Sony Computer Entertainment reported some solid sales numbers for its various PlayStation systems for the past holiday season today. Sony says that they moved a total of 6.5 million PlayStation 2/3/PSP/Vita units worldwide (Sony defines “holiday season” as between November 21 and January 5 in Asia, November 21 through December 31 in America, and November 18 through December 31 in Europe).

To be more specific, the company sold:

• 500,000 units of the PlayStation Vita (which launched in Japan on December 7 and in Hong Kong and Taiwan on December 23)
• 3.9+ million PS3s (Sony says the system is on track to sell 15 million units in the fiscal year through March 31)
• 1.6 million PSPs (all models combined)
• 500,000 PS2 systems
• 1.7 PlayStation Moves (not part of the 6.5 million total)

Sony also said that Vita owners can choose between 24 different games at the moment and that 70 additional titles are currently in development. The company’s newest video game system will hit Europe, Australia, and America on February 22, 2012.

Japan’s video game industry is the world’s second biggest (after the US), but it’s on a downward streak for the fifth consecutive year. Based on sales, the country’s video game industry has contracted by as much as 8% year-on-year, Japan’s biggest gaming magazine Famitsu is reporting [JP].

Between December 27, 2010 and December 25, 2011, Japanese game companies generated US$5.9 billion in sales. The Famitsu says that sales from hardware makers actually went up 2.4% (thanks to the launch of the 3DS and PlayStation Vita) to reach US$2.3 billion. Software revenues in Japan dropped 13.7% to US$3.6 billion last year.

This is how often the different video game systems sold in 2011 (total sales numbers in parentheses):

1. Nintendo 3DS: 4,135,739 units
2. Sony PSP: 1,960,177 (18,237,108)
3. Sony PlayStation 3: 1,467,261 (7,417,148)
4. Nintendo Wii: 937,451 (12,167,743)
5. Nintendo DS (all models combined): 711,204 (32,835,502)
6. PlayStation Vita: 402,794
7. Xbox 360: 114,075 (1,520,738)

This overview shows the top selling games in Japan in 2011 (total sales numbers in parentheses):

1. Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo 3DS): 1,082,391 units
2. Super Mario 3D Land (Nintendo 3DS): 1,042,511
3. Monster Hunter Portable 3rd (Nintendo 3DS): 1,021,457 (4,502,446)
4. Monster Hunter 3G (Nintendo 3DS): 809,322
5. Final Fantasy XIII-2 (Sony PS3): 697,146
6. Final Fantasy Type-0 (Sony PSP): 696,428
7. Rhythm Heaven Forever (Nintendo Wii): 633,429
8. Tales of Xillia (Sony PS3): 632,151
9. Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo Wii): 612,807 (2,732,655)
10. Wii Party (Nintendo Wii): 584,545 (2,123,773)

Rather than looking back (which I’m sure we will), I thought it would be nice to look forward to 2012 and beyond and note some of the gadgets that will change the world in the next few years. I’ve included mobile, gaming, and computing gadgets but I think 2012 will also be the year of Windows Phone, 3D printing, and fitness technology that actually makes a difference.

I’m not expecting much in the way of massive change this next year, just more of the same, but better. Here are our picks for the best of 2012.

Autom and Fitbit – Fewer things sell more products than weight-loss claims. Luckily, thanks to some new devices designed to help us get fitter, those claims are no longer snake oil. Take a look at Autom and FitBit (and the other devices competing in the cyberhealth space). These devices promise what geeks crave – stats – and also promise better health and decreased body mass. It’s a desk-jockey trifecta.

While many fitness devices won’t make it past 2013, I think weight-loss systems like Autom and pedometers like FitBit are the future of fitness. You can’t change what you can’t measure, and these devices let you measure just about everything.

Nokia Lumia 710 – A year ago I would have written Nokia off as a dead company. They were rudderless, without product, and perceived, at best, a commodity feature-phone player in a very competitive smartphone world.

