GamerNode: Latest PlayStation 3 News

PS3 firmware 2.4 info explosion

According to anonymous sources of the shadow ninja variety, Sony is planning to unveil their newest PlayStation 3 firmware, version 2.4, sometime right around this year's E3 Media and Business Summit.

The major improvements expected to be a part of this update include a "trophy system" to rival Xbox achievements, improved integration of social networking features, and in-game access to items in the PS3 Xross Menu Bar (XMB).

As you can see in the following leaked screenshot of what appears to be the PS3 trophy page, awards will be arranged in a tiered structure, and will consist of bronze, silver, gold, and platinum types. Platinum trophies will only be awarded after a player has collected all other trophies for a particular game. The other tiers are likely to correspond to achievements with ...

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Sony takes a huge beating on PS3 research

So we can all agree the PlayStation 3 has swallowed the most money out of our pockets for a gaming unit. Sorry PCs you don't count. One would think then, Sony would be rolling in the dough.

Think again. Turns out Sony has actually lost money, in the billions of dollars, for the past two years since the PlayStation 3 has been on the market. In 2007 it was $2.16 billion dollars in the hole and in 2008 a mere $1.16 billion.

The PlayStation 3 has cost Sony over three billion dollars and thanks to the slow uptake due to the initial high price of the console, Sony doesn't look like it is recouping the loss as quickly as it would like. The majority of the money was lost in research and development. In order to create a machine which could last for years, give developers mountains of power to wo...

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Older gamers prefer PlayStation 3?

According to a new study by Experian Consumer Research, Sony's PlayStation 3 seems to have captured the eldest end of the gaming market, apparently being the most popular videogame console among customers 45 and up. The Xbox 360 leads in the 35-44 year-old range, and the Wii has claimed the youngest demographic in the study, gamers between 18 and 24. For the 24-34 year-old crowd, all three consoles are relatively equal.

Among other things, the study examined Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners' leisure activities outside of gaming. While 360 owners were shown to be far more likely than PS3 owners to read gaming magazines and equally as likely to play board games or read books, PS3 owners spend more time attending antique shows and doing needlework.

This is all compelling data, but one must als...

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MGS4 Database now available on PSN

To understand everything that the Metal Gear Solid franchise has put on the table you would most likely need a Cliffs Notes booklet handy. From spies to who is the son of who, and who killed him when he was dead before while someone else was controlling the controller.

So if you are one of those gamers who want to know a little more about the backstory of MGS, Konami yesterday provided players a database that will hopefully answer all of your questions.

According to the official PlayStation Blog:

"The MGS4 Database is a free, downloadable interactive application that contains the official knowledge base of everything that is Metal Gear, reaching all the way back to the very beginning of the franchise. Including complete storylines, character profiles, relationship diagrams, and much more! T...

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Metal Gear Solid 4 sells well in Japan

As of right now, Metal Gear Solid 4 has sold approximately 465,000 copies in Japan in the first week of sales, putting Konami on the top spot of the charts. We are not quite sure how big of an impact it had on PS3 hardware sales, but Famitsu believes somewhere in the range of 70,000 sales just for that week. What we do know is that the week prior to release, MGS4 shifted 10,856 sales of the PS3.

The top 40 was made up of 15 games on DS, nine on Wii, three on PSP, two on PS3 and one on PS2.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 1. Metal Gear Soli...

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Heavenly Sword 2 a no go?

While it was a huge hit at E3 2006, Heavenly Sword didn't turn out to be the monumental smash hit Sony had been hoping for. The game was good, but had some lingering problems that stopped it from being a system seller.

Talk of Heavenly Sword 2 has persisted for some time, but there has been a new rumor surrounding the franchise -- that the sequel had been canceled.

Ninja Theory, who worked on the original Heavenly Sword were not the creative minds behind Heavenly Sword 2, though. According to the unconfirmed story, due to some poor treatment by Sony, Ninja Theory very quickly decided they wanted nothing to do with their previous partner and would move on to bigger and better prospects.

But don't worry, because even though original news articles stated they were literally packing their bags...

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Second motion controller coming for PS3

The PlayStation 3 launched with a motion controller, but hasn't had near the success of the Wii remote. Instead of tossing in the towel, Sony is sticking with its guns and working on a second iteration of their original design.

Many have made the claim that Sony is stealing the motion controller idea from Nintendo and reports on the new design from Sony won't do much to stem these opinions.

Rumor has it that the new controller can break into two pieces and both have motion controller functionality, thanks to an accelerometer like those found in the Wii remote and the Apple iPhone.

