Playstation Update

PS3Forumz.com has annouced that they will be giving away at least one free Playstation 3 console to a lucky user on the day it is released. They’re busily trying to recruit sponsors to secure a second or third PS3 prize as well. All you have to do is register on the forum, if you haven’t already, and post at least 100 times between now and 24 hours before the console is released.

Pretty impressive prize for just posting to forums. They’re even going to try to set up a live video feed of the actual drawing later this year.

Details on the contest

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Sony has been trying desperately since its launch to sell the PSP as more than a portable game system. You can of course play music and video on it. With the 2.0 firmware upgrade they introduced a web browser. The latest and greatest use for the PSP is Talkman, an “interactive phrasebook”.

Using Talkman, which is available in Japan, you chat with Max, a blue bird that speaks English, Japanese, Chinese and Korean. You select your native language the first time you fire up the UMD, and then you can have Max teach you how to say “how much does this cost?”, and “where is the bathroom”, in whichever language you like.

I seriously doubt this will make it to the US. There’s just not that much use here for learning to say things in Asian tongues. Maybe if it’s extended to include Spanish and French. Still, I think it’s an interesting demonstration of what Sony thinks is possible with the PSP.

From Gamespot.

Technorati Tags: psp, playstation, talkman

Contrary to what I just said yesterday, apparently Howard Stringer now did not hint about the price of the PS3 after all. He apparently has also not said anything about when the PS3 may or may not be released in the US. He in fact may not have said anything at all in recent interviews. As reported at hiptechblog.com, CNN Money just posted this correction:

An earlier version of this story appeared with statements erroneously attributed to Sir Howard Stringer, CEO of Sony Corporation, regarding pricing and availability of the PS3. Stringer has not commented publicly on how much the PS3 is expected to cost, or how soon it will appear in the US after the Japanese launch in spring 2006.

I’m guessing he may have mentioned a few things “off the record” (and/or while intoxicated), as the correction only states that he has “not commented publicly.” Guess we’ll see.

Sony CEO Howard Stringer commented in an interview with FORTUNE magazine that the PS3 could be had for between $300 and $400 when it arrives in mid-2006. He confirmed that Sony would indeed be selling this at a heavily subsidized rate in order to build a strong user base.

But, uh, mid-2006? Didn’t he just say a week or two ago that it wouldn’t be arriving in the US until the end of 2006? Maybe he meant it would sell for the equivalent of $300-$400 when it goes on sale mid-2006 in Japan. Or something. I’ll keep you posted as new conflicting rumors develop.

From Games Galore

Technorati Tags: Playstation, Playstation 3, PS3, Sony

IGN has just posted their top 10 reasons why you should wait for the PS3. The gist is that while the XBox 360 is an impressive device, the Playstation 3 will simply blow it away in terms of features. Even considering the fact that the PS3 will likely sell for even more than the 360, it will deliver more bang for your buck.

Here are the Top 10 from IGN:

10. Xbox 360 Doesn’t Have a Killer App
9. Dual-Screen and 1080p Support
8. Dual-Screen and 1080p Support
7. You Can Still Pre-Order
6. Seven-Player Wireless Support
5. The HD IP Camera
4. Full Backwards Compatibility
3. Stronger Japanese Developer Support
2. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
1. The Blu-ray Player

You may wonder why the Blu-ray device is their #1 reason. Well the answer is capacity. A Blu-ray disc can hold 45GB. That is just an immense amount of data. That’s enough to fill 4 DVD-ROM’s. Transfer rate should also greater than anything you’ve seen yet, which translates to shorter and fewer loading screens.

In case you can’t wait…

Technorati Tags: XBox, XBox 360, Playstation 3, PS3, gaming, microsoft, sony, blu-ray

In case you truly haven’t been paying any attention at all, tomorrow is the day the XBox 360 goes on sale. Stores have been taking preorders for quite some time now, but if you shop around a bit you may be able to find one. Of course, some stores did not take preorders, so there’s always the “pitch a tent and wait all night in the freezing cold” tactic. Actually at some 4500 retailers across the country, you only have to wait until 12:01AM, so maybe some of the early morning chill can be avoided.

Anyhow, just thought I’d remind you, just in case you can’t wait until the PS3 comes out.

