Stories by Matt Peckham

Google clarifies privacy policy consolidation, claims it's not changing controls

Attempting to deflect criticism of its upcoming privacy policy changes, Google is on the defensive.

Sony Distribution Center torched in London riots

Rioters in London apparently set Sony's Enfield-based DADC (Digital Audio Disc Corporation) facility ablaze last night, reducing the massive disc distribution center to flames and smoke. The massive multi-story, 20,000 square meter building would have likely contained stock tied to multiple mediums, ranging from music labels to video games to movies and more.

Sony denies PSN hack, confirms PSN Web exploit

The PlayStation Network wasn't hacked so much as threatened yesterday when a password exploit accessible through its PSN web page login page came to light, claims Sony.

PSN apology: What else would you have Sony do?

Now that the PlayStation Network’s back, Sony’s trotting out something it's calling a "PlayStation Network and Qriocity Customer Appreciation Program," prompting cries of "too much" or "too little" in certain press channels.

Sony Online Entertainment hacked, 12,700 credit cards stolen

Not quite out of the frying pan, but into the fire anyway: Sony just acknowledged another network breach related to the first one.

Is Sony’s PSN ‘Welcome Back’ enough?

Sony Japan’s explanation for the PSN’s takedown yesterday didn’t tell us much, but -- nearly a week and a half on -- at least the company apologized. Sony’s deputy president Kazuo Hirai took the stage, bent forward as if to touch his toes in a deep and held bow, then apologized “for the great anxiety and inconvenience” caused by the ongoing PSN and Qriocity outages.

Portal 2: a little better all the time

The fleeting hour I was able to devote to Portal 2 last night, dashing through the remainder of its suddenly capacious middle chapters, proved a little better than the dull, shallow preliminary five.

What you'll get in the Microsoft Kinect for Windows SDK

If you're waiting for Microsoft's official do-it-yourself motion-sensing PC kit, you won't have to wait much longer. Microsoft says the Kinect for Windows software development kit (beta) will ship this spring, and they've put up a research page to prove it.

Analyst: Apple iPhone 5 may slip to next year

Tired of all the will-they, won't-they iPhone 5 stories? Or are you secretly kind of jubilant each time they pronounce the iPhone-next's arrival "later than expected"? I'm talking about those of you who picked up a Verizon iPhone 4 in February (okay, me) assuming it'd be obsolete a few months later.

Angry Birds Rio soars to 10 million downloads

Onward Angry Birds Rio, the exotic new adventures of a bunch of irate avians that just flew past 10 million downloads. If they had legs, they'd probably be dancing on the sand.

Sony Online Entertainment job cuts, closures confirmed

The numbers are humbling: Three studios (of five) terminated, 205 jobs simply gone. That's the damage -- substantial by any measure -- at Sony Online Entertainment, Sony's flagship online games development brand.

Kinect Breaks Guinness Record, Sells 10 Million Systems

It looks like Kinect's officially a record-setter, grabbing Guinness' attention long enough to snag the title 'fastest selling consumer electronics device'. According to Microsoft, their controller-free Xbox 360 motion-sensing camera has sold a whopping 10 million units since it launched in early November last year.

Nintendo 3DS sells 400,000 in Japan, already R4 hacked

It looks like Nintendo's 3DS isn't having trouble finding buyers in Japan. According to Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun (via Andriasang) gamers essentially exhausted Nintendo's initial shipment of 400,000 units. The 3DS launched in Japan Saturday to reports of lines and pre-order sellouts.

Nintendo 3DS launches in Japan

Nintendo's bid to put glasses-free 3D into the anxious hands of the masses just got underway in Japan. The company's 3DS -- sequel to the DS and DSi, and employing a new 3.53-inch widescreen that uses parallax barrier tech to create the illusion of three-dimensional imagery -- launched Saturday in the Land of the Rising Sun to long lines, claims of emptied stores, and Twitter tales of 3D-induced headaches.

Rumor: Sony planning 'S1' PlayStation gaming tablet

Take Android, Honeycomb, a 9.4-inch slate, and Sony's PlayStation brand, and what do you get? Why a Playstation Certified gaming tablet, what else!