What It’s Like to PlayStation Move It [Playstation Move]
If Señor Chen’s impressions of PlayStation Move weren’t enough, I beat the crap out of this gladiator dude with my bare hands (holding the glowy stickballs) and in a new demo, stretched Kratos’s face like taffy. Mmm, taffy. [PlayStation Move@Giz] More »
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Mental Math: The PlayStation Move Experience Is Going to Be Expensive [Playstation Move]
Sony barely mentioned pricing with their PlayStation Move motion controller, only noting that the combo pricing with PlayStation Eye and a game will cost less than $100. But by our back-of-the-envelope calculations, the experience is going to be really expensive. More »
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Playstation 3 First Console With HD Movies From All 6 Major Studios [Sony]
Wow. The PS3 is getting HD purchases and rentals from all six major studios. A quick search turns up that Xbox is missing Fox and, duh, Sony.
It’s nice that Sony isn’t handicapping the Playstation 3 in order to protect its blu-ray business.
Sony’s got deals with Fox, Disney, Paramount, Itself, Universal and Warner. I’m impressed. Now I just have to remember my login for PS network.
From Movie Theater to Home Theater: PlayStation(R)Network Delivers High Definition Movies From Six Major Movie Studios in the United States
PlayStation(R)3 Computer Entertainment System First to Have High Definition Movies for Purchase from All Major Studios
FOSTER CITY, Calif., March 9 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) today announced that 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution will offer high definition (HD) movies for purchase and rental on the PlayStation®Network video delivery service in the United States. PlayStation Network is the first to offer high definition movies for purchase from all of the major movie studios, further establishing PlayStation®3 (PS3®) as the preeminent home entertainment platform for this year’s most popular and critically acclaimed high definition movies.
“Securing high definition content from these studios is another significant milestone further validating PlayStation Network as a complete entertainment network in the home. PlayStation Network is the first and only service to deliver high definition home entertainment from all six major studios, directly to consumers for download,” said Peter Dille, senior vice president, marketing and PlayStation Network, SCEA. “PlayStation Network continues to offer the most comprehensive catalogue of HD movies to PlayStation Network members that realize the wide-ranging entertainment power of the PS3 system.”
The PS3 system is the most complete home entertainment solution on the market today, enabling consumers to enjoy high-definition games and movies, as well as listen to music, view photos, browse the Internet and more. Today’s announcement joins one of the industry’s strongest home entertainment brands with the major media companies that produce and distribute a substantial number of films. At launch, the content will be available in the U.S. only, with plans to launch soon in the U.K., France, Germany, and Spain.
New titles available today on PlayStation Network include:
· 20th Century Fox – “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”, “Jennifer’s Body” and “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (on March 23)
· Walt Disney Pictures – Disney Pixar’s “Up”, Jerry Bruckheimer’s “G-Force” and Disney’s “Earth”
· Paramount Pictures – “Star Trek”, “Paranormal Activity” and “Zoolander”
· Sony Pictures – “This Is It”, “2012″, “District 9″ and “Zombieland”
· Universal – “Inglourious Basterds”, “Couples Retreat” and “Public Enemies”
· Warner Bros. Digital Distribution – “The Hangover”, “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” and “The Wizard of Oz”
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Let’s Make.Believe Sony Ads Make Sense! [We Miss Sony]
Sony’s newest catchphrase, “make.believe,” is a fitting reminder that Sony ads make no sense. Laptops take flight, PlayStations become monsters, and pitchmen state plainly that Sony TVs make you better at playing sports. Most of all—look! Play-doh bunnies!
