The 160GB model announced at Leipzig today will also be coming to America in a new bundle featuring last year's blockbuster PS3 exclusive, Uncharted. For $499, the 160GB system will include the new 160GB system, a DUALSHOCK 3 controller, a voucher for PAIN and a copy of Uncharted. It will be available in November.
"As PLAYSTATION Network continues to evolve with our recently launched video delivery service and more exclusive games, PS3 owners are demanding more storage capacity," said Jack Tretton, president and CEO, SCEA. "Consumers also are utilizing PS3 as an entertainment hub for their digital media, placing content such as their entire music collection on the hard drive. The 160GB PS3 system addresses this growing consumer demand in a compelling bundle that delivers significant value."
At the end of the new Heavy Rain trailer, a vague (but nonetheless reassuring) release date was mentioned: 2009. Slowly, but surely, Sony's 2009 killer apps are being revealed. With MAG, Killzone 2, inFAMOUS and now Heavy Rain, gamers will have a lot to look forward to in 2009.
Heavy Rain is a "dark, immersive and emotionally-engaging experience" expanding upon the ideas of Quantic Dream's previous adventure game, Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy). Once again, the promise is that "every action has a consequence" with a constantly evolving story based on the way you interact with others and the choices you make. SCEE is promising it will talk about topics unheard of in gaming, "making it a genuinely mature game for a new world of adult gamers."
Europe is getting a wicked cool service to use early next year. Entitled VidZones, this new service, available in 23 European countries, including Australia and New Zealand, will allow PS3 fans to access an unlimited amount of streaming music videos on their PS3 for the incredible price of: free. You'll be able to create custom playlists and yes, you'll be able to stream it on your PSP via Remote Play. This will operate separately from the current PS3 Video Store.
In addition, users of VidZones will be able to download music videos and ringtones directly to their cell phones ... all for a nominal charge, of course. With this and PlayTV, the multimedia features of the European PS3 is far outclassing those of their (now jealous) neighbors.
A new peripheral for the PS3 has just been announced at Leipzig. A wireless keypad is similar to Xbox 360's current chatpad, but it will connect to the controller through the top USB port. The chatpad will also enable "touchpad mode for mouse input." A picture of the keypad attached to a controller, after the jump.
Looks like the retailer leaks were right. The 80GB PS3 will launch in Europe this Friday (except for Australia). A new 160GB model has also been announced. Retailing for €449, this premium bundle will include a €70 game and will be available on Oct 31st. This bundle will not include PS2 backwards compatibility either.
Posted Aug 18th 2008 3:15PM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
Leipzig Games Convention starts this week, and we're proud to say that Jem will be covering all the Sony goodness from the show floor. We'll be getting some intimate time with Killzone 2, LittleBigPlanet and Heavy Rain -- and who knows what other surprises are in store? Get ready for the excitement by checking out Gamekyo's pictures of the show floor being set up. There are a lot of familiar E3-esque booths in the works. We're getting pumped -- are you?
Posted Aug 14th 2008 9:00PM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
Leipzig Games Convention is only a few days away now, and Sony is making sure that their PS3 headliner, LittleBigPlanet, is the talk of the town. In fact, they've plastered a nearby building in the German town with the adorable characters of this PS3 exclusive. This massive display would be an eyesore if it were anything else -- but it's unlikely anyone with a heart would be able to resist the charm of the rainbow assortment of Sackboy and his pals.
Posted Aug 13th 2008 5:18PM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
Discovered on the USK (the German equivalent of America's ESRB) is a brand new PS3 title coming from Sony Computer Entertainment: Savage Moon. Not much is known about this title except we can expect it to be a military strategy game. Considering it's published by SCE, expect it to be exclusively on PS3. The Leipzig Games Convention is just around the corner -- wouldn't that be a dandy place to make a few surprise announcements? Stay tuned.
So let's be honest. Sony's E3 press conference, whilst exciting for PSP owners, was lacking anything particularly tasty for PS3 owners. Barring MAG, there wasn't anything there were weren't already expecting. Speaking to MCV, Sony Europe boss David Reeves has stated that this was a strategic decision. "We cannot tailor all our announcements to July," he says, adding that utilizing E3, the Leipzig Games Convention and the Tokyo Game Show allows them to spread their big announcements out, building hype as they go.
With that said, Reeves promises that the Leipzig Games Convention next month will include some "blockbuster stuff." These announcements won't just be Euro-centric, but will also have a global impact. We already know that Heavy Rain is due to be shown off at the event, but the promise or more announcements has us intrigued. We look forward to finding out more next month.
Europe's exclusive PVR service, called PlayTV, looks to be a winner. So much so that Americans (like a majority of the PS3 Fanboy team) are jealous of their friends across the Atlantic. If the features and services provided by PlayTV weren't incredible enough, it utilizes a genuinely sexy interface that (dare we say?) looks better than Sony's XMB. Watch this "leaked" footage from Leipzig to see for yourself.
Straight from Leipzig, the developers at Guerrilla demonstrated some of the gameplay features of the highly anticipated PS3 first person shooter, Killzone 2. While the game is mostly known for its graphics technology, gamers should be most curious about the way the game plays. Certainly, is the gameplay as advanced as the way it looks? Watch this new footage to see the cover and aiming system in work in this new video.
Come and get these downloads while they're hot. We're a bit late with this post so they've cooled down a bit, but nevertheless the following still requires your attention. In celebration of the Leipzig Games Convention Sony yesterday released a whole load of new stuff onto the European PSN. The full list is below, but we feel we must begin with a disclaimer; the Folklore demo will only be available until the end of August. Here's the full list of new content:
Reminder (We know how you people like to skip the blurb and jump straight to the list): The Folklore demo will be available only until the end of August. So go get it now!
We're jealous of Jem. At this very moment, he's drowning in a sea of new and upcoming games that we can only dream of playing. Devil May Cry 4, we're certain, is one of those games. Capcom released a new trailer to the German masses, as if gamers around the world weren't excited quite enough. Watch it here, squeal, and then download it in HD for more fun.
To see more mayhem and destruction, check out some new gameplay footage after the cut.
[Update: New video has been added!] Wait ... haven't we seen this trailer before? Yes, the opening moments of this Leipzig-edition Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer starts exactly the same as the previous trailer. But just wait. Your patience will be rewarded ... with bosses. Giant metallic tentacled beasts roar as they take down opposing forces with ease. What's that chill we feel? Could it be fear ... or uncontrollable excitement?
After his Leipzig presentation, Hideo Kojima took some time to answer some questions from the audience. When asked if Metal Gear Online will be separate from the main MGS4 game, he answered: "When you play story mode you will be able to go online and it will have extra stuff at the end. Haven't decided whether it will be separate or not, but if you buy MGS4 you can play a portion of online at least."
When asked about rumble, Kojima-san told a tale of woe: "In Kojima Productions there is a man, we call him The Rumble Guy, and he has nothing to do right now. So every day I worry about him. I want to include Rumble so that he has something to do." Please Sony! Give The Rumble Guy something to do!
Finally, when asked about a 360 version, he reconfirmed what we knew all along: "Right now it's only being made for PS3. No plans for 360 for now." For the complete Q&A, visit Joystiq.
