Gamernode: Latest PlayStation 3 News

Rumor: 160GB PS3 SKU on the way?

I write about games every single day. It's my job to hold within my cranium an extremely large amount of gaming knowledge. Yet I can't fully distinguish between all the different versions of the PlayStation 3. Some are backward compatible, some have different sized HDD's, and some have games packed in.

To make matters worse, the whole cycle starts all over again when you travel to a new territory, as evidenced by Frank's story from earlier today about the new PAL only SKU with Ratchet and Clank, and Uncharted boxed in.

Nevertheless, Sony is rumored to be releasing yet another variation on its PlayStation 3. This version is said to contain either a 120gb or 160gb HDD, as well as one of the new Dual Shock 3 controllers with rumble. Why the massive memory storage capacity? Apparently, Sony is ...

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Square announces FFXIII release in 2008 not offici...

Square sent out some emails earlier today informing editors and writers that there is, in fact, no official stance from Square-Enix on the release date of FFXIII. The story's been spreading ever since Joystiq picked up on some Famitsu translations, but it appears it was all taken incorrectly (or translated wrong, who knows).

According to an announcement Square posted on their website,

"Although information regarding the release date of FINAL FANTASY XIII has been reported by certain videogame websites, Square Enix itself has yet to make an official statement on this topic. Any reports of a confirmed release date are erroneous and should be disregarded.

Square Enix will make an official announcement in the future concerning the release date when it has been determined."

They do remain, however...

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New PS3 bundle with Ratchet and Uncharted coming?

According to Spanish website Meristation, a new PS3 bundle, for Europe, may be on the horizon that will include a 40 GB PS3 plus the games Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction--plus two controllers to boot.

For those of you who have been sitting on the fence, this just might be the deal that will push you over.

Meristation quotes James Armstrong, a high-ranking executive of Sony Computer Entertainment for the regions of Spain and Portugal as saying:

"This Starter Pack arrives at the appropriate moment, just after a successful campaign of Christmas [sales] that has demonstrated to us that the Spanish public is receptive our proposals and the innovating technology that PS3 offers. This new supply will let [us] grow the number of users of PlayStation 3 w...

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Sony surprised by PAL interest in PSN

The issues with Xbox Live over the past month or so are finally starting to cool off, and the problems are all but solved. However, Sony it seems has already seen substantial benefits as a result of the lack of competition.

Whether it's because gamers were forced to go elsewhere to get their gaming fix or simply because of the holiday influx of PS3 owners, Sony says that they were surprised by the amount of users who were taking advantage of the free service lately.

"One thing that has surprised us is in the Network purchases and the general level of interest that has been shown around the Network business," SCEE President and CEO David Reeves said to mcvuk.com. He added that the numbers were ahead of Sony's expectations. "We've gone from zero to almost double-digit millions in terms of wha...

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GameStop dropping 80GB PS3 due to poor sales?

First, Best Buy might drop the 80GB PS3, now GameStop/EB Games? According to QJ.net, a friendly GameStop manager alerted them that the gaming retail chain will be dropping the 80GB PS3 off its shelves in the coming future.

The manager said, "I can't say for sure what's going on with the 80GB PS3 but I can relate to Best Buy. Unless Sony is just changing the bundles, it looks like a discontinue to me."

In related news, GameDaily compiled a few quotes from analysts speculating on why the 80GB PS3 may be on its way out. Mike Hickey, Janco Partners analyst, speculated that the 80GB simply didn't meet sales projections but went to say that the 40GB PS3 has been selling well.

"Sony is likely dumping the 80GB version because it has failed to meet internal sales projections... The recently released 4...

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Square's promise: FFXIII to be released in 2008 [U...

[UPDATE]

Square has sent out an email earlier this evening with corrections on the translated quotes in question. It appears that Square's announcement has been regarding the demo of the game, not the full thing. Look for a likely demo to drop in 2008, but as for the full game's release date, your guess is as good as Square's.

[ORIGINAL STORY] 

Promises, promises. They seem to always be said and most of the time broken, especially in the gaming business. Hearts can be broken, and tears might be shed -- especially for you GTA and MGS fans. When a developer drops a release date on our heads, that a big gutsy move, something us gamers don't take too much truth to.

Here comes Square-Enix announcing a 2008 release date for FF13. No date, just the year, which is plenty enough for us eager FF fans. B...

