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Sony patents tiny PSP-controlled spy car
So this is why Gran Turismo hasn't come out for PSP: Sony has a much better idea for "realistic" PSP racing. Siliconera found a patent filed by SCEE for a remote-controlled car that uses the PSP as an interface. The car is equipped with a camera that feeds video back to the PSP. One possible application: "a user may control the car... so as to spy on their friends... then upload the stored video images to a website."In addition, the patent application states that the car could be used for an "augmented reality" racing game in which the game recognizes real objects as elements in the racing game. Basically, you build your own track from stuff around the house.The only thing we can't figure out about this patent is why it's not a real product yet. Why is nobody selling us this right now? If Sony really wants the PSP to succeed, here's how to do it. A pink PSP and a Hannah Montana game aren't going to be any significant competition for the DS. But a remote-controlled spy car is, because that is awesome.
Sony targets collectors with licensing agreement
Sony is looking to extract some more money from European wallets through a new deal inked with Target Entertainment, who will now be the consumer product licensing agent for all PlayStation software IP. This means you could have a nice 6" tall Kratos watching over your cubicle whenever you go to refill that mug of coffee, or your own cuddly, huge Sackboy to snuggle up with every night while in bed. Really, the possibilities for merchandise are near endless here.SCEE's licensing and peripherals manager Stephanie Freeman says Sony wants "consumers to have the ability to interact with our brands and characters in ways other than just on screen. We feel Target Entertainment Group has the vibrancy and experience to help us do this successfully." No word on when these products will be making their way to market, but you should be able to stock up on Helghast target dummies and Ratchet and Clank ratchet sets soon.
PS2 drops to ???99 in Europe, no drop for UK
We've received word from a SCEE representative that the PS2 price drop, which was announced today for the US, will also take place in Europe. On the mainland, the PS2 will drop from around €130 to €99, while remaining frozen at around £90 in the UK.There's no word on when this price cut will take place or why the UK remains immune, but we suggest you keep an eye on your local retailer for more information.
Joystiq Review: Killzone 2 (multiplayer)
click to enlarge We know what you're thinking: "Hey, didn't you guys already review Killzone 2?" Pretty neat trick, huh? Yes, we did. But, as we played before the game hit retail, we only covered the single-player experience. Now that the game's out, the servers are up and we've had ample time to pop some caps in other players thousands of miles away, it's time to talk about Killzone 2's multiplayer offering.Considering how solid the game's solo campaign is, some would argue it's good enough to just leave the critique at that. But any major, modern FPS needs a strong multiplayer component to compete -- not to mention bring some staying power to that $60 purchase. In the case of Killzone 2, its MP side can scrap with the best of 'em when it's good (which is often) but still contains enough of the rough stuff to warrant a few rounds of patches.%Gallery-4719%
Sony's Maguire: UMD 'wasn't brilliant' for third parties
One of the most important classes in blogger college is Learning to Decipher Executive Quotes 101. So, for example, when Sony responded to Dave Perry's claims of a UMD-less PSP 2 with a, "Can't comment either way," we knew that meant, "We're not ready to announce that yet, but yeah, totally." Now, SCE UK's senior VP Ray Maguire has given us a new assignment, to which we'll now apply our 6-hours of LDEQ.So when Maguire says, "The UMD model wasn't brilliant for third parties," what he's really saying is, "When we do announce that we're dropping UMD, remember that no one, not you, not anybody liked that thing, except maybe pirates." And when he goes on to add, "The downloads side of it will increasingly become a bigger part of its future," he's actually saying, "No, seriously, this is totally happening." No, no, don't thank us. Thank Prof. Steinburg and the rest of the St. Vincent's Community Blogging College faculty. We couldn't have done it without them.
Killzone 2 is UK's 4th fastest-selling Sony title, Halo Wars is best-selling console RTS
This past week saw a massive resupply of ammunition for both the Sony and Microsoft fanboys on the treacherous European front of the current console war -- first of all, the highly anticipated Killzone 2 nabbed the top spot in the ELSPA GfK ChartTrack Top 40, and became the fourth fastest-selling Sony-published title ever released in the UK. Its first place finish in the Top 40 charts gave it an edge over number two finisher Halo Wars. You read that right, people. Killzone 2 has become, as many of its zealous acolytes claimed it would, a "Halo killer."However, the situation isn't exactly grim for said murdered Halo title -- within its launch week, it became the UK's best-selling console RTS to date, beating out former leader Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars by a three-to-one margin. So ... we guess Halo is a "Command and Conquer killer," now? We're not sure. All this inter-franchise homicide is hard to keep track of.
