Sony
The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S Bring Spatial Audio to the Forefront of Gaming
With the Microsoft Xbox Series X and Series S releasing today and the Sony PlayStation 5 joining it in less than 48 hours, gamers are preparing to sink hundreds — if not thousands — of hours into the new hardware over the next handful of years. But while most of the headlines will focus on the 4K visuals, significantly increased framerates, and effectively nonexistent loading times, one of the major upgrades for audiophiles out there is the improvement in spatial audio — or 3D sound, as most marketing teams are phrasing it. In layman’s terms, what that means is effectively the next step up in tying sound sources to specific locations and directions. Although you may not get the full experience without a home theater “surround sound” kind of setup or a good pair of headphones (Astro’s new A...
HHW Gaming: PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X Both Getting Solid Reviews From Critics
Source: Microsoft / Sony The next-generation of gaming is here. Now it’s time to see what the critics say about Sony and Microsoft’s new video game consoles. Our resident gamer already shared his two-cents on the Xbox Series X, pointing out that it successfully closes the gap between PC and console gaming once Thursday’s (Nov.5) embargo lifted. Friday (Nov. 6) was the PS5’s turn, and the reviews are pouring in. When it comes to both consoles, the consensus is very positive, with reviewers giving their honest opinions on why both the Xbox Series X and PS5 are solid entries into the next generation of gaming. We know many gamers have already made up their minds when it comes to picking which console they want to use to embark on their next-gen gaming journey, but there are still some people ...
HHW Gaming: Sony Says Don’t Bother Going To Stores To Cop A PS5 On Launch Date
Source: Sony / PlayStation We are literally just days away from the launch of both PS5 and Xbox Series X. The thirst is still real for a PlayStation 5 following pre-order jig, and if you plan on hitting a physical store in hopes of getting a console, Sony has some news for you. In a blog post, Sony told gamers to stay home on the PS5’s launch date, November 12 (November 19, depending on what region you live in), because there will be no consoles being sold in-store. The company explains that its decision to keep sales strictly online only keeps gamers, retailers, and staff safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Per Sony: “Hi, all – the launch of the PlayStation 5 console on November 12 (or November 19, depending on your region) is almost upon us! In the interest of keeping our gamers, retailer...
Sony Unveils ‘PlayStation Ready’ Bravia TV Lineup
Sony has unveiled a lineup of its current Bravia TVs that are officially ‘Ready for PlayStation 5’. The new ‘Ready for PlayStation 5’ tagline has been created in partnership with Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) to make it easier for consumers to select the “optimum TV in preparation for the highly anticipated launch of PlayStation 5, the next-generation game console releasing this holiday season”. The first ‘Ready for PlayStation 5’ TVs from Sony includes the standout X90H 4K HDR Full Array LED. The X90H displays gameplay images of up to 4K resolution at 120 fps with a very low input lag of 7.2ms. ‘Ready for PlayStation 5’ TV models also boast Bravia Game Mode, which allows users to automatically play games on the PS5 console with low latency. Thanks to Bravia Game Mode, users can wak...
Sony Music Shrugs Off Pandemic, Reports Q2 Gains
Within that, the company received a one-time gain of 6.5 billion yen ($62.2 million) by selling shares of Big Hit Entertainment subsidiary Pledis and another 5.4 billion yen ($50.85 million) in what it terms a music company business transfer of an undisclosed business, which it apparently no longer owns a stake in. But even without those gains, the company would have posted a 40.95 billion yen ($384.7 million) in operating income, or a 9.3% increase. The Sony segment containing its music operations breaks out to:— Recorded music operations of Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Music Japan comprising 123.3 billion yen ($1.16 billion). That’s a 9.9% increase from the 2019 second quarter when recorded music tallied 112.2 billion yen ($1.045 million).— Music publishing operations of Sony/ATV Mu...
HHW Gaming: Sony Giving Away Free Black Lives Matter PS4 Theme
Source: Sony / PS4 The PS5 is right around the corner, but Sony wanted to let folks know not to let that distract you from this one crucial fact, BLACK LIVES MATTER. Monday (Oct.19), Sony announced that PS4 owners can download a free theme supporting the BLM movement featuring the rallying cry that was birthed following the tragic shooting of Trayvon Martin. The static theme features a Black and yellow design with a raised fist on the lower right corner with the Black Lives Matter located on the lower left side. It also has custom icons but lacks any special sound effects or ambient background music. This gesture marks the second time Sony has stood in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Following the unjust death of George Floyd at the hands of Minnesota police officers, Sony...
