Random PS3 News Thread

[jefXfree]

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe have announced that they are hosting a We are PlayStation photography competition that has now launched in Europe. Electronic Theatre ImageThe team?s jubilation at getting a BUZZ! question right; the laughter of a room full of SingStar fans; the entertaining journeys playing your PlayStation Portable! They?re all classic PlayStation moments that you?ve seen or experienced hundreds of times - but can you capture them in a photo? If you can, your name could be in the hat to win some great prizes. There?s also the possibility of a serious cash prize, the possibility of the images being used in future PlayStation campaigns as well as a new Sony D-SLR a350 digital camera and lens. Get snapping and upload your photos by the 16th March 2009 for a chance to win.

The rules are simple ? capture the perfect image of you, your friends or your family enjoying a PlayStation moment with your PLAYSTATION3, PlayStation2 or PlayStation Portable and upload it to www.weareplaystation.com. There are different categories your photos could enter: Caught in the Moment, Unexpected Places, PlayStation Parties, True Love and Endless Play. A panel of guest judges will assess top user-rated snaps on their merits and work out which photographer deserves the top prize of 1000 euros and a Sony D-SLR a350 camera. Ten runners up will receive cash prizes of 100 euros each, while the next best 100 entries will get their hands on a top PlayStation game or vouchers for the PlayStation Store. All entries have the chance of being used in a future PlayStation marketing campaign.

Of course, PlayStation is all about its community ? and that?s why we?re asking you to judge the first round of the competition. PlayStation fans can visit the website and decide which shots will be put before the judges by rating each photo with a score from one to five. Also, every time you Electronic Theatre Imageenter the site, you can give your favourite image a secret ?Super Vote? which will be used to determine the finalists in case several entries generate the same overall rating. The images with the highest average score and, in the event of a tie, with the highest number of ?Super Votes? will go before the judging panel ? so it pays to get everyone you know onto the site and voting.

With so many great moments for so many different PlayStation communities, this is the chance not only to show off your natural eye for a photograph, but also to show the world just how much fun you have with your friends ? and a PLAYSTATION3, PlayStation2 or PlayStation Portable. Visit www.weareplaystation.com for competition terms and conditions and get snapping!
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PRILOSEC DEATH

 

[jefXfree]

PlayStation controller table

 

[Horhay]

that thing is ugly lol

 

[jefXfree]

New PS3 controllers add comfort and glowing buttons

from psu.com

If you are looking to add another control to your PlayStation 3, you may want to check out the latest offering from Power A. The company today released its Pro Elite Wireless and Pro EX Controllers for the PS3, both touting soft-touch coating and textured grips, repositioned analog sticks, and glowing action buttons.

This wireless controller costs $49.99 USD and features SIXAXIS functionality, custom designed L2 and R2 buttons, dual rumble motors and LED player channel indicator lights around the “Home” button. The Pro EX Controller has the same feel and features as the Pro Elite Wireless model, but is a wired format without SIXAXIS functionality. The Pro EX version is $19.99.

"The Pro Elite Wireless and Pro EX controllers will give PS3 players the edge they’ve been looking for,” said Eric Bensussen, president of POWER A and BDA. "Once players experience the difference, they won’t want to use anything else but the POWER A Pro Series controllers to play all of the great games coming out this fall and holiday.”

 

[Off_contstantly]

New PS3 controllers add comfort and glowing buttons

from psu.com

If you are looking to add another control to your PlayStation 3, you may want to check out the latest offering from Power A. The company today released its Pro Elite Wireless and Pro EX Controllers for the PS3, both touting soft-touch coating and textured grips, repositioned analog sticks, and glowing action buttons.

This wireless controller costs $49.99 USD and features SIXAXIS functionality, custom designed L2 and R2 buttons, dual rumble motors and LED player channel indicator lights around the “Home” button. The Pro EX Controller has the same feel and features as the Pro Elite Wireless model, but is a wired format without SIXAXIS functionality. The Pro EX version is $19.99.

"The Pro Elite Wireless and Pro EX controllers will give PS3 players the edge they’ve been looking for,” said Eric Bensussen, president of POWER A and BDA. "Once players experience the difference, they won’t want to use anything else but the POWER A Pro Series controllers to play all of the great games coming out this fall and holiday.”

That looks really cool. I like it.