SCEE: PSP sell-in hits 50 million worldwide
Has it really been over four years since Sony's helicopters swooped in, dropped a rope ladder and successfully extracted portable entertainment from the handheld gaming ghetto? Sony Computer Entertainment Europe reminds us that the PlayStation Portable was first launched in Japan in 2004 and has since spread across the globe, reaching a "sell-in" level of 50 million units (accompanied by 200 million software units). If you can't tout selling out, you might as well do the "in" thing and count the number of units you've shipped to shelves, stalls, online retailers and really fancy airport vending machines.Still, it's an impressive (and very big!) number, one we'd relish shoving into the faces of our doubting, 2004 selves. Of course, we'd also irrevocably ruin the timeline by telling everyone to hold out for the fantastic PSP-2000 ... so let's just keep the celebration confined to the present day, shall we?
'We simply have to suffer a little,' says Sony Europe's Reeves
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's president, David Reeves, has spoken frankly in an interview with UK newspaper The Guardian regarding the current state of the industry and Sony's place within it. Commenting on Sony's third-quarter losses, Reeves says that "we simply have to suffer a little, go down in market share and mind-share. We're still standing, we're still profitable and there's a lot of fight in us." Reeves' humility makes a refreshing change from other Sony representatives. Reeves goes on to say that the company's PS3 sales forecast is still 10 million by March and clarifies why there was no PS3 price cut this year. "My objective is financial - to make a profit in our territory by the end of March, and we will. If we'd cut the price, lost another billion dollars, we might have had a huge Christmas but it would have been followed by a huge loss." Claiming that Sony has learned things from both Nintendo and Microsoft this generation, he feels "we should celebrate the industry and how we've collectively grown it beyond all recognition." There's not a hint of any "console war" mentality to be found.Reeves also confirms that 45nm Cell chips will replace the 65nm versions currently inside the PS3, "probably in middle of year," and that downloadable movies will be available in PAL territories later this year. Both will increase profits for Sony and the former may even pave the way for a price cut later in the year. Here's hoping.[Thanks, Josh]
Killzone 2 demo hitting Euro PSN on Feb. 5 [update]
It looks like players won't have to wait until after Killzone 2 rolls onto store shelves to get their first taste of combat. A Sony Europe rep has revealed that a demo for the anticipated shooter will be available on the European PSN on February 5. It will be available on the US PSN at the same time, but only to those partaking in GameStop's pre-order deal. It appears the uncommitted will have to wait for a general PSN release on Feb. 26 -- or attempt subversion via a European account."I can confirm that this will be live on the PSN store on Thursday 5th February (same day as SCEA) across all SCEE PSN locales," wrote Sony Computer Entertainment UK Limited's Hugo Bustillos in an email. According to Bustillos, the demo will consist of the first two areas of 'Corinth River,' the game's first level, described as 'beach landing' and 'warehouse.' A tutorial will be included as well, ensuring that all ISA greenhorns will be up to speed when the full game arrives for the PS3 on February 27.Update: It's live! [Thursday, Feb. 5, 11:00 am ET] Curious about Killzone 2? Check out our expert opinion in the single-player review. Not enough for ya? Then proceed directly to our ridiculously informative FAQ, featuring everything from Trophies to button layout to multiplayer analysis, and more!
Attack of the Ads: Sony UK plans 2???m Killzone 2 ad spree
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has stacked a tidy lump sum of £2???m (approx. $2.8m US) to help promote Killzone 2 in the region, Edge reports. Planning to swarm the unsuspecting island with television and movie theater ads, Sony UK is adamant in pushing its upcoming first-person shooter.The dedication of £2???m points to Sony's confidence in the Guerrilla Games developed title, which currently holds a high 95% Metacritic rating -- if numbers mean anything to you. Sony UK has also allotted an additional £2???m in order to promote other high profile PS3 exclusives, including industry darling, but commercially snubbed, LittleBigPlanet.SCEE marketing director Alan Duncan told Edge that recent reviews of Killzone 2 prove the title has "lived up" to expectations and "brings a new energy" to the competitive first-person genre. Sony UK hopes strong ads for Killzone 2 can drive sales in the region, which will receive an exclusive bundle for the game's release. That's fantastic, but how about someone drive to the PSN server room and flip the switch to give us that demo already. Curious about Killzone 2? Check out our ridiculously informative FAQ, featuring everything from button layout to release date to Trophies to multiplayer analysis, and more! And if that don't do it for ya? Then proceed directly to our hands-on preview of the single-player campaign.Oh, and stay tuned for our official review coming next week!