With the rumors stating also that this new controller has already been shipped out to some developers, one has to wonder if Sony's new toy will make its debut at E3 this year.

[Via Eurogamer]

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PS3's memory limit is a "challenge" for developers...

Game developers have often remarked that the PS3 is not the easiest game console to program for. The formidable Cell processor, which is at the heart of the game machine, has often had programmers burning the late night oil in trying to tame the powerful beast.

The road is smoothing out but delays and setbacks still occur. One other reason why the PS3 is so challenging to program for was expressed by Monster Madness producer, Lee Perez.

Perez thinks that the PS3s memory limitation is the culprit and bottleneck for making the lives of game developers a difficult hill to climb.

"The biggest thing is the memory. The PS3 only has 256 megs of memory [for the graphics chip]. The 360 has 512 so you have twice the memory when you load a level. Now the offset to that is the Cell processor, so if you ...

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New Star Ocean not coming to PS3...yet

With the next Star Ocean set to be released in 2009, eager fans of the series and Xbox 360 owners are looking forward to the next installment.

Who is left in the dust through is the platform where the Star Ocean franchise once called home; the PlayStation.

Square Enix stated that they have no plans, at this time, to release Star Ocean 4 for the PS3, but did not outwardly deny the idea.

What this obviously translates into is that the Xbox 360 is going to a window of time where it is the only platform to grab the new game. A PS3 version, no doubt, will come out at a later time, and probably have extra goodies for those who waited.

Remember kids, unless touted as an exclusive, then we can probably expect the game is going to see a multi-console release.

[Via Wired]

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Metal Gear Online charges for extra characters

I'm sure many PS3 owners like to use multiple accounts on their PS3 for friends, siblings or what have you. Unfortunately though, you will have to play the same Metal Gear Online character for all of your accounts unless you are willing to pay extra. Konami announced that they will be charging you for creating multiple characters when playing MGO.

You get one free character per PS3 and can purchase an additional 3 characters for $6.99. This seems to be a little excessive, but could prove somewhat of a problem to botters and farmers that will no doubt creep about the battlefield. I'd have to hear a justification to why Konami chose to make character creation and registration work this way, and if it won't hinder the game in the long run. Not many other MMOs do this type of subscription, and...

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Red Alert 3 for the PS3 is pulled from development...

Those of us who are fans of RTS games can fully appreciate how fun the Command and Conquer series have been.

Lots of PS3 gamers were looking forward to the arrival of Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 for their real-time strategy fix but the latest word from EA is that C&C: RA3 has been demoted and suspended from further development.

EA played it cagey by not saying why the project was put out to pasture but a few guesses from industry watchers point to either insufficient funds for the project or problems with development and getting the finished game out on time. Red Alert would have been the first RTS for the PS3 platform.

But in spite of the bad news for the PS3 crowed, Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 is still on track for the PC and Xbox 360.

Whether or not the PS3 version will ever be ...

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MGS4: Cut scenes clarified, install times detailed...

A few days back it spread across the web that Metal Gear Solid 4 had cutscenes which exceeded the ninety-minute mark. While we all love MGS, and would happily sit through these finely crafted game cinematics, some real world complications no doubt would have taken place.

Not knowing when these cutscenes would appear some gamers may have found themselves not being able to enjoy the game when other real-life responsibilities arose. Those fears have since been put to rest by associate producer Ryan Payton. While some are long, none of them come to ninety minutes. His statement has been supported by other reviewers who have played MGS4.

In addition to the reduction of the cutscene length, one new detail revealed is the installation times for the game. Initially an eight minute install is needed...

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Photography in Afrika

With a simple online listing, the upcoming PlayStation 3 project, Afrika, has been de-mystified. Until now, all that was known about the game was that it'll be set in Africa, will feature animals, and will be pretty.

According to Japanese retailer Game Star, Afrika will put gamers in the shoes of a photojournalist on safari whose main goal is to take pictures of wild animals in their natural habitat.

Players will travel on foot, by car, or in a hot air balloon in order to get the best shots of the various species roaming the landscape. All of the postcard-worthy photos will presumably comprise an "Animal Library" album for later viewing.

To me, this sounds like a glorified, real-world-based Pokemon Snap or Endless Ocean on land...but then again, what do I know?

[via Game Star]

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Insomniac says no loading screens in Resistance 2

If I may modify an old saying, there are THREE things in life that can't be avoided--death, taxes, and loading screens.

Loading screens are as common as the noonday sun. But according to Ted Price, boss over at Insomniac, he says that we won't see a single loading screen in Resistance 2 during the entire game.

