I’ve seen many TVs, but few have the simplicity, style, and dazzling high-quality picture as…a Playstation branded TV? Yes, you read that right. Not only is Sony’s first “for-gaming” TV crazy good, it’s an HD 3DTV for $500. I can’t remember the last time I played console games on a display that looked this good. The clarity, the accuracy in colors, the excellent backlight that only brightens the picture and not the screen…color me impressed.

It’s sad then that the only reason I can’t recommend it to everyone today is the tiny size and first-gen design quirks. Almost nothing else limits this brilliant TV.

Inside the Box

The Sony Playstation 3D Display a TV that doesn’t follow typical television nomenclature (Vizio VX32L, Sony Bravia XBR HX929, other terrible names that mean nothing to users.). Whoever started naming TV sets must have hated marketers, and this TV bucks that trend. Instead, the full name is too long. “Sony Playstation 3D Display” is too long. PSTV, or Playstation 3DTV would be far simpler and better. For the purposes of this review I’ll keep the name PSTV.

Out of the box, two realities immediately hit home: it’s a small TV and the TV is all you get. The PSTV is a 24” TV, as small as home TVs get. For comparison, most 24″ HDTVs are 720p and under $300. The PSTV is strange for it’s screen size; it’s a small TV but a large computer monitor. The integrated speakers are like elephant ears, and take up a lot of horizontal space. More importantly, the display itself is awfully small for a TV set, whether it’s for games or TV viewing. But more on screen size later.

When opening the box, users will find only three things: the PSTV, a set of 3D glasses, and the power cable. It really is as bare-bones as TVs go, which is good because Sony keeps things simple, but how about a remote? No remote is included and Sony currently doesn’t have one available (media controls are available through the Playstation 3 using a Bluetooth remote or controller). The PSTV does have an IR sensor, so universal remotes do work with the set.

Build and Design

The PSTV is slim, and surprisingly so. For a 1080p display, it crams all of the essentials while maintaining excellent picture quality. With a completely black coat remeniscient of the Playstation 2 design (the older finish, not the newer PS3 original glossy decal or updated gunmetal matte), and it looks great. Product shots provided by companies of their own products generally make those products look better than they actually do. In this case, Sony is dead on. The PSTV looks great, and on the whole it is really well designed.

But piece-by-piece, there are three major snags. The first is the lack of ports, or rather, the lack of a coaxial port. The PSTV includes two HDMI ports and Component ports, and that’s it. For a TV, this is a surprise. The only way to watch cable through the PSTV is to have an HD-ready cable box (which most of us still don’t have), or through your game console. My office cable box is SD-only, but I was able to watch streaming TV through my Xbox 360 (thanks to the Verizon IPTV app). Unfortunately TV streaming for the PS3 is still in its fledgling stages in the US.

The controls are also very oddly placed on the back right of the PSTV, and they are hell to reach. With no included remote this is especially tiresome. The menu system is designed with those poorly placed buttons in mind. It points to which button to press for what action, and the menu navigation is very fluid and easy to use, the best I’ve ever seen on a TV.

Picture and Audio Quality

As I said above, the picture quality is excellent. When I met with Sony representatives a few months back, they said the PSTV was completely a Playstation-branded initiative. Sony Electronics, which builds Bravia TVs (among many other things) didn’t make it. The focus was clearly on perfect picture quality, and they did a damn fine job. The only thing that really matters with any display is great visuals, and the PSTV nailed it. I’ve never seen a TV that looked this good for under $1,500.

The only problem I’ve found is the very glossy display, which because of the screen’s small size and how close I regularly sat in front of the TV to see it, compounded glare and reflections. The closer you are to a reflective surface the more reflections and glare you’ll see, and the PSTV is oh so guilty of the crime of reflection.

I am also very impressed with the backlight, which produces no lightbleed or oversaturation at any brightness. This is uncanny among both TVs and monitors, and damn amazing for an LCD panel. Colors are very accurate, and the framerate is consistently excellent. This is because of the 240Hz refresh rate, which seems incredible but is designed for two people simultaneously playing in 3D (more on that in ‘3D Quality’).

The built-in speakers produce adequate sound for a display of this size. I wouldn’t recommend them for serious gaming though. I regularly had trouble placing directional audio, and the sound in general was light and at higher pitches tinny. At higher volumes the sound cracks. For regular TV viewing or light gaming the built-in speakers are good, but more serious gaming or for watching movies I recommend using a dedicated 2.1 speaker set.

3D Quality

3D is unique on the PSTV because it uses Sony’s own developed technology called SimulView. SimulView displays two different images on the same screen for two different people to watch simultaneously, and each will only see the picture intended for them. It works by using the included (1) shutter glasses to only show half of the picture. That’s why the PSTV has a 240Hz refresh rate: 60Hz for each eye, for two players.

Today there are only games that support SimulView, including Motorstorm Apocolypse, Gran Turismo 5, Killzone 3, and Super Stardust HD. I tested all of the games, and SimulView works great. It greatly improves playing coop on a single display. I never found a lack of clarity, and there shouldn’t be. The human eye sees at 24/25Hz, so 60Hz per eye is more than enough.

General 3D image quality is also excellent, though it really depends more on the game than the display. The screen produces crisp 3D picture, and there is very little movement from bobbing heads (moving your head side to side produces a slight movement of the image on the screen). It isn’t the best 3D I’ve tested, but the combination of excellent picture quality and very good 3D quality makes it the best 3D display to date.

My only concern regarding 3D is the small display size. Over the years my biggest complaint for 3D gaming is that the screen needs to be large for the 3D effect to be meaningful. Computer monitors max out at 27″ for 3D, and 3DTVs can get very large but often come with their own 3D glasses and technology. Even with larger screens 3DTVs are relatively smaller because of the greater distance from the TV than a computer monitor. PC gaming has so far provided the best home 3D setup, though that will likely change with better 3D projectors.