With the arrival of cheap Windows Phones, however, Nokia is looking to take back the low end and win the business of folks who are either too busy, too annoyed, or too cash-strapped to invest in iOS or, increasingly, the more powerful Android flagships. To the anti-Microsoft contingent, Windows Phone is too little too late. In reality, we’re talking about Microsoft: when have they ever been on time.

There are plenty of folks out there without smartphones and no one ever got fired for picking something from Redmond for their IT fleet. Sure, the $50 Lumia 710 requires a two year contract with rebat and all that rigamarole, but the key number isn’t “2-year contract:” it’s $50.

Makerbot – This small, Brooklyn-based company isn’t very big but it’s very powerful. The company just raised $10 million and is working on better ways to get 3D printing to the masses. While not many of us – myself included – can see the value in a 3D printer in the home, I see 3D printing as a technology that just hasn’t caught up with our imagination. A decade ago a laser printer was a distant dream machine that cost thousands of dollars and seemed out of reach for many consumers. Now you can get a color model for a few hundred and every tech-savvy household has at least one color inkjet that can produce better photos than almost any photo lab.

3D printing is in the same boat: the machines are prohibitively expensive and complex, but with a few UI and marketing twists, I foresee a day when the kids print out model car parts the way they print out book reports.

Ultrabooks – Thinking back on the great netbook debacle of a few years ago: the rise in popularity, the fall in pricing, and their eventual death, it’s not difficult to imagine the ultrabook is phase two of the hardware-maker’s lemming rush. However, ultrabooks are a necessary addition to the laptop ecosystem and should be taken seriously. I could definitely see a large buyer picking up a few thousand ultrabooks for employees rather than a few thousand fat-and-heavies from Dell and Lenovo. It makes sense in terms of power, price, and portability.

Kindle Fire – Love it or hate it, the Kindle Fire is Amazon’s first salvo against the iTunes juggernaut. Amazon wants to sell you stuff. They don’t want to impress you with a tablet that runs Ice Cream Sandwich and can compute SETI@Home strings. The device is Amazon incarnate, an all singing, all dancing tablet for readers that will become, for many, the primary way to consume streaming video.

I’m not suggesting the Kindle Fire is great, but future Fires will be on the 2012 Christmas lists for many casual tablet users.

PSP Vita – I put the Vita here not because it will be particularly successful (handheld gaming is a hard business and phone gaming is making it even harder), but because it is the first of the next gen consoles to roll, inexorably, towards our living room. The Vita will ship in 2012, followed by E3 announcements by all the majors about updated hardware (I’m betting on a new Xbox announcement this year, but I doubt it will be released until 2014). The Wii U is next on the upgrade list while Microsoft and Sony are still trying to figure out what a next gen console is supposed to do and what it’s supposed to look like.

In case you are planning to buy Sony’s new handheld PlayStation Vita and were wondering what will happen to your UMDs, Sony finally made an announcement [JP] today, albeit for the Japanese market only at this point. The company says it will establish a so-called UMD Passport Program to make it possible to download versions of your personal UMD games.

There is a bit of work involved, however: owners of UMD titles first have to download an app to their PSP, insert and register the disc with their PSN account, and then download the game onto their Vita.

Another drawback is that initially, not all titles are supported: Sony published a list of 200 games [JP] that are compatible with the program, and each download will cost players between 500 and 2,400 Yen (US$6.50 to US$31, depending on the game). In other words, you have to repurchase every UMD game that you bought for your PSP if you want to play it on your Vita.

The UMD Passport Program will start on December 6, ahead of the December 17 launch of the Vita in Japan.

Instead of giving us any more concrete details on when the Playstation Vita will see the light of day, Sony announced the availability of a new PSP model called the E-1000 at their Gamescom press conference today.

With it’s €99 price tag, Sony’s clearly gunning for the budget gamers, albeit only ones that live in Europe: while the E-1000 is poised to launch this fall in the EU, there’s no word that the bargain-priced portable will make its way anywhere else.

