GamerNode: Latest PlayStation 3 News

Uncharted 2 multiplayer demo now available

If you didn't get into the Uncharted 2 multiplayer beta a few months back, now is your chance to run, gun, and pillage with the rest of the lucky players. Playstation Blog has updated that Naughty Dog has released the multiplayer demo to the PSN Store for download.

The demo is a beefy offering with four different maps, four modes, and two cooperative modes. You can also access the Cinema, a Halo 3 Theatre type offering that allows you save multiplayer replay data and a special Stage Map that allows you to mess around in. 

Go download it and get a taste of Uncharted 2 before its October 13th release date

[Playstation Blog]

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

PS3 sales down from last week but have doubled yea...

Sales for the PlayStation 3 are still going strong despite a week-to-week drop-off. Sony's console has sold over 306,000 units this past week. The number is down from over 550,000 units the week prior but more than twice the 132,000-plus units from the same time last year.

The sales are also still up over 200 percent from the weeks prior to the new "Slim" model hitting store shelves, and are almost as much as the Wii and Xbox 360 sales combined. Xbox 360 sales dropped nine percent to 146,000-plus units and the Wii stayed at over 181,000 units sold.

On the software side, The Beatles: Rock Band sales for its first week beat out the sales for Guitar Hero 5 during its first week by 36 percent. The game based on the Fab Four sold a hefty 700,000 units worldwide.

Bringing in the top spot in sales t...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

FFXIII dated in Japan, estimated abroad

At a press event held this morning in Tokyo (which would be tonight in back-to-the-future Japan time), Square Enix announced an official release date for Final Fantasy XIII. The game will be available in Japan on December 17th, at the astronomical price of ¥8,800, or $95.

When asked about an international release date, producer Yoshinori Kitase responded, "In the past, it's taken a year or half a year to release our games abroad, but this time we are aiming for an international release this Spring."

Of particular note is Kitase's use of the word "international." Could this mean that FFXIII's release outside of Japan will be simultaneous across western territories?

GN will have more information as it becomes available.

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

First week PS3 "Slim" sales around 500,000 units w...

Sony seems to have hit a home run with its new console model, as around half-a-million units of the PS3 "Slim" have been sold worldwide last week according to preliminary data from VGChartz.

The number represents over a 400 percent increase in sales week-on-week and is a definite shot in the arm for a console manufacturer that has been in jeopardy as of late with declining sales and poor quarterly reports. In its first three days on sale in Japan, the console sold 150,252 units, which dwarfs the 88,000 sold immediately following the PS3's initial launch. In the UK, PS3 sales are up over 1,000 percent! This recovery can be credited to the new, more affordable price of the PS3 at $299 that began just one week prior to the "Slim" model's release.

Software for the PS3 also saw strong increases ...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Sony working on Update 3.0 issues

Reports of the latest PlayStation 3 firmware freezing games and generally not playing very nicely have been flying around the internet since shortly after the update was first made available. Well, Sony knows about it, and they want you to know that they're working on it.

A post on the official PlayStation blog states:

"SCEA is aware of reports that PS3 owners are experiencing isolated issues with their PS3 system since installing the most recent system software update (v3.00). Rest assured that we are looking into the matter and will provide an update here as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience, as it's our mission to deliver the best consumer experience on all PlayStation platforms."

Glad to hear it, but I'm sure a lot of PS3 owners are thinking, "'Looking into the matter' ...

• (1)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

PS3 sales double in US

Despite complaints of Firmware 3.0, Sony has reason to be happy. A weekly report of hardware sales from August 23-29 acquired by VGChartz shows that the sales of Sony's PlayStation 3 have more than doubled in America, increasing 104% over the week prior.

The massive increase in sales has to do with Sony's drop of the cost of its PS3 to $299, with the new "Slim" model now on sale at the same price. Worldwide, the PS3 has seen a 35% increase in sales.

As for the Xbox 360, which had its price lowered by Microsoft to $299 for the Elite model, it saw a sales increase of 32% from the week prior and a 29% increase worldwide. Sony's PSP saw sales shoot up 81%, 19% worldwide, which is mainly due to the release of Dissidia Final Fantasy and a bundle involving the portable system and game.