At 24”, the PSTV is small for both a TV and a 3D display. This minimizes the 3D effect unless you’re sitting very close to the screen. Because 3D today goes into the TV (deep) instead of outside the TV (in your face), closeness to the screen is only a problem your grandmother will complain about (“if you sit that close to the TV you are going to go blind!). The overall 3D experience, unless you’re very close to the TV, is lacking. For two players this poses a unique problem of being very physically close to one another while playing, though relatively speaking a single 24″ display provides more picture than a 50″ TV going split-screen.

Conclusion

The Playstation 3D Display has the best video quality of any TV three times its price. It may be one of the best gaming products ever built, and I hope to see more in the future. As the first Playstation TV it has a few design mistakes (no remote, poorly placed buttons), but the exceptional build of this TV is undeniable.

The biggest problem, both for everyday users and 3D gamers, is the size. 24” is small for a TV. It fits on a computer desk, though it doesn’t make the best monitor. Text isn’t very clear, and it doesn’t make for the best computer monitor. But for anyone with one display interested in getting a second, the PSTV is a great option for viewing media, playing games, and even for applications such as picture and video editing.

As a standalone TV, the PSTV lacks a coaxial input but works well with today’s game consoles. If you’ve forsaken cable TV for internet TV and videos or have an HD cable box, the PSTV will fit right in. College students and anyone on a budget can’t find a better deal than this. Assuming it meets your needs, I highly recommend the Playstation 3D Display. If it doesn’t, wait until Sony puts out a model twice the size. With this kind of quality, the company would be crazy not to.

Editor’s Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

Great

Bottom Line: The best TV you can buy for $500. Excellent video, perfect for gaming, but it needs to match your conditions. A perfect display as a secondary PC monitor/game console TV at a workstation. There’s a reason why it fit in multiple gift guides.

Pros:

• Excellent video quality
• Solid 3D reproduction
• Minimalist hardware and software design

Sony’s Vita isn’t exactly destroying sales records.  The portable console went on sale in Japan already and reports have flooded in stating that it is anything but the run away hit the company needed.  As a result, and to help bolster sales here in the US, Sony will be rewarding those who preordered the Vita as well as those who stand in line on launch day, February 22nd.

For those that preordered the $350 bundle, Sony will now toss in 250mb of 3G access for anyone that activates the device on AT&T’s network, as well as one free Playstation Network game.  Remember, this is in addition to the included items, which are a 4GB PS Vita memory card, a limited edition case and the Little Deviants game.

And for you folks that plan to stand in line on February 22nd, you’ll be rewarded with a an 8GB PS Vita Memory Card, 250GB of AT&T DataConnect Pass and a PlayStation Network game all for $299.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that comparisons between the iPhone and Playstation Vita were abound, even though they are very different devices. The iPhone, obviously a phone, and the Vita, obviously not a phone, still carry a lot of the same characteristics. And for better or worse, even game consoles like the Nintendo 3DS, DS, and PSP have had a run for their maker’s money because of products like the iPhone.

Then again, considering how the two devices are so vastly different, this comparison won’t be a direct head-to-head. Instead, we’ll compare both based on equal ground, or as close as they get to it.

Display

From my testing of the Vita and the iPhone 4S, along with a number of other handhelds and smartphones, this is a tough call. The iPhone 4S has Apple’s retina display, a 326ppi 960×640 resolution screen that is extremely dense. It uses a high-quality 3.5″ TFT capacitive touchscreen that has, ever since the original iPhone, worked well in direct sunlight.

Meanwhile, the Vita has a 220ppi 960×544 OLED display, which is significantly less dense while on a 5″ screen. On the one hand that means that colors will be more vibrant and saturated, with darker blacks, but the downside is that the display won’t be nearly as visible in bright conditions. Recent OLED displays I’ve tested, including the Samsung Galaxy S II and Epic 4G Touch, are visible in direct sunlight, but that’s thanks to Samsung’s double-pane SuperAMOLED+ system. Sony uses a different glass model for their OLED display.

The benefits of OLED are this: more vibrant colors (to the point of exageration), deeper blacks, and less power drain. TFT, however, is brighter, more accurate, and has been used for decades (and is thus a more refined technology). So what really makes the difference here is the size and density. The Vita is bigger at 5″, and for video and gaming the density won’t be as important as for reading text.

Winner: PS Vita, but it’s close. If the iPhone were larger, or perhaps if we compared a different phone like the HTC Rezound (which has a 720p TFT display), the results would be different.

Processor

At this point, it’s safe to call the iPhone’s A5 processor old. It’s been around since last April in the iPad 2, and the chip in the iPhone 4S is even underclocked to 800MHz. The Vita, according to some developers, has an average clock speed of 800MHz but can go up to 2GHz. However, at that high speed the power drain will be significant, so most games are expected to play between 800MHz-1GHz. Both are based on the ARM Cortex A9 design, but Sony’s chip also shares many similarities with the PS3′s Cell processor. It’s a quad-core chip (compared to the iPhone 4S’ dual-core), though as of now it’s unclear just how powerful the chip is. It will take developers some time to really stretch it out, as it did with the Cell CPU.

The only big difference here is that the next iPad, likely to release in the April/May time-frame, will have an updated processor, likely the A6. The next iPhone won’t have it until the holidays, but I expect it to have the same 1GHz frequency but be a quad-core chip. The Vita, on the other hand, won’t receive any major upgrades, but it will remain more powerful than the next gen iPhone and all other competing smartphones for at least two years. Still, that isn’t a long time. However, today, the Vita clearly has the more powerful processor.

Winner: PS Vita, thanks to a CPU with twice the cores and the potential to be 2.5x as fast as the current iPhone.

Storage

Storage is a big deal…but in this case, not to Sony. The PS Vita requires some sort of storage to play games and get apps, but doesn’t come with any whatsoever. Vita owners have to buy external storage, and specifically need Sony’s new Playstation Vita Card storage, not SD cards. The pricing isn’t bad: $20 for 4GB, $30 for 8GB, $60 for 16GB, and $100 for 32GB. I’ve asked Sony a few times concerning the speed of these Vita-specific flash cards, but haven’t received any response as of yet. SD cards are known to be unfortunately slow, so slow in fact that pro-grade camera manufacturers are dropping the format and creating their own for their cameras.

