Playstation Store Gobble Gobble Early Update

Those great guys at Sony have shoved out the weekly PS Store update two full days early this week in anticipation for the most gluttonous holiday known to the modern American; Thanksgiving.

Some of the highlights from today's early update includes the "Fall Sale" where you can pick up your very own Echochrome, The Last Guy, Novastrike, PixelJunk Eden, or Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 for the low, low price of 4.99. That's 50% less than retail price, or half off for those of you who aren't very good with percentages.

You can read the whole list of updates complimentary of Destructoid after the break.

Price Promotion

The Last Guy, PixelJunk Eden, echochrome (PS3), Novastrike, and Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 are temporarily priced at $4.99. Promotion ends 12/4/08.
Downloadable Games

Brain Challenge ($9.99)
Boost your brain and relieve stress through 25 Visual, Memory, Logic, Math, and Focus mini-games. Choose your favorite coach and get detailed evaluations of your performances in personal training sessions. Compare yourself with other players online and/or offline in 3 delirious multiplayer modes. Thanks to the special Kid Test and Senior Test modes, gather all your friends and family around the game.
ESRB Rated E
File size 220 MB

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix ($14.99)
The original MMA series is back! SFHD Remix receives a whole new look while improving on the innovative fighting system of the original game. Updated with 1080p HD redrawn art and online support, the game offers a unique experience that appeals to new fans and Street Fighter purists alike.
ESRB Rated T
File size 303 MB
Add-on Game Content

LittleBigPlanet Turkey Head Costume (free)
A seasonal exclusive costume for SackBoy!
File size: 1.04 MB

LittleBigPlanet Chimera SackBoy Costume ($1.99)
A premium costume for SackBoy! From Resistance 2.
File size: 1.04 MB

Guitar Hero World Tour
For all song credits please visit www.guitarhero.com

* “Human” by The Killers ($1.99)
* “Losing Touch” by The Killers ($1.99)
* “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers ($1.99)
* The Killers Track Pack ($5.49) - Downloadable Track Pack for Guitar Hero World Tour featuring “Human”, “Losing Touch”, and “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers. Please Note: Many songs are available both as singles and as a part of a Track Pack, so please carefully consider your purchases before downloading.

File sizes: 29 MB - 43 MB (singles), 121 MB (track pack)

Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2
Expand your Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2 library by purchasing these tracks.

* Unfaithful ($1.49)
* Are You Happy Now? ($1.49)
* Heartbreaker ($1.49)
* All My Life ($1.49)

File sizes: 15 MB - 59 MB

Rock Band
Build your Rock Band library by purchasing these song game tracks. For song credits, visit www.RockBand.com.

* “Mr. Brightside” - The Killers ($1.99)
* “Smile Like You Mean It” - The Killers ($1.99)
* “Spaceman” - The Killers ($1.99)
* The Killers Pack 01 ($5.49) - this track pack includes all of the above The Killers singles.
* “Caprici Di Diablo” - Yngwie Malmsteen ($1.99)
* “Damnation Game” - Yngwie Malmsteen ($1.99)
* “Red Devil” - Yngwie Malmsteen ($1.99)
* Yngwie Malmsteen Pack 01 ($5.49) - this track pack includes all of the above Yngwie Malmsteen singles.
* “Pretty Noose” - Soundgarden ($1.99)
* “Jesus Christ Pose” - Soundgarden ($1.99)
* “Laid to Rest” - Lamb of God ($1.99)

File sizes: 22 MB - 45 MB (singles), 103 MB - 121 MB (track packs)
Game Demos (free)

Dead Space Dismemberment Demo
Download the Dead Space Dismemberment Demo to get a taste of the most intense game experience of the year! As Engineer Isaac Clarke, strategically dismember the Necromorph hordes as you carve a bloody path to survival.File size: 506 MB
Game Videos (free)

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Fighting Mechanics Trailer
File size: 190 MB (HD)

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Story Mode Preview Trailer
File size: 102 MB (HD)

NBA 2K9 Iguodala Trailer
File size: 25 MB (HD)

NBA 2K9 J In Your Face Trailer
File size: 25 MB (HD)

Prince of Persia - Art Video
File size: 69 MB (HD)

Prince of Persia - Dev Diary 1
File size: 119 MB (HD)

