GamerNode: Latest PlayStation 3 News

US Air Force buying truckloads of PS3s

Apparently all that noise Sony was making about the PS3 being mindbogglingly powerful wasn't just hot air, according to a request filed by the United States Air Force.

The USAF trying to arrange a deal with Sony to supply 300 Playstation 3 consoles. The 40gb model no less. (Apparently the Air Force's research doesn't involve backward compatibility.)

The filing leads one to believe that the Air Force isn't interested in gaming necessarily, but rather the Cell Processor that lies within. They must believe it has some kind of super human power if they're so interested as to buy 300. The number 300 is a little bit odd though, can't they share?

My guess is that they're reasearching stress levels for the Cell and they are expecting many of them to break.

They cite the reason for purchasing the PS3 ...

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Rumor: Crysis for PS3 adds more

Did you know that Crysis is coming to the PS3? I didn't either, but according to the latest issue of UK magazine 'PSW', "it's no secret Crysis is coming to PS3". Right, well until we get further confirmation I am going to label this a nice little rumor. Here is what the article says:

"First up, we have Crysis. Now it's no secret that Crysis is coming to PS3 this year. The excitable, hard-worked coders over at Crytek have said as much in many interviews - they've even produced a new, multi-platform engine in readiness - but the real juice here is that it won't be a straight conversion of the PC game. We understand PS3 Crysis will be an almost 50% new game, with many of the original games staff taken off PC Crysis months before release to begin to work on Crysis 2 and a port to PS3 that w...

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Kojima says MGS4 too big to fit on Blu-ray

Maybe Sony was onto something, after all, when it decided to put the Blu-ray player inside the PS3. 50GB of storage space on one disc is nothing to sneeze at and many thought that the full capacity wouldn't be utilized by a video game for some time to come. 

But Hideo Kojima, creative genius behind the MGS series, has not only reached the capacity of 50GB for Metal Gear Solid 4, but has actually surpassed that threshold.

Truth be known, Kojima explained that some improtant MGS4 elements and features had to be compressed down in order to fit on a Blu-ray disc. He complained that MGS4 could have been an even better game if the dev team had more room to work with.

This is quite astounding considering 50GBs is quite a large amount of storage space for a video game. Considering that the blu-ray s...

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New EyeToy tech has some potential

Sony has some new technology rolling out for their tragically underutilized PlayStation Eye. MTV Multiplayer is reporting that this new tech allows for the system to automatically detect where the player's face is and track its motion.

Whereas previous technology like this required players to wear some kind of strange apparatus on their heads while they played in order for it to be effective, this new tech does not. All you need is a face.Sony speculates that this could have great innovative and immersive impact on games like first-person-shooters and boxing titles. They say that it could be used to peek around corners, or dodge incoming punches. So far though, no one has announced any specific plans on how they are going to integrate this technology into their games.

It's a shame they coul...

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Backwards pricing for backwards compatibility

Japan loves their PlayStation 3. Japan loves their PlayStation 3 so much that people are paying 69780 Yen (668.28 USD) for a used 60GB and 63800 Yen (611.01 USD) for a used 20GB.

Pretty crazy prices when you can get a brand spankin' new 40GB for the low, low price of 37581 Yen (359.91 USD, that's nearly half for those who didn't pass third grade math).So why are the launch boxes going for so much money? The difference is more than gigabytes. Since the launch of the PS3, Sony has slowly been stripping out the backwards compatibility of their machine and only the 20 and the 60 gig versions can play the entire PlayStation library.

The current 40 gig box can't play a single PS2 game. And that can be a problem for people with large PS2 libraries. I personally have seen PS2 collections that...

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GTA IV 'roughly 100 hours to finish'

When the guys over at  videogamer.com went to Rockstar's London HQ, they asked a spokesperson how long it would take to finish the game--the answer was "about 100 hours if you take your time. 

Use Niko's phone, get tons of playtime. Niko's phone is used to call contacts, arrange drinking sessions, sort out dates with women and call in jobs. It will also be the gateway to GTA IV's still secretive multiplayer side of the game.

"If you're not in a rush and you answer the phone when it rings it'll take about 100 hours to complete", said the spokesman. "It's harder to distinguish between main and side missions - there are loads of both. But there are more main missions than side missions. It's not as clear cut as it used to be because of the phone."

I'm not really surprised at this announcement ...

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White PS3s coming?

Lots of news on the PS3 front, mainly focusing on new bundles for upcoming games such as Metal Gear Solid 4. Over the past week, reports from retailers across the U.S. say that the current 40GB Spiderman 3 bundle is about to wind down.

Retailers say that they've stopped receiving this version of the PS3 and have been told to expect new 40GB units without any movie tied in.