The iPhone 4S starts with 16GB and goes up to 64GB, with $100 between the three models. There’s no expandability with the iPhone, but at least it has internal memory to begin with. The Vita actually requires it and forces owners to put down at least an additional $20 just for 4GB. That means to match the iPhone 4S, in terms of storage today, you’d have to pay $310 for the Vita and a 16GB memory card. Then again, put down $350 and that amount of memory storage is the same as a 32GB iPhone 4S, which retails for $400 (plus 2-year service contract).

Winner: iPhone 4S, because it comes storage to begin with and doesn’t attempt to cheat buyers out of more money for required data storage. Until Sony gets back to me regarding their memory card speed, and unless it’s faster than typical (slow) SD cards, the iPhone is the winner, though at higher densities the Vita is a less expensive prospect.

Wireless Connectivity

The PS Vita comes in two models, Wi-Fi only and with 3G. The iPhone 4S meanwhile is a phone, though is also limited to 3G speeds. The kicker for the iPhone is that on AT&T, it has access to what AT&T loves to call 4G (though Apple refused to agree to such marketing for the device because it isn’t true 4G), though both Sprint and Verizon iPhone models are stuck on the slower 3G network. 4G allows for up to 28.8Mb/s data transfer rates, and in my experience is as fast as Sprint’s 4G network, offering roughly 8Mb/s down and 1Mb/s up.

That immediately dings the Vita, because it could, theoretically, have double the transfer speed. Worse yet for the console, contracts are only available in the US through AT&T. Without LTE online gaming is impossible, and with only 3G speeds apps and streaming videos will be slower than what nearly every smartphone released in the past six months. Including the iPhone 4S.

Winner: iPhone 4S, thanks to faster speeds and availability on more carriers.

Camera

The Vita has two VGA cameras (640×480), one on the front and one on the back. The iPhone 4S has an 8MP rear camera and a 1.3MP front camera. If that’s not enough, the iPhone 4S is today considered one of the best camera phones available.

If, for some reason you think I need to go on…the Vita has no flash, no hope for taking great pictures, and is only there so developers can potentially make use of it.

Winner: iPhone 4S, because it isn’t a tacked-on piece of junk.

Battery Life

Judging battery life between a gaming console and a phone may appear unfair, but in fact it’s the PS Vita that has the unfair advantage, especially if it’s the Wi-Fi only model. Not only does it sport a beefier 2210mAh battery, compared to the iPhone’s 1432mAh. The Vita’s 5″ display may be more power hungry, but OLED is less power intensive than LCD displays. And the iPhone is always connected because it’s a phone. Even then, Sony averages 3-5 hours of gameplay, 5 hours of video playback, and 9 hours of music playback. The iPhone 4S claims twice the video playback time, 4.5x the music playback time, and can browse the internet for 6 hours over 3G or 9 hours over Wi-Fi.

As for gaming? There aren’t specific numbers for the iPhone 4S yet, but I’ve been playing games like Grand Theft Auto III and the recent update to Rage HD, and it certainly lasts over five hours.

Winner: iPhone 4S, which has a smaller, less-dense battery but still creams the Vita.

Price

Normally, price would be easy to determine because every year a new iPhone released alongside a new iPod Touch. That didn’t happen with the iPhone 4S, meaning the current iPod Touch is the same as last year. It’s as powerful as the iPhone 4, so the iPhone 4S stands alone. Pricing for it is simple: $200 plus a two-year contract, with a $54.99 base price on AT&T. That comes out to roughly $1520 over two years, for the very minimum, and that’s assuming users have the older pricing scheme. Based on today’s minimum pricing, it would be $1640.

Meanwhile, the PS Vita will retail for $250, or $300 for the 3G model with a base $15/month, without a contract.  If there were an equally powerful iPod Touch, the story would be very different. The only alternative for the same power is the iPad 2, which at the base model retails for $500, double the price.

Winner: PS Vita, thanks mostly due to no new iPod Touch.

Gaming Capability

Gaming prowess is by far better on the PS Vita than the iPhone 4S, for three reasons. First, it has physical controls on top of the full touch controls found on the iPhone and any smartphone. That means not only do users get essentially a PS3 gamepad built into the Vita, the large 5″ display is a multi-touch touchscreen, and the back is a touch-sensitive panel to boot.

Second, as mentioned above, the processor is faster, more powerful, and has more cores. And third, the display is much larger (as mentioned above), providing a more inclusive gaming experience.

Winner: PS Vita, because it’s built to be a gaming machine.

Games

It’s a long-standing tradition that game consoles sell because of the number and quality of games released for it. The iPhone (and smartphones in general) have slowly changed that thanks to how easy it is to develop games and how so many people have smartphones.

When the PS Vita releases outside of Japan, it will have 12 launch titles. That number is expected to grow to 30 within the first few months after release. The iPhone, in the meantime, will accumulate at least another 1,000 games between the time you read this and the Vita’s actual release. The sad truth is most of those games will be 99 cents or free and not provide a “true” gaming experience.

However, the iPhone has a large number of excellent games available to it. They may be hard to find, but the fact is the Vita will be lucky to have the kind of game sales that iOS developers get.

For games, the dealbreaker for anyone, there are three important questions: will the quality of Vita games far surpass what we see in iPhone gaming today? Will there be a lot of PS Vita games, both full releases and mini games (ie board games, card games, minor apps that are fun for a few minutes at a time; not traditional console games)? And will the Vita see a lot of hacking, game emulation, and remote gameplay through the PS3? There’s no reason not to expect a higher quality of games coming to the Vita than the iPhone, though there are only 34 planned full-release games that we know of thus far. The Vita has already been hacked for remote play of PS3 games like Batman: Arkham City and Battlefield 3, meaning that the portable console can play full-fledged home console games via Wi-Fi streaming.

