SCEA president Kaz Hirai has questioned Microsoft's decision to opt for the HD-DVD format over Blu-Ray, observing that larger games may have to be presented on multiple discs.

Speaking to Dean Takahashi of the Mercury News, Hirai described the PS3 as "A console that is here for the long haul and is not on a five-year cycle."

"Microsoft is coming out with an HD-DVD accessory for HD movies as an add-on only a year after they launched. That is exactly the kind of thing we don't want to do," he continued.

"This console is going to do much more... If you look at the lack of Blu-Ray on Microsoft, what do you do if the game requires 40 to 50 gigabytes? Put it on three discs?"

Hirai went on to dismiss suggestions that at USD 499/599, the PS3 is too expensive, stating: "I think that is the right price for what we're bringing to consumers."

"Let's look under the hood and see total value we are delivering to consumers. At five to 10 years, you see the lasting power of the PS2. If you go out there now, there is a lot of PS2 software out there."

"From a consumer's view, who got the better value? If you look at which console is giving the publishers more time to amortise their development costs, the answer is pretty obvious."

Hirai said he is "confident" Sony will maintain its position as market leader once the next-gen battle kicks off, stating: "With the PlayStation 3, we are keeping to our belief that we have the true next-generation console."

"It's all about the games. We all know that. It's about delivering compelling entertainment to the consumer once again. We are well on our way to showing that."

via GiBiz ...

New PSP Accessory:



Use four batteries (rechargeable or standard) to power the PSP Battery on the go

Features a 5 LED charge indicator system to show the amount of battery charge remaining

More info --> http://www.yesasia.com/?/info.php?pro...6&lsaid=219793 ...

News from Lik Sang

A port of 2001's PS2 musical cult hit, Gitaroo Man Live is unique amongst rhythm games and comes from the same people who brought up the NDS's most popular beat based title, Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan. Each level is an action packed battle against an opponent, with a Charge phase at the start to build up your health, and a Harmony phase to wind down at the end. The meat of the system though is in the two middle phases, Attack and Guard. During the first, a line scrolls towards the middle of the screen and you're required to not only hit circle in time with the tunes to hear Gitaroo Man's guitar, but also copy the direction of the line with your analogue nub. After that the Guard phase puts on a different spin, having all four face buttons fly in from the four sides of the screen, and has you hitting them as they reach the center.



New to the PSP remake are both extra songs and entirely new modes! In addition to single player there's now duet mode for wireless co-op play, a competitive 2-player battle mode, plus a Jukebox system. The PSP's flat analogue nub also apparently makes the game control better than it did on a DualShock, and by slotting in your headphones you can crank up the sound and rock on with Gitaroo Man where ever you are! Due in before end of this week, with English menus and song titles the game is very import friendly, and as every game for the PSP is region free, you can slide it into your console no matter where you picked it up. ...

News from Lik Sang

Well the day of 666 didn't bring the world to a fiery explosive end after all, and to celebrate the fact we're all living on, this week we have one NDS title to help beef up your brain and keep those neurons pumping for many, many years to come, then one PSP port of a unique rhythm based game that gained a cult following on the PS2, but which everyone should experience before dying.

Just before getting to those though, recently in our Wii Price Hint News we included a poll from Japan's Famitsu magazine asking which hardware are gamers most looking forward to next. The results were 68.8% for Wii, 21% for PS3, 7.2% for Xbox 360 and 3% for the NDS. Joystiq on the other hand have been conducting their own global poll asking which next gen systems gamers aim to own, including a combo of multiple consoles. 30,000 votes later and the results are in...

...

Nintendo executive Katsuya Eguchi has revealed that the Wii version of Animal Crossing may allow you to send messages to fellow players via your PC and mobile phone.

In an interview with Kikizo, Eguchi confirmed that the Wii Connect 24 service will ensure that your console is online all the time, allowing for all sorts of exciting possibilities.

