News
Archive 2005 / 2006
2002
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2005
News links from 2005 & 2006...
• Sony executive says flat TVs, PlayStation 3 key to recovery...
Sony Corp.'s full-fledged recovery will hinge on the continued growth of its flat-panel TVs and a successful launch for its next-generation game console, an executive at the consumer electronics giant said Friday.
[marketwatch]
• E3 - 2006 : Preview :: PS3 pricing uncovered
We've been speculating over the price of Sony's Playstation 3 every since we heard how expensive the console will be to manufacture. Playstation magazine claim to know these prices, they say that PS3 will available for about $399 in the U.S., €322 in Europe and ¥45,965 in Japan.
In the latest issue they also state that the final design of the PS3 will appear at E3. The magazine also talks about the 60GB hard drive, which will be a standard feature of the console.
[hexus]
• Tekken 6 for PS3
Namco Bandai's confirmed that Tekken 6 will be appearing on PlayStation 3. That's according to an article in the latest issue of Japanese mag Famitsu, partly translated by IGN.
There's no word on a release date, or indeed anything of any real substance beyond the name, which isn't exactly the most imaginative name ever either, is it?
[eurogamer]
• Sega to smash Virtua Tennis 3 to PS3
Sega of America, Inc. and Sega Europe Ltd. on Tuesday revealed that the sequel Virtua Tennis 3 is in development for the Sony Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360.
[punchjump]
• Killer 7 creator does PS3 game...
Killer 7 creator Suda Goichi is working on a PlayStation 3 title called Kurayami, which means "Darkness" in Japanese.
Appropriately enough it's about someone stuck in a strange village with a torch; the player takes control and has to solve puzzles and deal with general weirdness to find his way out.
[eurogamer]
• Sneak peek: PS3 – and maybe "Halo 3"
As in 2005, this year's show is going to be focused primarily on hardware. Sony (Research) kicks off the festivities on Monday (May 8), with a press conference where it will reveal more details about the PlayStation 3, which will be released in November. We'll likely learn more about the system's online network and we'll see what games the company hopes to include in its launch window.
[cnn]
• UK teams working on PlayStation HUB, PS3 back-compatibility...
Key elements of the technology for PlayStation 3 - including the PlayStation Network Platform and the software to enable back-compatibility with PS and PS2 games - are being worked on at Sony's UK studios, GamesIndustry.biz has learned.
[gi]
• THQ Unveils New PlayStation 3 Game
THQ has revealed that the first product from its internal developer, Kaos Studios is titled Frontlines: Fuel of War. The first-person shooter is being developed for PlayStation 3...
[psxextreme]
• Sony to Start PlayStation 3 Chip Tests Next Week – Report.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., the developer of Sony PlayStation game consoles, may start testing chip components for its gaming machine as soon as next week, according to reports from Taiwan. While it is unclear what exactly will be tested, the information may indicate that Sony begins to gear up for the PlayStation 3 manufacturing.
[xbit]
• Sony looking for games for their PS3 download service...
Ever dreamed of working with Sony on a game? Now's the time to put your time and money where your mouth is. Sony is looking for people interested in an "alternative publishing opportunity" to release their games for download over the gaming network they're building for the PS3.
[arstechnica]
• Final Fantasy XI developer planning PS3 title
Illustration?
During an interview with Japanese news site Impress, Final Fantasy XI producer Hiromichi Tanaka has hinted that his development team could be working on an entirely new MMORPG for Sony's next-generation console.
[gi]
• Ridge Racer PS3 Images Race Online
Screenshots from what appears to be a 'Ridge Racer 7' trailer have begun to appear online recently, with taglines boasting of the game's 'Original Drift Handling' and players able to experience 'Real Speed and Real Unreality'...whatever 'real unreality' means.
[tvg]
• Playstation 3 operating system does impossible!
It had already been seen at the GDC show that the PS3 was going to have an OS running in the background. The big idea is that players can switch between playing to other functions. This would include text and video chat.
[inquirer]
• Brothers in Arms Coming to PS3
Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers and Gearbox Software, one of the world’s best video game developers announced that Brothers In Arms Hell’s Highway is in development for next generation video game platforms, including the PlayStation 3 and the PC. Scheduled for a holiday 2006 release, Brothers in Arms Hell’s Highway is the third game in the multimillion-unit selling...
[gamecloud]
• New PS3 operating system details?
As was witnessed in their demonstrations at GDC, Sony is planning to have an Operating System running constantly in the background, just like one witnesses when using the Xbox 360 OS (aka Dashboard). They plan to have a "Blade" like pane that can appear out of the right hand side of the screen for viewing and participating in activities that the OS enables.
[arstechnica]
• PS3 OS to use more than one CPU core
A report coming from sources close to Sony has revealed more details on PlayStation 3's embedded operating system.
PlayStation 3's OS was unveiled in Sony's demonstrations at the Game Developer Conference in Santa Clara last month, where Sony stated that the OS would constantly use one of the seven cores inside the Cell processor.
[bit-tech]
• Report: Sony Will Lead Console Market Through 2010
Sony will continue its domination of the video game console market through 2010, though its lead will likely shrink due to stronger competition from Microsoft and Nintendo, according to a report from market research firm In-Stat...
[sci-tech]
• Toys R Us accepts PS3 pre-orders...
TOY SHOP Toys R Us in the US has started taking pre-orders for the much awaited next generation console the PS3.
