News
Archive 2004 / 2005
2002
/ 2003 - 2003
/ 2004 - 2005 / 2006
News links from 2004 & 2005...
• Metal
Gear Solid 4 PS3 DevKit demonstration
Hideo Kojima and staff
showed the world first ever footage of Metal Gear Solid 4
at TGS 2005 with a nine minute trailer.
[boomtown]
• Fox
Onboard with Blu-ray, PS3 Citied as Reason
Fox announced their exclusive
support behind Sony's Blu-ray technology citing the overwhelming
backing of other Hollywood studios that have also behind
Blu-ray, and the release of the BD-ROM playing PlayStation
3 next year.
[gameshout]
• Sega
Announces PlayStation 3 Game for 2008!
Sega has revealed that
it has won the rights to create official videogames based
on the Beijing Olympics, scheduled in the far off season
of summer 2008, a full two and a half years away from the
winter of 2005...
[spong]
• Playstation
3 Controller Insight...
Check out this little sequence
which attempts to throw some light on the much vaunted PS3
control pad design.
[ps3rc]
• PS3
Leading Consumer Awareness!
The report says PlayStation
3 currently has the most consumer awareness amongst gamers
and non-gamers, with Xbox 360 and Revolution following behind.
The press release concerning the report did not specify a
percentage break down of the results, which 1UP is currently
working on retrieving.
[1UP]
• Fox
Predicts PS3-Led Blu-Ray Win in Format Wars
The head of Fox Filmed
Entertainment, the division of News Corp. responsible for
its motion picture output, has predicted that Sony's Blu-Ray
format will be the victor in the coming battle against the
DVD Forum's HD-DVD format. The two competing media are currently
gathering supporters in an effort to become the next media
standard, as CD and DVD were before.
[gamasutra]
• PS3
is Japan's most anticipated next-gen console - survey
Available from the CESA
website and partially translated by Gamasutra.com, the CESA
surveyed 1000 gamers at TGS. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the
majority of Japanese gamers remain loyal to Sony, with 71.8
per cent of respondents selecting the PS3 as their next-generation
console of choice and 35.7 per cent choosing the PSP handheld.
Just 13.7 per cent of respondents said they were interested
in buying a Nintendo DS handheld, though this figure is likely
to be lower due to many respondents already owning one at
the time of the survey.
[gi]
• Sony
to present Playstation 3 at CES in January
According to Playfuls,
Sony is expected to show off the PS3 at this year’s
Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. That would
be expected. What’s not is the company’s enormous
12,000 square feet reserve at the central event stand. From
the article: ”[Sony] intends to build a special platform
in the middle of the expo, on which it will be able to properly
boast the company’s latest products, including the
long-awaited Play Station 3.”
[joystiq]
• PlayStation
3 Latest to Confirm Parental Control
Sony
Computer Entertainment America has added its weight to
the parental control push currently in vogue with game
console manufacturers, confirming that the PlayStation
3 will feature content lock-out for inappropriate games
and probably music and movies.
[spong]
• Sony
denies Playstation 3 timetable and price!
SONY HAS denied comments,
attributed to its CEO Howard Stringer, that its Playstation
3 will be priced between $300 and $400, and will hit the
shops in the middle of next year in Japan.
[inquirer]
• Report:
Half of gamers waiting for PlayStation 3
Nielsen Entertainment
study says nearly 50 percent of "active gamers" won't
get a next-generation console until they have a choice.
[gamespot]
•
PS3 to launch at under $400; will ship with media bundle...(?)
UPDATE: The comments
attributed to Howard Stringer in this interview have now
been confuted, and should instead be attributed to an unnamed
Sony source cited by the Hollywood Reporter. See this news
story for more details.
Sony CEO Howard Stringer
has given the clearest indication yet of the company's launch
plans for PlayStation 3, stating that the next-gen system
will enter the market at between $300 and $400 when it arrives
in mid-2006.
[gi]
• Patience
360: Ten Reasons to Wait for PS3
Listed in descending
order are the top ten reasons your faithful editors on the
IGN PlayStation team think you should wait until next year
to make your first next-generation upgrade. And while we
absolutely came up with more reasons to ward you off than
those listed below, these were the selections that we felt
stood out most. Sony fans, this article is dedicated to you
so without any further ado, we present to you the Top 10
Reasons to Wait for PS3!
[ign]
• JAPANESE
TECHNORATI ISSUE PS3 WARNINGS!!
Perhaps most worryingly
for Sony, Hirokazu Hamamura, president of august Japanese
games publication Famitsu added: "PS3 will do very well,
but it's said that development costs will be high and it'll
take longer to make games, so it's likely that it won't have
a full line-up of games until the end of 2006 or the beginning
of 2007." [excerpt]
[cvg]
• Dirge
of Cerberus to include PS3 FFVII trailer
Gamers in Japan will get
a free DVD bonus that includes the E3 preview of how the
beloved RPG might look on next-gen consoles.
[gamespot]
• Sony
PS3 Controller Redesign Unlikely!
"...Sony Computer
Entertainment corporate executive and chief technical officer
Masayuki Chatanai told Famitsu after the E3 unveiling that
the controller might undergo 'minor changes' but that the
form factor would probably stay the same.
You may not like the PS3
pad, and what you've seen so far may not be exactly it, but
don't expect any kind of "Revolutionary" redesign
on it before the system launches. Maybe a trigger here or
some tweaked hand grips there, but it'll still look right
at home hanging from a bright yellow utility belt."
[neoseeker]
• PS3
Leading In 2007, Says Report
The highlights include
speculation we've all heard before. Research and Markets
says Xbox 360 will pull ahead of PlayStation 3 through its
early launch, but Sony will regain leading control of the
market by the end of 2007. Nonetheless, the report predicts
Microsoft will hold a substantial 30% of the hardware market
by the end of 2010.
