Newest PlayStation 3 Firmware Out Now
[Thanks, David]
Posts with tag playstation3
[Thanks, David]
'Metal Gear Solid 4' Launches With (Surprise) a Big Party
Long before people lined up for the launch of new cell phones, they lined up for the launch of new video games. And in fine fanboy tradition, Los Angeles' hardcore showed up for the midnight launch of Konami's long-awaited Metal Gear Solid 4 -- all for the chance to buy the game the minute it went on sale, and to have it signed by some of the game's creators.
The 400-odd person line stretched around the block at the Best Buy in Hollywood, at the busy corner of La Brea Ave and Santa Monica Blvd. At the front of the line was Tony (see gallery), a young man who had waited for nearly 24 hours for his chance to get a copy of the game. We asked him how it was going.
"Yeah, I'm sleep deprived," the bleary-eyed Metal Gear superfan told us. He looked excited, but a bit defeated. "The crazy thing is, I had my PS3 stolen a couple of months ago, so I don't even know where or how I'm gonna play it once I get it home." At this very moment, as if by some spectacular twist of fate, Konami PR manager and all-around good dude Jay Boor stepped in and, upon hearing Tony's tale, handed him his business card. "Hit me up, man," he said. "I'll fix that. I'll definitely fix that." Amidst all of the conspicuous consumption, the look on Tony's face at that moment was one to be remembered.
All the while, press and industry folk mingled in the surreal urban courtyard, surrounded by such bastions of retail consumption as Best Buy and Target, feasting on sushi and various foodstuffs from Baja Fresh. And as they drank and ate, the diehard fans stood long into the night, patiently awaiting their chance to play what assistant producer Ryan Payton called, "the best Metal Gear game we've ever made. Pants down." And all in all, it was a good night.
Gallery: MGS4 Launch: Los Angeles
PlayStation 3 Draws More Power Than a Refrigerator
by Tim Stevens, posted Jun 4th 2008 at 10:18AM
We've known for awhile now that the PlayStation 3 (PS3) is hardly a green machine -- it sucks down 200-watts of electricity whether it's playing a movie or just idling at the home menu waiting for you to boot up a game. Sometimes, though, it's hard to put that into context. An Australian consumer group has taken the time to do a little figuring against various other household items, and has found that your PS3 draws more current than an average refrigerator -- five times as much.Of course, the PS3 is making waves as being one of the cheapest Blu-ray players on the market, not to mention the huge added benefit of being able to play next-generation video games. But that 200-watts power draw is also four- to five-times that of a standalone Blu-ray player, which over the course of a year could add up if you watch a lot of movies. Microsoft's Xbox 360 is slightly better with a power consumption at about about three quarters of the PS3, but Nintendo's Wii comes in first by drawing only a tenth of the power of a PS3.
So, not only can the Wii get you in shape, it can also save you money on your utilities bill. [Source: Intology]
Florida Man Kills Neighbor Over Missing PlayStation 3
by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted May 9th 2008 at 10:39AM
Edward Keith Stoddard Jr. really likes his PlayStation 3 (PS3). So much, in fact, that if you were to touch it, he may just kill you. Such was the fate of his neighbor, Douglas F. Abrams, who Stoddard suspected of stealing his PS3. Police reports say that during an argument over the missing console late Wednesday night, Stoddard shot Abrams, fatally wounding him. After police showed up on the scene, Stoddard surrendered and is now in Land O'Lakes jail in Dade County, Florida.
Love your console, people. Just don't get jealous if it drops by the neighbors' house for some tea. [Source: Bay News 9, via PS3Fanboy]
'Grand Theft Auto IV' Set to Shatter Sales Records
'Grand Theft Auto IV' (GTA IV)drops officially today, though if you stayed up late last night you may already have cracked open your copy (and be a little bleary-eyed at work or school this morning). We don't have any official numbers yet, but just about everyone is expecting that, by the end of the week, the game will have smashed the opening day sales records set last year by Microsoft's 'Halo 3.' That game sold $170 million in copies in a 24-hour period, and with 'GTA' hitting both the PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Xbox 360 on the same day ,it should easily best that.If you're picking up the game and aren't quite sure where to begin, you're in luck: Joystiq has drafted up a primer for the game that will give you some history on the series, check out reviews from around the Web, and look at some pics of the people who did stand out in the elements last night for a chance to be the first to get hands-on with the game. That way you can feel like you were truly dedicated enough to be there for the launch while still getting a good night's sleep! [Sources: BBC and Joystiq]
U.S. Air Force Wants 300 PlayStation 3's
What exactly the Air Force plans to use the 300 PlayStations for is unclear, but the branch of the armed forces is getting price quotes from resellers.
Knowing that the PS3 is less a gaming machine and more a super computer in disguise, all we can say is we're glad it's the Air Force and not the NSA.
From Newsvine
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AIBO Robo-Dog Coming Back in 2008! Maybe.