Dew Tour: Orlando - Orlando BMX Highlights
File sizes: 95 MB (HD)

Dew Tour: Orlando - Orlando Skate Thrills
File sizes: 94 MB (HD)

Dew Tour: Orlando - Orlando FMX Recap
File sizes: 91 MB (HD)
Movie and Blu-ray Disc Trailers (free)

Punisher: War Zone
File size: 69 MB (HD)

Lost: The Complete Fourth Season
File size: 105 MB (1080)
PS3 Wallpaper (free)

Prince of Persia Wallpaper (x3)
File sizes: 303 KB - 1.75 MB

Super Street Fighter II HD Turbo Remix Wallpaper
File sizes: 275 KB - 1.25 MB
Game Music (free)

Super Street Fighter II HD Turbo Remix tracks (x5)
File sizes: 3.85 MB - 6.80 MB
PlayStation Store for PSP
Downloadable Games

* PBR Out of the Chute ($14.99) (also downloadable via PS3)
Game Videos (free)

* Everyday Shooter Trailer

-Undrallio

Read more...

Life With Playstation, Global Release Today

Turn on your PS3s and tune in, that is click on Folding@Home on the XMB and your Playstation will be updated to a new member of Life With Playstation. The newest thing from Sony that allows a more connected feel with Playstation users and the world as well.

Life With Playstation will let you view the weather, cloud coverage, news articles, street view of over 60 cities, and Sony claims they're going to be adding to the list of features as well.

The final upgrade will be a ranking system for Folding@Home so you can now compete with people for helping out on the research. Those who've contributed the most time/power will be higher ranked.


-Undrallio

Read more...

PSN Pre-paid Cards Now Available at a Blockbusters near you

North American credit cardless gamers rejoice! Sony has finally gotten it's damn act together and made Playstation Network cards available at any Blockbusters....starting yesterday!

The PSN pre-paid cards will act just like Wii Points or MS Points cards and come in $20 and $50 packages. Finally all of us without credit cards can purchase pixeljunk, or that latest rock band add-on.






-Ryizzel

Read more...

New Details Revealed about PS3 Headset

Yesterday the Playstation blog revealed some details about the new PS3 Bluetooth headset coming to stores this fall. The headset will be bundled with SOCOM: Confrontation and sold as a standalone peripheral at $50.

* "High-Quality" mode with use on PS3, offering noise cancellation and a better chat quality on the console.
* The quality of the headset will allegedly allow for more accurate commands of AI-controlled squad mates in Confrontation. There will also be "voice animation" where the player's avatar will "mimic" them during voice chat.
* There will be an in-game status indicator exclusive to the headset. It will display connection status, battery charge, speaker volume and mute status.
* Cradling the set back on the dock will turn it into a "desktop microphone" while charging.

[Source]



-Ryizzel

Read more...

Dedicated Or Peer?

Torrance Davis over at the Bitbag recently wrote a fairly interesting article about the way servers are hosted in online games, dedicated servers and peer-to-peer servers.

He went into some research and contacted both Sony and Microsoft about how most games are run, and found out that it all depends on the developers if a server is going to be dedicated. The costs are just too high for some companies, while big business freaks like EA have no problem covering the bill.

He does make a few brief, but good points. Don't judge a game based on how it's server happens to be run, judge a game based on how it plays. That's what I've always said, and Torrence said it just as well as I could have.

Go read about the servers now. Game on.


-Undrallio

Read more...

DualShock 3 Makes Over 10.9 Million in Sales

Not surprising anyone in particular, DualShock 3 is doing pretty well in America. According to SCEA the DualShock 3 has generated more than $10.9 million in sales.

This is pretty good news, considering Sony will be dropping the sixaxis controller in the near future.






-Ryizzel

Read more...

UK Sony Gamers Day

While addressing journalists today at Sony's Gamers Day event in the UK, David Reeves was quoted saying Killzone 2 will be out "February next year". Aside from a trailer(posted above) shown at the event, details about the game are fairly sparse.

However, many sites are reporting that there will be a playable version for the press at the U.S. Gamers Day next week.

In other news, the president of Insomnia Games, Ted Price spoke with journalists today about resistance 2.


Resistance will feature Eight-player co-op with it's own story, characters and rewards. There will also be online multiplayer that will support up to 60 people and will include the chimera. To promote teamwork and bring a sense of intimacy to the game, players will be divided into several squads. Working as a team will be rewarded with bonus points, which can be used to level up, get persistent rewards, etc.