The E-1000 takes most of its design cues from older model PSPs, and with that comes the inclusion of a UMD drive. The design is actually pretty dang slick, with its matte black finish, but Sony had to cut corners somewhere. First thing on Sony’s chopping block is the WiFI radio; impulse Playstation Store downloaders will have to resort to transferring purchases from a PC using Sony’s Media Go software.

For those without an old PSP game library to fall back on, Sony has also announced the launch of a discounted line of UMD-based games. Games like Invizimals: The Lost Tribe, EyePet Adventures, and FIFA 12 are expected to launch along side the E-1000, but hopefully some… better… titles get the UMD treatment soon. Titles are priced to move at €9.99 a piece, but methinks cheapskate gamers may have better luck digging for games in the bargain bin.

Following the security breach in the PlayStation network in April (77 million PlayStation Network user accounts were compromised), Sony saw a radical management reshuffle in its gaming division, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEI), today. As you could expect, big S denies a connection between both incidents, but today’s decision probably doesn’t surprise anyone.

So what will happen? On September 1, Kaz Hirai, the current President and group CEO of SCEI, will take on the role of Chairman of Sony’s video gaming division. At the same time, Hirai’s position will be taken over by Andrew House, who is currently President, CEO and Co-COO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE).

In March, Sony boss Howard Stringer called Hirai the “leading candidate” for the job as the company’s next CEO. Sony also announced that one day before Hirai becomes Chairman of SCEI, Akira Sato, the current Chairman and one of the founding members of the video gaming unit, will step down.

What’s also interesting is that Ken Kutaragi, legendary father of the PlayStation, retired from his role as Honorary Chairman of SCEI to become a “senior technology adviser” of Sony proper – effective as early as today (Kutaragi is also a former Chairman and chief executive officer of SCEI).

In the months to come, the new SCEI team will have to manage the aftermath of the security breach from this spring, the launch of the PSP successor Vita, and the launch of Nintendo’s Wii U as a new PS3 competitor, among other things.

The PS Vita is coming relatively soon, but Sony Japan today announced [JP] something nice for all users still in need of a PSP: a total of three new PSP value packs. The bundles will include a PSP in Piano Black, Vibrant Blue, or Blossom Pink – and they might be the last ones you can get, at least before the Vita goes on sale.

Apart from the PSP itself, buyers also get a pouch, a cloth, a Memory Stick Duo (Mark 2) with 2GB capacity, an AC adapter, and a battery pack.

Compared with previous PSP value packs, the summer versions are $25 cheaper: the bundles will cost just $220 when they hit stores in Japan on July 28.

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan announced [JP] a set of 6 earphones for PSP users today. The earphones are nothing special technically (100dB/mW sensitivity, 16Ω impedance, 1.2m cable length), but their colors match the PSP’s color variations, plus they feature the PSP logo.

The colors available are black, white, red, silver, blue, and pink. Buyers also get three ear pieces (in SS, S or M) and an extension cord.

Sony plans to roll out the earphones in Japan on July 21 (price: $27).

Andriasang points out that it’s not to be found on Sony’s Japanese website, and MCV UK says stores have received notice not to expect any new shipments. That the Go was never popular is on the record: it was criticized for its abandonment of the UMD format, and launching without a clear plan for converting existing games or getting new ones via PSN.

Sony later suggested the PSP Go was an experiment, but I don’t think anyone bought that. Nobody bought the console, either: some indications had it selling less than 20,000 units in all of Japan during 2010.

The end of the PSP Go hasn’t been denied by Sony, though they haven’t announced it either. Our guess? Fire sale, and then let us never speak of it again.

