The rumored Playstation button has been confirmed true as pictures of the PSP 3000 begin to surface. The button is said to simply act like a guide button and will bring up the X-cross media bar in-game and in-movie. This is an interesting feature for the PSP, but definitely not a huge advancement that will displace the DS as the leader in the market. Check out more pics after the break.
Continue reading ‘Leipzig ‘08: PSP 3000 to Feature a Playstation Button’
The internet has been abuzz these past few weeks with rumors of a new PSP. Some said it might solve the oil crisis, others said it could change the course of history, and others said it would just include a built-in mic. The last would prove to be the closest and who would have guessed that?
Sony announced the PSP 3000 today at Leipzig. The new PSP will look identical to the PSP 2000, but will have two new features: a built-in microphone for use with Skype and Go Messenger, and a better LCD screen with more vibrant colors and less glare. The system is set to launch in Europe on October 15th for 199 euros, while the PSP 2000 will fall to 169 euros. The system will be available as parts of various single-game bundles with games like FIFA ‘09, Harry Potter, Buzz! Quiz Master and others.
There is no word on US details, but we should except them very soon.
Update: Sony has confirmed that the PSP 3000 will be hitting North American shores on October 14th. A PSP core pack will be available alongside the single-game bundles, which will include a 4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo and a PSN download code for Everyday shooter.
There is one week a year that gamers hold sacred over all others, the week of E3. During these 4 days, everything a gamer could ever want is delivered to them by media outlets such us this fine institution, and games are revealed and detailed more in this short time than in any other week. Sadly however, there comes a day at the end of this week of festivities when we must bid adieu to the Electronics Entertainment Expo, and wait for what seems like eternity for all of the awesome looking titles to be released.
Even though E3 has ended, Rotpod’s coverage does not stop now. Over the weekend and even into next week we will be wrapping up all of the news from the recently downsized convention, as well as bringing you countdowns and best of show lists nonstop. But until next year, we will miss you E3, we will miss you dearly.
Like the 20GB SKU before it, the newly priced 60GB SKU of the PS3 is due to disappear from retail shelves once the current batch is sold out. This news comes to us after Sony’s big deal about a $100 price cut for the PS3, which essentially is only temporary, since there are no plans to ship new batches of 60GB systems. So really, if you are not one of the people who will snag a 60GB PS3 in the next few months, you will still have to pay $600 for the slightly upgraded 80GB PS3, without any alternative (although this version does, at least for now, come with MotorStorm).
This story is confirmed by Kaz Hirai in this interview, where he states that Sony is, “No longer in production [of the 60GB SKU in North America]“. I’m not sure this is the smartest move Sony could have made here, especially with the potential that the cheaper 60GB had to sell in North America. Sony just doesn’t want to be in the multi-SKU game when it comes to the PS3 I guess.
Image Thanks to Joystiq!
During an interview with Gamasutra, the recently appointed Senior Vice President of Marketing for Sony had the following to say about Microsoft and the Xbox 360:
I don’t want to be argumentative, but I take issue with Microsoft either having a long tail, or being profitable, because they’ve never done either. They’ve never made a dime in this business, number one, and number two, they’ve never had a tail. They’ve never been successful enough to have a tail! So the notion of a back half of the curve doesn’t exist for them. They stopped the Xbox and I kind of feel for the guy that bought an Xbox the month before they said ‘we’re out of business, we’re moving on.’
The reason I get a little emotional about that is it’s in stark contrast to our approach. If we’ve got something that says PlayStation, we’re going to stand behind it for 10 years, and deliver games like God of War II in the 7th year of the cycle.
Wow. But wait, here comes the good part:
With the Xbox 360 you’ve got an inconsistent design, some have a hard drive, some don’t, and none of them have Blu-Ray, and the HD-DVD will be out of business in a matter of months. Is this a 10 year product? And by the way, it doesn’t even work. Do they want to be selling it for 10 years and refurbishing them all for 10 more years? I don’t think that’s a 10 year product. You could disagree with me, or they could disagree with me, but I’d put that up against the PS3 any day.
Thats some pretty big talk for a time when the Xbox 360 is clearly winning against the PS3, especially with all those big titles right around the corner. Although some of his statements have some merit, he definitely is not in a position to be talking about the issue like this. Even though Blu-ray is ahead, I’m pretty sure that it is way to soon to be calling a winner of the HD format war, and I promise you that HD DVD will not be dead in a matter of months. I also think that Mr. Dille is focusing a little to much on the PS2 vs Xbox and PS2 vs Xbox 360, when the question is about longevity of next gen consoles. I do believe the PS3 is destined to get better after what I have seen at E3 this year, but MGS and Killzone are the only current exclusives it has that I believe can challenge the core of the 360 lineup. You could disagree with me, or they could disagree with me, but I’d put that up against the Xbox 360 any day.
Maybe he just needs some sleep 
Alex Rigopulos, CEO of Harmonix, announced yesterday that the upcoming rhythm game Rock Band will get new downloadable content every week after it is released this fall. This DLC will range from single songs to play all the way up to full albums such as ‘Who’s Next’ by the Who, which will be ready for download the week after the game’s release. All of this extra content means that there will be no reason for players to stop rocking out once the game hits shelves.
