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PS3 Evolution is a News site for the PS3 console, we will have all the latest emulators for this consoles and all the downloads on this site, we also cover commercial gaming and console news. Part of the DCEmu Homebrew & Gaming Network
THE LATEST PS3 NEWS BELOW
Because theres so much PS3 Homebrew, Hacking and Hardware News, the latest Gaming news can now be found in our PS3/PSP Gaming News forum here.
Though yesterday's Sony investor's conference featured a concerning reference to the PSN's "new revenue stream from subscription," another slide from the presentation seems to indicate that the platform is already making money hand over fist. According to the slide (seen above), the company has set a lofty goal for the current fiscal year: It expects the PSN to bring in ¥50 billion (roughly $561 million) in revenue by the end of FY 2009. That's three times the amount of cash collected by the platform in the last fiscal year.
Exactly how Sony plans to boost its revenues so drastically is outlined by other statistics on the slide. According to the company's calculations, the PSN currently has 33 million registered users, 1.4 million of which visit the PlayStation Store on a daily basis. We fall into the latter group -- but only because we can't stop window shopping for celebrities we can fling into oncoming traffic. We confess: It's one of our dirtiest, guiltiest pleasures.
After baptizing the remaining HD DVD faithful, Warner has moved on to teaching new Blu-ray converts the five pillars of faith with a trade-up program. Send in your old DVDs (just the box art won't cut it this time around, better buy some blanks and get to ripping if you still enjoy Training Day on long car trips), $7.95 - $9.95 per movie plus $4.95 for s&h (orders over $25 ship for free) and expect HD versions back in 4 - 5 weeks. Is it worth it? Depends on how many of the 55 flicks on the approved list you own (included after the break) but for most you're probably better off keeping the ones you have and eyeing budget bins carefully, nabbing catalog flicks like Harold & Kumar for less than $15 without any mail-in shenanigans shouldn't be too hard for the truly thrifty.
Live is streets ahead of rivals’ services following social media additions, says company
Microsoft has claimed that it is “continually keeping ahead” of its rivals’ online services with additions to Xbox Live.
The firm this week added social media services such as Twitter, Facebook and music portal Last.FM to Live – as well as HD movie streaming service Zune.
However, Facebook arrived on PS3 on Wednesday, as Nintendo launched its own version of the BBC iPlayer on Wii.
“We were the first to really understand the power that an online, live service has and bring it to life for millions of gamers – and now we’re the ones evolving it beyond gaming,” UK Xbox boss Neil Thompson told MCV.
“There are lots of clever companies out there doing interesting things on their platforms, but it’s our job to keep ahead of them, and constantly innovate. We’re keeping that pace going and will continue to do so.
“Xbox Live is flying at the moment – in the UK especially. Live is a killer weapon for us in terms of our line-up.
“When we first got into the console business, we understood that the elements that were going to define success in this business were really software and services. We knew that the hardware component was important, but really wasn’t the vital thing.”
The Zune service is a particularly intriguing addition to Xbox 360 – introducing a premium video experience with instant-on HD and surround sound.
Microsoft told MCV that the service was a way to build awareness of the Zune brand – but was not an indicator that it had plans to introduce Zune hardware to the UK.
“Zune is a pivotal element to our whole entertainment offering and a brand we’re going to keep building on,” added Thompson.
Big push coming in the form of festive TV advertising campaign for HD disc format
The British Video Association has lifted the lid on a significant new TV advertising campaign designed to highlight the growing high definition Blu-ray format this Christmas.
The push is being run on behalf of Sony Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal pictures, Walt Disney and Warner. It’s part of a £1m through-the0line campaign being orchestrated by the BVA.
Beginning on November 23rd, the 30” spot will be aired across ITV, Channel 4, Sky and Five. Estimates predict that the total viewing audience of the spot will be around 40m and reach 74 per cent of HDTV owners.
It will also highlight some of the many high-profile Blu-ray releases heading to retail this Q4 including Inglorious Basterds, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Disney’s Snow White.
“11m British households now own a HDTV, yet many of them are failing to make the most of their technology,” BVA director general Lavinia Carey stated.
“The best way to enjoy films at home is in high definition and on Blu-ray discs and our goal is to boost understanding of the benefits of Blu-ray in the run up to Christmas.”
This week’s UK software sales have skyrocketed 198 per cent to £103.1 million. It is comfortably the highest weekly figure of the year and isn’t far off 2008’s Christmas week, when £112.8 million went through UK games retailer’s tills.
Unit sales also leapt up, rising 123 per cent to 3,422,625 games sold.
The highly anticipated arrival of Modern Warfare 2 drove the sales. The game grossed £67.4 million, almost two thirds of the weekly value. Meanwhile, 1.78 million units were snapped up, which was over half of all games sold last week.