In case you’ve been sealed up in your cave for the last few months, I should mention that next week Peter Jackson’s King Kong is being released for PS2 (and every other console, if you care). Seems that making a game from a blockbuster movie (or vice versa) seldom works, but Ubisoft, with a little help from our friend Peter Jackson of course, has gotten something right this time.

You play Jack Driscoll, the screenwriter type who tags along with filmmaker Carl Denham and actress Ann Darrow to the mysterious Skull Island. Here you’ll find dinosaurs, crazed natives, and of course our favorite enormous gorilla. The first person perspective as Jack is quite different. There is no heads up display at all, an attempt to more fully immerse you in the game.

You’ll play as Driscoll for about 70 percent of the game, but in critical moments control switches to King Kong, whom you play in the third person perspective. Kong can climg cliffs, swing from branches, smash obstacles, and generally do all sorts of other things that our Mr. Driscoll could not on his own accomplish.

Sounds like a winner to me.

Peter Jackson’s King Kong is Games Digest Game of the Week. Make sure to pick it up!

Capturing the look and feel of the larger format SOCOM games, Fireteam Bravo for PSP is being called the best shooter yet for the PSP. In the game, you play “Sandman”, leader of a two person SEAL team. Lonestar, your partner, is at your disposal. You may tell him to be aggressive or defensive, as well as issuing more specific commands like “defuse”. Yeah, that sounds like a good thing to have the sidekick do for you.

The single player game spans 14 missions in four locations: Chile, Morocco, South Asia, and Poland. All excpect Chile overlap with SOCOM 3 for the PS2. This is where the “cross-talk” between games comes into play. By completing certain missions and secret objectives in each game, you can unlock skins and weapons in the other. The sync is accomplished by connecting the PSP to your PS2 via a USB cable. If only the PS2 supported WiFi, this could be a little less convoluted. The PS3 will supprt 802.11b/g, so I guess we’ll have to wait a bit for wireless sync.

You can play with up to 16 players in both ad hoc and online modes. Sounds like one of the most impressive online PSP games to date, with leaderboards, clans, message boards, and so forth. Modes include team deathmatch, hostage rescue, free for all, and a couple others.

Detailed review at Gamespot

Technorati Tags: psp, socom, playstation

According to XBox Today, the Playstation 3 may end up costing twice as much as the XBox 360. This speculation comes from an analyst report from Merrill Lynch, which cites higher production costs as the main reason.

The total cost of the PS3 (to the manufacturer) is estimated at $495, while the XBox comes in at a mere $340. A major source of the difference is the Blu-Ray drive, which will cost a whopping $100. Compare that to $25 for a DVD-ROM drive, and you wonder what exactly Sony is thinking. The other major discrepancy in pricing is the processor, with the PS3’s cell processor gizmo costing $160, $60 more than the IBM PPC processor used by the XBox.

Despite the cost difference, I can’t imagine Sony would sell a PS3 for $600 (assuming they mean twice the cost of the base XBox model). That’s just too much for a gaming console. For most people, that has moved from the realm of “cool Christmas gift” to “major investment”. Sony and Microsoft both make more money on games than the hardware anyhow, so I’m thinking Sony will just end up taking a bigger hit up front in hopes that people will buy plenty of games.

My personal prediction is $400. If I’m right, maybe I should apply for a job as a Merrill Lynch analyst. Ya think?

Technorati Tags: PS3, Playstation 3, Playstation, XBox, XBox 360, Blu-Ray

Can I really buy an Xbox 360 at Circuit City this Friday?? And the answer is… no. Circuit City seems to have launched a misguided (if amusing) campaign to make people think they might be able to get their hands on an Xbox 360 four days before they go on sale in the rest of the country. Do they have that much clout with Microsoft? Are they going to give it to the man, and open up the boxes early?

Well, it turns out that what they really meant when they said you can purchase your XBox 360 on Friday, was that you could go into the store, plunk down your money, and then come back and get it on Tuesday like the rest of us. I could have gone to EBGames or Gamestop a month ago and given them my money. In fact, maybe I’ll just start taking money for the PS3 now, and tell people it’s “on sale now”. Yeah, that’s a good idea.

Nice work Circuit City. “Just What I Needed.”

From Engadget

Technorati Tags: xbox 360, news