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PlayStation 3 vs Xbox 360 in Europe

Having launched a year after the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 obviously has some ground to make up. Microsoft already had a solid install base, and with the hefty price of the PlayStation 3 it is understandable that it's taken Sony's machine some time to catch up. While still falling behind the 360 in the United States, the climate could be very different in the European countries according to SCEE President and CEO David Reeves.

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New Army of Two trailer

This came in on Friday, so it's not NEW new if you've been scouring the Interweb for Army of Two news. It is new here, however, since I've just now taken the time to upload it to Youtube.

Showing some more awesome two player merc action, the latest trailer has a few recycled scenes, but also introduces some new baddies, as well as some new areas/weapons. Check it out, then see if you're as pumped for this game as I am.

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PixelJunk Monsters out on PSN

We haven't been covering PSN stuff as frequently as XBLA, VC and Gametap, and I'll be the first to admit it. I'm going to try to do better though, I promise!

This week on the PSN marks the release of Q-Games' latest PixelJunk title, PixelJunk Monsters, priced at $7.99 "for a limited time only." What is it? Basically, it's like a high-def version of that wonderfully addictive Desktop Tower Defense game. You know, the one where you can spend hours just placing a turret and...upgrading a turret and...then placing more...

It's a lot more fun than it sounds written down, I swear. Especially the multiplayer version. But I digress.

According to the game's description, "Players must stop waves of enemies by placing defense towers around their castle. Enemies must be stopped before reaching the targe...

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Media Molecule looking for LittleBigPlanet tester...

If you're a hopelessly dedicated fanboy or fangirl of the PS3, undoubtedly you are very excited about the upcoming game, LittleBigPlanet. What could be better than playing the game when it first comes out?

How about getting a crack at trying out the game way before anyone else has it? Media Molecule, the developers of the game, is seeking testers for six-month contract positions.

According to Media Molecule's official blog site, it is looking for the following attributes in qualified individuals:

"The successful candidate will--

-Carry out visual and participative checks on LittleBigPlanet for quality bugs-Log all identified bugs through our system

Skills, Knowledge & Experience:

-Competent games player.-Strong knowledge of computer games across multiple platforms.-Educated to G.C.S.E grade &...

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Best Buy to discontinue 80GB PS3?

According to ps3fanboy.com, it was sent an anonymous internal newsletter that supposedly originated from Best Buy.

The announcement states that the mega-chain retail electronics store is planning on discontinuing the PlayStation 3 80GB version which has the full array of USB ports, backwards compatibility, and memory card readers which is missing from the 40GB version.

The newsletter also indicates that Best Buy will only carry the 40GB model that is selling currently for $399. Since the introduction of the cheaper and less robust PS3, sales for Sony's flagship game console has greatly improved. Many analysts point to the recent price reductions as the major factor in changing the minds of consumers who were previously balking at the original price of $599.

Rumors have been floating arou...

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Tim Schafer on Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

You gotta love Tim Schafer. Whether you enjoy his games or not, there's no denying the man's brilliance. I only love him more after reading his recent thoughts about Uncharted, and the magic that is the half-tucked shirt. If this doesn't spawn a bunch of people attempting to be funny via fashion-related game reviews, I don't know what will.

The difficult part is trying to figure out if Tim is mocking reviews, "next-gen" graphics, or the idea of the half-tuck in general... Then again, who gives a damn. It's hilarious no matter what the thought behind it is. Check it out below.

"I just finished Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, and I will tell you this: I liked it a lot. It had beautiful environments, fun platforming, and the awesome phrase, "I'll kick you to sleep!" You should all go play it right...

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Final Fantasy XIII demo coming...eventually

2008 is the year of the fantasy, Final Fantasy XIII that is. Square Enix is making a promise to give us fans all the new info regarding this epic game, along with releasing a demo of the game sometime this year. But there was no date attached to the announcement, not even a guess.

The main reason for the demo is to get the fans some hands-on experience with the new battle system.

Here are some more details that were featured in Japanese mags that were translated by fans over at FFXIII.net

-Nomura: "2008 will be the year. There will be tons of news bits, info on characters and summons, and an unexpected connection between the keywords Cocoon and Farushi.- We're aiming for a demo to give players a hands on on the battle system.- FF13's theme: determination.- Farushi: Their existence surpasses...

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Haze delayed... again!

The futuristic next-gen shooter Haze has again been delayed, and could be out as late as March 2009.

Ubisoft was originally aiming for a fourth quarter 2007-08 release, but in Ubisoft's 2007-08 Third Quarter sales report the game is listed as being released in "fiscal 2008-09" and would/could put the release as late as March 2009.

