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This upcoming Friday, March 23rd is the launch of the Sony PlayStation 3 for the “rest of the world�.  Will the intervening rollercoaster of bad and good press impact this launch?In a recent interview with myself on the technology radio show Byte Into It (3RRRFM) Michael Ephraim was on top of his game as head of Sony Entertainment Australia/New Zealand.

During the interview, Ephraim was able to break down the cost of the PS3 which has been a much talked about issue with this launch.  At AU$999.95 the PS3 is by far the most expensive entertainment unit in the market today.

Although, if you break it down to its bare components and compare to Sony’s nearest rival, Microsoft’s Xbox 360, a fully spec’ed up 360 with wireless connection, HD-DVD player and 20GB Hard drive is only about $15 cheaper than the PS3 with a 60GB Hard drive.

Wishing to emphasise this issue Ephriaim says ; “Go into a store and have the unit demonstrated properly,� the implication being that once the consumer sees the power of the console and componentry involved, $1000 won’t seem so much..  Detractors will point out that with the Xbox 360 modular design, these options are just that, options.  If I don’t want to play HD movies in my games console I can choose not to purchase the HD-DVD add on drive or the wireless adapter if it is not required.

Sony are also banking on the success of Blu-Ray as a format, not only as the next generation of high definition disc based entertainment, but also as a selling point for game sophistication.  According to Ephraim Resistance: Fall of Man is using 17GB on a Blu-Ray disc, and developers are looking for more space as time goes on.

“We are very, very confident blu-ray will win� Ephraim says.  The other big negative issue to recently hit the European/Australian, was the removal of the hardware Emotion chip from the PS3, this chip provided the means to gain 98% backwards compatibility to PS2 game titles.

Ephraim goes on to mention that since the original launch of PS3, Sony has been able recreate the backwards compatibility using software emulation.  A saving of $27 (the cost of the Emotion chip) per PS3 when you are planning on producing 10 to 15 million units was too good to pass up

Up to about 1000 titles out of the catalogue of 2200 PS2 games have been software emulated, Ephraim estimates that on the date of launch the total games backwardly compatible will be about 1200;  “For PR purposes, it was not the best thing for us, but in the real light of day, when we launch, I don’t think it will affect consumers that much, especially if we have 70 to 75 percent of titles compatible�

Ephraim went on to explain more about PlayStation Home, which will be available for download soon after the launch.  The lush 3D environment will provide a Sony version of Second Life, enabling online discussion, game match making, Avatar and apartment customisation and general showing off of awards and style.

Playstation Home users will be able to create content for others to view within their own apartments.  As Ephraim says, this is a quantum leap forward for this attempt at a virtual world environment on a games console.

Ehpraim was less forthcoming about the amount of stock available for the launch on Friday – One could be cynical and say that the best thing that can happen during a launch of a games console, is the hype build up of an “out-of-stockâ€? situation.  Look at the Wii, selling as many as Nintendo can create.  Sounds great, and gives the manufacturer the ability to adjust stock flows to keep the popularity hype high.”There might be pockets of out-of-stock… I am confident we will have a fairly smooth launchâ€? Ephraim concludes.

If you are keen to join the lines for launch night, here is a list of Australian stockests that will open on midnight Friday 23rd  March, good luck.
Dick Smith PowerHouse: all stores except Springwood - 19 stores
Domayne: all stores except WA - 149 stores
EB Games: all stores except WA - 150 stores
Games Wizards: all stores except WA - 21 stores
Harvey Norman: all stores except WA - 149 stores
JB Hi Fi: Westfield stores across Australia - 10 stores
Myer: Sydney city and Melbourne city stores - 2 stores
TRU: assorted stores - 23 Stores

Source:http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/10599/1092/1/2/

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, for the PS3 has begun shipping to North American retail stores and will be available by Tuesday, March 20.

