Most of the gaming world figured Sony
would be rolling out the successor to the PSP at its Business and Strategy Meeting being held in Tokyo – but no one guessed it would embrace the smart phone market as well.
The company unveiled its next generation handheld system Thursday as well as a new initiative that would bring games from the original PlayStation to Android-based devices, as Sony prepares to launch its own ‘PlayStation Phone’.
Intel is taking a page from Polaroid’s 
playbook: Grab a hot musician, give them an official sounding title and hope the PR blitz surrounding that will result in something good.
With the camera company having already snapped up Lady Gaga, the chip maker went with Black Eyed Peas front man will.i.am. His title: Director of Creative Innovation. His duties: No one seems to have any freaking idea.
Disney is swinging the ax at Disney Interactive 
Studios, cutting hundreds of positions, sources have told Variety.
Disney declined to give a number of people affected, but speaking off the record, people who were affected by the move said it could be as much as half of Disney Interactive Studios. Several vice presidents and directors were among those cut. (Variety has been unable to verify the exact count.)
Another old-school video game is getting the
live action treatment – but in a different way than its peers.
While Universal is trying to bring “Asteroids” to the big screen and Namco is shopping a 3D series AND reality series revolving around Pac-Man, Warner Premiere has announced plans to create a series of live action digital shorts around “Mortal Kombat”.
“Duke Nukem Forever,” the longest 
running punchline in the video game industry, finally has a ship date – and all signs are the game will actually stand by this one.
After more than a decade in development, an apparent cancellation, an IP ownership transfer and a miraculous revival, the long-in-development game will finally hit retail shelves on May 3.
The tech world got one heck of a surprise Thursday afternoon when long-time 
Google CEO Eric Schmidt announced he would be ceding the position to company co-founder and president of products Larry Page.
It’s a move that tech analysts are trying to piece together to determine what it will mean for the future of the quickly expanding company. But what, if anything, does it mean for the entertainment industry?
At this year’s CES, television manufacturers 
shined the bulk of their spotlight on connected TVs and the variety of apps that were on the way for the sets. At Samsung, though, customers are already embracing those apps in a big way.
The company has announced that 2 million apps have been downloaded from its marketplace since it launched last year. And the rate of adoption is escalating fast.
Despite speculation that they 
might miss their launch target and price the system beyond the comfort zone of the mass audience, Nintendo’s 3DS handheld gaming system will launch on time and at a price point lower than many feared.
The 3DS, which lets players enjoy games in stereoscopic 3D without the need for special 3D glasses, will go on sale in North America on March 27 at a price of $249.99. That’s $100 higher than the launch price the DS had in 2004, but lower than the $300 many feared when the Japanese launch price was given.
In the video game world, there’s bundling – 
and there’s true customer appreciation.
Valve Software is showing other publishers how to beef up a software release without looking like an obvious play to boost sales. The company announced Tuesday that gamers who buy the PlayStation 3 version of “Portal 2” will receive the PC/Mac version for free.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs is taking a medical 
leave of absence from the company to focus on his health, the company announced Monday.
Jobs will continue as the company’s CEO and said he would continue to be involved in major strategic decisions for the company – but chief operating officer Tim Cook will be responsible for day-to-day operations at Apple.
Chris Morris: Journalist 