Sony stops work on Eight Days and The Getaway

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has announced that it has stopped production on two PlayStation 3 titles that were in development at the Sony London Studio - Eight Days and The Getaway.

A statement from the Corporation read as follows: "It has been agreed that production of both Eight Days and The Getaway will cease immediately due to the redistribution of resources and budget.

"This decision was made following an internal review of all games and it was deemed that with the incredibly strong list of exclusive first party titles coming up both this year and in the near future, resource should be reallocated to enhance those projects closer to completion.

"Worldwide Studios has a reputation for innovative and entertaining games, with titles such as LittleBigPlanet, SingStar,Buzz, EyeToy and Eye of Judgement, and will continue to push the boundaries on all PlayStation platforms."

The move follows shortly after the appointment of Shuhei Yoshida as the head of Sony Worldwide Studios, replacing previous company icon Phil Harrison, who departed to take up the role of president at the re-imagined Atari.

Eight Days was first announced at E3 in 2006 with a trailer showing a mixture of what appears to be in-game action and cinematic footage, involving a shoot-out at a remote truck-stop in the Arizona desert.

The Guardian reported just a few weeks ago that the title was "just ramping up to full production," suggesting that the decision was taken only recently to terminate the title.

The Getaway, which was due to receive full attention once Eight Days had been released, was apparently still in the early stages of development.

Sony London Studios was previously responsible for the fantastically successful SingStar and EyeToy franchises. There has been no indication that the decision would result in any redundancies, or whether work on the projects would restart at a later date.

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Want a gunmetal gray PS3? all you need is a tin of spray paint

A member of the official Playstation forums has done a good job creating his own gun metal gray PS3. He used a tin of Tamiya Gunmetal TS-38 spray paint and used Testors Dullcote 1260 for the flat clear.
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PSM confirms BioShock for PS3, better on PS3

The June issue of UK PlayStation mag PSM3 has confirmed that Take-Two's Bioshock is coming the PS3. According to the magazine cover it will tell us "why Xbox's best shooter is better on PS3".


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Dev responds to IGN's Haze review - "MEGAowch"

With early reviews for Haze looking good (Famitsu 34/40 and Italian PSM 9/10), it came as a bit of a shock when IGN bestowed a dreaded 4.5/10 on the game in their review this morning. In curiosity, PSU.com contacted Rob Yescombe of Free Radical to hear what he had to say.

"My thoughts are "Owch". No, wait - MEGAowch," wrote Yescombe. "Haze has had mixed reviews, but even GoldenEye got a 4/10 when it first came out. With a 9/10 in the Italian PSM, and an extremely positive review in Famitsu, we're looking forward to people playing Haze and making a judgment for themselves".

According to IGN, Haze suffered from "a bland story with weak characters... [and] tons of visual issues, from texture tears and non-descript environments to pop-in and odd animation problems."

This comes as a surprise to us because back in March, PSU was given hands on with a near final build of the game and we thought the title looked fairly good. The graphics in particular looked crisp and the framerate was smooth.

With Haze releasing today in the US, and Friday in Europe, we'll see how well gamers will jump on board with the new PS3 exclusive.

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Sony to take action over 'Uncharted' replica gun sales

Sony Computer Entertainment has told GamesIndustry.biz that it will take action against a retailer selling air guns using branding from hit PS3 game Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.

At least one internet retailer is advertising the 'PS3 Uncharted Drake's Fortune Full Metal M92 Airsoft Gun', on sale for USD 169.88, using artwork from the game developed by Naughty Dog.

When contacted, Sony said that the product is not in any way officially endorsed and the company will take the appropriate action against retailers advertising such products.

"The Drake's Gun is not licensed or in any way sanctioned by SCE and one we certainly do not condone.

"We are investigating the source of this product and will proceed with the most appropriate action," said Sony.

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SCEA: Killzone 2 fact sheet

A Killzone 2 fact sheet has been released. The release details the story line and the features list talks mainly about the graphics. Experience a beautifully lit world brought to life by deferred rendering technology. Multiple shadows casting light sources bring out the highly detailed environments and character animations.

Press Release
KillzoneTM 2

FACT SHEET

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
Developer: Guerrilla Games
Platform: PLAYSTATION®3 system
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Rating: “RP” for “Rating Pending”

OVERVIEW

Developed by Guerilla Games, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Killzone™ 2 is the highly anticipated first-person shooter created exclusively for the PLAYSTATION®3 system. Following events and action from the original Killzone for PlayStation®2, Killzone 2 brings players into a highly detailed, ultra-realistic “theater of war” that truly leverages the processing power of the PS3.

Throughout the campaign, players will encounter lifelike and adaptable artificial intelligence (A.I.) from enemies as well as fellow soldiers, destructible environments, and stunningly detailed scenery. Additionally, players will be tasked with utilizing a host of new weapons and vehicles in the war to stop the Helghast. Featuring an extensive single-player campaign and thrilling multi-player mode, Killzone 2 delivers a host of new gameplay elements and an intense storyline that will once again drive gamers to join the ranks of the ISA and fight the Helghast…this time on the enemy’s home planet.

STORYLINE

Two years after the Helghast assault on Vekta, the ISA is taking the fight to the enemy’s home world of Helghan. The ISA goal is direct: capture the Helghast leader, Emperor Visari, and bring the Helghast war machine to a halt. Assuming the role of Sev, a battle-hardened veteran and a member of the special forces unit known as the Legion, players will lead a group of highly trained soldiers on a mission to take out the Helghast threat. For Sev and his squad, the invasion of Helghan is just the beginning. Tasked with securing Pyrrhus, the Capital City, the team quickly discovers that the Helghast are a formidable enemy on their home planet. Not only have they adjusted to the planet’s hostile conditions, they have also harnessed a source of power they can now use against the ISA. Sev discovers his squad isn’t just fighting enemy forces – their fiercest opponent may be the planet itself.

KEY FEATURES

• Experience realistic, highly atmospheric environments that respond dynamically to the violent conditions on the planet Helghan.

• Witness the devastating effects of Helghan’s climate as it forces you and your enemies to adapt to new tactics.

• Control an arsenal of new and unique weapons and vehicles, in addition to trusty Killzone classics like the M82-G and the StA-52 LA.

• Face off against fearsome enemies who have learned to wield the hostility of Helghan itself against their opponents.

• Between Killzone 2’s unique visual style, the power of PS3, the use of EDGE tools, and the proprietary technology developed by Guerrilla, the game promises to impress players with its benchmark visuals, smooth character animation, detailed, effect-laden environments, and realtime cutscenes.

• Experience a beautifully lit world brought to life by deferred rendering technology. Multiple shadows casting light sources bring out the highly detailed environments and character animations.

• With true next-gen audio the player is further immersed in the world, supporting 7.1 surround and location-specific audio with wave tracing. Players will not only notice the difference between indoor and outdoor but also experience sound and music that are dynamic and contextual.

