via gibiz

Senior retail sources have told GamesIndustry.biz that the 60GB PlayStation 3 will go on sale in the UK for GBP 425, as previously stated by Sony UK boss Ray Maguire.

His comments were made in an interview with GI.biz in May of last year, where he defended the price point as "a bargain" for consumers.

Now several retail execs have confirmed that the GBP 425 figure is correct, and said they are expecting an official announcement from Sony next week. It's thought that the 20GB PlayStation 3 will not be made available in the UK, at least during the initial launch period.

The announcement is also expected to confirm a March 23 launch date across Europe, as previously reported.

The UK price is equivalent to just under EUR 647, which is likely to elicit complaints about "rip-off Britain" as Sony has confirmed that the 60GB PS3 will cost EUR 599 in most other European territories. The price for Ireland, however, has been set at EUR 629.99, apparently due to a higher VAT rate.

One retail source said that the higher UK price has not been driven by Sony but by British retailers, who traditionally seek bigger profit margins than their Continental counterparts. ...

via gamesindustry

A SCEE spokesperson has told GamesIndustry.biz that PlayStation 3 is still on track to launch in Europe in March, despite suggestions from Sony CEO Howard Stringer that it will be here in April.

In an interview with CNET-owned site News.com, Stringer is quoted as saying, "We have got the European launch in April, which is very important to us."

But a spokesperson told GI.biz, "It is not the case that PS3 is launching in April," adding that suggestions otherwise are "incorrect".

"The date has been and still is March," the spokesperson confirmed.

Sony has yet to announce a specific date for the launch of PS3. However, several senior retail sources speaking to GI.biz have said that March 23 is set to be the day when the console hits the shops, and SCEE are expected to make an official announcement next week. ...

via gamesindustry

Retail has noted a surge of interest in free-roaming action game Crackdown, since the announcement that the game disc will include a beta key to the multiplayer testing of Bungie's highly-anticipated shooter Halo 3.

Specialist chain GAME has told GamesIndustry.biz that pre-orders for Crackdown have risen by 25 per cent since Microsoft unveiled the initiative.

"Halo 3 is one of the most highly anticipated Xbox 360 titles for 2007 and our customers are hungry to get hold of it," commented Alex Croft, MD of GAME Group's online business.

"Halo 3 beta is a great way for gamers to actually influence the making of the game and will ensure the production of a truly amazing game," he added.

Crackdown, from developer Realtime Worlds, is due for release February 23 in Europe. Copies of the game which include the Halo 3 beta key will be housed in specially marked packaging. ...

via gibiz

Consumers looking to buy a PlayStation 3 in the US have multiple outlets to choose from, as over 50 per cent of all stores surveyed have units in stock.

Compared to the Nintendo Wii, which is in short supply in all regions across the globe, the PS3 is readily available in specialist and electrical retailers across North America, where Sony recently announced it had shipped a total of one million units.

"Our channel checks yesterday of 52 retail stores, from boutiques to big-box retailers, showed that 28 of the 52 stores had PS3 consoles in stock, while none had Wii consoles in stock," said PJ McNealy of American Technology Research.

While some have suggested the amount of stock available may be indication of slowing demand, Sony's David Karraker disputes the idea, instead pointing out that the company is doing such a good job of supplying retailers with available units.

"It isn't because demand has weakend, it is because we have kept the supply pipeline moving," Karraker told Reuters.

New hardware traditionally suffers from short supply at retail, as the demand from early-adopting consumers is fulfilled.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 came under increased pressure from retail following its launch in 2005, with supplies limited through the first quarter of 2006.

Despite the amount of PS3 units on store shelves, PJ McNealy pointed out that high levels of stock didn't not neccesarily indicate slow demand. ...

via gibiz

Consumers looking to buy a PlayStation 3 in the US have multiple outlets to choose from, as over 50 per cent of all stores surveyed have units in stock.

Compared to the Nintendo Wii, which is in short supply in all regions across the globe, the PS3 is readily available in specialist and electrical retailers across North America, where Sony recently announced it had shipped a total of one million units.