Some stores have already received shipments of new PS3s with the model # CECHH01, which is the model number for the new white Playstation 3. It looks like we won't be seeing these smooth silky white PS3s until the black Spiderman 3 bundles are gone. The price of the new PS3 model will remain at $399.

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Konami confirms MGS4 release date of June 12

Reports from the Sony event earlier this week stated that Metal Gear Solid 4 would hit stores on June 12, and today Konami has confirmed that date via a press release.

"Blockbuster events and premieres are a tradition of the summer," said Kazumi Kitaue, Konami Digital Entertainment Inc. Chairman and CEO. "We anticipate that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots fits that bill perfectly, and consumers will be waiting in line to get their copy of the game just like it's a hit Hollywood movie." In addition to the game's release of June 12 (which is also the day the PS3 MGS4 bundle goes on sale) the release also gave some mention about the pre-sale program.

Beginning in April, gamers who pre-order MGS4 will receive Metal Gear Saga 2.0 DVD, containing a Prologue that recaps the Metal Gear fra...

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Disgaea 3 coming to PS3

NIS America announced today that the Disgaea series will be heading to the next gen PlayStation 3 for the first time in franchise history. The in-house strategy RPG had appeared only on the Playstation 2 up until last year, when Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness was released on the PSP to its fair share of critical acclaim.

This time around, NIS is adding new features like the terrain-altering Geo Block and the stat-altering Geo Panel, so fans can expect some new variety to spice things up in Disgaea 3.

GamerNode reported last July that the game was likely headed to Japan sometime in 2008, but only now has the publisher confirmed a North American release, as well. The game will arrive on western shores in August of this year.

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Haze dissipates, confirmed for May '08 release

Like a continuing line of slaps in the face, the broken record line of announcements from Ubisoft throughout late last year and this year regarding Haze's release date was pretty painful to endure.

On Eurogamer today, Ubisoft threw all of these delays into the trashcan and confirmed that the first-person shooter Haze will be released for the PS3 this May.

Originally slated for release last November, the game was pushed back to December of last year, then to Q1 2008, then to next month, and finally then rested at Ubisoft's fiscal 2008-2009 year, which runs from April 2008 to March 2009. The last "confirmed" release date seemed to be a death sentence for Haze, but thankfully the game will be released this May.

The game is currently a PS3 exclusive game but past rumors have appeared that the g...

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Next RockStar franchise is PS3 only

GTA 4 is going to be one of the biggest titles launches for 2008. But Sony and RockStar are already thinking ahead, especially when it comes to the future of both companies. The general consensus of the gaming community was that Sony had lost its marbles by letting the GTA franchise slip through their fingers.

But turns out Sony has had a plan all along. Recently revealed, Sony and RockStar have partnered up to bring the next RockStar franchise only to the PlayStation 3.

RockStar wants to make the first game which takes full advantage of the PlayStation 3 hardware, and based on Sony's ten year plan for their console, games like RockStar is planning is exactly what Sony wants and needs. When we will see this game no one knows, but being that it is RockStar and that Sony gave up the GTA lice...

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Overlord coming to PS3

Codemasters' and Triumph Studios' Overlord is one of those games that seems to have been overlooked by gamers, despite the great concept and gameplay that it brings to the table. Around the time of the game's release, it only got light press coverage, and was never a part of any huge marketing plan.

Hopefully, the recently announded PlayStation 3 port of the previously PC and Xbox 360 -only title will allow a larger audience to take a stab at it. This humorous and enjoyable game experience feels like the lovechild of Pikmin and Fable, but at the same time is completely fresh.

The port will be called Overlord: Raising Hell, and will include the original game and all of its existing downloadable content on a single blu-ray disc. It will arrive on store shelves this summer. PS3 owners, do...

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Sony thinking about no more PS3 price drops

Pricing a console is never easy. Nothing is a better example of this than the PlayStation 3. With multiple SKUs and varying price ranges, to say the PlayStation 3's price has remained constant is a joke.

But if there was one constant of the PlayStation 3, it is that everyone agreed that its price should be lowered. With the Wii at $250 US and the Xbox 360 sitting comfortably around the $350 US mark, it didn't take a major in buisness to realize that if the PlayStation 3 wanted to compete, it had to lower its steep price tag.

So who would have thought, just after a year on the shelves that the PlayStation 3 would be outselling the Xbox 360 for the month of January (reliablity Microsoft, reliability), have an upcoming game library even Microsoft and Nintendo should be envious of, and have th...

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No Left 4 Dead for PS3; Valve likes the Wii

Valve's vice president of marketing, Doug Lombardi, spoke with videogaming247 at GDC and revealed potential console plans for Turtle Rock Studios' upcoming online co-op FPS Left 4 Dead. Currently penciled for a release in fall 2008, Left 4 Dead has been confirmed for PC and Xbox 360, but Lombardi spoke about possible Wii and PS3 plans.

