Debug units unworkable due to endlessly looping error message
Various developers and studios are claiming that their debug PS3 units are failing from suspected internal-clock-related hardware errors.
A multitude of debug consoles – crucial to the development of current PS3 projects – have been thrown into a rebooting cycle, due to an endlessly-looping error message.
The issue comes as a separate issue is affecting retail PS3 consoles, though both problems are thought to be related.
It is said that when certain PS3 retail consoles attempt to connect to the internet, the platform shows error messages and are unable to connect to the PlayStation Network.
Sony has already claimed it has narrowed down possible causes for the retail problem and is working on a solution.

However, a Joystiq report has been flooded by claims that even offline consoles are being struck down – with the system’s clock reverting to 12/31/1999 and causing data-corrupting errors.
Sony has declined to comment.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...-system-errors ...

So far fans following the fifth Gran Turismo in the series have been rewarded with nothing but delays and disappointment. You'd be forgiven for turning your attention to other things. But hold your horsepower, PSM3 have gathered 8 reasons for you to hold on just a little bit longer.

1. OFFICIAL LICENCES
GT-creator Kazunori Yamauchi (CEO of Polyphony Digital) wants to appeal to a global audience with Gran Turismo 5. The announcement of IndyCar and NASCAR - both new to the series - add a more American flavour to the game.

Meanwhile European petrolheads will probably be more interested in the inclusion of a fully licenced World Rally Championship. If GT5's rendition of official rallying ends up as authentic as the American flavours, expect your copy of DIRT 2 to be gathering dust by Christmas.

Then there's the small matter of Ferrari and Bugatti (including the formidable Veyron) - it's the first time ever that the automobile legends have been snapped up for Sony's racing stalwart.

2. IT'S BEAUTIFUL
It looks better than real life. That's what GT's famous mastermind, Kazunori Yamauchi said of GT5's astonishing visuals. Okay, so that's perhaps a bit much - see bit.ly/4FApAI for a head-to-head comparison video, captured using the game's 'Data Logger Visualization' tech - but his intentions are crystal clear. From every wheel nut, tyre tread and grill dimple, GT5 exudes almost pixel-perfect photo-realism.

The entire engine has been built from scratch, utilising none of GT4's code. Every car is painstakingly built from scratch, using roughly half a million polygons - up from a mere 300 in the original PSone game. It's no surprise that a staggering 60% of GT5's development time to date has been spent just creating the cars. Not satisfied with the results shown in GT5: Prologue, Kaz has been delaying GT5 for years polishing the graphics to a higher and higher sheen. Running at a staggering 60 frames per second, even in full 1080p HD without even a hint of a jag or blur in sight, it's an unparalleled technical achievement. Polyphony Digital isn't just trying to raise the bar for visuals: they want to obliterate it.

Kazunori and his team are well known for their attention to detail when it comes to tracks, too. Visiting circuits to include in the game, they photographed plants, paving slabs and even the grain of the tarmac to help nail the details.

The most staggering thing of all though? Kaz reckons these beautiful results use only 80% of the PS3's power', leaving room for improvement for GT6. Hang on Kaz, let's have this one first, eh?


3. IT'S GOT THE MOST REALISTIC HANDLING PHYSICS
Each one of GT5's enormous roster of vehicles was test-driven by Kazunori and his team - all predictably avid race enthusiasts - to ensure spot-on handling. But Gran Turismo 5 promises to bring the most realistic handling models yet. As anyone who attempted the recent GT Academy demo without the traction controls will attest to, the game is punishingly demanding. Each car's handling model is built from scratch in the same way as its appearance.

The physics, too, are a real step up over GT4 and even GT5: Prologue. Cars' bodies rock through sharp corners and authentically spiral out of control at the slightest nudge from rivals. They can even completely flip over. The result is a racing experience that not only feels more realistic than ever, but much more white-knuckle than the stuffy bumper-cars approach of old.

4. IT'S GOT DAMAGE
The damage model looked a bit limited when it was first shown off last year, but Kazunori is insistent that it was just the beginnings, merely showing the early direction. The full release, it's promised, will utilise a far deeper damage mechanic.

Every one of GT5's impressive roster of vehicles will be wreckable in some way, acquiescing to fans who have cried out for vehicle deformation for years. Okay, so only 170 'premium' vehicles will be fully damage-modelled, but every car can be visually broken, with huge potential consequences for the internal mechanics. End up braking too late and smash into a wall? Think brake failures, loss of speed, slower gear changes - a whole host of race-wrecking results. A generation of cheeky barrier-bouncing, shunt-happy players will need to adapt, fixing the bumper-car tactics that have plagued GT. The damage on the premium models is where the real visual treats lie. Kazunori promises not just pre-rendered visual changes - think Burnout Paradise - but a fully implemented model which reacts to the speed, force and angle of a crash and crumples and twists cars accordingly. Not only this, but the interiors too will be affected by every bump, scrape and knock. Caved-in roofs and smashed-up doors add an extra tension to getting into scuffles, lending the cockpit view a visceral edge.