For $50 you can pre-order the new console which will come with a 60GB hard drive and two games. You can't do it online and so have to pop into one of their shops.
[inquirer]
• Sony Playstation 3 is far from complete?
People tell us that the current PS3s are about 50% too large to fit in the sleek but empty boxes they have been showing off. This is a problem, but a solvable one, electronics always get smaller. Time solves all, and there is still time, just not much.
[inquirer]
• Playstation
3 hands-on will be a rarity at E3?
One publishing company told the gaming website that, "Attendees
will be able to view the machine in a tightly-restricted
environment. People thinking the floor will be awash with
playable demo pods will be sore if they walk through the
doors expecting to be able to sample a massive range of
[PlayStation 3] software at leisure."
[hexus]
• Nihilistic
is hiring a programmer for PS3 title
Nihilistic is looking for a Senior PS3 Technology Programmer
for an upcoming game to be released. While Nihilistic has
made no comment on the title, the posting suggests that
they're ramping up their development staff to get something
released within the first twelve months of the system's
release.
[advancedmn]
• Sony
insists Playstation 3 will be cheap!
JAPANESE GIANT Sony
has rushed to deny claims that its new PS3 console will
cost as much as €499-599.
The comments were
made by Sony Computer Entertainment France boss Georges
Fornay on a French radio station so it is a little hard
to get out of it. But a Sony spokesman claimed that George
had been mistranslated or misunderstood.
[inquirer]
• PS3:
Playstation 3 Online Service-Called Playstation World?
The PS3's free online
service, called 'Playstation World,' will include a 'blog-like'
function. Through the use of the Eye Toy camera, you'll
be able to record your own video blogs, which can then
be shared through the online network.
[gamerlounge]
• CELL
DESIGNER GUSHES PS3
Speaking about IBM's
work on the Cell project, Hofstee was quick to note that
Sony - and particularly the PlayStation father - had a lot
of influence on the PS3 processor. "It really was Sony
and Ken Kutaragi that was the driver for this project," he
said. "He spent quite a bit of money on it. $400 million
for a processor...this is about as serious as it gets." "Remarkably," he
added, "this chip is almost exactly the same size, in
square millimetres, as the first chip that went into the
PlayStation2."
[cvg]
• Beowulf
Announced For PS3
4HEAD Studios has announced
that they will be bringing the title to Playstation3 and
other next-gen consoles. Previously, the game was thought
only to be coming to PC.
[advancedmn]
• 4D
Glasses for the PlayStation 3
At the PlayStation Business
Briefing 2006, bossman Ken Kutaragi claimed that games have
gone from 8-bit to 16-bit planes, PS3 games are “live” and
the console’s concept is “4D.” Woah. Heady
stuff.
[kotaku]
• Report:
Sony France Boss Comments On PS3 Price...
A number of French consumer
sites are reporting new comments from George Fornay, president
of Sony Computer Entertainment France and vice president
of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, regarding the pricing
of the PlayStation 3 in Europe.
The comments were made
on French radio station Europe 1, and indicated that the
PlayStation 3 will be available for “around €500
[$613], in the range of €499 to 599 [$612 to 734]”.
[gamasutra]
• PS3
'LIFESTYLE' DETAILS DIVULGED
Following leakage from
US publication PlayStation Magazine on GT 4 Online being
playable at E3, some further intriguing info from the mag
has come our way today in the form of fresh confirmation
on how the PS3 might become something of a 'lifestyle server',
as Sony's next-gen machine tackles the brave new world of
online.
[cvg]
• Bloggers
of the World unite!
The PS3's free online
service, called 'Playstation World,' will include a 'blog-like'
function. Through the use of the Eye Toy camera, you'll be
able to record your own video blogs, which can then be shared
through the online network.
[hexus]
• SONY
PRIMES E3 PS3 BOMBSHELLS!
An explosion of PlayStation
3 goodness is now primed for Monday, May 8...
The press conference,
like last year, will take place in Sony Pictures' lush movie
studio venue in Culver City. Thankfully for us, Microsoft
announced last month that its own E3 conference will be moved
to the morning of Tuesday, May 9th, meaning we should only
have Nintendo's bash from which to start our cross-town sprint.
[cvg]
• WWE
SmackDown vs. RAW 2007 Coming to the PS3...
'We are excited about
the next groundbreaking release in the multimillion dollar
SmackDown vs. RAW franchise,' said Nelo Lucich, vice president
of interactive, JAKKS Pacific. 'WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007
combines ambitious, exciting features, such as the interactive
fighting area within the crowd and a brand new analog control
grappling system, which enhance the WWE video game experience.
We are confident this debut will offer a compelling sports
entertainment experience for the next generation of gamers.'
[gamebiz]
• Sony
Signs Up NVIDIA For Post-PS3 Technology
NVIDIA just announced
that Sony has awarded the company a new contract to design
new graphics chips for an undisclosed project. Despite the
new contract win, Sony's PlayStation 3 has yet to be released,
and is actually delayed further.
Could this be
the start of Playstation IV?
[dailytech]
• Playstation
3 gets controller make over!
SONY is to kill off
its boomerang shaped games controller when it releases the
new PS3.
According to Engadget,
here, the shape is being tossed and will not come back.
[inquirer]
• Sony
announces Internet strategy for PlayStation 3
Speaking at a conference
for game-industry programmers in San Jose, California Wednesday,
a Sony executive said the company will more deeply integrate
communications capabilities in games for the PS3, including
the ability for users to videoconference over the Internet
as they play games against each other, according to the report.
