You’ve probably seen the 30-second TV ads promoting that new 2-hour commercial for Google starring those two actors from that other movie that people really liked eight years ago. We’d like to think product placement has sunk to a new low, but every time we’re convinced that advertisers have hit bottom, someone throws them a more powerful digging implement. [More]
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From The Shameless To The Egregious, We Grade The Product Placements In 12 Ad-Packed Movies
By 6.7.13
Sony Is Hurt I Got PSN Codes Through Amazon, Won’t Give Me $10 Store Credit
By 5.31.13
Sony had this great deal offering $10 in store credit for every $50 that they spent in the PlayStation Network online store. Shane decided to give making purchases in the PSN store a try, because, hey, free money! Only in his attempt to avoid handing over his credit card info to Sony, he inadvertently didn’t fulfill one of the terms of the deal, and Sony won’t give him one of his $10 credits. [More]
Microsoft To Announce New Xbox Tomorrow; Sony Teases Video Of Playstation 4 Today
By 5.20.13
It’s been three full months since Sony announced — but did not unveil — the Playstation 4 videogame console. And with Microsoft about to announce its follow-up to the Xbox 360 tomorrow, Sony must have figured today was as good a day as any to finally show a glimpse of the PS4. [More]
Playstation Says No Free Trial Because It’s Already Tomorrow In England
By 4.1.13
When something has an expiration date and an end time isn’t specified, you sort of assume that the “day” ends at midnight where you are, or where the company is based. Most people do, anyway, and they shouldn’t. That’s what Howard learned when he tried to activate a free trial of PlayStation Plus, and he was a few hours too late. Not because he had forgotten to call before the offer expired, but because the day was already over. If you use Greenwich Mean Time. [More]
Sony Announces New Game Console And It’s Called… The PlayStation 4
By 2.20.13
UPDATE: The press conference finally ended just after 8 p.m., with the revelation that the PS4 will be released “Holiday 2013.” No images of the actual console and alas, no pricing info. Dang. [More]
The End Of A Gaming Era: Sony Says The Last PlayStation 2 Has Shipped
By 12.28.12
As someone who can still remember the unbridled glee that greeted whichever new gaming system arrived in our household of three brothers and one sister who wanted to be a part of it all, it just feels right to note the final journey of Sony’s Playstation 2. The company says the very last PS2 has shipped and there will be no more — zip, nada, nary a one — after delighting gamers everywhere for over 12 years. [More]
Sony Decides Trade-In Value Of My Computer Is $0
By 12.20.12
Trade-in programs that promise consumers a discount or cash for their old gadgets benefits everyone. The company–let’s say, for example–Sony–makes a sale. The old gadget gets a new life, or gets recycled. The customer gets a discount, and gets rid of their old device in a way that’s more convenient and safer than placing a Craigslist ad. In theory. That’s not working for Jeff, though. He sent in his old Vaio laptop to swap it for a gift card. He’d get double the listed trade-in value if he bought a new computer. Not bad. Assuming that they acknowledged receiving the computer, and that Sony determined the trade-in value to be more than $0. [More]
Sony Files Very Real Lawsuit Against Fake Sony Executive
By 10.8.12
You probably know actor Jerry Lambert as “Kevin Butler,” the man who has played the character of Sony Executive Kevin Butler in a long-running series of ads for the PlayStation brand. Now Lambert can add “defendant” to his resume, as Sony is apparently unhappy with his appearance in an ad for another company that features him playing Nintendo. [More]
Raiders Of The Lost Walmart Find More Ancient Gadgets
By 4.13.12 — Updated: 8.15.13
Consumerist readers are a determined bunch. Against all odds, you keep going: exploring Walmart stores across the country in search of the oldest and most obsolete items that Wally World has to offer. [More]
Sony’s Removal Of Linux PS3 Option Screws Air Force
By 5.12.10 — Updated: 2.2.17
Apparently the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, New York took a look at available cheap computing power and decided that the PS3 with Linux was the way to go — until Sony removed the ability to install the OS with their latest firmware update. Now the Air Force is stuck with a lot of PS3s that can’t be repaired if they break — because Sony will update the firmware to remove the option to install Linux. [More]
Dead Goats Are Not Cool: Sony Apologizes For Using Freshly Slaughtered Goat At Video Game Release Party
By 4.30.07 — Updated: 10.25.12
Here’s the best idea ever: Get a slaughtered goat and use it as a prop at a release party for God of War II. Then, take pictures of the bloody carcass and put them in Official PlayStation Magazine. Oh wait, no. That’s not actually a very good idea at all.
Format War Hurts Sales
By 11.27.06 — Updated: 2.3.16
“The fight between Blu-ray and HD-DVD, reminiscent of the 1980s battle between Betamax and VHS tape formats [is] shaping up as a business disaster for movie studios, electronics companies and retailers that had counted on a robust holiday selling season for the fancy new players – which cost $500 to $1,000 – and movies to play in them.
