If you are in UK and you love films, November is going to be a great month for you as LoveFilm and Sony are teaming up to bring their services to you. A subscription packages of £5.99 or above will give you access to thousands of shows to able to be streamed instantly, in High Definition to your PS3. Best of all, if you are a current subscriber of LoveFilm, there will be no additional cost to you. For those not familiar with LoveFilm, they are the UK version of Netflix, giving you access to rent movies via mail or stream.
PlayStation 3
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 was released yesterday on the PSN and available for $14.99. To say I’ve been excited for this game is an understatement. Sonic 1, 2 and 3 for Sega Genesis were among the first video games I’ve ever played, period. I loved the series and it became the base for my love of video games today. Episode 1 has four main zones; Splash Hill, Casino Street, Lost Labyrinth, and Mad Gear. Each of these has three acts followed by a boss battle, which is the same formula as the previous classic games. Of course Sonic upgraded to 1080p graphics but has the classic side scrolling game play we all know and love.
While playing the game last night, I noticed there have been quite a few changes in the game. You start out playing Act 1 of Splash Hill but after you beat that, you are brought to the main menu where you can choose between all four stages (as shown below). When you click on a stage, a menu pops up, giving you the option to play Act 1, 2, 3 and the boss stage, of course you have to beat the acts within a stage in order. I really like this new feature for the game and having the option to switch between Stages and going back for a higher score or finding a new path to beat the Act. As far as the gameplay, I think this new Sonic is a bit easier to play. They added a locking-on/homing feature to all enemies and item boxes, making it super easy to destroy them. When there is a string of enemies, just press X a few times and Sonic jumps from one to the next in one continuous move. If you touch an enemy, you lose your rings (like in the originals) and you don’t have to take them out using the lock on feature. To stick with the original game play and a little challenge, I only use the locking-on feature when it is really needed.
The Playstation 3 has been a milestone in gaming and home theater. Helping drive Blu-ray and now giving users the option of 3D movies and games, the PS3 is the most powerful game console to date. However, with all of this might behind it, the PS3 needed to compete with everyday gaming systems that didn’t offer HD or came with only DVD players and this meant pricing it at a level that would sell. What Sony considered a low launch price, one of $600, was still higher then what gamers wanted to pay Therefore, with each console sold, Sony was losing hundreds of dollars. Finally, 4 years into the cycle and now with a starting price of $299, depending on who you talk with, Sony is either breaking even or make a few dollars on each console. During the years, as Sony tried to balance its supply and demand and lower its production costs on the PS3, the company’s gaming division would go deeper into the red, losing billions of dollars. With each quarterly loss and movement further into the red, this made it harder for Sony to put money into advertising and other areas that would need funding in order to sell more PS3s and help the company lessen its gap with Microsoft and Sony. Thus, the catch 22 had started.
Finally, 4 years into the cycle, Sony is looking at the PS3 and Playstation Move to make a profit from. When the Sony Worldwide Studios boss, Shuhei Yoshida, went on record about the Playstation Move, he said “We are pricing Move as if we are launching a new platform.” He went on, “So because the install base of Move will help third party studios create games for it, we benefit by helping those third-parties. But we are not losing money with each one we sell.”
This shift in Sony’s capability to launch the Move and make money on it will hopefully be the halo effect that the company needs. With each PS3 and Move unit now sold, Sony can bring in a higher profit level to their game division, thus allowing them to invest more into future R&D and current system features like the recently added native Hulu app for the Playstation 3. But the positives are not only for Sony; they are for the consumer as well. The more Sony can invest in their product and give users more compelling content and bring them under the Playstation umbrella, the more units they can sell. With a higher sales volume, Sony can make a shift in their supply and demand strategy and offer the Playstation 3 at a lower price, thus bringing in even more users in. That is a cycle that Sony is looking to Move towards. I love puns…
[Via Develop-Online]
In its efforts to further unify the brand and help them build and compliment off of each other, Sony is now giving US Vaio owners the capability of Remote Play, a feature we wrote about a long time ago that Japan had received. Some of the capabilities include using your laptop as the bluetooth keyboard and streaming content like music, video and pictures to your PS3. News is still a little sketchy on exactly which Vaio units are gaining this new update, but the EA series seems to be a sure bet. Keep in mind that if you own a Vaio that this wont be under your Windows Update section. You will have to use your Sony Updater or jump on Sonys eSupport section to see if it’s available for your model.
