Via Gamespot

When Sony announced the PlayStation 3 at last year's E3, one of the most impressive parts of the machine was its specs. The console was a gearhead's dream with three Ethernet parts, two HDMI ports, six USB ports, and a host of other features. Many wondered how Sony could pack so much into a sleek box and still price the system competitively.

How things have changed in a year.

According to the latest specifications released by Sony, the PS3 now only comes with one Ethernet port and four USB ports. Also, the lack of a second HDMI port means that the dual-screen setup running 1080p function that was shown off last year is no longer a possibility.

The PlayStation 3 will come in two configurations, one will have a 20GB hard drive and the other will have a 60GB hard drive. However, losing 40GB isn't the only downgrade with the 20GB version. The 20GB version, priced at $499, will not have Memory Stick, SD, or Compact Flash inputs, Wi-Fi capabilities, or any HDMI output.

The new motion-sensitive controller, included standard in both the 20GB and 60GB models, will lack a feature that was present in the PlayStation 2's DualShock 2 controller--vibration. Citing the new "six-degree," a statement from Sony says "vibration itself interferes with information detected by the sensor."

The removal of vibration could also have something to do with the lawsuit won by Immersion Technologies, which sued Sony for copyright infringement based on the rumble feature in PlayStation controllers. Microsoft faced a similar suit, but settled out of court. ...

Via Gamespot

At today's pre-E3 conference held at Sony Pictures Studios, two questions that have been on gamers minds were answered. Sony president Kaz Hirai revealed the PlayStation 3's price and launch date. The PS3 will be released in Japan on November 11, and the United States on November 17, 2006. Like the Xbox 360, the PS3 will come in two configurations, one with a 20GB hard drive and one with a 60GB hard drive.

The 20GB will retail for $499 in the US (59800 yen in Japan, 499 euros in Europe), and the 60GB model will retail for $549 (open price in Japan, 599 euros in Europe). Sony expects to ship two million units in its first month of launch, four million by the end of the year, and six million by the end of its fiscal year, which ends in March 31. ...

Not going to clog the PSP site up with the goings on at Sonys E3 Event until its better sumarised later, but you read what went off over at this thread --> http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=24235 ...

Via Engadget

Heres Live Coverage of the Sony Event at E3

Still waiting in line. We are still making our way over, stay tuned ...

4:36 - The line is moving. According to Euro Gamer, Hideo Kojima is "stuck in the queue." Should have something for ya soon ...

4:42 - We are sitting down, getting ready to go.

4:49 - Everyone's still filing in to Stage 15 on the Sony backlot. Everyone's expectant and the mood is generally upbeat. The house lights are on full, so it'll still be a few minutes before anything official starts. In the background, Sony's been playing some hardcore gangsta rap: we note this because Nintendo would never, ever play that music. The rap song (which we failed to identify) was followed by Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean." The music is eclectic, we're hoping the games line up is similarly so.

4:52 - Sony's only playing the music out of a few front speakers. it fills the cavernous stage, but we know that once the actual presentation starts they'll switch on the hidden speakers and crank the bass to 11 for chest-thumping, hair-raising 5.1 sound that'll move this audience whether they want to be moved or not. Lights have been dimmed! As predicted, the music's been taken from 5 to 7.

4:54 - First up on stage, Kaz Hirai. President & CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America. "Please accept my apologies for the delay in getting started this afternoon. Just one year ago we unveiled plans for PS3. PS3 is not an incremental upgrade. PS3 is a very powerful machine ... In essence the real power rests in the hands of the content consumer. We want freedom. We want choice. We wanted to be entertained in new and unique ways."

4:55 - Kaz looks so darn tiny down there on the stage. We're up here in nosebleed territory. "Seemless interats with PlayStation family with products. PS3 is the best of breed of computer entertainment platform ... It requires hunge finicial investments. But we must take risks to reap rewards. The essence of P{S3 is real change and comsumers are ready. The next generation deosn't start until we say its time."

4:57 - Did Kaz just say that PlayStation 3 is the "best of breed" computer entertainment platform? Will gamers really react to businessy terms? Well, no matter, they're just tossing out buzzwords to see which ones will stick to the wall. "We would not be able to achive greetness without a strong foundation. PS2 install base continues to grow worldwide ... Global total of 103.69 million units." Kaz's presentation is typical: we're covering all of the PlayStation 2 performance records: 23.3 million hardware shipped in Japan/Asia. North amercia 42m. europe 38.6m units. Total 103.7 units. additional 10m units to be shipped.

4:59 - "We have ammassed more than 3 million registered [online] users ... We want to remind everyone that PS2 will continue to make significant contributions. We have an amazing linuep of titles." Lists ATV Offroad Fury 4, Destroy All Human 2, Dirge of Cerberus, Dragon Ball Z, Final Fantasy XII, etc.