[1-UP]
• Tree
middleware for PlayStation 3
Under a Tools & Middleware
license agreement with Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. the
SpeedTree RT middleware will be available to PlayStation
3 developers. Interactive Data Visualization, Inc will license
the middleware for PlayStation 3 at $9,995US per title, with
a free, fully functional evaluation version available for
customers to try out first.
[pro-g]
• Sony
responds to PlayStation 3 DRM rumor
Sony has dispelled the
rumor that the PlayStation 3 would make use of a new DRM
system that would prevent gamers from playing used games.
A SCEE spokesperson recently stated, “this is false
speculation… PlayStation 3 software will not be copy
protected to a single machine but will be playable on any
PlayStation 3 console.”
[gx]
• Next
Square Enix games on the PS3?
Initial details on two
games are expected to be mentioned at the Electronics Entertainment
Expo (E3) in 2006. It is by then that Square Enix will know
whether it plans to develop these games for the PlayStation
3, or for the Xbox 360.
[gx]
•
PlayStation 4 Dated!!
Ken Kutaragi, head of all
things PlayStation, has made the first mention of the PlayStation
4 to the world’s press, stating that his vision for
the future sees the 'next next' PlayStation hit stores within
then next ten years.
[spong]
• PlayStation
3 Pad a Double-Bluff?
Sony was quick to explain
that the PlayStation 3 pad was only a conceptual design,
though of course its rivals and naysayers were quick to poke
fun, with Peter Moore of Microsoft quick to go on record
when talking to SPOnG recently, “One of the things
we’re most proud of is that nobody gave Sony the design
advantage coming out of E3. So, you know, tick box! The boomerang!
Throw it away and it just comes back!”
[spong]
• MGM
to back PS3 Blu-ray Disc format
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
announced on Wednesday that it will back Sony's high definition
Blu-ray Disc format. MGM will releasing film and television
titles when new Blu-ray disc players drop to North America,
Japan, and Europe.
[punchjump]
• Playstation
3 to abolish game region codes?
The inability to play import
games on home region consoles has been the bane of many avid
gamers' lives over the years, with early Japanese and American
releases seemingly taunting European gamers. This might all
change with the release of the PlayStation 3. According to
Sony Computer Entertainment Australia managing director,
Michael Ephraim, the region coding of games, which has been
the norm in the games industry, may be abolished with the
release of the PlayStation 3.
[pro-g]
• No
pre-owned games to be allowed for Playstation 3?
A PATENT may allow Sony
to ensure that no game would be playable from any console
other than the one in which it was first read.
Joystiq is reporting that
this patent is the source of the many rumours that will mean
as much to gamers as DRM is for music fans.
[inquirer]
• Sony
CEO discusses HD product lines, Blue-Ray and PS3
Sony CEO Howard Stringer
has revealed the company's plans to dominate the marketplace
with a range of high definition products, including forthcoming
next generation console the PS3.
In an interview with the
Hollywood Reporter, Stringer discussed the product range
at the heart of Sony's consumer electronics ambitions, confirming
that its Cell microprocessor and HD technology would spearhead
the next wave of devices.
[gi]
• Exclusive:
Wanda team on PlayStation 3 and the end of the series...
Last Friday, we were invited
to a cosy central London hotel lobby to interview the team
behind current critical darling and sequel to ICO, Shadow
of the Colossus.
[spong]
• Sony
inviting game developers to develop games for Playstation
3
Sony is asking help from
the game designers to help develop games for the upcoming
gaming console from the company the Sony Playstation 3. They
have written a program and are inviting the video game designers
and developers to become a part of the process of developing
games for the console. The aim is to get the games to create
in-game scenarios and design schematics for new game titles
on the PS3.
[techwhack]
• PS3
in Christmas of 2006?
ArsTechnica has an article
up today that "analyses" a recent Hollywood Reporter
interview with Howard Stringer, the CEO of Sony. Howard mentions
that it is likely the PS3 will be released in March in Japan
and "about this time" next year in North America.
[ve3d]
• Sony’s
strategy includes $300-400 PS3, pre-loaded content on
PS3, and new portable video players
The PlayStation 3 is expected
to cost between $300 and $400, according to a new data point
buried deep in an article in the Hollywood Reporter about
Sony’s overall business strategy. In addition to the
PS3 price hint, there are some other interesting factoids
in the article...
[joystiq]
• G71
is the Playstation 3 RSX chip
NVIDIA CALLS its 90 nanometre
graphic core of Playstation 3, RSX. This graphic chip is
set to work at 550MHz and Nvidia can guarantee that a million
chips will work at this speed as it's not that challenging
at this process level. Nvidia can obviously make G70 work
fine at 550MHz but it can not ship millions of those chips,
more likely tens of thousands.
[inquirer]
• No
PlayStation LIVE for PS3
The Official Playstation
Magazine reported that Sony has elected not to use a central
online gaming service for its upcoming PS3 console. Instead
of using a unified system like Microsoft's Xbox Live or Nintendo's
soon-to-be-launched Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, Sony is taking
the same path as it did with the PS2. This means that it
will be up to publishers themselves to provide players with
online features and, likewise, for the players to have a
separate account for each publisher in order to play online.
[gamesfirst]
• Sony
bets farm on PS3 and Blu-ray format!
Sony may be on the verge
of a comeback with the Playstation 3 and Blu-ray disc format.
Howard Stringer, Chairman & Chief
Executive Officer, Sony Corporation, is betting the farm
on the convergence of such HD products to drive a comeback
for the struggling electronics giant.
[inquirer]
• How
many Playstation 3 Cells can you get on a wafer?