However, we already know that the iPhone can do the same thing through OnLive (though the service isn’t currently active on iOS; it is available on Android and waiting for Apple’s approval). Plus games on the iPhone can be played with an external controller, so long as the game supports it. Big-name titles like Infinity Blade 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies are only found on iOS.

There’s no denying that the iPhone has more games, and because of the sheer number will likely always have more better games than the Vita. Furthermore, because of how many iPhones are out there (and all iOS devices), it will take a few years before some developers take the Vita seriously, if at all. It’s sad, but for now, true. So many of the current iOS games sell so well that they can keep lower prices. High-end games like Infinity Blade 2 go for under $10. There are so many deals from developers that many drop down to a buck. The state of gaming on iOS is, right now, way better than not only the Vita when it releases in February, but frankly better than any dedicated console period. It may even be better than the PC.

Winner: iPhone 4S, because the current gaming ecosystem on iOS far surpasses any other gaming machine, dedicated or not.

Overall Winner: iPhone 4S (by a hair)

It’s close. Very, very close. However, what the better gaming device really comes down to, as it always does, is the value and quality of the games that are available for said device. In this case, Sony is fighting an uphill battle with the PS Vita, at least for now. With the potential to make not just most, but all PS1 (and even potentially PS2) games available for the Vita through the company’s Playstation Certification program (or just making those games available period), that can change. That tide can change overnight.

However, as of now the Vita doesn’t have that capability. Everything else regarding the games available has been bettered by the iPhone, and without the push from PS1 and PS2 games, the Vita will likely never prove to be the better gaming device because of a lack of content. It’s a sad, but clear and apparent truth.

Even then, it’s very close. The PS Vita has better gaming controls and is a better designed device specifically for gaming, even if the display has a lower resolution and is less visible in bright conditions. 5″ vs 3.5″ for a gaming screen is no comparison. The Vita beats the hell out of the iPhone when it comes to control, not only because it matches the touchscreen and has physical buttons and analog sticks, but because it combines both for gameplay and has the rear touch panel to boot. It really is a mobile game developer’s dream.

The iPhone 4S takes the cake in too many categories though. It kills the Vita with a better camera, at around double the battery life (for gaming, and way more for almost everything else), and carriers available for 3G. We all know that the rise and fall of portable game consoles has depended on battery life, and just as with the PSP this is a weakness with the Vita. Only this time, it’s weak against not a Nintendo offering, but against a very capable cell phone.

A few very close points are pricing and storage. If there were a new iPod Touch released with the A5 processor, then pricing would be a clear win for the iOS device. But as it stands now, the iPhone 4S is the only one available (the iPad 2 would lose in pricing because of it’s high $500 price tag), and the two-year contract cost far outweighs the potential pricing of the Vita, even the 3G model for $30/m. And with storage, on the high-end the Vita could win (assuming users purchased the 64GB card and 3G model), but because Sony is releasing the Vita with no internal memory, the result is confused consumers who must spend more money to do the console’s basic functions…like saving games and using downloadable apps. Even then, the storage pricing is still more expensive than all iPhone 4S models (with a 2-year contract) except for the 64GB model, and, once again, only if you get the Wi-Fi Vita.

Based on our scoring method for comparisons, the Vita could have easily won if it shipped with internal memory. External memory is always slower than internal memory, but until I hear back from Sony regarding the speed of their memory cards, that’ll remain a mystery. If the Vita were available through other cell carriers, or if it at least had AT&T’s 4G (HSDPA/HSPA+ 28.8Mbps), it would score better.

What I don’t doubt is that over time these scores will change. The Vita will eventually ship in bundles that are more price friendly and with some storage options. The next-gen iPhone will also likely ship with a new iPod Touch. By this time next year there will also be a handful of Android competitors, and tablet gaming will finally come into it’s own. But when the Vita releases, it will face the fiercest competition Sony has ever faced in the mobile space, from a device that isn’t going away anytime soon. The only way I can see Sony staying ahead is by utilizing it’s enormous catalog of PS1 and PS2 games, and by making prices of those games competitive so everyday iPhone gamers will actually be coaxed into buying a dedicated mobile games console instead of just living the one-device life.

Update~ As TheVerge just wrote, minutes before this article was published, the PS Vita now has a second launch bundle that’s the 3G model with an 8GB memory card, one free PSN game, and a month of free 3G data. That bundle is available for pre-order now through Amazon. Does it change our score?

Because the score is so damn close – not only is it 4-5, but it’s a point of contention in nearly every category – and because this new bundle offers a reasonable amount of storage for the console, it may indeed turn the tide.

As mentioned above, games is the most important thing, which is why I’m going to say that, in this case, the new bundle won’t change the winner in this comparison. However, our scoring system for comparisons is pretty clear cut. So I’ll leave this decision up to you guys. What do you think? Does this new bundle put the PS Vita ahead of the iPhone 4S? Post your thoughts in the comments below and, if the majority of you think we should change the score, we will.

There are a few phone companies that unfortunately only put a few phones out a year, and Sony Ericsson was previously one of them. At least in the US, anyhow. Now Sony has taken full control of the Ericsson brand, that isn’t necessarily likely to change, but Sony did reveal at CES two new handsets, the Xperia S and Xperia Ion. Both are very similar in specs, but the S is the bigger (or rather, slimmer) model to look at.

A 1.5GHz dual core CPU powers both phones, along with 1GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and a 720p display utilizing Sony’s “Bravia Engine”. They also have not one, but two f/2.2 lenses (front and back), which isn’t the fastest in the industry but on par with the best that you can get on high-end smartphones today. The rear shooter is a 12.1MP beast, and on the Xperia S it’ll be the first 12.1MP camera available on a smartphone, the highest resolution available (at least until the HTC Titan II releases very shortly after).

What makes the Xperia S interesting is the design. It’s a 4.3″ display with, from what I’ve seen in my brief hands-on, a stunning display, but more importantly a very sleek, chic design. It’s almost like a mix between the iPhone 4, the Nokia Lumia 900, and the more rounded Samsung Galaxy S II phones, but not quite like any of them at the same time. The touch-sensitive buttons are clearly highlighted by a thin layer of clear, light-shaded plastic. It looks very, very slick. Just look at the image above.