• Studio grade special effects will provide unprecedented visual fidelity. With full screen anti-aliasing, motion blur, internal lens reflections, and depth-based color grading, players will experience a picture that is sharp, smooth, and full of detail.

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Sony Sees Revenues And Profits Rise

Sony Corporation has reported its financial results for the year ending March 31, 2008, with revenues and profits up on the previous year.

In total, across the group, the company took JPY 8.87 trillion (USD 84.4 billion), a rise of 6.9 per cent on the previous year, with net income hitting JPY 369.4 billion (USD 3.51 billion) - almost tripling the previous year's total of JPY 126.3 (USD 1.20 billion).

Sales of buildings, as well as funds received from the flotation of its financial business last year, contributed to the strong showing, although its consumer products also performed well.

The majority of the good news came from its electronics division, with record sales and operating income on the back of Bravia TV and Cyber-Chot camera sales, but the videogames unit also posted a far more promising set of figures than last year.

Sales in that department increased 26.3 per cent year-on-year to JPY 1.28 trillion (USD 12.2 billion), resulting in a narrowing of the loss from JPY 232.3 billion (USD 2.21 billion) to JPY 124.5 billion (USD 1.18 billion).

The company cited the principal reasons for the reduction of those losses as a lower cost of production for the PlayStation 3 console combined with a strong performance - particularly in Japan - of the PlayStation Portable.

Sales performance in the next twelve months is expected to improve slightly, with revenues rising by 1 per cent to JPY 9 trillion (USD 85.6 billion), although the company forecasts a fall in profits, by 22 per cent to JPY 290 billion (USD 2.76 billion) mainly due to the expected appreciation of the Yen against the Dollar.

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LittleBigPlanet - Killzone 2 characters video

Below is a video showing LittleBigPlanet - Killzone 2 characters. The video was shown at the Playstation Day yesterday.

PS3 & Folding@Home reaches 2 Petaflops

Folding@Home computing power reaches 2080 Terraflop mark (2 petaflops).

As of November 2007, the IBM Blue Gene/L at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is the fastest operational supercomputer, with a sustained processing rate of 478.2 TFLOPS.

The Folding@Home network is over 4x more powerful than the second most powerful supercomputer.

The PS3 is providing 81% of the computing power. In comparison, Windows PCs are providing 9%. This is especially amazing since there is almost 4 times less PS3 than computers contributing.

Therefore the average computing power of a PS3 is approximately 32 times more than the average PC. This is due to recent updates to the Folding@Home application which make it more efficient.

100,000 MGS4 PS3 Bundles for Japan

That's a lot. Maybe.

Japan is recovering from its Golden Week period of holidays, making news slow from the island nation, but we did stumble upon one little bit that ought to help those who take part in office pools over system sales. The web version of Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reports today that Sony plans on shipping between 80,000 and 100,000 units of the recently announced MGS4 PS3 bundle. Sony refers to this as a limited edition bundle, so we presume they intend to sell out of it quickly.

First announced last week, this bundle combines a 40 gigabyte PS3 in your choice of Clear Black, Ceramic White, or Satin Silver colors, with an extra Dual Shock 3 controller and a copy of the standard version of MGS4, all for 49,800 yen. This amounts to a 4,000 yen savings over buying the items separately.

Konami has its own bundle on the way, which combines a new metallic color version of the PS3 with a copy of the MGS4 limited edition for 51,800 yen. Shipping quantities have not been revealed for this set.

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Haze Demo Coming To US PlayStation Network Tomorrow

Today, Ubisoft confirmed that a playable demo for Haze will be coming to the US PlayStation Store tomorrow. The demo was released yesterday on the European PlayStation Network, following the Playstation Day event. The demo features a sample of the single-player campaign, online 2-4 player co-op (drop-in/drop-out play), and 2-player split-screen play.

European DualShock 3 launch is “imminent”, says SCEE president

SCEE president David Reeves confirmed that DualShock 3 will be launching in Europe very soon.

“The DualShock 3 launch is imminent,” he told us in answer to a remark we made on the fact a Sixaxis is included in the newly-announced European MGS4 bundle.

The Euro boss gave no other hint as to when we’re specifically going to see the controller over here, or whether or not we’ve going to see it release before Metal Gear’s launch on June 12.

DualShock 3 has already launched in both America and Japan.

Rockstar and Sony plans to patch the PS3 version of Grand Theft Auto IV today to improve the multiplayer experience.

Speaking to Eurogamer, a Sony source explained that the patch would help by "reducing the loads on the servers at GameSpy and hopefully the completely random hangs that some users have seen".

PS3 owners who bought GTA IV last week have had to endure problems connecting to the multiplayer service almost from day one.

What's more, some reported random crashes , for which Rockstar suggested that erasing game data and reinstalling as a possible solution.

This week, UK chart monitor Chart-Track reported that 926,000 copies of GTA IV were sold during its first week on sale here - with 413,000 of going to PS3 owners.

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PlayTV to launch in Europe in September for 99 Euros

SCEE announced today that PlayTV will launch in Europe this September for 99 Euros which converts to about GBP 80/USD 154.

PlayTv will allow users to watch, pause and record live TV from a huge range of free channels, PlayTV lets you record a programme whilst watching another, record an entire series at the touch of a button or watch programmes on the go via Remote Play on PSP.

PlayStation Day Store update

The PlayStation Store has received its special Tuesday PlayStation Day update.

The content is as we expected:

The PlayStation Day trailers available include Motorstorm is back, Siren Blood Curse Trailer, Secret Agent Clank Trailer and finally a PlayStation Network PS Day Showcase.

High Velocity Bowling is finally available for £4.99; you can also splash out for an extra character Mick for £0.69, still nice if he was thrown in.

Blast Factor Advanced Research add-on back is on for £1.99 for anyone who is still playing this launch title.

Street Skater is our classic title for the usual £3.49

Two demos are available, the very good Condemned 2 demo is worth checking out and of course Haze is a must, the latter weighing in at about 1.5GB

Finally there is an additional trailer, Buzz Quiz TV

All that should keep you entertained till the next update on Thursday.

Go!View dated for Europe

Sony has revealed that its PSP video on demand service Go!View will be in the UK on 30th June. It will be out for selected countries in mainland Europe next month.

This is the first “official” PSP service of its type in Europe, according to SCEE boss David Reeves, and is a joint venture with broadcaster Sky.

It will be available on a pay-per-view or subscription basis, and lets you download films or telly shows such as drama or sport in five easy steps: log on, choose what you want, use your PC to download it, transfer it to PSP, and then, er, something; presumably watch it.

Sony is also keen to expand this model to the PS3:

“It’s also no secret that we’d like to launch a similar service on PS3... So watch this space.

Episodic Siren Blood Curse Hits PS3 this Summer

Siren Blood Curse is coming to the Playstation Network in twelve “TV-style, suspense-packed” downloadable episodes this summer, SCEE announced today.

GTA IV shatters UK first-week sales records

Title shifts almost a million units in first week; takes over £39 million at retail

Rockstar’s GTA IV has smashed all UK first-week sales records, according to official data obtained by MCV from industry monitor ChartTrack.