 

[jefXfree]

[RUMOR] Sony ponders charging for 'online pass' game functionality

GamesIndustry.biz is reporting that Sony Computer Entertainment head Andrew House has been giving the matter some serious thought. "On the principle of making online portions of the game available or unlocked from the disc-based release for a fee," he said, "we're broadly supportive... and we're exploring actively the same option for our own content." Of course, this runs counter the free and democratic nature of PlayStation Network, but you know how strategies can change once someone gets dollar signs in their eyes.

BUT REMEMBER THIS ONLY APPLIES TO BUYING USED GAMES. NOT IF YOU BUY A NEW GAME.

 

[Horhay]

THQ claimed the same thing yesterday as well, this one was regarding WWE 2011.

 

[jefXfree]

THQ claimed the same thing yesterday as well, this one was regarding WWE 2011.

My only real issue with it is that there are trophies required for the platinum. If that wasn't the case i'd never play MP.

 

[xtop]

PS1 designer on the fight for controller handles, what the button icons really mean

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/08/25/ps1-designer-on-the-fight-for-controller-handles-what-the-butto/

Teiyu Goto is responsible for the design of the original PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 -- all very different-looking consoles, with one exception: the controller. This, too, was Goto's design, and in an interview with Famitsu (translated by 1UP) he shares some of its history, including the origin of its "handles" and the meaning behind the now-iconic symbols on its face buttons.

According to Goto, Sony management was initially resistant to the idea of the PS1's gamepad being too far removed from the design of Nintendo's SNES controller. "We wanted SNES gamers to upgrade to our system," Goto said of the corporate mindset at the time, "[management] said it had to be a standard type of design, or gamers wouldn't accept it." Goto disagreed, as did Sony's then-president, Norio Ohga. A pilot, Ohga liked Goto's prototype, which featured the now-standard handles, and made his feelings clear in an executive meeting. "They showed Ohga the flat controller again later and said that this is what they wanted, but Ohga was about to throw the model right back at them," Goto recalled, saying that Ohga's outrage let him know that the boss had his back -- and the handles stayed.

As for the button icons, Goto had an interesting explanation. While most people know -- or could guess -- that X and circle were meant to indicate "no" and "yes," respectively, Goto said that "the triangle refers to viewpoint; I had it represent one's head or direction," adding, "Square refers to a piece of paper; I had it represent menus or documents." These icons went on to represent the brand as a whole.

 

[jefXfree]

That's awesome... I always wondered why the icons were what they are.

 

[mobius387]

sounds like a good trivia question down the road

 

[mobius387]

More info on Sony pay-for-pass possibility

heres some more info on it:

Sony is 'exploring actively' the idea of an online pass for its games, a model which would see it move in line with recent efforts from THQ and EA.

Sony's European President Andrew House came out in support of the model in a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, and revealed that Sony is looking into following suit. "On the principle of making online portions of the game available or unlocked from the disc-based release for a fee, we're broadly supportive of that," House said, "And we're exploring actively the same option for our own content."

EA's Online Pass has proved a success, with COO John Schappert revealing that between 60 to 70 percent of online players are using the code, the result being an increase in revenue.

House was also quick to acknowledge that one of PSN's biggest pulls is the fact that it allows for free access. "In terms of just a charge for basic online play, that's something that we have to talk about a lot more," he said, "and we struggle with a little bit because we feel very vindicated and base a lot of the success of PSN today - a 70 per cent connection rate across consoles - on the fact that we've removed that major initial barrier to entry."

Sony introduced PlayStation Plus earlier this year, a premium paid-for service that gives subscribers free content. We've been gauging the value of PlayStation Plus since it launched.

House reflected on the success of the service, saying "It's interesting that there's been a more significant uptake on the annual subscriptions than there has been on the three months subscription, with the exception of Japan. I think that we need to remain hard at work on ensuring the content offering and the content flow remain strong."

 

[Horhay]

Personally, I don't understand how a game company feels cheated....

So Gamestop takes a gamble on buying a game that was previously purchased. They put it on the shelve with the tag pre-owned. Someone comes in and buys that pre-owned copy. Did the game creators fork out the cash to pay for the game to be resold at a later time? No, they did not. That was a gamble initially done by Gamestop. It's just ridiculous to think they are getting "cheated" and they deserve some cuts of that revenue.

