Tag Archives: apple

Sony Undercuts Virtual Reality Rivals With $399 VR Headset

Sony ( SNE ) will be the last of the big three virtual-reality headset makers to hit the market this year, but its product will be the cheapest and have the broadest software support. Sony late Tuesday detailed its launch plans for the PlayStation VR, a virtual reality headset that connects to its PlayStation 4 video game console. PlayStation VR will go on sale in October in Asia, Europe and North America. It will be priced at $399 in the U.S., the company announced at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Sony pushed back the release date to ensure that it could deliver enough devices and have a wide variety of game titles available at launch, Andrew House, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, said in a statement . “PlayStation VR represents a transformative experience in gaming, and we wanted to take the time needed to launch with a broad variety of content and a sufficient supply of hardware,” House said. “We are beyond excited to deliver to consumers the amazing experience that PS VR offers.” Sony expects to have more than 50 games available for its PlayStation VR by the end of the year. Sony will offer a free download of six games called “Playroom VR” to owners of PlayStation VR to demonstrate the virtual reality gaming experience. Among the most anticipated VR games in development is an all-new “Star Wars Battlefront” from Electronic Arts ( EA ). In addition to games, the PlayStation VR headset can act as a virtual large screen TV for watching movies. Facebook ( FB ) will be first to market with a high-end virtual reality headset, the Oculus Rift. It is set to ship on March 28 in 20 countries, including the U.S. The Oculus Rift will cost $599 and require a high-end PC with a graphics card. Bundles of the Oculus Rift headset and “Oculus-ready” PCs start at $1,499. Another VR headset, the HTC Vive, is due to go on sale April 5 and cost $799. Like the Oculus Rift, Vive requires a high-end PC with a dedicated graphics processor. Vive is a collaboration between smartphone maker HTC and video game developer Valve. While PlayStation VR doesn’t need a PC to operate, it does require the PS4 game console, which currently retails for about $350. Also, some games will require PlayStation Move and camera accessories to track your movements. RELATED: Apple iPhone To Be Dragged Into Virtual Reality Market

Pure Storage (PSTG) Launches Cost-Efficient All-Flash Array

Leading independent solid state array vendor Pure Storage, Inc.PSTG recently introduced a new member to its FlashArray m family the FlashArray m10. This storage solution is apt for mid sized IT companies that are looking for reliable and performant

Apple iPhone Demand ‘Tracking Ahead Of Expectations’

Apple ( AAPL ) stock rose Tuesday on a report from Morgan Stanley that iPhone sales this quarter are looking better than expected. Apple was up 2%, near 105, in afternoon trading on the stock market today . Morgan Stanley ( MS ) analyst Katy Huberty reiterated her overweight rating on Apple stock with a price target of 135. March-quarter iPhone demand is “tracking ahead of expectations,” she said in a report Tuesday. Based on Morgan Stanley analysis of sell-through data, Apple likely will sell 56.5 million iPhone units in the first quarter, she said. “This is clearly ahead of expectations as investors are skeptical Apple can reach implied guidance of 52 million,” Huberty said. China is the country with the strongest iPhone sales growth, based on Morgan Stanley’s tracker, she said. Apple’s next potential catalyst is its spring product-launch event on Monday. Apple is widely expected to unveil a new 4-inch smartphone, a smaller iPad Pro and new Apple Watch bands. Investors are most likely to focus on the rumored iPhone SE on Monday, S&P Capital IQ analyst Angelo Zino said in a report Tuesday. Apple’s new 4-inch smartphone will replace the iPhone 5S, which was released in September 2013. The new model is expected to sport an A9 chip, NFC technology to enable Apple Pay and a 12-megapixel, rear-facing camera. “We believe the device will be used as an opportunity for Apple to expand into lower cost emerging regions where the company has very low market share,” Zino said. “Given the saturation and slowing growth within the smartphone space and Apple’s already dominant position in the high-end market, we believe expanding its offerings to capitalize in higher growth regions will help support iPhone unit growth over the next 12-18 months. We see the potential of at least an additional 10-15 million in iPhone shipments (around 5% of total unit volume).” Zino has a positive rating on Apple stock with a 12-month price target of 130. On Monday, UBS analyst Steven Milunovich reiterated his buy rating on Apple stock and 12-month price target of 120.