HHW Gaming: PS5 Owners Will Be Able To Record Party Chats & Drop Dime On Other Players
Source: Sony / PlayStation Wednesday (Oct.14), Sony had gamers absolutely upset after updating the firmware on their PS4 consoles. Now the company is clarifying the issue, and it’s not what gamer’s initially thought. After PS4 owners happily downloaded the latest 8.0 firmware update, their moods quickly shifted to disgusted when they were met with a notice stating that Sony had the right to record their voice for moderation purposes. The outrage was very swift on social media, and gamer’s voiced their frustrations about the latest development. Sony heard all of the complaints and decided it was in its best interest to clarify exactly what this new notice meant. You can all basically breathe a sigh of relief because Sony themselves won’t be recording you. In fact, it will be PS5 owners who ...
Sony could Record PS4 and 5 Users Voice Chats
Sourced from Bloomberg PlayStation users were surprised to discover that Sony’s latest 8.0 update could give the tech company permission to record voice chats – for moderation purposes. Not only did sony break every ps4 due to how bad the update was, they’re even recording us #PS4 pic.twitter.com/006eQznRdf — Mini (@_Minii17) October 14, 2020 According to The Verge, the update’s initial release notes “contained no mention of voice recordings”. But they have since been modified to bring clarity to the situation. “Following this update, users are seeing a notification about Party Safety and that voice chats in parties may be recorded. Voice chat recording for moderation is a feature that will be available on PS5 when it launches and will enable users to record their voice chats on PS5 ...
Sony Unveils New ‘Extra Bass’ Wireless Speaker
Sony has launched its new Extra Bass wireless speaker line-up – made up of the SRS-XB43, SRS-XB33 and SRS-XB23. The new range features superb sound quality, toughness and usability, all housed in refreshed new designs. “Our new SRS-XB43, SRS-XB33 and SRS-XB23 Extra Bass wireless speakers are designed to offer South African music lovers deep, punchy bass in a durable, refreshed look so their favourite music can be enjoyed the way artists’ intended,” says Takakiyo Fujita, MD at Sony Middle East and Africa. “This new XB range uses Sony’s renowned audio technology to produce exceptional sound quality.” X-Balanced Speaker Unit The Extra Bass wireless XB speaker range features Sony’s newly developed X-Balanced Speaker Unit, which is engineered to achieve high sound quality and powerful sound pre...
Sony to Launch Alpha 7S III in South Africa
Sony has announced that the Alpha 7S full-frame mirrorless camera series — the Alpha 7S III — will be available in South Africa from the first week of October, for R64 999,00. [embedded content] The Sony Alpha 7S III features a brand new 12.1MP back-illuminated full-frame image sensor with ultra-high sensitivity and 15+ stop wide dynamic range. The camera boasts a host of impressive video recording capabilities, including 4K 120p and 10-bit 4:2:2 colour depth, a new heat-dissipating mechanism and dual-slot relay recording that delivers over one-hour of 4K 60p movie shooting. A brand new autofocus system, touch screen interface and side flip LCD screen make the new Alpha 7S III the ultimate creative tool for video professionals and all types of hybrid stills/video shooters. /* custom css */...
Sony Reveals PlayStation 5 Launch Date and Price Tag
Sony has officially announced the launch date as well as the pricing of its newest PlayStation consoles – the PlayStation 5 will retail for $499 while the disc-less PS5 Digital Edition is priced at $399. Both consoles are expected to become available on 12 November in the US, Japan, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea, before launching in the rest of the world on 19 November. System Specs and Features As previously revealed, the PlayStation 5 is running on a system similar to a high-end gaming PC. It features an 8 core Zen 2-based AMD CPU running at 3.5ghz. Its GPU is completely customised and based off of AMD’s next-generation RDNA 2 architecture capable of generating 10.28 teraflops. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_1e5.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_1e5.td-a-rec-img img{ mar...
Sony Introduces New Smart TVs to South Africa
Sony has announced the arrival of its new TV range which comprise of the A8H, X90H, X75H and X80H 4K models. The lineup is equipped with the Android 9 Pie smart TV platform, powered by Sony’s proprietary and houses the game-changing Picture Processor X1. “We’re excited to announce the arrival of our TVs on South African shores, which boast the latest technologies to offer an immersive entertainment experience for fans,” says Shuichi Mugitani, Head of Marketing at Sony MEA. “The South African market is extremely important to us, which is why we’ve made it our top priority to fit this exciting new 2020 lineup with Sony’s innovative Voice Search and remarkable premium large screens – highlighting our commitment to delivering content the way creators intended. This new range of TVs is designed...
