News about ps3:
Rugged PS3 created for the military
Our men in green are there to make sure that they keep the peace – not only back in the homeland, but around the world as well. After all, if there isn’t a world police, don’t you think we would have all obliterated one another by now in a shower of nukes due to retaliatory attacks? Of course, in their tour of duty, it is safe to say that these brave men and women would have undergone plenty of stress and seen untold horrors – so how are they going to destress in the midst of the battlefield? Taking drugs and booze are definitely two of the wrong choices, but it is a good thing there are healthier alternatives out there – such as playing video games. Then again, you can say that video game consoles aren’t all that tough, and in the event of enemy fire, you might as well kiss goodbye to your saved games whenever a grenade goes off nearby. Ben Heck, modder extraordinare, has come up with a spanking new mod of the Sony PS3 – one that has been ruggedized enough to withstand the rigors of the battlefield.
PlayStation 3 could get 3D depth slider à la the 3DS
How will sir be having his gimmick today? The devs behind the upcoming Sly Cooper 3D compilation are wisely mulling over the idea of inserting a 3D-adjusting slider to let users decide just how much stereoscopy they want with their Sony-approved gaming. It’s argued that this should allow you greater positional flexibility when smacking fools down in three dimensions, as you’ll be able to manually toggle the depth of the 3D effect to suit your viewing angle. We were happy to see such an option introduced in the Nintendo 3DS at E3 and would similarly welcome its inclusion on the PS3 — though that’s no foregone conclusion as yet. All we can say for sure right now is that the stuff is adjustable, but it looks like it’ll be up to devs to roll their sleeves up and integrate the slider into their games. Hey, it’s the summer, not like they’ve got anything else to do, right? Read the rest of this entry »
Netflix plans discless Watch Instantly on the PS3 by late October, more ‘pure streaming’ worldwide
It’s still a pretty big window, but Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has narrowed down the time until we can expect a disc-free streaming experience on our PS3s from “later this year” to some time before its next earning call, which should happen around October 21. Other notes from the Q2 highlights included a shoutout to Hulu Plus, where Netflix “plans to learn what customers like about Hulu Plus” and use that to enhance its service, as well as the upcoming launch of a streaming service in Canada, and how the lessons learned may be applied to other “pure streaming” offerings internationally in the future. Investors aren’t too happy the company missed earnings projections, but we’re figuring once they close the ETrade window and pick up a Shockaxis they’ll start to get over it. Read the rest of this entry »
Rock Band 3 crashing into living rooms on October 26
Look, it’s summer break. What better to do than learn a little piano in preparation for the upcoming release of Harmonix’s Rock Band 3? The next installment — which promises to bring all sorts of new kit to the market — was finally given a release date today, and not surprisingly, it’ll be quickly climbing the Santa Lists of rug-rats the world over. According to the company, the title will ship on October 26th in North America, with the Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions priced at $59.99 sans hardware and the DS rendition at $29.99. Hop on past the break if you’re interested in learning about your wealth of pre-order options. Read the rest of this entry »
Sony restricts stereoscopic PS3 games to 720p 3D
Sorry, fellow gamers, we’re out of luck if we want to play stereoscopic PS3 titles in their full high definition glory — Joystiq reports that Sony guidelines won’t allow for 1080p 3D. As we discovered in April, the goal is to run even native 1080p content at a lower 720p resolution when splitting the image in twain, allowing enough processing overhead for a smooth 60fps framerate and likely reducing eyestrain. Mind you, it’s not like there are many occasions when you’d have cause to complain — even in two dimensions, native 1080p titles on modern consoles are few and far between. Exempt from the specification are 3D Blu-ray movies, which run at a slower (but larger) 1080p24 by default, so rest assured that when you’re being tortured with Clash of the Titans repeat viewings, you’ll see every glorious detail. Read the rest of this entry »
Xbox 360 sales increase 88 percent in June, give it US console crown for the month
Proving once again that in this world it’s more important what you look like than what you do, the Xbox 360 has cruised to the title of best-selling console in June on the back of a sexy physical redesign. The latest numbers from NPD show that Microsoft shifted 451,700 units in the US, which ousts the Wii’s tally of 422,500 and comfortably dwarfs the PS3′s 304,800. Still, if Sony wants any consolation it need only look back to the results of its own console Slimmification last year — US sales were said to have tripled in the immediate aftermath of the new SKU’s release. So Microsoft might have a little bit of catching up to do yet, and let’s not forget that the king of all hardware sales remains the DS, which somehow managed to sell more than half a million devices in June, in spite of the whole world and its dog already owning one. Read the rest of this entry »
Hulu Plus on PS3, hands-on (update: video)
Sure, we already told you what Hulu Plus looked like on iPhone, iPad and a Samsung TV, and not much has changed since that juncture, but we expect a number of you care quite a bit about how it will operate on PlayStation 3, especially considering you’ll (presently) have to cough up an additional $50 annually for the privilege. The good news is it’s absolutely nothing like the PS3′s disc-based Netflix solution — here, you’re looking at a responsive experience through and through, and the interface is about as simple and full-featured as we’d hoped.
