2014 was a record-setting year in an enormous variety of ways, both good and bad. As we wrap up and head into 2015, here’s a look at what happened, and what we learned, in the 2014 that was. [More]
sony
Sony Extends PlayStation Store Sales While Still Experiencing Connectivity Issues
By 12.30.14
If you have a Sony PlayStation, you’re no doubt aware that the PlayStation Network went down for several days during the Christmas holiday and is still apparently experiencing problems. While the company isn’t yet offering any free stuff or reimbursing PlayStation Plus members for the downtime, it is extending a pair of sales in response to the incident. [More]
Sony Releasing “The Interview” Online Today For $6
By 12.24.14
The saga of the The Interview may finally be coming to an end, with Sony deciding to release the film for rental and purchase through multiple online outlets a day earlier than it had originally planned to put it in theaters. [More]
Sony’s PlayStation Now Coming To Samsung Smart TVs
By 12.24.14
Nearly a year ago at CES 2014, Sony CEO Kaz Hirai announced PlayStation Now, a cloud-based gaming service that would lets users access PlayStation 3 games without requiring a PS3. The service has thus far been available only on Sony devices, but the company confirmed today that it will bring PS Now to Samsung Smart TVs at some point in 2015. [More]
“The Interview” Will Actually Get A Limited Christmas Day Release
By 12.23.14
Take that, terrorists who may or may not be backed by the government of North Korea! Sony has confirmed today that it will go ahead with the Christmas Day release of The Interview but only at a small number of theaters. [More]
Sony To Twitter: Stop User From Publishing Stolen Files Or We’ll Sue
By 12.23.14
A week after Sony told reporters to stop doing their job of reporting on the contents stolen in the massive Sony data breach, the company is threatening to sue Twitter unless it stops users from sharing files that have been leaked. [More]
Sony Says ‘The Interview’ Will Be Distributed Somehow — George RR Martin Says “Let Me Show It”
By 12.22.14
The fallout continues from Sony’s decision to pull The Interview following threats from hackers with alleged ties to North Korea. Over the weekend, a lawyer for the entertainment giant said the movie will eventually be distributed but no one is saying just how this could happen. [More]
Obama: Sony “Made A Mistake” Pulling ‘The Interview’ From Theaters
By 12.19.14
The FBI announced today, and President Obama confirmed during a press conference, that North Korea is indeed behind the attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment. The President expressed his sympathy for Sony employees, but gave voice to what many in the United States are thinking: that hacks are inevitable, and in pulling their movie, Sony did the wrong thing. [More]
Report: U.S. Government Agrees North Korea Actually Is Behind The Hack Attack On Sony
By 12.18.14
It has been a bad, bad month for Sony Pictures. In the wake of the hack that loosed their employees’ most personal information onto the internet, threats of violence resulted in the cancellation of their Christmas-day comedy release The Interview. And now, federal investigators aren’t sure how to point the finger of blame — not because they don’t know who’s behind it, but because they do. North Korea is indeed to blame, administration officials say, and the U.S. has to figure out how to handle international relations in the face of what is not just another hack, but cyberterrorism. [More]
Sony Demands Reporters Stop Reporting On, Destroy Stolen Documents
By 12.15.14
Sony is still reeling from the recent massive hack that has opened a seemingly endless source of news stories about funny names that celebrities use to check into hotels and which movie stars are considered greedy jerks by greedier, jerkier studio executives. But now the company is hoping to put this to an end, sending legal notices to reporters asking them to cease writing about the stolen items and to delete anything they might have in their possession. [More]
Report: Sony To Officially Point Finger At North Korea For Huge Hack
By 12.3.14
Last week, it was revealed that Sony had been the victim of a massive data breach, resulting in the leak of Sony films, scripts, passwords, and sensitive information about employees and business operations. There have been rumors of suspected involvement by the North Korean government in the hack, and a new report claims that Sony will officially name the country as the source of the breach. [More]
Sony Pictures Hacked, Films Released Online; North Korea On List Of Suspects
By 12.1.14
Sony Pictures Entertainment, the film studio division of international entertainment giant Sony, was the victim of a major hack last week. Not only did the attack majorly disrupt work at the studio nationwide, but also it appears that the bad guys got their hands on some goodies while they were there: at least four Sony films that haven’t even been released yet are already zipping their way around the internet. [More]
Sony To Issue Refunds Over Misleading PS Vita Ads
By 11.25.14
When Sony launched its handheld PlayStation Vita device nearly three years ago, ads promised that the Vita would include “game changing” technology, like the ability to play games stored remotely on PlayStation 3 consoles, or that you could save a game on your PS 3 and use your Vita to pick up where you left off, or that you could use the 3G version of the Vita to access a library of multiplayer games anywhere with a data connection. The Vita never quite lived up to this early hype, which is why — as part of a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission — Sony will issue partial refunds to early adopters of the device. [More]
Sony’s Streaming TV Service Will Offer 75 Channels, Start Testing This Month, But For How Much?
By 11.13.14
Sony has finally provided some concrete details on its much anticipated streaming TV service, including a name, an expected launch window, and some info about its channel lineup, but the company still isn’t saying how much it’s going to charge. [More]
Sony’s Online Pay-TV Service To Launch With Channels You Might Actually Want To Watch
By 9.10.14
After what seemed like an eternity of news leaks, rumors, and promises of an online-only pay-TV service from Sony, the company has finally announced that it will indeed be launching that cloud-based service, and that it will start with a slate of channels including some that humans actually watch. [More]
EA To Offer $5 Monthly All-You-Can-Play Old Game Buffet For Xbox One Owners
By 7.30.14
Disc-based video games aren’t doomed yet; there are many years left to go before their seemingly-inevitable demise finally comes. One big game publisher, though, is clearly already scrounging for the nails they eventually hope to put into the lid of that particular coffin. EA this week announced a new online subscription service giving players unlimited access to a whole “vault” of games for as long as they keep paying the monthly fee. Is it a great idea for consumers or a blatant cash-grab from EA? In reality, probably a little bit of both. [More]
These Are The End Times For The Gaming Console
By 6.11.14
The newest, fastest, shiniest, next generation of video game consoles — Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4 — launched to great fanfare last fall. They are both generally well-received and have sold in respectable numbers. Both companies have declared success, and not without reason. And yet, in spite of all the indicators of a thriving console business, this is almost certainly the last generation of set-top video game consoles we will ever see. [More]
