120w ago - Today Social Media Manager Jeff Rubenstein has shared a video interview with Kaz Hirai on the NGP - Next Generation Portable from Sony.

To quote: The day we announced the Next Generation Portable, or NGP, was quite an eventful one.

You might have followed the live blog, read the message on the Blog from SCEA CEO Jack Tretton, seen the topics trending on Twitter (6 out of 10 worldwide at one point!), or read the hands-on impressions.

At the very end of the day, I had a chance to catch up with Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.





While I knew I'd be unable to gather any more details than what was announced earlier in the day, I was curious about the broader aspects of the news: Why announce NGP now? Where does it fit into the PlayStation console life cycle philosophy?

How did publishing partners like Epic Games and Activision get involved in the announcement? I hope you enjoy hearing these answers in detail directly from Mr. Hirai.

126w ago - Today, in an interview with the New York Times Sony Computer Entertainment president and group CEO Kaz Hirai dropped some tantalizing hints about the PSP2.

When asked about what kind of controls the next PSP might have, Hirai gave the following answer, to quote:

"Depending on the game, there are ones where you can play perfectly well with a touch panel, but you can definitely play immersive games better with physical buttons and pads. I think there could be games where you're able to use both in combination."

Hirai was also asked about reports of Sony Ericsson's PSP Go-like gaming phone, which may -or may not- be PlayStation branded.

"We don't want gamers to be asking, what's the difference between that and a PSP," said Hirai, without confirming the device's existence. "We have to come up with a message that users will understand. It would have to be a product that keeps the PlayStation's strengths intact."

Finally, Hirai expressed his belief that the increased interest in casual games will actually benefit Sony, traditionally a maker of more hardcore games. "We're seeing people who never had an interest in games join the gaming population," he explained....

196w ago - At GamesCom today, Sony's Kaz Hirai has confirmed the PS3 is getting a new model. That's right, the PS3 Slim! It will be available in stores during the first week of September and include the same features and functionality.

A 120GB hard drive is also included, and it will be 33 percent smaller and 36 percent lighter than the original PS3 console.

The cost? It will be 299. That's $299, 299 euros and 29980 yen. That will also be the price for the current PS3 starting tomorrow.

The PS3 Slim (below) looks like the leaked box model rumored from several months ago.

Finally, a release date for the PS3 Slim will vary by region but it will be available everywhere by September 1, 2009.

263w ago - Despite frequent delays to flagship products such as the PlayStation 3 and PlayTV, Sony Computer Entertainment has long emphasised its commitment to Europe.

The console manufacturer made a huge splash last year at the Leipzig Game Convention -the continent's biggest trade show- when it announced a plethora of new products such as the Go!Cam PSP camera and the Go!Explore GPS navigation system.

Today, the Japanese electronics firm will return to Europe for a new event in London, with SCE president Kaz Hirai and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president David Reeves both in attendance.

The event at the indigO2 -part of what was once the Millennium Dome- features an extensive press conference hosted by Reeves and Kirai that GameSpot UK will be liveblogging, followed by an opportunity for the press to sample products from Sony's 2008 lineup. No specific games from Sony's roster have been confirmed, although European-developed LittleBigPlanet, Killzone 2, and Home are likely to be highlights.

Liveblog Archive in descending chronological order

5:34 BST: With the journalists becoming restless after a one-and-a-half hour presentation, Reeves wraps up the show and invites us to play the games.

5:32 BST: This means that classic PSP games will...

296w ago - One of the biggest surprises from the Tokyo Game Show was the lack of a price drop for the Japanese PlayStation 3. Many had gone into Sony president Kaz Hirai's keynote speech expecting the big announcement that Sony would be shedding a few yen off the Japanese price point.

Reuters grilled Hirai on the issue. "We think about price daily," said Hirai, "but at this point we're not considering doing something immediately."

After using the good old "this is a marathon" argument to defend poor sales of the PS3 so far, Hirai stood firm with his expectations of 11 million systems shipped by the end of fiscal 2007. "We're thinking of many things to push hardware and software sales in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia. We feel we can definitely do this."

Hirai did admit during his keynote that a price drop at some point is a possibility. But apparently Sony has some work to do first. "Before adjusting the price, we have some things to do," he said. "It's important to strengthen our software lineup, get the word out about the PS3, and see if we can deliver our message."