PlayStation News Message Board older than one year ago

Papa's got a brand new bag. Hot, isn't it?

PS3 is getting yet another firmware update -- this time optional -- "very soon" according to a post on the European PlayStation.Blog. The pre-Christmas update brings a feature we reported on earlier: support for PSP Minis on the PS3. Like PSone classics, a single purchase from the PlayStation Store will work on both platforms. If you've bought a Mini and want to play it on your PS3, you'll be able to access it from the Store's archived Download List. In addition to adding Minis support, update 3.15 will simplify the process of moving data from one PS3 to another. For example, if you own both a PS3 Phat and Slim, you'll be able to connect the two systems via a LAN cable and transfer data from one system to the next. For more details on how to do just that, visit the PlayStation.Blog.

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If you happen to pass us on the street within the next few days, you're probably going to hear us exclaim "maaaaahhdaaaaah" at seemingly random intervals. There's a good reason for that -- the latest teaser for the episodic, co-op mystery series Blue Toad Murder Files features the single greatest narrator ever featured in any trailer, ever. There's something strangely poetic to his cadence, and, of course, to his impassioned dialect every time he utters the third word in the game's title: "Maaaahhdaaaah." Absolutely brilliant. Check out the trailer above, and make sure you stick around until the very end. That's when the narrator really hits his stride.

In an attempt to keep that fresh, new game smell on Uncharted 2, developer Naughty Dog will be implementing some "experimental" changes to the game's online multiplayer modes this weekend. First, a new playlist comprised solely of Plunder matches will be introduced into the mix -- a filter that the community has been requesting since the game first launched. Second, for this weekend only, all players' health will be reduced to 65 percent. It's a side effect from the game's "Crushing" difficulty setting, which the developer thinks could ramp up the speed and intensity of multiplayer firefights. Naughty Dog is asking for feedback on these temporary changes, so if you're not a fan (or, alternatively, if you're a superfan) of the new playlist or diminished health capacity, drop a comment on the studio's blog.

While speaking at the Developer Jury Service (a pow-wow for industry figures to discuss current gaming trends and topics), Traveler's Tales founder Jon Burton questioned the prolonged survival of the PSP Go platform, since UMD games can often be purchased new or pre-owned at a lower price than the digital versions compatible with PSP Go. "I own a PSP Go but don't want to buy LittleBigPlanet, for instance, as I can get it 20-percent cheaper on UMD from Amazon and could resell it once I'm finished with it," Burton explained. "But if I download it, I get no discount, and no chance to resell -- how annoying is that?" According to Burton, PSP Go's all-digital system is more than just a minor inconvenience. He later added, "I'm betting on Sony making PSP Go games much cheaper than the UMD versions, or the PSP Go will die." Oh no! The PSP Go is far too tiny and adorable to die so young. Listen to the man, Sony!

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If you hadn't already used that totally legit Japanese PSN account to scoop up the demo of Platinum Games' Bayonetta, today's your chance to play the official US preview of the game. If you've already played Japan's demo, well, you've played this one. PS3 also gets the original Call of Duty, in the event that you must play COD but are waiting for the Javelin glitch in Modern Warfare 2 to be fixed before engaging in any more of its multiplayer. There's also a batch of add-on content for PS3 titles, including Tekken 6 -- and, as promised, that one's free. So is festive LittleBigPlanet costume content in the form of a Santa suit for Sackboy. Oh, and we can't forget: PSP Minis (yes, they live!). Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)

There can be only one.

Since the launch of the PSP Minis digital platform alongside the PSP Go back in October, Sony has showed little more than a passing interest in promoting its bite-sized game service. From a decent chunk of games at launch to barely a whisper since, we've been wondering when the company would show more support for Minis. If what we're hearing from a handful of reliable sources is true, though, then we'll be seeing the PSP Minis finally getting some attention in the near future -- as they become playable on the PlayStation 3. "Before Christmas" says one source (and confirmed as "this month" by others independently), with allegedly the entire selection of Minis (and presumably upcoming releases) to be playable on PlayStation 3 consoles -- and with a resolution bump to boot. We asked Sony for comment and got the "We don't comment on rumor or speculation" line, so for now we'll have to leave it in the rumor department. But hey, we'll find out soon enough either way, right?

Free your mind with an extended reader mail segment.

