By David Ponce

Considering SD cards are slowly trudging up to 64GB, it’s pretty impressive to hear good old Sony’s getting ready to drop a 2TB Memory Stick XC. The XC series will have the same form factors as Sony’s current PRO series, also featuring support for MagicGate content protection technology as well as Access Control function, currently available in the PRO series.

According to Sony, the XC range will use the exFAT file storage system, which is far and away better than the antiquated FAT12/16/32.

Of course this is Sony, the grandfather of proprietary formats so just how much this will cost is anyone’s guess, but is likely to be in the let-me-sell-my-kidney range. There’s also no word on availability, though we suspect this is still a long way off.

[ Specification Page ] VIA [ GearLive ]

While the term ‘Exmor R’ is nothing more than a new PR catchphrase for Sony to toss around, the technology behind the sensors in their new Cybershot DSC-TX1 and DSC-WX1 is kind of interesting. Traditionally, compact P&S digital cameras are not known for their fantastic low-light performance. The smaller optics means there’s less light hitting the larger and larger sensors, which leads to noisy photos. I mean there’s a reason professional photographers will drop thousands of dollars on a gigantic ‘fast’ lens. But the ‘Exmor R’ technology supposedly results in a sensor with twice the light sensitivity of a traditional sensor since the various elements like wires and circuitry which usually hinder the photo-diodes from gathering light have been effectively moved out of the way.

And further improving the camera’s low-light performance are the hand-held twilight and anti-motion blur multishot modes which basically use exposure bracketing and in-camera HDRI techniques to automatically combine multiple shots with varying exposures to produce a final result with more detail and less noise. As for other specs, both cameras feature a 10.2 mega-pixel sensor and while the thinner TX-1 includes a 3-inch touch screen LCD on the back, the larger WX-1 benefits from a wider angle Sony G lens instead. $380 for the DSC-TX1 and $350 for the DSC-WX1 and both should be available come October.

[ PR - SONY DEBUTS WORLD’S FIRST DIGITAL STILL CAMERAS WITH BACK-ILLUMINATED “EXMOR R” CMOS SENSOR TECHNOLOGY ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Chris Scott Barr

You have to give a lot of credit to Netflix. These guys have really re-invented the way we rent movies. First with their idea to let you order movies online and have them mailed to your door. Then they decided to let you stream rentals to your computer. Now they’re offering the same streaming service to other devices like your Xbox 360 and TiVo. Today they announced the latest devices they will be invading, Sony Bravia HDTVs.

Starting this Fall, all of their new internet-enabled sets will be able to stream movies via Netflix. Older models will be able to do the same using the BRAVIA internet link module around the same time. Give it a couple of years and you won’t be able to find a new TV that doesn’t work with Netflix.

VIA [ CrunchGear ]

Sony Japan has just released a compact bluetooth mouse that looks like a perfect complement to the Vaio P ultraportable laptop they introduced earlier in the year. The VGP-BMS10 features an aluminum sliding cover that powers the mouse on and off and also protects the scroll wheel and buttons while it’s stashed in a laptop case. Otherwise it’s not exactly swimming in extra features or functions, though it does have an 800dpi laser and a decent range of about 10 meters. The VGP-BMS10 will be officially available in August for about $67, and it appears to be only Windows compatible, so anyone who’s endeavored to install OS X on their Vaio P is out of luck.

[ Sony Vaio VGP-BMS10 Compact Bluetooth Mouse ] VIA [ Newlaunches ]

With the announcement of a $250 price tag, Sony pretty much guaranteed there will still be a market for the old PSP once the PSP Go hits store shelves. And if the reason you’ve been holding off on getting a PSP 2000 or 3000 is because of the battery life and ergonomics concerns, you’ll be happy to know that Nyko has heard your plight.

Their Charge Grip Flex works with either model and features a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that increases your play time by about 1.5x. I also like that it uses the PSP’s included AC adapter to charge both the PSP and the Charger Grip at the same time, so you don’t need to wrangle or store another cord. And when it comes to ergonomics, there’s a set of fold-out grips that extend from the bottom, making the unit feel more like a dual-shock controller.

