Sony had their E3 press conference last night and it showed that the Playstation brand is in rude health as Sony unveiled 2 new pieces of hardware and plenty of new games.
Before any of the announcements Sony US boss Jack Tretton took to the stage and talked about the Playstation Network hack and offered his and the companies sincere apologies.
Addressing consumers, he said: “You are the lifeblood of the company. Without you there is no PlayStation. I want to apologise personally and for the company for any anxiety caused. It’s you that causes us to be humbled and amazed by the support you continue to give”.
To Sony’s third-party publishing partners, Tretton said: “I know the outage has been costly. We wouldn’t be where we are without you”.
He added: “We are committed more than ever to making sure the PlayStation experience is entertaining and secure for everybody”.
PSN was taken offline on 20th April following a security breach that left personal information tied to some 77 million user accounts compromised and the details of around 12.3 million credit card possibly stolen.
The phased restoration of the service began on 14th May, culminating in Welcome Back content being made available to users on 3rd June.
Tretton then went on to show what Sony has planned for the gaming over then next 12 months. The big news came in the form of the NGP which has now been named PS Vita, (Vita meaning life apparently) and more importantly, the release date and price was announced.
Sony has said that Vita would be release this holiday season in America with the UK release date soon after.
Vita will come in two flavours and two prices. Vita will retail for $249 (£150) for the Wi-Fi only model but will likely to cost closer to £200 when it lands on UK shores. But if you're in America when it's out you could save yourself a decent chunk of money.
The 3G model is be price at $299 (£182) but is likely to see mobile phone subsidies when the networks offer you a decent data package.
Sony announced that Vita would be exclusive with mobile operator AT&T which means we are likely to see the same deal for a UK network - don't be surprised if Vodafone or O2 snap up the exclusive rights for the new 3G version of the portable.
Sony's next big announcement came in the form of 3D. Tretton talked up the 3D capabilities of Sony and announced at that they are going to release a Playstation 24-inch 3D TV.
The monitor won't be available just yet but should be available by Christmas 2011. The set has been designed for those of you who want a devie in the bedroom or snug. Sony’s idea is to bring a decent affordable 3D screen to the masses.
Sony's new TV does have one particularly impressive party piece. It will allow users to play games with split screen action but each user will see a full screen instead of half. Were not sure whether it will only work with the glasses, but the the idea and tech is very clever indeed.
Included in the price of $499 you get a pair of 3D active shutter glasses, a 6FT HDMI cable and a copy of Resistance 3. Sony stated that the glasses can be bought separately for $69.99 and will be compatible with other screens.
Included in the price which we will get to in just one moment, will be a pair of 3D active shutter glasses, 6ft HDMI cable and a copy of the game already mentioned Resistance 3, for a price of $499. Sony have also pointed out that the new glasses can be purchased for $69.99 and will work on their different TV's.
There was of course and a full compliment of new software for the Sony family and lots of new Move content for the next 12 months.