The game sold 926,000 units in the five-day period between its release (Tuesday, April 29th) and Saturday, May 3rd.

The title took a total of £39.9 million at UK retail – made up of Xbox 360 & PS3 software sales combined.

HOME won’t open till Kaz is happy with it

Today at the SCEE press conference Kaz Hirai made a statement on the PS3’s online community called Home. He apologized on the delay of Home but gave no time frame for it’s opening, if anything he said it won’t open until he’s happy with it.

Nissan To Sponser Gran Turismo Academy

Sony is teaming up with Nissan to offer what’s being billed as the “ultimate competitive driving test”.

The Nissan GT Academy prize is for two people to get a real-life racing tutorial over the course of four months. They’ll then get to compete in Dubai’s 24-hour race in January next year.

The competition will kick off on May 23rd on PSN. Speaking at the PlayStation Day conference SCEE boss David Reeves told the audience, “Every round of the GT Academy will be filmed and made available on the PlayStation Network”.

LittleBigPlanet Coming in October

Speaking at the SCEE PlayStation Day in London, Kaz Hirai has revealed LittleBigPlanet will be released in October.

Media Molecule’s effort will “revolutionise” the way people interact with games, according to Hirai. As you probably know already, LBP is PS3 exclusive that will let you create your own game levels and share them online.

New MotorStorm 2 trailer, Haze demo today

To tie in with Sony's PlayStation Day event taking place later today (don't worry, we'll be there), Sony will launch a Haze demo on PSN later today.

As well as today's PS Day-related update, Sony has told CVG that the usual weekly update on Thursday will still happen, with more new content, although that list is yet to be confirmed.

Here's a full list of the content going live today.

Content published on PSN (for PS3) May 6, 2008

• Game Demo: Condemned 2
  
• Game Demo: Haze
  
• Full Game: Street Skater
  
• Full Game: Blast Factor Advanced
  
• Full Game: High Velocity Bowling
  
• Expansion Pack: Blast Factor Advanced Research
  
• Expansion Pack: High Velocity Bowling Character - Mike
  
• Game Trailer: Buzz! Quiz TV
  
• PlayStation Day Trailer: Secret Agent Clank
  
• PlayStation Day Trailer: Siren Blood Curse
  
• PlayStation Day Trailer: MotorStorm is back

Content published on PS Store (for PC) May 9, 2008

• Full Game: Street Skater
  
• PlayStation Day Trailer: Siren Blood Curse

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Double EU PSN Store update next week to celebrate PlayStation Day

SCEE might just find themselves back in European PS3 owners' good books after next week. PlayStation Day, a press-only event in London, takes place on the 6th of May. The press conference at the event will be hosted by Kaz Hirai and David Reeves (President of SCEE) and will no doubt include some interesting announcements. We'll be there to give you up to the minute news as it happens.

To celebrate PlayStation Day, the European PSN Store will be updated twice next week. Once on Tuesday and once on Thursday. Those of you who have become disheartened with the European PSN updates might want to take special note to this line-up. In total you can expect to see four demos, three full games and five add-on packs spread across the two updates. Plus a nice collection of videos, including the PlayStation Day press conference itself, hosted by Kaz Hirai.

Check out the full list of content for Tuesday's update below. Thursday's list can be seen after the break.

Playable content

• Condemned 2 demo
  
• Haze demo
  
• Blast Factor Advanced full game
• High Velocity Bowling full game
  
• Street Skater PS1 game
  

Add-on content

• Blast Factor Advanced Research
• High Velocity Bowling Character - Mike

Trailers:

• Buzz! Quiz TV
• Secret Agent Clank
• Siren Blood Curse

Thursday's PSN update will look a little something like this:

Playable content

• Bourne Conspiracy demo
• Race Driver: GRID demo

Add-on content

• Army of Two
• Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - Def Leppard Track Pack
• Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - Muse Track Pack

Trailers

• Echochrome Apple trailer
• Play Compilation
• Press Conference

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EU/US & Jap PlayStation Store Update 24th April 2008

United States

Games/Demos:
-R-Types (PS1) - $5.99
-Echochrome demo
-Iron Man demo

DLC:
-Army of Two - SSC Challenge Map Pack - $4.99? - $9.99?
-Call of Duty 4 map pack 1 - $9.99
-Eye of Judgement - Set 2 - $14.99?
-Guitar Hero III - Def Leppard Track Pack - $5.99
-Karaoke Revolutions - New Songs - $1.49 each

Rock Band tracks:
Mötley Crüe - “Saints of Los Angeles” (master) - $1.99

Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance LP (masters) - $14.99 for all or $1.99 each
“The Hellion/Electric Eye”
“Riding on the Wind”
“Bloodstone”
“(Take These) Chains”
“Pain and Pleasure”
“Screaming for Vengeance”
“You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’”
“Fever”
“Devil’s Child”

Trailers:
-Army of Two - "SSC Challenge"
-Burnout: Paradise - "BTS - Fast Car music video"
-Burnout: Paradise - "Interview w/ Wyclef Jean, pt. 1"
-Burnout: Paradise - "Interview w/ Wyclef Jean, pt. 2"
-FIFA 08 - "Features"
-Gran Turismo 5 Prologue - "Techno"
-Iron Man
-PlayStation @ Coachella
-Prototype - "Discover Evolution"
-Resistance 2 - "Debut Teaser"


United Kingdom

Games/Demos:
-Bishi Bashi Special (PS1) - €4,99
-Command and Conquer (PS1) - €4,99
-Rocketmen: Axis of Evil demo

DLC:
-Call of Duty 4 - Map Pack 1 - £6.99 / €9.99

Trailers:
-Resistance 2 - "Debut Teaser"
-TimeShift - "FPS Differently" (3 of them)
-Viking: Battle for Asgard (2 of them)
-Warhawk - "Operation Broken Mirror preview"

Other:
-Dark Sector wallpaper
-Metal Gear Solid 4 wallpaper
-MotorStorm wallpapers

Japan

Games/Demos:
-Siren demo (survival horror game, going up early Friday morning US time)

DLC:
-Hot Shots Golf 5 – New Course(s) – ¥800
-Flow Expansion – ¥300
-PixelJunk Monsters Encore – ¥600

Major UK retailers already sold out of GTA IV

Several major UK game retailers and supermarkets are already sold out of Grand Theft Auto IV.

Big gaming outlets such as Game.co.uk, HMV and Gameplay are either completely sold out or can no longer guarantee delivery on April 29.

While it seems as though now you’re going to have to take your chances in shops on release day, most major online retailers still have the special edition available.

It also appears that the PS3 version is in higher demand than its rival.

Here’s a list of retailers that no longer can give you the game when you want it:

• Amazon.co.uk (360/PS3)
• Gamestation.co.uk (360/PS3)
• Play.com (PS3)
• Woolworths.co.uk (PS3)
• Asda (PS3)
• Shopto.net (360/PS3)

Playstation Store Officially Closed For Now

PS Store Closed April 14th 8am(PST) /4pm(GMT) . New PS Store reopens 11pm(PST) same evening/April 15th 7am(GMT).