IBM WAS WAVING a lot
of cells around at MPF. It had CPUs, dies and wafers of shiny
Playstation 3 goodness...
[inquirer]
• PlayStation
3 will do 120 fps?
Speaking at the Tokyo
International Digital Conference yesterday, Ken Kutaragi
boasted that the PS3 should be capable of running games at
120 fps.
[joystiq]
• Emergent
Announces Plans, PS3 Version Of Engine
Talking at the Austin Game
Conference, the company announced that it has shipped version
2.1 of Gamebryo, and that the new version features Xbox 360
final platform support. It has also confirmed for the first
time that a PlayStation 3 version of the engine is currently
in development. In addition, Gamebryo 2.1 adds a visual performance
tool, a reduced memory footprint, a memory allocation system
and support for Max 8 and Maya 7.
[gamasutra]
• PS3
costs drive Sony's Q2 profit downwards
Electronics giant Sony
has seen a 46 per cent slump in its profit for the three
months ended September 30th, with the enormous cost of developing
the PlayStation 3 console fingered as a key factor in the
decline.
[gi]
• Sony's
PS3 could be backwards incompatible!
IT LOOKS LIKE the question
of whether or not the PS3 will be backwards compatible has
been raised again...
[inquirer]
• Win
your own development studio (PS2, PSP, PS3)
Sony's new Yaroze 2006
competition is inviting wannabe game designers to submit
game ideas for the PS2, PS3 or PSP. The winner of the competition
will get access to a game development studio, project team,
development funds and living expenses to enable your game
idea to be made into a full retail game, eventually ending
up on store shelves.
[pro-g]
• Koei
Expands Studio For PlayStation 3 Game
KOEI today announced
the expansion of its Canadian studio. The new facility will
have a significant effect on the city's game development
landscape. KOEI Canada has amassed a skilled team of 30 world-class
artists, programmers, designers, and support staff, and is
planning to increase its workforce to between 150 and 200
employees over the next few years.
[gaminghorizon]
• PS3
Under $400 in Japan?
In the past months,
the Japanese blog CoolGamer has been a dependable source
of early information regarding the Japanese game market.
Not once has their news turned out to be a false lead, so
that's why it was pretty important today when the site updated
with a small notice saying "PS3 price set below 40000
Yen," which is about $400 at current exchange rates.
[1up]
• PS3
In Tokyo!
Sony is a sponsor at
the Akihabara Entertainment Festival, an event being held
in Tokyo's electronics capital over the next two weeks in
cooperation with the annual Tokyo International Film Festival.
This, of course, means a big PlayStation presence at the
show, with Sony bringing out everything from Ratchet to the
PS3.
[ign]
• Sony
confirms PS3 will ship with in-built parental controls...
Sony has reaffirmed
its commitment to the protection of minors from the effects
of violent videogames with the announcement of in-built parental
controls for its next generation PS3 console.
[gi]
• PlayStation
3 (PS3) MotorStorm Screenshots
"MotorStorm takes
advantage of Evolution Studios' multi-million unit selling
racing heritage and their amazing technical expertise, delivering
an intense off-road racing game that will define a new genre
for the next generation."
[about]
• Sony
online gaming survey for the PS3?
In the most recent survey
sent out to members of Sony’s Gamer Advisory Panel
(sorry, it’s invite-only), Sony asked gamers a few
questions about what’s important to them in online
games.
[joystiq]
• Warner
Bros. backs PS3 Blu-ray Disc
Warner Bros. Entertainment
said late Thursday that Warner Home Video will release films
on Sony's Blu-ray format in addition to Toshiba's competiting
HD-DVD format.
Warner Home Video will
release titles on Blu-ray format to support the launch of
Blu-ray players in North America, Japan, and Europe, expected
to debut in spring 2006.
[punchjump]
• Forrester:
PS3 Blu-ray will win over HD-DVD
Forrester Research, an
independent technology and market research company, said
that Sony's Blu-ray format will win the next-generation DVD
format war against Toshiba's HD-DVD. Both are expected to
market in spring 2006.
[punchjump]
• No
PS3 'til 2007?
Dark whispers from inside
the games industry are suggesting that the European launch
of Sony’s next-gen PlayStation 3 console may be delayed
until 2007. Unsurprisingly, Xbox bosses are bursting with
glee.
[stuff]
• ICO/SHADOW
OF THE COLOSSUS CREATORS CONFIRM PS3 DEVELOPMENT
As development rapidly
concludes on the creator’s of ICO latest title, Shadow
of the Colossus, the team has confirmed that this will be
their last on the Playstation2 with their next project confirmed
for the Playstation 3...
[totalvideogames]
• Latest
polls show PS3 still reigning in Japan
Unsurprisingly, the PlayStation
3 still has the most amount of interest, with 63% of those
polled absolutely wanting to buy it. The biggest reasons
for buying the console would be its features (70.4%) and
its line-up of games (61%), while the biggest reasons for
not buying are its unannounced price (43.1%), its controller
(32%), and that “it does not bring anything new to
the PS2” (54.9%).
[joystiq]
• PlayStation
3: New Videos & Vid Archive
Masses and masses of PS3
video coverage including some new stuff we're including together
like Genji, Lair from Factor 5, Project Assassins, Formula
One, The Getaway 3 and Koei's secret PS3 project.
[kikizo]
• Video
game sales down in wait for PS3 / Xbox 360 / Rev
Video game retail sales
in the U.S. are down 20% in the month of September as consumers
wait for next-generation consoles to drop to store shelves.
[punchjump]
• A
Lair of next-gen assets for PS3
The Bay Area chapter
of the International Game Developer’s Assoc. held their
latest meeting at the Sony Metreon in San Francisco last
week. The subject: Dragons! Designer and technical art director
Matthias Worch was on hand to discuss both the digital and
physical modeling techniques his team at Factor 5 is using
for Lair, a next-gen exclusive for PS3.
