From reuters.com:
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Sony Corp's operating profit likely jumped more than fivefold to 380 billion yen on strong sales of digital cameras in the year just ended, but it missed the company's forecast by 30 billion yen, the Nikkei business daily reported.
That would also be below a consensus estimate of 393.6 billion yen in a poll of 17 analysts by Reuters Estimates.

Sony's videogame division saw its operating loss shrink by about 100 billion yen in the year ended March 2008, helping boost overall profitability, the Nikkei said.

The game unit posted an operating loss of 232 billion yen in the year ended March 2007 due to hefty start-up costs for its PlayStation 3 game console.
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Full Story: reuters.com
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From next-gen.biz:
[QUOTE]
A press statement from SCEA said Thursday, "...As expected, the demand for Grand Theft Auto IV drove sales of the PlayStation 3 entertainment system within the first 24 hours, continuing the strong legacy of the franchise on PlayStation platforms."

Bob McKenzie, SVP of merchandising at specialist retailer GameStop, concurred: "From our position, the launch of GTA IV has been tremendous in driving traffic to our stores, as well as providing a vigorous lift in PS3 console sales over this time last week."

While some analysts expect GTA IV (which has a strong history with PlayStation platforms) to cause a boost in PS3 hardware sales, SCEA didn't release hard figures to illustrate the day-one GTA IV bump.
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Full Story: next-gen.biz
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From gamasutra.com:
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According to a new Warner Home Video survey, customers are increasingly using PlayStation 3 consoles to watch Blu-Ray video content, with the percentages of both number of households and time spent watching rising from late 2007 to early 2008.

Sanders indicated that the amount of time PlayStation 3 users spent watching Blu-ray videos rose from 15 percent of console usage in the fourth quarter of 2007 to 23 percent in January and February of 2008.

The Warner exec also said that the amount of PlayStation 3 purchasers using the console as a Blu-ray player rose significantly - from 53 percent in September of 2007 to 80 percent early in 2008.
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Full Story: gamasutra.com
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From videogamer.com:
[QUOTE]
Rockstar is working "around the clock" to fix freezing issues with GTA 4, Take-Two customer support has told VideoGamer.com.

We were told: "A patch is being worked on around the clock to address the issues. It's bound to be. That's how they address this sort of thing. It is being worked on. We're looking into it. You will hear from us if a patch is released. A patch is usually the way it's been done."

We were also given some tips on how to combat the freezing experienced on the PS3 version of the game, including:
* Completely remove the game from the system but leave saves behind.
* Turn the console off for 15 minutes without any cables plugged in, then turn it on and try again.
* Play without access to the Internet.
* Turn off the auto save function and the controller vibration setting.
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Full Story: videogamer.com
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From gizmodo.com:
[QUOTE]
NPD says that even after HD DVD stopping peeing in it and lied down to die, not only have Blu-ray sales have only jumped a meager two percent (after falling 40 percent from Jan.), but they're so bad, they won't even release the actual numbers.
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Full Story: gizmodo.com
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From gamesindustry.biz:
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The slowing US economy will pressure makers of video game consoles to lower their prices said Activision CEO Bobby Kotick.

"With the rising costs of fuel and food and housing, it is more difficult to go out and buy a USD 399 console, and I think it's going to put pressure on the console manufacturers to reduce their prices," Kotick told Reuters.
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Full Story: gamesindustry.biz
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From ps3fanboy.com:
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This Thursday update will surprise our Canadian friends. SCEA has announced that it will adjust prices on content available on the PLAYSTATION Store for Canadian customers. According to the press release, "the adjustment comes as a result of the strengthening Canadian currency and SCEA's ability to localize pricing within the PLAYSTATION Store." The prices will be adjusted during a window of time prior to Thursday's content update.
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From kotaku.com:
[QUOTE]
PlayTV, Sony's digital television tuner/recording device for the PS3, has finally been given a release window. Speaking with Sony Australia during a techy meeting this morning, Gizmodo AU were told that the system would launch in Australia during Q4 2008, "roughly a month" after it's released in Europe. They were also told that it would retail "for less than AUD$200" (USD$185).
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Full Story: kotaku.com
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From play.tm:
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Forumites have reported crashes and freezes following the game's intro-sequence, and the publisher say that if this happens you should delete your game data and reinstall GTA IV.

Apparently, the problem is more prevalent on the earlier 60GB model console.
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Full Story: play.tm
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From ps3fanboy.com:
[QUOTE]
If you are a proud owner of Grand Theft Auto IV on the PS3, then you might not be so proud to know that the online multi-player mode is down. Or, at least it appears to be so for PS3 patrons. Numerous players have received errors upon attempting to connect; this blogger included has not been able to get the multi-player to work. An error message pops up: "Cannot connect to game provider, please try again."
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Full Story: ps3fanboy.com
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