PSN Store Update and Network Downtime Confirmed

It’s been confirmed that the next system software update and PSN Store update will take place on April 14th, just in time for those of us rushing to file our US Income Tax returns to be forced to take a break and try to track down that receipt for that business dinner at the "Thirsty Alligator House of BBQ".

According to playstation.custhelp.com, the PSN store will be upgraded and inaccessible from April 14th at 8:00 am Pacific Standard Time and available again at 11:00 PM that evening. The entire PSN will be unavailable as well during this time frame. Once the PSN is back up and running, a new software upgrade will be available and will be required to use the PSN.

Once you get the update and check out the store, please check back and tell us your thoughts.

MGO Beta Free Download For All Europeans: No Pre-Order Needed

Well here’s some great news for the often forgotten Europeans. Although North American’s must pre-order Metal Gear Solid 4 to access the Metal Gear Online Beta, Europeans will be able to download the Beta for free, and with no need for a code. Follow the jump for more information.

In reporting new information on the Playstation Store relaunch and its included content, there was a nugget of information that would be easily overlooked if it wasn’t spelled out. Sony Europe confirmed that the Metal Gear Online Beta would be available on April 17th, but we presumed this would only be for thos who pre-ordered.

We then realised that, as of yet, there were no reports of Beta Codes in Europe. Konami thus made things all the clearer today, saying that the “Metal Gear Online Premiere Beta will be available as a free download on the Playstation Store from April 17th until May 6th.” The Beta itself will begin on April 21st (plenty of time to get hold of this presumably very popular download) and end on May 6th.

The beta phase features two maps, four gameplay modes, the SOP System that encourages up to 16 players to team up and share information, and deep skill-customization. Also equipped with auto-matching and training modes, the game offers players a sneak peak of this totally new approach to console-based competitive gaming.

Bring on the Metal Gear Online Beta for all Europeans (and hopefully others in the Pal region, including Australia) and those North Americans who were clever enough to pre-order.

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Ben Heck's Latest Wonder Project: PS3 Laptop

It looks like the PS3 is finally getting some hot mod love from console modding's reigning wizard, Ben Heck. We don't really have all the details since he hasn't announced the project yet, but the display looks like it's the one he used for the Xbox 360 Elite laptop, for a true 720p picture. He's obviously been leveling up his already formidable powers though, 'cause this is one of his most polished projects yet.


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Sony Unaware Of Alleged PS3 Error

Sony has told Eurogamer that it is unaware of any issues regarding the mysterious PS3 error codes supposedly popping up around the world.

The allegedly cursed number is 80010514. It relates to a faulty sector on the hard drive and faulty installation of firmware updates, according to GameRevolver.

There's advice to avoid this by following the correct procedure when installing updates, using a stable Internet connection to download and dust your machine to stop heat issues and other glitches occurring.

Despite the problem being unrelated to the hardware, your system will apparently still need replacing if the error occurs.

So is this a serious problem, or just Internet bunkum? An SCE UK spokesperson told us, "I've spoken to our Customer Services department and they aren't aware of this issue with the PS3".

Make of that what you will. And many of you probably will.

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Retail Confirms PlayStation 3 GTA IV Bundle

UK retailer Shopto has confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that a PlayStation bundle with Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV is due for release in Europe on April 29.

The retailer said that there was some confusion as to who would be distributing the product in the UK – Gem, which has the exclusive distribution contract with publisher Take-Two, or Centresoft, the company that handles distribution for Sony.

"We know for a fact it is coming out in Europe and we are expecting an announcement in the UK any time," confirmed Igor Cipolletta, COO of Shopto.com.

"We are not sure if Gem or Centresoft are distributing it yet, that seems to be the hold up," he added.

The bundle has a RRP of GBP 299 and will go on sale the same day as the release of the highly-anticipated Rockstar game.

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Interview With SCE Engineers Reveal BD-Live, Firmware Plans

People love firmware updates on the PS3. Why? They continue to add new functionality. While the most-requested feature, in-game XMB, still has not arrived, the latest update (2.20) included a number of new features, such as support for BD-Live, the latest Blu-ray disc profile. The interview notes that the PS3 is much more powerful than standalone Blu-ray players on the market, and that the "performance gap" won't get smaller any time soon. Because of this, Blu-ray discs can differentiate between players, and include "richer effects" on PS3 systems.

Future firmware updates will include 1080 deinterlacing and DTS-HD MA, much to the joy of serious home theater buffs. Expect updates to happen quarterly -- although the revised PS Store will break from that planned cycle.

While the most recent firmware is required to sign into the PSN and play the newest games, it seems as though firmware updates will be required for movie playback as well. In fact, the Resident Evil: Extinction BD includes an updater on the disc, for firmware 2.10.

Expect this trend to continue into the future.

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GTA IV PS3 Bundle Coming To Europe

Swedish retailer Webhallen has today revealed the first image of a new PlayStation 3 bundle which will be launching in Europe alongside Grand Theft Auto IV. The bundle includes the standard 40GB PlayStation 3 console and a copy of the game.
The price listed is 4499kr, which is the same as the Gran Turismo 5 bundle which launched just over a week ago. While availability in other countries has not been announced, this indicates that the GTA bundle should sell for £299.99 in the United Kingdom and €399.99 elsewhere.

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Metal Gear Solid 4 - Official Packshot

Konami has revealed the official European boxshot for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. The game is exclusive to PS3, and due too be released on June 12th.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue takes pole position in Australian charts

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue takes pole position in the latest Australian software chart.

n doing so the Polyphony Digital developed racer, which is out in the US on April 15, echoes the success it enjoyed earlier this week in the UK where it debuted at No1 in the chart and became the fastest selling PS3 title within a week.

Brain Training re-enters the top ten at No2, while Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, also for DS, is a non-mover at No3.

Last week’s best seller, Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, is down five places to No6, former No1 Guitar Hero III makes two entries, while God of War: Chains of Olympus for PSP is new at No10.

01. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (PS3)
02. Brain Training (DS)
03. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS)
04. Guitar Hero III Double Pack (Wii)
05. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3)
06. Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (360)
07. Mario Party 8 (Wii)
08. Guitar Hero III Rock Bundle (360)
09. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
10. God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP)

Chart data compiled by GfK Australia.

Revamped PS3 Store "will no longer use the PS3 web browser"

The revamped PlayStation 3 Store "will no longer use the PS3 web browser", a Sony source has told Eurogamer.

Due to launch in mid-April, the Store features a slick new front-end and our source says it's an improvement in other areas too.

"It will cache all images properly and is much faster than the old one," he says.

We were also told that the Store "will require everyone to upgrade to 2.30 [firmware]," which Sony has yet to talk about publicly.

The new Store, officially confirmed earlier today, was drawn up in response to feedback from the PAL PS3 community.

Sony plans to launch it in mid-April and will not be updating the Store with new content until it has done so.

