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New Classic PS1 Titles To Hit Playstation Store
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Internet, PlayStation 3, PSP, Retro,
Sony has announced plans to drop a bunch of new content into the Playstation Store, according to Gamasutra. The company is making two classic PS1 games available for PSP transfer: Wipeout and Jet Moto, a couple of the more popular titles for the original Playstation. The titles will feature the standard $5.99 price point for all Playstation releases to date. In addition, owners of Genji: Days of the Blade will be able to grab a free alternate armor pack. Sony is also planning on releasing a multi-player upgrade for their downloadable launch title Blast Factor. The upgrade will not be free; gamers will have to pay $2.99 to get access to the new content, giving perhaps some insight into how Sony plans to handle add-on content in the future.
Read More 
| Gamasutra
Gallery: New Classic PS1 Titles To Hit Playstation Store
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Japanese Hardware, Software Markets Show Massive Growth
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360,
Japanese publisher Enterbrain has released the software and hardware sales totals for 2006. According to a report from Gamasutra, the publisher is claiming that Japanese video game hardware grew year over year 160%, while software sales grew 125%. The best selling hardware for the year was, of course, the Nintendo DS, moving over 7.5 million handhelds. Software sales charts were also dominated by the DS, which represented 8 of the top 10 titles of the year. Leading the list was Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. The top non-DS title was Square’s Final Fantasy XII for the PS2. Wii Sports made the top 100 in the 21st position, but no title for the Xbox 360 or the Playstation 3 were represented on the list. Nintendo managed to completely dominate Japan this year, and so far there are no signs of this changing any time soon.
Read More | Gamasutra
Gallery: Japanese Hardware, Software Markets Show Massive Growth
New Champagne PSP in Japan, Starting Feb 22nd
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Hardware, Portable/Mobile, PSP, Release Dates, Survival Horror,
With its shiny new exterior and designer-sounding color, the “champagne” PSP appears to be trying to emulate the success of the Dolce and Gabbana RAZR. Personally, I think the shade ends up looking a lot more like the default color choice for Cadillac-driving old fogies.
Whether you love it or hate it, though, chances are you won’t be able to get your hands on this PSP for a while anyway. These tiny bubbles won’t be available in the States just yet, and currently the only place you can read about it is on the poorly-Google-translated Playstation Japan website. If you’re into the import scene, you should see these popping up on eBay around February 22nd, for around $200.
Read More | Google Translation of jp.playstation.com
Gallery: New Champagne PSP in Japan, Starting Feb 22nd
EA Drops Prices for Lots of Soon-to-be-Obsolete Games
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Electronic Arts, Hot Deals, Nintendo Gamecube, PlayStation 2, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360,
Hoping to clear off shelf space for next year’s iteration of Madden, Fight Night, and Tiger Woods, EA has dropped the price on a few games in their library. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be able to pick up many of EA’s titles for $10-$30 off of their usual price. Of course, with EA’s habit of shutting down servers for unpopular games, you might want to think twice before picking up anything that has a year attached to the title. Still, there are some fairly well reviewed titles to be found, including The Godfather and Need for Speed Carbon, so this might be a good way to get some extra bang out of that gift certificate you got this Christmas.
See the full list of reduced-price titles, after the jump…
Click to continue reading EA Drops Prices for Lots of Soon-to-be-Obsolete Games
Read More | Game Invasion @ Comcast.net
Gallery: EA Drops Prices for Lots of Soon-to-be-Obsolete Games
Sony Offering PSP Video Download Service
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Internet, PC, PSP,
A report on the Financial Times indicates that Sony is preparing a video download service for the PSP. According to the report, Sony will launch the service in the first quarter of 2007; users will download movies using their PC and will be able to transfer the film to their PSP. The Financial Times also suggests that Sony is in talks with other companies like Amazon.com and CinemaNow to provide content. A single 4GB memory stick will apparently hold 10 feature films.
It seems odd that Sony would offer the service via PC download, and not through the Playstation 3 online store or directly to the PSP, but perhaps these options will be available at a later date.
Read More | Financial Times
Gallery: Sony Offering PSP Video Download Service
December 10 Media Create Hardware Sales Numbers Released
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, Hardware, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360,
Media Create’s hardware sales numbers for the week ending December 10th have been released, and the Xbox 360 received a considerable bump due to the release of Blue Dragon for the console, moving 35,343 units during the week. This number is the highest the console has seen since launch, and the numbers are respectable but not spectacular. The top selling console this week was the DS Lite, selling 309,630 units. The Wii followed behind with 85,439, and the Playstation 3 came in third with 50,171. One assumes that the Wii and PS3 numbers are heavily constrained by supply. Coming up after the Xbox 360 are the Playstation 2 at 30,460 consoles and the PSP at 28,930 units.