[Via Engadget]
As we conclude our week of Playstation Move coverage, we bring you one last piece. What actually makes the Playstation Move…move? The guys at iFixit took the Move apart and found some rather interesting things. Like many of today’s smartphones, the Move includes a processor, accelerometer, gyroscope, Bluetooth transmitter, vibrating motor, and even a MEMS compass. Another piece that really stands out is the LED light that sits inside the sphere end of the Move, which allows the controller to turn any color of the spectrum, thus letting developers get as creative as they wish with the colors. This is not just a visual feedback for the sake of things, but something that plays into games. For example, during games like Socom 4 and Killzone 3, if your health starts to deplete, your Move controller will begin to flash red and in the upcoming Move game, Sorcery, when you open your green potion, your Move will also turn green. Jump to minute 1:45 to see this awesome interaction or just watch the whole demo.
Hit the jump for some highlights from the iFixit tear down or feel free to follow to jump over and read the article in its entirety.
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Announced today, seven games will be joining Sony’s Greatest Hits collection. Right now there’s about 40 titles in the Greatest Hits library. These titles are reduced in price to $29.99 a game (awesome!). I think it’s great Sony has their Greatest Hits collection. It’s a perfect way to showcase their amazing, top selling games and the collection has a broad range of genres, from first-person shooters to action/adventure, to platform and racing games. With these seven new titles, and now that it’s almost October, I think everyone is gearing up for the holiday season. The lowered price on these games would be perfect as gifts or to treat yourself to a great game you might have missed out on before.
- MAG
- Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time
- MotorStorm Pacific Rift
- Demon’s Souls
- Call of Duty: World at War
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
- Tekken 6
I think I’ve been good and should treat myself to MAG.
This is one of those ads that of course Sony won’t cough up to but it’s part of their viral campaign to promote the Playstation Move. It’s kind of epic.
The latest PlayStation update 3.5 was released today on the Playstation. This update allows the PS3 to play 3D blu-ray discs. Of course you need a 3D compatible TV and glasses to enjoy this (which I still want, no need) but at least this update is free. Sony will be remembered for being the first to bring consumers impressive 3D games. Also, the first to have a device to play both games and 3D movies with. The PS3 is now an all in one amazing, all 3D, eye popping, fun, grand experience.
This new update also brings two new features to PS3. The first is a better integration between games and Facebook. Before, the Facebook integration put an update status on your profile with new trophies you have unlocked and games you purchase on the PSN store. The second feature is for reporting inappropriate messages sent through the PSN messaging system. With being a girl gamer and primarily playing Modern Warfare, I must say I have received a few messages from random players that fall into that category. Honestly, I just want to play, have fun and not worry about players messaging me for my number or picture. I can’t help if I sound attractive online and can kick ass 😉 Has anyone been able to download the new update with a 3D TV and see this amazing feature in action? Please let us know, we’d love to hear from you.
I’ve been thinking of replacing my girlfriend’s puppy for some time now since he doesn’t do much except sit around. I think I have the perfect weapon now. Thanks, KB.
Move Week continues here at SRN.
On Amazon.com, Sony’s Playstation move bundle and controller ranked in the top three in sales this week. The Move ranked in at #2 in Amazon’s video games division on Friday. The Playstation move had an increase of 225 percent to push the product up to #3 in sales on the site on Friday as well.
This is very exciting news and we hope many will enjoy this new, exciting gaming experience that only The Move can give you. We will keep you posted for more Playstation Move sale numbers. Have you bought yours yet?
We tried and tried and tried again to get you guys some kind of Playstation Move giveaway and get a unit to review as well but Sony didn’t play ball with us so we are doing the next best thing that we can. For the next week, you’re going to see plenty of Playstation Move content on the website. From reviews done by other websites, to current games, up coming games and any video content that has to do with the Playstation Move.