From the ashes of the fallen AIBO comes...another AIBO?
The print edition of Stuff magazine is reporting a rumor item that a resuscitated version of Sony's robotic dog companion, to go by the name of Sony AIBO PS, will be released by Sony's PlayStation division in an attempt to "bolster the PS3's arsenal." The next incarnation of Sony's robotic pet will be compatible with the PlayStation 3 and the PSP -- you'll have full control over the dog with your PSP, via Wi-Fi. The dog's head is supposedly equipped with a camera, with which to send a real-time video feed to the PSP's screen.
AIBO PS will allow for either voice control or remote control, and will be able to e-mail you at work when there's something fishy going on. He'll even appear with its own avatar within PlayStation Home, and react in the real world as he does in the PS3's upcoming service.
Still a rumor, but a good one, right?
From Stuff (via Gamespot UK and Engadget).
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Rock Band (under $250, Gamer)
If you don't already know, now you do: This is the must-have party game of the year. Rock Band takes the Guitar Hero concept (it's made by the folks who created the first two Guitar Heroes, Harmonix), and merges it with Karaoke Revolution and a sophisticated drumming simulation. It comes complete with virtual guitar/bass, drum set, and microphone -- and 58 songs (Blue Öyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", David Bowie's "Suffragette City", and The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" to name a few. It's ridiculously fun with four other players -- the $170 version for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 comes with mic, guitar, and drum set peripherals -- and can be even be played online if you don't have enough friends to, you know, form a Rock Band. Welcome to your newest addiction.
From Harmonix
PlayStation 3's DualShock 3 Unboxing
In case you hadn't heard, Sony has gotten its chips (and lawyers) in order, and has finally brought rumble back to its PlayStation 3 controllers. Engadget's Tokyo office was able to get its sweaty (and soon to be rumbling, we'd imagine) hands on an early retail release of the Dual Shock 3.
She looks hot, with her Ceramic White (or Black, as pictured above) case and familiar, comforting shape -- if only the Internet had rumble, maybe we could get an idea of how she moves? Word on the street is that this latest PS3 controller doesn't handle too differently from the Dual Shock 2.
Unfortunately, it doesn't look like you'll be able to pick one of these up Stateside before Spring 2008, but if you or anyone you know is going to Japan....
Unboxing porn after the jump.
From Engadget
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'Guitar Hero III' Is Ready to Rock, Say Reviews
Unless you have been living in a sound and fun-proof cave for the past couple of years, you are more than likely aware of 'Guitar Hero', the rock n' roll simulator that has would-be musicians kicking ass on such guitar-heavy hits as Lynard Skynyrd's "Free Bird" and Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle".
And after a year of waiting, fans can finally get their hands on 'Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock', which was released over the weekend and the reviews thus far indicate the latest game in the series does not disappoint.
With online support, collapsible guitar peripherals and over 70 tracks from classic bands like the Rolling Stones and the Who alongside newer acts like the Killers and AFI, 'Guitar Hero III' is ever bit as entertaining as previous installments and them some.
Below are just a few review quotes from popular gaming media:
IGN.com
"The soundtrack is fantastic and the new online additions are going to take the 'Guitar Hero' community to the next level. It really is hard to argue with any facet of the gameplay."
Yahoo! Games
'Guitar Hero III' won't disappoint either diehard fans or people new to the series. This is the latest step in the stairway to heaven of home rocking.
Official Xbox Magazine
Ultimately, 'GHIII' succeeds as a polished technical workout for top-tier shredders, but the game's magic was never really about pressing buttons anyway--it was about making the player feel like, well, a guitar hero.
If there are any complaints to be had they seem to mostly revolve around the fact that the game's presentation has changed very little in three years and that has perhaps become a little easier to be good at the game.
And it remains to be seen how Guitar Hero III stands up to the upcoming 'Rock Band,' which is being developed by the creators of the original 'Guitar Hero' game and features a full rock band rather than just guitars, as well as some serious licensing deals that promise a vast collection of bands and tracks to choose from.
These nominal issues aside, we plan on spending the next month rocking extremely hard.
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Scientist Using Eight PlayStation 3s to Study Gravity
Whoever said video games were a waste of time is totally eating his words right now. 
Wired News reports that a cluster of eight interlinked PlayStation 3's is actually solving "a celestial mystery involving gravitational waves and what happens when a super-massive black hole, about a million times the mass of our own sun, swallows up a star." Which we'd explain to you in layman's terms, except for we think those may actually be layman's terms, in addition to the fact that we forgot our astrophysicist degrees at home this week.
Dr. Gaurav Khanna, the main scientist behind the research, is employing the PS3s to help measure the ripples in the space-time continuum that travel at the speed of light. The fact that the PS3 uses a version of Linux to work its magic is essentially what allows for the research to be done -- Linux is a very open system, and customizing it for the needs of the project was relatively easy.
"Basically, it's almost like a replacement," Khanna says. "I don't have to use that supercomputer anymore, which is a good thing."
