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Sony slashes PS3 price by $100
MUMBAI: Soon after Microsoft acknowledged its defective Xbox 360, Sony today announced a price cut of $100 or 16.7 per cent and introduced a high capacity model of its Playstation 3. Starting today, the 60 gigabyte model will cost $499 down from $599. The new version will also have a bigger hard drive and increase the capacity to 80 gigabytes for storing downloaded content such as video games and high-definition movies. However, the larger capacity Playstation will not be available in US and Canada until August. Sony spokesman David Karraker said that the move is in sync with the company‘s upcoming strategy of eventually offering downloaded high-definition movies, video games, movie trailers and demos. The announcement comes two days before the E3 Media and Business Summit in Santa Monica, California, where Sony rivals Microsoft Corp. and Nintendo Co. are expected to put their latest games and related products on display. Karraker said Sony would use the event to focus on ways to increase the number of consumers who own PS3s and other products such as the PlayStation Portable handheld system. It would also look at expanding the system‘s library of available games. He said that Sony would be releasing about 100 new video games during the current fiscal year, including 15 titles that are exclusive to PS3 such as the hack-and-slash action title “Heavenly Sword.” In April, Microsoft began selling a version Xbox 360 Elite, with a 120-gigabyte hard drive priced at $479.99. It currently has no plans to slash rates of Xbox 360 in Japan where it trails far behind rival machines at Nintendo Co Ltd.
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
