Gamernode: Latest PlayStation 3 News

7200 RPM hard drive coming to the PS3?

Some PS3 fans have been tinkering with their machines in order to increase the game console's performance. Various reports on the internet have shown that swapping out the 5400rpm hard drive for a 7200rpm model will imrprove the overall speed of the PS3 under certain conditions. 

A rumor reported by ps3center.net claims that Sony maybe thinking along the same lines by replacing the slower drive with a faster one.

Increases in the PS3's speed are said to cut 10 seconds off of download times from the PlayStation Network and about 2-5 seconds off of game loading times.

Whether this will come to pass is still in question, but if Sony is indeed thinking about upgrading its PS3 to the 7200rpm drive, it will probably mean one thing for consumers...a more expensive PS3.

• (4)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Soldner-X trailer revives the old-school

You may remember a little game called Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer from a while back, when I shared some new screenshots. The 2D sidescrolling shooter, being published (basically) by Play-Asia looks to be a great current take on an old-school genre, complete with pretty flashy lights and lots of explosions. The screens looked amazing, but no one outside of a select few (and those working on the game) knew how it actually looked in action.

Until now.

On the official website, they've just recently released a gameplay trailer. Complete in three resolutions, you can download it as HD as you wanna! In case you want to watch something while you're downloading the biggest, bestest trailer and burning it to DVD, I went ahead and uploaded it to Youtube. Remember, though, that this video quality does N...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

$400 40GB PS3 leaked by Best Buy?

A leaked digital Best Buy order form has been going around the internet "confirming" that the PS3 with a 40GB hard drive is going to be sold for $400 soon. While this could be great news, it can also be a sham.

There's no obvious signs of Photoshop, but there's some good people out there. Engadget did a little snooping around and discovered that the UPC code was in fact linked to Sony Computer Entertainment of America, lending more legitimacy to the documents. However, the new model code CECHG01 wasn't anywhere to be found.

Remember this is still considered a rumor, so don't read too much into it, but still, at least it's some sort of hope.

• (1)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Kojima -- a slave to his own creation?

Sometimes stories just need to come to an end before they start getting stretched too thin and eventually ruin the entire series. * Cough * Star Wars. Well unlike, George Lucas, Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear Solid series, knows when to stop.

During the E3 Media and Business Summit in July, Kojima declared Metal Gear Solid 4 would be the last Metal Gear game he that would be directly involved with.

His own beast, however, has become too successful for Konami to just let him go like that. Anthony Crouts, Konami Digital Entertainment's new marketing VP states in a recent phone interview: "I'm sure he's never going to let go of Metal Gear Solid - Trust me. [Snake's] a big character, so as a franchise I think he'll always hold it near and dear to his heart."

Crout insists that Konami w...

• (4)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

PlayStation: The Official Magazine has a "Future"!...

While getting the axe back in November 2006, Sony announced today that the Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine will be resurrected from the dead.

With big smiles on their faces, Sony snatched a deal with magazine publisher juggernaut Future US, Inc. and it'll see Future US to publish the newly named subscription magazine: PlayStation: The Official Magazine.

The first issue will be the Holiday 2007 edition, which will go on sale in late November. The initial circulation will be 300,000 copies and Future is penciling in 13 issues for its first year. Rob Smith, former editor-in-chief of PSM (another Future US published magazine), will become editor-in-chief for PlayStation: The Official Magazine.

Simon Whitcombe, publishing director for Future US, said, "We are enormously pleased to be selected ...

• (4)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Sony's "Big Bang" in 11 days

According to the folks over at GamePro France, Sony is gearing up to deliver what they believe to be a huge announcement on October 12th. In case you have lost track of time, that's only 11 days away, and only a month-and-a-half before the onset of retail's most intense season.

The most notable line in the article can be loosely translated as follows:

"Indeed, it seems that the October 12, 2007 date was chosen by Sony to make an important enough impact to be qualified in-house as a “big-bang."

This could suggest any number of possibilities, but the one on everybody's mind is, of course, a Playstation 3 price drop. Will the company finally make the entry barrier to PS3 play a little less daunting with an across-the-board price cut? I sure hope so, because $600 is not getting any easier t...

• (6)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Ratchet & Clank goes gold, new release on Oct. 30t...

A quick update on the official PlayStation blog reveals that the PS3 title Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction has hit a slight delay. Originally planned for release on October 23rd, the game will now ship one week later on October 30th. (And if you decide to dress up as either Ratchet or Clank for Halloween, then you're a much more hardcore gamer than me.)

With that said, the game has also officially gone gold, which means the game's developer, Insomniac Games, has completed development on the game. Even though there's a tiny delay, it's just a week later, so no worries.