The DS Lite just continues to absolutely dominate console sales in Japan. Microsoft has to be somewhat happy with the bump in sales in Japan. Considering that the Blue Dragon bundle is an insanely great deal on the hardware and software included, the company may be paying a heavy price for this improvement in sales. If Microsoft can ride the wave to further success the cost might be worth it for the company, but if this is a temporary blip, one has to wonder if anything can turn around the console in Japan.
Read More | Media Create
Gallery: December 10 Media Create Hardware Sales Numbers Released
Thrillville PSP Impressions
Posted by Hector Martinez Categories: Features, Portable/Mobile, PSP, Reviews, Simulation,
While every new system gets its fare share of hate, I’ve gotten especially annoyed at those that say the PSP needs more support from developers. The past few months have seen an explosion of fine games on PSP spanning many genres, and at this point the system probably has the most solid new software line-up heading into this Christmas season. Today, I decided to give folks a look at one of the newer releases which came as a surprise to me, but a pleasant one nontheless.
Click to continue reading Thrillville PSP Impressions
Gallery: Thrillville PSP Impressions
First PS1 Games Show Up On US Playstation Store
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Internet, PlayStation 3, PSP, Retro,
According to a post from the E-mpire forums, the first batch of original Playstation games for the PSP is now available from the Playstation store. Those gamers that have managed to score a Playstation 3 to go with the PSP will be able to download one of five PS1 games for $5.99. The games, and file sizes are:
- Crash Bandicoot (469MB)
- Cool Boarders (283MB)
- Hot Shots Golf 2 (157MB)
- Syphon Filter (385MB)
- Tekken 2 (535MB)
The pricing for the games certainly seems aggressive compared to offerings Nintendo, particularly with Genesis and Nintendo 64 games running at $8 and $10 US on the Virtual Console.
Read More | E-mpire Forums
Gallery: First PS1 Games Show Up On US Playstation Store
Video Game Report Card: Games To Avoid
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, Nintendo DS, PC, PlayStation 2, PSP, Xbox 360,
The National Institute on Media and the Family annually releases a Video Game Report Card that rates the industry on violence in video games as well as how well publishers and retailers are policing themselves. ABC News reports on the latest release from the organization. They don’t have the official industry report card listed, but do have a list of recommended games as well as a list of games that are deemed inappropriate for teens and children. It will come as no shock that every game on the “inappropriate” list is rated “M,” including Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories for the PSP, Saint’s Row for the Xbox 360, and Mortal Kombat: Unchained. It seems odd to single out those particular games from the list of “M” rated titles; if the industry is doing its job, an “M” designation should at least be a warning flag for parents purchasing game titles for teens and children.
On the flip side, four of the ten “recommended” games are Nintendo exclusive titles, including Mario Hoops 3 on 3, Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, and Brain Age for the Nintendo DS, and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz for the Wii. Other titles include LocoRoco for the PSP, and the latest Lego Star Wars for multiple platforms. While the list of software titles may help the average parent, more interesting should be the actual report card scores determining how the industry has done in the past year, particularly with the new education and enforcement efforts being made by the ESRB.
Update: The Institute has now published their full report. Overall, the NIMF seems to be stumping for the same issues they have targeted over the years: video game ratings, parental involvement, the impact of violent games on children, and increasing obesity.
Further analysis after the jump.
Click to continue reading Video Game Report Card: Games To Avoid
Read More | National Institute On Media And The Family
Gallery: Video Game Report Card: Games To Avoid
PSP Firmware 3.00 Offers “Remote Play” With PS3
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, PlayStation 3, PSP,
Sony recently released the 3.00 firmware update for the PSP, and the main feature added is support for “Remote Play” on the Playstation 3. This firmware will allow gamers to download Playstation 1 games to the PSP through the Playstation 3 online store, but it also adds media streaming to the PSP. Game|Life took a quick pass at the new firmware, and highlighted some of the features implemented. Gamers can access the PS3 Cross Media Bar and view movies, pictures, and music from the hard drive of the PS3, or other external media devices.
Internet play is not supported at this point; that feature may be added later, but for now, the connection is made via an ad-hoc wireless network connection. PS3 game playing isn’t functional either, and the ad-hoc connection can not be used as a wireless access point. Still, it seems like the feature does have potential, and when PS1 games become available it will be interesting to see how well the games play in emulation.
Read More | Game|Life
Gallery: PSP Firmware 3.00 Offers “Remote Play” With PS3
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