The only difference between the S and Ion is that the Ion is exclusive to AT&T and will release in June, while the S is not exclusive to any company (nor does it have any contracts planned, though it will be a GSM only phone), and will release in March or early April. The screen size is also slightly different; the Ion is 4.5″, while the S is 4.3″, so the S can stand for smaller.

Or perhaps sadly. Like, sadly, both phones will release with Android 2.3.7 installed, and will “eventually” be upgraded to Android 4.0. I spoke with several Sony representatives about the devices, and there are two intrinsically important differentiators about both devices, both of which have to do with the camera. In typical Sony fashion, of course.

The first is how fast the cameras shoot. Shot-to-shot timing is 0.9 seconds. That means you can take a shot, press to take another, and in less than a second the phone will take another picture. In phone photography, that’s the fastest on any phone. What I don’t know, and am looking into, is whether or not bumping up to Android 4.0 will actually speed that up (because Android 4.0 seriously speeds up the camera on the software side). The second is going from standby to shooting, which is an incredible 1.5 seconds. It may not sound important, but as we all know, when there’s something to take a picture of, the moment is now. There’s no time to wait and fiddle about. With these new Xperias, hold down the shutter release and 1.5 seconds later it’ll take the shot. No other phone in the world offers anything quite like that. Some, like WP7 phones, can activate to the camera, but they’ll need to be pressed again to actually take the shot. So it’s very impressive.

Xperia models (excluding the Xperia Play) have in the past been very solid devices, so I’m looking forward to both, though specifically the Xperia S. Both will also be Playstation Certified, so the Play won’t be the only phone capable of playing PS1 games.

When it comes to gaming, the Playstation 3 may be your best bet for a hardcore gaming system. All games work in 3D, most games have Move support, and the PS3′s power is finally being realized over the older Xbox 360. Some of the games you see below, available on multiple consoles, run and play better on the PS3. Plus with the holiday deals on console bundles, it’s hard for anyone to compete with the PS3. They used to say you get what you pay for. Today, it feels like you’re getting a lot more.

Hardware

Uncharted 3/Infamous 2 Holiday Bundle

When it comes to holiday consoles, there is no better deal than either of these two bundles. Not only do buyers get a Playstation 3, they get the new, slimmer model, with a 320GB hard drive (which you’ll want, especially with game installs and plenty of DLC) and everything you’ll need to get started to play, you also get a great game. The price is so low, it’s actually cheaper to buy one of these Playstation 3 models with another game and controller than it is to buy the cheapest Xbox 360 holiday bundle. And for that price, you get everything mentioned above plus free updates, free online play, and free online communication for life! It’s the gift that just keeps on giving.

Playstation 3D Display

This niche display is pretty spectacular in actual use. It’s a 3D display that eliminates the need to ever have split-screen gaming again, thanks to some pretty advanced technology dubbed SimulView. If you and a buddy throw on your 3D glasses, you’ll each see two completely different pictures on the same screen. That’s because the screen flashes two separate images, both at 120Hz. At 24″ it’s a tad small, but for the college dorm, that tiny closet of an apartment, or even for your workstation, the 1080p 3D display really is something else, especially in games like Uncharted 3 or the Ico & Shadow of the Colossus, which have giant landscapes and players traversing high and low.

The 3D effect really comes to live with scaling multi-leveled platforms and giant levels, and so many games on the Playstation 3 already have far reaching games like that. God of War 3, Infamous 2, Killzone 3…these are all games that really take advantage of the 3D effect, and with this display – built from the ground up by the Playstation team – you get every bit of that.

I almost wish it were smaller, so I could hide it fancifully in a giant stocking.

Wireless Stereo Headset

It may be named Wireless Stereo Headset, but this headset is anything but stereo. It supports 7.1 audio and looks huge, and that’s so it can fit comfortably over your ears and last for hours. In fact, the cans are perfectly designed for just that, similar to some of Sony’s more expensive audiophile-quality headsets, with deeper cans for the ears. The boom microphone hides and volume controls are hidden on the left side for easy adjustment. There are plenty of surround headsets available for the PS3, but few have the build quality and finish, not to mention the audio clarity and sleek design, of the Wireless Stereo Headset. PS3 owners would be remiss to not have one.

Playstation Credit Card

You want a real gift that keeps on giving? Get your loved one a Playstation Visa. Every purchase earns points to use in the PSN store, all Playstation and Sony products earn 3x the points, and anything bought on PSN earns 10x the points. Before you know it, your bank account will be empty but you’ll have a handful of free PSN downloads to keep you company. Until the electric company cuts off power, anyways. And the best part is if you do get the card, you’ll immediately get $50 off on the Uncharted 3 PS3 bundle. It just keeps giving and giving and giving…

Playstation 3 Exclusive Games

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

If there’s one definitive franchise for the Playstation 3, it’s Uncharted. The first title, Drake’s Fortune, was great, but had a lot of room to grow. The second, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, quickly became a fan favorite, and the third, Drake’s Deception, is a stunning cinematic experience. A stunning single-player campaign, a fabulously fun cooperative play mode and a different yet still bombastic multiplayer make Drake’s Deception a must-buy, for the few who don’t have it already. Because if you don’t, you are surely missing out. It’s one of the few games where you can actually enjoy watching someone else play, and never picking up a controller yourself.

Infamous 2

There are few games that inspire the feeling of “I wish I could do that in real life” more than Infamous 2, at least for me every time I see a power line. While the original was a strong game, Infamous 2 picks action up a notch and gives players not only several different massive cities to explore, but the ability to take on player-created missions, and even make their own. That, along with some very fun DLC, makes Infamous 2 a must-have.

The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection

Both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus are incredible games, both ahead of their time and timeless. I sadly missed both when they released back for the PS2, but caught up and am so glad I did. Both of these games are just incredible, the kind that make you gape in wonder, that make you constantly feel astounded. Your kids may hate you because both games feel slow, with limited action going on at any given point of time, but few games ever manage to reach the level of sophistication and artistry these two do. Bundling them together with improved graphics is just a side bonus.