[ Nyko Charge Grip Flex ] VIA [ Mobile Magazine ]

MAG is one of those titles that many people have been waiting to see more of. Imagine playing a FPS with 255 other people at the same time. I’ll admit to being a bit skeptical on the gameplay when it was announced, but check out the gameplay footage from the show. Each and every person you see, every single shot fired is from a real live person playing against the 8 guys that were demoing it at the conference.

It has been wondered aloud by many gamers, have we seen the last of Solid Snake? Well at Sony’s press conference today, Hideo Kojima made a guest appearance to confirm that no, we haven’t seen the last of him. In fact, he’s going to be sneaking his way onto the PSP  sometime next year. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker will take place 10 years after Metal Gear Solid 3. It was greatly stressed that this was a “true” sequel, and not a spin-off or side story. Nothing speaks better than a video, so check out our official first look at Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

One of the biggest pieces of news that came out of Sony’s press conference today was the announcement of the PSP Go, otherwise known as “the worst-kept secret of E3.” So what’s so different about this new portable system? Practically everything it seems. Obviously the slide-out control system is a big change, but also the lack of UMD compatibility is new. It is also 50% smaller and 40% lighter than the current PSP-3000.

Sony is targeting this device at people living the “digital lifestyle.” They’re looking at people that want their content delivered digitally, without the need to go to the store and buy a physical product. The lack of a UMD slot means that you will instead download new titles to your PSP directly. As such, all new titles will be sold in both UMD and digital formats. Both versions will contain the exact same features and functionality, as they aren’t actually aiming to replace the current PSP-3000 with the Go.

Storage is obviously important with the PSP Go, so they’ve added in 16GB of internal Flash memory. A Memory Stick Micro slot is included so that you can easily expand the storage. Bluetooth and WiFi are both included to keep you connected wirelessly.

Sony also announced a new desktop application called PC Media Go which will replace the current Media Manager and allow you to access the PlayStation store directly from your PC. A new video delivery service application will also be included natively on the PSP so that you can download content directly to the Go. Finally, Sony announced that they had signed on several new video content providers like Showtime, G4, E!, Stars and TNA to provide movies and TV shows to the PlayStation network.

The PSP Go is set to hit stores on October 1st at a price of $249.

By Shane McGlaun

I will admit that other than the PS3 I am not a fan of Sony products. I especially loathe Sony cameras, not because they aren’t cool and don’t work well, but because you have to use Sony proprietary memory card formats that cost much more than the good ‘ol SD cards other cams can use.

If you don’t mind Sony’s proprietary nature, the company has announced three new DSLR cameras including the a380, a330, and a230. The a230 and a330 cameras are both 10.2-megapixel joints with adjustable LCDs and more goodies. The a230 is hailed as the most compact and light DSLR available at only 15.9-ounces.

If you want more megapixels the a380 sports 14.2 of them and promises to be lighter than Sony’s high megapixel predecessors the a300 and a350. All three sport Sony’s SteadyShot Inside tech to stabilize images regardless of the lens used. Kits with a SAL-1855 lens sell for $850 for the a380l kit, $650 for the a330L kit, and $550 for the a230L kit. Add $200 to each kit price and you can get a better kit with the SAL-1855 lens and the SAL-55200 zoom lens. The cams can be pre-ordered now.

[ Sony ]

By Shane McGlaun

I still think of those giant yellow cassette players from the 1980’s when I hear the Walkman name. It also reminds me of those huge headphones with the built-in FM radio sporting the giant antenna that I used to see people wearing when they ran. I’m surprised most joggers didn’t end up with neck injuries from the massive things.

Sony has added a new product to the Walkman line that is slick and sounds a lot like the iPod touch. The new gadget is the Walkman X-series and it is available in 16GB for $299 and 32GB for $399. Other than the amount of storage, the two models are the same. Both sport a 3-inch OLED screen for video in WMV or MPEG-4 formats.

Noise reduction technology and special EX headphones work together to eliminate 98% of external sounds from the environment they are worn in. Sony says these are its first products with integrated Wi-Fi in the Walkman range. The player can access Slacker Radio and YouTube over Wi-Fi. The players are set to ship in mid-June.

[ Sony ]