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Live from Sony’s E3 2008 Media Briefing

Posted by Andru Edwards
Categories: Action, Adventure, Corporate News, Downloadable Content, E3, Features, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Portable/Mobile, PSP, Sony, Sports

We’ve got notes galore for you as it pertains to the Sony E3 2008 Media Briefing, and we’ve also got a full gallery from the event for you as well. As if that weren’t enough, we’ve even got E3 2008 Sony Media Briefing video highlights as well. Anyhow, here’s the scoop, live from the Sony event.

Jack Tretton hits the stage after a montage of upcoming games for PS3, PS2, and PSP. He starts joking around and giving a brief history of the Shrine Auditorium. Playstation brand was seeded 15 years ago this week, where Sony decided to create it’s own videogame console. He talks about the long-term 10 year strategies employed into the Playstation and Playstation 2. Says there were marquee games for those titles, but they came out years after teh console debut. Same for the Playstation 3. He gives some props to PS3 as well, talking about Blu-ray and the Cell processor.

“We’re here to talk about genre-defining kick-ass games” - alright, let’s do it. That would be a big change from what Nintendo had to offer us. Games like Metal Gear Solid 4 is the reason why you buy a Playstation 3. Over 75 titles are exclusive to the console. Today Sony has three successful platforms on the market at once. They start with PS3.

Click to continue reading Live from Sony’s E3 2008 Media Briefing

Gallery: Live from Sony’s E3 2008 Media Briefing

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PS3 2.30 firmware to bring DTS-HD Master Audio to console, revamped PLAYSTATION Store

Posted by Andru Edwards
Categories: Downloadable Content, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Network, Release Dates, Sony

Okay, so first and foremost, the atrocious PLAYSTATION Store that the PS3 has been sporting is going to be replaced with PS3 firmware 2.30. That is a good thing, because compared to both the Xbox Live Marketplace and the Shopping Channel, the PLAYSTATION Store just performs horrible in our opinion. So good on Sony for changing that up. You can get a look at the new interface in the video above, which Sony put together. It looks a lot better.

Second thing, which is even better than the store upgrade if you ask us, is that the 2.30 firmware update is going to finally bring DTS-HD Master Audio to the Playstation 3, alongside DTS-HD High Resolution Audio. If you are a fan, then this means the world to you if you have a compatible receiver. Be prepared for perfect lossless audio to be read at an “incredible high variable rate of 24.5 mega-bits per second” in 7.1 surround sound. This is the one thing the was missing as a Blu-ray player (well, this, and Dolby-HD), and now makes it pretty much future-proof.

You get all this goodness on April 15th.

Read More | Playstation Blog

Sony Expands Blu-Ray Capability in PlayStation 3 with BD-Live

Posted by Sheila Franklin
Categories: Corporate News, Downloadable Content, Hardware, PlayStation 3

PlayStation’s next PlayStation 3 software update, due out later this month, allows downloading of games, videos, and ring tones. The console is to be updated with Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0 and BD-Live will be added to the PS3. The update includes “resume play” for both discs and DVD. You can also copy music and images on a PSP and use it as a remote for the .

We certainly are not surprised at this news as we think that Sony has been silently screaming,”Goody, goody, goody!” since the end of the disc war. While this is the first player that can access the Net, Panasonic also plans to release one with BD-Live later in the spring.

Read More | Examiner

CES 2008: Sony Intros 16GB Memory Stick Pro Duo

Posted by Lolita Beckwith
Categories: Accessories, PlayStation 3, Portable/Mobile, PSP, Sony

Sony Memory Stick Pro DuoOkay, PSP and ’ers, take note…and start saving your pennies now. Why? Because at , Sony announced that their 16GB Memory Stick Pro Duo will hit stores in March. That’s right, 16GB, four times more the highest capacity Pro Duo currently available. That’s way more photos, music, videos, ISOs, movies and pure fun than ever. The downside? The storage card will cost a whopping $300 USD—more than a PSP itself. Worth it? You make the call.


E for All: Metal Gear Solid 4 Demo Impressions

Posted by Steve Van Neil
Categories: Action, Konami, PlayStation 3

MGS4 pic

My mission was clear.  Behind a barbed wire facade and slew of No Camera signs lurked one of the few worthwhile E for All offerings: a playable Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots demo.  The official word was that this short demo was the only taste we Americans would get of the latest Solid Snake outing before its release next year, so Konami’s booth was naturally my first stop at the show.  The line snaked around the entire booth.  I queued up and waited.  And waited some more.  Finally, we were led into a makeshift theater (appropriately outfitted with sandbags and cargo netting) where a company representative gave us a crash course on the game’s controls.  Afterwards, the door opened and we were unleashed upon the demo kiosks.