As for the Ni...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

New PlayStation 3 firmware freezing games

There have been some unsettling reports coming out of the GameFAQs message boards for any and every PlayStation 3 owner. The community has been complaining  about games for the console, specifically and mainly Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, freezing ever since the new Firmware 3.0 update.

It is currently unsure whether the problems will be limited to this small list of games, which also includes UFC, Tiger Woods 10, and Bioshock, or if it will expand in the future. However this is still a bad sign for Sony, which has already started to hear criticism and complaints over just how "major" this update has been compared to the company's promises and public expectations.

[GameFAQS]

• (1)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Gamestop Manager's Conference '09: God of War 1 an...

At the Sony conference during the 2009 Gamestop Manager's Conference, Sony announced a God of War 1 and 2 Blu-ray package. It will retail at 39.99 and run 60 frames per second at 720P resolution. It's due out in November.

More from the conference as it pours in.

• (3)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

GameStop to offer old PS3 trade-ins for "Slim"

Many PlayStation 3 owners may not want to spend more money by purchase the new "Slim" model that is due to come out this week, but GameStop is doing its best to convince these people otherwise.

The largest videogame store chain will be giving customers $150 off of the new PS3 in exchange for their older, bigger models. If one does the math, that cuts the price of the new PS3 "Slim", priced at $299, in half.

It may still be an additional $150 on top of the large amount already spent for the older PS3, but it could be enough to entice gamers who have gained a fond attraction to the smaller new model.

[PSX Extreme]

• (1)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Best Buy giving free games to stop PS3 returns

Best Buy appears to be implementing a strategy to prevent recent PlayStation 3 buyers from returning their BIG models for the newer, sleeker SLIM model when it becomes available within the next week. How? By giving away free games.

According to an internal memo at Best Buy, consumers wishing to return their consoles (within the 30-day return window) in exchange for the new model will be offered one free game in exchange for keeping their original purchase. The games that available are reportedly inFAMOUS, MLB 09: The Show, and Killzone 2. Customers will still be refunded the $100 difference if they choose to accept this deal, and can of course decline the offer and get their smaller, more energy efficient unit and larger hard drive.

Is a single game worth the compromise? That's up for the i...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

PlayStation Network down for maintenance today

Quick! Sign in to PSN before 5:15 EDT or be locked out!

Okay, it's really not THAT urgent, but Sony has announced that the company's online service will be down for maintenance beginning at that time (2:15 PDT, 9:15 GMT), and the downtime will last for roughly four hours. Those who are already signed in when maintenance begins will be able to remain so for the duration, but nobody new will be able to play online, download, etc. until the work is done.

If you want to play online this evening, I suggest you sign in early.

[Kotaku]

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Official: PS3 Slim in September, price drop tomorr...

We all knew it was coming, but now it's official. Sony president Kaz Hirai announced at Gamescom today that the PS3 Slim will be available the first week of September, and existing PlayStation 3 models will receive a price cut starting tomorrow, August 19th.

The new unit will cost $299 (€299, ¥29,980), and will be 33 percent smaller and 36 percent lighter than the current PS3 form factor. It will also consume 34 percent less power than its big brother, while maintaining most of the features already in place... including the absence of backwards compatibility. The internal hard drive capacity of the new model will be 120GB, and all PS3 Slim units will come pre-loaded with Sony's recent 3.0 firmware.

Missing from the Slim is the "Install Other OS" option, which allows users to put Linux ...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

PS3 price drop detector: Kmart and FYE ads

It's only a matter of time before the long-rumored, longer-awaited PlayStation 3 price drop becomes a reality. A pair of new clues popped up yesterday -- one at FYE and the other at Kmart -- further indicating the imminence of the retail mega-event.

FYE is preparing to adorn stores with plenty of red-tag signage, advertising a $100 price reduction for both the 80GB PS3 model (from $399 to $299) and the 160GB Uncharted bundle (from $499 to $399). Although a start date for this price change has not yet been revealed, employees have the posters in-hand, ready to be displayed to the eager public.