[joystiq]
• PlayStation
3 to begin new era of gaming...
"The PlayStation
3 is the first piece of hardware allowing photo-realistic
computer graphics, and is the first game hardware that can
perform calculations for physics simulation to the level
of our satisfaction," said Yamauchi. "With a matrix
of such elements, a new world of entertainment is about to
unfold. This is the beginning of a world, different to that
of what we have called "games" up to today."
[pro-g]
• PS3
festival set for Tokyo Oct. 22-30
According to The Magic
Box, Sony has announced a PlayStation 3 entertainment festival
for October 22-30 of this year in Tokyo, Japan.
[joystiq]
• Warner
Bros. hints defect to PS3 Blu-ray format...
Warner Bros. hinted
to Japan publication The Asashi Shimbun on Friday that the
company is likely to release movies on Blu-ray format, defecting
from a previous alliance with Toshiba's HD DVD format.
[punchjump]
• Cell
demonstration—PS3 will double as a mirror?
A recent demonstration
at the CEATEC 2005 conference in Japan showed off the Cell
processor’s ability to mimic the movements and facial
expressions of a model in real-time. The display, essentially
a digital mirror, used a camera to send information to the
processor, which then constructed a 3D image of what the
camera had captured. The Cell mapped 500 unique coordinates,
which were refreshed 100 times per second, creating a mirror
effect as the model made faces.
[joystiq]
• Playstation
3: PS3 A Strategic Placement For-Grander-Plans?
Sony CEO Howard Stringer
described the PS3 as "Our biggest breakthrough yet."
"The Cell microprocessor
really sets the PS3 apart... Offering twice the processing
power of Xbox 360. It's simply amazing in a home entertainment
device."
"The PS3 is only the
beginning, but it is a monumental technical advance."
[gamerlounge]
• The
Getaway PS3: Hot New Footage
Hi-res 60fps video of Team
Soho's latest astonishing demonstration of London-based Getaway
'Future Vision'.
Some people bashed The
Getaway on PS2 and its sequel, Black Monday, for its mildly
broken play mechanics. But we really liked it. That's why
we're excited to see what the talented chaps at Sony's Team
Soho studio will be able to pull off when this astonishing
PS3 tech demo, Getaway: Future Vision, becomes a fully-fledged
Getaway 3 for PS3.
[kikizo]
• PS3
to outsell Xbox 360 and Revolution by 2008
Following a report on a
next-generation PSP, Piper Jaffray estimates that the Playstation
3 will outsell the Xbox 360 and Revolution by 2008.
While the Xbox 360 is expected
to have a 5 million unit lead on the PS3 in 2006, it is estimated
to drop to 500,000 in 2007, and be eclipsed by 2.5 million
units in 2008.
[punchjump]
• Fatal
Inertia for Spring 2006 PlayStation 3 launch...
Fatal Inertia will be Koei's
first game on the PlayStation 3 and also one of the first
titles to come from their new Canadian development studio.
Due in Spring 2006, Fatal Inertia is a mix of street racing,
demolition derbies and rallying, all set in the future where
vehicles have no wheels.
[pro-g]
• Is
the PlayStation 3 losing development support?
Rumors are flying high,
spreading across a network of Japanese, Dutch, and German
websites, that developers are wary of creating content for
the PlayStation 3.
[joystiq]
• Sony
clarifies Stringer's PS3 comments!
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz,
a spokesperson for Sony Computer Entertainment has clarified
comments made by CEO Howard Stringer recently regarding a
spring launch for PS3.
"Ken Kutaragi,
president of SCE, announced a spring target date for the
launch of PlayStation 3 at this year's E3, and it appears
that Sir Howard confirmed it at yesterday's strategy meeting," the
spokesperson said.
[gi]
• Sony
to form united front to launch PS3
In a strategic business
plan, Sony CEO Howard Stringer outlined how the Playstation
3 would demonstrate the company's new united policy to rely
on in-house divisions for a successful product launch.
[punchjump]
• Sony
CEO confirms spring launch plans for PS3
Microsoft may not be getting
the market lead it had hoped for with the launch of its new
console, as reports come in of a spring launch strategy for
Sony's PlayStation 3.
According to German website
Gamefront, chairman and CEO of Sony, Sir Howard Stringer
confirmed that the company plans to launch its next generation
console in the spring of 2006; much earlier than most industry
observers had predicted.
[gi]
• Koei
announces two for PS3!
Japanese publishers were
busy at this year's Tokyo Game Show announcing games left
and right. Most of the attention was focused on games for
next-generation consoles, with a slew of PlayStation 3 ones
coming to light at the event. At a private press conference
at the Tokyo Game Show, Koei announced two new games that
would be headed for Sony's upcoming system.
[gamespot]
• Grand
Theft Auto shots for PS3 show sex scenes
Just last week we reported
that Miami anti-videogames crusader Jack Thompson has been
complaining of attacks on his character by the company, and
this week Rockstar has been stirring it up concerning their
upcoming PlayStation 3 outing for the series.
[inquirer]
• Brothers
in Arms 3 heads to PS3
The developer will take
the opportunity to reveal Brothers in Arms 3 for PlayStation
3. Nothing much is known about the game at present, but Gearbox's
Randy Pitchford says that he's keeping his cards close to
his chest. [excerpt]
[boomtown]
• Stuntman
sequel for PlayStation 3
Sony Computer Entertainment
has confirmed to IGN that a sequel to the ever so difficult
Stuntman is in development for the PlayStation 3. Currently
going by the working title 'Stuntman Sequel', nothing other
than the fact Atari will publish the game is known.
[pro-g]
• MotorStorm
to Redefine Racing for Playstation 3!
