Talk Playstation 3 News

Europe, if you’re looking for a new Playstation 3, now would be a great time to jump in and buy one direct from Sony. You will get the benefit of avoiding high street prices. Here’s what Sony are listing:-

• Playstation 3 160GB console for £329.00 inc. VAT
• Playstation3 80GB with Little Big Planet PS3 Game for £279.00 inc. VAT
• Playstation 3 80GB console for £259.00 inc. VAT
• PLAYSTATION®3 40GB Console for £249.00 inc. VAT

Seems like pretty good value to me. I remember paying £425.00 launch day with no games etc.

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Sony Computer Entertainment Europe reveals two new Playstation 3 bundles.

First up is the 449 Euros 80GB PS3 with two DualShock 3 controllers and Gran Turismo 5: Prologue.

Next up is the cheaper 399 Euros 80GB Ps3 with one DualShock 3 controller and a Blu-Ray movie called Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis.

Whatever that movie is.

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Sony Computer Entertainment Europe boss David Reeves has revealed that getting things last (Europe get most things last like games and hardware) is an advantage.

“People say, ‘Well, why do we always get things last? Why can’t we say things?’ Well, I’ve said this many times before: sometimes it’s an advantage to be last in Europe, you know, when everything’s ironed out.”

“This time, we do have things to say in the European [market]. We have the music service, and we’re doing great things on SingStar and there’s more to come. These are global announcements.”

“They recognize that the show’s in Europe, whether it’s in Leipzig, Cologne or London: we can do the announcements wherever. So they said to us in Tokyo, ‘Do you want to do it here?’ And we said, ‘Yeah, we’d love to do it here.’”

Europe don’t mind waiting a few weeks but waiting months on end is quite dissapointing. Hopefully now, this will be sorted for Europe.

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Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has announced that they plan to bring The Agency, Free Realms, and DC Universe Online to PAL territories. After teaming up with Sony Online Entertainment it is certain that Europe will see the named games.

Here’s the press release.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) announced today that SCEE has joined forces with Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) – developer of groundbreaking online Massive Multiplayer Online (MMOs) games including the wildly popular EverQuest® — in an arrangement that will bring a whole new dimension to PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) gaming.

Under the new agreement, SCEE will publish and distribute three MMOs developed by SOE for PS3 throughout the PAL territories. In addition, SCEE will also publish the PC versions of DC Universe and The Agency on behalf of SOE in the PAL territories. The new arrangement allows SCEE to benefit from SOE’s experience in a different area of video gaming publishing, one which opens up a whole host of possibilities for PS3.

The games included in the agreement are The Agency (PS3 and PC), a fast-paced, action shooter set in an present day online persistent world of bullets, bomb blasts, and betrayal; DC Universe Online (PS3 and PC), an action-focused super-hero game in a fully realized DC Universe Online; and Free Realms (PS3), a vibrant new world for younger players with an exciting mix of reality and fantasy.

And about the games.

DC Universe™ Online (PS3 and PC):
Explore one of the greatest fictional universes in history: the world of DC comics. Create your own hero or villain and run loose across famous DC locations such as Gotham City or Metropolis, alongside legendary characters of good and evil including Superman, Batman, Huntress, Joker, Wonder Woman and Green Arrow in scenarios written by DC writers and in an art style overseen by renowned DC artist Jim Lee.

The Agency™ (PS3 and PC):
Get your target in your sights with this dark, gritty, online action PS3 shooter, a persistent world of spies, mercenaries and double dealing for aspiring agents everywhere. As you rise through the ranks as a spy through the various missions and in-depth story mode, you can build your own spy faction, recruiting new members to your cause.

FreeRealms™ (PS3):
An all new social networking service and massively multiplayer online role-playing game in one, FreeRealms gives players freedom across a world where exploration and spell casting is as much a part of life as decorating your house or growing a vegetable garden. You chose how you live your life in FreeRealms from day to day – be a wizard one day, play with your virtual pets the next.

DC Universe Online, The Agency and FreeRealms are the first massively multiplayer online role playing games to result from the arrangement between SCEE and SOE – a partnership that will bring gamers together across the world.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe boss David Reeves has revealed that the new 160GB Playstation 3 will be in limited supply when it launches in Europe in November.

