Via
Tectinic

Want to do more with your Playstation 3? HELIOS Software and Terra Soft Solutions have made available for free download a modified version of the Yellow Dog Linux (YDL) distribution.

Using the YDL distro, it is possible to add server functionality to the PS3. The stripped down distro provides a lightweight, low overhead server environment on the powerful gaming machine, offering what HELIOS describes as "an exciting test-drive platform for its file, print, PDF and image server software".

Installing in only 6 minutes, the distro includes DHCP network settings, support for Java 1.5 and an AppleTalk enhanced kernel. The server's operating system has also been optimised, with HELIOS boasting that it frees up 40% more memory.

"Our Linux distribution for PS3 is another milestone in our support for the Open Source Community", explained Helmut Tschemernjak, chief executive and president of HELIOS Software.

"I am pleased HELIOS chose to bring its enterprise client server solutions to the PS3 running Yellow Dog Linux," reported Kai Staats, chief executive of Terra Soft Solutions, the developer of Yellow Dog Linux. "With HELIOS' modified Yellow Dog Linux distribution it is simple to use the PS3 as an efficient light duty server."

Packed with gaming power, the PS3 uses a 64-bit Cell processor which runs at 3.2 GHz, is PowerPC compatible with 256 MB of main memory, and has performance comparable to a G5 single CPU. The PS3 comes with the NVIDIA RSX Graphics Processing Unit, has a 60 GB 2.5" swappable serial ATA disk and offers WLAN and Gigabit Ethernet for network connectivity.

For a detailed installation guide, go here. ...

Via Spong

US games mag EGM has just published ‘a rumour’ that Konami is readying Silent Hill 5 - the follow up to 2004's Silent Hill 4: The Room (pictured), for a late 2007 release.

Silent Hill 5, according to the mag, could well launch later this year on PS3 and Xbox 360. The organ also claims that the game is being developed in the US rather than Japan.

Konami’s UK PR responded to the rumour this morning with a to-be-expected, “We don’t comment on rumours,” response.

Of course, we expect to find out more confirmed news on Silent Hill 5 in the coming weeks and we should be bringing you all the detailed news and hopefully a decent first look at the game from E3 in mid-July. ...

Via Worth playing

DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road is set to be the most diverse and exhilarating off-road racing experience ever with sensational gravel, mud and dirt events the world over.

Events will include the series' intense point-to-point races and then take players further off-road than ever before.

Race in challenging heavyweight 850bhp cars, drifting on the loose gravel and high-speed blind corners of Hill Climb events along perilous cliff edges. All 12.4 miles of the world famous Pikes Peak International is included, with over 150 precarious turns to negotiate through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

How about engaging in multiple car races with Dakar-style trucks and super-powered 4x4s on the toughest desert terrain in Rally Raid competitions? Then there are Rally Cross events, switching between dirt and road racing, where the competition is always tight, fast and collisions with your opponents are inevitable.

With more off-road racing styles to be revealed, DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road will also offer a dedicated mode for European, International and Global rally championships featuring official 2WD, 4WD, Classic and RWD rally cars.

DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road will deliver the wheel-screaming exhilaration of off-road racing with the next generation of the series' sublime car handling and physics system and a devastating new damage engine that ensures players experience every bump in the track, every loose rock, every inch of shifting dirt through the reactive environments.

With an incredible range of off-road vehicles, thrill-packed tracks, modes that make the most of online multiplayer, and more varied events than any other single-championship rally game, Colin McRae is being reborn as a bigger, faster, wilder racing experience.

Codemasters revealed that DIRT will now add races from the U.S.-based C.O.R.R. (Championship Off-Road Racing) series to its already heady mix of Rally, Hill Climb, Rally Raid, Rally Cross and Crossover events. DIRT is planned to launch this June for the Xbox and the PC, with the PS3 edition following shortly thereafter.

Already set to deliver an exhilarating thrill ride through a massive variety of off-road racing experiences, DIRT's new C.O.R.R. events see up to 10 drivers going head-to-head in fierce off-road circuit races. The combination powerful vehicles, including Super Buggies and Pro 4 Trucks, along with tracks packed full of tabletop jumps, drop-offs and moguls will make for an intoxicating mix of racing action and will test players' driving skills to the limit.

In addition, gamers will be able to relive those intense and often breathtaking moments behind the wheel with stunning replays. DIRT's replay system includes dynamic cameras that follow, capture and focus on the most exciting moments during each race, and for the first time in the series players are given full control over the replays action.

Get ready for total mud splattering, gravel churning, handbrake turning, off-road racing in DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road, coming June 2007 for PS3, Xbox360 and PC.

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Click here for the Screenshots ...

