PlayStation 3

We wrote a long time ago about how the US Air Force had bought a ton of PlayStation 3s and linked them together to create a super computer. Now, we have a little more detail on this matter. After combining 1,760 PlayStation 3 units in coordination with 84 servers, the Air Force has gotten these cell processor units to become the “fastest interactive computer in the entire Defense Department” and the collective unit now ranks as the worlds 33rd largest computer. Another interesting thing to note is that all Blu-ray drives have been gutted from the units, presumably for safety reasons so no one can just upload any random content.

In the end, the Department of Defense seems to have gotten an amazing deal and power out of the cell powered PlayStation 3 units, going on to say:

 PlayStation consoles sold for about $400. If you tried to buy a comparable technology, you’d have spent $10,000 per unit. 

[Via Cleveland]

The whole who-has-sold/shipped-more debate had died down for a while as PlayStation 3 had been gaining substantial market share throughout late 2009 and all of 2010 on the Xbox 360. Originally down as much as 10 million units, the PlayStation 3, which launched a year later than the Microsoft console with a considerably higher price then and still higher price now, sits only 4 million units behind. But all that changed with the launch of the PlayStation motion controller called the Move and the new camera gaming device from Microsoft, the Kinect. This time, Sony was able to launch their device a month ahead of the folks at Redmond with controllers ranging from $50 for a single controller and $99 for those who required the controller, camera and a game. Microsoft’s Kinect, on the other hand, costs $150 and with holiday shopping in full swing, both companies are back at it again, touting sales numbers.

Though the PlayStation Move launched a full month a head of the Kinect with a lower price, Microsoft still has more users to sell their device to, (the 4 million we talked about above). Also, because of its higher price point and higher-end appeal, the PlayStation 3 is definitely owned by the more adult demograph who is potentially less likely to care about motion gaming. Add that to the fact that the PlayStation 3 is actually ahead in sales versus the 360 in Europe and Asia, but is really behind in the United States by 10 million units, where the Kinect has launched and is enjoyed by a younger demograph, who are more likely to want this device, and we get a clearer view of the battleground.

However, with those odds, Sony has effectively shipped 4.1 million Moves since its October launch while Microsoft has sold 2.5 million units since its November launch.  This is where the sold/shipped debate comes into play. With 2.5 million Kinects sold, we know that there are that many houses that have the device. On the other hand, Sony’s 4.1 million units shipped means that there has been that many units sent to retailers but we don’t know how many have then in return been sold to consumers. Although these two different accounting practices make it hard to determine if Sony is ahead of Microsoft or not, we need to take into consideration that the Move was sold out for a month at retailers like Amazon, Toys”R”Us and Gamestop and is still extremely hard to find in stores. One has to assume that if they are indeed hard to find and retailers are wanting more, then the PlayStation Move has sold a substantial amount and it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that a good 3 million plus units are enjoyed at home, aka “sold”, otherwise, they would be easy to find in any store. As Sony put it,

 “While we don’t disclose our exact sell-through number, the key is that our retailers continue to ask for more Move units and are taking every unit we can supply them with based on their sales.” 

Hit the jump as always for the official press release.

Here is an image from Sony to sum up the performance of the PlayStation Move so far.

It looks like our hunch on the matter was correct. Kazunori Yamauchi, President of Polyphony Digita (creator of the Grand Turismo series) and Sony have gone on record and confirmed that GT5 will be released on Wednesday, November 24th. Some key features of GT5, outside of its realistic graphics and physics engine include:

• 1,000 cars, including karts and select NASCAR cars
• Scores of tracks (over 100)
• Course maker
• Car damage
• Dynamic weather system
• Robust online community
• Grand Turismo television

Remember, Grand Turismo 5 will be coming in two different packages. First, is the normal edition (you can pre-order it now from Amazon) that will run for $59 which includes just the game. Then, for the real hardcore fans, Sony has also made the collector’s edition as well.

Collector’s Edition Content Details:

• Gran Turismo® 5 game
• Exclusive limited edition 1:43 scale diecast 2009 Nissan GT-R Spec V with custom Gran Turismo livery designed by Polyphony Digital, produced by well-known collectible car maker Kyosho
• In-depth 300-page car-lover’s guide written by the experts at Polyphony Digital, covering everything from the history of the modern automobile to driving techniques and game reference material
• Custom etched Gran Turismo key chain
• Voucher for five (5) exclusive high-end cars with custom Gran Turismo livery and performance upgrades
• Numbered certificate of authenticity
• Custom collector’s packaging

Remember, you can pre-order the Standard Edition, as well as the Collector’s Edition from Amazon which will not only guarantee your copy delivered on November 24th, but it will also help out this this site!

Just a reminder, all Playstation 3 owners can now download the Hulu Plus application for their PS3 for free and enjoy Hulu Plus content.

 A subscription to Hulu Plus will cost $9.99 per month, giving you access to full seasons of current hit TV shows from more than 100 leading content providers, including ABC, NBC and FOX, and movies from many of the most well-known studios in the U.S. 

[Via Playstation Blog]

Ever since its September 17th launch, the Playstation Move has been hard to find on store shelves. This is especially true for Gamestop, now that Sony had moved 1.5 million Move units in Europe and an additonal 1 million units in the United States. Hot on the heels of Microsoft’s release of the Kinect, Sony has been able to get its supply chains to push out more Move units and is starting to supply its partners like GameStop. This is a must move for Sony as holiday shoppers start to fill their carts. With a much lower price point than the Kinect, a visible inventory level, and retailers, Sony should have a very successful holiday season.

[Via PunchJump]

Sony and Hulu are teaming up again to aggressively expand the scope and offering of Hulu Plus. Up until now, this service for Playstation users was limited to Playstation Plus members but starting next week, all Playstation owners will be able to download the Hulu app on their PS3. But that’s not all; Hulu Plus is also coming to all Sony Bravia players this year as well or at least those with web capabilities. Other Sony devices Hulu Plus will expanding into will be all Sony Blu-ray players, Blu-ray Home Theater Systems, Network Media Player and even the Sony Dash which currently supports Netflix. Hit the jump for a full press release.

[Via Hulu]

For those who own the Playstation Move, the might soon realize that they need a better method to charge them, especially if they happen to own more then one pair of controllers. Enter the PS3 Move Quad Charger by DreamGear. This unit promises to charge two Move controllers and Two Navigators at the same time. Additionally. there are another two USB ports on the back to charge your PS3 controller or other devices like bluetooth headset. Check out our unboxing. If your looking to purchasing it, follow our link.

[Buy from Amazon]