Sony dropping 80GB PS3 in Japan

In Japan, the PS3 comes in silver, black, and white.

(Credi 

 t: Sony)

The rumors of the impending arrival of a new PlayStation 3 are growing more fierce as new hints seem to turn up almost daily in the blogsphere. The latest discovery to pop  new balance 574 classics up is what appears to be an internal document from 7-Eleven--which sells games in Japan--that suggests Sony may be about to discontinue the 80GB PS3 in its home country.

Ac new balance 574 walking cording to a report by a Japanese blog that Kotaku turned into English, 7-Eleven will no longer be taking "pre-orders" for black, white and silver 80GB PS3 after Sunday, August 9. ( new balance 574 sneakers The document this information is based on is referred to as a "notice").

Kotaku says the reason listed is "For the manufacturer" -- or at the maker's request" and that "the new balance 574 retro  notice also notes that all in-store displays for the 80GB model are to be taken down."

Since the 160GB PS3 isn't sold in Japan and all the other PS3 models (20GB, 40GB, 60GB) new balance 574 mens  are discontinued, the speculation is that indeed something new is coming, quite possibly the rumored PS3 Slim.

Also fueling the fire is a separate report yesterday from Taiwan new balance 574 running 's DigiTimes, which is at the center of a lot of these rumor stories, that Sony has recently "placed significant orders for key Sony PS3 components" from local manufacturers that we new balance shoes m574 re double the amount it usually orders.

With all this talk of a new PS3, the big question remains whether Sony will drop the price on the entry-level model of the console to  new balance m 574 $299 to spur demand. The most likely answer remains yes.

Comments?

Via Kotaku

Hunkered down in New York City, Executive Editor David Carnoy covers the gamut of gadgets and writes his Fully Equipped column, which carries the tag line "The electronics you lust for." He's also the author of "Knife Music," a novel. E-mail David. Follow David on Twitter. Topics: Games and gear Tags: PlayStation 3, PS3, Sony, 80GB P3, discontinued in Japan Share: Digg Del.icio.us Reddit Facebook Twitter CNET HOLIDAY TECH GUIDE

Sony cutting price of PS3 to $299--more evidence

(Credit: Kmart.com)

For all those who've been waiting for the PS3 to drop in price from $399 to $299, that d adidas nizza ay apparently has finally arrived.

While Sony has yet to make an official announcement, Kmart.com features an ad on its home page that reveals a price cut and appears to announce the ar adidas country rival of the new PS3 Slim.

Clicking on a preorder button from the Kmart.com home page leads to this.

(Credit: Kmart.com)

Additionally, Kotaku has posted an image of an appare adidas zx 9000 nt promotional poster that a reader sent in, announcing price cuts for the 80GB PS3 ($299), as well as for the 160GB bundle ($399).

We're off to a press event at Sony headquarters i adidas forum n New York, where we expect to hear more about all this and perhaps get word on that "new" PS3. We'll update this post as soon as we get more info. (Update: The New York event was dedicated to  adidas tmac new line of Sony wireless audio products. Now the focus shifts to Sony's press conference in Cologne, Germany. Check out the live coverage from our sister site, GameSpot..)

Additional read adidas obyo ing: Sony's first move--cut price of current PS3 to $299?

(Via Engadget and Kotaku)

(Credit: Kotaku) Hunkered down in New York City, Executive Editor David Carnoy covers 

  the gamut of gadgets and writes his Fully Equipped column, which carries the tag line "The electronics you lust for." He's also the author of "Knife Music," a novel. E-mail David. Follow David on Twitter. Topics: Games and gear Tags: PS3 price cut, $299, 80GB PS3, PS3 Slim, David Carnoy Share: Digg Del.icio.us Reddit Facebook Twitter CNET HOLIDAY TECH GUIDE

Sony continues quarterly losing streak

Continuing its string of quarterly losses, Sony suffered a net loss of 26.3 billion yen ($292 million) for its second quarter, reported the company on Friday.

Compared with a profit of 20.8 billion yen a year ago, this marked Sony's fourth straight quarterly downturn.

< 

 p>Sales for the quarter that ended September 30 also took a spill, dropping 19.8 percent to 1.66 trillion yen ($18.26 billion) from 2.07 trillion yen in the year-ago quarter.

Recent cost cuts and hot sales of mizuno wave running shoes  the PlayStation 3 game console both provided a shot in the arm.

Sony's 2009 second quarter results

(Credit: Sony)

But Sony was hurt by a downturn in mizuno soccer shoes  sales for the venerable PlayStation 2 despite its recent claim that the PS2 was "showing no signs of slowing down." Weak demand for the Vaio line of PCs also dragged down the quarter.cheap mizuno running shoes >

As a result, revenue in the Networked Product and Services division, which includes Sony Computer Entertainment, fell 24.2 percent to 352.6 billion yen from 465.2 billion yen in the year-ago quarter.

Other segments also upset the bottom line.

