, October 5th, an exclusive teaser for the project will appear on Michael’s official website; on Monday, November 8th the world premiere of “Breaking News,” a full track from the album recorded in 2007, will stream on the site for one week only. The King of Pop recorded numerous songs in the years leading up to his death, including with a friend in New Jersey and studios in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. There has been great controversy regarding the legitimacy of several songs in the album, with TMZ reporting a rather scathing story about the matter called “Michael Jackson’s Kids: It’s Not Daddy’s Voice!“: Sources tell us Paris and Prince now believe some of the songs on the album are fakes — not Michael’s voice. Sony, we’re told, is convinced all of the songs are the real deal. Howard Weitzman, lawyer for the estate, tells TMZ he had experts listen to the tracks and all of the experts concluded it’s Michael’s voice on all the tracks. Other Jackson family members also believe some of the tracks are phony. There is a stalemate, although at this point no one is talking lawsuit. Fans can pre-order the album MICHAEL on the offical website, with some interesting packages such as a MICHAEL CD + Exclusive T-Shirt Package for $24.98, a regular MICHAEL CD at only $12.99, or MICHAEL in downloadable MP3 format for $10.99. View the full article

Hulu Plus (which just exited private beta and went public today) is progressively becoming available for many Sony devices that have the BRAVIA Internet Video platform. The popular video website is making a rapid expansion onto hardware to follow suit with Netflix, who has profited greatly from device integration. Sony is bringing the $9.99 a month streaming Hulu Plus TV subscription service to all of its 2010 networked Blu-ray Disc players, Blu-ray Home Theater Systems, SNP-N100 Network Media Player and the Dash. Next week, Hulu Plus will also be available for all PlayStation 3′s, giving more than

Hulu Plus (which just exited private beta and went public today) is progressively becoming available for many Sony devices that have the BRAVIA Internet Video platform. The popular video website is making a rapid expansion onto hardware to follow suit with Netflix, who has profited greatly from device integration. Sony is bringing the $9.99 a month streaming Hulu Plus TV subscription service to all of its 2010 networked Blu-ray Disc players, Blu-ray Home Theater Systems, SNP-N100 Network Media Player and the Dash. Next week, Hulu Plus will also be available for all PlayStation 3′s, giving more than

Hulu Plus (which just exited private beta and went public today) is progressively becoming available for many Sony devices that have the BRAVIA Internet Video platform. The popular video website is making a rapid expansion onto hardware to follow suit with Netflix, who has profited greatly from device integration. Sony is bringing the $9.99 a month streaming Hulu Plus TV subscription service to all of its 2010 networked Blu-ray Disc players, Blu-ray Home Theater Systems, SNP-N100 Network Media Player and the Dash. Next week, Hulu Plus will also be available for all PlayStation 3′s, giving more than forty million gamers the opportunity to try out legalized streaming TV on their PS3. The combination of Netflix and Hulu Plus, at 9.99 each, could be the $20 bill that can could one day kill cable/satellite. Sony is also touting the fact that the PS3 will have Hulu Plus before the XBOX360, which is not slated to have the service until early next year. Will Hulu Plus take off? It

Hulu Plus (which just exited private beta and went public today) is progressively becoming available for many Sony devices that have the BRAVIA Internet Video platform. The popular video website is making a rapid expansion onto hardware to follow suit with Netflix, who has profited greatly from device integration. Sony is bringing the $9.99 a month streaming Hulu Plus TV subscription service to all of its 2010 networked Blu-ray Disc players, Blu-ray Home Theater Systems, SNP-N100 Network Media Player and the Dash. Next week, Hulu Plus will also be available for all PlayStation 3′s, giving more than

I had written dandies in the post..

Sony Japan is releasing a new pink variant of its well-favored Alpha NEX-3 camera in several weeks. The pink version of the camera will be sold in Japan on November 19th along with a slew of accessories we show off below. The NEX-3 is a fascinating device, one of Sony’s first APS-C interchangable lens compact digital cameras and offers several interesting features. Notable features include 14.2 megapixel sensor, 7fps shooting, HD movies at 720p/30p, 3D Sweep Panorama, Auto HDR, Live View, Tiltable LCD, and a brand new interface different than any of their other cameras. You really have to try a Sony NEX camera if you haven’t before, as it offers an interesting glimpse into the future of Sony camera technology. The camera itself is very small and thin, and its amusing to see a large lens attached to it. Despite the appearance of a point-and-shoot, the NEX series gives the owner the ability to use many lenses (E-Mount, but LA-EA1 A-Mount converter is available). Currently Sony sells White, Black and Red versions of this camera in the USA. It will be interesting to see if the Pink version makes its way around the world. I’m sure the ladies and dandies out there will love it. Here is a little glimpse at the pink accessories Sony Japan has cooked up that are coming in conjunction with the release of the Pink NEX-3, many of which will work just fine with the NEX-5: One of the most eye-catching new pink accessories for the NEX is the LCS-EML2A lens cover for E18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS. Sony really has gone all out this year with camera accessories, which doesn’t surprise me as I bet they see continued growth the more they experiment. Then there’s the more general pink case package (LCM-EMA) for the NEX series, which comes with a soft felt pink pouch for lens, pink wrist strap, and hard pink case for the camera. There’s also an all-encompassing pink accessory package (ACC-FWGA) which has many items, including a spare battery (NP-FW50), Screen Protector (PCK-LS1EM), pink wrapping/protective cloth (LCS-WR2AM), pink wrist strap..and what appears to be a smaller carrying case. You can’t go on without a pink wrapping/cleaning cloth (LCS-WR2AM) for the NEX, which protects your camera by preventing scratches and so forth. Can’t forget about the pink leather hard case (LCS-EMB2A) for the NEX-3, which provides great protection for the camera in style. Here’s what a NEX-3 looks like with this case on. Sony Japan is also offering a dashing pink shoulder strap (STP-XH1) for the NEX series. View the full article

The lights in the top of that photo look awesome

No posts were deleted. I would suggest looking at the first couple of pages of the Minidisc forum, or if they were posts you participated in look at this link: http://forums.sonyinsider.com/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=user_activity&mid=74713 (these are all the topics you have posted in, which is available in your profile as "View My Content"