[via 1up]

Sony’s Qriocity Music Unlimited will find its way onto Sony’s major mobile devices by the end of the year. The company is seeking to offer a comprehensive solution that allows users to enjoy content on home entertainment products, computers, and mobile devices through one subscription service. Music Unlimited is currently on the PS3 and several Bravia TVs and Sony Blu-ray players. The PSP is getting the service within “matter of weeks” with the Xperia Play and other Android devices sometime this year says Eurogamer. The NGP will apparently also have access but it’s not clear if it will be ready for the device’s late 2011 launch.

Right now Music Unlimited offers two different pricing schemes. The $4 option is much like Slacker as users can skip music but do not have direct control over the content. The $10 option however opens the service wide open to user control.

The move isn’t exactly a surprise. Sony’s media strategy has always involved eating their own dog food. Sony products work with Sony services, which is only makes sense with Sony’s massive presence in the entertainment field.

Sony has dropped the suggested retail price of the PSP-3000 (not the PSP Go, then) from $170 to $130. Buy the PSP, then use the $40 to grab the new Tactic Ogre. Done and done.

As mentioned, the PSP Go isn’t part of the price-cut, not that that’s any huge loss.

The PSP-3000 entertainment packs, if you can still find them, have also seen their price cut, down to $160.

The price cut goes into effect on February 27.

That is all.

At their PSP2 launch event today, Sony did not only unveil the new device but also introduced “Playstation Suite”, a new cross-device game platform the company will use to bring Playstation 1 titles to Android phones and tablets (version 2.3 and up). In other words, Sony games will not exclusively be distributed to owners of the Playstation Phone that’s supposed to be officially announced next month.

Sony said that Playstation Suite will be launched by year-end (just like the PSP2, by the way). Android users will be able to buy a host of different titles “in an integrated fashion through the PS store”. All games will have come with a “PlayStation Certified” mark so users can be sure they are licensed and tested before being pushed out to the store.

According to Sony, users of the new PSP, codenamed “Next Generation Portable”, will also be able to access Playstation Suite.

At the event, some titles previously available for the PS1 were shown, too, for example Wild Arms (an RPG), Cool Boarders 2 (a snowboarding game), or Syphon Filter (action).

We’ll keep you updated.

Update:
Sony Japan just released a press release in English on the Playstation Suite.

Sony’s PSP may not have been as successful as the Nintendo DS, but it did pretty well overall (if you don’t count the ill-fated PSPgo): in September last year, sales reached 62 million units worldwide. But the PSP is six years old now, and it’s about time for an update. And if a report by Bloomberg today is to believed, Sony will unveil that update, perhaps called the PSP2, on January 27.

While nothing substantial is known about the next-generation PSP, we’ve spent quite a few posts on the PSP Phone that Sony is currently preparing. According to the report, Sony will officially unveil the handset next month, during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (February 14-17).

Bloomberg is citing two anonymous sources with knowledge of Sony’s plans so take the report with a grain of salt. But the timing would make sense, as it would mean that Sony tries to steal some of Nintendo’s thunder before the 3DS hits stores in Japan in the last week of February (followed by other markets in March).

Sony Japan announced [JP, PDF] a new PSP bundle today, the so-called “PSP Value Pack For Girls” (official name), and not too surprisingly, it’s completely in pink. Technically, you can’t expect any changes, but Sony is throwing in special ribbon earphones and a cute bag (also in pink) that were designed just for this bundle.

The PSP Value Pack For Girls is a follow-up to the “Jill Stuart Sweet Package” Sony started selling last year. Apart from said gimmicks, it also contains a 2GB Memory Stick Duo Pro card (not in pink).

The new bundle will cost $240 when it hits Japanese stores on February 17.

Angry Birds’ Sony version is a so-called “Playstation mini” title, which means buyers will be able download the title for both their PS3 and PSP. The downside is that the Playstation version will offer just 63 levels (initially, at least), a far cry from the 210 levels the $0.99 iPhone original boasts.

Maker Rovio has neither revealed the price for the Sony download nor plans for possible add-on level packs yet. But now we know what the 40 people working on the title have been doing recently. Don’t be surprised to see Angry Birds show up on Facebook in the near future as well.