MotorStorm, a brutal off-road
racing game designed exclusively for the PLAYSTATION 3. MotorStorm
is the first next generation PlayStation title to be developed
by Evolution Studios, following the company's announcement
last August that it would develop games exclusively for SCEE
and Sony platforms.
[gameinfowire]
• TGS
2005: Full Japanese PlayStation 3 lineup revealed
Playable games a no-show
at event, but Sony reveals rock-solid third-party support
with 102 games and 71 publishers.
[gamespot]
• Namco
Plans PS3 Trio...
The avalanche of PlayStation
3 announcements continue with Namco revealing they have three
unnamed projects in development for Sony's next-generation
hardware. Of course, you'd probably like to know the names
of these games - then again, so would we.
[1up]
• PS3
Controller "Conceptual Design"?
If you haven't heard
already, those on the show floor of the Tokyo Game Show 2005
have been quite surprised to visit Sony Computer Entertainment's
booth and discover that the PlayStation 3 controller is labeled
as a "conceptual design".
Apparently the company
has taken the public's reaction to the Batman-inspired controller
to heart and may even be reworking their PlayStation 3 controller
options. We'll keep you updated if Sony decides to comment
on the matter.
[gaminghorizon]
• PlayStation
3 Booth Report!
Half of Sony's booth
this year -- the same half that was dedicated to PSP last
year -- was constructed as a massive theater to show off
the PlayStation 3. Nothing was playable, unfortunately, but
PS3 videos both new and old were shown on what was undoubtedly
the sharpest video wall anyone's ever seen.
[1up]
• PS3
to Support Unix Based Operating Systems
"Sony is expected
to offer optional hard drives for the PS3 with potential
memory capacity of 80 or 120 GB. It remains to be decided
whether the standard version of the PS3 will come complete
with a hard drive. The operating system has also yet to be
clarified. The integrated Cell processor will be able to
support a variety of operating systems (such as Linux or
Apple's Tiger)."
[softpedia]
TGS
2005: Metal Gear Solid 4 Revealed
In its last issue, Famitsu
promised that its upcoming issue would feature the worldwide
scoop on Metal Gear Solid 4, and sure enough, that's what
we've gotten in this week's issue. The magazine offers a
first look at the PS3 sequel, complete with details that
we're sure will be solidified once the Tokyo Game Show opens
its doors on Friday and we're able to view Konami's MGS4
trailer.
[ign]
SCE
Worldwide Studio Established
Ken Kutaragi, chief
of operations of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan, commented
in the press release, "SCE will continue to strengthen
its software production business in the coming ten years,
and beginning with the new platforms PSP and PS3, we shall
develop innovative and interesting content. With the PlayStation
brand and Harrison's leadership, we are confident that we
will keep creating strong titles."
[pspadvanced]
PlayStation
3: Release Date, Titles, Development Process…
Perhaps the most interesting
assertion made in the article is that the PlayStation 3 will
be released in all territories within the next nine months
or so. “Questioned further on the topic, Sony execs
have since stuck to their guns, saying that the system would
be available worldwide before next summer,” it says… [excerpt]
[spong]
HOT
NEW PS3 HARDWARE DETAILS GUSH FORTH...
Hot new details on the PS3's hardware
have emerged courtesy of US mag PlayStation Magazine, which
is quoting development sources for a bunch of amazing new
details on Sony's next-gen console.
[cvg]
Cavia
on PS3?
Cavia has been one of the most prolific
PS2 supporters, with its name appearing on games such as
Drag On Dragoon and Naruto. The support will apparently continue
with the PS3, as indirectly revealed by Cavia chief producer
Takuya Iwasaki.
[ign]
Metal
Gear Solid 4 trailer for the PS3 to be shown at TGS
The Metal Gear Solid hype machine is
starting to ramp up again, and though a Metal Gear movie
is probably a long ways off, visitors to the Tokyo Game Show
next week will get treated to a new trailer for MGS4 to gaze
upon and ravenously speculate about for the next few months.
[joystiq]
Sonic
the Hedgehog Goes PS3
During a special press event held in
Japan late this evening (followed by a joint announcement
in London and San Francisco in the AM), SEGA revealed several
new projects for the coming year, including a big one for
next-generation fans -- a brand new Sonic project for the
Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
[ign]
Shin
Megami Tensei Set for PS3
The PS2 has been the main platform this generation for
games in the Shin Megami Tensei series of titles, and it looks like Atlus plans
on keeping things that way as it goes into the next generation. According to
reports from Japan (particularly Weekly Famitsu), Atlus will be bringing a
new entry in the series to the PS3. Currently, the game is going by the tentative
name of Shin Megami Tensei.
[ign]
PS3's
RSX is sort of Shader Model 3.0
SONY OFFICIALLY revealed that its RSX
graphic part will be kind of Shader Model 3.0 compliant.
You cannot actually talk about Shader Model 3.0 if you don't
talk Windows DirectX but Shader model 3 has become the best
way to describe how programmable a core really is...
[inquirer]
Playstation
3 Blu Ray drive will cost Sony $100+
BLU RAY drives for the Playstation 3
will cost Sony a small fortune. It turns out that at the
release of the console in the first half of 2006, Sony will
have to pay more than $100 per drive it builds in Playstation
3.
[inquirer]
Sony
charges €25,000 for Playstation 3 developer kit
We learned here at this conference that
Sony is actually charging €25,000 for each developer
kit that you order. Even if you have the money and if you
want to buy one, you have to pass rigorous evaluations as
Sony doesn’t want to give these complex machines away.
With the kit you get the documentation and you can imagine
what kind of secrets about the hardware itself are in those
documents.
