Talk Playstation 3 News

We said that there will be a Resistance 2 teaser trailer coming for Friday. Now that Friday has been, the trailer is finally out on Gametrailers.com and here it is:

It’s the first trailers for Insomniac’s sequel to its launch title, Resistance Fall of Man. The trailer makes the game look a lot more atmospheric than ever before. Many people are saying that the trailer is all in CG, let me put this straight, Insomniac are not known for using CG in their games and only using the in-game engine to render cutscenes. Remember the Ratchet commercial? that was all done using the in-game engine and not CG!

This is a Playstation 3 theme. Insomnia theme by Steviek.

If you don’t know how to install a theme to your Playstation 3, click here for a step-by-step guide on how to do so.

Click here to download theme.

Provided by: psu

This is a Playstation 3 theme. A nice Metal Gear Solid 4 theme by Itachi.

If you don’t know how to install a theme to your Playstation 3, click here for a step-by-step guide on how to do so.

Click here to download theme.

Provided by: psu

This is a Playstation 3 theme. Original Metal Gear Solid theme with custom backgrounds and sound. A must have for Metal Gear Solid fans!

If you don’t know how to install a theme to your Playstation 3, click here for a step-by-step guide on how to do so.

Click here to download theme.

Provided by: ps3-themes.com

How to install a Playstation 3 theme

Found a nice theme you want to use on your Playstation 3? Don’t know how to install a theme? Read ahead!

Download PS3 Theme via PC

1. Download the theme you want to use.  PS3 themes come in a .p3t extension.
2. Grab a  USB pen drive (usb memory stick) or an external hard drive.
3. Create a folder called PS3 on the pen drive or external HDD.
4. Inside the folder called PS3, create a folder called THEME so you have a folder called PS3 and a folder within the PS3 folder called THEME. (folder names must be in capitals)
5. Copy over the downloaded .p3t file (the theme) to the THEME folder within the PS3 folder you created.
6. Turn the PS3 on and put the pen drive or external hard drive into one of the USB slots on the front of the PS3.
7. On the Cross Media Bar, go to Settings then Theme Settings then Themes.
8. Select the install button and then select the usb pen drive or external hard drive.
9. Select the theme you want to install and then select Apply to install the theme.

Download PS3 Theme via PS3 Browser

1. Go to the website you want to download the theme from.
2. The PS3 will ask you to save the theme you want to download, save it.
3. On the Cross Media Bar, go to Settings then Theme Settings then Themes.
4. If you saved it properly the theme should be displayed in the list, select the theme and then select Apply to install the theme.

The Playstation 3 version of Grand Theft Auto IV will feature 1080p and only require a installation of just over 3MB, yes thats MB not GB! This is confirmed by a UK gamer who took a picture of the back of the GTA IV box.

Here’s the picture:

Looks like Playstation 3 owners will have superior visual quality!

Source: maxconsole

The new revamped Playstation Store and Firmware 2.30 will launch April the 15th, confirmed by Sony. The new Playstation Store will require Firmware 2.30 as the PS Store is now built into the operating system. April 15 will be a big day for Playstation 3 owners and from April 17 the store will resume content being added especially in Europe because that is the day the Metal Gear Online beta starts, Warhawk™: Operation Broken Mirror, Lair™: Diabolical Dragons Pack and Skyguard Upgrade Pack.

Head over to Threespeech for some pictures of the new store.

Yesterday we mentioned that Konami have plans to announce the European Metal Gear Online beta, and now it’s officially confirmed. Those that live in Europe will be able to download the beta via the Playstation Store on the 17th of April 2008, online tests will run from the 21st of April 2008 up until the 6th of May 2008. The beta will contain two maps called “Groznyi Grad” and “Blood Bath”.

Here is the press release:

Metal Gear Online: Open Beta in Europe confirmed
Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH announced Metal Gear Online Premiere Beta for Kojima Productions’ online epic
Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced its plans for a public beta program across Europe for its forthcoming Metal Gear Online title for PLAYSTATION®3. Konami will release Metal Gear Online Premiere Beta via the PlayStation Store from April 17th, with online tests running from April 21st through May 6th. An all-new Metal Gear title specifically designed as a multi-player online experience, Metal Gear Online will be released worldwide as part of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots on June 12th.

The beta program will offer players a unique chance to sample the innovative multi-player experience of Metal Gear Online, which emphasizes cooperative team-based play. Those downloading the beta will be invited to explore two maps – “Blood Bath” and “Groznyi Grad” – each of which requires unique strategies in order to achieve victory.

Metal Gear Online will launch as part of Guns of the Patriots in June as a Starter Pack, comprising five unique stages: “Ambush Alley,” where trenches and sandbags litter an arena built for close and medium range combat; “Blood Bath,” a two-tier battle setting; and “Groznyi Grad,” the expansive Shagohod development complex from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater which features human catapults that propel players to different areas of the environment. Rounding out the five stage set are the dusty, Middle Eastern alleyways found in Guns of the Patriots entitled “Midtown Maelstrom,” and the rooftop settings of “Urban Ultimatum.” Konami is committed to the release of additional Expansion Packs to be released throughout the year.