Source
[Update] Video seems to be down, looking for a replacement.





-Ryizzel

Read more...

GTA IV Sales War

In this world, there are three things you can count on Taxes, Death, and that the most anticipated game of the year will boost the sales of your console.

According to Sony, PS3 sales have soared since Last Tuesday's release of Grand Theft Auto IV. No specific sales figures were released, which is where a problem begins to arise...

Not to be outdone by Sony, Microsoft boasts that "retail partners" are telling them the 360 version of GTA IV is outselling the PS3 version 2:1. Microsoft is also claiming a sudden surge in sales of the 360 due to GTA's launch.

As much as I appreciate Microsoft and Sony throwing vague facts in my face like some deranged fanboy in the comments section of youtube, I think I'll just wait for the NPD to tell me who outsold whom.

Source






-Ryizzel

Read more...

Haze Demo Soon

Haze, Free Radical's FPS set to show up on store shelves sometime in mid-May, should be getting a free demo on the PSN on May 6th to get everyone excited for it again.

How will the sales of Haze do after such a lack of media coverage, especially being released after Grand Theft Auto IV, or rather, will the demo be enough to pique the interest of the consumers?





-Undrallio

Read more...

Echochrome Released Tomorrow

Following the release of the demo last Thursday, Echochrome will be available for download on the Playstation Store tomorrow in North America. The 3d Puzzler will set you back 9.99 and features 56 levels unique to each platform.

Judging by the demo, this game is pretty fun...if only I could get past stage 3 on the demo.





-Ryizzel

Read more...

Sing Your Chords Off In SingStar On The PS3

It's going to be the greatest (sort of) publicity stunt of all time. Sony's planning on having a first-look at SingStar at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.

They will have two set-ups, one for beginner singers with the other being geared towards the more advanced vocalist. Both stages will be in front of a presumably large audience, so if you freeze in the spotlight, you may want to hang back in the crowd for this one.

SingStar is set to be released on May 20th, but read about it all in the Press Release after the break.

Press Release

Sony Computer Entertainment America Returns to Rock Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival With a New Playstation(R) Experience

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) today announced a triumphant return to one of the entertainment industry's hottest music events, the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival (Coachella). SCEA will be on-site as one of the main sponsors to provide fans a first-look at three of its most-anticipated PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM)) computer entertainment system releases, SingStar(TM), LittleBigPlanet(TM) and Gran Turismo(TM) 5 Prologue. Every year music fans from around the world gather to experience COACHELLA's adventurous mix of iconic headliners and wide-ranging, forward-looking performers.

Inside two fully-interactive entertainment tents, fans will experience the ultimate in gaming, social networking and community building while receiving a better understanding of the power of the PS3 system in High-Definition. Attendees will be immediately immersed in unique environments, including the highly innovative, original world of LittleBigPlanet. They will also be given the chance to show off their inner desire to be the next great singing sensation with SingStar and the opportunity to test their racing skills with the ultimate racing experience, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. SCEA will also offer the opportunity to upgrade the fan's experience daily with rewards including VIP access and band meet and greets.

"We are pleased to be an integral part of this year's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival," said Ginger Kraus, senior director, promotions, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. "As one of the best American festivals, we are thrilled to present PS3 in a social, interactive and immersive environment that compliments the spirit of this festival."

SingStar and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will share an interactive booth, with separate spaces and experiences for participants. The SingStar portion will feature a stage for novice and advanced vocalists to showcase their octave range in front of a live audience. After each number, attendees can surf PS3 system's online SingStore(TM) and view new downloadable songs available for the game when it releases on May 20. And, for those feeling brave, they can upload their personal performances via My SingStar Online and share it with others.

The section of the booth dedicated to Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will be an auto enthusiast's dream, complete with racing simulators where fans can test drive the new game from the world's best-selling racing franchise and participate in race events. In addition, fans will be treated to a celebrity competition on-site with artists featured in the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue soundtrack, including British electro-rock band "Does it Offend You, Yeah?", the French electro "Kavinsky" and others.