Users of the PS3 also
will be able to purchase and download add-on content for
games such as virtual weapons for a combat title or fresh
vehicle designs for racing games.
Sony said the PS3 will
allow users to download full games over the Internet to the
console.
[forbes]
• GDC
06: PS3 games region-free, movie/music download confirmed...
While he wouldn't say
if it would ship with the console, Harrison did say that
the PS3 HDD "will also allow download of movies and
music." While the PS3's media storage abilities had
already been previously touted, the executive's comments
indicate Sony may be planning to extend its soon-to-be-PSP-compatible
Connect download service to the just-announced PlayStation
Network Platform.
[gamespot]
• Blu-ray
not the only reason for PS3 delay?
IGDA Japan president
says lack of key development tools have slowed game development
for the system.
Sony Computer Entertainment
president Ken Kutaragi explained last week at the 2006
PlayStation Business Briefing that the PlayStation 3 would
be delayed until November because of problems with the
finalization of the next-generation Blu-ray disc standard.
However, International Game Developers Association Japan
(IGDA Japan) president Shin Kiyoshi has pointed out another
likely factor in the console's postponed launch.
[gamespot]
• GDC:
The PS3 keynote blow by blow
[10:36]
GDC director Jamil Moledina takes the stage. Says Phil
Harrison is going to "deliver the goods." The "ultimate Sony
insider." Phil takes the stage. Beyond the box: hardware/software/audience.
[10:39] Report
card on PS2 following 2000's GDC PS2 keynote. Business
slides: numbers, bar charts, graphs. PSone and PStwo
are still dominant platforms. PS2 will provide tremendous
commercial opportunity.
[joystiq]
• Playstation
3 to Use Ageia PhysX
"Real-time physical
simulation is the new frontier in computer entertainment,
and the Playstation 3 will lead the way with the help of
AGEIA PhysX technology," said Dominic Mallinson, Vice
President of US R&D for Sony Computer Entertainment
Inc. "Our collaboration with AGEIA will provide PS3
developers with another powerful tool enabling the creation
of amazingly rich and realistic interactive entertainment.
[myth-games]
• PlayStation
3 is back in the game!
As the furore surrounding
Sony's announcement of its launch plans for the PlayStation
3 dies down, Rob Fahey contemplates the scale of the market
leader's ambition - and its implications for the rest of
the industry.
[gi]
• GDC:
Quazal Confirms PlayStation 3 Online Middleware Support
Quazal, maker of the
Net-Z and Rendez-Vous online multiplayer middleware technologies,
and the newly announced Spark! lobby technology, has announced
that they have been approved for Sony Computer Entertainment
Inc’s Tools and Middleware program for the PlayStation
3, and that versions are ready for evaluation by interested
PS3 game title developers.
[gamasutra]
• Market
Research firm releases details of its new report on the
next-gen console war...
In the report, entitled
'Video Game Consoles 2006: Microsoft Launches Next Generation,
Sony Dominates Current Generation' the company suggests that
despite the head-start in launching the Xbox 360, Microsoft
is still expected to finish in second position, taking in
28.6% of the installed base behind PlayStation3's 50.2%.
It does mean that In-Stat projects the Xbox 360 to finish
ahead of Nintendo's Revolution system, which is predicted
to gain a 21.2% take in the installed base by 2010.
[tvg]
• Playstation
3 will have 60GB hard drive - confirmed
Sony have confirmed
that the PS3 will ship with a 60GB hard drive - three times
the size of the Xbox 360's HDD. All PS3 bundles will be sold
with the HDD, though whether or not a larger drive will be
available isn't clear.
Analysts are speculating
that there may be two bundles for sale on launch, offering
a 60GB and a 100GB HDD.
[hexus]
• Sony
Outlines First Blu-ray Products
Rather predictably a
living room player, a Vaio desktop PC with recordable BD
drive and standalone rewriteable drive (the BWU-100A) are
what it has in store for us. The first, called the BDP-S1
(above), is expected in July with the latter two tipped for
an ‘early summer’ (its words, not ours) release.
[tr]
• Sony
Promises New PS3 Details at GDC
Harrison’s keynote
is titles Playstation 3: Beyond the Box and I’ve been
told he will be disclosing more details about the PS3. Earlier
this week a Sony rep told me that certain details from the
Tokyo press conference may just apply to the Japan release
of the console. She said that includes details on the online
network.
[gi]
• In
Detail: Sony's PlayStation 3 network service plans
Further details of the
PlayStation Network Platform announced by SCE boss Ken Kutaragi
in Tokyo yesterday have emerged, including the fact that
the ability to play games online will be included in the
basic free service.
Additional information
about the service has emerged as the slides used by Kutaragi
in his presentation have been posted online, bringing with
them a host of details of exactly what will be included in
Sony's online offering.
[gi]
• Official
PS3 News Analysis
After months of speculation
followed by weeks of rumor, real news on the future of the
Playstation 3 has finally broken. In the middle of the North
American night, PlayStation Godfather Ken Kutaragi took the
stage at the PlayStation Business Briefing in Tokyo to officially
drop some major PS3 and PSP news.
[ign]
• It's
Official: PS3 launching worldwide November 2006
At
the 2006 PlayStation Business Briefing in Tokyo, Sony Computer
Entertainment president Ken Kutagari made it official--the
PlayStation 3 has been delayed. The news confirmed widely
circulated Japanese newspaper reports, which said that
the delay was due to copyright-protection problems with
the next-generation console's Blu-ray drive. For his part,
Kutaragi would say only that the delay was due to "Blu-ray
spec finalization."