[inquirer]
PlayStation
3 PC Convergence Continues...
Sony Computer Entertainment has made
further comments which seemingly underline the dual usage
planned for the PlayStation 3, confirming that the system
will make use of keyboard and mouse input devices.
[spong]
PS3
Online Challenges Xbox 360 Live
Sony's network will provide an "open
platform" to enable publishers to reach consumers, as
opposed to the "controlled environment" offered
by Microsoft's Xbox Live service. "We want to provide
an open platform wherever possible," he said. "We
want to create a platform on which publishers can exploit
their services. We are happy for publishers to form their
own commercial relationships directly with the consumer."
[1up]
GDCE:
Sony "unlikely" to offer two versions of PS3,
says Harrison
Phil Harrison has criticised Microsoft
for planning to put two versions of the new Xbox 360 console
on the market, claiming the decision will merely "create
confusion" for consumers.
[gi]
Playstation
3 GPU "slightly less powerful than GeForce 7800"
SOME INTERESTING SPINOLA has been spouting
from the PlayStation 3 camp today after an nVidia spokesperson
was quoted in PlayStation Magazine saying that the RSX GPU
is basically a slightly less powerful GeForce 7800.
[inquirer]
GDCE:
Sony's Harrison Talks PS3, PSP In Keynote
At today's keynote at the 2005 Game
Developers Conference Europe in London, Sony's executive
vice president for SCEE, Phil Harrison talked frankly and
at length in a Q&A format with GDC chairman Jamil Moledina,
discussing both Sony's forthcoming Cell-powered PlayStation
3 and the state of play on both the PSP handheld and the
still-thriving PlayStation 2.
[gamasutra]
PS3
Games $70-80?!
GameGeekNews is quoting Hamamura as
expecting cheaper PlayStation 3 software to be priced at
$70 and high-end games at $79 - except he's talking about
Japanese pricing schemes here. GameGeekNews, on the other
hand, is simply doing the math and calculating the translated
US price.
[1up]
Sony,
IBM, Toshiba release details on PS3 Cell
The documents describe several of the
Cell microprocessors' components, including the Cell Broadband
Architecture, The Synergistic Processor Unit Instruction
Set Architecture, and Synergistic Processor Unit C/C++ Language
Extensions, Application Binary Interface, and Assembly Language
specifications.
[punchjump]
PlayStation
3: What if...?
At that same event, Kutaragi mentioned "I'm
aware that with all these technologies, the PS3 can't be
offered at a price that's targeted towards households." And
just one month earlier, he reportedly told Japanese magazine
Toyo Keizai "Our ideal [for the PS3] is for consumers
to think to themselves, 'OK, I'll work more hours and buy
it.' We want people to feel that they want it, no matter
what."
[cnn]
Tecmo
Eyes PS3!
Tecmo president Junji Nakamura has,
for the first time, publicly hinted at PlayStation 3 support
from his company. According to Japanese site Mainichi Interactive,
Nakamura revealed to investors and press on the 24th that
development for the platform has now entered into the company's
sights.
[ign]
GT5
on PS3 in 2007?
According to Game Industry, Auto Klub
scored an impromptu interview with Kaz. In it, Kaz stated
that he hoped Gran Turismo 5 would be completed in 2007 and
that it would indeed be 100 times more detailed than its
PS2 predecessor, but we're left to speculate in what way.
[ign]
GC
2005: PS3 a No-Show
Even though the German Games Convention
is the largest videogame expo in Europe, it's not quite as
big -- or exciting -- as E3. While gamers around the world
were wowed with Sony's unveiling of the PS3 in Los Angeles,
the crowd in Leipzig were left wanting more when they found
out PS3 would be a no-show.
[ign]
Amazon.com
takes guess at PS3 price...
UPDATE: Amazon.com has taken
down the listed price of the PlayStation 3.
Hot off the heels of this morning’s
Xbox 360 pricing plan comes this information regarding what
Amazon.com thinks the price of the PlayStation 3, and the
shocker is that it is showcasing the price as only $299.
[joystiq]
Sony
announce Unreal 3 endeavour!
Sony has entered into a licensing agreement
with Epic Games to use the awesome Unreal 3 engine for Playstation
3. PS3 software development kits are now expected to ship
with an evaluation version of he ground-breaking engine.
[igniq]
Playstation
3 UK launch could see 2007 release...
THERE'S A CHANCE that the Playstation
3 won't be launching until 2007, according to analysts at
Wedbush Morgan Securities. The boffs reckon Sony's next-gen
console won't be making its way to the shelves until 2007
if the Xbox 360 launch doesn't go exactly as planned.
[theinquirer]
Carmack
Down on Playstation 3?
"I think the more we work with
it - I don't know if John himself will be doing the primary
PS3 work or not - but we'll have to see about that stuff.
Also, 360 is further along in their process as well. They
have more final hardware, and they have better drivers, and
the SDK has been more refined and revised. I think the PS3
stuff, in all fairness to Sony is a little bit more raw.
I think we'll have to wait and see, but I don't think that's
going to ultimately change the way we're going to approach
developing on PS3."
[ve3d]
WEBZEN
Announces MMORPG Development for PlayStation 3
WEBZEN Inc. announced the company has
started development of Endless Saga(TM), a new massively
multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) for the PlayStation(R)3
(PS3) computer entertainment system. WEBZEN unveiled a first
look at the colorful new MMORPG at the Annual PlayStation
Meeting hosted by Sony Computer Entertainment Japan (SCEJ).
Produced by WEBZEN's D-Studio, Endless Saga is slated for
release in 2007 for both PS3 Online and PC Online.
[dgd]
John
Woo's Stranglehold to be PS3 Launch Title
Back in May, Midway Games announced
that director John Woo would team up with movie actor Chow
Yun Fat to produce Stranglehold, a game that would see Fat
reprise the role he played in 1992's Hard Boiled.
