PS3

New Mégane Coupé to get video game introduction

By Darren Quick

00:05 October 21, 2008 PDT

Move over motor shows, it seems that video games are becoming the platform of choice for manufacturers wanting to throw a spotlight on their shiny new wares. Citroen is using this tactic to showcase its latest concept car and now Renault has announced that video game fans will be the very first to get behind the wheel of its new Mégane Coupé in the latest installment of Electronic Arts’ popular Need for Speed series: Need for Speed Undercover. Read More

Sony to launch 160GB PS3 in October

By Kyle Sherer

13:16 August 26, 2008 PDT

Sony is launching the 160GB Playstation 3 on October 31. The console is an early Christmas present for gamers in Europe and the US where it will retail for €449 and US$499 respectively. Features include Playstation Network content, a Blu-ray Disc player, DUALSHOCK3 wireless controllers, video chat and online play. Read More

Sony working to make Rock Band, Guitar Hero instruments compatible

By Darren Quick

09:13 August 20, 2008 PDT

Sony has been working with rhythm based games developers to ensure compatibility between the various companies’ peripherals on the PS3 for Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Revolution titles. Read More

Criterion Collection's new reference Blu-ray player: a PlayStation 3

By Darren Quick

10:47 August 19, 2008 PDT

The PS3’s credibility as a Blu-ray player has received another boost with the news that the folks at the Criterion Collection – the distributors of “important and classic and contemporary films” – use the PS3 as their reference Blu-ray player in their new HD home theater. The news might come as a surprise to those that would assume a stand-alone player would trump a game console/Blu-ray player in the picture quality department, but the PS3 has consistently received favorable reviews of its Blu-ray playback capabilities after overcoming some early teething problems... Read More

PlayStation 3 Greatest Hits launch today for $29.99

By Tim Hanlon

01:03 July 30, 2008 PDT

July 30, 2008 Sony has launched the first ten PS3 games in their Greatest Hits range, including Warhawk, Assassin's Creed and Resistance: Fall of Man. Click through for the full list, and our recommendations. Read More

Logitech's new Driving Force wireless force feedback racing wheel for the PS3

By Darren Quick

02:06 July 21, 2008 PDT

July 21, 2008 Following the release of the Driving Force GT, the official wheel of Gran Turismo for the PS3 just a couple of months ago, Logitech have followed up with the one-piece Driving Force Wireless force feedback racing wheel for the PS3. Read More

Nyko PS3 Media Hub with USB ports

By Darren Quick

14:04 July 7, 2008 PDT

July 7, 2008 When Sony cut the price of their PS3 console in late 2007 they also cut a few features including backwards compatibility with many PS2 titles, memory card reader, and a couple of USB ports. Gaming peripherals manufacturer, Nyko Technologies, has addressed two of these three losses with their Media Hub for the PlayStation 3. The Media Hub attaches to any available USB port and provides three additional USB connections as well as a media card reader that supports SD cards and Memory Sticks. The unit is designed to match the color and shape of the PS3, is compatible with all versions of the PS3 and snaps into position so it can be used with the PS3 in either the horizontal or vertical position. Now if only they could come up with a $20 USB device to give the PS3 back its backwards compatibility they’d be sure to make many a console owner happy. Read More

Sony announce Qore - an interactive HD gaming program for the PS3

By Tim Hanlon

06:10 June 3, 2008 PDT

Sony has announced Qore, a monthly, interactive gaming program shot in HD and distributed via the PlayStation Network. Qore will feature exclusive news, interviews and previews along with bonuses like exclusive access to beta tests, demos, and downloadable content. Read More

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Review (PlayStation 3)

By Tim Hanlon

20:11 May 7, 2008 PDT

With the full Gran Turismo 5 not due until 2009, and the free downloadable Gran Turismo HD Concept now no longer available from the PlayStation Store, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is the only PS3-based option for simulation-style racing fans. Read More

Review: Logitech's Driving Force GT force-feedback wheel for the PS3

By Tim Hanlon

18:43 May 5, 2008 PDT

The Gamer Gene recently got their hands on a Logitech Driving Force GT, the official wheel of Gran Turismo for the PlayStation 3, and are reporting significant improvements in fun factor and immersion, and a decline in the brutal learning curve of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Read More

Porsche 911 leather steering wheel for PC and PS3

By Darren Quick

19:34 April 28, 2008 PDT

April 29, 2008 Gamers have long been able to take their dream ride for a virtual spin, and now high-end input device producer Fanatec is offering Porsche fans and gamers alike an authentic look and feel with the introduction of the Porsche 911 Turbo Racing Wheel for PC and Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3). The leather-covered wheel features a tuning display that allows gamers to change settings like sensitivity or Force Feedback during gameplay. A Mabuchi RS 550 Motor is responsible for the extra strong Force Feedback effects with additional Force Feedback actuators in the wheel used to stimulate motor vibrations. Read More

Assassin's Creed Review (PlayStation 3)

By Tim Hanlon

07:15 April 21, 2008 PDT

Ubisoft’s massively hyped action-adventure game Assassin’s Creed sure is an interesting one - an ambitious mix of a history and science-fiction story with action and stealth gameplay. Can a game with this scope still be accomplished within the deadline-driven game development business? Our friends over at The Gamer Gene recently had a look at the PlayStation 3 version - check out their review here.