5:00 - "Outisde of E3 consumers can look forawrd to 216 new PS2 titles by year end ... Why did you wait so long to enter [portable market]? And why now? ... It's about the ability to offer the right product structure and the right time. We delivered on the process." Looking out over the audience, there's a sea of video camera LCDs flickering back at us -- videos of this event should be plentiful on the net afterwards. PSP Hardware shipments: Japan/Asia 4.7m, North America 6.4 m. europe/pal 5.94m. total 17.03m. FY06 forecast 12 million units to ship.

5:01 - PSP is fastseeling platform in companies history. That's lamost 1 million units for each month of its life. We are closing in on 50 million units of software shipped worldwide. We estimate an additional 155 titles will be added"

5:02 - Trailer: World Soccer 2, Planet PSP: Interactive City Guide (working title), Gangs of London, Ape Academy 2. "Let Planet PSP be your guide." Killzone Liberation, B-Boy (breakdancing game), Loco Roco (of course ...).

5:04 - TalkMan trailer shows multinational folks talking into a PSP -- ti's almost as if it's translating for them. Greatest hits announced for PSP - Ape Escape: On the Loose, ATV, Hot Shots Open Tee, Wipeout. The PSP trailer is impressive, generating some polite applause from the audience, but we get the feeling that we're being set up for some 1080p videos that make the PSP trailer look, like, so last-gen. It's a classic sales setup. Wait for it... wait for it...

5:05 - "More than 670 non-game UMD titles have been produced." So Kaz is still covering the PSP: talking about UMD titles produced, firmware upgrades, the web browser, video, audio, and "improved content protection." "The most recent update 2.7 added 2 great new features. The RSS channel and Macromedia Flash support. Later we plan to add RSS video, GPS, and VoIP." PSP will include "Memory Stick Boot," voice over IP, network support this winter via firmware updates.

5:07 - We're being shown a video now with a bunch of young, cool folks filmed on the streets of New York City, London, Sidney, Cape Town, Tokyo, Mexico City, etc. A british dude in New York City waxes excited about the "hard plastic" and "knobby bits" on the PS2 controller. The Tokyo video includes subtitled shots of Japanese people, one who says, "When I play games, I become a monkey!"

5:10 - Light applause after the man-on-the-street trailer. ...

danabnormal has released a new game written in Lua for the PSP, heres the info:

This game is based on the *nix game GnoBots.

RobotsEngine is designed to allow custom artwork, text and sounds to be loaded as Packs to form the basis of a Robots-type game. The included, default game is drac-o-bots.

Although much of the engine is complete, it still does not support an easy way of loading custom tilesets, etc for your own game - please be patient, or failing that, you can have a look at the source and it should be pretty straightforward to figure out.

This is my first Lua app, and is the first game I've ever actually tried to code - I'm still learning, but if you're thinking about trying to code in Lua I can recommend this type of game as your first steps. Its not complex, has no AI, but you'll get used to the language and the way it works.

Download and Give Feedback Via Comments ...

News Via IGN

Namco sent along quick word today that everybody's favorite diminutive royal figure, Katamari Damacy's Prince, will appear as an unlockable character in Pac-Man World Rally.

Players can unlock the Prince by winning a Gold Trophy in all Circuit Cups within the "Easy" difficulty setting.

The Prince is one of a dozen playable characters in the upcoming kart racer, currently set for release this summer on PlayStation 2, PSP, GameCube, and PC.

Lots of screenshots at the link above ...

Via IGN

At Sony's Press Conference, Kaz Hirai, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America announced the recent success of the portable system, stating that the company has shipped more than 17 million units worldwide. Forecasting an additional 12 million units sold during this year, Hirai also announced the launching of the Greatest Hits collection for the PSP.

To qualify for the program, a title would have to have been on the market for at least nine months and sold 250,000 titles or more. The first five titles that will be presented in the program later this year are ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin Trails, Ape Escape: On The Loose, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee, Twisted Metal: Head On and WipEout Pure.

We'll have more details on the Greatest Hits program as they're released. ...

Via DSFanboy

Siliconera, like many other sites (including this one, now) is taking note of a particularly juicy rumor currently scurrying about in the air vents of the internet. It states that Nintendo has picked up the ridiculously frantic and exuberant music-and-rhythm game, Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! for a North American release. For the uninformed and importing depraved, it depicts the adventures of a motley group of cheerleaders parading about and encouraging people to succeed as they go about performing mundane tasks in their lives. Naturally, the game's concept and original name has passed through the butchering translation machine to produce Elite Agent Force.

That doesn't sound generic at all. ...

Birslip has updated his Multi game for the Nintendo DS, heres whats new:

The Wifi and sound added, some bugs fixed!

Download and Give Feedback Via Comments ...