Kutaragi told the crowd at
the event that the PS3 would now launch in November 2006
worldwide. That dispelled fears that the console would make
it to Japan by the fall but would miss the all-important
holiday shopping season in the US and Europe. In fact, Kutaragi
explicitly told the crowd of game retailers and journalists
present that the PS3 would arrive before Thanksgiving in
all territories.
[gamespot]
• Untold
Legends coming to PS3
Now that Sony has finally nailed
down a release date for the PlayStation 3, gamers can start
clamoring for a full list of launch titles. While that list
isn't likely to emerge for a while yet, Sony Online has already
filled in one piece of the launch lineup puzzle with today's
announcement that Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom is under development
to arrive alongside Sony's new console.
[gamespot]
• Final
PS3 Dev Kits Coming Soon
One of many announcements at
Sony's PlayStation Business Briefing 2006 included the fate
of the final PlayStation 3 software development kits (SDK).
At the event, SCE president Ken Kutaragi stated that they
would be sent to developers' studios in June, earlier than
many had predicted. In addition, it was also revealed that
more than 15 companies are making tools and middleware for
the dev kits in an effort to make developing PS3 software
a much smoother process.
[vggen]
• Untold
Legends: Dark Kingdom Revealed for PS3
Shown at the recent press event,
Sony has unveiled their secret Playstation 3 project, a spin-off
of PSP franchise Untold Legends. Subtitled Dark Kingdom,
the game is built off of a completely new engine that utilizes
the multiple cores of the Cell processor to handle different
tasks. In one example, physics could be handled by one core,
while audio could be handled by another, and the complex
calculations needed for realistic water movement by a third.
[psxextreme]
• Patent
Ruling Could Affect Sony PS3
A federal judge denied
an effort by Sony Monday to overturn a jury verdict that
awarded $90.7 million to Immersion over accusations of patent
infringement. The ruling came after Immersion sued the PlayStation
maker over the use of "haptic technology," which
Sony calls DualShock.
[betanews]
• PS3
Could Support Digital Distribution
Development sources
close to Sony Computer Entertainment have recently reported
on the possibility of providing game content through a digital
distribution system. This would seem to be a no-brainer considering
that the rest of the next-gen competition already has this
in the works...
[psxextreme]
• No
next-gen GTA until 2007?
Take-Two executives
dodge PS3 exclusivity and launch questions, tell analysts
not to expect any next-generation sequels from Rockstar Games
until November 2006--at the earliest.
[gamespot]
• PS3
manufacturing to kick off in June...
TAIWANESE manufacturer
COMPEQ has announced that it has been given orders from Sony
to produce circuit boards for the PS3.
COMPEQ, which manufactured
parts for the PSP, will make the high-density interconnect
printed circuit boards for the console.
The company did not
say when it was planning to start manufacturing the boards,
but a Chinese website, Mydrivers, says it has a deep throat
in the company who said that things have to be underway by
June or July.
[theinquirer]
• New
PlayStation 3 Info At GDC
I don’t think
the PlayStation 3 buzz is going to die anytime soon. As we
all know, the Game Developers Conference is just around the
corner and GDC Director, Jamil Moledina confirmed that there
will indeed be some brand new PlayStation 3 information.
Check out an excerpt from an interview conducted by the GameDaily
lads.
[gaminghorizon]
• Sega
Creating PS3 Golf Game
According to Eurogamer,
Sega is currently working on a golf game for the PlayStation
3 starring the Miyazato family. Supposedly Japan's most famous
golfing family, it's made up of brothers Kiyoshi, Yusaku,
and sister Ai. Gameplay will take place throughout the world,
and a selection of outfits for Ai will be provided based
on her real-life wardrobe.
[vggen]
• Stranglehold
Details and Playstation 3 Screenshots
Midway Games Inc., a
leading interactive entertainment publisher and developer,
today announced Stranglehold, an intense action game currently
in development for next generation consoles. Stranglehold
is a collaboration with world renowned action film director,
John Woo's (Face/Off, Hard Boiled, The Killer) Tiger Hill
Entertainment and is scheduled to release in 2006. The project
is currently in development at Midway's Chicago studio by
the critically acclaimed Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
team, led by industry veteran Brian Eddy.
[giw]
• No
PlayStation 3 until E3 – Official
So Destination PlayStation
in Miami has ended. And nothing whatsoever on PlaySation
3 was disclosed. Although not a massive surprise, attendees,
all of whom were bound with promisingly tight non disclosure
agreements, expressed disappointment en masse at the information
blackout.
[spong]
• Auction
Site To Offer Pre-Release PlayStation 3 Consoles!
UniqueAuction.com in
mid-March plans to auction off 10 Sony PlayStation 3 game
consoles, company officials told TechWeb.
The Sony Playstation
3 is expected to launch officially in the U.S in six to 12
months.
The game console, which
should retail between $400 and $700, will sell on the auction
site to the highest unique bidder for less than one percent
of the suggested retail price. Each of the 10 auctions will
last one hour.
[infoweek]
• Report:
Sony admits PS3 delay possible...
In recent weeks, speculation
that Sony would not make its previously announced spring
2006 release date for the PlayStation 3 has grown after a
Merrill Lynch report predicted the new console would be pushed
back until the end of the year, or perhaps later. Japanese
site Sankei Web is reporting that Sony has acknowledged the
possibility of a delay in the system, and that such a delay
would be due to problems with the mass production of the
console's built-in Blu-ray drive.
