Foster City, Calif. - Sony Computer Entertainment America said on Thursday that the next system software update for its PlayStation 3 will add BD-LIVE, a set of interactive features for the game console's Blu-ray player. BD-LIVE will enable features such as downloadable video content, ringtones and games. Sony said the update, due for release in late March, will also enable photo and music playlists on the PS3 to be copied to a PSP handheld.

Foster City, Calif. - Sony Computer Entertainment America this week began offering MTV programming on the UMD format for its PSP handheld game device. An initial slate of UMD videos, priced at $14.99 each, will contain episodes of shows including "Beavis & Butt-head," "Jackass" and "Aeon Flux." Sony has sold more than 10 million PSP units in North America.

Tokyo - Sony (NYSE: SNE) will delay the introduction of the Skype Internet telephone service for its PSP handheld game device in Japan while it works on technical problems, Reuters reports. The company said the microphone it had planned to offer did not meet Skype specifications in Japan, although the microphone did meet Skype specifications outside Japan, and Sony reiterated plans to launch the service overseas later this month.

Foster City, Calif. - Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) (NYSE: SNE) said on Monday that it sold 1.2 million PlayStation 3 consoles during the holidays, along with 1.4 million PSP handhelds and 1.3 million units of the PlayStation 2. The holidays timeframe was defined as Nov. 23 through Dec. 31.

Foster City, Calif. - Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced that sales of its PlayStation 3 are up 298% since Nov. 2, compared with October sales, which the company credited to availability of both the 40GB and 80GB models of the game console.

Foster City, Calif. - Sony Computer Entertainment America on Thursday announced the release of a new firmware upgrade for its PlayStation 3 game console, which adds features including the ability to turn on the PS3 via a PSP system connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot; a scrolling PlayStation news ticker; and the ability to build music and photo playlists.

Tokyo - Sony Computer Entertainment said on Thursday that the new, slimmer version of its PSP handheld game device sold 580,000 units in Japan in the two weeks since its release there on Sept. 20.

Tokyo - Japanese game industry magazine Enterbrain reported on Wednesday that Sony has sold 250,000 of the new smaller, cheaper version of its PSP handheld game in Japan in the device's first four days on sale. The figure is roughly the same as the total number of original PSP units the company sold in Japan during July and August.

Leipzig, Germany - U.K. telecommunications firm BT announced on Thursday that it has partnered with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe to develop GoMessenger, a service that will allow owners of Sony's PSP handheld game to make Internet telephone calls, and send and receive instant messages when connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot. BT developed the PSP software, which when paired with a headset and GoGam video camera will allow gamers to use voice chat and make video calls, respectively. BT and Sony plan to initially offer GoMessenger in the U.K., France, Germany, Spain and Italy in early 2008, before expanding further into Europe. Sony did not mention plans to offer the service in the U.S.

Leipzig, Germany - Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced on Thursday that it will offer a GPS satellite navigation feature for the PSP handheld game device. Set for release next year, GoExplore incorporates UMD discs containing maps from 16 European nations, and audio directions in 11 languages, provided by TeleAtlas. The GoExplore package will also include car adapter and car mount accessories for the PSP.

Frankfurt, Germany - Sony on Thursday announced plans to introduce a TV tuner and digital video recorder accessory, called PlayTV, for its PlayStation 3 video game console, the Associated Press reported.

Foster City, Calif. - Sony Computer Entertainment America on Tuesday shipped "Jeanne d'Arc," a fantasy roleplaying game based on the legend of Joan of Arc, for the PSP handheld. The title was developed by Level-5.

Los Angeles - Vivendi's Sierra Entertainment game publishing label announced on Tuesday that it plans to publish a game based on the new Aliens/Predator film from 20th Century Fox exclusively for the Sony PSP handheld. The PSP game is being developed by Rebellion, which also created the "Aliens vs. Predator" PC game. The new film in the franchise is slated for release on Dec. 25.

Foster City, Calif. - A Sony Computer Entertainment America patent application filed in September 2005 has emerged, for a device that appears to connect a PlayStation controller to its PSP handheld game device. While the filing provides scant details, potential uses for the link-up include adding analog control, force feedback and other features to the downloadable PlayStation 2 games available for the PSP.

San Francisco - U.S. video game sales rose 31% in June from a year ago, to $1.1 billion, buoyed by strong sales of next-generation consoles from all three major players, Reuters reported, citing data from market research firm NPD Group.

Tokyo - Sony Computer Entertainment will release a slimmer version of its PSP handheld game system in Japan on Sept. 20, Reuters reported. The device will cost about $162. Sony hopes the new version will spur PSP sales, which have lagged behind those for rival Nintendo's DS handheld. In the year ended March 31, Nintendo sold 23.6 million DS units, compared with PSP shipments of 8.4 million.

Santa Monica, Calif. - Korean game developer NCsoft said this week that it has signed a deal with Sony Computer Entertainment, to create several online games for the PlayStation 3 and PSP that will be accessible through the PlayStation Network. While NCsoft -- whose titles include "City of Heroes" and "Guild Wars" -- did not provide many details, the games will include both existing NCsoft franchises and new intellectual property.

Tokyo - Sony Computer Entertainment on Thursday announced plans to release a slimmer, lighter version of its PSP handheld game system that also adds a video-out port.