Back when Sony had only electronics to sell, they sold them like no other—to borrow a more sensible slogan that the company recently retired. You bought a Trinitron TV because it was the best, you bought a Walkman because it was the coolest, and you told everyone else they were dumb if they didn’t do the same. “It’s a Sony!” you’d shout at any half-witted amigo who was reluctant to pay the Sony premium.
newVideoPlayer( {“type”:”video”,”player”:”http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/yZ8OSXL8Pno&hl=en&fs=1&fmt=22″,”customParams”:[],”width”:500,”height”:412,”ratio”:0.824,”flashData”:”",”embedName”:null,”objectId”:null,”noEmbed”:false,”source”:”youtube”} );
Sony worked hard to make you a part of its marketing team. They even went so far as to indoctrinate the children. When the My First Sony line was launched, it actually made sense, because it reinforced what you already believed: that you would buy in and keep on buying. Brand did matter, but only by standing for specific, high-quality products. There were 170 different Walkman models released during its first decade, sure, but this was before MP3 players, cellphones, PDAs, laptops, portable game consoles and pocket-sized camcorders. Besides perhaps a 35mm compact camera, this was the only portable gadget to buy. You knew you were getting it, so choosing which one became a connoisseur’s dilemma. Even gorillas knew this.
newVideoPlayer( {“type”:”video”,”player”:”http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/SlhIQYd-qAg&hl=en&fs=1&fmt=22″,”customParams”:[],”width”:500,”height”:412,”ratio”:0.824,”flashData”:”",”embedName”:null,”objectId”:null,”noEmbed”:false,”source”:”youtube”} );
By the time Sony got into the movie and record business, and the iconic cassette Walkman gave way to the less iconic CD Walkman, the Sony brand became bigger than the gadgets. With the eventual exception of PlayStation, the electronics lost their own identities. That’s not to say the gadget well dried up. On the contrary, Sony released more and more, jazzing up tried-and-true businesses with progressive industrial design and catchy-sounding sub-brands. It’s not a clock radio, it’s a Dream Machine. Sony’s brand momentum carried it successfully into new areas where they really could make a superior product. In addition to the videogame consoles, this included digital cameras, portable computers and dog-shaped robots.
But due to arrogance, an obsession with proprietary formats and a lack of stick-to-itiveness—coinciding with the rise of unexpectedly tough competition from Korea, China and Cupertino, California—the magic wore off. The “buy the brand” message lost its grip on shoppers, but to the increasingly out-of-touch executives inside the company, it seems to have become a rallying cry.
Sony started losing Number 1 positions in TVs, cameras and even videogame consoles, and found themselves unable to get the market leadership they assumed they’d easily grab in other areas, such as PCs or ebook readers. As they slipped, their advertising just got weirder and weirder. Ads now ranged from purely artistic—products saw hardly any airtime—to trippy—products were shown, but not in a way that a buyer could relate to—to sarcastic—where pitchmen and pitchwomen spouted nonsense and openly mocked customers, as if consciously parodying Sony’s own classic advertisements.
Thanks to the miracle of YouTube, we can see how all three of these categories failed to hit their targets.
Artsy Fartsy
What can you say about this category, except that who doesn’t like rainbow-colored Claymation bunnies hopping to late-’60s Rolling Stones?
newVideoPlayer( {“type”:”video”,”player”:”http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/CLUAbkRUvVQ&hl=en&fs=1&fmt=22″,”customParams”:[],”width”:500,”height”:412,”ratio”:0.824,”flashData”:”",”embedName”:null,”objectId”:null,”noEmbed”:false,”source”:”youtube”} );
Who doesn’t like bubbles falling from the sky? Or the spontaneous proliferation of several million bouncy balls? Who among you doesn’t like sound/vision experiments by avant garde directors cut to ADHD-friendly 3-minute lengths?
newVideoPlayer( {“type”:”video”,”player”:”http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/soRTHMEf0wY&hl=en&fs=1&fmt=22″,”customParams”:[],”width”:500,”height”:412,”ratio”:0.824,”flashData”:”",”embedName”:null,”objectId”:null,”noEmbed”:false,”source”:”youtube”} );
If you answered “no” to the above questions, you are lying. But to drive the point of failure home, let’s hear from one of YouTube’s commenters: “It’s visually interesting but it comes across as some kind of dystopian vision of the future. An Orwellian kind of hell sponsored by Sony.” Hell. By Sony. And I am not entirely sure I ever saw anything I could actually buy.