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New look PS Store advertised on PS Store

We know that a new look PlayStation Store is coming, but seeing that Sony Europe are so sporadic with their updates it is nice to know that they seem aware of it too. The first news of the store update was confirmed earlier this month by John Hight, but now it seems Sony are happy enough to publicly promote its arrival on their service. As such, they have launched a new advertising banner proclaiming that a “Great new look” will “coming soon.” The banner is not clickable, so no further info was revealed on when it may be coming or what new features it may bring.

GT5: Prologue now live on PSN

The game’s now up on the European PSN and is available for download.

GT5: Prologue was supposed to release yesterday on PS3’s online service, but was delayed due to 'technical' problems, according to a statement issued by SCEE earlier today.

The wait’s over, anyway. Go fetch, assuming you haven’t bought the disc out of wild frustration at not being able to download it at midnight last night.

360 and PS3 rocket during bumper Easter

PS3 leading year-to-date sales battle with 360; Sony and Microsoft consoles see over 70 per cent sales boost.

The race between Xbox 360 and PS3 shifted up a notch this past week as both consoles saw huge leaps in hardware sales, thanks to the Easter break.

Though PS3 is still outselling 360 regularly week-on-week and in terms of year-to-date sales, the Sony and Microsoft platforms both saw a 73 and 78 per cent rise in hardware sales respectively this week.

Nintendo’s mega-selling Wii and DS also saw significant rises, despite stock concerns.

ChartTrack data obtained by MCV suggests that the Easter break also saw a significant boost for software sales as parents and school kids rushed to the High Street to snap up the latest releases.

"Week 12 fell during Easter so we saw software and hardware up across the board," ChartTrack director Dorian Bloch told MCV.

"PS3 and Xbox 360 are pretty much neck and neck at the moment, with PS3 slightly ahead. Software was up, and the formats that Rainbow Six Vegas 2 appeared on did especially well".

Retailer activity, particularly from Dixons and Argos, have boosted already strong PS3 sales – and there’s more to come, said Bloch.

"The release of GT5 Prologue and its bundle will see a further rise on PS3 after its release. PS3 has been outselling Xbox 360 for some time, but last week they were pretty close. In terms of sales so far this year, PS3 is ahead".

But it’s not over yet – a split Easter period means that the sales bonanza will continue into next week, added Bloch. "Some schools are on holiday so next week will be similar, as there are a lot of product slated for March 28th. We’ve seen bumper sales this week and we can expect the same for next week".

WEEK-ON-WEEK HARDWARE SALES

360 - Up 78 per cent
PS3 - Up 73 per cent
Wii - Up 37 per cent
DS - Up 32 per cent
PSP - Up 10 per cent

Source

'Technical difficulties' hold up GT5 Prologue PSN

Sony has told Eurogamer that "last minute technical difficulties" are to blame for the absence of yesterday's expected PlayStation Store update.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue was supposed to go on sale, alongside a demo of UEFA Euro 2008 according to EA, and the new Grand Theft Auto IV trailer.

"Unfortunately due to some last minute technical difficulties, we were unable to publish the new content to the PS Store yesterday," Sony told us just now.

"We are working to resolve these issues and will let you know as soon as new content is posted".

The platform holder has not said whether or not we will see the update today or later. So fans of GT might want to go outside in the rain and buy the Blu-ray version instead.

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GT5 Prologue misses PSN launch date

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue appears to have missed its March 27th PlayStation Network launch date, with the game unavailable from Sony's PAL store at the time of writing.

Speculation grew as the day wore on with no new files that Sony was holding off until it was possible to include the new Grand Theft Auto IV trailer - the embargo on that was 10pm - but as the hour came and went still the storefront remained unchanged.

In fact, a big fat nothing has gone up on PSN overnight, despite us staying up until our eyes bled, and Sony hasn't said anything to the press yet, or on the European PS3 forums, where people are not very impressed.

GT5 Prologue had been due to launch on PSN yesterday and should be out on Blu-ray today in Europe. Priced GBP 24.99, it has 71 cars and six tracks, but offers many hours of awesomeness thanks to an extensive single-player mode and new Euro-specific Quick Tune feature that allows you to extend the life of the game by customising car settings to power past the opposition.

You can read much more about all that, and the game's promised online options and swanky visuals, in our Gran Turismo 5 Prologue PAL review, and hopefully pick it up on Blu-ray today - saving yourself a nearly 2GB download and potentially a couple of quid if you shop around.

Elsewhere on the PS3 Store this week we were promised a UEFA Euro 2008 demo, with EA oblivious to any kind of delay to the PSN schedule when we spoke to them on Thursday afternoon.

Eurogamer are chasing Sony for an explanation and hope to have one later this morning.

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PSN hacked notice: There has been unauthorized access to user accounts of PS Store

Official European Playstation sites have posted a notice to users that there has been a possibility of unauthorized access to personal information on the PLAYSTATION Store through PCs. They are asking users to verify there account is intact by signing in to the PSN (if your pre-set password works you are unaffected).

Notice to PLAYSTATION®Network Users

We have found out that there has been a possibility of unauthorized access to personal information on the PLAYSTATION®Store through PCs, a content download service of the PLAYSTATION®Network. Although unlikely, it is possible that the passwords of a small percentage of PLAYSTATION®Network users may have been changed through unauthorized access, making it possible to view users’ personal information and/or use the Wallet for the PLAYSTATION®Store. PLAYSTATION Network accounts do not display entire credit card numbers, so any unauthorized access to your PLAYSTATION Network account is very unlikely to compromise your credit card number.

We have taken immediate measures to rectify this issue and system security is restored.

We have investigated the extent of unauthorized access and possible alteration of passwords that could have occurred before corrective measures were taken, and are directly contacting customers who may have been affected by this incident. In order to verify that your account is intact, we strongly suggest that PLAYSTATION®Network users sign in to the service. If you can successfully sign in with your pre-set password, your account is not affected by this incident.

For more information, please contact Customer Service.

Remember; do not disclose your log-in or password details on any email communications.

Source

GT5: Kazunori Yamauchi Answers Five Questions On Prologue

Kazaunori Yamauchi talks to gamer.tv

More than 132 mln homes worldwide will own at least one Blu-ray device by 2012

Research and consulting firm, Strategy Analytics, latest published research has found that Sony’s PS3 games console will continue to drive the Blu-ray market until 2009, after which stand-alone Blu-ray players will become the dominant segment. By 2012 more than 132 million homes worldwide will own at least one Blu-ray device.

Press Release
The Blu-ray Disc victory in its recent format war with HD-DVD will propel this technology into 29.4 million homes worldwide by the end of 2008, according to the latest research published by the Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices service. According to, "Blu-ray Devices: Forecasting Sales and Ownership," Sony’s PS3 games console will continue to drive the Blu-ray market until 2009, after which stand-alone Blu-ray players will become the dominant segment. By 2012 more than 132 million homes worldwide will own at least one Blu-ray device.