"With the example of Animal Crossing, one of the things that might be possible is while the player isn't even actively playing in their town, a friend of theirs could come and visit their town and, for instance, leave them a letter or a gift," he explained.

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"Another application might be someone could send a letter from their cellphone or from an email address on a PC to the Wii, and then the player living in the town in Animal Crossing could receive that letter."

The Wii will most likely use a Friend Codes system so you can communicate with other players, according to Eguchi, although you won't necessarily be able to use your current DS code: "There probably will be Friend Codes for the Wii version, however we're not so sure about compatibility. So it's most likely that everyone will be using new codes."

Eguchi went on to discuss the Wii's remote controller and the possibilities for producing a range of add-ons, such as the light gun prototype that was on show at E3.

"I could give you my ideas of [Wii controller attachments] that are possible, but that might end up becoming a product, so right now I can't really say," Eguchi stated.

"Of course, if software calls for a light gun, we'll make a light gun. If the software requires a guitar, then maybe we'll make a guitar. Our number one priority is always to provide the ultimate gameplay experience, so if the game requires a peripheral, then we'll supply a peripheral."

As for the debate over whether Sony nicked Nintendo's idea for a motion-sensing controller - well, Eguchi's not convinced they're all that similar.

"There's a significant difference between the Wii controller and the PS3 controller. If we're just talking about the motion sensor, with the Wii there are two parts to the controller - each hand can move freely.

"But with the PS3 controller, both of your hands are kind of stuck, and I get the feeling that will limit freedom of movement."

Hmm. Anyway, Guitar Hero Wii, anyone?

Via Eurogamer ...

Yep, it's the 30GB iPod (with video) as we all know and love or loathe it, but now it's back U2 Special Edition with that signature red click-wheel (unlike the "traditional" all black model). Just in case the gimmick's worn off now that the pent up demand for black iPods have been met, though, and it also has a metal posterior, and comes with a special iTunes Music Store coupon redeemable for a 30-minute video of music videos and band interviews. So let's review: red click-wheel, black metal back, "free" 30 minute U2 video -- you pay $30 more than the regular 30GB iPod ($329 as opposed to $299). What a steal. Ahem.

Via Engadget ...

Close on the heels of their exit from the DVD recorder market, Pioneer has announced that their line of Blu-ray players, which were originally slated for a May release, will be delayed until sometime "this autumn." The company didn't announce exactly what's holding them back, but we wouldn't rule out lack of content as at least part of the cause. Don't worry Pioneer, we still love you for your BDR-101A, but for right now we have to go sit and stare longingly at the online manual for Samsung's upcoming BD-P1000.

Via Engadget ...

New from Divineo USA:



Long lasting colored flourescent bulb glows beautifully inside your case. This unit plugs conveniently right into the internal xbox power. No soldering is required. Standard configuration has light turn on and off with xbox.

Installation requires removal of internal metal shield, clearing of OEM jewel, and cutting a hole underneath the jewel. Complete instructions are included.

Buy At Divineo USA ...

Classic ZX Spectrum game Jetpac heading to Microsoft's Live Arcade? Well, that's the rumour floating around the internet anyway, and one that carries a strong whiff of possibility considering it was created by Rare - albeit under the developer's former moniker Ultimate - Play the Game.

Jetpac was a 2D platform-shoot-'em-up released in 1983 that saw a jet-packed space man attempting to construct a spaceship, fill it with fuel and blast off from a planet surface while under assault from a variety of bizarre enemies.

Microsoft was unavailable for comment on the Jetpac on Live Arcade rumour at the time of writing, so for now we'll just have to label it, erm, rumour. However, if it turns out to be true, then it wouldn't be too wild a bit of speculation to suggest the likes of Ultimate Speccy gems Underwurlde, Sabre Wulf, Lunar Jetman, Knight Lore and Alien 8 will hit Live Arcade too. Superb, this is one rumour we hope has a lot of foundation in fact. ...