But Will It Bite?
Another batch of ads featured real Sony products, but not in any way that helped the consumer decision. We begin with the PlayStation 3, according to this video, a dangerous, volatile and ugly beast that does… something:
newVideoPlayer( {“type”:”video”,”player”:”http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/NvYyqM7TVVA&hl=en&fs=1&fmt=22″,”customParams”:[],”width”:500,”height”:412,”ratio”:0.824,”flashData”:”",”embedName”:null,”objectId”:null,”noEmbed”:false,”source”:”youtube”} );
Somehow they manage to convey all the tension of gaming without any of the fun. It’s violent through and through, except for that quick bit with the butterflies.
Here is the Bloggie camcorder, whose simple demonstration has been so perverted, it would cause Steve Jobs—or even Steve Ballmer—to shoot the director between the eyes:
newVideoPlayer( {“type”:”video”,”player”:”http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/EqG1FcowlZU&hl=en&fs=1&fmt=22″,”customParams”:[],”width”:500,”height”:412,”ratio”:0.824,”flashData”:”",”embedName”:null,”objectId”:null,”noEmbed”:false,”source”:”youtube”} );
Never mind that, on this complicated-looking copy of a Flip camera, the 270º swivel lens is the only thing everyone would figure out immediately, why does the product have to be man-sized? And what’s with the fingers guy?
In this whole mess, the most organic ad I could find was for Rolly, the short-lived zany Bluetooth music robot. I love the ad, but I actually know the product. The ad, to a lay person, would be confusing at best, and at worst would suggest a degree of interactivity that the product simply didn’t have:
newVideoPlayer( {“type”:”video”,”player”:”http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/e-O6NM214Ts&hl=en&fs=1&fmt=22″,”customParams”:[],”width”:500,”height”:412,”ratio”:0.824,”flashData”:”",”embedName”:null,”objectId”:null,”noEmbed”:false,”source”:”youtube”} );
F*** You, Buy a Sony
The ads that Sony should really be ashamed of, though, are the so-called expert ads, some of which ran on our own site this past holiday season. I will admit to being a fan of Peyton Manning and Justin Timberlake, but they’re not experts, and I wouldn’t trust them any more than I trust any of the other people on the so-called panel.
In the Sony Reader ad, when the poor actress has to ask the incredibly dumb question “Can I read a lot of books on this thing?” Amy Sedaris says yes and holds up her book, I Like You. It’s worth noting that unlike her brother’s works, Amy’s book is highly visual, with color photos and lots of sight gags. It’s excellent, but you would never ever read it on a Sony Reader—or on a Kindle.
In the camera ad, when the actress mentions that all the cameras look the same, baby-seal photographer Nigel Barker explains that “the technology in their cameras and camcorders makes it easy to get the best shot.” This is something every camera maker would say about their cameras. It doesn’t differentiate, and it can never be proven wrong.
During the TV ad, Peyton and Justin play pingpong. ESPN’s Erin Andrews says to a bewildered family, “You can’t fake Sony quality.” Justin chimes in with, “The more sports you watch on a Sony, the better you get. At sports.” And then a TV appears with the words HDNA scrawled across it, though the announcer says it’s called a Bravia. I don’t know what HDNA is, and I was there when they unveiled it.
newVideoPlayer( {“type”:”video”,”player”:”http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/Lo5gbTirdn4&hl=en&fs=1&fmt=22″,”customParams”:[],”width”:500,”height”:412,”ratio”:0.824,”flashData”:”",”embedName”:null,”objectId”:null,”noEmbed”:false,”source”:”youtube”} );
In a rather ironic twist, these ads got remix treatment by the Gregory Brothers of Auto-tune the News fame. This isn’t some Gray Album bootleg, but a viral video sanctioned by Sony’s marketing department, an approval that shows Sony can make some daring choices when they want to. But was it the right move? I enjoy this remix more than any of the original ads, but it doesn’t clear up any frustration either. It is a distortion of a distortion of a message.
newVideoPlayer( {“type”:”video”,”player”:”http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/cTfmQht0AdE&hl=en&fs=1&fmt=22″,”customParams”:[],”width”:500,”height”:412,”ratio”:0.824,”flashData”:”",”embedName”:null,”objectId”:null,”noEmbed”:false,”source”:”youtube”} );
Don’t you feel like the Gregory Brothers know this? They openly mock the customers, and they repeat “these all seem the same” over and over—and over. I couldn’t help but flash a knowing smile when Julia Allison explains that the Sony PC is different because it has a Blu-ray drive and an HD screen. Like every other Windows laptop in that range.
