The war of words between Sony and Microsoft has peaked again, with European Xbox chief Neil Thompson savaging the PlayStation 3 as representing little more than a shiny new DVD player. In what is perhaps the most savage attack on the new Sony machine recorded to date, Thompson paints the rival console as little more than a new Betamax platform.

Speaking exclusively to SPOnG, he said, "I think [Sony] has missed the ball, in that it’s not really a next-generation games player – it’s a next-generation DVD player. For us, that’s great news, because we think we make the next-generation games console." Thompson continues, "We’ve got the content to back that up, we’ve got Xbox Live to back that up, we’ve got price-points that are very compelling. If gamers are desperate to get the next-generation DVD player, then they’ll start considering Blu-Ray and the PS3. But Sony is the company that brought us Betamax, MiniDisc and UMD – I’m not convinced people today will go and bet the farm on buying a Blu-Ray disc.”

Of course, assessing the relative successes of the formats is a somewhat deeper process than it appears. Betamax was a commercial flop, though it should have been the lead platform for home use, simply because it was better, smaller and much more capable than the VHS monster we were lumped with. SPOnG also doubts Sony is licking any deep wounds from MiniDisc. Although pre-recorded sales failed catastrophically, sales of players and recorders offered a healthy business to Sony's portable consumer electronics wing. To claim UMD is a failure is, of course, a biased statement, not reflective of the performance of the PSP-driving disc. Although pre-recorded movie sales failed, as most users quickly realised they could transfer content from their DVDs for watching on PSP, game sales have certainly not been hampered. The lack of software for the PSP has resulted in strong demand for everything coming available for Sony's budding platform.

Via Spong ...

There are some ugly rumours clinging to the coattails of the PlayStation 3 over the weekend, with fellow games site Kotaku offering up what it claims to be a potentially damaging information leak from Sony.

According to an unnamed and very much unverified source (seemingly a loose-lipped developer, of which there's never a shortage) the Cell Processor deployed in final PlayStation 3 hardware will be downgraded. Sony had promised a 3.5GHz version of its flagship chip, however a 3.2 offering replaced this. The report suggests a 2.8GHz Cell will become the final brain of PlayStation 3.

The second technophobe worrying rumour sees the PlayStation 3 equipped with an external power supply, the worst thing imaginable for people who worry about such things. "The current designs despite having vents all over the place apparently still cant dissipate the heat to sufficient levels," claims the source of the report.

Of course, this all remains firmly under the big umbrella (dare we say parasol) of gossip for the time being. As we piece together a final picture of what Sony will release into retail, you'll have every jigsaw segment, starting with the corners and straight bits.

Via Spong ...

The asian version of Tomb Raider Legend has been released, heres the details:



• Lara comes to life - the dual-pistol-wielding adventurer’s polygon count and animation set has been increased significantly, presenting Lara in the finest fidelity to date
• Return to the Tombs: Lara’s new quest brings her to lost ancient realms that guard Secrets of the Past
• Fluid movement: the revamped control system provides intuitive and fluid character movement
• Dynamic animation system puts focus on continuous motion, giving Lara the ability to seamlessly handle any obstacle and interact dynamically with any surface
• Move and shoot. Lara uses her physical prowess to combine gunplay with unique signature moves
• Variety of player choice - intelligently use the environment, technical gear and weapons to overcome challenging situations.
• Physics, Water and Fire systems bring the perilous environments of Lara’s world alive, and challenge the player to improvise solutions to obstacles
• Visit a vast array of cinematic & exotic locations including ancient tombs, dangerous jungles, snowy mountain ruins and numerous unexpected surprises in between!

More info --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1fot.html ...

New Commercial Release for the PSP:



Featuring 15 different motorsports – including GT Sports Car Racing, Street Racing, Rally, DTM, V8 Supercars, Global GT Lights, Rally Cross, Formula Ford, Open Wheel Grand Prix, Classic Car Racing, Super Truck Racing, Stockcar Oval Racing, Ice-Racing, Convertible Racing, and Performance Cars – along with over 30 different global championships, in excess of 50 cars and more than 60 circuits.

Designed especially for the PSP(TM) system gaming, a further race mode, the Trans-World Cup, delivers high-octane racing in short bursts making it perfect for gaming on the go. Through a variety of event-based challenges, including Time Trials and Skill Tests rather than a series of straight races, players must drive hard to become the World's No. 1 ranked racer.

The game displays up to 21 cars racing on track simultaneously and has wireless play for up to 8 players.