From Wired News
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PlayStation 3 to Get DVR and TV Tuner
Sony has always talked about the PlayStation 3 (PS3) dominating your home entertainment center. While all its plans haven't exactly come to fruition, the company might be finally getting somewhere. Sony recently indicated that the company hopes to release a digital TV tuner for the console sometime before spring of next year. The tuner would be augmented by some DVR/Tivo-like functionality, meaning you might finally have something to do with all that disk space. Presumably the tuner will handle HDTV, given the PS3's impressive video specs, but we don't know for sure yet.
There's no word yet on any other details, cost, or just exactly how the PS3 will handle this role, but given the thing sucks down about 200 watts of electricity when turned on and sitting idle, compared to 40 watts for your average Tivo, we're thinking the PS3 has the potential to be the least economical DVR ever.
From Engadget
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There's no word yet on any other details, cost, or just exactly how the PS3 will handle this role, but given the thing sucks down about 200 watts of electricity when turned on and sitting idle, compared to 40 watts for your average Tivo, we're thinking the PS3 has the potential to be the least economical DVR ever.
From Engadget
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iPhone Launch: Lines Shorter Than Expected
So, here we are within spitting distance of the iPhone launch ... and we have to admit we're a little disappointed. In just over 24 hours from now, the iPhone will officially be on sale. But where are the massive lines wrapped around the block? Where are the miles of camping tents? Where are the riots? Where are the Kentuckians driving by lines and shooting at them with BB guns?
What we're saying is, what the heck kind of launch is this? As of this writing (less than 26 hours out), Switched has confirmed that only 12 people are lined up outside of Apple's New York store in Soho. A slightly less pathetic 18 people are lined up outside of the Fifth Avenue New York store. What gives? Why is the iPhone launch so much less exciting than last fall's sideshow of a PS3 launch?
Well, consider the audience. Unlike the PS3, the iPhone is really more of a product targeted at the employed; people who don't have the luxury of spending days playing make-believe survivalist outside of an electronics store; people who are a lot less likely to be living in Mom's basement.
Secondly, it's the numbers. Sony had only 400,000 PlayStation 3 consoles in the U.S. at launch, which was like throwing a half a sardine into a swimming pool full of piranhas. That meager quantity created crowds, which in turn created some great headlines for the launch. But, it also led to shortages and backlash -- not to mention the violence. Police had to shut down stores in California and New York after brawls broke out. As we mentioned above, last year in Kentucky a line of PS3 hopefuls was shot up in a BB-gun drive-by. A store in California was robbed of its PS3s at gunpoint, while in Connecticut two gunmen shot a customer lined up outside of a Wal-Mart after he refused to hand over his PS3 money.
Apple, it seems, has learned from Sony's bungled launch and is promising three million iPhones available for sale starting tomorrow. Apple is so confident that three million units will suffice that it's allowing two phones per customer. PS3 was limited to one per customer.
For the most part, it appears the masses agree with Apple's assessment that three million will be enough. Sure, the freaks will gobble up the first few hundred thousand units tomorrow night, but your iPhone will be waiting for you when you're damn well ready to buy it. Or, at least that's what you keep telling yourself, right?
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Sony Vs. Church: The Holy War Continues
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After receiving complaints from the Church of England earlier this week regarding the apparent use of Manchester Cathedral as the setting of a bloody shootout in the PS3 launch title, 'Resistance: Fall of Man,' Sony has agreed to a sit down meeting with papal representatives to discuss the situation.
Meanwhile, in public, the company is sticking to its guns, as it were, claiming that nothing improper was done. Sony has not only said that "Many historical buildings are used in entertainment such as movies, including 'Godzilla' and 'The Tokyo Tower' and 'King Kong in Manhattan'," but also claims the church in 'Resistance' isn't necessarily Manchester Cathedral ... just some church that looks an awful lot like it.
According to a copyright lawyer consulted by Gamesindustry.biz, Sony is very much within its rights to feature the cathedral. U.K. copyright law states that "it is not copyright infringement to represent certain artistic works that are on public display." A cathedral, certainly, is on public display.
Public-display provision aside, copyright in the U.K. expires 70 years after the death of the creator. Given that construction on the cathedral began in 1215, it's highly unlikely that any of the creators are still around to put in a copyright claim -- that is unless you consider the "Big Guy" to be the architect.
From Newsvine and Gamesindustry.biz
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PSP Patch Finally Unlocks Remote Play
Unfortunately, it appears as if Sony forgot to update the PSP itself for this feature, making Remote Play useless.
Good news: Sony has just released version 3.5 of the PSP firmware in Japan, which adds access to Remote Play functionality and an RSS Channel Guide to help the feed reading newbies.
The update should be making the rounds globally very soon.
From Engadget
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PS3 Going To Version 1.8 Tomorrow
More Rumors of a PSP Update
Rumor: PS3 Going to Version 2.0
