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The Electronic Entertainment Expo. For gamefans it’s Christmas and the World Cup all in one. The world’s largest videogames event is where companies like Sony and Nintendo make key announcements about their latest hardware and games.

Uptil now it was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The event will now be evolving into a more “intimate” event focused on targeted, personalized meetings and activities, the organization announced.

Are we spotting dark clouds above Gameland?

(source: Gamasutra.com)

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Some good news coming out of the display division, finally. Sony said net profit rose to 216 million euro in Q2. In short: flatscreens and phones (Sony Ericsson’s Walkman-branded phones in particular) are making up for the heavy PS3-losses.

(source: ZDnet.be)

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Bill Gates knows what it’s like to have the European Union on his tail. Now Sony and Toshiba may expect some of the same treatment from the European Commission.

The Commission is investigating on HD DVD and Blu-ray. However, no complaints or charges so far. According to a spokesman, the Commission just wants to know more details about the licensing of their products.

So if you’ve ever wondered what Brussels is doing with your tax money, there’s your answer. Once you buy a new player (beit HD DVD or Blu-ray), you’ll know you pay a fair price.

More details on the BBC website.

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Sony announced some future plans for the PlayStation Portable (PSP), at Comic-Con, a comic book event in San Diego, USA.
* Upgraded PSPs will work as a remote for the upcoming PS3 (thus following Nintendo who did the same with Game Boy Advance and GameCube)
* The newest PSPs will support RSS feeds for the built-in web browser
* Sony is also looking at ways to bring downloadable movies to PSP owners, which might be the final blow for UMD.

(source: tweakers.net)

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Light-years ago – say: the Seventies – people wanting to buy a video recorder were faced with a difficult choice. On the one hand, Sony had its Betamax standard. JVC however promoted the VHS. All other manufacturers were divided into those two camps. In the long run, a practical matter (longer tapes) made most consumers decide in favour of VHS.

Now, in 2006, a similar war seemed to start between Blu-ray and HD-DVD producers, both boasting to be the real successor to DVD.

(more…)

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LG Electronics proudly announces that it has won the prestigious Reddot Design Award for ‘Design Team of the Year 2006′.

As Jae Jin Shim, President of the LG Corporate Design Center put it: “(…) we have to set a good example for the development and availability of innovative, distinctive design – creative design, numbering among the best throughout the world consumers can find.”

On the same night, prizes were handed out in different categories. A small selection from the category Media and Home Electronics:

• The Nokia 8800 mobile phone by Nokia

• The SA-FT7ED speaker system by Sony

• The Spheros R 37 LCD TV by Loewe

More eye candy to be found at Reddot.

And now that we are getting the hang of it, just one more: Samsung’s Braille Mobile Phone has won at the IDEA 2006 Awards.

(source: LG Electronics newsletter)

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Dutch foundation ‘Natuur en Milieu‘ made an unusual review of television sets recently. Image quality, looks, speakers, number of slots, price, nifty features… all of the usual criteria were put aside. The only question that mattered was: ‘how much electricity does the TV use?’

First in the +30″ category, was Sony’s KLVS32A10 (151 kWh a year).
Overall winner was the Samsung LW20M21, a set consuming merely 67 kWh a year.

Rankings change constantly. But one thing’s for sure, taking into consideration your energy bill when buying a new television appears to be a smart move.
For more details about low-energy devices, see Euro-Topten, an initiative supported by the Intelligent Energy Europe program (IEE).

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So far, Sony’s PlayStation 2 was the undisputed market leader in the video game console business. Microsofts Xbox and the GameCube by Nintendo didn’t come even close.

According to a report by DFC Intelligence however, it’s red alert for Sony and its upcoming console. The PlayStation 3 promises to be rather costly for young gamers. The PS3 would sell at 499 euro, whereas the Xbox 360 for instance already sells at 299 euro.

Sony on the other hand claims the price tage is justified, since the PS3 is equipped with a Blu-ray drive. In November 2006 we’ll know who’s right…

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