Unfortunately, the planned demo has hit a small delay too. Originally planned for release on October 4th, the demo will now debut on October 11th via PSN. Details of the demo are as follows:

"The demo will be of Met...

• (6)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Havok happy about Heavenly Sword

Its been about a week since Heavenly Sword hit the shelves, and we can all just about agree, that it was received well. There are a few things that come to mind when you play it: She's hot...cool story...look at those bodies fly...

And Havok, the developer of the physics system of Heavenly Sword, couldn't be happier about the thought of bodies flying. David O'Meara, the CEO of Havok was quoted saying, "This game is a great example of how a talented development team can use cutting edge phsics and animation technology to bring games to a whole new level".

Apparently, traditional rag dolling wasn't good enough. I'm all for the nasty looking hits and body contortions. So let's cry Havok, and wait for another game with equal to or more carnage.

Via developmag

• (4)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Kojima Productions claims DualShock 3 is improved

You'd think that if you consciously make a title change from version 2 to 3, there would be some sort of improvement. Halo 2 to Halo 3, significant improvement. PlayStation 2 to PlayStation 3, a lot more power. Spiderman 2 to Spiderman 3, well... no that was just ridiculous, scratch that.

But I think you get the point, so naturally you'd think DualShock 3 to have improvements over DualShock 2.

Sony previously confirmed that there are in fact, no improvements made to the DualShock 3 saying, "The rumble feature on the DualShock 3 is the same as DualShock 2."

Case closed right? Wrong. Ryan Payton of Kojima Productions went on record saying that the rumble is more advanced.

When asked the question if DS3 was in fact better than DS2, Payton responded, "Absolutely, yeah, I mean, it feels better."

• (5)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Playlogic receives global PS3 publisher status fro...

For those of you who love lesser-known and foreign developers and publishers, have I got some great news! European developer/publisher Playlogic has just signed a deal with Sony Computer Entertainment America to distribute their future PS3 games globally.

The Amsterdam-based company is responsible for several recently-released games that made it to the global market, including Infernal, Obscure II, Ancient Wars: Sparta, and Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales.

"This is really great news for our company," said executive vice president Rogier W. Smit. He continued, "It's an industry given that SCEA is representative of the highest standard in game publishing. To be able to develop and publish for this incredibly powerful and versatile machine will give us the opportunity to deliver the best in v...

• (3)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Sony says 11 million PS3s by March 2008

JCN Network reports that Kaz Hirai, President of Sony Computer Entertainment, is sticking with the company goal of selling 11 million PlayStation 3 game consoles by March of next year.

The original target for sold units for the PS3 was 18 million previously, but was dropped to 11 million in January 2007 when expected sales for the machine took a huge nose-dive.

Present statistics for PS3 sales are estimated at about 4.5 to 5 million units worldwide.

With only 6 months to go and PS3 sales consistently lagging behind the Xbox 360, Wii and even its own PS2, it will take a miracle, lots of new games and possibly another price drop to reach the magic number.

Can Sony do it?

• (3)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

20GB PS3 model still for sale?

Like most things that seem to not want to go away, it appears that Sony is still offering the 20GB PS3 model for sale, according to a listing on GameStop. Hey that's weird, because didn't we hear that the 20GB model was going to be phased out due to "the overwhelming demand for the 60GB model,"?

Well, your ears are working, at least, because we heard the same thing, but it either looks like Sony discovered a buried cache of 20GB models somewhere or GameStop made a boo-boo.

I have a feeling that Sony has 20GB models stacked from floor to ceiling in a warehouse somewhere but decided to cut their sales of the smaller PS3 version due to the 60GB and 80GB models. 

Whether Sony is making the 20GB PS3 model available again or not, it appears that you can still fork over $449.99 for a 20GB PS3 at Ga...

• (2)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Dualshock 3 uses old tech, eats batteries

It looks as though Phil Harrison was telling the truth when he called controller rumble a "last gen feature," and he wasn't just making some crap up to hide Sony's legal battle with Immersion. Or was he?

Sony revealed their new, rumble-enabled Dualshock 3 a couple of days ago, and have since come forth with a few more details about the controller. It looks like it won't be making use of Immersion's next-gen technology, but will be sticking with the same stuff that made the PS2 controller move.

Said Sony Computer Entertainment America's Kimberly Otzman of the technology, "The rumble feature on the DualShock 3 is the same as DualShock 2." She went on to detail the battery life of the updated piece of hardware, saying, "battery life depends on how often the rumble feature is used. When the rumb...