[gamespot]
• PS3
delay may weaken Blu-ray against HD-DVD
Toshiba's HD-DVD format may
gain on Sony's Blu-ray format should the Playstation see
a delay to retail.
The New York Times suggests
that HD-DVD's backing from Microsoft, Intel, HP, and LG,
in addition to a potential delay of the PS3 is enough to
make the format wars a heated battle.
[punchjump]
• PS3
to offer downloadable games?
In
an interview with Japanese site Watch Impress, on the subject
of downloadable games, Tetsuhiko Yatsuda of SOE Asia, said
that,"games would
be a lot cheaper compared to retail versions." his move
by Sony would combat game piracy, a widespread problem across
Asia, and give gamers rapid access to the games they want
to play.
[hexus]
• Sony:
PlayStation 3 Not Delayed...
GamesIndustry is reporting
that Sony spokesman Kei Sakaguchi has denied that the PS3
is delayed and that the PS3 is still on track for a Spring
launch in Japan. Of course, this contradicts another Sony
rep stating that it could miss the launch if key technology
is not done soon (such as all the recent delays to Blu-Ray).
[ign]
• Sony
PS3 Blu-ray movies to drop in May
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
on Tuesday said it will drop the first Blu-ray disc format
movies to retail on May 23.
The first Blu-ray disc
titles include 50 First Dates, The Fifth Element, Hitch,
House of Flying Daggers, A Knight's Tale, The Last Waltz,
Resident Evil Apocalypse and XXX.
[punchjump]
• Alex
Seropian unveils X Quest
Seropian stated that
he hopes future series of X Quest can feature players from
the game, which his studio have been creating for the PS3
and Xbox 360 for about three years. It certainly sounds very
ambitious, an early 2007 launch for both is on the cards
at present. [excerpt]
[ferrago]
• PlayStation
3 to be delayed?
In the report (Click here for
PDF), the analyst firm proposed the idea that high costs
and Sony's decision to use an "ambitious new processor
architecture--the Cell" is making it look like the company
might not be able to meet its goal of getting the PS3 out
in the U.S. this year.
[news.com]
• EVERYBODY'S
GOLF 5 SWINGS ONTO PS3
Everybody's Golf 5 first
came to light when it was listed on the Official Japanese
Playstation website as a confirmed PS3 title. Today however
it becomes more than just a name on a list, with these first-ever
Japanese teaser shots currently doing the rounds on the good
old internet.
[cvg]
• A
Clue From Nvidia On PlayStation 3 Schedule
Graphics chip maker
Nvidia reported today that it doesn't anticipate any royalties
from Sony during the current fiscal quarter which closes
at the end of April. In a conference call, Chief Financial
Officer Marv Burkett made the statement. Jen-Hsun Huang,
CEO, said that he couldn't talk about the schedule for the
PlayStation 3. He said that Nvidia's RSX graphics chip for
the PS3 is done and the company has production silicon for
it.
[mercurynews]
• Sony
Computer Entertainment may consign PS3 to Taiwan manufacturers
Sony Computer Entertainment
Inc (SCE) may consign the manufacture of PlayStation3 (PS3)
game consoles to Taiwan companies, as it has for the PS2
and PSP, the Commercial Times reported, citing an SCE official.
[forbes]
• Phil
Harrison talks PS3 at GDC
The question on a lot
of gamers' minds is "When are we going to get some official
information on the PlayStation 3!?!?"
Sony and the Game Developers
Conference gave an answer today: March 22. Phil Harrison
has been announced as the latest keynote speaker at the 2006
Game Developers Conference, joining other luminaries behind
the podium such as Nintendo's Satoru Iwata and Maxis' Will
Wright.
[punchjump]
• PS3
may drop to U.S. and Japan in Sept
Sony's Playstation 3
console may drop to the U.S. and Japan this Sept., Next-Generation
reported on Wednesday.
The industry news source
sites developer sources who claim that the Playstation is
scheduled to see a Sept. launch. Next-Generation believes
that the box will be released in Japan and the U.S. in the
same period.
Sony previously held
a firm commitment to its spring 2006 release date, but recent
reports suggest that the hardware and software are not ready
for any territory.
[punchjump]
• PlayStation
3 to Launch in March 2007 in Europe
SPOnG can reveal that
Sony currently plans to launch the PlayStation 3 into Europe
in March of 2007, some 12 months or so behind what some optimistic
gamers had hoped for.
[spong]
Playstation
3 hard drive to be sold seperately...
After months of speculation
it appears that Sony's Playstation 3's hard drive will be
sold seperately. Many people assumed that the HDD would be
an extra add-on, but this is the first time that proof has
appeared on an official Playstation web site. The products
list on the global Playstation site clearly shows the HDD
as a seperate product.
[hexus]
• PS3
Launch Window, Online Strategy?
Sony's head honcho Sir Howard
Stringer did give a keynote speech at CES which placed the
PS3 at the center of a newly-aligned Sony, a Sony that aims
to finally bring together its electronics and its content
into a sleek, streamlined delivery system. There is also
little doubt that Sony has studied Xbox Live thoroughly.
But there are as yet no official, concrete details.
[1UP]
• Sony
Verifies PS3 1080p and BluRay
Sony is surveying their Playstation
Underground members about their feelings on HDTV use and
importance. The questions are telling, but most importantly,
they seem to verify that the Playstation 3 will indeed have
a BlueRay DVD player built into it and that the games will
support 1080p.