Released in March 2006 for the Xbox 360 and Windows PC by Bethesda Softworks, Oblivion features a powerful combination of free-form gameplay, unprecedented graphics, and cutting edge AI. Like the Xbox 360, the PS3 version of Oblivion was originally delayed from its first announced release date for a few months. Since then, it has become the best RPG to hit next-generation platforms thus far.

After the mysterious and untimely death of the Emperor, the throne of Tamriel lies empty. With the Empire ready to crumble, the gates of Oblivion open and demons march upon the land - laying waste to everything in their path. To turn the tide of darkness, you must find the lost heir to the throne and unravel the sinister plot that threatens to destroy all of Tamriel.

Source:http://www.thegamefeed.com/news-17882a22e704e798a8fdbc20b2ce3655.html

Capcom Co. on Mon. announced that the action game Devil May Cry will be released to Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 and the PC.The game was already in development for Sony Corp.’s Playstation 3 video game console.

Each version is said to take advantage of individual platform strengths.

“Capcom is committed to making its titles available to as wide an audience as possible, and has been building its technology base to meet that goal,” said Mark Beaumont, executive vice president, officer and head of Capcom consumer software publishing in the Americas and Europe. “This announcement means that PS3, Xbox 360 and PC owners worldwide will be able to experience the latest installment of one of Capcom’s pillar franchises.”

The PS3 has held lower-than-expected sales at retail due to production problems and high retail pricing. As game budgets balloon to multi-million dollar projects, game publishers have loosened exclusivity deals with hardware manufacturers to generate maximum revenue per product.

The defection of Devil May Cry 4 to rival consoles is a business strategy that has caused the PS3 to lose several formerly exclusive game titles.

In Dec., Sega announced that Virtua Fighter 5 would be released to the Xbox 360 in summer 2007. The game was previously announced only for the PS3. Virtua Fighter 4, the last installment of the series, was exclusive to the Playstation 2.

In Sept., Ubisoft announced that the action title Assassin’s Creed would be released for the Xbox 360 after a PS3-only debut.

The most substantial exclusivity loss at Sony came at E3 2006 when Microsoft announced that the latest edition of Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto series would appear on the Xbox 360. The series had been exclusive to the PS2 and helped the console generate hefty hardware sales in its lifetime.

Still, game publishers have entirely eliminated exclusivity deals in recent months. Capcom released Dead Rising in Aug. and Lost Planet: Extreme Condition in Jan. only on Xbox 360. Both titles have generated solid sales in worldwide markets.

Ubisoft published the first-person action game Red Steel exclusively to Nintendo Co.’s Wii in Nov.

In addition, EA in Feb. said that it will develop an exclusive game called MySims to Wii and the Nintendo DS.

Source:http://news.punchjump.com/article.php?id=3914

UPDATE 03/20/07: Sony has revealed official details of the update, which we’ve reported on here.

From day one, among those who took a gamble (or stuck to their guns) and picked up a PlayStation 3, there have quite a few complaining that Sony’s new system didn’t have all the features out of the box that Microsoft’s Xbox 360 has now. However unreasonable – after all, the 360 took over a year to get where it is – the fact remains that the PS3 has a lot of ground to cover, and Sony doesn’t seem to be wasting any time.

For awhile now, the legendary March update was said to offer everything from background downloading to the meaning of life, and it was called upon again and again to cover any dream features PS3-owners wanted to see on the system. With the month quickly coming to a close, it seemed the March update wouldn’t even be out on time, but at long last Sony has revealed the details for firmware update 1.6, which is set to hit on March 22^nd, just in time for the European launch of the system.

Among the new features coming, one of the most anticipated is background downloading, which will allow players to do other tasks on their PS3 while it downloads large files from the PlayStation Network; unfortunately, Sony has stated there will be some limitations, though it won’t reveal them until the update hits.  Our guess is that it won’t allow you to actually play any games while files download, merely navigate the crossbar. The update will also now allow 20GB PS3 owners take advantage of Remote Play to view content on their console, a feature previously limited to the premium 60GB version. Your PS3 will also become a little easier to use as a web browser, with an auto-adjust for webpage font and the addition of a full-size onscreen keyboard. And, finally, Folding@home, which we discussed in a news story last week, will be added to the system, finishing off the additions that we do know of.

