What do you get when you mate a phone dialpad with a gaming mouse? Razer's Naga MMO mouse, apparently. There's 17 buttons, as in sixteen candles plus one, minus the candles. But surprisingly, that's not the most interesting about Naga.

http://gizmodo.com/5340891/razer-nag...x-with-a-phone ...

The PS3 Slim might be getting all the attention today, but the new PSP Minis bite-sized games and PSP Digital Comics service are actually potentially game-changers as well -- so of course they get their own promo videos. Minis are 100MB or smaller games that will launch on the PlayStation Store the same day the PSP Go arrives, and while the launch lineup doesn't have any standout must-haves, we think they'll be quite popular. The real sleeper might be the Digital Comics service, though, which will launch with Marvel titles and eventually add more publishers -- although pricing and other details haven't been announced, we've got a feeling quite a few PSP owners will be into the idea of getting comics on the go. Innovative new ideas or clever reaction to games and ereaders on the iPhone? Hit the break, watch the videos, and sound off.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/p...-promo-videos/ ...

Sony has confirmed that the changes made to the new PS3 Slim SKU are not just cosmetic: additional features have been added, and OtherOS functionality has been removed. In this press release, the company confirms that support for the Linux platform has been completely omitted in the new unit, but also reveals that perhaps more usefully, the new unit now interfaces directly with Sony's own Bravia HDTVs, allowing users to take control of the XMB via their television remotes. It also allows you to turn off both display and PS3 using just a single press of the standby button. All that is required to utilise this feature is for the new PS3 to be connected to the display using the standard HDMI connection. The new functionality essentially makes the PS3's enviable media-playback facilities that much more accessible and user-friendly to those who also buy into Sony's range of screens. The omission of Linux is a little more puzzling, but perhaps not completely surprising. Actual take-up of Linux amongst the core audience has been slight, and perhaps some of the blame for this lies with Sony itself: installing the OS is time-consuming, the partitioning system on the internal hard disk is a bit of a pain, and access to Linux once it is installed is annoying to deal with, as there is no easy way to switch quickly between the PS3 GameOS or the installed OtherOS. The fact there is little to no meaningful access to the RSX graphics chip has also frustrated Linux users. Sony's blurb states that the focus of the PS3 Slim is "on delivering games and other entertainment content" and that this is the reason for OtherOS omission, but the fact is that Sony's business lives and dies on its installed base buying games for their new hardware, and a PS3 bought exclusively for running Linux does the company no favours from a financial perspective. Right now, the PS3 Slim is still more expensive than buying an entry-level Dell which would perform better with the OS, but with console hardware in general and PS3 Slim in particular, the only way is down price-wise, and sooner or later PS3 would become an irresistible prospect as a cheap desktop PC, or even server... uses which sound cool but won't boost Sony's bottom line. What the axing of Linux does mean however is that interesting projects such as the CodecSys h264 video encoder will not work on the new PS3 SKU, and any similar projects aimed at utilising the Cell CPU in a project not licensed and approved by Sony are now less likely to make it to the public. However, from Sony's perspective, the removal of OtherOS functionality also has other benefits. For example, it means that the PS3 can now no longer be used to rip Blu-ray movies to hard disk...

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/di...one-blog-entry ...

Pre-orders for the slim PlayStation 3 are already topping the videogame charts at online retailer Amazon.

The new hardware was only officially announced by Sony yesterday, but already the console has climbed to the top of the charts on the firm's US and UK sites.

The redesigned console will take on the new USD 299 / EUR 299 / GBP 249 price when it's released in the first week of September, as Sony looks to boost flagging sales of its home entertainment machine.

And in a effort to curb consumers buying up stock and selling it on at a higher price if demand outstrips supply, the retailer is limiting the amount of units to five for each consumer in the UK.

"This product can sometimes be in great demand, and there can be shortages of this product across the UK," said Amazon.

"In an effort to provide as many customers as possible with the opportunity to purchase it, we are limiting the total number of units that can be purchased."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...e-order-charts ...

A three year battle to own the home console market has left both Microsoft and Sony financially exhausted, with both company's likely to leave hardware prices at USD 299 for the foreseeable future.

According to industry analysts and following Sony slashing the price of the PlayStation 3 yesterday, a price cut from Microsoft is imminent on its Xbox 360 Elite SKU, as well as the expected phase out of the 60GB Premium console, leaving both format-holders evenly matched.

"Both Sony and Microsoft are acting like 12th round boxers, so exhausted - in this case, financially exhausted - over the three year battle for next-generation supremacy, that neither are likely to deviate from the USD 299 price point for some time," commented Jesse Divnich, director of analyst services at EEDAR.

"The USD 299 price point will likely become the new standard for the next-generation consoles for the next year. It is possible that both consoles may reach a USD 249 price point 12 months from now, but that will likely be the lowest prices will get in the next two years.

"Going forward, both console manufacturers will focus more on delivering differentiating products and services to increase the value of their consoles," he added.

Colin Sebastian, of Lazard Capital Markets, said the firm expects Microsoft to now cut hardware prices, possibly in time for the release of the next title in the Halo series.

"In addition to Sony’s PS3 pricing action, we continue to believe Xbox 360 price reductions are under consideration this summer, which would be well timed with the September 22 launch of Halo ODST," he noted.

Sony's decision to lower the price on its hardware is long overdue, added Sebastian, and essential for the company to claw back sales of the once luxury-priced machine.

"We believe this is an important - and overdue - step for Sony to limit further market share losses this console cycle, and help stimulate demand in the interactive entertainment industry ahead of the Holiday period.

He also noted that promotions for Sony hardware are likely to be announced shortly, finally making the console a viable purchase for price conscious consumers.

