When gamers sit down and I’ve been guilty of this myself, we sometimes tend to surround ourselves with a slew of gadgets to enrich our experience. A Dualshock 3 controller to game with, a bluetooth headset to talk with and a keyboard to chat online with. Sometimes, even that Blu-ray remote will sneak into that pile as well. Now, the folks at Hyperkin are looking to change this experience with the Hyperkin’s Remotext for PS3. This multifunction remote offers gamers two analog nubs with a near-complete set of gaming controls, a QWERTY keypad, and a slide-out Blu-ray remote panel. Though not bluetooth enabled, you will find a USB receiver in the box, as well as a pair of rechargeable AA batteries. We don’t have a price or release date to report but the guys at Hyperkin’s will be officially showcasing the hybrid remote at E3.
As always, hit the jump for the official press release. While there, what do you guys think about the remote? Do you like devices like this or prefer a more individual setup with separate keyboard and remote?
I know we are more then a little late but it took me over two months to get my order fulfilled by Amazon, seeing how as they were sold out in every retail store that I visited. After that, even thought our video unboxing was filmed, it’s been sitting in my editing cue for the past month but alas, I’ve finished. Bellow is a video unboxing of the PlayStation Move Sharp Shooter. Besides seeing what’s inside the box, I go over some tips on how to properly place your Move controllers inside and a list of games that are compatible. Those looking to purchase one will note that you can place an order on Amazon who has them in stock with no sales tax!
When you mention football NFL fans have the tendency to cringe at the thought of the lockout continuing for the whole season – when you mention Madden, NFL fans should smile amidst the bountiful improvements implemented in the upcoming 18th installment to the Madden series (not counting the previous John Madden versions). In Madden 12, EA has taken a new approach in development – focusing more on improvements to the games current features, with a new few additions here and there to provide a more realistic experience for users.
Some of the improvements are updated small features that seem so miniscule that it’s safe to say most wont notice a change in a 15 minute game. When users do have a nice hour to sit down and enjoy a game – they’ll notice that they are now unable to zoom in freely as they used to. Cameramen now have a more realistic feel, forcing users to obey rules that cameramen in the NFL have to obey when taping the players and the games.
Speaking of more realistic things, the NFL cameramen were created using motion captured so that users can pick up the smallest of actions; such as how a cameramen tries to limit their breathing to keep still. Along with the many improvements to the camera, EA has also implemented a much updated to team jerseys, making them a whole lot “Sexier”, as well as shrinking the ball size for a more realistic feel.
Last year EA introduced a new feature called “Game Flow” which provided a choice of plays for the user, based on their team, which received a fair amount of criticism due to the lack of customization. Of course EA knew this had to be fixed, so they added a Game Flow enhancement to Madden 12. Users can now rate their plays, allowing Game Flow to recognize the users favorite plays.
EA also made some desperately needed changes to the Tackle Mechanics. In previous versions, users would lose control of their selected players 2-3 yards before the collision, lining up for a hit, and delivering. With the new improvements, users now have full control over their players, with collisions starting when the players are in front of one another, and not 2-3 yards in advance.
Finally, EA has thoroughly worked on their environment mechanics, providing a HUGE realistic boost. For example, if your team is on the West Coast and is going to play an East Coast game, be prepared for the time change, weather change, and different fan enthusiasm.
Keep in mind that this was just the first of many Madden 12 presentations. This time around, EA is going with the “staggered” news approach, the kind that worked well with Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. Users you can be sure that I’ll have more news on the game as the release date (August 30) nears.
It goes without saying that the last two weeks have been a trying time for PlayStation fans and employees alike who we sometimes we forget are really taking the short end of the stick. Not only is their service down too, but they are getting the brunt of the frustration for an event that is not in their hands to control. I figured this was as good as anytime to point out like the previous article we ran that while PSN is down, your PlayStation 3 still has plenty to offer and entertain you with. Our previous article was mainly pointing out the PS3’s offline functionalities like Blu-ray movies, photos, and single player games. So what about those of you who want some more media via the web? Well I can indeed report that both Netflix and VUDU still function 100% without PSN. Though they will ask you to log into your PSN account, you can actually bypass that and enjoy the full offering from both services as they are not tied to PSN in any shape. All you need is a internet connection like before.
Those of you that can’t wait for the release of Resistance 3 have a chance to get a taste of the game before the September release. It was announced yesterday on G4TV that the hit movie Battle L.A. will feature a 30 minute action packed single-player demo when purchasing the Blu-ray. The game demo will come installed directly onto the Blu-ray disc, so y’all don’t have to worry about multiple disks.