[kotaku]
• Playstation
3: Without A HDD?
Sony has officially incorporated
a Playstation 3 section onto their official company website.
While the majority of the alloted information has previously
been revealed, the company's listing of the next-generation
system may have revealed a surprising fact regarding the
device.
[advancedmn]
• More
PlayStation 3 Details Revealed
The
March issue of PlayStation Magazine reveals new information
on Sony’s upcoming
PlayStation 3. According to the article the PS3 will have
an online service to rival Xbox Live, work as a DVR (Digital
Video Recorder) to record television broadcasts, and will
also act as a Location Free player for the PSP. This will
allow PSP users with broadband internet access to watch television
and movies streamed from their PS3 to their PSP anywhere
in the world.
[gaminghorizon]
• MotorStorm
launching with PS3?
The PS3 Killzone clip
may have been the most talked-about tech demo at the Sony
pre-E3 press conference, but one trailer wasn't far behind.
The teaser for MotorStorm, from Evolution Studios, showed
all types of vehicles racing against photorealistic backgrounds
and climaxed with a tumbling buggy headed straight for an
unsuspecting motorbike rider.
[gamespot]
• 32
Sony PS3 Games Available for Pre-Order on Gamestop!
Video Game retailer
Gamestop has 32 Sony PS3 games listed for pre-order. (Visit
Gamestop and search for PS3 to see the list). Basically you
can get in line first to get this games shipped to you when
they are available. I am not sure if October 1st is best
guess by Gamestop or if they already know the Sony PS3 launch
date. All PS3 games sell for $59.99.
[I4U]
• Sony
PS3 Live to rival Xbox live service!
The
article is the latest in a war of words between Microsoft
and Sony, the article reads, "Cast
aside any doubts and start gazing skyward, because that's
where Sony is aiming with plans that go far beyond simple
leader boards and matchmaking -- or even the PS3, for that
matter.It's very real, one source tells us. They (Sony) are
dead serious about it. They've declared, and I quote, a 'full-on
assault' on the latest version of Xbox Live.They are committed
to matching Xbox Live [on the 360] feature for feature and
then some."
[hexus]
• Wal-Mart
previews PS3 and Nintendo Revolution...
The new PS3 section offers
a video preview of games, a run down in the system's specifications,
various product images, and shots of three pre-production
games.
[punchjump]
• Kynogon
Joins PlayStation 3 Tools & Middleware Program
Kynogon
has announced Kynapse support for Sony Computer Entertainment
Inc.'s Tools & Middleware
program for PlayStation 3. Game developers for PlayStation
3 will be able to access all Kynapse functionalities and
tools to create non-player characters with advanced behaviours...
[gamasutra]
• PS3,
Rev and DS Score Big in Japanese Survey
Based on a recent survey conducted
by Japan's top gaming magazine Famitsu, the PlayStation 3,
Nintendo DS and Nintendo Revolution are going to be the big
stories for the year 2006. The magazine gathered the opinions
113 retailers and 47 game developers on a variety of game
related issues. The Online version of Famitsu, Famitsu.com,
gathered the opinion of 370 regular gamers.
[ign]
• FACTOR
5 RAMPS UP PS3 DEVELOPMENT
Factor 5, the US development
house behind such Star Wars hits as Rogue Squadron III: Rebel
Strike and Rogue Leader, is advertising for new PS3 development
positions on its website - prompting us to ponder just what
they might have in the works.
[cvg]
• Killzone
Developer on PS3 Development
You all have heard the
reports about how the PS3 will be a pain in the ass to develop
games for, while the Xbox 360 is supposed to be fairly easy.
However what some of you may not have heard is that as we
move further and further ahead, more and more PS3 Developer
comments have come out where they are saying that the PS3
isn't that bad to program for.
[ve3d]
• Comment:
PS3 predictions are all shooting in the dark...
Sony's plans for the
launch of PlayStation 3 are likely to be one of the biggest
factors defining publisher and developer planning for 2006
- but in the absence of hard facts, it's essential to be
wary of uninformed speculation, says Rob Fahey.
[gi]
• Sony
has plans to put PS3 online!
According to gameshout,
Sony has confirmed that it will indeed be offering an online
service for the PS3. We can only assume it's been forced
to keep up with the Joneses. Not that I mind. Online mutliplayer
PS3 action sounds wicked. I just hope it won't delay the
PS3's release, or even worse, I hope its not planning on
charging for the service. [excerpt]
[inquirer]
• VIRTUA
FIGHTER 5 PS3-BOUND?
Sega's fighting series
is already getting a next-gen arcade update - now reports
suggest it's heading to Playstation 3...
[dailygame]
• Ten
PS3 Predictions for 2006
Is it me, or are there
some seriously crazy rumors running around the 'net these
days regarding the PlayStation 3? It seems like whenever
a console is announced, everyone and their brother becomes
a soothsayer, from top analysts to forum fanboys, everyone's
got an opnion...
[dailygame]
• Sony
lists first-party PS3 titles on Japanese website...
The first batch of first-party
PlayStation 3 titles has been confirmed by a listing on Sony's
Japanese website, PlayStation.jp, with six titles being named
for the next-generation system including new Everybody's
Golf and Gran Turismo games.
[gi]
• Only
a million PS3 at launch?