The LittleBigPlanet experience, housed within a 40' x 60' booth, will showcase the game's three main pillars, Play, Create and Share, and uniquely themed environments depicting game levels. Within the booth, fans with be treated to an original musical soundtrack as clouds breeze across the ceiling. Once inside, participants will be introduced to the main and highly-customizable character, Sackboy (or Sackgirl, depending on their preference). Continuing onward, multimedia vignettes will show participants the potential to create user-generated content in the game. Concluding the experience, fans will learn about the "Share" features of the game through the PLAYSTATION(R)Network, where their creations can be played by others online. The Communal Creativity Center will allow fans to decorate their own level and post it on the world, which showcase the game's community building aspect. U Artists, BATTLES, MGMT and Simian Mobile Disco will stop by to participate in the VIP gameplay area.

In addition, SCEA will have a special area within the Coachella campground at the Internet Cafe allowing fans to test their vocal skills on SingStar. SCEA will also participate in an exclusive event on Saturday night with T-Mobile entitled the "TMO Tone Def Party and SingStar Lounge." At this exclusive event, SCEA will provide party revelers with the opportunity to either rock the mike like a vandal or sing their heart's out like a pop diva with PS3, which features a new selection of SingStar hits before they are available in stores or online.

The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is "E" for "Everyone", for SingStar is "T" for Teen and the rating for LittleBigPlanet is pending. For more information about the ESRB visit http://www.esrb.org.

-Undrallio

Read more...

Playstation Home Announcement

Ps3 owners, are you excited? Playstation Home is on it's way in Spring '08 (that's this year); the date draws near! The tension and anticipation is unbearable!

Well worry no more, because *wait for it* Home got delayed. Again. This time all the way back to Fall of 2008. I think I can hear non-beta players groaning from here, sorry guys.

"We have come to the conclusion that we need more time to refine the service to ensure a more focused gaming entertainment experience than what it is today," explained SCE president and CEO Kazuo Hirai.

"Spending more time on the development and on the Closed Beta testing reaffirms our commitment to bringing a quality service, maintaining the PlayStation tradition."

Are you willing to take a giant delay for a little refinement and making it nicer? Personally I would have been fine with taking it as it is and just getting updates as things get tweaked, but...that's what a Beta player is for.





-Undrallio

Read more...

Playstation Store Update Tomorrow

PS3 owners, don't be alarmed when you go to log onto the Playstation Store tomorrow and you find you can't. Believe it or not, this is a good thing.

Sony is finally going to be fixing the Store and making it much more function able (hopefully). The maintenance will start at 8 a.m on the 14th, and end at 11 p.m. on the same day, if all goes right.

A new patch will be available after the fixing has been done, so get your bandwith ready.

The PLAYSTATION®Network will be taken offline for a scheduled maintenance to our network during the following times:

Start: April 14, 2008, beginning at 8:00 a.m., Pacific Time
End: April 14, 2008, ending at 11:00 p.m., Pacific Time


During this time, the new PLAYSTATION®Store upgrade will be taking place. As a result access to the PLAYSTATION Network will be restricted, including:


* No access to the PLAYSTATION®Store


For information regarding the changes to the PLAYSTATION Store, please visit the PlayStation.Blog.

It is not anticipated that this will affect other PLAYSTATION Network services


Once the new PLAYSTATION Store upgrade is complete, a new system software version will be available for download. This new system software must be installed before you may access the PLAYSTATION Network.

[via Playstation Knowledge Center]


-Undrallio

Read more...

Gun Metal Grey PS3 coming to America

Yesterday Sony confirmed that it will be releasing the "VERY, VERY Limited Edition" gun metal grey PS3 in North America. Until recently, it was speculated that the model would only be made available in japan. No details have been released about the price or release date. You can bet it will be pretty hard to come by though.


Source





-Ryizzel

Read more...

PSP Firmware update makes minor tweaks to remote play.

Sony has announced it will be releasing a new firmware update (v3.95)for the PSP soon. The update will add some minor tweaks to remote play.

The update includes the following:

* While playing PSone games on your PSP, you can now customize how the buttons are assigned by going to [Controller Settings] > [Assign Buttons] and select [Custom].

* You can now quit Remote Play and choose to turn off your PS3 or leave it on after quitting. This is useful if you are performing a download and want to quit Remote Play, but still want your download to continue on the PS3. Select [Quit and Turn Off the PS3 System] or [Quit Without Turning Off the PS3 System] from [Quit Remote Play] when you press the HOME button on the PSP system.