Up to 16 people can play simultaneously, with game worlds created using Guns of the Patriots’s incredible 3D engine. Retaining the classic stealth combat gameplay of the Metal Gear series, players are dropped in a series of war zones wherein different challenges await. Five game modes await players on stages that span the globe and the history of MGS: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture and Base and Sneaking missions. Additional information on Metal Gear Online and the beta program can be found at www.konami-mgo.com.

If you live in Europe mark down April 17 in your calenders!

The Official Playstation Blog has announced that North America will get a Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle. Europe get a GTA IV bundle and N.A get a MGS4 bundle!

There are many configurations in the way you can buy the game according to the Playstation Blog. These include:

the “Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots” Standard Edition, the “Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots” Limited Edition, the “Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots” PLAYSTATION 3 Hardware Bundle, and the “Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots” Limited Edition PLAYSTATION 3 Hardware Bundle.

So if your not a Playstation 3 owner yet and plan to get one soon, here’s something that will push you to get one: Buy a bundled PS3 with MGS4!

For more information on each of the above configurations, go to the Official Playstation Blog.

The Europeans are to get a Grand Theft Auto IV bundle when the game is released later this month on April 29. A UK based retailer has confirmed that there will be a GTA IV bundle for Europe.

Igor Cipolletta, Chief Operating Officer of Shopto, states:

“We know for a fact it is coming out in Europe and we are expecting an announcement in the UK any time.”

Cipolletta concluded with:

“We are not sure if Gem or Centresoft are distributing it yet, that seems to be the hold up,”

This is something Xbox 360 wanna be owners don’t get a chance to have, so if you want a bundled console+gta iv, get a PS3!

The price of the bundle in the UK will cost £299.

Plans are soon to be announced by Konami regarding the European Metal Gear Online beta. Konami has told Eurogamer that they are announcing plans “shortly.”

Furthermore, Eurogamer states:

sign-ups to the MGO beta in Japan appear to be inaccessible to those of us with Western-originating IP addresses.

Metal Gear Solid 4 and Metal Gear Online both come as a package on June 12th when its released worldwide, so Europe could expect a beta within weeks.

Source: Eurogamer

Sony have released new details regarding Firmware 2.30 which includes DTS-HD Master Audio output for Blu-ray videos. Sony present the new details in a video which was released earlier today, and we also get to see the new revamped Playstation Store in action.

DTS-HD Master Audio is literally bit-for-bit identical to the studio master recording and makes movie soundtracks and sound effects truly come to life. The technology delivers audio at the incredibly high rate of 24.5 mega-bits per second (Mbps) on Blu-ray disc, which is significantly higher than standard DVDs. DTS-HD Master Audio also offers 7.1 audio channels at 96k sampling frequency/24 bit depths, so you’ll be totally immersed in the sound. The firmware update will add DTS-HD High Resolution Audio as well, which is a similar output technology that requires less disc space. You can read more about both codecs here.

Click here to view the video via Crackle.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologues tops the European charts for the second week running and helped the PS3 shift around 186k units compared to 360’s 134k. The PSP is doing very well in Japan, outselling every console with around 110k units shifted.

For the week ending 5th April 2008 the sale figures according to VGChartz.com looked like this:-

The overall console sale figures now look like this:- 

Consoles

Wii
5.76M Japan
10.26M America
7.60M Others

Xbox 360
0.60M Japan
11.44M America
6.09M Others

Playstation 3
2.05M Japan
4.53M America
5.02M Others

Handhelds

Nintendo DS
22.51M Japan
21.90M America
25.27M Others

Playstation Portable
8.94M Japan
12.28M America
11.54M Others

(these sales figures are courtesy of VGchartz.com)

Videogamer.com have put together a top 10 confirmed PS3 exclusive game list. The PS3 has already has some good hits so far such as Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, apart from GT5: Prologue, nothing has competed against the likes of Halo 3. Lets see what the future holds for Playstation 3 owners…

10). Haze
9). LittleBigPlanet
8). MotorStorm 2
7). Uncharted 2
6). Resistance 2
5). Killzone 2
4). God of War 3
3). Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
2). Final Fantasy XIII
1). Gran Turismo 5

Not a bad looking list at all. Talkplaystation.com will come up with a list in a few days so stay tuned!

Source: Videogamer.com

THe people over at Kotaku think the Playstation Store is getting more than just a facelift in the upcoming update.

Sony’s Scott Steinberg spoke with GameDaily and said:

“On the network side, we’ve stated that we’re in a closed beta now for Home, we’ll be rolling out functionality later this year, both for the Network and making Home public to others. So 2008 is going to be the year where both on the service side as well as on a Blu-Ray side, you’re going to see everything that we’ve got.”

Kotaku think that releasing a non Home functionality sounds a lot more than just giving the Playstation Store a new design and interface.

Check out Kotaku’s verdict here.