Sony PlayStation Move Bundles Shown Off
While we may not have the final packaging to showcase for Microsoft’s variation of their motion-based peripheral, we do know that Walmart’s already bundling up the next piece of Redmond-based technology. Of course, we should have realized it wouldn’t take much longer for the Sony version, better known as Move, to make some kind of appearance on the Internet, too. And sure enough, here we are with the final packaging images.
Hulu Plus launches on PS3, exclusive to Sony’s console through 2010
The Sony Defense Force has reason to celebrate today, as the circle is now complete — where Netflix HD once spited PS3 for Xbox 360, today Hulu Plus has chosen the PlayStation for limited console exclusivity through the end of the year. Today, “a select group” of PlayStation Plus subscribers can download the Hulu Plus app and start watching immediately, while regular ol’ paying members can ask nicely (via the same app) and wait patiently for the privilege of shelling out an additional $10 a month. Those who aren’t dropping $50 a year on PlayStation Plus aren’t entirely out of luck, they’ll just have to wait till the end of the preview period to get their Hulu on. Press release after the break, more info at the official PlayStation.Blog. Read the rest of this entry »
PlayStation Blu-ray 3D update arrives in September; 3D photo, PlayTV and YouTube support to follow
Just in case you weren’t really sure how deep into this 3DTV thing Sony is, senior director of Sony Europe Mick Hocking announced the PS3′s update for Blu-ray 3D movie playback will be released in September — but it won’t stop there. Expect future firmware upgrades that give the PS3 3D rendering for photos (.mpo files), any broadcasts it can pick up on PlayTV, and even YouTube videos. Not running out the door to buy one yet? CVG reports the rest of the presentation was devoted to extolling the virtues of 3D to hardcore gamers in racing games, God of War, or LittleBigPlanet. Demos so far haven’t completely convinced us the PS3 is capable of rendering games in high enough resolution to satisfy, but if Fat Princess 2 features a good 3D implementation, someone hide our credit cards, please. Read the rest of this entry »
Hulu Plus on PS3 only requires PlayStation Plus during preview period
Though it originally seemed like you’d need to drop an additional $50 annually to get your on-demand TV fix via PlayStation 3, it turns out that the PlayStation Plus is not technically needed for Hulu Plus functionality. Concerned console owners emailing support@hulu.com are being told Sony’s premium service is “only a requirement during the preview period,” after which point “you should be able to download the Hulu Plus app,” which will still require Hulu’s own $10 monthly subscription, of course. We reached out to a Hulu representative and confirmed the above for ourselves — so the only question is how long you’ll have to wait without shelling out. Read the rest of this entry »
Sony CECH-ZVS1 surround sound bar for PS3 landing in Japan this September
In mid-June we caught wind of the new Sony CECH-ZVS1 virtual surround sound bar for the PS3. The system is designed to give the PS3 better sound for gaming and movies while being easy to set up and taking up little space.
Sony Japan outs PlayStation Move bundles (including ray-gun)
It’s not just a white PS3 and a chunkier hard drive that Sony Japan are promising today; they’re also spilling some details on the PlayStation Move launch including the awesome retro ray-gun “shooting attachment” we saw at E3. Two bundles have been announced for Japan, set for release on October 21st 2010, one with a single Move wand, PlayStation Eye camera and a copy of Bio Hazard 5 Alternative Edition, and another that throws in a ray-gun shooting attachment and replaces the title with Big 3 Gun Shooting.
Sony “Classic White” 160GB PS3 Slim outed; black PS3 gets 320GB HDD boost
Sony Japan has outed their latest PS3 models, packing either 160GB or a new 320GB hard-drive, and now with more choice in color too. The PS3 CECH-2500 will drop on July 29th 2010 in Japan, available with the 160GB HDD in either original “charcoal black” or new “classic white”, accompanied by a black-only 320GB version.
Sony CECH-ZVS1 Surround Sound System for PS3 hits Japan on September 30th
More PS3 news from Sony. What was already known to be a fall release has just narrowed to September 30th for Sony’s $199 PS3 Surround Sound System — at least in Japan. As you might recall, this budget Sony soundbar with integrated sub-woofer and S-Force PRO Front Surround technology tethers up snuggly with your PS3 over optical digital supporting Dolby digital, DTS, MPEG-2 AAC and Linear PCM audio formats. Model CECH-ZVS1 then bounces the surround sound off the walls when placed in front of your television. It’s not Sony’s best soundbar but it’s the only one with a matching PlayStation logo. And for some gamers, that’s likely all they’ll need to know. Read the rest of this entry »
White PS3 Slim with 160GB HDD hits Japan July 29th, new 320GB HDD option
Looks like we’ve (almost) solved the mystery of PlayStation 3′s FCC-bound CECH-2501 models. Sony just announced a “classic white” PS3 Slim (as opposed to the “ceramic white” original) for Japan, model CECH-2500, coming July 29th with 160GB HDD. For 34,980 yen (about $400 translated to US currency) you can now start off with 320GB of storage in your “charcoal black” model — not to worry, the aforementioned 160GB still retails for 29,980 yen ($342). So, when are we gonna see this elsewhere in the world, hm?