We’ve spent quite a few posts on Sony’s Playstation Phone in the last few months, and today the Asahi Shimbun (one of Japan’s biggest newspapers) is reporting [JP] that the device will be released in spring next year. Not a big surprise, but what’s interesting is that it will hit Europe and the US first, if the report is to be believed.

The Asahi says that Japan will probably get the device, too. Technically, the phone will be based on the PSPgo but will have a smaller form factor. The PSPgo is sized at 69 mm (2.7 in) x 128 mm (5.0 in) x 16.5 mm (0.65 in).

Much like with Sony’s unpopular portable game system, owners will be able to download games through built-in Wi-Fi. Sony also plans to offer music, movies and manga for download.

According to the report, the Playstation Phone will be manufactured by Sony Ericsson, and there is a “strong possibility” that the handset/game system hybrid will use Android as the OS.

More hints—if you can even call them that—about a possible “PSP phone,” however that manifests itself. Kazuo Hirai, the top gentleman over at Sony Computer Entertainment, has said that if Sony were to create such a device it’d be very important not to confuse people about its capabilities, or even its purpose. “We don’t want gamers to be asking, what’s the difference between that and a PSP,” said Hirai.

The speculation surrounding a “PSP phone” has been ongoing for too long now. Will it be a PSP + phone? Will it merely be a standard-issue phone with PSP branding, maybe one with the ability to play classic games from PSN? (That’s the latest rumor, by the way.) Does the phone want to “take on” the likes of the Nintendo DS (and 3DS), or more the likes of an iPhone loaded up with a bunch of PopCap games?

It’s all to do, as they say.

What’s perhaps most interesting about this interview, which is more or less a recap of how the mobile gaming scene has changed since the PSP’s launch back in 2004, is that Sony seems to have embraced the idea that “casual” gamers should be embraced. We’re all one, big happy gaming family—the more gamers, the merrier. That, and that casual games have shown that touch-based interfaces can work just fine with several types of games. Perhaps not for your more sophisticated games, but there’s no reason why you couldn’t play a Mario clone with touch-based controls.

What I’d like to know is, was the PSP a big enough success to even warrant all of this speculation? Will a “PSP phone” have enough heat to draw enough people away from the iPhone+Android nexus?

I humbly ask that you watch this video. There’s a small problem: it’s split up into six parts, and is 30 minutes in length in total. But it’s great, so consider it an investment.

Yeah, this is like 800 years old, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be new to more than a few of you.

My favorite line? The Dreamcast saying “The people who accept me just the way I am.”

Remember that geek quiz from the other day? Yeah, if you don’t like this video you might as well turn in your geek card.

The whole video is here. Go, now.

Here’s my question: why not have both form factors? People seem to like both for different reasons, and as long as they’re equivalent on hardware levels (same HD resolution, same RAM), people will like the idea of having a choice. The draw is going to be the power of the device and its unique controls, not simply the form factor.

That’s my suggestion, Sony. And I think I know a thing or two about this stuff! Unlike you!

Sony has presented [PDF] its newest financial report today. Let’s begin with the bad news: for video games, big S’ numbers aren’t pretty, meaning Nintendo isn’t the only Japanese console maker that has been hurting lately. The PS3 is doing OK: during the July-September quarter, the console was sold a solid 3.5 million times, up from 3.2 million units shipped in the same time frame last year.

The problem are the PSP sales, which dropped a whopping 50% to 1.5 million units year-on-year (what’s interesting is that the PS2 was sold as many times, even though the system is significantly older). The good news is that PSP software sales weren’t that bad, dropping from 13 million units in Q2 2009 to 11 million units this year. Still, the PSP2 or that PS Phone can’t come soon enough for Sony Computer Entertainment.

Sony as a whole has logged a handsome $385 million group net profit for the July-September quarter, after reporting a $326 million loss last year. The company now expects to see $867 million in profit for fiscal 2010 while having lost $503 million last fiscal.