PS3 Fanboy

First David Hasselhoff, now William Shatner?

If VG247's supposed PlayStation Network calendar is to be believed, Star Trek star and Priceline.com spokesperson William Shatner will be the next celebrity offered for download in PAIN. SCEE hasn't confirmed the validity of this information, only saying "the PSN roadmap is for internal purposes" and "it's all subject to change." VG247 notes the Shatner addon will be available on March 19th.

[Via Joystiq]

It's being reported by various UK based news sites that Free Radical, developer of the TimeSplitters series and Haze, has closed its doors for good. No one has received confirmation from the developer either way, as they don't seem to be answering their phones, but judging from anecdotal evidence, it's not looking good. Forum-goers over at Eurogamer are saying that the locks on the doors have been changed and Develop's sources are saying "something" happened at the developer this morning.

Develop is posturing that the closure, if true, is probably a result of Haze being a commercial and critical flop. Not only that, but the word is that their Lucasarts collaberation (Star Wars BattleFront 3) is reported to have been cancelled and they were having trouble finding a publisher for TimeSplitters 4. Sadly, it seems that game will now never see the light of day. We'll update this story as soon as we get confirmation either way but, as we say, it's not looking good. It's a sad day and we feel for anyone who has lost their job -- especially this close to Christmas.

[UPDATE] We've received confirmation that Free Radical has, indeed, closed its doors. This is no longer a rumor. GameIndustry.biz is reporting that Star Wars Battlefront 3 has been passed on to PSP Battlefront developer Rebellion.

A new month means a new issue of EGM, which means a whole new batch of rumors in their infamous Quartermann column. This edition features two things of note for PS3 fans.

First is a rumor about Cliff Bleszinski's new game. Having just finished Gears 2, many are wondering: what's next? Well, his next game may be a survival horror game, which promises to mix the visceral feel of Gears with psychological terror. Even more exciting: the next game may be a multiplatform title, allowing PS3 fans a chance to finally play one of his games.

In addition, EGM is also continuing the rumors about a possible Disney partnership for LittleBigPlanet. The rumor mill suggests a Disney DLC pack will arrive in 2009, and it will include a playable version of the classic Mickey Mouse cartoon, Steamboat Willie (pictured above).

This is interesting and somewhat bizarre at the same time. According to the US Official PlayStation Magazine (via CVG), Sony might be working on a rewards system for Trophy-whores Trophy-hunters. The concept here involves getting another type of reward for obtaining the most difficult Trophies.

Apparently, earning a shiny graphic of a platinum Trophy isn't enough of an accolade; there has to be more. US OPM suggests that the new rewards could be anything from early beta access, to free wallpapers and themes. As of right now, this is still a rumor. Take it with a grain of salt. If this does prove to be true, then Trophy grabbing seems to be an even more lucrative feature.

Perhaps the PS3 was a bit too ahead of its time. The console was almost absurdly expensive when it launched -- and not just for consumers. In spite of an initial $600 price tag, Sony lost hundreds of dollars on every system manufactured. The combination of Blu-ray drive and Cell processor made the PS3 a bit too bleeding edge, perhaps. A report from respectable Japanese site PC Watch suggests that Sony may be considering a cheaper alternative for the next-generation PS4.

Nintendo found great success (and profitability) with Wii by releasing hardware that was only marginally more powerful than the Gamecube. Sony may mimic that trend by having PS4 hardware based on the same Cell architecture as the PS3. Keeping the same architecture will help developers, many which have only recently come to grips with the complex processes of Sony's proprietary system.

However, one particular note in the report has us quite worried: according to PC Watch, the Sony wants to launch a new system, before the competition -- eyeing a 2011 release. With the PS3 still so relatively young, we'd hate to see Sony raise a white flag and move on to something new, especially when they've harped about the "10 year life cycle" so often. Too soon of a hardware release could be seen as a betrayal by many, and could result in a serious backlash. For us, we'd love to get more time out of the significant investments we've made in our PS3 hardware.

[Via NeoGAF]

Don't get too excited, this is almost certainly a mistake on Sony's part. The latest PlayStation Underground email, which was sent out yesterday, shows an image of our best pal, Sackboy, and below him it states "available October 7th." Which is weird, because we've already had official confirmation that the game will be releasing on the 21st in the US, with other regions following throughout that week. It's doubly weird, because the beta doesn't end until the 12th.

We're not convinced the game is going to be released almost a full week before the beta ends, but the email is directly from Sony. So, believe what you want to believe, but we're going to go the road-of-least-disappointment.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

It looks like it's time to the PS3 SKU dance again. An alleged Wal-Mart spreadsheet sent to Joystiq states the 40GB PS3 "will be replaced with [a] new model in early August." What this new model will entail is unclear: it could be a new 40GB bundle, or it could be something different altogether. Perhaps we'll find out more at E3?

This isn't the first time hints of a new system were revealed through retail channels. The 40GB model is currently the cheapest model of the PS3, retailing for $399. It is the only model of the PS3 that does not feature any backwards compatibility support for PS2 titles.

Here we go again. Just as one screenshot rumor is confirmed, dated and busted wide open, another comes to take its place. We were happy basking in the glow of firmware 2.40 when we stumbled upon this image on the N4G forum (which is where you can also check out a larger version). It shows PS2 games being made available on the PlayStation Store. Among the games listed we can see Metal Gear Solid 2, Red Faction and The Bouncer (which just so happened to be this particular blogger's first PS2 game). Three titles we'd gladly buy again as a digital copy.

