Sony PS4 launch aims to keep pace with next-gen Xbox

Sony is aiming for the launch of the PlayStation 4 to keep up with rivals after Jim Ryan, PlayStation Europe big cheese, said that it would be "undesirable" for the PS4 launch to lag too far behind the competition (next-gen Xbox, Wii U).

In the interview with Eurogamer, Ryan spoke of how Sony would want to launch its successor to the PS3 closer to its competitors, clearly referring to the year gap between current consoles.

"I think we would consider it undesirable to be significantly later than the competition [with the next-gen PS4]," he said.

And it's not only a possible Xbox launch that Sony has to worry about, as the Wii U should also be launching in 2012. And despite this urgency, it seems that Sony still may not be ready as, in the company's eyes at least, the PS3 has a fair few miles in it yet.

Ryan continued: "If you look at PlayStation 2, now in excess of 150m units installed globally, a huge majority of that was done at price points of £120 or lower. We've only just hit £199 in the UK [with PS3], so clearly there's a considerable untapped part of the market there."

There's also Sony' slightly dodgy finances to think about and whether this has led to cutbacks in departments like research and development - something that Sony would want to be fully focused on if it's to go up against some pretty stiff console opposition.

Whatever the situation the message is clear from Ryan: Sony is going to do its best to launch the PS4 within spitting distance of the next-gen Xbox, and if that means 2012 it'll be quite a turn up.

Bianchi Campione D'italia 90's

Frame / Size / Year:
Bianchi Campione D'Italia / 1996

Handlebars / Stem:
Nitto B123/Nitto Jaguar

Fork / Headset:
Bianchi/Campy Veloce

Front Wheel / Hub / Rim / Tire:
Velocity Deep V/origin8/Vittoria Rubino 23

Rear Wheel / Hub / Rim / Tire:
Velocity Deep V/origin8/Vittoria Rubino 23

Crankset / Bottom Bracket:
Campy Mirage/Campy Mirage

Saddle / Seat Post:
Selle italia flight/old campy seat post

Pedals / Chain:
MKS/YBN Halflink

Brakes / Brake Levers:
Campy Mirage

Gearing / Chainring / Misc.:
Campy 49T/Soma 17T 

Movie Poster For Angelina Jolie's In The Land Of Blood And Honey

FilmDistrict has released a movie poster for the Angelina Jolie directorial debut, In The Land of Blood and Honey. The film comes to theatres December 23rd and stars Zana Marjanović, Goran Kostić, Rade Šerbedžija, Vanesa Glodjo and Nikola Djurićko.

Set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War that tore the Balkan region apart in the 1990s, In the Land of Blood and Honey tells the story of Danijel (Kostić) and Ajla (Marjanović), two people from different sides of a brutal ethnic conflict. Danijel, a soldier fighting for the Serbs, and Ajla, a Bosnian held captive in the camp he oversees, knew each other before the war, and could have found love with each other. But as the armed conflict takes hold of their lives, their relationship grows darker, their motives and connection to one another ambiguous, their allegiances uncertain. "In the Land of Blood and Honey" portrays the incredible emotional, moral and physical toll that the war exerts both on individuals and people as a whole, and the terrible consequences that stem from the lack of political will to intervene in a society stricken with conflict.

Corvette Driver Slams into Curb During Autocross

So, you want to learn how to drive, do you? Well, we suppose learning by your mistakes is one way to go with it – albeit a very painful and costly one at that.

This video tells the bitter story of a Chevrolet Corvette owner that was doing just fine during an autocross event at a parking lot up until the moment he thought that he got the hang of it and pushed the car beyond his experience.

The result? A very nasty and ultimately, very expensive encounter with the curb…

The poster of the video on Youtube had this to say:

"This is the first time I've ever witnessed an accident at a speed ventures autocross. It was a pretty fast track and it was his first time up since his last break so the tires were pretty cold & so was the track. The driver was shaken up quite a bit, but he walked away."

