Posts with tag Playstation3
Posted Jun 11th 2007 6:30PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
PlayStation Underground members recently received a
survey, grilling them on potential PSP-PS3 connectivity features. While surveys aren't necessarily indicators of services to be offered, they do show what the company is experimenting with. Some potential ideas thrown around in the survey include:
- Use the device to complete side missions for console games (unlockables, etc.).
- Transfer media (music/pictures/video) wirelessly from the console to the device (broadcast television, new levels for games).
- Use the device WHILE PLAYING the console game as an additional weapon/utility to help the gameplay (2nd player option, radar for incoming enemies, etc.).
- Record console gameplay video for ...
We're most excited by the last option. Unfortunately, it appears to be cut off. Regardless, it's clear from this latest survey that Sony is serious about pursuing PSP-PS3 connectivity.
[Via
PS3 Fanboy]
Posted Apr 21st 2007 7:00PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
UK retailer
GAME may have accidentally leaked a crucial tidibt about the upcoming PS3 version of
SingStar. The karaoke game allows wannabe performers to record their performances with EyeToy and post them online to a
personal SingStar page. In addition, players will also be able to save their recordings to PSP, to share with friends at any time. With both a PSP system and
SingStar handy, you'll be able to show off your next
embarassing karaoke performance forever.
Gallery: SingStar (PS3)
[Thanks,
Ben!]
Posted Apr 19th 2007 9:15PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
Sony issued a statement today, reminding gamers that the PlayStation brand continues to get stronger. According to NPD data, "March 2007 showed a 24% increase in retail dollars generated year-over-year for the PlayStation brand in North America with total sales of $447 million." The three-pillar strategy seems to be quite successful for Sony: sales from PS3, PSP, PS2 (and
God of War II), are all adding green to Sony's wallet. PSP hardware has gained some momentum in March: up 2% over February with sales of 179,796 units. More importantly, software sales have experienced a 13% jump.
With a
price drop at the beginning of April, next month's figures should prove even better for Sony. However, one has to question if the price drop will be enough. Nintendo DS sold through
over half a million units in the same period--easily more than twice that of PSP. Sony may not be number one, but as long as it maintains steady growth and profitability, does it really matter? And most importantly, does it matter to gamers?
Posted Apr 5th 2007 9:30AM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News, Monster Kingdom
A
Japanese store listing for the upcoming PLAYSTATION 3 RPG,
FolksSoul, showcases some of the game's myriad of features: 720p visuals, 7.1 Dolby Digital Sound and PSP connectivity. Wait, what was that last bit again?
Connectivity between PSP and PS3 has always been hinted at before, but we haven't seen an actual game utilize it in a meaningful way. (The PSP also had connectivity features with certain PlayStation 2 games, but the feature was used quite sparingly.)
How will the upcoming PS3 game,
FolksSoul, connect with PSP? It's unclear right now. However, if one looks back at the history of this intriguing RPG, one can see that it was originally titled
Monster Kingdom: Unknown Realms. Does that name ring a bell? It should. The first
Monster Kingdom was a
PSP-exclusive RPG. As revealed in our
interview with Atlus,
Monster Kingdom was always meant to become a larger franchise. Could this cult RPG be part of the connection we're looking for?
See also:
New Folks Souls images for your enjoymulation
[Via
PSP-Vault]
Posted Mar 22nd 2007 7:15AM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
We were told to expect
Advanced Remote Play functionality in today's
big PS3 update (version 1.6).
Looks like we were played the fool: you will not be able to access your PS3's content from any wi-fi point: once again, you must be in wireless range of your PS3. Until they correct this, the Remote Play functionality loses a lot of its purpose: what's the point of being tethered so close to the system? Update 1: It looks like Sony has delivered, but in a very unreliable fashion. Personal tests show that a "PS3 is not detected" error message is given more often than not. A variety of factors may be causing this glitch: firstly, your PS3 may lose its internet connection, especially if it's not wired. Secondly, Folding@home seemingly activates even when your PS3 is in Remote Play mode, which can cause some glitches. Personally, I've been able to successfully connect to my PS3 from an external wi-fi source less than 1 in 10 times.
We shall investigate further.