Of course, just like last time, this is nothing more than a rumor right now. The N4G forumer says that his friend, who works at Sony London, sent this photo to him and that the service is due to be announced at E3, with a late Summer roll-out. Supposedly it will be coming to Europe first, which makes us think it might be more likely to be announced at Leipzig. If it's real, that is. Photoshop gurus can commence picking it apart ... now!

For those of you who haven't been online the last day or so, you are probably the only ones who doesn't know Diablo 3 has been announced. There's been rumors about the likelihood/unlikelihood of a console version, and now we can put those rumors to rest. In Joystiq's exclusive interview with lead designer Jay Wilson, he said they "don't have any plans" for a console version. This really is too bad though, as we geniunely felt if any console had the chance of a Diablo 3 port, it would be the PS3. And here we were, hoping we won't have to upgrade our computers when it comes out...

We are going to take this with a grain of salt, but the French website JeuxActu.com claims they have confirmation from Sony at IDEF (Interactive & Digital Entertainment Festival) over in Cannes that God of War 3 will make "an appearance in high-definition" at next month's E3. The site then speculates the chance of any sort of gameplay being shown is almost non-existent.

The first appearance of Kratos on the PS3 would be extremely exciting, even if it is just a teaser video. We'll find out when E3 rolls around next month!

[Thanks, Noshino, Kspraydad and everyone else who sent this in!]

Yesterday, Kotaku posted a rumor saying Heavenly Sword 2 was in fact in development ... but that it had been canned by the Sony higher-ups. Details of a potential sequel to Heavenly Sword were leaked to the public from a focus group a few months ago. However, since then, developer Ninja Theory has moved on to a yet-unannounced multiplatform game.

According to the Kotaku report, the Heavenly Sword franchise is not seen as commercially viable, in spite of generally favorable reviews and respectable sales figures. Supposedly, Ninja Theory has "grown increasingly bitter about their treatment at Sony's hands." The bad blood between Ninja Theory and Sony has supposedly caused the developer to move offices, further away from Sony Cambridge.

If there is any truth to this rumor, it would be the third major game canceled by Sony's European arm in recent memory (The Getaway and Eight Days being the last two games canned). Today, SCEE responded saying "I think it is fair to say that we do not comment on rumor and speculation, especially about games that have never been announced." In addition, the rep wants to remind everyone that Killzone 2, LittleBigPlanet and Motorstorm: Pacific Rift are all from Sony Europe, emphasizing that first-party development in Sony Europe is not in any kind of trouble.

Update: Speaking to Gamespot, Ninja Theory confirms that the relationship between Sony and Ninja Theory are good. "We are moving, but it's completely amicable," Ninja Theory cofounder and chief development ninja Nina Kristensen told GameSpot. "We move mid July and have been planning it for the best part of a year; there's nothing nefarious about it. We are excited about the move--our new premises are considerably bigger and in an excellent location near the town centre." According to the report, Heavenly Sword 2 was offered to Ninja Theory, but the team declined to work on it.

It looks like game developers and publishers are trying to think up of new peripherals to put in our households. Surveys have revealed possible gameplay features, and the most recent comes from Activision. A marketing survey asked if users were interested in a new Tony Hawk game that will use a "new motion sensing board controller." The title, Tony Hawk's Adrenaline, will be available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. A motion sensing board reminds us quite a bit of NIntendo's Wii Fit board. Implementing such a design for a skateboarding game would certainly be interesting.

Surveys aren't necessarily indicative of products that are actually in development. Instead, Activision may simply be testing the waters to see if such ideas would do well in the marketplace. Considering how much fun Wii Fit is, we wouldn't say no to such a peripheral for PS3.

[Via Joystiq]

PlayStation LifeStyle is claiming that a Wii-like PS3 controller was the subject of a secret PSU focus test. An e-mail sent back in January invited a few members of Sony's invite-only group to join them for a paid focus test in ****** ****, California. (We're assuming it's Foster City, home of SCEA.)

The PS3 controllers were motion-sensitive and required use of a "mini-tripod that stood about 12 inches high." Mini-games, such as fencing, paintball and tennis were supposedly demonstrated. The devices were said to be "incredibly responsive and accurate."

While Sony does regularly conduct paid focus tests throughout the country, there simply isn't enough tangible evidence to verify the authenticity of this rumor. If true, we wonder if PS3 fans really want more motion control in their lives ... or does the SIXAXIS suffice?

[Via Joystiq]

First, there's talk of episodic gaming for the PSN this year (Rat Race) and Heavenly Sword 2 story info, even though the game hasn't been announced yet and the studio in charge of the original are working on something else. The next rumor surrounds the release of in-game XMB -- a feature that the magazine promises will be with us by summer, which is a much more desirable release window than "2008."

Ready At Dawn are rumored to be working on a PS3 title (after the brilliant Daxter and God of War: Chains of Olympus on PSP, we're itchy to see what they can pull off on the PS3). Finally, the bizarre tech-demo-cum-crazy-dream, Linger In Shadows, is said to be a PSN download. That still doesn't really tell us if it's a game or not, but we're definitely looking forward to finding out nearer the time. Lots of exciting rumors for you all to discuss here -- so get started!