You can watch the incident in the video after the jump.

Rally Edition Crash in a Blink of the Eye

As much as we'd like to think otherwise, you never know what's waiting for you around the next corner, as from one moment to the other, your perfect drive can go from stunner to bummer.

During a recent rally in Poland, the driver of a Mitsubishi Colt hatchback was coming fast on a narrow road when some spectators loudly cheered for him the precise moment he passed by.

We don't know if the driver was distracted or not, but a split second later his ride came to an abrupt end when he whammed into a brick fence. Hop over the break to watch the video for yourself.

Suzuki Takes Volkswagen to International Court

Suzuki has just released a press statement saying that, because of the Volkswagen Group's unwillingness to sell back 19.9% of its own shares, it has made the decision to take the dispute to an international court for arbitration, marking the latest episode in a long-standing spat between the two automakers.

The Japanese company's official statement follows below:

"Suzuki Motor Corporation ("Suzuki") is today commencing arbitration proceedings in London with the ICC International Court of Arbitration, in order to compel Volkswagen AG to dispose of its Suzuki shares to Suzuki or Suzuki's designated third party.

The arbitration proceedings follow Suzuki's termination of its alliance with Volkswagen AG on 18 November 2011, and Volkswagen AG's lack of response to Suzuki's requests for the disposition of its shares to Suzuki or Suzuki's designated third party."

The two companies have been fighting each other ever since a document in VW’s 2010 annual report described Suzuki as an “associate” was reported in March. The quarrel between the two automakers escalated with the Germans later on accusing the Japanese firm for violating their agreement by buying diesel engines from the Fiat Group.

The Volkswagen Group has not yet issued a statement on the matter. However, when Suzuki threatened to take the Germans to court last week, VW's reply was: “We are extremely disappointed that Suzuki has taken this step to terminate the agreement. There is no legal foundation whatsoever obliging us to surrender our shares. Volkswagen will continue to hold its stake.”

BMW USA Puts a Price Tag on the All-New 2012 3-Series Sedan

BMW has just released U.S. pricing on its new 3-Series saloon, which will make its North American debut at the Detroit Motor Show in January and arrive in showrooms across the States next February as a 2012 model.

The new 328i, which swaps the current model's naturally aspirated 3.0-liter inline-six for a turbo'd four-cylinder powerplant, will be priced from $35,795, while the 2012 335i Sedan that continues with a turbocharged-six carries an MSRP of $43,295.

Both prices include an $895 destination and handling fee, and represent a modest $320 and $370 base price increase respectively over the outgoing models.

Along with the powertrain, chassis and styling upgrades, the new 3-Series also brings a higher level of standard equipment including larger wheels and tires, a 6.5-inch central display with iDrive controller, Bluetooth connectivity, USB/iPod interface, 8-Speed Automatic Transmission, Automatic Start/Stop, Dynamic Driving Control with ECO PRO Mode and Brake Energy Regeneration.

Both the 328i and the 335i will be available in the States in a trio of trim and equipment variants, the Sport Line, Luxury Line and Modern Line, while BMW will also offer an M Sport package in the second half of 2012.

As a reminder, the 328i gets a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a twin-scroll turbocharger that produces 240HP at 5,000 rpm and 260 lb-ft from 1,250 to 4,800 rpm, for a 0-60mph sprint time of 5.7 seconds and a an electronically governed top speed of 130 mph or 155 mph with the Sport Line.

The 335i is powered by BMW's N55 3.0-liter turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine delivering 300HP at 5,800rpm and of 300 lb-ft between 1,200 and 5,000rpm. BMW says that it can accelerate from zero to 60mph in 5.4 seconds and reach an electronically governed top speed of 130 mph (210 km/h) or 155 mph (250 km/h) in Sport Line trim.

The 2012 3-Series range will be enhanced with a Hybrid model as well a diesel powertrain later in the year.