Great Multi-Console Games

Batman: Arkham City

The return of the Dark Knight this decade has just been astounding. First two (and soon a third) film, then an amazing game, and now a kickass sequel. Batman: Arkham City is not just a romp around a fine prison; it’s a full-scale town to silently stalk through. Arkham City is a definite best-buy for any player, not only because the game is just so fun, but because many gamers missed it in the flood of holiday games. Don’t let this one pass you by.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

It’s big. Everyone wants it. It’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. In fact, if you don’t already have it, the only question is why not? We loved it, all your friends are playing it, and unless you’re stuck in Skyrim (see below), there’s no reason Modern Warfare 3 shouldn’t be in your game collection.

Rage

As good and bad as some games are, few are as jam-packed with excellent content and top-of-the-line features as Rage. It’s got a lot of holes to plug, and a lot of minor gripes that will annoy. But I guarantee that it‘s not only an excellent first person shooter, but that it really pushes the bounds of what it means to be a shooter. Rage may not be the greatest game to come out this year, but it will certainly open your eyes to the possibilities of future games, and be exciting the whole while. Just don’t forget to save often.

Portal 2

The best puzzle game this year, period. It’s bigger, smarter, and has a deeper story than the original, plus room for two players with double the portal action. Coop alone makes Portal 2 a great buy. Free future updates only guarantee that you’ll want to keep it.

Battlefield 3

Modern Warfare 3 may own the multiplayer Rambo-style of gaming, but Battlefield 3 is for the team-players, the ones who will grab their friends for an hour-long bout against an equally intelligent group for serious, vehicle-filled combat. Battlefield is for console strategists. Feel free to run and gun, but unless that’s your specialty, your team can definitely use another great member of the crew. Be it.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

As a sleeper hit, Human Revolution isn’t quite the game that the original Deus Ex was, but that doesn’t take away from the game any. It pits players in the same neo-techno future, with body augmentations, incredible combat maneuvers, and multiple ways to play the game, including stealth, engineering, and soldier. It’s one game that’s easy to miss, but don’t. There is so much to do in the big city, it’s like a miniature RPG.

Rayman: Origins

Rayman: Origins is one of those really great games that everyone in the family can enjoy. The simple platforming is complex enough to remain entertaining for hours on end, yet with instant cooperative play with up to four players on a home console, it’s always a fun time with everyone racing and slapping each other all the way to the finish. If there’s one way to spend the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Christmas, or any family time together when you’re snowed/rained in, Rayman: Origins is it.

Dark Souls

Beware: this is for masochists only! Dark Souls, the sequel to Demons Souls, is an RPG with a difficulty curve that will either make you break your controller in frustration or feel right at home with the sheer insanity of this unforgiving game. If that sounds like the perfect gift for someone, either because they’d love it or end up breaking their game console in frustration, then this is a must-buy.

Saint’s Row: The Third

Saint’s Row: The Third is not what you’d expect from a massive sandbox game in the vein of Grand Theft Auto. It’s goofy, over the top in every way, and rombunctiously fun. So much so that I had to make up a word to describe it, because this game is insane in just about every way. That’s not to say you won’t love it…just keep it out of reach from the kids.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

Assassin’s Creed is one of the few game franchises where every game may feel oh-so-similar to the last, but even then the games are still so damn fun it’s impossible to put down. All of the Assassin’s Creed titles have just been incredible, even though Shawn and I may disagree on just how good. But there’s one thing we both agree on: these games are a blast to play. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations doesn’t quite take the franchise to the next level, still following Ezio Auditore from Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, but it further unfolds the tale, both past and present, of the everlong struggle between the Assassin’s and Knights Templar. A blockbuster hit you won’t want to miss.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Skyrim is the one game you’ve probably seen not only a handful of ads in larger cities, but new internet meme’s popping up daily about. In fact, you don’t have to go far to learn what Skyrim is, which is one of the biggest, most incredible RPGs to come out this year. Our own Shawn Kline loved it. A definite must have, but be warned: you probably won’t be seeing much of whomever you give it to. That may make it a great, or terrible, gift idea.

Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection

There are few games that stand the test of time. Metal Gear Solid isn’t just one game, but an entire series that does exactly that. That’s why the game’s creator Hideo Kojima keeps making new ones even after consistently saying he’s done. That’s why years later people talk about the incredible experience they had in Snake Eater, or how they once ate Alligator meat in the game. Sure, it’s zany and over the top, but putting the Metal Gear Solid 2, 3, and Peace Walker in one bundle, in  HD, is just another reason to play it, or to buy it for the new generation that didn’t grow up with METAL GEEEEEEAR!

Wirefly has a preorder discount available on this Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY for Verizon Wireless w/ $25 Android Market Card for only $149.99 + Free Shipping = $149.99!

If you’re looking for the ultimate gaming experience from a smartphone then definitely check out the Xperia Play! The Play is the first ever Smartphone which is certified by PlayStation and it definitely shows with Slide-Out gaming controls and powerful array of components which include a 4.0-Inch display, Accelerated 2D+3D graphical capabilities and 1Ghz Snapdragon II Processor. It’s also powered by the brand new Android 2.3 Honeycomb system, utilizes the 3G network and supports wireless-N WiFi networking as well as Bluetooth connectivity to other devices. For a limited time you can also get $25 of free credit for the Android Market!

We already posted our Killzone 3 review, and to say the least we liked what we saw.  In a move to help bolster hype about the game, as well as promote sales of the Playstation 3, the only console the game is available on, Sony is issuing a Killzone 3 PS3 bundle with a 160GB hard drive.  The best part you ask?  You’ll effectively score the game for free since the combo pack will cost just $300.  

If you’re so inclined, the game/bundle releases on February 22nd, and you can preorder it from Amazon for deliver the day of.