This applies to almost everything out there. Buyers and resellers on ebay, car dealerships, etc.

 

[Off_contstantly]

They probably are feeling cheated that someone else is making money off of their product. It could also be that their ideal situation would be for everyone to buy a new copy of every game so the revenue goes to the big company. In a business sense, this makes a lot of sense, but in the overall picture, I think it's a load of crap. If someone has a slight interest in a game, but doesn't want to spend $60 on a game that they end up hating later, picking it up used is the way to go unless you have to pay $35 for the used game and $15 for an online key. $10 more and you would get a new copy with the key included. Not enough to entice me to pick up a marginal or lower game.

 

[mobius387]

i hate it when a company's main focus is "how can we make more money off our customers, even if it is at their expense" rather than how they can better serve their customers.

of course, just about every company is like that nowadays

 

[jefXfree]

Digital-only future still a long way off, says Kaz Hirai

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) boss Kazuo Hirai has stated his belief that it may take another decade before the games industry embraces a digital-only future.

Speaking during a chinwag with MCV, Hirai commented, "We do business in parts of the world where network infrastructure isn't as robust as one would hope," he said.

"There's always going to be requirement for a business of our size and scope to have a physical medium."

"To think everything will be downloaded in two years, three years or even ten years from now is taking it a little bit to the extreme."

Former Sony Worldwide Studios chief Phil Harrison was quoted back in 2006 saying he’d be “amazed if the PlayStation 4 has a physical disc drive.”

 

[jefXfree]

PSN Maintenance: On Monday 8/30, PSN users may be be unable to access the Store or certain PSN features from 12am to 12:30pm Pacific time. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, please stay tuned to our official Twitter account for updates and a notice when PSN is fully back online.

 

[jefXfree]

PSN Maintenance: On Monday 8/30, PSN users may be be unable to access the Store or certain PSN features from 12am to 12:30pm Pacific time. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, please stay tuned to our official Twitter account for updates and a notice when PSN is fully back online.

I wonder if it's going to be some sort of patch to fix the new USB hacker...

 

[Horhay]

Most likely.

 

[jefXfree]

How EA plans to change the Soccer game

PSU interview with David Rutter.

EA Sports has a long history with FIFA. Over the years we’ve seen some major changes, mostly in the control and graphics, but with FIFA 11, EA Canada will introduce some of the biggest changes we’ve seen in the series.

New features like playing as a goalie, 11-on-11 online matches, and player abilities that match their real-life figures are all welcome additions to the FIFA franchise. But some things are slow to change—FIFA 11 will not feature Move functionality or 3D support. In particular, the clear push toward motion controls doesn’t seem to faze the creators of FIFA, but if there is a way to properly implement it, we could see Move as a part of FIFA’s future.

With so many changes, some small like graphic enhancements, others major like the new Personality+ system, we decided to go to the source and find out what we can expect when FIFA 11 hits retailers on just about every system known to man. Producer David Rutter took the time to speak with us about these major changes, and give his opinion on topics such as Move and what puts the FIFA franchise apart from its competition.

---------------

PSU: It appears the biggest change to FIFA 11 is the Personality+ system. Why is EA Sports promoting this new system, and why has it taken so long to build in-game characters that closely match their real-world counterparts?

Rutter: Personality+ is a massive feature that integrates itself into every facet of gameplay—Visuals, Animations, Attributes and feedback systems. All in all Personality+ delivers distinctive and distinguishable players in every position on the pitch. Naturally the attributes form the core component of the Personality+ feature. The gameplay is now fully driven by player attributes and traits— both on and off the ball. Even goalkeepers. Feedback from the commentary—and indicators in the menus—also help those less knowledgeable fans understand who’s good at what on the pitch. For visuals we’ve three times as many body types this year, and we can manipulate them almost infinitely. In addition we’ve addressed the largest number of star heads in any 360/PS3 version of FIFA. Animation wise we’ve added tons of new animations for players based on their style of play, and have also implemented a comprehensive facial animation system – including blinking. On top of that the players now have trademark celebrations where appropriate. We were able to achieve this level of individualism for players within the game this year because our engine is now very mature and our gameplay is now so refined that we just need to polish it each year. This enabled us to dedicate more resources to exploring new ways to maximize the database and achieve a more holistic representation of each individual player.