5. GT5'S BIG NUMBERS
950 cars currently in Gran Turismo 5.
2 player split screen running at 60FPS.
1000+ cars that might feature by release day.
16 maximum players in each online race.
Infinity: The potential limit for GT5's soundtrack due to custom playlists.
3 peripherals usable with GT5 simultaneously ...

Discounts website says interest in Xbox 360 version is twice that of PS3
The Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII is on track to outsell the PS3 SKU by two-to-one – that’s the prediction of discount shopping portal MyVoucherCodes.co.uk.
The site comes to the conclusion based on the number of searches made on its server, with interest in the Xbox 360 title running at double the rate of its rival.
It also states that the sheer amount of enquiries about the game point to it being the most successful release of 2010 to date. In February alone over 250,000 searches were made for the Xbox 360 release and 120,000 for the PS3 disc.
“The Final Fantasy series has always been a huge draw for Sony, since its debut on the PlayStation in the form of Final Fantasy VII,” MyVoucherCodes MD Mark Pearson stated.
“For Microsoft to now be sharing and in fact beating the interest for the PS3 version must be worrying Sony chiefs, who must be wondering just how to steal the march back, if it is at all possible. Our Christmas sales data showed that Xbox 360s were outselling PS3s three-to-one in the holiday period, a fact which seems to be presenting itself here as consumers show more interest in the Xbox 360 title.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/37765/Xbox...ll-PS3-version ...

Discounts website says interest in Xbox 360 version is twice that of PS3
The Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII is on track to outsell the PS3 SKU by two-to-one – that’s the prediction of discount shopping portal MyVoucherCodes.co.uk.
The site comes to the conclusion based on the number of searches made on its server, with interest in the Xbox 360 title running at double the rate of its rival.
It also states that the sheer amount of enquiries about the game point to it being the most successful release of 2010 to date. In February alone over 250,000 searches were made for the Xbox 360 release and 120,000 for the PS3 disc.
“The Final Fantasy series has always been a huge draw for Sony, since its debut on the PlayStation in the form of Final Fantasy VII,” MyVoucherCodes MD Mark Pearson stated.
“For Microsoft to now be sharing and in fact beating the interest for the PS3 version must be worrying Sony chiefs, who must be wondering just how to steal the march back, if it is at all possible. Our Christmas sales data showed that Xbox 360s were outselling PS3s three-to-one in the holiday period, a fact which seems to be presenting itself here as consumers show more interest in the Xbox 360 title.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/37765/Xbox...ll-PS3-version ...

Android is more popular than iPhone in eight US states, with seven of them in the west and midwest, according to stats released by mobile content firm Myxer.
The company has published a map of the US comparing downloads from users on the two platforms, which makes the geographic trend jump out even more.

The company plans to publish the map once a quarter, to track the ongoing growth of Android, and how it's faring against the iPhone.
Myxer has also been digging into Android usage patterns among its customers. It identifies Google's own Nexus One as the 'manliest' Android handset - 75% of registered Myxer users with it are male.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/36199...tes-says-Myxer ...

Web report claims 16GB device will cost under £400
The iPad will cost as little as £389 when it eventually arrives in the UK, claims a website which says it has received leaked price information from a mystery source.
Geeky Gadgets says that the base 16GB model will cost £389, with the 32GB costing £439 and the 64GB coming in at £489.
If correct, UK consumers are facing a premium compared to their US counterparts. Across the pond the 16GB will cost $499 (£308), the 32GB $599 (£370) and the 4GB $699 (£433).
The site doesn’t yet have any information concerning the top-of-the-range 3G models.
The source also claims that the first shipments will arrive in the UK in April and not in March as Apple had previously suggested.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/33215...-prices-leaked ...

via The Metro


PS3 gamers across the world have woken up to find their consoles unable to connect online.

In some cases, users have even experienced problems playing offline, as well as finding that Trophy data and saved information had been corrupted by the error.

The 'error: 8001050f' message is thought to be related to the a calendar reset on February 28, when the original PS3 systems were reset to January 1, 2000

Sony have recognised the problem via their Twitter page, posting the following advice for users:
Users with the newer PS3 Slim models are unaffected, but it has been advised that users with older PS3 models should not use their console until further notice.

UPDATE: Sony has issued a statement on the problem (via Eurogamer)

------------------
*update*

For up-to-date info check the Sony official EU twitter account ...

Seems FAT PS3's (the 20 - 80 gig models) are having problems loading trophies, playing most disc based games, connecting to the PSN and reverting games that were demos upgraded to full version games back to demos... Who knows when this will be resolved, but most are classifying it and PSN problem where some are classifying it as a Firmware problem.

http://www.neoseeker.com/news/13244-...001050f-error/ ...

via Computer and Video Games


Nintendo's DSi XL will carry a suggested retail price of £159.99.

The news comes from a listing in 'The Future' - the B2B magazine of official UK DSi distributor Gem.

The price is £10 higher than the SRP for a standard DSi, while DS Lites are available for around £100.

The printed SRP corroborates with listings on the likes of Amazon and Play.

Check out the CVG DSi XL review here.

The console will launch this Friday (March 5th). ...