Metareview -- Killzone 2
Ignore the fact that we still have about a month to go before Killzone 2 actually releases ... who's up for some reviews? The North American embargo for online media is up Monday (coincidentally, the very same day we're publishing our pretentious, non-numerical review), but Europe, print mags and IGN (sorry gang, not a world exclusive -- but close enough) have already doled out their numbers, thumbs-up and high-fives for the PS3-exclusive FPS and promptly moved on.Whether or not it was a good idea for reviews to hit this early is debatable (we may have to consider a second metareview closer to the late February launch), but at least the first critics appear to have positive things to say about Killzone 2: GamePro (100/100): "It took a long time for Killzone 2 to finally come out, but after diving head first into the game, there's no doubt in my mind that it lives up to the hype and is a must-play for FPS fans." IGN (94/100): "The single-player experience is a truly enjoyable campaign across the Helghast home world that will test your skills, particularly on the higher difficulty levels, and the game simply looks phenomenal for a console shooter. But perhaps the strongest segment of the game is the extremely deep multiplayer, which gives seven basic classes with which you can create your own customized super-soldier after performing your class-specific duties." IGN AU (90/100): "End line, Killzone 2 is, by IGN's definition, outstanding. It is consistent in every respect and is testament to the talents of the developer as well as the power of the PS3 in the hands of a team that knows how to use the hardware -- and who have the full support of Sony behind them. In the same stroke, it is not the be all and end all of console shooters, or even shooters on the PS3 - but if you've read this far and you're one of the Killzone devout, you probably won't care anyway. You can rest easy knowing it was ultimately worth the wait." Eurogamer (90/100): "This is a methodical shooter that makes few concessions to those not already interested in its single-minded approach to cover-based military action. I've compared it to Rainbow Six in the past, but it also calls to mind F.E.A.R, another tough tactical effort that was often misunderstood by those expecting a frag-happy spook hunt. Killzone 2 is a taut and muscular game, a shooter that gives back more than you put in, provided you have the intestinal fortitude. It may take its time revealing its true depths and pleasures, but the journey is well worth taking." Curious about Killzone 2? Check out our ridiculously informative FAQ, featuring everything from button layout to release date to Trophies to multiplayer analysis, and more! And if that don't do it for ya? Then proceed directly to our hands-on preview of the single-player campaign.Oh, and stay tuned for our official review coming next week!
Killzone 2: Introducing the ... introduction
Killzone 2 has never lacked in the pre-rendered department. Heck, the game's most famous (or is that: infamous?) for its unbelievable visual razzle-dazzle. All smoke and mirrors or not, this is the official intro cinematic that's included in the game. Pre-rendered, in-engine, whatever -- it's definitely not playable. So sit back, dim the lights, and enjoy.[Warning: Video contains some rough language and a few kabooms. Plug in your earphones if the boss is nearby.] Curious about Killzone 2? Check out our ridiculously informative FAQ, featuring everything from button layout to release date to Trophies to multiplayer analysis, and more! And if that don't do it for ya? Then proceed directly to our hands-on preview of the single-player campaign.Oh, and stay tuned for our official review coming next week!
Sony staff cuts unlikely to affect games division
Here's a bit of good news after hearing about job losses in Microsoft's Gamerscore Blog team: Sony says that cuts coming to the company are least likely to come from the gaming division, according to GamesIndustry.biz. The comments were, of course, made in reference to Sony's talk yesterday of restructuring, after it expected to post $2.9 billion-with-a-B in annual losses.A spokesperson for the company told GI.biz, "As was the case with the previous Sony restructuring announcement this mainly concerns our electronics business." Here's hoping Sony's able to stick to the plan. We're sorry to hear about anyone losing a gig, but if the cuts are between "gaming" and "not gaming," we're always going to have a bias.
Publishers continue to blame SCEE for missing European PSN releases
Cash Guns Chaos Cuboid Lumines Supernova Penny Arcade Adventures: Episode One and Two PowerUp Forever SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars This is the list of games that are available on the US PlayStation Store, and not on the European Store. Many of our readers have been asking "why?"Publishers are blaming Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for the delays. The Stores are still operated independently in each region, and SCEE has been strangely slow on releasing these titles. "Sony's process for getting titles on PSN varies in North America, Europe, Japan and the rest of Asia", said Joel De Young, COO of Hothead Games.SCEE's response to BritishGaming.co.uk doesn't really inspire confidence. "This has been an ongoing issue and we're doing our best to resolve it." Wouldn't releasing these games be the best way to resolve these delays?
Microsoft won't use PlayStation Home, will keep meetings boring
Despite taking part in a cost-saving virtual conferencing initiative, Microsoft has told CVG that it will not be using PlayStation Home to facilitate cheaper, virtual meetings. The company insisted that it had access to everything -- including Live Meeting and Xbox Live's party system -- needed to "host a virtual meeting in-house" ... and not in Home. It's probably best not to indirectly endorse your competitor's efforts, but just think of how excruciatingly boring meetings will be without Sony's eccentric virtual haven:"And that's why, by altering our predicted life-to-date replacement ratio matrix, our profits will positively sway our exponential yield curve. Joan, do you understand?""Mark, I've got some curves for you right here. They're swaying.""And so ... spontaneously at that. Why do I have the sudden urge to start gyrating in rhythm to non-existent music?""Come on, do the robot with me!""Oh yeah, doin' the robot! Damn, Joan, how big are your measurements, 'cos they do not compute.""Ugh ... why do men become cretins in Home? Also, it's not Joan. It's Joe.""As in Joe-Ann or OH CRAP YOU'VE SUDDENLY BECOME A HIDEOUS AND UNDESIRABLE MAN!"