Via Worth playing

DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road is set to be the most diverse and exhilarating off-road racing experience ever with sensational gravel, mud and dirt events the world over.

Events will include the series' intense point-to-point races and then take players further off-road than ever before.

Race in challenging heavyweight 850bhp cars, drifting on the loose gravel and high-speed blind corners of Hill Climb events along perilous cliff edges. All 12.4 miles of the world famous Pikes Peak International is included, with over 150 precarious turns to negotiate through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

How about engaging in multiple car races with Dakar-style trucks and super-powered 4x4s on the toughest desert terrain in Rally Raid competitions? Then there are Rally Cross events, switching between dirt and road racing, where the competition is always tight, fast and collisions with your opponents are inevitable.

With more off-road racing styles to be revealed, DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road will also offer a dedicated mode for European, International and Global rally championships featuring official 2WD, 4WD, Classic and RWD rally cars.

DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road will deliver the wheel-screaming exhilaration of off-road racing with the next generation of the series' sublime car handling and physics system and a devastating new damage engine that ensures players experience every bump in the track, every loose rock, every inch of shifting dirt through the reactive environments.

With an incredible range of off-road vehicles, thrill-packed tracks, modes that make the most of online multiplayer, and more varied events than any other single-championship rally game, Colin McRae is being reborn as a bigger, faster, wilder racing experience.

Codemasters revealed that DIRT will now add races from the U.S.-based C.O.R.R. (Championship Off-Road Racing) series to its already heady mix of Rally, Hill Climb, Rally Raid, Rally Cross and Crossover events. DIRT is planned to launch this June for the Xbox and the PC, with the PS3 edition following shortly thereafter.

Already set to deliver an exhilarating thrill ride through a massive variety of off-road racing experiences, DIRT's new C.O.R.R. events see up to 10 drivers going head-to-head in fierce off-road circuit races. The combination powerful vehicles, including Super Buggies and Pro 4 Trucks, along with tracks packed full of tabletop jumps, drop-offs and moguls will make for an intoxicating mix of racing action and will test players' driving skills to the limit.

In addition, gamers will be able to relive those intense and often breathtaking moments behind the wheel with stunning replays. DIRT's replay system includes dynamic cameras that follow, capture and focus on the most exciting moments during each race, and for the first time in the series players are given full control over the replays action.

Get ready for total mud splattering, gravel churning, handbrake turning, off-road racing in DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road, coming June 2007 for PS3, Xbox360 and PC.

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Click here for the Screenshots ...

Via PS3 Center

A Swedish gaming magazine by the name of Super Play is either trying to stir up a lot of trouble or has one hell of an inside source as they have stated that Metal Gear Solid 4 will not be a PS3 exclusive as it will also be headed to the Xbox 360.

This rumor has been something which has been circulating for quite some time nown with some truth to it at first followed by the rumor being squashed. Hideo Kojima has come out in the past stating that Metal Gear Solid 4 would be an exclusive to the PS3. The thought process though was that it could be an exclusive and still come out on the Xbox 360 as long as there was a time-frame between the releases of the game.

The PS3 version is scheduled to be out fairly soon as the magazine reported that the Xbox 360 version could be expected by the end of 2008. The magazine stated that the Xbox 360 version of the game is going to feature bonus features including VR missions and possible added online play.

These type of rumors have been circulating for quite some time but the magazine is passing it off as a fact. More as it breaks on this development. If true, this could be a huge blow to Sony and the PlayStation 3. ...

Via PS3 Center

News is coming out stating that Sony may be adding rumble to the PlayStation 3 SIXAXIS controller as early as this fall.

The news is that the controller could be getting it and very soon. Third-party companies are already apparently working on controllers which feature rumble and Sony themselves may be updating the 1st-party SIXAXIS to include the traditional feature as well.

The news began as a rumor in PSM magazine when they stated that Sony may announce support of the rumble feature at E3 this year. The rumor has turned into a bit more truth as new reports are coming out which back up the statement saying that the SIXAXIS will feature rumble as early as this November. ...

Via PS3 Center

A petition has started to try and get UbiSoft to make the highly-anticipated first-person-shooter an exclusive to the PlayStation 3.

The game Haze was featured in a news story we did here about a week ago at PCN talking about how great the game was looking and how much the developer loved the power of the PlayStation 3 stating that it was the most powerful console available right now.

The petition is trying to get Free Radical, the developer, as well as UbiSoft to make the game a PS3 exclusive.

The reasoning given is that the Blu-ray technology with the 50GB storage space will allow for much more data and improved visuals over a multi-console release. Also the PS3’s processing power was pointed to as a reason to make it an exclusive as well. The contraints of the Xbox 360, the petition argues, will cause the game to be less than what it could be in the end.