The Consumer Products and Devices business, which includes TVs and cameras, watched its sales plummet 36.5 percent to 799.9 billion yen from 1.25 trillion yen a ye mizuno mens running shoes ar ago. Sales were down for Sony's Bravia HDTVs due to intense price competition and the higher value of the yen. The company's Cybershot digital cameras also were impacted by a decline in unit sales and the ap mizuno running shoes wave rider preciation of the yen.

Lower sales both in the theater and at home hurt Sony's Entertainment division, with revenue down 30.4 percent to 136.4 billion yen from 196.1 billion yen in 2008's second qu mizuno inspire running shoes arter.

Sony Ericsson also affected the quarter with sales of 1.6 million euros ($2.36 million), a 42 percent decline from 2.8 million euros in the year-ago quarter. An ongoing drag on Sony's earnings, mizuno wave inspire running shoes  the cell phone maker has struggled to turn a profit in recent years.

One bright spot was Sony's music business, which enjoyed a 147 percent boost in revenue to 124.5 billion yen, stemming in par mizuno wave rider running shoes t from sales of Michael Jackson's product catalog, following the entertainer's death in June.

Despite the quarterly loss, results narrowly surpassed expectations, prompting Sony to boost its foreca mizuno men's running shoes st for the full fiscal year. The company now is eyeing a loss of 95 billion yen for fiscal 2009 versus its prior forecast of a 120 billion yen deficit. Sony lost 98.9 billion yen in fiscal 2008.

Sony re mizuno running shoes wave creation cently announced that the PlayStation 3 will offer Netflix streaming, a move it hopes will bump sales of the game console even higher.

Lance Whitney wears a few different technology hats--journalis 

 t, Web developer, and software trainer. He's a contributing editor for Microsoft TechNet Magazine and writes for other computer publications and Web sites. You can follow Lance on Twitter at @lancewhit. Lance is a m 

 ember of the CNET Blog Network, and he is not an employee of CNET. Topics: Corporate and legal, Consumer content Tags: Sony, PlayStation, Vaio, Cybershot, Sony Ericsson Share: Digg Del.icio.us Reddit Facebook Twitter

Sony catalog comes to Amie Street--with fine print

Sony Music Entertainment's catalog is coming to indie music retail site Amie Street, in the New York-based start-up's first major label deal.

But here's the catch: Sony's catalog will not be participating in the "dynamic pricing" model that's been Amie Street's trademark--u mens new balance 576 npopular songs are the cheapest, and the price rises as a song is downloaded more. Instead, Sony songs will be available for a flat 69 cents, 99 cents, or $1.29 based on popularity.

"It wasn't a hard decision for us," Amie Street co-founder Josh Boltuch told CNET News. "This isn't affecting all the other dynamically priced music on the site." He noted that RED,  mens new balance classics the indie music distribution company owned by Sony, already offers its songs on Amie Street through the dynamic-pricing model. "Sony Music obviously has the option to experiment with dynamic pricing at the new balance 574 walking ir discretion," Boltuch added. "Clearly we would love to do that with them."

This isn't the first time that an indie music retailer has had to compromise to ink a major-label d new balance classics m574 eal. Sony was also the first major label to bring its catalog--well, its "classic" back catalog--to subscription site eMusic. But the deal resulted in eMusic raising some of its pri new balance 580 ces in tandem.

Amie Street, which pitches itself as a way to discover as well as purchase new music, made major headlines last year when it was the only place on the Web to buy songs r new balance running sneakers ecorded by Ashley Alexandra Dupre, the call-girl-slash-aspiring-pop-star at the center of the Eliot Spitzer scandal.

Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily a 

 ddicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline. Topics: Consumer content Tags: Sony Music Entertainment, Amie Street, music, media, retail, deals Share: Digg Del.icio.us Reddit Facebook Twitter

Sony calls Nintendo 3DS 'a little bit of a stretch'

Is this the other 3D gaming device?

(Credit: Sony)

Sony reportedly believes that Nintendo's foray into the 3D space with its 3DS isn't a very good idea.

Speaking to IGN i new balance sales n an interview, Sony director of hardware marketing John Koller said that he's not quite sold on the 3DS and wonders if it will enjoy the kind of broad market appeal some of Nintendo's previous portables have, du new balance 574 shoe e to Nintendo's perceived young audience.

"Having been in the portable space for quite awhile, I think it's an interesting move but one I'd like to see where they go from a demog new balance 576 black raphic standpoint," Koller said, according to the article, adding, "8- and 9-year-olds playing 3D is a little bit of a stretch given where some of our research is right now."

Fo new balance mens tennis shoes r its part, Sony believes that the future in 3D is in the console. Koller said Sony intends to invest in 3D gaming for its PlayStation 3. A firmware update bringing 3D gaming to the PS3 is coming at s new balance kids sneakers ome point in the future.

At CES earlier this year, Sony showed off the PS3 running 3D games. CNET editor Jeff Bakalar had the opportunity to play Wipeout 3D on the P new balance 574 white layStation 3 there and said the experience was "truly immersive." Bakalar said after playing 3D titles on the PS3, he's "officially a believer in gaming in the third dimension."