"HD-DVD’s withdrawal leaves the way open for Blu-ray to become a major revenue earner for technology vendors and content owners alike," says David Mercer, Principal Analyst. "The 265 million homes that will own an HDTV by 2012, and Hollywood’s need for a new growth engine, represent huge incentives for the industry to coordinate marketing activities and demonstrate unified support for the successor to DVD".

This Strategy Analytics report predicts that global sales of Blu-ray devices will reach 18.8 million units in 2008, including 4 million stand-alone players, 13 million consoles and nearly 2 million PCs. By 2012, annual sales of all BD devices will reach 57.4 million units. The largest market will be in Europe, with 26.4 million, followed by the US (22.6 million) and Japan (8.4 million).

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Killzone 2, Resistance 2 and LittleBigPlanet dated

LBP and Killzone 2 in September with Resistance 2 to follow in November.

According to the latest Sony Computer Entertainment UK release schedule PlayStation 3 gamers will have plenty to keep them occupied this autumn, with three massive titles hitting stores.

Scheduled for release in September are LittleBigPlanet and Killzone 2, with Insomniac Games' launch title sequel, Resistance 2, pencilled in for a November release.

The titles are likely to go up against some heavy hitters from Microsoft, including Gears of War 2, Fable 2 and Banjo.

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Killzone 2, Resistance 2 and LittleBigPlanet dated

LBP and Killzone 2 in September with Resistance 2 to follow in November.

According to the latest Sony Computer Entertainment UK release schedule PlayStation 3 gamers will have plenty to keep them occupied this autumn, with three massive titles hitting stores.

Scheduled for release in September are LittleBigPlanet and Killzone 2, with Insomniac Games' launch title sequel, Resistance 2, pencilled in for a November release.

The titles are likely to go up against some heavy hitters from Microsoft, including Gears of War 2, Fable 2 and Banjo.

Source

Sony offers limited edition MGS4 wireless headphones

For those of us who like the occasional bit of collectible game-related kit, here's something that should get your collector's instincts flaring: the ultra-super-deluxe-limited-edition Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots 7.1 channel headphones.

Sporting the same gunmetal finish as the limited-edition SonyPS3 that's going hot in Japan, this baby is the Ferrari for your ears - that is, if you're lucky enough to get them. Which is about franking near impossible.

That's right. We weren't kidding when we strung together ultra, super, deluxe, and limited edition in front of this gadget's name. Only 30 of these babies - that's just as much as three tens - will be handed out randomly to those buying MGS4 bundles from the Japanese Konami store from now up to June 1.

That means there's no chance to it - either you get one or you don't, and you'll have to order a whole bundle for that very slim chance of getting one. And good luck finding it in any Internet auction sites - we doubt that anyone would want to let go of a pair of these. In any case, here's hoping we get a re-run over here (pretty please, Konami?).

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Metal Gear Solid 4 limited edition already sold out in Konami Japan shop

Over at KonamiStyle of Japan, the Metal Gear Solid 4 limited edition bundle is already sold out! This should be a sign of things to come across all regions, so snap up the bundle as soon as you can if you are a die hard fan of the series!

Unreal Tournament 3 PS3 Patch Approaches

Epic's Jeff Morris has revealed the list of changes to be included in the first Unreal Tournament III Playstation 3patch, due for release on March 27th:

U.S. Only

• Made compatible with Euro version (both are patched to the same level)
• Fixed reversed ping sorting in server browser
• Fixed some rare crashes (shutting down, saving with low HD space, AI, etc)
• Fixed a client crash while connecting to server while server it switching maps
• Minor rewordings of various messages
• Fixed mutator mods to not be always loaded, only load mutators when needed
• Added mod import verification for inter-mod package name conflicts
• Fixed weapon/effect sorting in DM-Gateway snow
• Fixed extraneous "Player" entries in campaign scoreboard
• Fixed some getting stuck and outside the world bugs
• No longer display "Player is on red/blue" messages in campaign
• Fixed a Torlan bot pathing bug
• Fix for too many custom characters causing texture corruption
• Keyboard jump now does Smart Jump
• Fix for tilt controlling player sometimes
• Removed Warfare Score Limit of 0 in UI
• Disabled 3d sound positioning on mission briefing sounds
• Fixed exploits with ViewNextPlayer in rare cases
• Fixed some HUD positioning bugs
• Fixed a Darkwalker AI bug
• Fixed some teleporter timing bugs
• Fixed low-bandwidth, large player count connectivity

Europe & U.S.

• Mods now on root of memory device, can download easier from PS3 web browser
• Fixed VOIP quality issues
• Fixed some headset connection issues
• Added support for full character mods (heads/premade whole characters)
• No longer need to reboot after importing a character mod to see it in menus
• DLC no longer acts like a user mod (being listed in MyContent and causing disable mod crash dialog)
• Fix for bootup and import slowdown with many mods installed
• Add a VOIP icon when VOIP is active (button held down)
• Fixes for corrupted the auto-mod-download cache
• Fix for flickering auto-download text
• Fix for getting stuck in multiplayer menu if you get in before gamespy connects
• Fixed a mod problem with switching between mod and shipping maps with clients teleporting randomly
• Fixed a mod problem with multiple gametype mods installed, only first one imported would work
• Fixed Leviathan deploy icon
• Bots now respect players feigning death (depending on bot skill level)
• Bots now respect sandstorm "blindness"
• Fix for bots picking linkgun mode

"The US version has more fixes included in this patch. This is because later release date of the European version allowed us to include them on the disc".

Source

Possible Sony announcement on 'HOME' at ION 2008 Conference

Reading a press release this morning peaked my interest. The PR document was about the upcoming ION2008 Conference for Online virtual worlds, And guess who was on the list for speakers?

Craig Dalrymple
Senior Community Relations Manager

Robert Mitchell
Director of Technology

John Smedley
President

All of Sony Online Entertainment, Something to do with HOME? Possible Full Release date? We will wait and see.

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Study: Millions Will Buy Blu-ray In 2008

NPD study says the 'intent to buy' is growing.

Consumers are more likely to buy Blu-ray players now than ever before, according to a NPD Group consumer research survey, as reported by Video Business.

NPD reports that 10.8 percent of survey respondents said they would purchase a Blu-ray player in the next six months. (The survey was conducted during the week that ended February 20.)

Based on that number, the research company estimates that two million Blu-ray players could be sold in the next six months. (This is based on common assumptions that 25 percent of people who say they intend to buy something usually wind up doing so.)

To date, less than one million standalone Blu-ray players have been sold. (However, the Play Station 3, which has a Blu-ray player inside, has sold millions of units.)

NPD said consumers' "intent to buy" a Blu-ray player is the highest ever recorded since the high-def disc format was launched in the spring of 2006.

In the weeks prior to this survey, NPD says the 'intent to buy Blu-ray' numbers were 9.4 (Feb. 13), 8.9 (Feb. 6) and 8.3 (Jan. 30).

The increased interest in Blu-ray was likely triggered by news that Toshiba was considering pulling the plug on HD DVD, Blu-ray's rival, and ending the high-def format war between the two. Toshiba finally announced on February 19 that it was closing the HD DVD business.