Image Via: Joystiq
In order from least to most 1337 of what has happened so far at this year’s E3.
After Microsoft’s E3 keynote last night, they let out a bunch of new content onto the markplace and arcade. Here is a list of all that stuff.
NCAA Football 08 Demo
Play as the Michigan Wolverines against the Trojans of Southern California in this demo of NCAA Football 08. The most complete college football game ever is in stores July 17th! Note: to shorten the download time, this demo does not include the full play-by-play audio which is found in the complete retail product.
Blue Dragon Demo
The Blue Dragon Demo is available! Play the grand adventure in two dungeons filled with Mecha Robos and Ancient Monsters!
Ace Combat 6 Demo
A massive enemy swarms over the city, shattering the peace. Amidst the chaos a pilot takes to the skies. Against countless enemies and cannon fire, he heads into the fray. ACE COMBAT 6 CAMPAIGN MODE DEMO AVAILABLE NOW! A full scale war unfolds against a backdrop of breathtaking vistas. Detailed cities and sweeping landscapes reach out as far as the eye can see. Experience the roar of acceleration as you carve through swarms of enemy pilots, twisting missile trails and shattering explosions. Download the ACE COMBAT 6 CAMPAIGN DEMO, and strap yourself in for the next evolution in ACE COMBAT! (English Voice/Subtitles)
Arcade
Sonic The Hedgehog
Rocket Sonic, the fastest blue hedgehog on earth, through hair-raising loop-de-loops and dizzying dives past bubbling lava, waterfalls and on as you gather up Rings and stop Dr.Eggman’s (AKA Dr. Robotnik) schemes for world domination!
Continue reading ‘E3 2007: Xbox Live Gets A lot of new Content’
Here is Revenge of the Podcast Day One Coverage of E3 2007. Here we cover all the E3 stories uptil the Microsoft coverage and some stories before E3.
At least something unexpected was revealed at Sony’s E3 Press Conference that Unreal Tournament III will be a PS3/PC exclusive till ‘08. Which is pretty cool because the game looked really good during the Sony E3 Press Conference. This coupled with Killzone 2 and MGS4 still remaining a PS3 exclusive (as of now) helps the PS3 gain at least a little ground that it has lost over the year to the Xbox 360. Sony also stated that the entire Unreal Engine has now been optimized for the PS3 giving all games that use it an advantage. So, now the question is: Is the PS3 finally getting better?
At the Nintendo Press Conference, Nintendo annouced the Wii Zapper, which is an extra peripheral that holds the Wii-mote and the Nunchuck. This is basically good-old light gun version of a gun for the Wii. It is pretty cool and definetly increase imersion into the game. You can expect this to be bundled with a variety of games like Umbrella Chronicles, and Medal of Honor. It will also retail for MSRP $ 19.99, seperately.
Start Of Conference – 11:31
Jack Tretton- Showing Home -11:33
Jack Claims New kind of Conference – Talks about stage- Nervousness -11:35
Plans to Focus On Software This E311:35
50 Titles on All Sony Platforms To Be Shown During Conference 11:36
PSP and PS2 Games Shown – Nothing special 11:42
Sims 2 Cast Away on PSP – 11: 43
FFTactics PSP and Castlevania – 11:33
Back to Home With Jack He walks outside and makes ridge racer joke to kaz’s avatar- 11:45
Kaz on stage in pink shirt – 11:47
New PSP – Visualy Identical – Lighter and slimmer faster and more efficient – Video Out wow – 11:48
Continue reading ‘E3 2007: Sony Press Conference LiveBlog’
Today starting at 2:30 EDT (11:30 PDT) we will have our live coverage of Sony’s e3 press conference. Although last year’s press conference was criticized as weak it did offer some embarrassing gems such as “Riiiidge Racer” and “Giant Enemy Crab”. Whether or not we see any more awkward comments on things one thing remains true: This year more than ever it is important for Sony to prove that they are still a force in this generation. Also, there is a new MGS trailer which was flown in from Japan by Konomi execs which is sure to make any gamer, regardless of his console preferences, drool in anticipation.
Sorry for the delay, we’ll start now.
12:15 – Nintendo keeps pushing how popular the console is with all age groups. And how succesful their console is because of the reality that it’s sold out everywhere
12:16 – Reggie states that their are only 60 games for the Wii, is it me or did anyone else think it was a lot more.
12:18 – Reggie begins talking about how everyone is becoming a gamer and how they do have 3rd party developer support. They have also put together this quite disturbing video montage about the Wii…
12:20 – The Wii Zapper is announced… Basically the wii mote mounted on a gun form mold and their is a place for the nunchuck. This is good for games like RS: Umbrella Chronicles, Medal of Honor (WITH MULTIPLAYER<3).
12:22 – It will be bundled with a variety of games this year and will also available for MSRP $19.99.
12:23 – Ninja Gaiden for the DS!!