Today, Gamespot reveal that Midway plans
on releasing the game as a launch title for the PlayStation
3, with an Xbox 360 version following in autumn 2006.
[gameshout]
PlayStation
3 to be shown in May
Sony’s successor to PlayStation
2 could be stepping out of the shadows and into the global
spotlight at this year’s E3 videogame convention, which
kicks off in Los Angeles on 17 May 2005. During a recent
financial conference call between Sony executives, it was
suggested that PlayStation 3 would be playable in some shape
or form at the industry’s annual show.
[gameshout]
PlayStation
3 processor could support Mac OS X Tiger
The processor in Sony's PlayStation
3 gaming console can potentially support Apple's Mac OS X
Tiger operating system according to a recent posting to Sony's
UK website...
[appleinsider]
PS3 may
get high speed Blu-ray drive
Sony's next-gen console may incorporate
the forthcoming 2X Blu-ray drive, which will hopefully be
available from November...
[totalgaming]
PSP to
control PS3!
New details regarding the capabilities
of PS3 have emerged and it seems that instead of playing
with PS3 through a pad, you can use your PSP instead...
[gamesradar]
As impressive as the PS3 specs are,
the next-gen console could be getting more memory and other
upgrades, according to PSM. The magazine also reveals that
Sony plans to abandon the standard memory card format in
favor of memory stick duos...
[gamedaily]
NVIDIA
CEO Confirms Pricey PS3?
"I'm not even too sure there is
a perceived barrier at $499. We need to price it at a level
the enthusiasts will buy it at, that's the way that we think
about pricing. We think about the pricing of this in the
same way that Sony thinks about..."
[ign]
One of the highlights of the trailer
compilation shown in one of the main theaters on the show
floor of the Square Enix Party 2005 is the PlayStation 3
technology demo of the opening sequence of Final Fantasy
VII...
[gamespot]
"We expect Sony to defer a decision
regarding PS3 launch until it is able to assess the likely
success of the Xbox 360, and anticipate that Sony will make
its decision shortly after the Xbox 360 launch. We do not
expect the PS3 until mid 2006, at the earliest, and should
Microsoft fail to garner sufficient software support to gain
an insurmountable lead, we think that there is a possibility
that the PS3 launch will slip into early 2007."
[spong]
Ken Kutaragi has once again stated that
gamers can expect a wallet-busting price point when Sony's
PS2 successor hits the stores sometime next year.
Speaking at the Playstation Meeting
in Japan, Sony's president did however go some way to explaining
exactly why the PS3 is likely to warrant all that extra overtime.
[cvg]
Sony Computer Entertainment head honcho
Ken Kutaragi has been discussing the possibility of PlayStation
3 making it's playable debut at this years' Tokyo Game Show,
which is due to be held between 16-18 September.
[palgn]
Besides the original Game Boy platform,
no system has ever lasted 10 years in the market. Pretty
much straight up like that. But that apparently didn’t
stop Sony Computer Entertainment Prez Kenny Kutaragi from
stating at PlayStation Meeting 2005 that they’re “looking
at a life cycle of 10 years with the PlayStation 3” due
to the transition to HDTV.
[engadget]
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI)
has announced that it had signed a strategic licensing agreement
with the leading physics engine provider Havok. The technology
of the engine as well as the animations would be prominently
used in Sony's famous console, the PlayStation 3 that is
scheduled to be launched sometime next year.
[abc]
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI)
announced that it had reached an agreement in principle to
acquire SN Systems Limited (SN Systems), a leading supplier
of programming tools for game developers established in 1989
and based in Bristol, UK. With this acquisition, SCEI aims
to further enhance the development environment and tools
that the company provides to the creative community for developing
computer entertainment content for PLAYSTATION 3.
[gameinfowire]
Havok last week signed a new deal with
Sony to have the gaming software, known as a physics engine,
included in the development kit for PlayStation 3. Developers
will now be able to use Havok tools from the outset when
building games for the new console, which is due to be launched
next year.
[times]
Memory technology developer Rambus hopes
the widely-anticipated graphics performance of the upcoming
PlayStation 3 (PS3) games console will push PC makers to
adopt the company's technology, Rambus CEO (Chief Executive
Officer) Harold Hughes said in an interview last week.
The PS3 will go on sale next year and
is widely expected to set a new standard in gaming graphics.
The PS3's ability to render realistic images will raise peoples'
expectations of their PCs, and vendors will have to respond
by boosting PC graphics performance, Hughes predicted.
[arnnet]
Although it's a bit early, it seems
that Japanese consumers are already writing off Xbox 360
and throwing their support behind the PS3. A recent survey
shows almost no interest or purchase intent for 360, while
60 percent picked PS3. Nintendo didn't fare too well either.
More inside...
[gamedaily]
There isn't much other official information
about the game available, except that it is a "stunningly
beautiful martial arts drama", that sees a girl with
only a few days left to live embarking on a final act of
redemption against a king and his invading army.
[igniq]
The PlayStation 3 was originally intended
to act as a home network router, according to Sony Computer
Entertainment boss Ken Kutaragi, who has revealed that the
functionality has been dropped because it would have been
too expensive.
[gi]
Metal Gear Solid 4 is only scheduled
for release on the PlayStation 3. There are no current plans
to port Metal Gear Solid 4 to other formats, although suggested
that Hideo Kojima would look at creating original content
to suit both the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Revolution.
[grabageek]
Could Sonic the Hedgehog be rolling
onto the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3? That's one of the possibilities
raised by a deal announced today between Sega and the San
Francisco-based developer Secret Level. The two companies
announced they are partnering "to re-create a classic
Sega franchise" for Microsoft and Sony's next-generation
consoles.