David Reeves has been speaking with uk.playstation.com about the new 160GB model and said that the machine will be in limited supply. This is what he has to say.

So what we’re going to do at the start of November is releasing a 160GB Limited Edition PS3. The configuration is exactly the same as the 80GB model, with double the size of the hard drive. It’s a limited amount and we want to see what the reaction of consumers is.

If your looking into getting the new 160GB model especially for Christmas we suggest pre-ordering one because we think it will be a sell out.

Source via D-PAD.

If you live in Australia and looking to snap up one of them free Playstation 3’s with a new Bravia television, look no longer because Sony Australia has reported that they have all gone and sold out.

Sony Australia was giving away a 40GB PS3 with each purchase of its BRAVIA 1080p FULL HD LCD. There were only 35,000 available.

This offer ran from the 1st of July and finishes on the 31st of July (tomorrow), but it seems like they have all sold before the offer ended, well done Sony!

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe boss David Reeves has said that all the Playstation Network titles announced during the E3 2008 Press Conference will come to PAL territories.

“We are making every effort to make these day and date with the US releases, but please appreciate that we have not one language, we have 13 languages and 27 stores – it takes a while to get these totally localised and uploaded,”

So its not all that bad for Europe, David is working really hard to make this happen.

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David Reeves has announced that PAL regions will be able to get the Home Open beta at the same time as the American and Japanese regions.

No date was stated but the promise has been made that EVERY region will be able to enhoy the Home Beta. The Open Beta is due to start later on this year.

Presdent of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe David Reeves confirms that the 40GB SKU will be replaced by the new 80GB SKU and will happen on the 17th of August.

Sony will be replacing the 40GB model with the 80GB and the price of the 80GB will be £299.00 or €399.00. David Reeves said:

“In PAL, we will introduce an 80GB PS3 80Gb on August 27th. It will be a simultaneous launch across all PAL territories, and reach Russia two weeks later, due to compliance issues. It will cost 399 Euros or £299. Promotional bundles will arrive between mid-September and mid-December at various prices.”

“The 40GB model will be replaced by 80GB. Don’t ask if we’re going to go down in price on 40GB – the answer is no.”

“This has been planned by Kaz [Hirai] for months. There are very few 40GB models left – especially in UK. We predict we’ll be out of stock by the time we launch.”

So if you waiting to buy a Playstation 3 in Europe you better off waiting for the new 80GB model.

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Sony Computer Entertainment Europe are currently looking for a bunch of Beta testers. Community Team Leader trinitri has made a post over on the Sony Europe forums. This is what trunitri says:

We are currently looking for members of the PlayStation community who would like to take part in Beta Tests for upcoming PLAYSTATION 3 titles.

You do not need to be technically minded – we need a variety of people with differing amounts of technical expertise to help us test the games. However, you must be flexible and be prepared to set aside some of your spare time and evenings to participate in specific Test Nights and general game testing.

To take part in the Beta Tests, you must:

* Be 18 years of age or older
* Be able to read and give feedback in English
* Be a European resident
* Have a PLAYSTATION®3 with a broadband internet connection and a PLAYSTATION®Network master account.
* Agree to the Beta Test Agreement.

If you’re interested, head over to the Beta Test Recruitment page for more information and to put your name down.

Please understand that we have a limited number of places for Beta Testing, and we can’t guarantee that everyone who applies will be able to take part.

What is a Beta Test?
A Beta Test is when we try out the online portion of a PlayStation game to detect any faults, bugs or general areas that could be improved before the game is released. The testing is done by a closed group of anything between 200 to 20,000 volunteer PlayStation gamers.

Buzz!, Everybody’s Golf, Gran Turismo, Killzone, Ratchet & Clank, Resistance, SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs, Splinter Cell, Warhawk and WRC are just some of the fantastic and varied titles that have been tested by our Beta community, months before the full game is released.

A Beta Test can last anything between 2 to 6 weeks per game, during which time participants are asked to take part in at least one Test Night per week. Test Nights usually take place on weekday evenings and can last one to two hours each.

You will also be asked to provide feedback in English about your experiences of connecting and playing the game online, and report any bugs or problems that you find via the private Beta Forums and online surveys.