First, Lombardi mentioned that, if given the option, Valve would have developed Left 4 Dead for the Wii. He said, "If Valve were to develop in-house for another format, it would be the Wii. It's growing, there's already a huge user-base, and it's fun. Source is really scaleable[sic]. We can do that."

The same can't be said for the PS3; Lombardi said that Left 4 Dead will not head to Sony's console. Reasons given included limited interest and lack of experience...

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Metal Gear Solid 4 release date. PS3 bundle coming...

There is a solid release period for the super anticipated experience that is Metal Gear Solid 4--sometime in the second quarter of 2008.

What sort of things can we expect from MGS4? According to Sony:

"Guns of the Patriots will be available in North America in late Q2 2008. A Metal Gear Online "Starter Pack" will also be launched to support online game play. Gamers can select a single player experience or take the action online with up to 16 players and battle it out using the latest weapons and stealth techniques..."

On top of that Sony is releasing a PlayStation 3 MGS4 bundle too. It will include the PS3 80GB system, the game and one Dual Shock 3 controller for $499. We assume that this bundle will hit alongside the Metal Gear Solid 4 release.

Jack Tretton, president of SCEA said of the ne...

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PS3 DualShock 3 with rumble. Finally!

When the PS3 was launched, two major things caught the attention of the gaming community in a negative way--the price of the PS3 and the lack of a rumble feature in the controller. Sony explained that it was unable to make the rumble work with its motion-sensing feature.

As it turns out, it was actually due to a huge $90 million lawsuit brought against Sony for "borrowing" the rumble technology illegally from the patent holders--Immersion Corp. In the lawsuit, Sony was forced to cease all production of DualShock controllers which had the rumble technology.

Since then, PlayStation 3 fans have been crying into their beer mugs and Mountain Dew soda cans at the loss of feeling the jolt of their rocket launchers or other tools of destruction in their PS3 games.

But all will be well (almost) as ...

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PS3 has a big "secret" game

The PS3 has a secret game in development. End of news. Ok, in order to extend this news a little bit longer I'll give you a little tid bit of what Darren Waters from the BBC experienced at the Sony studios in Europe.

"Well, I was shown a trailer for a game not due out till 2009 but was sworn to absolute secrecy. Apparently, Sony just wanted to give a glimpse of what the console will be capable of. In fact, the game is such a secret that when I mentioned the game to Phil Harrison last week he was unsure at first whether even to admit the title existed.

"When I explained I had been shown it under strict Non Disclosure Agreement terms he looked relieved. I don't mean to be a tease - all I can say is that I was left speechless. If the footage I was shown truly is "in game", as told to me by th...

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Sony opens up PS3 advertising

According to gamesindustry.biz, Sony opening up its in-game advertising platform will spark a battle among Double Fusion, IGA and AdScape.

"Sony will offer an open platform on the PlayStation 3, allowing the three key players in the in-game advertising market to strike deals with game publishers. They already have their own PlayStation Network sales force to sell dynamic ads in Sony-produced games such as Pain. Making things open only makes things better for marketers or people who want to place ads because they aren't the mercy of a given network," eMarketer senior writer James Belcher told Advertising Age. "Everyone's playing around with the best model - how to charge, what gamers will and will not put up with."

Yes indeed, that is the most important factor in all of this, isn't it? How ...

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LittleBigPlanet to be a triple-A title for Sony

The indie gaming scene is growing exponentially, and gamers are being invited to the simple yet incredibly creative experiences that these developers are creating. One such title is Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet that will be available exclusively for the Playstation 3.

LittleBigPlanet is more than just a platformer, it's an intuitive, imaginative level creator that gamers will be able to play around with, and will no doubt, bring new and exciting gaming possibilities.

Sony realizes the uniqueness of the game, and its mass appeal, so they are not afraid to say, "LittleBigPlanet is potentially our biggest Blu-ray release of 2008. We definitely see it as a triple-A Blu-ray release and will be a full price product."

Sony's senior product manager, Nick Robinson, told VideoGamer.com that "Son...

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Sony chief, Phil Harrison, quits after 15 years

Phil Harrison, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, will be leaving his longtime employer of 15 years starting February 29, 2008.

Kaz Hirai, president and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment will take on Harrison's responsibility of worldwide studios in addition to his other duties as the main man at SCE. Hirai took over the position of CEO at Sony Japan from Ken Kutaragi last year.

Harrison has had a long distinguished career with Sony and was instrumental in the launch of all four PlayStation platforms. He led Sony Computer Entertainment's first party game development operations and vigorously went after the improvement of Sony's online stature.

No word has come out for the reasons behind Harrison's departure but the content of Kaz Hirai's statement on the depar...

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