Haze hasn't exactly had the smoothest ride during it's developmont, being delayed multiple times since it's original Fall 2007 release date. It was also intended for release on PS3, PC and Xbox 360, but at E3 2007, Sony announced the game would be exclusively released for the PS3. Still, doesn't really matter what system it's intended for if it keeps getting delayed.

Maybe they should rename it to Haze Forever...

[via kombo]

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PS3 moving away from BC says Sony's Prez

In an effort to emphasize the strength of the PlayStation 3, Kaz Hirai, president of Sony Computer Entertainment, said that his company would focus its attention on supporting PS3 games for the machine and by saying so, is indirectly de-emphasizing backwards compatibility support for the PS3.

He said to Bloomberg, "We want to promote games only available for PlayStation 3. The introduction of the 40 GB model is in line with that strategy."

While backwards compatibility for the PS3 is nice to have, in effect, by taking away BC from the machine, it will "force" those who want to play PS2 games to buy one (if they don't already have a PS2 or don't have a BC PS3). So by dividing the market share between the two machines, Sony stands a better chance at strengthening the PlayStation 3 user ba...

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Sony squashes rumors of PS3 price cut

Earlier this week, rumors began to crop up that Sony was planning to yet again cut the price of the PS3 by the end of the month. The rumored price point was $299 US.

Kaz Hirai, president of Sony, was apparently not amused, and promptly came out and flat out told Bloomberg Japan that there would be no price cut.

No doubt there are a lot of people bummed out by this news, but don't let it get you down too much if you're one of them. As CVG points out, the release of what will probably be the biggest game yet this generation in Grand Theft Auto 4, is looming near. Both Sony and Microsoft are going to want to put their best foot forward as they try to convince gamers to buy their console's version over their competitor's.

A lot of "not-really-casual-but-definitely-not-hardcore-gamers" will be ...

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Ceramic white PS3 on the horizon

According to a recent filing by Sony with the FCC, a new iteration of the PS3 is coming our way. It's not really a new model, and we've seen plenty of those as far as the different hard drive configurations-- but this new PlayStation 3 will be coming in a new color -- ceramic white. 

This model will be a standard 40GB version and will have the model number designation of CECHH01. The controller for this PS3 will be just a standard Sixaxis wireless controller and will not be equipped with the Dual Shock 3 configuration.

At the moment no release date has been announced but some websites are reporting a rumor that the new ceramic white PS3 may be available as soon as this month and go on sale for $299.

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Study says 97% of Blu-ray user base due to PS3

Most everyone has surmised that the success of the Blu ray DVD format was in part due to the PS3, which has an onboard Blu-ray player.

What wasn't known was the extent of how important the PlayStation 3 was in the Blu-ray success story.. According to a study by DisplaySearch, the PS3 accounts for 97% of all Blu-ray device sales.

Although Blu-ray has taken the lead as far as being the dominant high definition DVD format, Paul Erickson, the director for DVD and HD market research at DisplaySearch, believes the high definition DVD market share is still relatively minor when compared to standard DVD and has not really caught on.

"Due to consumer price sensitivity and satisfaction with regular DVD, the for substantial growth needed for next-generation DVD to grow beyond a niche market dominated ...

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PSN ad bashes Xbox Live?

A lot of people are doubtlessly going to see this as a dirty cheap shot. It's really just smart marketing, though. Sony has released a new advertisement for its online network. The tagline for this ad is, "PlayStation Network: The fun's always free."

Many current PS3 owners see the cost-free nature of the PSN as a huge benefit, as any PS3 fanboy will loudly declare. So they are really just marketing the one thing they know for sure that the consumer is going to respond to.

I'm a bit surprised that Sony decided to take this route and point out the positives in the PSN when Microsoft has made it so simple for them to point out the flaws in MS's service. When your competitor's service essentially craps out for the better part of a month, the advertiser's job becomes pretty easy.

I would love to...

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MGS4 demo coming in February?

Here's something to get pants-wettingly excited about.

According to gaming magazine PSW, the videogame community and adoring Solid Snake fans can expect to see a demo for the eagerly anticipated Metal Gear Solid 4 arriving on the Playstation Network sometime next month.

Yes, you read that correctly.

The magazine made mention of the demo at the end of their hands-on playtest of the game, in which they assert that the demo will feature the same middle eastern city seen in most of the gameplay videos up to this point. PSW describes their experience as follows (obviously they said more, but this gives the jist of things):

"What is clear about this level from the game is the degree of freedom you'll get to explore Snake's new world. Old MGS levels were fairly linear, albeit with multiple routes,...

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