Kmart.com gives us more to go on, with a front page ad promising "The Rumors Are Reality" regarding a "New Exciting Playstation 3." (Does it matter that PlayStation is misspelled? Naaahhhhh.) This lin...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

No instruments, no problem with SingStar: Beatles

Let's face facts: more people love The Beatles than are interested in playing plastic pseudo-instruments. For those individuals, Electronic Arts, MTV Games, and Sony will be working together to deliver an instrument-free version of The Beatles: Rock Band this fall. Sources at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany have revealed that SingStar: Beatles will be hitting store shelves "within days" of The Beatles: Rock Band's September 9th release, exclusively for the PlayStation 3 console.

Like The Beatles: Rock Band, SingStar: Beatles will be published by MTV Games and distributed by Electronic Arts, and is not meant to be a competitor to that high-profile game, but more of a toned-down alternative intended to deliver more Beatles to a wider audience. SingStar: Beatles will come bundled with Singstar m...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

LittleBigPlanet GOTY Edition boasts more content a...

According to an Amazon.com listing, Media Molecule's PS3-exclusivce hit LittleBigPlanet will be coming back to store shelves this fall.

The Game of the Year Edition will sell at 50 USD, $10 lower than the original release, and boasts "Bonus Content valued at over $30."

Though the phrase "valued at" makes most of us scratch our heads and wonder what exactly will be added, the lower price and extra content will surely sway any gamers who are on the fence to buy such a terrific game, one can only hope.

No information on a release date, but GN will update as more information becomes available.

[Amazon]

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

PS3 production costs have dropped 70 percent

Sony CEO and executive VP Nobuyuki Oneda has announced that production costs for the PlayStation 3 console have decreased by 70% since its 2006 launch.

In a recent conference call Oneda stated, "The cost reduction since we introduced the PS3 is very substantial and this is on schedule." He went on to clarify, yet still remain as vague as he could manage with an estimate of "about 70%, roughly speaking."

So does this mean that a retail price cut is in store for the near future? It's a possibility, but because the PS3 was rumored to have cost about $800 per unit to manufacture upon release, thereby costing Sony money with each sale, they may be interested in making up some of that lost revenue before passing along the savings. If the purported $800 figure is accurate, then one PS3 now costs ...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Star Ocean: The Last Hope no longer 360 exclusive

After nearly half a year of exclusivity to the Xbox 360, a GameFly listing has revealed that Square-Enix's Star Ocean: The Last Hope will be coming to the PlayStation 3 sometime in the future.

The Last Hope recently showed up in the popular videogame rental site's PS3 section with a "TBD" release date, indicating that there is at least a plan to bring the game to the platform. When questioned about the listing, a GameFly spokesperson confirmed, stating, "We simply post information as it is supplied to us by the publishers."

We are still waiting on a solid release date for the port, but eager, PS3-bound Star Ocean fans now at least have something to look forward to.

[Joystiq]

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

MGS 4 demo now available on the PSN

After a long wait, the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots demo is now available on the PlayStation Network. The final game in the Metal Gear Solid saga (supposedly), it's easily one of the biggest selling games of the year and the main reason many people bought a PS3.

So am I the only one confused by the release of a demo at this point? I can understand wanting more people to try it and buy it ... but who would consider buying MGS4 that already hasn't? It's the fourth game in the series, so there aren't going to be a lot of newcomers going "This demo was fun, BUY BUY BUY!" And if you own a PS3 and are even remotely interested in Metal Gear, you've probably already played the game, or planned on buying it/receiving it in the near future around Christmas time. 

I'm definitely interested...

• (5)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

New Need for Speed Undercover gameplay trailer

Need for Speed: Undercover is being touted as a return to the roots of the franchise, and has easily had the longest development cycle of any NFS game. Will it live up to the hype? Check out the new gameplay trailer below and decide for yourself.

• (1)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Want to hear the reason for the LBP recall?

Want to hear the song which led to LBP being recalled worldwide due to its quoting of the Quran? Then hit play below. (And then, after that, try not to cry that LBP has been pushed back for more than two weeks for most of the world.)

• (21)
• 
• 
• 
• 
•