That’s not the only way to get your hands on the demo – there is one more. For those of you who purchased the SOCOM 4 add-on “Full Deployment Edition” count yourselves lucky – you’ll also be recieving a copy of the Resistance 3 demo.
The down fall to this is I’m unable to report if the demo will be available for download through the PSN. A multi-player demo is still in the works.
Battle: Los Angeles is slated to invade your Blu-ray player on June 14th while Resistance 3 is looking at a September 6th as for its own personal invasion.
Hit the jump for a video trailer of Resistance 3, exclusive on the PlayStation 3.
Call of Duty fans we have something to look forward to during this PlayStation Network fiasco – Activison recently added some new screenshots and trailers to the Call of Duty site to hype up the May 3rd (For xbox live) debut of the second Call of Duty: Black Ops Map-Pack. The pack includes 5 new intensive combat maps as well a new addition to zombies featuring an more in-depth story line to get users more into Zombie packed fun.
The multi-player section of the pack features 4 new maps for players to dive themselves into – the first map “Hotel” takes place on the roof of a Cuban luxury hotel, where players battle against the backdrop of old Havana. The next map players have to indulge themselves in is called “Convoy” and as the name suggest the map takes place at the scene of an ambushed US military convoy – the perfect map for those who like fast-paced close-quarter combat. Third on the multi-player list is “Zoo” which takes place in an abandoned Soviet Russian Zoo. Lastly we have “Stockpile” placing players in a remote Russian farm town housing secret weapons of mass destruction facilities.
If you’ve been eyeing yourself a PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Move, the following will be welcome news to you. Sony has dropped $50 off of the PS3 + Move bundle to bring it to $349. The bundle gets you the following:
320GB PS3 system
Dualshock 3 wireless controller
PlayStation Move motion controller
PlayStation Eye camera
Sports Champions game
Have to say, this is not a bad deal at all. Especially if you consider that the PS3 is ($299), Move Motion controller ($49), PlayStation Eye ($39) and Sports Champion ($39) which totals $426.
Anybody who has had their computer crash, wether it be caused by a virus or a bad hard drive can attest to the heart break that usually follows when you realize that you haven’t had a backup of your files and now your entire music library, photos, videos and documents is gone. Sure some services allow you to re-download an application or song but in general, most of your content is forever loved. The PlayStation 3 is really no different, especially with it’s easily upgradable hard drive which allows anybody to install upwards of a 500GB hard drive in minutes. And unlike other consoles on the market, many PlayStation3 not only have downloaded games from PSN (and remember, you can always log back into your account an re-download any old purchases), but also store photos, videos, music and interactive elements like Dynamic Backgrounds and Sony’s monthly Qore. As easy as it is to download content into your PS3, it’s just as easy to lose them. A failed hard drive, a spike in the power or heck, your PS3 just deciding to freak out on itself. Once any of these events happen and lets assume that your hard drive is still working, you cannot simply take out your hard drive, place it in another PS3 and continue from where you left off. But there is a cure for this and that is to simply backup your content. Sony has made the idea of backing up extremely simply on the PlayStation 3 as our following video will show. Remember, there is no need to do one weekly, because depending on your hard drive size, they can take a while but a two month backup sure beats nothing.
PlayStation 3 users have been a lucky bunch from the beginning, being the only console on the market with a web browser. As it is, the browser is a functional one with full flash support , giving users access to sites like YouTube, Facebook, IGN, and our very own (can’t help but plug ourselves in as well). From its inception, much like the PlayStation 3, Sony has done much to beef up the browser and make it a smoother and more powerful experience. Still, there is no denying that compared to your computer or even iPhone, the browsing experience is subpar. Especially if you have a laptop or iPad sitting around, there is no question that you will reach for that, over the PS3 web browser.
Now, it looks like things could change for the better for those of you need access to a better web browsing experience from their PS3. It’s really been a well document experience that the folks over at Sony and Google have become cosy over the last year. Sony has thrown its full support behind the Google TV initiative and offers an entire TV lineup based around the idea, and a separate Blu-ray Internet unit as well. Then, there is Sony Ericssons lineup of Android phone with Sony even hoping to reach the status as a top Android handset maker. It only makes sense for Google to give some love back to Sony and help beef up their product offerings and we’re sure that won’t mind the increased market share. Still, these are only hopes and wants and we don’t tend to report on those alone. Instead, the guys over at PS3 Life have discovered that within the recently updated webkit for the PlayStation 3 browser, lies the code from Google Chrome browser.