What does 15 years of PlayStation look like? Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has opened a brand new site celebrating the legacy of the PlayStation platform, featuring a timeline of Sony's major gaming hardware releases, beginning with the launch of the original Japanese PlayStation on December 3rd, 1994. Sony's handheld holds a majority of those dotted events, with every version of the PSP (from the 1000 to the Go) represented.The "15" year logo is a fun potpourri of various accessories released throughout the brand's history. In addition to SingStar microphones and Buzz! controllers, you can see Sony playing homage to UMD, PocketStation and rubber ducks -- stars of the initial tech demos for both PS2 and PS3.[Thanks, tmacairjordan87]

A CVG source (singular) claims that Logitech is developing a UMD drive add-on for the PSP Go. The source has neither price nor release information, merely stating that the "only problem is that it'll make the PSP a little bulky." Logitech's UK office told the outlet that it's unaware of such a device and that it "may be something the US office is working on." We've contacted both Sony and Logitech for more concrete information. Beyond the fact that such an add-on would undermine what the Go represents (not quite the "only" problem, is it?), the likely price of such a device, in addition to the base cost of the PSP Go, would not compare well to the already lower cost of a regular PSP with UMD drive. Now, if the add-on could "install" your old games, that would be something ... Update: Logitech tells Joystiq: "This is not something that our company is working on."

A CVG source (singular) claims that Logitech is developing a UMD drive add-on for the PSP Go. The source has neither price nor release information, merely stating that the "only problem is that it'll make the PSP a little bulky." Logitech's UK office told the outlet that it's unaware of such a device and that it "may be something the US office is working on." We've contacted both Sony and Logitech for more concrete information. Beyond the fact that such an add-on would undermine what the Go represents (not quite the "only" problem, is it?), the likely price of such a device, in addition to the base cost of the PSP Go, would not compare well to the already lower cost of a regular PSP with UMD drive. Now, if the add-on could "install" your old games, that would be something ... Update: Logitech tells Joystiq: "This is not something that our company is working on."

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The SingStar servers were recently brought down to allow a smooth transition for the game's next big update. Try not to get to frazzled by the downtime -- according to a recent post on Playstation.Blog, this update includes the long-awaited fix for the rhythm title's unfortunate knack for erasing the user's purchased tracks. A handful of other changes to the SingStore and the game's online community will also be introduced in the patch. The full list of these additions can be found after the jump. The blog post also announced that the franchise recently hit a fairly brag-worthy milestone: SingStar games have sold over 20 million units worldwide. That's right -- at least 20 million shrill karaoke covers of "Careless Whisper" have pierced the night around the globe. That kind of noise pollution is just unthinkable.

EA chopping its library, Publisher to focus on growing digital space.

EA chopping its library, Publisher to focus on growing digital space.

Games based on DreamWorks Animation properties to bolster THQ's Kids, family and casual line-up.

A CVG source (singular) claims that Logitech is developing a UMD drive add-on for the PSP Go. The source has neither price nor release information, merely stating that the "only problem is that it'll make the PSP a little bulky." Logitech's UK office told the outlet that it's unaware of such a device and that it "may be something the US office is working on." We've contacted both Sony and Logitech for more concrete information.Beyond the fact that such an add-on would undermine what the Go represents (not quite the "only" problem, is it?), the likely price of such a device, in addition to the base cost of the PSP Go, would not compare well to the already lower cost of a regular PSP with UMD drive. Now, if the add-on could "install" your old games, that would be something ...

We want to be more upset at Laughing Jackal's wholesale appropriation of the Qix concept -- even going so far as to use a similar title -- for its PSP Minis game, Cubixx. But the fact is that Qix is awesome, whether Taito is making it or not, and it's relatively unexplored compared to other arcade classics like Pac-Man. And Cubixx does add an interesting wrinkle to the Qix gameplay: a cube, in which you attempt to draw lines to cover the area of all six faces. Cubixx will be released in Europe on Thursday 3rd December at a £2.49 price point. See some footage on the other side of the post break.

Sony moves nearly half a million consoles in one week.

Just a few hours after Nintendo, Sony has prepared a Black Friday sales statement of its own. SCEA's Patrick Seybold wrote in a press release: "PlayStation 3 demand was at an all time high with the system selling more than 440,000 units for the week ending 11/29/09." While shy of Wii's numbers, the figure is quite impressive, considering that's more than the number of systems sold in the entire month of October -- the same month that the PS3-exclusive Uncharted 2 came out.Retailers offered a number of PS3 bundles during the holiday weekend, adding a number of free games and movies to the system's standard $299 price tag. That, coupled with an ad campaign that totally doesn't creep us out, certainly helped Sony's fortunes this year.