While NPD acknowledges that the 'intent to buy' numbers do not suggest an explosion of Blu-ray sales, it says the increased interest is impressive considering this is the traditional down season in consumer electronics.

“This (increased interest) happened during a quiet part of the year after the Super Bowl, and there was bad weather for shopping," a NPD spokesman said, according to Video Business.

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Sony talks leaked PSN list

Sony UK has issued a statement regarding the allegedly leaked list of PlayStation Network titles and release dates that's been doing the rounds on the Internet.

The list's most interesting highlights include something called Ratchet: Quest for Booty, which could be downloadable content for R&C PS3 or a PSN title in its own right. All manner of good stuff is promised for April, including new Lair, Super Stardust and WarHawk packs, plus a trailer for Resistance 2.

Something called The Last Guy also appears on the list, while a July release date is given for PlayStation Home.

Sony is declining to outright confirm or deny whether the list is genuine. However, the statement issued by the company certainly implies that while the document has come from SCEE, the information on it is subject to change.

"Internal working documents naturally have proposed dates against titles, but these change frequently and dates are not confirmed until issued as part of a press release or formal announcement," the statement reads. "The same applies to titles of games, which may be working titles or placeholders subject to later confirmation.

"As a result, no weight should be given to titles or dates that appear in this document, other than to those which have already been formally confirmed."

There's no point asking them just what Quest for Booty or The Last Guy are either: "We will not be commenting on any title mentioned that has not already been confirmed and/or given an official launch date." Ah well.

Source

E3, PlayStation Home Launch Coincide?

You know, sometimes the biggest tips can come from the most unlikely places.

As you all know, PlayStation Home still doesn't have an official launch date, even though there has been plenty of speculation over the past few months. Sony has stayed silent on the issue, so just about everything you hear is rumor and gossip. There is the possibility that Home could be involved in the upcoming "huge announcement" at E3, but again, we're only guessing. We've contacted Sony several times about their promising online service, but we have always received the standard "no comment" response. However, they may have just let something slip- according to MaxConsole, several Spanish gaming sites have found an Excel file that shows SCEE's release schedule for the year. This document shows that PlayStation Home is slated for a July 2008 release.

Now, clearly, this only applies to Europe for the time being, considering it's an Excel file from SCEE (supposedly). However, we have to point out that something else happens in July: E3. So if we put two and two together, could it be that Sony's "huge" announcement at this year's E3 will be the official launching of PlayStation Home? We're only spitballing here, but think about it... We like the possibility!

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More than 50 studios download Gamebryo for PS3

Development platform has been used in more than 200 titles

Emergent Game Technologies have announced that more than fifty PlayStation 3 game development studios have downloaded Gamebryo since its debut on PS3 DevNet on February 17.

The Gamebryo game development platform is downloadable in its full version for evaluation, prototyping and game creation.

"Emergent has done some real breakthrough work in creating technology that streamlines development, supports multiple genres and puts creative control back into the hands of PS3 development teams," said Emergent CEO Geoffrey Selzer.

"Gamebryo represents a refreshing, new approach to game development – one that brings to bare a flexible, modular, foundational platform that easily integrates with a studio’s proprietary technology, is consistent with current game developers' work flow, and maximizes SPUs of PS3.

"This empowers game developers to make their own creative mark with each title in any genre".

Gamebryo ships with 3,500 pages of fully indexed, searchable documentation, and developers who download it from PS3 DevNet will have access to the Emergent technical support team with representatives located in North America, Europe and Asia.

Gamebryo has been used in more than 200 games titles including The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and the Fallout 3 and Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.

Source

Haze Being Offered For Free In The US/Canada

Well, kind of free, eh?

Gamestops in the US and Canada have been sending out flyers to inform those interested in Haze that they can basically get the game free upon release. There is a catch, though, as they'll have to bring the game back after a week, and will receive in-store credit instead of their actual money back.

The flyer (which you can see below) states that those who put down their money for the game early will be given the offer to return the game after a week's play for a full refund in store credit to spend on another arguably better title in the future. Gamestop will, of course, hope that many forget to bring the game back on time thus meaning gamers will be out of pocket, and they instead will be rolling in extra cash thanks to the high amount of pre-orders they should garner from this offer.

We have yet to hear what Free Radical or Ubisoft think of this, and we still don't even know if Haze will be any good. We will remind you that Haze remains a bit brown-looking, though.

W

Well, kind of free, eh?

Source

Burnout Paradise Gets A New Car and Bridge

The car is dubbed "Dust Storm" and criterion hint that "Where we're going, we don't need roads". The video also shows a slight glimpse of the new area of Paradise City. By the look of the video, the map has been extended East with a bridge, next to Angus and 4th parking garage, connecting the new area to the existing map.

How PlayTV will change your PS3 for the better

First verdict on Sony's recordable PS3 DVR box

Sony’s new-fangled PlayTV is proof that their long-term strategy involves PS3 becoming a media hub for all your entertainment needs, both at home and on the go; encompassing games, movies, TV, music, internet and more. It is also, we are glad to report, incredible.

Yep, we’ve seen the future of TV and it’s a small, almost weightless black box that you plug into your PS3 via a USB2 cable. Plug the other end of the magic PlayTV box into a standard RF aerial cable carrying a decent broadcast signal and, well, that’s it. Now just sit back, make a nice cup of tea and you can use your Sixaxis or Sony’s BD remote control to browse the electronic program guide (EPG) and receive, record and program free digital TV through your PS3.

You can choose to record in standard or high definition and view the show you’re recording or other programs at the same time. PlayTV also gives you pretty much all the standard functionality of a Personal Video Recorder, so you can watch live TV, pause it while you go for a wee or fast forward it and rewind it.

Unfortunately, PlayTV doesn’t allow users to record more than one program at a time, unlike some of the costlier subscription services with which it will inevitably be compared, but Sony’s service has one major advantage over these: PlayTV is free. So unless you watch an inordinate amount of subscription-only sports and/or movies, PlayTV is a far cheaper option for managing and getting the best out of your TV-viewing than Mr. Murdoch’s or Mr. Branson’s pricey offerings.

What’s more, it (finally) turns your PSP into a truly indispensable piece of tech, your own on-the-go goggle box. So you can use it for something other than playing Patapon on the bus to work. Time to stock up on some spare PSP batteries.

Forget arguments about who’s watching what anymore. Girlfriend wants to watch the news while you want to watch The Simpsons? Simply take your PSP to the bedroom or to a quiet corner of your local pub and watch what you want, when you want. You can also choose to watch anything that you have recorded onto your PS3’s hard drive via live streaming. So, providing you’re in a Wi-Fi zone, you can view your chosen TV shows and movies pretty much anywhere you are in the world.

And all the TV-on-the-go voodoo doesn’t end there. You can also use your PSP as a portable electronic program guide, which means that you can check up on and alter your PlayTV recording options and preferences via your new magic portable TV-box. You need never miss Heroes or South Park ever again.