I’m going through ps3-webkit-support.diff because I’m bored. Looks like we’re getting Chrome Actually, since Geoff’s added a couple of files for ChromeClientPOSIX.
Naturally the full source of His changes are in that. Diff file also. From what I can tell, the only posix platform refers to the PS3 in webkit, It does not show up at all in the mainline source code (Unix versions are under Their Typically widget library like Qt or gtk). There’s a lot of Functions That Are not Implemented, but they’re Mainly Ones That involvement windowing That You Would not expect to be supported on the PS3.
Might this not mean much since I do not see the cool stuff from Chrome theses sources, like bookmark syncing, but it’s a freaking huge project., And only covers what the diff Needed to be changed so it works on the PS3. Might it not just get Chrome branding visible to the user, but I think if he’s calling it chrome client, we can expect good things for the future.
Those looking to see just what’s inside of this webkit can click here and dig a little deeper for themselves. Many times, companies place codes within their SDK that never come to fruition, due to cost or other initiatives taking precedent. However, the idea of a new web browser is too big of a feature for Sony to simply be testing the idea in just a closed environment and with previous rumors on this subject matter, we cant help but think that it’s only a matter time before the PlayStation 3 receives the Chrome web browser.
Do you currently use the PS3’s web browser and if not. how come? Also, what do you think about a beefed up web browsing experience on the PS3? Would you go back to using it if Chrome did indeed come to the PS3?
Though we failed to report on it, in early March, Sony announced a new initiative called Move.me which is an server application that promises to let researchers, hobbyists and others use the Move as a controller for a PC. Currently in closed beta and set to be released into the wild by Summer, Move.me hopes to capture the enthusiast crowd’s imagination by giving them access to PlayStation Move’s source code with little guidance. Instead Sony and PlayStation want users to hack away at the motion based controller till their hearts desire. Now Jacob Pennock is one of the first to report back in with his findings. Using the PlayStation Move, he is able to navigate around in his desktop, navigate through Facebook and create gesture based shortcuts to launch movies, Pandora and more. What’s more impressive is that Jacob only received access to the currently closed SDK last Thursday. It should be noted that Jacob will share is findings with the rest of the closed beta community of Move.me till the program goes out of private beta, in which case he and the rest of the community will be able to publish their codes for the web, and anybody wishing to give it a go will be able to have access to the SDK from Sony.
“We want to see what innovative applications programmers can create using the PS Move controller, the PS3™ system, the PlayStation®Eye camera, and a PC,” Sony said in its Move.Me site.
For all those interested, some of the key areas that Sony would like you to focus on is:
Games and tools that support kids’ physical fitness and nutrition
Kid-friendly programming interfaces for computer/technology classes or individual learning
I know we were late to the party when it came to getting our hands on LittleBigPlanet 2, but we really wanted the Collector’s Edition and I was under strict orders that I wasn’t allowed to play the new game till our site editor, Allegra, had arrived back in Los Angeles. Because she was able to spend a week here, we finally got the opportunity to not only play LBP2 but also do an unboxing.
Sony recently released PlayStation 3 firmware 3.6 which enabled users to set a controller auto-off timing of their choice and more importantly, gave PlayStation Plus users access to save game files to the cloud. In todays video, we go over the features, show you how to use them and answer your questions.
It’s been almost 8 months since the PlayStation Move was introduced to the market and it’s been almost 8 months of sold out inventory. Designed to cater to both the casual and hardcore gamer with titles like Resident Evil 5, Killzone 3 and the upcomingSOCOM 4, the PlayStation Move was an effort on Sony’s part to extend the reach of the PlayStation 3 platform while giving gamers one more way to interact with their content. Having experiencing the sellout first hand as it took my own family over a month to get me two PlayStation Move Controller and Navigation Sticks for Christmas and after 3 weeks of waiting for my PlayStation Move Sharp Shooter, I’m still empty handed, I believe it when GameStop announced today that they are having a hard time keeping these units on the shelves.
“We have struggled to stay in stock on the Sony Move controllers; there’s a tremendous amount of demand for that,” said GameStop’s Tony Bartel. “Provided we can get more into stock, we should see some strong growth there as well.”