Eurogamer: Europe may get pre-launch Killzone 2 demo
Eurogamer claims a source close to Sony has indicated that if the Killzone 2 demo clears QA, it'll "almost certainly" be released in Europe before the game storms store shelves. This information comes hot on the heels of Sony America's confirmation that a North American demo will not be available until after the game launches on February 27.Now, here's where wordplay makes the situation sticky. Killzone 2 doesn't currently have a clear release date in Europe. So, depending on when Europe actually gets an official date, the demo and game could very well be out in North America before Europe enters the zone of killing.
Reeves: PlayStation 'on target' to start earning profit
Step 1: Release PlayStation 3.Step 2: ?????Step 3: Profit! David Reeves, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, believes that Sony is "on target" to figure out that elusive second step. "The most important thing for us as a company in the very short term is for us to start making money," Reeves explained rather candidly in a recent article on the official PlayStation website. "This is a pledge that was made last March and is something that we are still very much on target to achieve." His tone was considerably more positive than one adopted by recent rumors, which have Sony on the "brink of upheaval."Quizzed -- or rather, politely asked to contribute in a promotional piece -- about 2009's most exciting developments, Reeves noted that once the company's flagship system is out of the financial woods, things will really take off for PlayStation and its fans. "2009 promises to be a very exciting year for PS3, with blockbuster titles such as Heavy Rain and Killzone 2 coming out, whilst we have the music and video download service becoming available towards the end of the year," he said. And don't forget about our pal, the PSP, which will have games taking "full advantage of the new enhanced screen."
Sony could break even on PS3 in '09, finally get agressive with pricing
Back in January, Sony Computer Entertainment president Kaz Hirai told Reuters that he'd very much like the company to turn a profit on PlayStation 3 in early 2009. Going by a new report on the actual manufacturing costs of the system, Hirai may get his wish.BusinessWeek reports that the PS3 – which cost Sony a whopping $840 to produce in 2006 – has, through a reduction in parts and cost thereof, reached a price of $445 assembled. Sony was losing more than $200 per system sold back in the fall of '06 ... and it has now gotten that figure down to about $45. This was achievable by scaling back its inner-workings from 4,048 parts then to 2,820 today (losing backwards compatibility with PS2 games along the way). Also, the system's Cell processor, which cost Sony $89 at launch, is $46 now.It's good news for Sony and its shareholders, who have been watching profits sink for some time. It's also good news for gamers; continued cost reduction on the hardware could spell a price drop on both SKUs by summer of 2009 – and potentially even more aggressive pricing this time next year. (Fun fact: although it might seem like the retail price of PS3 isn't dropping as fast as PS2, both systems dropped exactly $100 during their first 24 months on sale.) [Via PS3 Fanboy]
Sony Europe: Home will become a system seller
With PlayStation 3 being dubbed a "sinking ship" on these shores, it could definitely use a system seller. Sony Europe sees PlayStation Home – not a game, but a social platform – becoming something that people will buy PS3 for across the pond. Speaking with CVG, Home's European service manager, Dan Hill, remarked that, "In time I would say that Home will definitely become a reason to purchase [PS3]." Hill sees Home as a determining factor in future console purchases because, in his opinion, "no-one else is doing anything of this scale or ambition," and promises that, "If you buy a PS3 and you grow with us, as Home evolves, you are going to become part of something very special, something unlike you can experience anywhere else." Something like ... Quincying.
SCEE boss: PSP 2 not planned, PSP is devs' last pick
We hope you're content with the current PSP, scanlines and all. While most hardware makers have historically begun R&D on their next generation platforms just as – or even before – the current generation is hitting shelves, SCEE president, David Reeves, has said that Sony is not currently planning a PSP 2.Interviewed by MCV, Reeves admitted that, "there are currently no plans for a PSP2," adding, "I go to Tokyo quite a lot and no one has referred to it – I think they have their hands full at the moment."Reeves also addressed the thorny issue of PSP software (or, more specifically, the lack thereof), saying, "[PSP's] weakness...is its software." PlayStation's European boss chalks the situation up risky business, explaining of developers that "when it comes to placing their bets, have to choose PS3 and 360, then Wii, then DS, maybe even PS2 before PSP." He did not offer any details of how Sony is (hopefully) working to change this. Mr. Reeves, sir, you're not exactly instilling us with confidence.