"Given the weaker consumer spending environment, the PS3 should also now be in closer reach of more price-sensitive consumers. We expect Sony to announce more details on PS3 promotions as early as next week."

Cowan and Company's Doug Creutz said that although the price drop will benefit Sony, it's not expected to have a wider effect on the videogame market in the US due to Microsoft's Xbox 360 already catering to the hardcore gaming consumer.

"Although we think the PS3 price cut could help resuscitate demand for the platform and drive some additional software sales, we note that there is already a USD 299 core gamer focused platform on the market: Microsoft's Xbox 360 Pro.

"As such, we do not expect the impact of Sony's price cut on overall hardware and software sales to be as significant as the impacts from price cuts on the PS2 in the last cycle."

With price points for both machines neck and neck, Sony and Microsoft may try to differentiate their hardware with bigger hard drives, such as the rumoured 250GB PlayStation 3.

However, this will only have a marginal effect, said Divnich, with consumer unlikely to consider the difference. More likely is a bundling of the new motion technology both firms are currently developing for release next year.

"EEDAR does not believe any disparity in hard drive size will make a noticeable difference in how consumers value each product. Both will continue to increase the size of their hard-drives and likely add additional hardware and software features to appeal to consumers.

"It would not be out of the realm of possibility for Microsoft to include Project Natal as a standard attachment with all Xbox 360 systems in 2011. The same goes for Sony’s new motion controller that is currently in development," he added.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...rom-price-wars ...

Sony could be lining up a 250GB model of its new slim PlayStation 3 which will be sold alongside the 120GB version, according to a legal filing,

The filing, reported by PS3 News, was made with the Federal Communications Commission back in May and lists four new PlayStation 3 models - two test versions and two production ones with 120GB and 250GB hard drives.

At this stage, all the move suggests is that Sony has submitted both console types for tests on its Bluetooth and Wi-fi equipment - a premium model is yet to be confirmed by the company.

What it has confirmed however, is that it won't be reinstating PlayStation 2 backwards compatibility into the new slim PlayStation 3 - that's "off the table" according to SCEA's John Koller.

People buy the console to play PlayStation 3 games, he told Kotaku. "Now that we're at a point where we're three years into the life cycle of the PS3, there are so many disc-based games that are available that we think - and noticed this from our research - that most consumers that are purchasing the PS3 cite PS3 games as a primary [reason].

"And it's not just like 50 or 60 percent. It's well into the 80 or 90 percentile range..." Koller continued. "Most of those are consumers who have not utilised their PS2 for a little while and they're ready to jump into the PlayStation 3."

Koller also confirmed he expects the slim PlayStation 3 to replace the original model in fairly short order. The 80GB SKU will disappear next month, he said, although 160GB PS3s might stay on shop shelves a little longer.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...0gb-hard-drive ...

Codemasters has confirmed that its new F1 2009 game for the Wii will be sold bundled with its own steering wheel peripheral.

The game is the official FIA Formula One World Championship game, and will ship in European territories with a Race Wheel modelled on the wheel of a Formula One car. North American and Japanese versions of the game will not have the accessory included.

Previously held by Sony, the Formula 1 licence has in recent years been limited to PlayStation platforms. Codemasters secured the licence last year with expansion to other formats to follow.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...eel-peripheral ...

PlayStation 3's new USD 299/GBP 249 price point is the "sweet spot" for consumers, SCEA president and CEO Jack Tretton has said, offering unprecedented value on the market.

Furthermore, the console has reached significant milestones quickly, with a hardware revision being offered short of its third year, said Tretton, while similar revisions of the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 were only possible in their third and fourth years on sale.

"We're extremely pleased that we've been able to meet production efficiencies that have allowed us to pass those savings onto consumers," the exec said, during a video statement on Sony's US blog.

"We're very pleased that short of its third birthday, the PlayStation 3 has achieved tremendous milestones which have allowed us to bring out this new form factor."

The PlayStation 3's new price of GBP 249.99 - half that of its original launch price - will be effective immediately, Sony announced at its press conference in Cologne last night, while the new "slimmer, lighter form factor" will be available on September 1.

"We really think that USD 299 is the sweet spot when consumers think about all the features that exist in the PlayStation 3. There's just no better value on the market," said Tretton.

In terms of the PlayStation 3's competition, he continued, Sony sees itself as competing with any form of entertainment, not just Nintendo and Microsoft. And Tretton also confirmed the company considers the console still in its "infancy", with a long way yet to go.

"When we talk about competition, I think we're really competing with any form of entertainment, not only hardware devices within the gaming space, but clearly multimedia devices, portable and console-based. And we're competing with entertainment in general - we're just competing for people's free time.

"This device is less than three years old," he continued. "We're still in the infancy stage, especially for a company that consistently delivers ten year product life cycles.

"If you look at how far PlayStation 3 has come in terms of features, in terms of the great games that have been offered and to understand that's being done at half the original price with a 120GB harddrive being built in, with a new slimmer lighter form factor...

"It's staggering to think how far this has come in less than three years - and to envision how far it will go before this system is over and done with."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...vious-hardware ...

The PSPgo will retail at GBP 224.99 in the UK when launched on October 1, Sony has confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz.

This news follows Sony's press conference in Cologne yesterday, at which the company also released details of new 'Minis' games - small, 100MB downloadable games, which will be available to play on the PSP hardware.

In the US and Europe, the console has been priced at the same figure as its 2005 launch - USD 249 and EUR 249. Although the GBP 224.99 price point makes it more expensive than the original console was when launched in the UK.

Today, online retailers were listing the price of the standalone console at between GBP 224.99 and GBP 229.99, with no bundles presently on offer.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...BP224-99-in-uk ...