Assassin's Creed (PS3) Review [The Gamer Gene] Read More

Logitech's Driving Force GT Wheel for the PS3

By Tim Hanlon

20:41 February 20, 2008 PST

Logitech has unveiled their Driving Force GT Wheel - the official force-feedback wheel of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue for the PlayStation 3. Designed in collaboration with Gran Turismo developers Polyphony Digital, the wheel features a realtime adjustment dial, allowing you to adjust brake bias, traction control and damper settings on the fly. Read More

Why PAL PS3 owners should import Rock Band

By Tim Hanlon

04:45 February 6, 2008 PST

The geeks at The Gamer Gene really love Rock Band, and their latest feature is designed to convince PAL PlayStation 3 owners that they should stop waiting for EA to release the game in their territory, and simply import the game. They've done so, twice, and can't fault the process - especially when the other option is sitting around waiting for a vague Q2-Q3 release date. Read on for what to and what not to worry about when importing Rock Band. Read More

PS3 gets DivX/XviD playback - we put it to the test

By Tim Hanlon

17:29 December 19, 2007 PST

The PlayStation 3 firmware update 2.10 arrived yesterday, adding Blu-ray Disc Profile 1.1 support, and more importantly, XviD and DivX playback. We recently brought you the low down on XviD/DivX playback on the Xbox 360, and now we've spent another strenuous morning watching videos - here's our report on Sony's implementation. Read More

Blazing Angels: Squadrons of World War II Review (Playstation 3)

By Tim Hanlon

April 10, 2007 When this landed on my desk to review, I had my doubts - of the forty million or so World War II games released during my years of gaming, I can count the ones I've enjoyed on one hand. Thankfully, Blazing Angels stands out from the noise just by not being a first-person shooter, and rekindles the almost forgotten air-combat genre. If piloting one of 50 authentic World War II era aircraft through several key battles over historic sites like Dunkirk, Pearl Harbor, Midway and Berlin sounds like your thing, read the full review. Read More

Playstation 3 continues to top Folding@Home statistics

By Tim Hanlon

April 10, 2007 Folding@Home is a distributed computing project where people donate spare clock-cycles from the CPU or GPU in their Internet-connected PC's, the result of which is one of the largest supercomputers in the world. The Folding@Home client for the Playstation 3, released as part of a recent system update for the console, quickly raced to the top of the statistics. Shortly after, just as the network of over 20,000 consoles was about to hit the team's goal of one petaflop, the Folding@Home team reevaluated the performance of the console - dropping it to half the original figure. In spite of this, the Playstation 3 remains the greatest contributor to Folding@Home, and currently provides over half of the processing power available to the project. Read More

fl0w Review (Playstation 3)

By Tim Hanlon

April 4, 2007 The concept of games as art is rarely touched upon, undoubtedly due to the rarity of games one could bring up in a discussion of the concept with a straight face. fl0w is one of the exceptions - a Master of Fine Arts thesis by USC School of Cinematic Arts graduates Jenova Chen and Nicholas Clark. Originally realised in Flash, the game has improved in leaps and bounds after its jump to the Playstation Network, and it's here to manipulate your mood. Read More

Is Sony adding rumble to the SIXAXIS?

By Tim Hanlon

March 2, 2007 - Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) and Immersion have agreed to conclude litigation at the U.S Court of Appeals, and have entered into a new agreement to explore the inclusion of Immersion's technology (read: rumble) in PlayStation products. This is in stark contrast to Phil Harrison's recent comments regarding rumble as a "last-generation feature", which were widely criticised as a desperate attempt to hide the fact that the lack of rumble in the SIXAXIS was a design decision based more on legal proceedings with Immersion, than last/current-generation feature sets. Read More

Register for Playstation Network in Europe, get Casino Royale on Blu-ray

By Tim Hanlon

February 13, 2007 - Even with the delayed launches of the Playstation 3 in PAL territories, Sony is still light on solid launch titles, with Resistance: Fall of Man and Motorstorm being the only exclusives receiving substantial acclaim from reviewers. To shift the focus back to their current strengths, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe have announced that the first 500,000 PS3 owners to register with Sony's free online service "PLAYSTATION Network" will receive a copy of the latest James Bond blockbuster "Casino Royale" on Blu-ray. Read More

The next-generation console round-up

By Tim Hanlon

November 28, 2006 The next generation of gaming is either here, or just around the corner depending on your geographical location. The three heavyweight contenders are Microsoft XBOX 360, Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii - each with their own varying idea of what gamers want for their dough...and with the high price of entry, and launch-period supply issues, we can't blame you if you haven't chosen a side yet. If you're looking at an extravagant gift for yourself, junior, or the whole family this Christmas, our games expert has assembled a two-minute guide to help you make an informed decision. Read More