But, while the PSP streaming and EPG features are indeed the coolest aspects of the service, in reality how many people will actually make full use of them? If you want to watch your TV shows and movies while lazing around on a beach, then you plan ahead and do it on the portable DVD player you bought at the airport, surely? While the service sounds awesome in theory, PlayTV might turn out to be something that’s strictly for Sony fanboys and early adopters, yet lacking a more widespread, mass-market appeal. And while the top-shelf services are still a luxury for many, most of us already have either a DVR, decent VCRs or recordable DVD players.

Yet Sony certainly thinks it can crack the market and - if our guesstimate of around $150 (£70) for PlayTV is about right - we can’t wait to see what PS3 owners make of it when it launches later this Spring.

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Phil Harrison left Sony for Atari supersidiary Infogrames

We saw quite a bit of corporate shuffling last year as execs moved to and fro; the swap of EA's Don Mattrick and Microsoft's Peter Moore is a perfect example. Phil Harrison's recent departure from Sony begged the question of his ultimate destination, and the answer has now arrived: Infogrames has announced that Phil Harrison is joining the board of directors at the company and has been appointed president.

Under the official title of "Directeur Général Délégué," Harrison comes to Infogrames and their subsidiary Atari at a time of dire straights as the Atari name fades and internal disorder persists. The company desperately needs the direction and guidance of an industry veteran, and hopes Harrison will fit the bill. CEO of Infogrames David Gardner welcomed his new coworker with the following words:

[Phil Harrison] has an outstanding reputation in the industry, as one of the key leaders behind the success of PlayStation. We have been seeking an opportunity to work together for some time and I am certain he will be able to make a significant contribution to the publishing strategy of the Group. Drawing upon Infogrames' strong financial foundation, Phil will have the means to attract new talent, develop studio and online capabilities, and drive forward our publishing activities. I want to work with people that understand fun for consumers and fun in the company culture. We're going to have a lot more of both around here with Phil!"

Harrison will be in charge of overseeing development among the many peripheral studios of Infogrames. Speculation suggests that a tidy sum of money pulled Harrison over to side of Infogrames, but we're holding out hope that somehow he has a master plan that will revive the Atari brand in a meaningful way.

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SCEE to implement open audio file format

iXMF unveiled by Interactive Audio Special Interest Group

A preview draft of a new open interactive audio file format has been posted by the Interactive Audio Special Interest Group.

iXMF is the first open file format to be devised for interactive audio content. It combines MIDI and audio data with scripting logic that defines playback behaviours, encompassing a huge amount features of modern audio engine environments in a non-proprietary format. It is hoped that iXMF will enhance data exchange between authoring applications and let game audio engineers use the same tools as their TV and film brethren.

The file format has the backing of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. “We're supporting iXMF in our new audio tools so sound designers can take advantage of the incredible audio processing power of the PS3,” said SCEE’s Michael Kelly.

The preview draft of the Interactive XMF File Format Specification can be found here.

Source

Cell on a diet again, Cell 3 Details Revealed.

Details of the Cell's 45nm shrink have now appeared. The new version of the chip has dropped in power consumption by 40%.

This will cut costs as it uses less silicon then the 65nm version and the lower power consumption means a simpler, lower cost cooling system.

Production is due to start in the summer so expect them on the shelves in time for Christmas. I also expect they cut the price again just before Christmas.

Details and pictures of the 45nm shrink are here: (translated) (original version).
Chip geeks can get the full shimmy at RealWorldTech.

On another note details of "Cell 3" have emerged.

"Cell 3" has been seen on IBM slides before as a Cell with 2 PPEs and 32 SPEs but nothing more has been said about it.

According to a presentation the SPEs will be getting some redesign to reduce latency and improve bandwidth. The PPEs on the other look like they light be based on POWER7 technology.

Sounds like it could be a pretty serious piece of kit. It's not known if this particular version will go into a future PS4 or if it'll get it's own "game" version.

If you're wondering what happened to Cell 2, this is the soon to appear HPC version, now named the "PowerXCell 8i".

Details of the PowerXCell 8i and the roadrunner Supercomputer it'll be sitting in are in this presentation [PDF], Cell 3 stuff is on the last slide.

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MGS4 European date same as US

Konami has announced that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will be released in Europe on 12th June as well as in the US.

That also means that Metal Gear Online: Starter Pack will come out at the same time.

Word comes courtesy of a German announcement, which specifies the date and adds that there will be - and we're translating here - a "free accessible beta" for MGO.

Konami UK has confirmed the date, clarifying that "Full details of the public beta program will be announced shortly".

In the meantime, get excited with our MGS4 and Online first impressions.

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Dreamworks drops HD DVD, but wont make Blu-ray for now

It seems Dreamworks has gotten the ok from Toshiba to drop HD DVD because they have cancelled all upcoming HD DVD titles including the anticipated "Bee Movie" that was set for release in North America on March 11th.

Dreamwork's parent company Paramount also announced that it would be ending HD DVD releases beginning on March 4th.

The studios differ however with their future plans. Paramount plans to release on Blu-ray right after they drop HD DVD while you wont be seeing any Dreamworks titles until at least the summer. There was no word on what each studio's first release will be.

Earlier this week Dreamworks' CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg made a statement saying that the studio was still committed to HD DVD thanks to contractual obligations. From his mouth, "We have a partnership with Toshiba and have an obligation to see this through," he said. "It really is in [Toshiba's] court at this point to really declare what the next step will be".

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PSW Knows Crysis Is Coming to PlayStation 3

The latest issue of UK magazine, PSW, features an article stating that "it's no secret Crysis is coming to PS3". They explain the upcoming PlayStation 3 version will have aspects of the sequel, and is not a direct port. Let's take a look at the article.

"First up, we have Crysis. Now it's no secret that Crysis is coming to PS3 this year. The excitable, hard-worked coders over at Crytek have said as much in many interviews - they've even produced a new, multi-platform engine in readiness - but the real juice here is that it won't be a straight conversion of the PC game. We understand PS3 Crysis will be an almost 50% new game, with many of the original games staff taken off PC Crysis months before release to begin to work on Crysis 2 and a port to PS3 that will include aspects of the sequel - but a new structure, environments, weapons and enemies will feature on PS3. This should be one of the year's biggest console shooters".

So, new enemies, environments, and more? Until we get an official confirmation, we are going to label this baby a rumor.

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Sony to sell European HQ to M.Stanley consortium

Japanese consumer electronics maker Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Thursday that it has agreed to sell its European headquarters and entertainment complex in Berlin to a consortium led by Morgan Stanley-run funds.

Sony said it will remain as the main tenant in the eight-building Sony Center on Potsdamer Platz, which draws more than eight million visitors per year.

Morgan Stanley (MS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Sony both declined to comment on the size and terms of the sale and leaseback, although a spokeswoman for Sony said the initial cost of the development was 750 million euros ($1.13 billion).

Reports put the size of the deal at between $940 million and $1.13 billion.

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