[gamespot]
PlayStation 3 may allow users to browse
the web and download movies directly over the Internet, but
online is only one part of the firm's overall strategy according
to Sony Computer Entertainment America boss Kaz Hirai.
[gi]
The hard drive for the PlayStation 3
will not be bundled with the machine, but will instead be
sold as an add-on unit, according to press reports in Japan
which seem to confirm earlier hints dropped by SCE boss Ken
Kutaragi.
[gi]
Bandai wowed us at Sony's pre E3 press
conference, offering a tasty look at what a next generation
Gundam game might look like. So how long will we have to
wait for PS3 support from the developer/publisher? Not too
long, it seems.
[ign]
According to securities firm Merrill
Lynch, Sony is set to lose around $100 per PlayStation 3
hardware set it produces, even if the machine comes with
a $400 asking price on day one.
Analysts believe that production costs
look set to top around $500, with key components (Cell Processor,
RSX and BD ROM drive) averaging at a shade over $100 each
to make. Merrill Lynch claims that SCE is likely to sell
the PS3 at $399 in the US and $410 in Japan, figures that
project a loss of around $1.2 billion in the first year the
machine is on sale.
[spong]
Sony's new CEO Howard Stringer explained
that Sony will cut back on some of its research and development
programs in an effort to put more focus on products that
the company believes will allow it dominate once again. He
emphasized two items that will likely be central to Sony's
business for many years to come: the Cell processor, which
will be used not only to power the PlayStation 3 but also
many of Sony's electronics...
[gamerlounge]
Back at Sony's PlayStation 3 presentation
at E3, the company and its publishers showed off a number
of demos and presentations, some of which were running in
real time on a developer's prototype machine. Naturally,
one of the questions that was raised by the audience was
whether the actual console--which hits stores in spring 2006--would
be able to run its games with as much graphical integrity.
[gamespot]
The first pictures of the current self
development kit for the PlayStation 3 has been leaked onto
the Internet and to our surprise, IF these actually are real
pictures of the PS3 SDK, it seems that Sony has now won the
crown for biggest, bulkiest hardware ever. [excerpt]
[teamxbox]
Online news media Reuters reported today
that Samsung has begun high-volume manufacturing of a 512-megabit
graphics DDR3 memory chip for game consoles and personal
computers. The memory chip is to be used in Microsoft's Xbox
360 console and Sony's Playstation 3.
[punchjump]
Speaking at the ELSPA International
Games Summit in London this morning, the SCEE president and
COO remarked, "I like to think the PS3 will launch in
Europe around the same time as Kutaragi-san has already mentioned
- spring 2006."
[gamesradar]
The market research company DFC Intelligence
has released a report claiming the PlayStation 3 will struggle
to maintain Sony's stranglehold on the videogame console
market. They are predicting that the PlayStation 3 will only
have a 50% share at best with its rivals, the Xbox 360 and
Nintendo Revolution, gaining ground.
[pro-g]
In a 2004 - 2005 annual report today,
third-party video game publisher Ubisoft estimated the U.S.
Playstation 3 to launch in Q3 of 2006. Sony previously said
at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo that the Playstation
3 would be released in spring 2006.
[punchjump]
"Metal Gear Solid 4 is only scheduled
for release on the PlayStation 3 at the current time," he
told the Japanese game magazine. "Of course we could
port it to other consoles, but doing so would require additional
staff and research and development costs. If I were to make
games for the Xbox 360 or the [Nintendo] Revolution, I'd
rather create original titles that match each console's audience,
instead of the Metal Gear Solid series." [excerpt]
[gamespot]
Ken Kutaragi has said in a new interview
that the Playstation 3 may come with Linux preinstalled on
the machine's hard drive and mentioned photo and video editing
as possible functions for the OS.
[igniq]
The next installment in EA LA's long-running
WWII series is reportedly well into development and will
launch alongside Sony's console next spring.
[gamespot]
Sony has shipped around 100 PlayStation
3 development kits worldwide so far, according to SCE boss
Ken Kutaragi, but the company is currently struggling to
meet demand from developers and publishers for the hardware.
[gi]
This interview starts off with Kutaragi
offering a reason that the PS3 made use of a specialized
graphics unit (GPU) from NVIDIA (the RSX), rather than a
GPU based on the Cell processor. "The seven SPEs (Synergistic
Processor Element) of Cell can be used for graphics," reveals
Kutaragi. "In fact, many of the E3 demos were made without
a graphics chip, with only Cell used for all graphics. However,
this means of use is wasteful."
[ign]
Nvidia's RSX will be clocked at 550MHz
and is designed on 90 nm marchitecture. It's going to be
manufactured in Sony's Nagasaki Fab2 facility as well as
at OTSS. The OTSS is a joint fab venture between Sony and
Toshiba. Both companies are closely in bed because of its "Cell" marchitecture.
[excerpt]
[theinquirer]
In an interview with Japanese online
publication Game Watch, President and CEO Sony Computer Entertainment
Ken Kutaragi said that the company's Playstation 3 console
will not include a hard drive out of the box, citing that
the storage would run out no matter how large the capacity.
[punchjump]
Ken Kutaragi reveals the console's hard
drive will use alternate OS, hints that it will ship separately
and will come in more than one model.
[gamespot]
Some top notch game developers such
as Epic gamers have already received their first Playstation
3 hardware. This occurred about two and a half months ago.
Sony is definitely after the content as it needs as many
cool games as possible. Epic is sure one of the companies
that can supply some cool games. We saw cool looking Unreal
Tournament 2007 announcement at E3, but we don’t know
is this game for Playstation 3 or not. We heavily suspect
yes, as we know that Epic is extremely close to Nvidia the
graphic chip provider of Playstation 3. [excerpt]
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