If you want to check out the petition for yourself go to the link below...

http://www.petitiononline.com/Haze4PS3/petition.html ...

Via PSU

It's been called the ace up Sony's sleeve. The secret weapon behind closed doors. Others simply know it as Home.

It's very real, and it's here now in beta form. We've had plenty of time to sit down and try it out, so here are our in-depth hands-on impressions of the Home Beta.

When Home first booted up, after logging into our appropriate server, we were given the option to create our character. First came the simple choices - male or female, skin color, and so on. Next came shaping our character's nose, eyes, ears, mouth, chin, and everything possible in-between. Then the accessories came, and we spent even more time choosing between major and minor items. The character creation rivals some of the most in-depth systems in any game (the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion comes to mind). Also, you can change your character at any point should you grow bored of your look (or even gender!). All in all, everyone will be able to have a unique appearance should they so wish, with dozens of very adjustable options (with zero lag, unlike one certain EA boxing game) creating limitless opportunities.

Then we decided to take a look around. We were standing in a very bare, very boring apartment, so we played with the interior decorator. We added an interesting wallpaper, threw in some chairs, a coffee table with a centerpiece, a couple of couches and tada! A cool (if not somewhat small) Home Space. The options here were less impressive than the character creation, but still in-depth enough to create a unique home. The ability to upload pictures from your hard drive and display them on the wall of your home isn't yet available, but should be implemented by the official launch of Home. Not available yet are any purchasable items or spaces, so we couldn't try out any of the bigger apartments and hook up some virtual 70" Bravias, but oh well.

The graphics are top-notch. As you may have seen from recent screenshots, characters look quite realistic, as do their environments. Camera control is simple and effective, while animations although not incredibly diverse do pull off their proper roll. Physics are accurate as well from dropping a chair from ten feet to hitting a pool ball.

Walking out of the apartment leads you to the Central Lounge (or for those too lazy to (virtual) walk, you can teleport with your Virtual PSP). This area has a very outdoorsy feel (despite it actually being indoors). Streaming HD trailers displayed GT:HD along with a few other titles in all their hi-def glory. This is clearly the place made just to mingle with other users. L1 accesses pre-written phrases such as "How do I get to ______", while R1 allows users to make a fool of themselves by dancing and using various other less embarrassing emotes. Square allows you to use a virtual keyboard and makes proper use of predictive text, while holding triangle opens your mic. An interesting thing about this is that your voice isn't directed at a single person, but is emanated throughout a radius around your avatar.

Next we headed over to the Home Theatre. We were immediately greeted by a streaming trailer of Spider-Man 3 and movie ads just as they would appear in a real movie theater. After walking upstairs one finds ten different theatres (each for a different video) consisting of movie trailers (Resident Evil, Surfs Up, Casino Royale), game trailers (MotorStorm, NBA '07, GT:HD, God of War II and more) and random videos (Sony football event). It's a pretty straightforward place that's fun to check out, but at the moment it's lacking content-wise (though that should change before Home's release).

Finally we come to the GameSpace. As of now, there are 3 different types of games to try out. Bowling is our particular favorite - it uses a tried and successful formula that still remains fun today. First position your ball at the top of the lane, then quickly push X at the spin level and direction you want, finally again pushing X at the top of a power meter for maximum speed. It's quite satisfying to get a strike then to give a demeaning emote to the opposing player. Pool comes in a close second for the fun factor. It's pretty simple - just aim and adjust the power.

Finally, there are various different arcade cabinets. The different games include a simple top down racer; a puzzle game in which pieces drop down and the goal is to get 3 colors in a row; a helicopter game in which you rescue stranded men; and "Rubber Bob", the action-packed puzzler that's all about color swapping. Nothing here will hold your attention for long, but they can be quite fun in short bursts. Proper recognition must be given to Home's developers, as they managed to create a seamless experience in which there are no load times between walking around and playing games within GameSpace.

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Screenshots ...

CVG

To complement our first look at the game, Rockstar sends along a GTA IV media barrage

Rockstar Games has sent along four brand new Grand Theft Auto: IV shots, showing the driving and environmental aspects of its latest crime opus. You can see the new screens in all their glory right here.

Along with the new shots of the game Rockstar has also released all the screens you may have seen in various scanned articles from magazine previews around the world. We've uploaded the lot to our first look article on the game and you can thumb through them at your leisure by hitting this link over the back of the head with a baseball bat.

All in there are nearly 20 screens and a fistful of concept art to check out. Should keep you busy for a while. Let us know how you think the game's looking in the comments section below.

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View the screens here ...