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4 out of 5 stars

A game’s weaknesses are rarely also strengths, but perhaps we’ve all been gauging something wrong with Assassin’s Creed. The series has thus far been based on dumb AI and seemingly basic gameplay problems…and yet we keep playing and we keep enjoying. Ubisoft has certainly stumbled onto something great, especially if they contend with Call of Duty and still make exceptional sales.

Their latest, Brotherhood, follows Assassin’s Creed 2’s story and protagonist Ezio Auditorre in Italy during the renaissance while alter-ego/actual protagonist Desmond Miles slides even further down the rabbit hole. In the past, Ezio’s decision to not kill the pope comes back to bite him a mere day after retrieving his fateful prize, a piece of Eden, waking up to the sound of canon fire and a completely redecorated and holey home. In one fell swoop, his uncle ‘it’sa me, Mario’ and rag-tag cadre of assassin’s is dead or scattered.

Too conveniently, Ezio – and players – begin with nothing. As the game progresses, players update their armaments through purchasing better weapons and armor, unlocked at certain segments of the main story. Both have meager selections, yet as players continue on their journey, it becomes clear that less is more in this case. Hunting for money to buy the latest chest plate or knife was a chore in the prior game. This time, there are other, less important things to spend money on.

In fact, spending money is a huge part of Brotherhood, though it’s almost entirely unnecessary. Taking place solely in the magnificent city of Rome (and thankfully nowhere else) the Borgia army is in charge and running everything, including keeping certain areas on high alert to strangers and keeping merchants selling goods closed. The first real mission of the game teaches players to rid of Borgia influence by assassinating the captain of their ranks and burning their tower, which combines the scaling of tall buildings to map the ground below and unlock the region for safe passage. Later on, clearing these towers and captains also opens up another new element of the game, assassin allies.

The reason it’s ‘Brotherhood’ and not ‘Assassin’s Creed II 2: You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet’ is twofold: the new multiplayer aspect (read below) and the side quest to train and send assassin’s to do thy bidding. Training and sending them to do missions is one in the same sadly, but the essence is clear: destroy Borgia towers, find willing assassin applicants, send them on missions until they’re ready to be inducted into the clan, and then…well, then nothing. A never-ending stream of missions allows players to keep sending assassins on missions, to earn money and experience (a fully trained assassin cannot earn more experience), though with ten AI characters to train and subsequently send out into the world, it’s a time consuming affair, one that will take at least 80% of the game to complete. This is partly due to certain areas being cut off from players however.

Better than earning money and possibly finding valuable items is that these assassins can do your dirty work. Need to remain anonymous, but have too many guards to get around silently? Brotherhood still lacks the finesse of a Metal Gear Solid game with the ability to actually distract the AI, so why not instead send your assassins, or even trainees, to disembowel those guards for you? With just the press of a button, Ezio will whistle and within seconds assassins will fall from the sky or arrive on horseback and either kill their unsuspecting foes, or fight more aware soldiers to the bitter end. Whoever wins, players are victorious, though in my playthrough not a single assassin or trainee ever died. The odds are never too high, and it’s always possible to take chance out of the equation, which limits the fun of the whole ordeal.

Then again, there’s never any need to send them in. Do it all yourself if you so choose. There is almost always more than one route to any destination, especially when dealing with secondary missions. The primary plot is, well, bland and often frustrating because it could be better, but the real meat of Brotherhood is in the unnecessary. This is the kind of game you want to beat 100%, because everything else is exciting. Some aspects, like buying major landmarks around Rome, are a waste of time and money and sometimes contend with the plot as a whole.

Having one city and a few minor outskirts is certainly the way to go. Traveling between provinces in Assassin’s Creed 2 was frustrating, and constantly paying for passage anywhere was time consuming and, frankly, a joke. That’s been eliminated with a more consolidated area, faster load times, and a tunnel system which players can unlock at their leisure, so it remains free. Returning characters are no more charming than before, though new ones do add some flare to the often drama-less routine. Whereas emotions ran high for the hot-headed youth once, the older, calmer Ezio is less fun to see in action.

The multiplayer aspect of Brotherhood is minimal, but a surprisingly enjoyable experience. Players are given contracts at random on other players, but there’s no way to distinguish between a player and AI except for the radar. This means just as likely as it is to find your target and eliminate him, you could be taken by surprise and killed, or someone with the same contract could take the kill from right under your nose. This hectic free-for-all style is wholly frustrating and deliciously, cruelly enjoyable. My first game I won first place after being behind a significant amount, thanks to several last second flashy kills. The system is not perfect – once you find someone is tailing you, losing them is next to impossible, and in a few instances I was chased around a map more than once because I couldn’t keep out of their line of sight long enough to lose them. As players progress more options to kill and escape open up, but perhaps they should have been available from the start, with more experienced players having access to higher quantities of valuable items.

Like the previous two Assassin’s Creed titles, Brotherhood is an addicting, fast-paced and enjoyable game, one that’s clearly made itself more about the gameplay than the game. The plot takes a turn at the end that completely reshapes our expectations for the next full-grown sequel, though the value of this progression is minimal. Instead, I left the game just feeling content about the past 15 hours of single player, knowing it was a good time and that I can’t wait for the next one.

Gunning with your PS3 has gotten one step closer to actual gunning, or at least will get closer once the Sharp Shooter Attachment begins selling in February for $39. Designed for Killzone 3, but playing friendly with other games as well, the plastic gun will have both a motion controller and a navigation controller in its body, letting you move and shoot from the comfort of your own gun.

Well, shoot, that sounded weird.

Anand Agarwal, Product Marketing Manger at PlayStation writes that the combination of movement, aiming and interaction will make for a very immersive experience, unlike anything felt before when shooting up virtual baddies.

With a reload button and realistic pump-action, you’ll find yourself mouthing your own movie-like sound effects in no time at all, while friends and relatives quote anti-gun legislation in your general direction.

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This video of the Zeus Z1 PlayStation phone has been rolling around tech blogs like bombastically named thunder from the Greek gods.

Once you get over the initial images conjured by the name PlayStation phone, that is, in case it’s first time you hear of it, and then you get over the mild shock of seeing the Sony Ericsson logo on something that opens up to look like a – well – very little PlayStation, you just realize that you’re staring at a gorgeous phone.