Click to continue reading E for All: Metal Gear Solid 4 Demo Impressions


Call of Duty 4 Beta Ends September 30th

Posted by Paul Hamilton
Categories: Activision, First Person Shooters, PC, PlayStation 3, Release Dates, Xbox 360

Call of Duty 4

Robert “402” Bowling from Infinity Ward has posted about some upcoming changes to the Call of Duty 4 beta on his blog. The most significant announcement is the closing of the beta on September 30th, but he also revealed that two days prior the level cap, which has been at 16 for a couple of weeks after being lifted from the initial cap of 11, will go up to 25. That gives beta testers only two days to jump from 16 to 25 before the beta closes down in anticipation of the game’s release November 5th.

Part of the post hinted that CoD4 had gone gold, but Bowling refused to come right out and say it, saving the announcement for more official channels. He did say that Infinity Ward had received congratulations from the Sony of America and the Xbox 360 certification team, which leaves little room for doubt that the game is in the final stages before shipping.

The beta has been an excellent marketing tool for Infinity Ward since the strength of the game is quite evident from the limited, multiplayer-only test version. Even though the game is likely gold, the beta continues for developers to continue gathering data for the inevitable title upgrades and expansion packs. The raising of the level cap so close to the end of the beta is, speculatively, due to the launch of a certain multiplayer juggernaut a few days prior.

Read More | Fourzerotwo's Blog

“White Knight Story” Gameplay Video

Posted by Steve Van Neil
Categories: PlayStation 3, Role Playing Games, Sony, Trailers

This year’s TGS is awash in media from loads of promising Japanese RPGs.  The spiky-haired adventurers in Infinite Undiscovery (ouch at that title), The Last Remnant, and Lost Odyssey promise to take the genre to new excruciatingly emotional heights.  But the most impressive of them all, the one that may even melt the heart of the most cynical hater of all things spiky and stat-laden, is Level 5’s White Knight Story.  Level 5 is the development studio behind Dragon Quest VIII and Rogue Galaxy, so you just know this game will deliver the goods when it comes exclusively to the PS3 next year.

And now we have this video.  It isn’t direct feed, runs about 4 minutes long, and Obi-Wan Kenobi blocks the screen for part of it, but trust me...the whole thing is worth the watch.  The animation is so fluid and seamless that the game’s battles come across as balletic performances, not turgid turn-based fights.  And check out the awe-inspiring transformation near the end of the footage.  You’ll be nodding your head wondering what the fuss is, and then the White Knight will appear and you’ll smile and say, “Okay, that was pretty cool.” Bank on it.

Read More | GameSpot

PS3 Finally Gets Rumble…in Spring ‘08

Posted by Steve Van Neil
Categories: Accessories, Hardware, PlayStation 3, Sony

DualShock3

At Sony’s pre-TGS press conference, Kaz Hirai announced that rumble is coming back to the PS3 in a big way, in the form of the new DualShock 3 controller.  Gamers have been clamoring for force feedback ever since Sony first unveiled the PS3’s Sixaxis controller sans rumble.  We just couldn’t properly enjoy shooting aliens without the little vibration telling us that we were shooting aliens.  At any rate, Sony heard the call and is making amends. 

“We have not made any changes to its outward appearance and design, but it does have vibration,” Hirai said.  And fear not, motion control fans...the waggle feature isn’t going anywhere.  The wizards at Sony have found a way to include both features.

Which brings us to the catch: the DualShock 3 will be available this year, but only in Japan.  Everyone else will have to wait until next Spring.

Read More | Eurogamer

Playable Metal Gear Solid 4 at TGS

Posted by Steve Van Neil
Categories: Action, Konami, PlayStation 3, Sony

MGS4 picKonami has announced that the PS3 game the whole world wants will be playable on the showfloor of this year’s Tokyo Game Show, which kicks off later this week.  That’s right, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will make its playable debut to the tune of fifty demo kiosks at Konami’s booth.  Knowing the history of the franchise, you have to wonder if a PSN demo isn’t too far behind.

Drool over impressions of Metal Gear Solid 4 in the next week.  Finally break down and buy the game and that damned PS3 (it’s exclusive, kids) when the game is released next year.

Read More | Kotaku via Gamefront

PSP God of War Gets a Release Date and Demo Details

Posted by Paul Hamilton
Categories: Action, Adventure, Portable/Mobile, PSP, Sony, Special Editions

God of War: Chains of Olympus

The next installment in the popular Sony franchise God of War, subtitled Chains of Olympus and a prequel to the original God of War, will be debuting on the PSP March 4, 2008. The news may be a little disappointing for some hoping to add the flagship first party title to Sony’s handheld this Christmas, but Sony has also announced that it will be putting out a demo at the end of this month. When the game’s official website launched back in April, Sony included the opportunity for North American gamers to sign up for a special UMD-based demo version prior to the game’s release.

The limited edition demo will include part of a playable level plus extra goodies including behind-the-scenes footage. A copy of the demo without the extras will be released later this year.

Read More | GameSpot

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