Where Do They Go From Here?
When criticizing advertising, the easiest thing to do is to point to Apple as the counter example. “Well, Apple would’ve done it this way.” But truthfully, Apple achieves what most companies strive to pull off, an entertaining but earnest look at the product being sold, or a comedic vignette that drives a single sales point home. (Say what you want about Justin Long, but Hodgman’s Eeyore of a PC sure sells Macs.) Like everything else, Sony needs to focus. Instead of hiring 20 different artists to conceive of crazy shit, why not create a global ad campaign that focuses on specific actual products, and portrays their standout features in a way that doesn’t sound like it’s mocking the products or the customers? My only fear is that as Sony has less and less to brag about, this strategy will be harder to work out. Still, it’s worth a shot: Pick your best products, get closeup shots, play some baby music in the background, and tell us why we should buy them. No psychedelia, no anthropomorphic gimmicks, and no smirking.
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Error: 8001050F Takes Down PlayStation Network [Playstation]
Something is happening in PlayStation Network land this evening, and it isn’t good. Known cryptically as Error: 8001050F, all we know right now is it won’t allow users to log into their accounts or play online.
According to one user over at the official PlayStation boards, the error does not prevent him from using the Internet via his PS3, but logins have become nigh impossible. Several other users chimed in after that comment to report identical problems.
Who amongst the Gizmodo population can’t access PSN right now to play MAG or any of the other online games at your disposal? And, if so, what the heck are you doing instead?
For more info, hit the links or visit Kotaku for more. [IGN Boards, PlayStation Boards - Thanks, Janesh]
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This Week’s Gaming Stories You Cannot Miss [Roundups]
I remember the good old days, when 2 or 3 guns was all a man needed.
The Secret Armory Of General Knoxx Opens This Week
MORE GUNSSSSS!!!!
Kotaku-Tan, The T-Shirt For The Kotaku Fan
Nice work by Meatbun.
Super Mario Galaxy 2: Yoshi’s Back…and He Brought a Drill!
I like that Yoshi. He’s a good guy.
Heavy Rain Explores Player Depression With Freezes And Glitches
I had one crash during Heavy Rain, but two of my characters died because the SIXAXIS motion controls are so horrid.
The Stalling Of An Anti-Bush Video Game
This is exactly why I don’t vote except when I do.
Don’t Worry, DSi XL Fits In My Rear Left Pocket
Thank. God.
Kirsten Dunst Is Your Magical Nerd Princess
I’m not sure what this has to do with gaming, but it was on Kotaku and I found it appropriately strange, so there.
Resident Evil 5: Lost In Nightmares Micro-Review: Less Fighting, More Frightening
I played a lot of RE5, but I still preferred the earlier, fixed camera games in the series.
Warner Buys Batman: Arkham Asylum Devs
Smart move.
Hands-On, Sword Out With Red Steel 2
Finally, we’re getting some decent swordplay on the Wii.
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Two PS3 Slim Models Glimpsed On FCC [Playstation]
Still mashing your thumbs on the original PS3, after the PS3 Slim failed to ignite your fire? Yeah, me too—but unfortunately Sony’s not going to give us love anytime soon, looking at these FCC documents.
The two documents don’t detail any of the changes, though it looks like they’re physically similar to the current Slims available today. Bluetooth 2.0 and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi are both ever-present, but as for the other components? Start revving your Photoshop’s engine to send some “leaks” spiraling onto the gadget blogs. [FCC via PS3 News via Engadget]
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