PSU: We know FIFA 11 will not get Move support. Do you think the future holds a spot for motion controls in the soccer (football) game market?

Rutter: We’ve yet to experiment sufficiently to commit. I can say we have some ideas that we’d like to explore – but I’m only inclined to add things if it benefits the game.

PSU: This year, we get to play as the goalie, how do you describe the experience as opposed to playing as a striker who will likely have more ball time?

Rutter: If I look at how I feel in goal there are 3 things that resonate with me. I’m a bit scared when the ball comes near the goal, I feel a bit isolated – and at times bored, and then I end up shouting at people. We took this and put it into the game. The act of saving is pretty intense – it’s easy to make a mistake, but harder to save. It’s a very satisfying, but nervy, experience. I find it quite stressful. The isolation is what makes this happen. It’s periods of inactivity followed by extreme action. It’s quite different from being a striker. There’s little collaboration or co-operation for the keeper. That’s where shouting comes in. We’ve implemented a ‘zoom up pitch’ with the select button, and under teammates are what we call ‘call to actions’ – essentially button prompts. You can get you teammates to do things – a bit like shouting at them. It’s very me

PSU: What were the difficulties in creating true 11-on-11 online matches?

Rutter: Technically it’s very challenging. Online Team Play is all about playing cooperatively and it is a very satisfying experience. We have wanted to introduce playing as a goalie for a long time but we didn’t want to rush it. If we did it badly it would negatively impact OTP. So we had to do it well and do it right the first time. Our gameplay is so polished after years of refining that we can add extra features like this that don’t come at the expense of core agmeplay.

PSU: Over the years we’ve seen a fair amount of changes to ball/dribbling controls, what does EA think about its control system this year? Will we find easier to use controls, greater depth for more advanced players?

Rutter: I like to describe it as deep and richly rewarding. There are different types of dribblers and specific animations for specific dribbles. Speedsters, physical players, technical players, close controllers all handle the ball differently. We’ve got so many different types of player personalities now–each and every type of player feels and looks so different. It’s really enjoyable – and a metagame in its own right. You will also find that new 360 degree fight for possession really adds another element to the game. I was playing a game where I was trying to dribble between two players and I was jostling with one to maintain my dribble and as soon as I released him I had to keep possession of the ball and meet the challenge of the second player and skip through the opening between them. It was very rewarding.

PSU: FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa introduced a two-button control system for those new to the FIFA experience; will FIFA 11 carry a similar system? Is there anything to help attract a new audience?

Rutter: We’ve ‘borrowed’ the 2 button control scheme. We’ve not done a whole lot more to help attract a new audience particularly – except continue to make the very best sports gameplay there is.

PSU: Finally, what sets FIFA 11 apart from its competition this year, which is also promising to offer the best soccer (football) experience on the market?

Rutter: We’ve got the most refined gameplay again, the most fan feedback and the coolest innovations. If you are a gamer, a football (soccer) fan, and ‘competitive,’ FIFA 11 offers probably the most comprehensive, deep, rewarding and high quality gaming available. We believe it’s the best sports game ever made.

 

[jefXfree]

EA Partners hopes Insomniac title will exceed 90% meta rating

David DeMartini, head of EA Partners, has said the company is hoping its forthcoming multiplatform project with Insomniac Games will eclipse the 90 percent review average on Metacritic.

“Insomniac makes really high-quality experiences that consumers love, and they’re doing that again,” said DeMartini, during a chinwag with Eurogamer at GamesCom last month.

“They are breaking some ground with regards to gameplay. But I’m not going to sit here and say, ‘Yeah, they’re going 4D.’

“Insomniac regularly has set a bar at 90 in Metacritic. I think this game is going to exceed that bar. It is a really great creative idea that they’re executing on marvellously so far,” he added.

The game will mark the first time developer Insomniac Games has produced a title for a console other than the PlayStation, and from the sound of things, it won’t be long before we finally clap eyes on the mystery project for the first time.

“I think sooner rather than later we’re going to be sharing some early concepts on that one because they’ve made so much progress. They’re in a great position.”

The unnamed title is being developed over at Insomniac’s main base of operations in Burbank, California alongside Resistance 3. Meanwhile, the firm’s North Carolina-based studio are busy working on the next instalment in the Ratchet & Clank franchise, titled All4One.