"Our channel checks yesterday of 52 retail stores, from boutiques to big-box retailers, showed that 28 of the 52 stores had PS3 consoles in stock, while none had Wii consoles in stock," said PJ McNealy of American Technology Research.

While some have suggested the amount of stock available may be indication of slowing demand, Sony's David Karraker disputes the idea, instead pointing out that the company is doing such a good job of supplying retailers with available units.

"It isn't because demand has weakend, it is because we have kept the supply pipeline moving," Karraker told Reuters.

New hardware traditionally suffers from short supply at retail, as the demand from early-adopting consumers is fulfilled.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 came under increased pressure from retail following its launch in 2005, with supplies limited through the first quarter of 2006.

Despite the amount of PS3 units on store shelves, PJ McNealy pointed out that high levels of stock didn't not neccesarily indicate slow demand. ...

via gamesindustry

As the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia prepares to release 2006 software and hardware figures, Sony and Nintendo have both announced strong sales in the territory.

According to Sony, more than 2.2 million PS2 units have now been sold in Australia. During the fourth quarter of 2006, PS2 accounted for 56 per cent of all home console sales and 71 per cent of home console software sales.

In the same period, combined PS2 and PSP sales accounted for 42 per cent of all consoles purchased.

But the DS was the best-selling console of 2006, according to GfK Australia figures quoted by Nintendo. The Wii is also said to be performing well, with 50,000 units shifted in the three weeks following the console's launch on December 7.

Microsoft Australia has yet to release a statement regarding 2006 Xbox 360 sales. However, the console got off to a strong start when it launched in March, with 30,000 units sold in just four days.

IEAA is set to release full sales figures by the end of the week. ...

via ps3fanboy

What is Debian Live? You've got me there, but what I do know is that it's a highly respected Linux engine... more so than Fedora Core and... that other one. What's more is that this system/engine/thingy is being distributed via .iso, so download it now, stick it onto a CD and load it right onto your PS3 with little to no trouble and/or effort! That's... how it works, right? No? Hmm, I really need to learn how to do this.
Anyway, on the Debian Live for PS3 site, there's a list of all the prompts you can use as well as parameters you can set (login, password, etc). We're linking you directly to their site because it makes a lot more sense than if I tried to describe it. Also, if you have any trouble, visit the About page and see if anything there helps you out -- I couldn't find a specific set of instructions (probably because this is supposed to be easy), but it seems like they go into more detail here. If anyone gets this up and running, tell us how it stacks up to the other programs available.

More details and Download Here --> http://debian-live.alioth.debian.org/ ...

Sony CEO Howard Stringer seems to have let the cat out of the bag regarding when PS3 will finally launch throughout Europe. And it looks like April.

Speaking to News.com Howard Stringer was asked what the goals were this year for PlayStation? His response? "I think it's 6 million units by the end of the quarter, worldwide. And then we have got the European launch in April, which is very important to us."

Could that be the biggest slip-up by Sony yet? A date of late March has been doing the rounds lately but what's a week or two in the grand scheme of things? Regarding the launch games, he added, "I think we have 20 games out there. I assume we're going to increase the number of games."

Sony Europe is sticking to its guns of a March launch with all other talk just "speculation".

via cvg ...

Tony Hawk developer Neversoft is advertising vacancies to work on future Guitar Hero games, suggesting that the game may now have two studios working on it.

Guitar Hero hit the big time with both the first and second instalments of the game and the series only looks to grow with an 80s version, that we've been told is currently in development.

Harmonix has been responsible for all Guitar Hero games so far but speculation is mounting that Tony Hawk developer Neversoft has been brought on board by Activision to develop further versions.

Whether this means that Neversoft will develop all Guitar Hero games going forward or that Neversoft and Harmonix will now create different versions is unclear, thanks to Activision staying tight-lipped on the subject.

A source close to the game has told CVG that "if there are now two developers working side by side on different versions of the game, it can only be a good thing for fans."

Basically the turn around of creating songs and localising them for the European market would increase and we'd get more tracks to air guitar to. And that's why it's a good thing. Two developers mean more songs and expansions.

Expect an announcement from Activision soon.

Screens Here ...