-Ryizzel

Read more...

PC World Analyzes Sony's Vice President's Claims

Matt Peckham over at PC World wrote up a pretty interesting article titled, "Sony Says Microsoft 'Has Already Leveraged All Their Big Assets'", and the goal of the post was to get all nice and analytical on Sony's Vice President, Scott Steinberg.

You can head over to the original article by clicking here, or you can hit the jump and see all of the "claims" without all of that silly description and overbearing sentence structure.

Claim #1: The Blu-ray format's recent victory has lent the PS3 enormous momentum. True? Probably. Relevance? Very.

Claim #2: The PS3 has "entertainment leverage" as a media hub, e.g. for "music and movies" playback. True? Not really. Relevance? Not very.

Claim #3: Sony has a back-library of PS1 and PS2 games it can release for download. True? Absolutely. Relevance? Prove it.

Claim #4: Sony's 2008 IP lineup is going to result in "a monster year" for the PS3. True: Looking more and more likely. Relevance? Huge.

The end result of the whole article? Looks like yet again it's another Sony Vs. Microsoft standstill.

That's good though, it makes for interesting posts when leaders of the industry let a few derogatory statements slip. Not to mention they have to grind out great content to counter each other.





-Undrallio

Read more...

Sony's NOT Closing Servers

After a post I made a few days ago about Sony closing off some servers it turns out that it was all false information. The original site that stated that SCEA was axing the servers never got SCEA's word on it apperently.

"SCEA has made no announcements about shutting down the servers, so I'm not sure where this website got that info," an SCEA representative told Shacknews today. "Based on some of the game names it sounds like it is from another territory."

"It does stand to reason that eventually servers for older titles may be shut down due to lack of participation in those titles as more and more gamers are switching to PS3 and newer content," the representative concluded.

So quick everyone, go play Amplitude online while you still can!





-Undrallio

Read more...

Sony's Closing Servers

Playstation 2 didn't have the greatest online play, but there was some good titles out there if you looked hard enough, but after June 30th the servers that are listed after the break are going to be kaput.

Of course it really isn't that big of a surprise, we're in the next-gen now, the past will be erased and forgotten. Wow, that's kind of depressing.

Full list after the jump.

PlayStation 2

* Amplitude
* Destruction Derby Arenas
* Everybody’s Golf
* EyeToy Chat
* F1 ‘04
* Jak X
* Lemmings PS2
* My Street
* Syphon Filter Omega Strain
* This is Football 2004
* This is Football 2005
* Twisted Metal: Black Online

PSP

* Lemmings
* World Tour Soccer 2




-Undrallio

Read more...

Sony Drops Sixaxis

It seems what many have predicted has come true, Sony is dropping support of the Sixaxis controller due to the release of the DualShock 3 controller. According to a Sony Rep "“Sixaxis will no longer be offered after it’s completely sold through at retail (likely by the summer timeframe).”

In other news, Sony has confirmed a list of games that will be compatible with DualShock 3, which should be arriving in store shelves next week.

Full list after the break. (Is it just me or did they forget to include Lair?)

Formula One Championship Edition*
MotorStorm™*
PAIN
High Velocity Bowling™
MLB®08: The Show™
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune™
Resistance: Fall of Man®*
Ratchet & Clank®Future: Tools of Destruction™
Go! Sports Ski™*
Folklore™*
Heavenly Sword™*
Warhawk™*
Super Stardust™ HD*
Snakeball
Toy Home
PSOne Emulation
Piyotama™
PixelJunk™Monsters
Blast Factor™*
Condemned 2: Bloodshot™
Lost: Via Domus
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2*
Burnout Paradise™
Dynasty Warriors®6
Devil May Cry 4
DragonBall Z Burst Limit
Turok

Titles with an asterisk next to their name need a patch.



-Ryizzel

Read more...

100 Reasons Fanboys Hate Sony (Video)

Title says it all folks, no introductions here. It's kinda funny because a lot of it's true.



No this does not mean I hate Sony (I've got all their systems), I'm not a fanboy (I have all of Nintendo's main systems, and I'm getting an Xbox within the next couple weeks), and no, I'm not making fun of You. The Fanboy or Fangirl (if you're a fangirl, pix plx). Just thought I'd share the funny video.



-Undrallio

Read more...