• (6)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Imabikisou horrifies TGS

Now I will be the first to admit that I am somewhat of a sucker for horror games, but this one looks too bugged out NOT to pass along to GN's readers. It's like Fatal Frame meets flaming hell guys and bloody stuff with creepy ghost-like lurky things in derelict mansions plus trucks killing people and undoubtedly laced food items with powerfully mind-altering drugs and crazy nightmares, all rolled into one. Check it out:

• (5)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

PS3 Unreal Tournament 3 will be missing maps

Despite the PS3 version of Unreal Tournament 3 utilizing supportive hardware like a keyboard and mouse and containing map-building tools, it looks like the game will ship with a few less maps then its PC counterpart, according to IGN.

Mark Rein, Epic Games' VP, said that a few maps didn't mesh well with the PS3, "...because the system didn't have the resources to produce a smooth gameplay experience," and the decision was made to axe them.

While the number of cut maps isn't known, I'm sure players won't notice a dramatic difference.Also, PS3 owners will be able to create their own maps, so in a sense, those maps can easily fill the missing maps' place.

Rein also revealed that players can release their maps on the PlayStation Network for sale. With the PSN, Epic Games is planning a future u...

• (6)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Home public beta coming this year

Sony has been making a lot of noise at this year's Tokyo Game Show, as well as during the weeks leading up to it. Much of that noise has been about their upcoming nework service, Home.

A week ago, GamerNode reported on the abandonment of an October launch, which Sony has transformed into an expansion of the closed beta, instead. Then on Thursday, Sony made the announcement that the final release of the service would be pushed back to the spring of 2008.

Now, it seems they are meeting gamers in the middle (well, not really, since it was planned for October, but ok) with a public beta that will begin around the beginning of December.

Said Sony Worldwide Studios president Phil Harrison, "We will still be opening in late November/early December for general beta testing. So, the commercial start ...

• (2)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

The PS3 is a Blu-ray player, too!

Sony president Kaz Hirai has told the Financial Times that his company will be pushing their Playstation 3 console this holiday season by marketing it as a Blu-ray player as well as a videogame console.

Hirai stated that this approach to marketing the system will end up becoming a "balancing act," as Sony will have to find the perfect ratio of game- and movie-focussed advertising.

Said Hirai, "The PS3 is first and foremost a videogames machine but we want to say – by the way, it's a great Blu-ray player as well."

He went on to say that Sony plans no price cuts for the system as part of their marketing strategy for the holiday season.

"Going aggressive only on price without being able to back it up with content doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me," he explained.

• (4)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

What's wrong with Lair? Ken Levine weighs in

Make no mistake, more than a few shins were scuffed and whimpering tears were shed over the critical reception of Lair. For the last two weeks it's been pretty much Factor 5 versus the world. The world said Lair was mediocre, Factor 5 seemed intent that it was a Halo/WoW/Final Fantasy killer.

Now instead of fanboy rants and hurt feelings, we finally have a voice of rationality and objectivity. A voice I think we all can expect. He's attained near rock star status after the release of his media darling Bioshock....ladies and gentlemen...I give you: Ken Levine on Lair! He was recently featured on a podcast aired on Gamerswithjobs.com where he gave more than a few opinions, but most notable was his shpiel on Lair. It starts off a bit off topic, but he wraps it together nicely.

"Is there a game,...

• (4)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

List of SIXAXIS rumble compatible games

So, the rumors were true. Sony is in fact releasing a rumble-enabled version of the SIXAXIS. They denied the topic for nearly a year saying that rumble was not something they even wanted in their machine. That it was "last gen." 

Well now that they've come full circle and embraced the feature, they have released a list (in the article) of games that they say are going to make use of the feature, but only if the player has rumble. At this time they are holding firm that no game will require a rumble enabled controller.

What interests me about this list is that many of these games have already been released, and all of them have been in development for quite some time.This means that Sony had intended all along to eventually settle their law suits and include the feature. But they refused to t...

• (4)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

LocoRoco Cocoreccho! and 4 demos hit PSN

For you PS3 owners, this week seems to be the one that keeps on giving since four new demos and a new downloadable game have appeared on the PlayStation Store. The new downloadable game, LocoRoco Cocorechho!, costs $6.99 USD and contains new gameplay, full 1080p and SIXAXIS wireless support and additional mini-games. Here's a bit more from the press release:

"All new LocoRoco game exclusively for PS3! Play as a butterfly and guide the cute little LocoRoco to safety. The LocoRocos respond to the environment, interact with each other, and sing along to the music. Running at 1080p, LocoRoco Cocoreccho! brings all new gameplay, use of the SIXAXIS wireless controller technology, mini-games, and online rankings."

The four new game demos are for NBA 08, Skate, Sega Rally Revo and Stuntman: Ignition...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
•