83w ago - Sony Director John Koller has made available a video today from PS Vita key hardware and software developers who discuss the genesis of PlayStation Vita.

To quote: Yesterday, we made the big announcement of PlayStation Vita's availability in the U.S. Starting on February 22, 2012, you'll be able to pick up PlayStation Vita and play the world around you!

A lot of hard work goes into creating such a powerful device. We wanted to you to hear first-hand about PS Vita's development process and the many minds behind the product. Check out the video for a look at the movers and shakers behind PS Vita and the types of experiences you can anticipate come February.

With the price and release date set, we'll have many more inside looks for you. We'll be updating you on new game launches and providing you with deeper looks at all things Vita over the next couple of weeks and months. Be sure to check back on the PlayStation.Blog for more information soon.





Are you excited for PS Vita? Let us know!

113w ago - Sony's Senior Social Media Specialist Sid Shuman has posted up a video today where Ed Boon and Stig entertain Kratos vs Mortal Kombat on PS3.

To quote: The first time we saw him we thought, 'Oh my God, what a great Mortal Kombat character he would make.'

Ed Boon is very excited. The Mortal Kombat creative director and co-creator can finally spill his guts regarding one of the most anticipated video-game crossovers of all time: Kratos' exclusive guest appearance in the PS3 version of Mortal Kombat.

"We kind of felt it was meant to happen," he says. "We think we've done Kratos justice."

Ed Boon and God of War III director Stig Asmussen don't remember who made the first phone call, but both recall the Kratos crossover talks starting early in Mortal Kombat's development cycle. "I remember somebody saying, ''hey, there might be this possibility of Kratos appearing in Mortal Kombat,'" Stig remembers.

"I said, ' You gotta be kidding me, we gotta make this happen! Let's get on the phone.'" Describing himself as a "huge God of War fan," Boon was all too eager to work out the details and spark a larger collaborative effort between both studios.





Capturing "the real Kratos"...

272w ago - A university in Devon is preparing to find out if a baby robot can be taught to talk.

Staff at the University of Plymouth will work with a 1m-high (3ft) humanoid baby robot called iCub.

Over the next four years robotics experts will work with language development specialists who research how parents teach children to speak.

Their findings could lead to the development of humanoid robots which learn, think and talk.

The project is believed to be the first of its kind in the world and typical experiments with the iCub robot will include activities such as inserting objects of various shapes into the corresponding holes in a box, serialising nested cups and stacking wooden blocks.

Artificial intelligence

The iCub, which will arrive at the university next year, will also be asked to name objects and actions so that it acquires basic phrases such as "robot puts stick on cube".

A consortium led by the University of Plymouth, a world leader in cognitive robotics research, beat competition from 31 others to win a £4.7m grant for the Italk - Integration and Transfer of Action and Language Knowledge in Robots - project.

The university's partners in the project include the University of Hertfordshire and others from across Europe....