There are some additional improvements made in this firmware revision, but they are very subtle. You'll be able to easily register a PSP for Remote Play use by accessing Remote Play from System Settings on PS3. Also, you'll be able to connect a wi-fi bridge to 20GB PS3s, allowing them to interface with PSP like the 60GB versions do.
[Thanks, Ryan!]
Posted Mar 17th 2007 3:30PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
We've been clamoring for a version of the PLAYSTATION Store that doesn't involve owning a PS3. For whatever reason, Sony seems to think that making PSP downloads available on a system that isn't called a "PSP" is a smart decision. Well, hopefully Sony's
web version of the PLAYSTATION Store is leading us in the right direction. It features all the recent updates made to the PLAYSTATION Store, including the
latest downloadable PSP title,
Wipeout. The only problem? You can't actually buy anything from this Store yet: it's just for perusal purposes only.
But certainly Sony will eventually be able to translate this interface for PSP? The system features a capable online browser that can handle transactions. Why not allow PSP users to simply browse and purchase items directly from their PSP internet browsers? We hope Sony's working on something--and soon.
[Via
PS3 Fanboy]
Posted Mar 15th 2007 3:00PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
According to
Tom Kiss, the PLAYSTATION 3 is getting updated next week. Why should you care? It finally introduces the Advanced Remote Play functionality that we've been
dreaming about. The 1.6 firmware revision for the PS3 will allow you to access your PS3's media content from
any wi-fi point in the world. For example, let's say you have an episode of
Death Note saved on your PS3. By having Remote Play enabled, you'll be able to stream that video to your PSP whilst at work.
The connectivity opens a lot of potential. "If I have my MP3 Walkman or my iPod, or digital camera connected to PS3 then I can access those devices too," a spokesman for Sony said less than
a month ago. However, don't expect to play back your DVDs or Blu-Ray movies on the go: Remote Play hasn't been able to
access disc content, and that probably won't change for a while.
[Via
PS3 Fanboy]
Posted Mar 7th 2007 1:31PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
At last night's Sony media briefing, Sony unveiled a plethora of new games and features for their next-gen home console, the PS3. Suspiciously absent was the PSP. Well, almost. Playstation Home, the PS3's upcoming social networking service, has a "Virtual PSP" that allows you to customize your virtual avatar. Sony states that "Your Virtual PSP gives you access to all the navigation, features and options of Home." Although this product placement is a cute way of promoting the platform, there's one thing that will work even better: more games on the system. Hopefully, the Phil Harrison keynote (happening now) will reveal some interesting non-PS3 tidbits for handheld gamers to enjoy.
See also:
Sony fights back; unveils Home, LittleBigPlanet, Killzone, more
Posted Feb 27th 2007 9:30AM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
The
BBC is continuing their coverage of Sony's portable wonder. "The rise of the handheld console" talks about Sony's currently failed ambitions to market the PSP as "the Walkman for the 21st century." With nearly 25 million consoles shipped, the PSP has "impressive figures, but still not enough to reverse Nintendo's market dominance."
It appears that Sony's future with the device is connectivity with anything and everything, by using the PLAYSTATION 3 as the PSP's media hub. "We're hoping to incorporate that functionality [
Remote Play] in the very near future - from a local level at the moment to a global level probably within the next six months," said Jonathan Fargher, a spokesman for Sony. "If I have my MP3 Walkman or my iPod, or digital camera connected to PS3 then I can access those devices too."
And the timeline for these plans? "We're hoping to incorporate that functionality in the very near future - from a local level at the moment to a global level probably within the next six months."
See also:
BBC talks to famed homebrewers Fanjita and Dark_Alex
Posted Feb 21st 2007 3:45PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
According to
GameDaily BIZ, January 2007 was a "record month" for the PlayStation business, with $550M in revenue for North America. "PSP sales in January were exceptionally strong with the system quickly closing the gap on the leading competitor." Does this mean sales of the PSP are nearly matching the DS? Sounds like it to me.
Without official numbers stated, it'll be hard to truly decipher Sony's cryptic message (for now). However, it appears that Sony's three pillar strategy is working quite well: PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable are all delivering robust sales, regardless of what some fanboys would like you to believe. Isn't it just a good time for everyone in the industry?
[
Update 1: PSP sold through 211k units, while the DS managed 239k, according to
Gamespot. Thanks, Tristan!]