More info --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1g0u.html ...

New Commercial game for the PSP Released, heres the info:



Play as honorable knight Lloyd and embark upon an epic journey to recover the Wand of Kinan, a sacred relic stolen from your protection. As the only knight to survive the ambush, you must summon your strength, your magic, and the skillful aid of wizards, fighters, mages and other powerful allies to find the Wand and reclaim it for your king.

The Korean developed PSP™ RPG game Astonishia Story is shipping today as US release version at US$ 44.90 only.
...

Game features:

Immerse yourself in a rich RPG adventure with over fifteen unique characters and brilliantly witty dialogue.
Enlist Wizards, Warriors and other skilled allies in your epic quest to recover your kingdom’s Wand.
Battle against elves, bandits, sorcerers and monsters using powerful weapons and magic.
Maneuver quickly in the heat of battle with intuitive one-button commands.
Get back into the action wherever you left off with save-any-time and an easy-to-navigate interface.

More info here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1ag6.html ...

Reports are coming in that some DS games might know whether they are being played on a DS Lite as seen in the above video. When starting Mario Kart DS on the original DS, notice Mario's "Yahoo!" as compared with his DS Lite's "Here we go!"

Via Joystick ...

One of the new features introduced by the recent Xbox 360 update which slipped under the radar somewhat has been highlighted by an eagle-eyed forum poster on Neogaf.com.

"Crunker99" writes that you can clear the console's cache by doing the following: "Go to the system blade and then memory. Press Y on either the HDD or a MU and then press X, X, Left Bumper, Right Bumper, X, X.

"Once you do this a blade will pop up saying: This will perform maintenance on your Xbox 360 storage devices. Do you want to continue? Pick yes or no."

You want to be careful, though - speaking to 1up, a Microsoft representative warned: "The HDD cache clearing feature is a part of the Xbox 360 technical support process and is only supported in those instances.

"While the cache clearing operation will not harm or render your inoperable, it should only be used when instructed by the Microsoft customer support staff."

If you're having trouble with your console, MS says, your first port of call should be the Xbox 360 helpline (0800 587 1102 if you live in the UK).

Via Eurogamer ...

Proving once again that it's committed to the feature, Microsoft has got a fresh 360 backwards compatibility update primed for release this week, according to games boss Peter Moore.

Speaking in a Podcast with Microsoft's infamous internet spokesman Major Nelson, Moore - as well as revealing that he's an avid CVG reader - says that "20 titles or more" of the original Xbox games will be made 360-friendly in the next BC update, including Doom 3 and Lego Star Wars. According to Moore the update is undergoing final testing at Microsoft, and should be out sometime this week.

We're going to continue to get as close as we can to our stated target of every Xbox game being backwards compatible with the Xbox 360," states Moore in the Major Nelson Podcast. "There's a very talented team right here in the Redmond campus that are working on [backwards compatibility] and they'll continue to work on that, and more and more games we'll be announced over this calendar year and going forward."

So if Moore's wishes come true we might be able to completely remove the big black Xbox from under the telly; keep your eyes on Xbox Live.

Via CVG. ...

News from CVG

While Sony may have ditched its force feedback DualShock controller for this generation of home consoles with the PS3, it seems the company is hard at work on an invetion which has the potential to offer a whole new kind of feedback while playing games.

According to a patent uncovered by Barry Fox over at the New Scientist website, Sony is researching a way of squeezing bulky electronics device - like portable consoles, phones and handheld computers - into pocket-sized spaces.

Fox summarises Sony's research saying, "The body and screen of folding gadgets would be made from a flexible polymer containing conductive rubber bracing struts filled with a gel of aluminosilicate particles suspended in silicone oil.

.When a current is passed through the struts, the particles clump together and harden the gel, making the gadget solid enough to use. Sony has found that it would take very little power to make such a folding device harden, so the drain on its battery should be low."

Alongside potential uses for handhelds, it seems Sony also envisages the technology may have applications in home console controllers too, by affecting the shape or texture of your input device based on on-screen actions. The patent divulges that, "The electrorheological fluid device can be applied to, for example, part of a controller of a home-use game machine as another example of the electronic apparatus of the present invention. A user touches a control section of the controller by fingers, and the feeling of touch is controlled by the electrorheological fluid device."

For example, if a game player is defeated in a fighting game, the electrorheological fluid device is controlled to become soft in order to improve the realistic sensations in the game."

Folding consoles? Whatever will they think of next? Let us know what you desire in the way of electrorheological goodness in the comments field below. ...