E3: Sony Apologizes for Playstation Network Outage

Sony Computer Entertainment America President Jack Tretton kicked off the annual E3 press conference with an apology for the PlayStation Network outage that has plagued the company for over a month. He thanked PlayStation gamers for their patience and continued loyalty.

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"I want to apologize both personally and on behalf of the company for any anxiety we've caused you," Tretton said.

Tretton said PlayStation Network activity is back up to around 90% of normal functionality. Sony will add Best Buy's CinemaNow streaming movies and TV shows to PlayStation Networks for both rental and purchase later this year. This latest entertainment offering will join Hulu Plus, Vudu, and Netflix. Tretton said PlayStation Network accounts for 30% of Netflix' streaming service business.

STORY: New 'Star Trek' Video Game to Drop in 2012 

From there, the focus turned to stereoscopic 3D gaming. Sony currently has over 100 3D games available for PlayStation 3. Many of its big games on display at its E3 booth, including Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Resistance 3, and Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One. Sony will launch two new 3D special collection titles based on God of War and Ico and Shadow of the Colossus this September, which include a pair of re-mastered 3D versions of two God of War titles as well as Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. Paramount Digital Entertainment will release next year's Star Trek game based on J.J. Abrams' reboot with 3D support on PS3.

"Our commitment to 3D is unwavering," said Tretton. "To break the mold on pricing for 3D and make the entryway more affordable to a broader audience, we're introducing two new PlayStation-branded 3D pieces of hardware this fall."

Sony is bundling a 24-inch active 3D display with a 6-foot HDMI cable, a pair of PlayStation-branded active 3D glasses and a copy of Insomniac Games Resistance 3 for $499. The active 3D glasses will also be sold separately for $69.99 3D.

The 3D display will also feature brand new technology developed specifically for gamers, which allows two players to experience split-screen gameplay without a split-screen image. Each player will see a unique screen off one display.

Sony did bring in some star power to its press conference. Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant came on stage to demonstrate the new PlayStation Move support in 2K Sports' NBA 2K12.

"This game looks a little too real," said Bryant. "It's so realistic, it's frightening. I was playing a little bit backstage and they were actually running the triangle offense better (in the game) than we were last year. That's impressive."

Sony has sold over 8.8 million PlayStation move controllers worldwide. Paramount will release a new Star Trek phaser shaped PlayStation Move controller next year.