Sony sets European release date for PS3

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Sony today announced that it will launch a high-end version of its Playstation 3 for the European market. About 1 million units of the newer model, which features a 60 GB hard drive, will be on sale in Europe starting March 23 and will come with a US $775 price tag, which comes out to nearly €600 at the time of this writing. The model will also be released in Africa, the Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand on the same day.

In addition to a 60GB hard drive, the high-end model also features an 802.11b/g wireless connection, HDMI output for HDTV devices, and support for external storage devices such as MemoryStick and CompactFlash.

Last November the high-end model was released in North America and Japan alongside a basic model which came with a 20GB hard drive. At this time, Sony has no plans to release the basic version in Europe.

“We will focus on the launch of the one with a 60GB drive and have no plan now to introduce the 20GB model,” said Satoshi Fukuoka, a spokesman from Sony Computer Entertainment.

The European release of the Playstation 3 was delayed for several months due to several problems related to producing the system’s Blu-ray disc drive. Both Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii are already on sale in Europe, and so the Playstation 3 will face an uphill battle to compete with its next-generation console rivals.

PS3 Backwards Compatibility Fixed Via Firmware Update

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Sony has apparently fixed the issues that the PlayStation 3 was having in terms of its ability with backwards compatibility and playing PS3 games on the PS3.

A video on YouTube revealed a little while back and showed clearly that the PS3 had trouble showing PS2 games clearly on the console. This morning though Sony released a software update to the PS3 and following the download and installation of firmware 1.32, it seems that PS2 backwards compatibility has been fixed.

The great news out of this is anyone who was still holding onto their PlayStation 2 consoles can now almost safely get rid of them as all of the games that were having trouble with jaggies and coloring seem to have been completely fixed.

This is some solid work from Sony who managed to fix this problem very quickly. Other noticeable changes include a much faster PlayStation Store with faster loading and a more pleasant experience overall.

No official announcement has been made from Sony in terms of what the fix actually does or if it fixes anything else but the fact that it at least appears that the backwards compatibility with PS2 games on the PS3 being fixed is some fantastic news!

Sony PSP going to derive its games library from Nintendo portables

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One of the bigger knocks against the PlayStation Portable is that it doesn’t get very much in terms of original games, being left with rehashed versions of games that have been available for the PlayStation 2 home console for quite some time. Tekken Dark Resurrection is basically Tekken 5 with a few extra bells and whistles, for example. Now that the PlayStation 2 is on its way out and the PlayStation 3 is on its way in, where is the PSP going to derive its library from? Apparently from the most unlikely of sources: Nintendo portables.

Not directly, per se, but there’s a good chance that Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS ports of even older games — classics like the original Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy Tactics — are going to be re-ported, so to speak, to the Sony handheld gamer. In fact, even Riviera, an RPG developed for the GBA, is going to get jazzed up on the PSP.

And it doesn’t stop there. Asphalt Urban GT 2 from the Nintendo DS is apparently going PSP way as well, though I can’t imagine why I’d want that over Initial D: Street Stage or — better yet — a port of Gran Turismo 4. There’s even word that they may be certain Wii/PSP games (like Alien Syndrome). Your computer isn’t immune either as Gish for the PC is said to be PSP-bound as well.

PS3 Price Drop Not Anytime Soon

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You might think Sony’s recent struggle with its public image, combined with the growing need to increase the PS3’s install base after a recently-announced 25% revenue ding might put a bit of a hot foot under that PS3 price drop. But you’d be wrong.

There’s a quote floating around today from an interview conducted with newly-crowned SCEA chief Jack Tretton on the subject of that fabled price drop. The short answer: “Don’t hold your breath.”

When asked point blank whether price drops for the PS3 will be “as soon or as drastic as they were for the PlayStation 2,” Tretton responded with a curt, “No.” He followed with a rationalization to the effect that the sizeable hardware development cost of the Big Black Box makes it difficult for Sony to “cost reduce,” apparently justifying that $600 price tag.

Tretton also commented that “There’s a heck of a lot more under the hood [compared to the PS2] and it costs us more money to make it. I think the consumers that get their hands on a PlayStation 3 clearly see the value and not only want to buy one for $599, in some instances they’re willing to pay ridiculous prices to buy one on eBay.”

Guess he hasn’t gotten the memo yet about that whole eBay ransom thing cooling off.

By way of comparison, the PS2 dropped a hundred bucks in price during the first 550 days of its lifespan — from $299 to $199 USD. Tretton’s words would seem to suggest that the PS3’s price point may take significantly longer than a mere year and a half to reach the same threshold. Given that scenario, one would really hope that Sony has some kind of ace-in-the-hole for keeping our collective attention (and purchasing enthusiasm) squarely focused on the PS3. Otherwise you’re staring down a little something colloquially known as the Field of Dreams Business Model. “If you build it, they will come.”

Joystiq is covering the story, though the interview from Tretton originally appeared in the print magazine Game Informer.

PS3 gets a new update - Firmware 1.5

Posted by multippt

After a short period of time after releasing firmware 1.32, Sony decided to release firmware 1.5 (on the 24th of January, 2007).

Of course, with any new firmware, there is bound to be new features:
-You can use the “Edy” system (pre-paid money) to buy stuff at the PlayStation store.
-There is support for the Korea language input via keyboard
-And possibly improved compatibility for PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games

Of course, please don’t rush to your PlayStation 3, since this firmware update isn’t even out yet. This update is intended for the Japanese PS3 (that is, the PS3s bought in Japan).

Via IGN

Two Linux groups will merge

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The two biggest supporters of Linux software are coming together.

A San Francisco non-profit, the Free Standards Group, will merge with Open Source Development Labs of Beaverton, Ore., to form The Linux Foundation, the organizations said today in a joint statement.

The Linux operating system competes with Microsoft Windows and Unix as the computer platform for other software programs to run on. It is open-source software, which means the code is publicly available and can be changed by anyone.

The Linux foundation’s members include major technology companies such as Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Oracle, as well as the two largest Linux makers, Novell and Red Hat. It will be led by Jim Zemlin, former executive director of the Free Standards Group.

The new group will defend Linux vendors and customers against intellectual property lawsuits. It also plans to help increase usage of Linux by aiding development of the software and helping the operating system work with open-source and proprietary software.

Linux offers freedom of choice, customization and flexibility without forcing customers into vendor lock-in,” Zemlin said in a statement. “The Linux Foundation helps in the next stage of Linux growth by organizing the diverse companies and constituencies of the Linux ecosystem to promote, protect and standardize Linux.”

The Free Standards Group and Open Source Development Labs were both founded six years ago. OSDL, which employs Linux creator Linus Torvalds, cut nine employees in a major reorganization last month.

Windows Vista Ultimate “signature edition” (limited edition)

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For once, I though Microsoft was kidding. The next, I realized that it is possible that this might be real. Well, I guess it is real, since Amazon (link below) put an auction on it.

What’s so special about this edition? It bares a nice rare title “Windows Vista Ultimate Signature edition”, it is signed by… (ahem… Bill Gates) in embossed print, and it costs $259 (this edition is available as an upgrade, same cost as the actual Windows Vista Ultimate). Note that this “special” edition is available in limited amount.

Definitely a must-have for Microsoft fans.

Via Amazon, Engadget