Sony has been on the forefront of cutting edge with the PlayStation 3, creating a device that, unlike previous PlayStation units and other consoles on the market, can be expanded upon and offer new features that even those who bought the PlayStation during its launch can enjoy. Over the last 9 months, the PlayStation 3 has been updated via software to allow for 3D games and movies. Shortly after that, Sony also released the PlayStation Move, which continues to be the most advanced and precise motion sensor gaming attachment on the market. In order to show consumers and other developers the capability of these new technologies, Sony has taken it upon itself to offer these advacements in some of the hottest games of 2010 and 2011. Titles such as Gran Turismo 5, LittleBigPlanet 2, Killzone 3, MotorStorm Apocalypse and the upcoming Uncharted 3, Socom 4 and Infamous 2, will all support native 3D. Current titles on the market such as LittleBigPlanet 2, Killzone 3 and again the upcoming Socom 4 and soon to be released Move Heroes game, featuring some of PlayStation most well known characters, like Jak & Dexter, Ratchet and Clank, and Sly, will support PlayStation Move on top of native 3D.
Now, Sony wants developers outside of the Sony family to leverage these PlayStation 3 features and incorporate them into their games to offer a more unique and rich environment for the players.
“Whenever we come out with new technology, whether it’s Move or 3D, there is always the request that goes out to the [development] teams that says, ‘Hey it would be great if you could implement it.’ We know that adds to the layer of not only the marketing message we have access to but it also adds to the availability of different Sony channels that we can broadcast our message out to,”
Sony has gone on record and states that in no way or shape is it requiring developers to offer these. Instead, it wants them to look at games like Killzone 3 which has been said to be one of the best looking games ever created on the PlayStation 3 which also offers the most native and natural Move experience while still implementing 3D. The point here is that developers can add these features to their game without worrying about tapping out the PlayStation 3 or the need to sacrifice quality.
Hit the jump for a full list of PlayStation Move and 3D-supported games.
By now, we have all have seen the countless images and videos on CNN and other places from the recent natural disasters that took place in Japan. With cities destroyed and the country’s spirits and energies going towards their people and the much needed recovery that is taking place as each day passes, it’s nice to see a company set aside its profits and instead focus on the people. In an alternative universe where a 8.9 earthquake and tsunami had not rocked the country of Japan, this week Sony’s PlayStation division would be releasing MotorStorm Apocalypse for the PlayStation 3. This genre-defining racing game has always been centered around all forms of jaw-dropping environments where the player can race, crash and taunt away the opponents in all forms of manors. Prior to this installment, the series had raced into the deserts and tropical landscapes for the game’s backdrop. For MotorStorm Apocalypse, the developers wanted to instead focus on an old abandoned city where the environment itself played like an opponent. With falling buildings and destroyed streets, the game was a spectacle to look at and play through, if you had not recently been exposed to a trauma of the same magnitude. Sony instead believes that the game will hit too close to home and will not be appropriate for the people of Japan and through an email issued out to the press, has stated that the game will be postponed (indefinitely) for Japan. From a capitalistic standpoint, this might not be a good move. After all, millions are/were spent on making this game, let alone localizing it for Japan, but from a humanity standpoint, it’s nice to see a company forgo profits and instead focus on the people.
Remember the earlier scare that Sony went through where all PS3 shipments were ordered to be halted into Europe, thanks to a Sony vs. LG patent war? Well after the initial judge ruled on LG’s favor, the over all ruling has now come in favor of Sony Electronics. The more then 300,00 PlayStation 3 units that are currently sitting at customs are set to start flowing to inventory channels. Considering how fast this was resolved, we doubt retailers saw much of a dip in their inventory as most companies have 2-3 weeks worth of supplies for any given product. The judge has also ordered LG to pay 130k ($181k) Euros to Sony for costs incurred during the hearing and an additional 200k ($278k) Euros for everyday that shipments of the PS3 are not returned to Sony.
When the PSN (PlayStation Network) entered it’s usual scheduled maintenance time, no one would have guessed that Sony was taking down the service to beef up the PS3 offering for PlayStation Plus users and giving them one of the holly grail features that people have been wanting, saving games to the cloud.
When PS3 firmware 3.6 goes live tomorrow, PlayStation Plus users will be able to back up game save data to the cloud. This new feature not only will ensure that your files are saved off location, in case your hard drive were to go south, but users will be able to access these files from any other PS3, simply by logging into their PSN account.
The new online storage feature allows gamers to store up to 150MB of game save data and a maximum of 1000 data files per PSN account.
