Sony double-slapped surprise on many people’s faces yesterday in a Press Conference hosted by Sony Japan. First was the revelation of production issues delaying the launch of the PS4, meaning the PS4 will release late in eight territories – including its native Japan. The shock here was the revelation that US and UK launches are so far unaffected, so PS4 pre-order customers can start feeling even more smug.

However, the big news came in hand-held form. Sony announced the Playstation Vita is about to be revitalised with a brand-new redesigned model. Called the Vita 2000, the new Vita is functionally similar to the existing Vita hand-held console and will support the same software; but is even more portable with a 15% thinner and 20% lighter build. Additionally, Sony has ditched the old OLED screen for a 5-inch LCD display and extended the device’s battery life by one hour, for a total of six.

Launching in Japan on October 10th (worldwide release dates not yet discussed) at a retail price of 18,980 yen (US$190), the PS Vita 2000 will also be available in six colours, with three pastel shades – pink, orange and pale blue – joining the “every console has them” varieties of black, white and grey. The original version will also include Wi-Fi connectivity. Even more interesting is the new consoles will have 1GB free memory on-board, meaning external storage will no longer be required – however, should 1GB not be enough (and let’s face it, if you’re serious about gaming, it won’t be), how about adding 64GB external memory with the new 64GB Memory Stick? Twice the size of the current highest 32GB, these higher memory sticks will also hit the market soon alongside all existing capacities.

Finally, to give you something to play on the new console, Sony has announced they expect about 100 Vita titles by the end of the year; with some brand new ones releasing very soon for all Vita consoles. These include God Eater 2, Gundam Breaker, Final Fantasy 10 and Phantasy Star Nova. There will also be limited-edition bundles of the Vita with some of the upcoming games.

Google took to their company-owned Social Network, Google+, today to announce improvements to video chat in Google Hangouts, putting an emphasis on improved video quality.

Within the next few weeks, Google are giving all users the ability to use 720p HD-quality video for their video conferences. Some users already have the ability; for others, it’s a waiting game as Google perform a gradual roll-out of the service. Up to 10 people can be in a single call using 720p video – though of course, RAM usage is likely to sky-rocket quickly with larger conferences if everyone uses HD.

However, some browsers may find themselves left by the wayside. Also announced by Google and somewhat overlooked by the mainstream press, Google have announced that Hangouts will also be dropping support for the H.264 Video Codec for their own WebM (also known as VB8) video codec, in what appears to be another move to push through Google’s own vision for what the HTML5 specification should be like.

Without boring you with the details, the WebM format was taken up by Google after buying it from On2; and is a fast, lossless video code that is designed for the internet. Google want all the major browsers to adopt it so that it becomes standard for HTML5; this way, browsers don’t need plugins to show video and will “just work” in any browser with just a link to the video placed in a HTML video tag.

What does this mean to you? Well, if you use Firefox, Seamonkey, Google Chrome, Opera, Konqueror or Web/Ephiphany as your main Browser, or you have an Android phone – congratulations! These support WebM built in at least in current releases, so enjoy your HD Hangouts! Use Safari on a Mac OS computer, or Internet Explorer on any device? Sadly, these don’t support WebM by default, but don’t panic! You can download WebM plugins by searching for them online; and if you install one, your browser should be able to join in afterwards.

However, if you use an iPhone or iPad – bad luck. Apple is firmly against playing in Google’s court; so prepare to lose your ability to use Video in hangouts.

Chalk another one up to Google.

If a recent forum post is true, Microsoft may be working on introducing a digital marketplace that lets you resell your used games to other Xbox One owners.

Although unconfirmed, the NeoGaf post outlines a supposedly leaked survey that suggests Microsoft is introducing a virtual place where Xbox One used games can be bought and sold at various prices, depending on included features; in essence, a virtual used game store where players sell to and buy from other players

The survey also mentions the use of premium services, such as an Xbox Live Gold subscription (Or PlayStation Plus, if Sony introduces the rumoured virtual marketplace). This seems to suggest that only members paying for these services will have access to the digital store.

We’re waiting for Microsoft to comment, but the rumour is still unconfirmed.

Rocksmith 2014 Edition takes the learning experience to another level with vastly improved features, new exclusive modes and new tracks!

This new edition offers a more guided path and focused learning experience for beginners and experts. Players will be able to learn new techniques as they perform songs from a brand new track list.

In an interview with Eurogamer today, Microsoft Studio’s vice-president Phil Spencer responded to recent criticisms from Sony (in the video below), noting that Microsoft’s willingness to listen to its customers was a strength, not a shortcoming.

When Microsoft decided to change a number of its policies for the Xbox One—like ditching an always-online console and mandatory Kinect—some took it as a sign of positive change for next gen. Still, during yesterday’s Sony presentation at Gamescom (a game trade fair held in Germany), Andrew House, president of Sony Computer Entertainment, criticized Microsoft’s change.

“While others have shifted their message and changed their story, we were consistent in maintaining a message that is fair and in tune with consumer desires,” House confidently stated, right before revealing the date that the PlayStation 4 will launch.

Phil Spencer doesn’t think the criticism is warranted, judging by his remarks in the Eurogamer interview.

“Other people will do and say what they’re going to say. Fine. We’re running our program. That’s a strength of who we are,” Spencer said.

“We built a platform for gamers. Gamers invest their time and their money in the things they want to play, and they’re going to invest their time in telling us what they love about the platform, and they’re giving us feedback on areas where they have more critical feedback.

“The two-way conversation we have with our customers is a strength. Certain people have tried to turn that into something that’s a bad thing about what we’re trying to do, and I just disagree.”

You can read the rest of the interview here, although it should be noted that Microsoft may bring back some of the features that were cut after the backlash, provided that people want them—some of the features, like always-online, although not convenient for all players, were the result of a vision of a digital future. Stripping away the marketing speak, what I mean is that the policies that Microsoft initially had in place could have allowed for arguably progressive scenarios such as family-sharing plans, not being restrained by discs, and lowering game prices, amongst other things. Still, creating a “digital ecosystem” remains a “core philosophy” according to Spencer.