According to Evan Wilson
of Pacific Crest Securities the PlayStation 3 will most likely
be launched in the USA in November with just one million
units followed by a European launch in March 2007. Wilson
also expects that there will be one million consoles for
a Japanese launch in summer 2006.
[boomtown]
• Playstation
3, conceptual design?
We're
still digging through gigs of CES photographs when we happened
upon one rather juicy bit we thought we might share. We
found this little number over at the Blu-ray booth -- which,
given the circumstances, we can only assume was paid for
and set up at least in large part by Sony. Yes, you're
reading that placard right (we had to zoom in from another
angle since the lighting made it hard to catch a decent
shot). Is it true? Is the Sony PlayStation 3 that we've
all now come to know and love (or not) merely a "conceptual design?" Because
if it is they must be further behind than we originally
anticipated.
[joystiq]
• Tecmo
confirms commitment to developing for PS3
Japanese publisher Tecmo has
confirmed its intention to release next-generation software
titles on multiple platforms, dispelling any rumours of exclusivity
for the Microsoft Xbox 360 console.
[gi]
• Dead
or Alive Coming to PS3?
A
recent PR statement by Tecmo of Japan stating that two
Dead or Alive games are coming to PS3 has led to huge discussion
across various internet boards. In a recent PR statement
coming from the latest Famitsu the line, "...the next two DoA titles for PS3" appears.
Reading this, fans everywhere were shocked. How could a series
that's stuck with Microsoft for so long suddenly jump to
the Sony system with not just one, but two DoA games? Well,
the answer to that is in the quote itself.
[1UP]
• PS3
launch schedule
According to the slide used
by Sony at last year's E3, we can expect some kind of Playstation
Conference in February. That is if the company is still hitting
its PS3 development milestones as some developers and publications
have questioned...
[joystiq]
• Sony
Insider Deleted for PS3 Comments
A couple of days ago,
we brought word of a Sony employee that had been brutally
honest about the PS3’s current state. He posted a lengthy
review of the PS3 console on Down in Front. The review it
seems has been removed from that site with the following
note...
[kotaku]
• Sony
Confirms DevStation PS3 Developer EU Conference
According to remarks
on its official website, DevStation, Sony Computer Entertainment
Europe's yearly development conference for Sony platform
developers, will this year focus exclusively on game development
for the PlayStation 3.
[gamasutra]
• Playstation
3 price - $500?
Sony hasn't commented
on specific pricing figures, though Ken Kutaragi, president
of Sony Consumer Entertainment, reportedly told attendees
of a 2005 corporate meeting "it'll be expensive." Analysts
and many video game developers, though, suspect the system
may debut with a price tag reaching nearly $500.
[cnn]
• A
developer's look at the PlayStation 3...
Josh Robinson, who claims
to have developed for the PS3 over the past year using one
of five developer kits released in North America, questions
why Sony has yet to reveal and deliver the final box to developers.
[joystiq]
• PS3
still on track for May '06 launch?
Despite earlier, dubious
rumors claiming the PS3 would be delayed until 2007, GameSHOUT
is reporting they have been contacted personally by Sony
to reassure them the system is on track for a May '06 launch.
[joystiq]
• No
PS3 news at CES!
If you've been hanging
on in the hope that this week's International Consumer Electronics
Show would hold some announcements about the Playstation
3, we can save you some of the suspense...
[joystiq]
• Ubisoft
Speculates On PS3, Revolution Dates...
Although both Sony's
and Nintendo's next-gen platforms are expected to hit the
market this year, no clear timeframe has been set for either.
Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot, however, gave the BBC an educated
guess as to when he believes Sony and Nintendo may launch.
"We think September
could be the right time for Sony in the US and November
in Europe," he said. "Japan a bit earlier, say
June or July."
[gamedaily]
• PLAYSTATION
3 GOES MULTI-REGION?
Currently, all consoles
restrict gamers from playing titles released for regions
other than the machine's home territory. However, reports
from Japan show the first buds of hope for relaxed region-encoding
restrictions in the form of the Playstation 3's new Blu-Ray
format. Apparently, Japan and the rest of Asia will now be
bracketed in the same region as North and South America,
whilst leaving us poor Europeans as the regional outcasts
along with Africa. [excerpt]
[cvg]
• Unreal
Tournament Not At PS3 Launch...
A producer at the company
confirmed a launch release was not currently in the cards,
and the PC version will seemingly be released first. "We're
not scheduled to be a ps3 [sic] launch title, not certain
where those news sites are getting that from," reads
the response before going on to confirm the obvious fact
that there will be a demo for the PC version.
[1UP]
• Sony
Pushes PS3 Cell!
Sony's semiconductor
chief, Kenshi Manabe has stated that the next-generation
cell processor used for the upcoming Sony PlayStation 3 will
soon become the industry standard for all kinds of multimedia
consumer electronics. He went to say that the cell chip is
as good as the Pentium, if not better.
[gameshout]
• Rumor
- Grand Theft Auto: London for PS3 in Q4 2006
According
to an alleged employee of Rockstar North in Glasgow, Scotland,
the next installment in the GTA series "will be titled
Grand Theft Auto: London and will take place in the Great
City of London in 1997."