Saves games to the cloud will happen automatically for PlayStation Plus users and while most games current available will work with this online storage method, all future games are required to have cloud saving compatibility. I’ve been a long time PlayStation Plus users, having written a piece why I believe every PlayStation 3 user should have PlayStation Plus. Now, I can finally get another PS3. I’ve long wanted a secondary PlayStation 3, leaving the current one in the living room while having a machine in the bedroom as well. But the idea that I cannot continue my career in Gran Turismo 5 or the levels I’ve completed in LittleBigPlanet 2 always held me back and copying saved files back and forth from each machine via a USB drive seemed too tedious and bound for disaster. With Cloud Storage, I’m well on my way towards ordering another PlayStation 3. Press release after the jump.
We’re a little late to Media Molecule master piece, LittleBigPlanet 2 but our lovely editor, Allegra Wilson was able to get her hands on a collectors edition and our team will soon be rocking it with Sackboy and Sackgirl. Released on January 18th of this year, this sequel has gone to receive critical praise like the original title. With an average score of 9.1 from the critics and 9.3 from users, this PlayStation Move enabled sequel is as refreshing as the first round with plenty of new tricks and features. Did we mention there is already over 2 million user generated levels, in addition to the 50+ game levels? Look for my dressed up as either Captain Jack Sparrow, Spider-man or Clu from Tron under Fusion_ID and Allegra as Miss Elizabeth Swan or the Human Torch under The_Prancer. Unfortunately, the Collectors Edition is extremely hard to find but the normal edition can be found on Amazon for $53.88.
One thing I hate more then anything when it comes to my gear is cheap accessories. I didn’t shell out over $600 for a PlayStation 3 or over $900 for my iPad to turn around and buy a cheap dock, case or peripheral from companies who we won’t name. Those of us who have wanted a charger for our DualShock 3, know that there isn’t much quality options in the market. That’s why it’s nice to see Sony step into the game by releasing the DualShock 3 Charging Station (CECH-ZC2JYB). The device can charge two controllers at once and is plugged into an AC outlet, as opposed to the PS3’s USB ports, bypassing the need to have your PlayStation 3 unit on. This Charging Station is set to release on April 21st in Japan for 2,480 yen ($29). No word yet on a US release date.
During Sony’s GDC press conference, the maker of the PlayStation 3 revealed some new stats that show the system making great strides in the last year to help Sony’s profitability and close the gap between their immediate rival console from Microsoft. Pierre Gravereau, SCEA digital distribution manager revealed that the PlayStation 3 has crossed over 41.6 million units sold worldwide with 80% of them being web connected, thanks to their free PSN (PlayStation Network) service, opposed to Microsofts Xbox 360 which requires $70/year to go online. Sony has also been able to pull in 70 million PSN subscribers, which helped the store see an increase of 60% store traffic and 70% boost to their profits.
Today at GDC, Sony lifted the vail off of the upcoming PlayStation Home 1.5 update, showing a slew of improvements that the company has in mind for the free PlayStation 3 service. For those who are not familiar, PlayStaiton Home gives users a play to hang out, chat, talk games and actually play tons of games, many which are free. Home is a destination to meet players who enjoy the same games, and gives users options like shopping for virtual items, decorating their Home space and avatar. With all that, the core existence of Home is gaming. Here, users can create groups and launch into multiplayer games together like Uncharted 2 or LittleBigPlanet, making it a great pre-gaming environment. Since the service launched, Sony has had many updates which have added to gaming spaces, and user features. PlayStation Home Community Manager had this to say:
While versions 1.3 and 1.4 brought user-facing features like Voice Chat, Cross Game Invites, Navigation Improvements, In-Store Previews, New Item Types (such as Active Items and Companions), Optimized Load Times and Universal Game Launching, PlayStation Home v1.5 is packed with tools and features that will enable developers to expand the types of games possible on the platform – from first-person shooters with real-time, peer-to-peer multiplayer to kart racers and more.
Home currently offers a ton of free mini games, based around popular franchises like Killzone, LittleBigPlanet and Resistance while the company has also created many unique games like Sodium. Now with PlayStation Home 1.5, Sony is looking to up the ante by giving developers more control and power to create deeper, richer and more fulfilling games that will be exclusively on PlayStation Home.
SonyRumors.net SRN (Sony News, Rumor, Talk and Review) (Playstation, Playstation Network, Playstation Move, PSN, PS3, PSP, PSPgo, PSP2, Blu-ray, Bravia, 3D, Internet TV, Sony Ericsson, Xperia, Vaio Notebooks, Vaio Laptops, Vaio Desktops, eReader, Cybershot, Alpha, NEX, Handycam, Walkman) 
