[Kernel Kev]

COUNTRY RELEASE DATE PRICE 20GB PRICE 60GB
JAPAN NOVEMBER 17TH 59,800 YEN (OPEN PRICE)
USA NOVEMBER 17TH 499 USD 599 USD
EUROPE NOVEMBER 17TH 499 EUR 599 EUR

which means the ps3 will be £400 pounds. 599 euros actually comes to £409.35 but i would thought they do £400, or knowing sony round it up to £450 includes one game. START SAVING PEOPLE

Well, the Sony Conference has come and gone and whilst E3 is just about to commence we have taken the time to note down practically all the key announcements and we have kept a running commentary of the conference and organized them in this article.

PlayStation 3 Announcements

PlayStation 3 price and launch details have been confirmed (See table below). The PlayStation 3 will come in two different configurations, one with a 60 GB HDD and the basic model coming with a 20GB HDD. Unfortunately, HDMI Ports have been reduced in number down to one, presumably to save costs.

As we already new, Sony confirmed that PlayStation 3 games were will be playable at E3 booths, so be sure to check back with us as the E3 team add as much video and news as possible from the booths as they can.

Curiously, Sony said that PlayStation 3 will only come in clear black as standard, but did not confirm whether or not other colors will debut later on. They also confirmed that a Hard Drive will come pre-installed, although it will be removable (For upgrading). The Hard Drive will be used for downloading content, and helping game performance through using a cache.

The Basic PS3 online service will be free and will contain multiple features, including audio and text messaging, video chat etc. Many things will be able to be downloaded onto the PS3 HDD, including music, games, and video. Micro transaction service will be available, through pre-paid PlayStation cards. (Solving the method of paying for downloads).

Sony expects to sell 2 Million Units at launch, 6 million by end of fiscal year.

Launch Dates and Prices Table

Region
Release Date
Price: 20GB
Price: 60GB

Japan
Nov. 11th
59,800 YEN
(Open Price)

USA
Nov. 17th
499 USD
$599 USD

Europe
Nov. 17th
499 EUR
599 EUR


PS3 Games Information

- Gran Turismo HD was showcased. The Game ran at 1920x1080p resolution at a steady 60 FPS. Load times are going to be cut down to 1-3 seconds and the game is expected to launch shortly after the PlayStation 3. Several cars and bikes are playable, along with 4 unique tracks.

- Eye of Judgment, a card game utilizing the new Eye Toy and PlayStation 3 was showcased. Basically, the player sets down a card under the camera, and the card is animated. The card can also be moved, and more than one card can be placed at once.

- A new Eye Toy Game called ‘SingStar’ for PlayStation 3 was showcased. It appears that you can download new songs and sing with them as you go in a karaoke style game.

- Formula 1 was also demoed. Interactivity between the PSP and PS3 was being shown in the form of using the PSP as a ‘side mirror’. Players will be able to download the free software to do this via USB from the PS3 to PSP. This seems like a novelty but we aren’t complaining.

- Lair demo shown. The video showed men riding dragons fighting each other as we have come to expect from this tantalising next-gen game.

- Heavenly Sword was demonstrated. The main character swung her two swords around an arena obliterating multiple enemies who charge her. She even performed a sequence of moves which catapulted an enemy into the air - a very impressive demonstration.

- Resistance was showcased. Various aspects of the game were showcased, including explosions and various weapons as the character crawls through a ruined city fighting alien creatures.

- Genji 2 was demoed, and will be playable at E3.

- The Getaway PS3 game was showcased.

- Afrikan was demoed. The video consists of multiple animals being showcased fully animated in 3D. Not much else was revealed.

- Demos of Mobile Suit Gundam, Assassin's Creed, Coded Arms Assault, Ridge Racer 7, Brother in Arms: Hell's Highway, Tekken 6, Sonic the Hedgehog, Virtua Tennis 3, irtua Fighter 5, Fatal Inertia, Bladestorm: Hundred Years War, Armored Core 4 and Stranglehold were shown.. Most looked very impressive.

- EA demonstrated two basketball players shooting some hoops in real time.

- To demonstrate facial and body reality, Tiger Woods was shown expressing multiple expressions and saying all sorts of phrases, complete with realistic facial movement. It looks very real.

- EA plans to launch more than 10 titles on the PS3, including MOH Airborne and Madden NFL 07 (Madden will be playable)

- A new Metal Gear Solid 4 video was being shown. It was hard to describe in words, I believe this was something better watched. However, the whole video was basically Snake talking about how things have changed.

- An EA video reel was shown, which included a trailer for MOH Airborne.

- FFXIII revealed to be split into two games, original and FF versus XIII. Both look very impressive.

- New and final controller revealed. It looks nearly identical to the Dual Shock 2, except it now has a feature that allows motion to be detected by moving controller physically instead of pressing buttons.

- Duck demo was shown, Phil Harrison moves duck without touching any of the actual buttons on the controller.

- Since the new controller was Bluetooth, it will be considerably lighter than the PS2 controller.

- A modified version of Warhawk was demoed; the ship twisted and performed barrel rolls as the controller was manipulated in certain motions.

PlayStation 2 Announcements

- 18 new PS2 titles announced, including Socom and God of War II
- GT4 online will be beta tested shortly after E3.

Play Station Portable (PSP) Announcements

- PSP will get its own version of Greatest Hits. First five titles will be:

ATV Off-road Fury, Hot Shots Golf, Twisted Metal, Wip-out Pure, and Ape Escape: On the Loose

- PSP will receive GPS, Voice over IP, RSS Video, and a Camera by the end of the year.

- PSP was shown running emulated PS1 titles (Ridge Racer in this case). It appears the emulation will rely on the "boot" from memory stick addition that was mentioned a few months back.

General

- Users will be able to decide whether they want to play emulated games in a stretched view, or their original viewing aspect (4:3).

- Hot Shot Golf showcased. Game still retains cuteness value, but has received improved graphics and notably greater draw distance.

- Two new never before seen games shown. One was set in Arizona, and involves 2 guys having a gun battle in a car, leaping out, and continuing their fight outside the car and in a diner. It looks like CG it's so detailed.

- Naughty Dog reveals a new title, involves main character walking through highly detailed jungle killing various enemies.

- Looks like it's time for Third party games

- Something new called "procedural awareness" was talked about. Players will be able to move their character 360 degrees in game instead of in a set plane.

Conference was declared over, and attendees were told they are free to play games. Thank you for choosing ps3portal.com to keep up with the PS3 Press Conference, and we look forward to providing you with more E3 coverage as the event commences today.