[joystiq]
• AGS & DE
Expo Asia 2005: The Expo That's Not E3
Sony made a strong appearance
with a substantial PS3 theater, which unfortunately had no
live demonstrations. Having a VIP badge and being ushered
to the front of the line without waiting would have been
even cooler if they'd shown more than pre-rendered footage
of upcoming PS3 titles. Sure, the games looked cool, but
without offering much more to the attendees than what we've
already seen online or at E3 during last summer, I'm not
entirely sure why they wouldn't allow cameras... [excerpt]
[gamesfirst]
• Analyst:
PS3 to sell 200M in five years
Researcher Envisioneering Group
estimates that Sony's Playstation 3 console will outperform
its current generation system to sell 200 million units in
five years...
[punchjump]
• UT
2007(2006) to be PS3 Launch title!
The January 2006 issue of PlayStation
Magazine proudly proclaims that, yes, UT 2007 is coming to
the PlayStation 3. Inside, the magazine also reveals that
the game will be a launch title for the PlayStation 3, which
is tentatively slated for a spring 2006 launch.
[ign]
• Kutaragi
refutes $1 billion PlayStation 3 hole will bring SCE to
its knees...
Toyo Keizai goes on
to publish comment from SCE head Ken Kutaragi, who understandably
refutes MLDS' analysis; "Whether consumers think a product
is expensive or cheap all depends on the balance between
its appeal and price," said Kutaragi, again hinting
that the PlayStation 3 may indeed be a pricy piece of kit. "Our
idea is for consumers to think to themselves, 'Right, I'll
work more hours and buy it.' We want people to feel that
they want it, no matter what. [excerpt]
[spong]
• Sony
Announces Official Briefing On PS3 At CES 2006!
Sony has officially
declared that at CES, CEO Howard Stringer will present a
report containing all the information regarding the console.
It's not quite a launch, because we'll have to wait some
more before it is available on the market, but at least we'll
know for sure what to expect from it.
[playfuls]
• SCEA
Pres Sees No Advantage in First to Market
The Official PlayStation
Magazine recently interviewed Hirai about Sony's next-gen
console battle with the 360 and more. Regarding the importance
of being first to market with a new platform Hirai pointed
to Sony's history: "You probably know by looking at
our history that we've never been first to market with any
of our products. Saturn was there before the original PlayStation,
and Dreamcast was out before the PS2. Plus, there have been
so many handhelds before the PSP."
[gamedaily]
• Unreal
Tournament 2007 Screenshots for Sony PS3
Epic's sequel to Unreal
Tournament is unbelievable! The new screenshots are gorgeous
and in complete detail.
[gameshout]
• TDK
ships samples of bare Blu-ray disc...
Blu-ray read technology
is a key component in Sony's next Playstation console. The
Playstation 3 will feature high-defnition DVD playback on
Blu-ray format discs and be capable of 1080p resolution.
[excerpt]
[punchjump]
• High
resolution "Fatal Inertia" Playstation 3 screenshots
One unexpected Playstation
3 launch window game will be Koei's Fatal Intertia. If the
game name sounds off Koei's beaten path it should; the developer
and publisher is straying from it's Eastern Asia combat roots
to a far distant futuristic world. Samurai's have been replaced
by sleek flying race vehicles that, according to these first
screens, will gun through canyons at breakneck speeds in
point-to-point races.
[themanroom]
• Add-on
PS3 harddrive to run Linux...
Ken Kutaragi, in an interview
with Impress PC Watch has revealed the PS3 will not ship
with a HDD, rather it will be purchased as an add-on.
Also to make sure people believed
Sony when they said the PS3 is not a gaming machine, Kutaragi
plans to install Linux on the harddrive in fact, he envisions
other operating systems running on the PS3's CPU.
[igniq]
• Sony:
High-Def On Consoles Begins With PS3
GamesIndustry.biz had a chance
to speak with Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios
president Phil Harrison over his company's plans for 2006,
particularly in the case of the PlayStation 3. Harrison avoided
divulging any new information regarding the next-gen console
to any great degree (as you probably expected), expressing
confidence that SCE was in no hurry to react to Microsoft's
Xbox 360 launch last month. Indeed, Harrison downplays the
Xbox 360's claim to bringing high-definition video to consoles,
explaining the PS3's native support for 1080p resolution
displays as the real HD trump card...
[neoseeker]
• FIRST
PS3 LAUNCH TITLES REVEALED?
According to a report in the
US Official Playstation Magazine, Jack Tretton, vice president
of Sony Computer Entertainment America, has let drop the
names of two possible PlayStation 3 launch titles, in the
form of Incog's flight action game Warhawk and Factor 5's
Lair.
[cvg]
• UT
2007 on PlayStation 3?
Epic’s Unreal Tournament
2007 will be available for Sony’s Playstation 3 console
in addition to the already announced PC version. From the
article: ”[Epic] is relieved to make the game for the
console market since they will be able to offer cutting-edge
graphics on a sub $500 console, while on a PC you’ll
need to pay over $600 just on graphics card to play the game
at those settings.”
[joystiq]
• Sony:
Spring PS3 launch imminent!
According
to Reuters, the bigwigs at Sony have recently reaffirmed
the PS3’s predicted
launch window of spring 2006, despite numerous rumors and
utterances to the contrary. Since Sony have yet to follow
in Microsoft’s footsteps and announce their intentions
to engage in a simultaneous worldwide launch, we can assume
that they’ll be shooting for the usual staggered release
schedule of Japan first, everywhere else… meh, whenever.
[joystiq]
• PS3
Info + Original PSP Titles Promised
Kaz Hirai President Sony Computer
Entertainment America (SCEA) and Jack Tretton Executive Vice
President SCEA recently shared some details on the PlayStation3
in an interview with the American PSM...
[tvg] |