As always, we will continue to follow this story. When the update actually releases later this week, we’ll be sure to alert you, as well as tell you about any new features it might introduce. So, be sure to check back at VGGEN often!

Source: IGN

Sony confirmed before the release of PS3 that PS3 contains the PS2’s Emotion Engine (EE) chip and the PS2’s Graphics Synthesizer (GS) for better backward compatibility. They planned to remove the EE+GS chip later on after they achieve backward compatibility with software emulation.

Removing (EE) chip and the PS2’s Graphics Synthesizer (GS) will reduce the cost of producing a PS3.

Now Sony CFO Takao Yuhara reported that they have started producing new 65nm cell version for PS3, the new Cell is cheaper to produce than the 90nm. They are also removing some other parts like tertiary silicon from the system.

The new developments will drastically reduce the price of PS3 console, users are happy as long as the backward compatibility remain intact.
Source:http://www.freakitude.com/2007/02/09/sony-plans-to-reduce-ps3-cost/
rice of PS3 console, users are happy as long as the backward compatibility remain intact.

PlayStation 3 Magazine disclosed new information about Sony’s latest PlayStation 3. According to the magazine, Sony PlayStation will have an online service center. PS3 works as a DVR (Digital Video records) to have a record on the television broadcast, PS3 will also be performing as a Location Free Player for the PSP (Portable Playstation). This will let PSP users with broadband internet. Admission to look at television shows and movies flowed from their PS3 to their PSP anywhere in the whole world.

In adding together to the amazing multimedia features, the PEST will also have an online download service related to “iTunes� which will let PS3 holder to download high description videos to their new PlayStation.

Ps3 has an online service that goes beyond even the latest Xbox live. These features will see live entertainments by the viewers directly and more clearly. There is many games being work out on PS3 for it right now especially in U.S. According to Sony Industry, the final PS3 development kit will be a lot faster than they thought.

You can also have a download of music and videos using the HI DEF downloader. The new PS3 will have a media center functionally 360 stations and still getting further.

Due to the consistent public demand, more forecast on the likely PlayStation 3 cost are in, at present time that holds and see that it will reach up to US $499. The $499 numeral added strength to the manufacturer’s views.

Critiques for the PS3

• Contrary to what have been promised features on movie, music, and video downloads were not able to formed on the PS3 in real-time.

• The majority of the developers and technicians are operationally studying all the games that are running well at 720p, and then unsealing it to 1080p. This is for the reason that they are finding it difficult to attain and complete better results at the true, high resolution of the 1080p process.

• Sony Inc. Has the arrangement to alter the concept controller design, changing it with something up-to-the-minute that will retain the Dual Shock 2 lay out.

• The PS3 gives the impression of go one better than the Xbox 360 much particular where there is a set of turning it out in the screens, and PS3 do some extra work and stuff all at once.

• Some of the critiques and machines experts would say that it is not an overly superior to the Xbox 360, therefore distant applications seems to be better only by significant amount.

• On the other hand, 31 games are listed, including Devil May Cry 4, Metal Gear Solid 4, Gran Torismo, Matrix Reloaded, Lair, War hawk and Tekken.

Some of the PlayStation and Video Games analyst considered that Sony Inc. know-it-all when speaking of the mere foretaste regarding the new project for the PlayStation 3. Base also on the quick preview on games featured in PS3 games had gone so far, also video game experts had seen the featured games and they find out that PS3 games have a good approaching sequel.

It appears that PS 3 will be fully equipped with a nice hard drive. Hard drive of PS3 will ensure a huge hard disk to accumulate photos, TV Shows and music right directly into your PS3.