Posted Feb 14th 2007 1:00AM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
"SEGA's
Virtua Tennis 3 could be the most accurate console-to-PSP port that we've seen so far. In fact, if you were to play it alongside the PS3 version (which we have in-house and previewed last week), it would be difficult to tell the difference between the two. Impossible as that may sound, it's because of the PlayStation Portable's small LCD screen -- it keeps the resolution and detail discrepancies from being immediately noticeable (they are there; they're just hard to spot."
IGN, you certainly got my attention. How can the PSP match the baby-exploding power of the mighty PS3? Well, it appears that feature for feature, the PSP version matches the PS3. With "pick up and play" gameplay and controls that simply work, it's clear that maybe
Sony Sega really does
love the PSP.
[
Update 1: Well duh Sony loves the PSP. But surprising that Sega does too.]
Posted Feb 8th 2007 3:50PM by Steven Bailey
Filed under: News, Interviews
In Gamespot's DICE coverage of Phil Harrison's Q&A, they had a few mentions of PSP. Firstly that there will be deeper online functionality later this year. Specifics weren't given, but I personally would like the ability to have most web pages finally work on the PSP. Though it could also be a hint at downloadable PS1 games finally being capable without a PS3.
The homebrew community may have another reason to disagree wtih Phil Harrison after the event.Also during a talk about homebrew, someone asked about the PSP's role in it. Phil claimed that the system wasn't well-suited for homebrew. Newsweek's N'Gai Croal then mentioned Dark_Alex's work and Phil had some sort of cryptic response about future announcements.
So all and all, not a whole lot of new PSP info so far, but hopefully GDC will bring us more news.
[Update 1: "This year we'll be adding some functionality to the PSP that will unify our approach," Harrison reveals in an interview with Gamasutra. Seems like PSP might pick up some of the cooler network options of the PS3.]
Posted Feb 2nd 2007 4:30PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News, Wipeout
Who doesn't like free stuff? Sony's getting the big picture: we like free content downloads. As reported by
develop, SCE Worldwide Studios VP Michael Denny states, "All games, whether they are launched on disc or electronically, need to create a community and have active community websites and extra content."
One of PSP's launch titles,
Wipeout Pure, featured tons of downloadable content after release. In fact, the various packs released over the months following release doubled the amount of content available in the game. It was free for the consumer, and undoubtedly boosted sales. "Downloadable content helped keep the game on the shelf and encouraged people to not trade the game in," explains development director Clemens Wangerin. The game also delivered more than 800,000 downloads and became the first PSP title to reach Platinum status.
While speaking about
Wipeout, it looks like Sony accidentally revealed that sequels were being made for both the PSP and PS3 platforms. If you haven't figured it out, the next iterations of
Wipeout will also deliver even more downloadable content. Hopefully, it will still retain the nice price that Pure set: free.
[Via
Joystiq]
See also:
Killzone Liberation online beta coming soon
Posted Jan 25th 2007 4:00PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News, Fan Stuff
I was browsing the PlayStation forums when something caught my eye: a thread called "
Sony is nice." What? As a fanboy, I like Sony's products, but even I wouldn't go as far as to call the company "nice." Maybe Ken Kutaragi gave this kid a high-five? I had to find out more.
psp-frog describes how he bricked his system, and called Customer Support. Although the warranty was over, the forum poster was able to get his system fixed for free! How, you ask? He told the representative that he was buying a PS3 and couldn't afford to fix his PSP. The representative then did something surprisingly "nice." He let the user get his system fixed for free!
While this is most likely not common practice, it's interesting to hear the story of a Sony representative bending the rules. Maybe they'll do anything to get those PS3s
off the shelves?
Posted Jan 14th 2007 9:10AM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: Fan Stuff
For those of you willing to kill an hour of your life listening to my whiny, irritating voice can head over to
Tired Thumbs. I was invited to
speak rant on a variety of gaming topics, and you'll hear my (incorrect) answers to questions like:
- Which system has better wi-fi connections? The Wii or the PS3?
- Is World of Warcraft the work of Satan?
- Is Gears of War the best thing since peanut butter?
- Why do I hate Resistance?
- Why do you never, ever, keep a disc inside a PS3?
I may have also mentioned the PSP somewhere along the way. If you have nothing better to do with yourself on this lazy Sunday, you may want to check it out. by clicking the link below. Once you're done, feel free to flame me here.
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