Today’s major releases should ensure another good week for games, with Assassin’s Creed II, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Left 4 Dead 2, F1 2009 and LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues due for release.
The PSP has retained its lead at the top of the weekly Japanese hardware sales charts, although sales were down over 2,500 units from the previous week to 45,197 (including 6,427 for the PSPgo).
Mirroring a slow week of software sales, all hardware formats saw a drop except for the PSP 3000, for which sales increased by 5,000 units. PSPgo demand though more than halved from the previous week, lowering the overall figure.
Combined Nintendo DS sales were 38,785 (including 5,036 for the DS Lite), down around 4,000 units on the previous week. PlayStation 3 sales were down by 10,000 units to a new total of 38,498. Wii sales fell by even more, down 11,000 units to 26,764.
Xbox 360 sales also dropped slightly to 4,124 units, while the PlayStation 2 remained almost static at 2,031 units.
01 PlayStation Portable: 45,197
02 Nintendo DS: 38,785
03 PlayStation 3: 38,498
04 Wii: 26,764
05 Xbox 360: 4,124
06 PlayStation 2: 2,031
Sony has listed 3D gaming as one of the five key advantages to the PlayStation 3 platform, and confirmed that the release of 3D games onto the console will form part of its 3D strategy in the future.
In a presentation to investors, the company revealed its plan to add 3D capabilities to the PS3. "All PS3 units will be firmware upgradable to 3D", it said.
Offering 3D tools to third party developers in the future will form part of the plan as Sony aims to "lead to the 3D market."
Not only will it look to bring 3D technology to the PlayStation 3, but it is also looking to implement it into the Blu-ray format and its high-definition televisions.
3D gaming was specified as one of the five key advantages PlayStation 3 offers, alongside motion control, Blu-ray, PSN and PSP linkage.
Sony also revealed, reported yesterday, it was expecting to return its PlayStation business to profitability by the fiscal year ending March 2011.
Higher revenues would be generated, it said, by further cost reductions, greater hardware and software sales, and the development of the PlayStation Network.
Microsoft's Neil Thompson has told GamesIndustry.biz that retailers must choose for themselves the price points they're going to set for the sale of videogames - but has issued a warning about the sustainability of some of the aggressive discounting seen recently for games such as FIFA 10 and - particularly - Modern Warfare 2.
"Retailers have to make their own decisions about how they price in the market," he said this week. "I suppose the challenge when retailers do go aggressive on pricing in the way that some people do: is that sustainable over the long-term both for the industry and for themselves? Retail just have to make their own decisions."
He added that there was also a danger, when the public can pick up key titles on release day for as little as GBP 25, that the issue of value was being distorted.
"As an industry, I think we want to ensure consumers understand the value of the products they're buying, because these products cost tens of millions of dollars to create," he explained. "So as long as people appreciate that and understand that, as I say retailers have to make their own decisions on pricing, but we do want to ensure the value is created in this industry and this industry has a long and fruitful future ahead of it."
Thompson, who was speaking at the launch of the new functionality for Xbox 360, which include Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm, also gave his thoughts on the way that Modern Warfare 2 caught the public attention with the controversy surrounding the game's terrorist scene.
"My view is it was an 18-rated game, it's a game designed for adults, it should be consumed by adults and as long as retailers are responsible when they're selling it to adults, and as long as parents are responsible in ensuring their kids who are under 18 don't get access to it and don't play it, then I think it’s a great product," he said.
"There are scenes in it that some people won't like, but you pay your money, you take your choice - as an adult - to make those decisions. And I think it was marketed in an appropriate way and it is appropriate content for an adult community."
Sony gave attendees at their media/investors conference a better look at their motion controller. The device has been revised from its first showing and has at least six buttons. You can see the standard four face buttons: square, X, triangle and circle, the home button, and a big button on the wand.
The PlayStation 3 Motion controller also has force feedback, a gyroscope (the technology that powers Wii Motion Plus), an accelerometer, and “rendition by light”.
“We see 3D as a pillar of our strategy,” said Hiroshi Yoshioka, a senior Sony executive during a briefing at the firm’s headquarters at Shinagawa, Tokyo.
At the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, Sony demonstrated their 3D technology with WipEout HD, which involved putting on a pair of black glasses. Sony Computer Entertainment president and CEO Kaz Hirai confirmed at the briefing in Tokyo that this 3D functionality would be introduced to all existing PS3s via a firmware update and also made mention of the special lenses that were used to demonstrate the effect.
A summary of the briefing sent out by Sony states that the company plans to introduce 3D functionality for TVs, blu-ray players / recorders and the Playstation 3 in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011. Remastered Shadow of the Colossus for PSN in 3D, anyone?