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Sony has previously offered credit cards, but not, until this week, a PlayStation card, in the U.S. Also, for a limited time only, those who sign up to the new PlayStation card will receive a $150 discount on a new Sony PS3. For those who don’t want to wait, you can sign up immediately, receive instant approval, and get "an immediate $150 credit when you purchase a PS3 directly through the website", bringing the total cost of an 40GB PlayStation 3 down to $249.99 (although this offer can be used with any model).

Those who don’t mind the wait can sign up here, and be redeemed later on, after approval - the only difference being that, with this option, the card can be used at any retail store too. In addition to the $150 discount, gamers will also receive a coupon entitling them to a buy one, get one free offer on any Blu-Ray DVD.

Whilst the price cut, coupon and full Visa benefits will appeal to the financially stable gamers, anyone who has had recent financial issues may struggle to get one of these, with tighter lending policies, since the economic downfall. However, gamers who can get one will undoubtedly appreciate what comes with it, with Black Friday coming soon, and the Christmas period that edges closer.

Some have called this a response to Microsoft’s price cuts earlier this year, and more cuts last year. However, others are sceptical, reminding us that Microsoft never required gamers to sign up for a credit card. Either way, the credit card should bring in some sales from the more financially sound gamers, although whether or not the card receives such positive reception after the special offer expires is debatable. So, what, if any, effect do you think this latest move by Sony will have on their PS3 sales, and what’s your opinion of the PlayStation card?

With a certain other console preparing a large fall update, Sony has decided to release information regarding upcoming firmware updates for both their Playstation 3 and PSP gaming platforms.

Firmware 2.50 for the PS3 will bring about a few new features, including some bluetooth enhancements. The user will now have on-screen access to information such as the volume, battery level, and mute status of their official Sony Bluetooth Headset. In addition, if using the official headset, users will now have access to a "High Quality" mode which will take advantage of the dual microphone design of the headset to improve communication quality. Along with the bluetooth enhancements, the PS3 update will also include support for in-game screenshots (future titles supporting this feature to be announced at a later date), improvements to the Trophy interface aimed at making it more intuitive, thumbnail based scene searching for videos, direct links from the Information Board to the Playstation store, and a power save feature which will power off the console or controllers after a selected period of inactivity.

On the portable side of things, firmware 5.00 for the PSP will bring about direct access to the Playstation Store, thus removing the need to first connect to a PC or PS3 console. Users will be able to download game content, demos, videos and anything else in the store over any available Wi-Fi connection. In addition to the store access, firmware 5.00 will include a full on-screen QWERTY keyboard for web browsing, replacing the mobile phone style pad used now, a sleep timer to be used during music playback, and the ability for compatible PSP’s (meaning not the PSP-1000) to output classic Playstation format titles at the full screen size of the connected TV.

Both updates are slated to be released on October 15th.

Researchers have demonstrated a flexible television screen which could result in people folding up their computer and putting it in their pocket. The design could be used for television and posters, as well as computers, while it could also pave the way for the development of newspaper display technology which would allow readers to upload daily news to an easy-to-carry display contraption.

The concept demo was unveiled by researchers from Sony and the Max Planck Institute in Germany who believe "Rigid television screens, bulky laptops and still image posters are to be a thing of the past". It is all organic, flexible and transparent with an extremely low energy requirement, while it has an almost unlimited viewing angle and high efficiency. There is no need for a backlight and response times are up to 10 times fast than LCDs (liquid crystal displays), meaning ultra-smooth motion without blurring. Due to the transparency, it is thought multiple layers can be stacked possibly for some types of 3D effects.

Previous attempts at flexible screens are hampered by size and resolution problems, while the image was also affected when the screen was folded. Moving images on posters, seen in films such as Minority Report could also be a possibility, as well as cereal boxes with talking images. Researchers told the Journal of Physics: "The displays have excellent brightness and are transparent, bendable and flexible. There are practically no display size limitations and they could be produced relatively easily and cheaply compared to today’s screens."

In 2006, Sony demonstrated an earlier version of this work, but technical, mechanical and design issues prevented them from mass producing the previous model.

Link: Read more at Telegraph

In a statement to reporters today, Stan Glasgow, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics, said that Sony is seeing little or no sign of softer demand among U.S. consumers for its range of digital TVs, cameras and computer goods despite a weakening economy. "We are not seeing clear signs of softness. In the high end, it is hard to keep up with the full demand," he said of demand for Sony’s pricier flat-panel TV models.
Heading into the company’s current fiscal year that started in April, Glasgow said that he had taken into consideration the impact of spiraling oil prices and the housing credit crunch in forecasting Sony’s U.S. growth for the coming year. "I didn’t see so much good in the economic forecasts," he stated. But despite these cautious calculations, underlying demand continues to power sales of products across major categories. "Sony Electronics is growing at a substantial level in the U.S." relative to the fiscal year that ended in March of this year, Glasgow told Reuters. "We are exceeding the aggressive goals we set."

View: Full Story at Reuters

Sony is getting ready to directly link its consumer electronics products and considerable movie and TV content libraries. Later this year the company will begin providing video content to PlayStation 3 users via the recently-launched PlayStation Network, and will start a streaming video service for owners of Bravia TVs with a network connection.
"This continues to be one of the clearest opportunities for Sony to leverage its entertainment assets to differentiate its electronics products," said Howard Stringer, chairman and CEO of Sony at a Tokyo news conference. As part of the push the company will increasingly build Internet connectivity into its products. By March 2011, it plans to have network-enabled and wireless capable products available in 90 percent of its product categories, and aims to roll out the video services to key devices by the same date.

View: The full story @ PCWorld

Several “anonymous sources” have this weekend emerged from the woodwork to spread news of the 80GB PS3 being pushed aside to make giving way to a new larger SKU.
Stories suggest that the 80GB SKU currently on sale in US is due for the chop, with a 120GB version set to replace it.
This would go hand-in-hand with a previous statement from SCEE president and CEO, who hinted last year that a 120GB PS3 could be possible.
“The difference between 60 and 80GB is very small, we just feel that going up 20GB is not worth it,” he said, adding: “if you go to double it, it’s worth it … so maybe you’ll see something a little bit later.”

Sony UK, however, dismissed this weekend’s reports as “rumour and speculation”.
If the rumours turn out to be true, the 80GB console will be the third SKU axed in just over a year since the console’s release. But does Sony really need to release another new PS3 so soon? It might be a different story once PlayTV is up and running.