"We do have streaming of textures and other assets now. Not only does this improve the overall look but it cuts down on load times. In fact, you shouldn't notice any loading screens in R2. We've also added a lot more tech-wise - detail maps, new lighting system, new effects system, better normal mapping, better specular response, redone shaders and lots of behind-the-scenes stuff that makes the game really stand out aesthetically."But just in case Insomniac's plan doesn't work, Price ...

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PlayStation 3 could go 3D

While still in the works with the major movie studios, TDVision Systems is hoping that their 3D viewing technology will be adopted by the PlayStation 3, offering the first 3D movie experience for home entertainment.

Why the PlayStation 3 is able to take advantage of this technology is because it is imbued with the BD2.0 firmware upgrade for Blu-Ray. It isn't a stretch then to think other Blu-ray players with the BD2.0 could also run these 3D movies.

What sets TDVision apart from other companies that are trying to create a 3D movie experience is that its tech allows both a 2D and 3D version of the movie to be put onto one disk. Other 3D tech out there is not compatible with the 2D format so those companies would have to release seperate 2D and 3D versions of a movie.

Beyond movies though, ima...

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Sony wants to know if you are hard Qore

One of the major benefits that Sony likes to mention about its PS3 is that online multiplayer is totally free as opposed to Microsoft's Xbox Live, which charges an annual fee of $50 for a one-year membership.

While multiplayer will continue to be free of charge over PSN, there will be a charge for "premium" downloadable content.

The new subscription-based service is called Qore and will offer "monthly lifestyle gaming" exclusive content such as news, exclusive demos, beta invites, behind-the-scenes specials, previews and more. Think of Qore as the online version of a PS3 demo disk magazine.

How much will Qore set you back? The cost will be $24.99 for thirteen "episodes." The first edition will feature SOCOM: Confrontation and will give subscribers the opportunity to join in on the game's bet...

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Sony not denying possible 'Sony Wiimote'

Sony steals right? Their systems include rumble technology, motion-sensors, wifi, but is it really stealing or borrowing good ideas? Now what if Sony started to make a controller that was exactly like the Nintendo Wii-mote?

Would that be stealing or utilizing an idea? Either way, Sony has declined to comment on speculation that it is making its very own Wiimote-style controller for PS3.

Reports suggest Sony ran secret focus groups in the US at the beginning of the year--console owners were shown the motion-sensing device. According to PlaystationLife the remote was "incredibly responsive and accurate." Some of the titles that were shown using this new controller featured tennis, fencing, and paintball, all with pinpoint accuracy.

Even though Sony is no real stranger to motion-sensing (SIXAX...

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EGM won't score MGS4 because of Konami restriction...

Big name franchises like to be hush hush before they release a new finshed product, whether that be movie or videogame franchises. The recent Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull kept Harrison Ford from showing any footage when he went on different talk shows to promote the film.

Why? Well it's kind of obvious when a studio doesn't want any of the story revealed for many different purposes. Metal Gear Solid 4 seems to be having the same kind of treatment as well.

Konami doesn't want reviewers to talk about the game's lengthy cutscenes, major story plot points and install times. Even though many other pubilcations will have their review up in the next couple of days, EGM will not.

Due to "limitations Konami wanted to impose on our comments," the whole editorial team decided to ...

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Kaz wants more exclusive content, PS3 owners agree...

I remember days where exclusives were all the rage. It was almost a surprise when games came out for two consoles, instead of a surprise when they went exclusive. These were days before the Internet, if you can even fathom such a time. I believe we rode mules to get around the village in those days as well.

Sony has had a strict 'we won't pay for exclusive content/games' policy for some time. That policy came down from former exec and current bald man Phil Harrison. But now that he's gone, Sony may be rethinking their standpoint on exclusivity especially since their competition is doing what Sony won't.

When asked about the current standpoint on paying for exclusives, Kaz Hirai replied, "That's something that we can re-evaluate, but it's also something that the publishers need to make a ...

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Bioshock for PS3 will be "genetically enhanced"

Bioshock, the critically acclaimed horror/sci-fi adventure game will have its day on the PS3 as early as this October, but not only that, the PS3 version of Bioshock will be "genetically enhanced." Well, they do it to cows, plants, and chickens, so why not video games too?

What this means to PS3 gamers are that they'll either be treated to more powerful plasmids in the game or see new ones added.

According to Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K games:

"Since BioShock for Xbox 360 and Games for Windows won countless 2007 Game of the Year awards, we are excited to see the impact of this stellar title for the PLAYSTATION 3 system when it debuts this fall. Over the coming months we look forward to revealing the new features and content that will make this a must-have game for its new audience, a...

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