12:23 – Dragon Quest for the Wii early next year and Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games footage.
Continue reading ‘E3 2007: Nintendo Press Conference LiveBlog’
Today starting at 9:30am PDT/12:30p.m EDT we will have all the live coverage of the Nintendo E3 press conference that you need! So make sure that your browsers are pointed right here when the keynote begins so that you don’t miss out!
As I am still oozing over the Killzone 2 trailer, these Devil May Cry 4 screenshots popped up. As you may or may not know, Devil May Cry 4 was recently moved to the X360 as well as the PS3, signifying a major lose for the PS3. But, does that even matter when a game looks this good. Check out all of the screens after the break:
Continue reading ‘E3 2007: Devil May Cry 4 Screens’
Killzone 2 has finally come out with a new trailer after that amazing looking trailer two years ago, and this trailer is just as stunning. Here it is:
The things that immediate grab me about the trailer are the amazing facial animations, and the great lighting effects. The game is also genuinely the best-looking console shooter to date rivaling even Crysis. One thing you will also notice from the trailer is that the game lacks an HUD which is a radical departure from standard FPS’, but one that might be welcomed. This game is turning out really well and brings my respect for the PS3 back to a more respectable level.
Update: The game was also playable at the private Sony Party, and is said to have been just as stunning with great weather, fire, and environment effects. The game also showed great AI and very realistic point-shots. An interesting fact is that the one level that was played at the party was a full 2GB, which inevitably involved a lot of work and time which can clearly be seen as this game looks and feels amazing. I’m really looking forward to this game now and you can also download the trailer above from PSN later on in the week.
If the Xbox 360 Elite and Pro versions had a spartan baby, it would be the Halo 3 edition SKU. Instead of just being a Pro or Elite console with a green shell, this console will have features inspired by both versions. First of all, it will come with a Halo themed 20GB HDD, but don’t let that drive you to believe that you wont get some good stuff that the elite has to offer. HDMI for instance will appear when this console drops in september, and it will come with a Halo themed Wireless Controller, Wired Headset, and Play and Charge Kit. It wont come packaged with the Game however.
So if you are looking for a 360 with an HDMI port, but dont feel like you need the 120GB of space, look for the pricepoint of this SKU to be somewhere in between the Pro and Elite consoles. It looks damn sweet too!
Image thanks to: Kotaku.com
Here comes a bit of an opinionated editorial on the keynote which just finished up. After LiveBlogging that whole thing, I really want to get my thoughts out on the content of the conference, instead of just giving you the content itself. If you have yet to hear the news, check out the LiveBlog itself.
Rock Band
Although we did not get a real good look-see at this title, we did watch Peter Moore and friends play through a full song and it’s looking pretty good. Nothing about this title is really surprising, but seeing it in action really reassured me that a title of this calibre could work, and work well. The Karaoke seems to work surprisingly well with the rest of the instruments, and jamming with three of your buddies on this title looks just as fun as it sounds. Overall, I was happy with what I saw of Rock Band, and there were no disappointments for me.
Assassin’s Creed
I was shocked in both a good way and a bad way when I saw the live gameplay of this highly anticipated title. First off, the scale of the playable and rendered space is mindblowing, and knowing that I can visit all that I can see is always a great feeling. This is especially so when the objects in the distance are as detailed as they are with Assassin’s Creed. The Graphics are looking incredible as well, and I really have no doubt that this title will end up being one of the most beautiful pieces of console software this year.
Now onto the stuff which worried me. For a game that is supposed to be quite close to finished, there are some physics and fighting elements are really bothering me. If you have seen the keynote, you may have noticed the hay issue at the beginning of the gameplay demo. When the player dove down off of a huge building straight into a wheelbarrow of soft hay, the character simply disappeared into the lump. That’s right, there was no hay displacement to speak of, and At’lair really did just disappear into the stack. Later in the mission, the player was seen on a roof attacking someone who should have fallen off to hit the ground. Instead, the enemy dropped off the ledge and stayed laying on top of the air. When I saw the defeated foe sustained in mid air during their demonstration, I was honestly scared. That was the only time (other than the animation of pushing a guard off) in the demo that someone was knocked off of a building, and it just didn’t work. Uh-oh. Another thing which bothered me took place during the big fight scene near the end of the gameplay showing. We witnessed the player hurling an enemy into what looked like a wooden fixture, and seeing the logs collapse and fall onto the guard, they quickly all fell flat as he lay near them. One last thing I saw was in the chase scene. While the chase dynamics look amazing, I did see alot of the same falling animations every time the player knocked a civilian out of the way. Parkour in the game, however, looks fantastic.
Now I realise that these a just a few kinks that Ubisoft has time to work out, but it seemed like alot to see in just a short gamplay demo. As a gamer who is anxiously awaiting this title, I have complete confidence that all of these glitches will be fixed by release. Even if some of them are visible when the game ships, I don’t believe it will be enough to drag this game down from greatness.
Here is the LiveBlog from the Microsoft E3 ‘07 Press Release. Be Warned: bad spelling and grammar will follow:
(4 votes, average: 4 out of 5)
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