And there’s even an actual PlayStation icon on the phone somewhere, but I won’t spoil you the fun of eagerly looking for it.

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With a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM 8655 processor, 512MB RAM, 1GB of ROM and a screen that’s going to measure somewhere in between 3.7 and 4.1 inches, the PlayStation Phone is all to real and will most likely be using Android 3.0.

It’s buttons and multitouch touchpad are born and bred for games, and a Sony Marketplace will let you purchase games that were made for the PlayStation Phone. Storage for the games? A microSD slot, on top of the internal memory we know nothing about.

Will you be getting a console phone for the holidays? Not likely, but also not impossible. With this still being just a prototype, a 2011 release is more much probable.

Note: We find this image very questionable since it so closely resembles an Xperia and the PSPGo smushed together.  More to come.

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This is Sony’s Playstation Move Shooting attachment.  It reminds us of one of those guns that shoots bubbles.  Or better yet a glue gun.

You can pick it up from a variety of retailers for about $20.

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Starting Friday the Playstation Move will officially go on sale.  To kick things off Sony will be opening a number of Playstation HQs across the US that includes New York, Denver (maybe) and Los Angeles (technically Santa Monica) this Thursday.

Tonight I was walking down the 3rd st Promenade, a local shopping street here in Santa Monica, and was fortunate enough to cross paths with the promotional store as it was ‘being erected’. 

Consumers will be able to walk in at no charge and play the Sony Move.  As you can see from the pics there a number of kiosks and a set of giant Move controllers placed in the windows to attract attention.   We’re not sure what games will be available to play.  The stores will remain intact for 45 days and then from what we can gather disappear.

Sorry the pic quality is a little shite; shot at night with an iPhone 3Gs.

Playstation Plus, Sony’s premium subscription service for their PlayStation Network, is finally here thanks to the 3.40 firmware update that hits consoles today. Hit up that link for our full details on the service, but in short, it looks like there could be much worse ways to spend $50 in the gaming realm. The firmware update brings other improvements with it, mostly of the social networking kind, with user ratings for PSN video content now available, better organizing of photo galleries online, video editing and uploading to Facebook and Picasa (that’s from videos you’ve shot already and put on your console), and more.

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The fine folks over at the Official PlayStation Blog have answered some questions about the Premium PlayStation Plus Service that launches next week. For $18 for three months or $50 a year, gamers will receive a bunch of stuff, including Wipeout HD as a sign-up bonus, a subscription to the monthly PSN-exclusive video show Qore (which includes special demos and betas), discounts on DLC in the PSN store, and access to full games from PSP Minis and PS One Classics. (All of those games will be yours to play as long as you’re still subscribed to PSN+.)

In addition, they’ll be able to play a trial of a digital PS3 game (this month it’s Infamous), where you’ll get to play the game for an hour and then decide to buy it or delete it — if you buy it, you can continue your game save where you left off. Then there’s the Automatic Updating feature, where you can schedule your console to wake up from standby at a certain time to download system and software updates, then shut down again. Sounds pretty sweet to me.

PlayStation Plus hits June 29th. If you sign up then, you’ll get an additional three months added to a one year subscription.

Okay, PS3 gamers, pay attention, because you’ve FINALLY got a response to all those Xbox 360 gamers who keep laughing at you because your system has no games and is deeply inferior to theirs.

See, the PS3 is getting some interesting augments that will boost its credibility by plenty.  I’ve been a 360 gamer myself for the last four years now, and I’ll tell you this much, even I’m tempted to get a PS3.  Especially with the recent price breaks.

But now, they’re adding some serious firepower to the Sony Online Service, offering music, books and videos in the same way that iTunes does.  Yes, you’ll be able to drop vast amounts of cash with Sony to get your media fix in pretty much every way.  Between that and the new rumors of Firefox capability, well, now there’s some serious force in that box.  And that may get some developers interested in swinging back to Sony.

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The Slim PS3 finally hit this week.  I still can’t get over the fact that some Japanese shop (video here) got their hands on the newly designed console well before the official press announcement.  I wonder if they’re in some basement now being tortured to reveal their ‘inside man’.  I’m not super excited about the new design, but I do appreciate the fact that the Slim PS3 uses 34% less power then its predecessor and includes a 120GB hard drive.  I’ve been holding out for a Blu-ray player and this might just be the one I’ve been looking for.  Anyway, here are pics of the Slim PS3 from all angles.  Far from a stunning design, but I like Sony’s conserative approach.  I think they’ve produced a more timeless looking console.

Oh how the PS3 Slim rabbit hole just keeps getting deeper and deeper.  According to a French retailer’s flyer, which shows the current PS3, reads ‘new console, new price’, leading many to believe that this might be an indication of a price cut on the PS3 or the impending introduction of the Slim PS3.  There’s also the small print “Visuel non contractuel”, meaning non-contractual image, or in other words this isn’t the image associated with the price, lending greater credence to the Slim PS3 theory.  In any case, I think it’s pretty safe to say that the PS3 will receive a new price cut.

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Who would of thought that Amazon Germany would be one of the many final nails in the rumor coffin of the Slim Playstation 3.  A product page for the long rumored console showed up on the site today, and unless it some notorious German hacker or the Amazon Germany content team high on sauerkraut we gotta assume it’s the real deal.   And if that wasn’t enough, they’ve now added a picture since Engadget’s posting firming up all the previous leaks we’ve seen including that blurry video!

[via Engadget]

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Earlier this week we got wind of a special edition Modern Warfare 2, called the Prestige Edition, and it includes a pair of night vision goggles amongst other things.  Additionally, the community manager for the game did a little unboxing on video.  At the time, though, he failed to mention the price, but we now know that it will cost a whopping $150 when the game is released on November 10th.  That sure is pricey and with a whole bunch of other games that are coming out from Activision for the same price it’s gonna be a serious coin fip and then some for parents and children with not so padded expense accounts.

[Thanks, DJ Kolos]

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