However, nothing in this world is constant. Several of the PS3 features will change in less than a month. Keep yourself updated about the features that PS3 offers.

http://www.add-articles.com/Article/PlayStation-3—To-Be-Released-in-Sp

PS3 And Xbox 360 Half Life 2: Episode 2 go orange

Xbox 360, PS3, and PC gamers are going to have to wait until Fall 2007 to finally get their hands on Half Life 2: Episode 2. The title had been announced for Summer…but it looks like it will certainly be worth the wait. Here’s the details of the differing packages depending on platform, courtesy of EA and Valve:

Electronic Arts and Valve, the award-winning studio behind the blockbuster franchises Half-Life and Counter-Strike, today announced the naming and product configurations The Black Box and The Orange Box, two of the most anticipated action game offerings shipping worldwide in Fall 2007.

The Black Box will ship for the PC, and includes Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal and Team Fortress 2. The Orange Box will ship for the PC, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, and Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system, and includes all the content of The Black Box, plus the original Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One.

Innovative games included in The Black Box and The Orange Box include:

Half-Life 2: Episode Two — the second installment in Valve’s episodic trilogy advances the award-winning story, leading the player to new locations outside of City 17. Portal — a pioneering type of single player action game that rewrites the rules for how players approach and manipulate their environment – much like how Half-Life 2’s Gravity Gun reinvented the way gamers interact with objects in the game. Team Fortress 2 — an all-new version of the legendary title that spawned team based multiplayer action games. The game’s daring new art style features the most advanced graphics of any Source-based game released to date.

“In less than 18 months, we’ve shipped 10 new products to retail outlets with EA Partners,� said Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve. “The Black Box and The Orange Box represent a new approach to publishing multiple products, on multiple platforms and we know through our experience that no organization in the industry is better equipped to successfully launch new product types on multiple platforms than EA Partners.�

“Valve is one of the world’s premiere independent developers and EA Partners is thrilled to help them bring the groundbreaking action games in The Orange Box and The Black Box to market as their publishing partner,� said David DeMartini, vice president and general manager of EA Partners.

In January Nintendo sold around 405,000 Wii consoles but Sony could only manage to shift 148,000 PlayStation 3 consoles. It seems the higher cost of PS3, the 20GB model being twice the price of Wii, and the wider range of games available for Wii is responsible for the success of the Nintendo console.

Enterbrain now expects a cut in the price of PlayStation 3 before the end of the year.

“There could be a price cut for the PS3 by the end of the year, and more software titles will hit the market. I expect the PS3 to be doing better after a while,” said Enterbrain President Hirokazu Hamamura. “Of course, the Wii will keep running ahead all the while.”

So far 1.4 million units of the Wii have been sold in Japan, way ahead of the 614,000 PS3 units sold.

Sony’s Playstation 3 has been having some problems getting sold lately in Canada, probably due to stiff competition and it being the most expensive console on the market.So how does Sony combat this? They don’t! In fact, they just increase the price of the Playstation 3 and make it even more expensive, now clocking in at Canadian $699.99 compared to Canadian $659.99 before.

This means that the Candian and US price are exactly the same, which may seem fair, but according to reports by The Inquirer the Candian consumers are “fuming�.

Either developers are still having difficulty coding on Sony’s Cell processor, or publishers are still taking the easy (perhaps less risky) road using 360 game builds already in production to make PS3 ports. Nevertheless, IGN slams the current PS3 version of MLB 2K7 saying the 360 edition is both better looking and includes better gameplay than its counterpart. From the preview: “The 360 version simply looks better. The colors pop. The animations, at this point, run smoother. So much for spending $600.” IGN continues by saying, “One thing about location and gameplay that’s missing on the PS3 … is the ability to feel the location of your pitches through the rumble. Obviously, there is no rumble on the PS3 controller, so how are you supposed to hide your location from the batter by using the rumble to know when you’re out of the strike zone?”