Please note that any games that are sent to you for Beta testing are Beta versions only and will not be useable once the testing is complete. It is also likely that the Beta testing of a game may be limited to specific levels, tracks or online functionality of a game.

If you think you’ve got what it takes to become the ultimate beta tester, apply within by clicking here.

After being on the phone to Sony UK and Sony USA regarding firmware 2.40 and bricked Playstation 3’s, they told me that they will replace your PS3’s free of charge as long as you can prove its really bricked and not working with firmware 2.40 installed. How the hell are you supposed to do that? But beware, they will ask a horde of questions such as ‘when was the system last working’ and ‘try switching it on now’ etc. Act serious and down to earth because chances are they won’t believe you.

For those of you with a bricked PS3, Sony said that they will send a replacement unit (most likely a refurbished unit) within 2-3 working days, a courier will pick up your bricked unit and give you your replacement unit. Not sure what happens next though, i presume thats it.

For those of you that don’t know what a bricked PS3 is, its basically a broken, non functional PS3.

Here’s some customer service numbers:

UK: 08705 99 88 77

USA: 1-800-345-7669

For those of you phoning customer service, good luck!

According to joystiq’s Christopher Grant, Sony is trying to come up with a Bungie.net style community website for its games. During Christopher’s visit to Sony’s Pre-E3 Judge’s Event in LA, he noticed a recurring phrase in his handbook and that phrase was community website. it’s possible that Sony will make this happen.

LittleBigPlanet – While they’re “not decided yet” on exactly how to integrate the game into a community website, if any mechanic seems ripe for such a project, rankings and stats for LBP’s user-generated content seem like a sure bet.

Killzone 2 – There already is a my.killzone.com site for Killzone: Liberation, but adding “rankings and statistics” for Killzone 2 is the plan.

SOCOM: Confrontation – They plan on launching a community site – think “My SOCOM” – on SOCOM.com. There’s nothing there now, and MySOCOM.com is taken.

Motorstorm: Pacific Rim – The Motorstorm representative wasn’t very interested in providing any details, but she told us that they would have a “community website” as well.

Resistance 2 – Insomniac has perhaps the most ambitious plans for community content, dedicating an entire development team to the task. They’re “overhauling” MyResistance.net, adding things along the lines of “facebook-like features.”

So Sony gamers can look forwards to having community style website for their favourite games. Seems like a good idea and look forwards to seeing the sites.

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The Playstation 3 has officially outsold the Xbox 360 by 45% in Q1 in Australia. Sony Managing Director Michael Ephraim spoke in an interview (published tomorrow on PALGN) about the sales of the PlayStation 3 in Australia.

Michael made the following comment:

“we think it’s a matter of time before we surpass the install base, but I think with Xbox, they’ve had a few strong English speaking territories, US, UK and Australia being one of them. In Europe they were very weak in Continential Europe, so they have done fairly well here, but with the rate we’re going we will definitely surpass the install base, we’re just guessing somewhere around the end of the year, if not sooner if the trend keeps going the way it is.”

Michael mentioned the sales of the Playstation 3 outselling the 360 by saying this:

“I can tell you in the first quarter of 2008 we have outsold Xbox 360 by around 45%. That is not including the Bravia deal, which moved through around 30,000 units, so if you add the Bravia deal to our global sales we have now, in the first quarter of 2008 we have outsold the Xbox 360 by two to one.”

The only country Sony needs to concentrate on now is America and recent sale numbers show that the PS3 is outselling the 360 week by week since Blu-Ray was declared the winner in the next-gen format.

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Darren Waters, a writer for the BBC has said that Playstation 3 overtaking Xbox 360 in Europe will make it uncomfortable for Microsoft.

“I’ve been chatting with games consultant Nick Parker, who told me that it was “no surprise” that the PS3 is now ahead of the 360.”

Despite the PS3’s bad launch and 360 being available 16 months before PS3, the PlayStation brand has stayed strong enough in Europe to see off the Microsoft machine.

“Nick Parker believes Microsoft’s inability to widen the appeal of the Xbox 360 beyond the hardcore male gamer has been its undoing.”

Sony is doing better than the 360 in Japan and now Europe, that leaves America. Since Blu-Ray won the next-generatin format war, sales of the PS3 in America have outsold the 360 on a weekly basis. Sony is catching up quickly.

Read the full report on the BBC website.