What is the Playstation Move:
The Playstation Move is an addition to the Playstation 3 that is designed to cater to both the casual and the hardcore user. Giving users the capability to play motion gaming, the Move offers users a 1:1 gaming accuracy that is capable of tracking you both up and down, but in and out, aka into 3D space or the Z axis. Speaking of 3D, the Move can also do 3D games.
So lets break it down. The Playstation Move is a 3 part setup, but can be configured in many different ways. First, to make any of the magic happen, you need the Playstation Eye. That’s the device that is actually tracking all of your movements. From there, you have the Playstation Move Controller and the Playstation Move Navigator. All games will require atleast 2 sets. So you can either have 2 Move Controllers or a Controller/Navigator combo. From there, the correct combo just depends on how much you want out of the experience. For example, a game like Socom 4 works with the Move Controller to do your aiming and looking around while in the other hand, the Navigator acts as your controller to control your movement.
But a game like like Gladiator in the Sport Champions pack, although works well enough with the Controller/Navigator combo, really begins to shine when you have to Controllers instead. This way, one hand can act as a shield and the other as a sword. But the key thing to remember is that for any game, you will only need a Controller/Navigator combo. Anything additional you buy is up to your budget and not required. Also, there is no Navigator/Navigator combo as far as we can tell. For all the shooter fans out there as well, there is another piece you can choose to buy; the Move Shooting which basically opens up and allows you to insert the Move Controller inside of it for a better shooting game experience.
Technical Details and Competition Differences:
As we touched up on before, what’s different about the Playstation Move versus the Nintendo Wii and the up coming Xbox Kinect is accuracy and that can mean all the thing when you are playing a hardcore game, more on that in a bit. The Playstation Move has the capability to track you in real time with pin point accuracy and track in a 3D space. That means that the Playstation Eye is not just tracking your movements on a X,Y axis (up, down, left, right) but in the Z axis as well. This means it can tell if you get closer to the system, or step back, or duck and bob and weave. This accuracy allows you to not only be directly in the game environment, but for you to also have access to a wide variety of movement and actions no possible on the Nintendo Wii, not to mention the HD graphics and surround sound capabilities of the Playstation 3.
When compared to the Xbox Kinect that will be coming out near Xmas, the technology there simply does not work. Here is what I mean. The Kinect works on the technology that a camera tracks your movements, thus no controller is needed. That’s fantastic when you first think about it until you actually run into the limitations of the system. First, the system has juice to only track two people at a time versus the Moves 4 player configuration, but more importantly, it’s how it tracks you. If you are playing a gaming, because the Kinect tracks people, if your friend or parents walk by, the camera can begun to track them instead and there goes your game. Furthermore, there is no sitting down as well. You have to be standing the entire time. Because the Playstaiton Move is being tracked by the Playstation Eye, it actually does no matter if you are sitting down and or how many people are in the room with you.
In order for the Kinect to not mess up during press previews, MS has to bring its bubble with them.
Speaking of technology, the Playstation Move has two other note worthy techs. The cutting edge technology is 3D. I’m not just talking about your movements being tracked in 3D, but the fact that the Playstation Move works with 3D games. Games like LittleBigPlanet 2 and Killzone 3 which are being made in 3D are also 100% Move compatible. That gives you the capability to be tracked in real time 3D, while actually playing a 3D game. Short of jacking in yourself a la Matrix, you cannot get more in depth. The other not so high tech yet equally important is button. I mean think about it, you don’t want to always wave your hand across to scroll through the XMB or to select options. Even more to the point, when playing a game like Socom 4 or MAG, you want to have button to access to your squad chat, grenade toggle and weapon options. Games would get extremely tiring if you had to wave your hand for all of these actions and if you do them wrong, you just might have cost yourself a win. In a game like MAG (100% move compatible), you cannot afford to accidentally not call the Airstrike or not plant the bomb. To iterate the power of the Playstation Network, Playstation 3 and Playstation Move, keep in mind that MAG is a 256 player game, with no online fees and can be fully played with the Playstation Move.
Games:
There are plenty of sites that are currently covering current release of games for the Playstation Move, but those are frankly the launch titles and some of the more casual games. What I want to focus on is the more hardcore games the Move will support. I have to first digress for a minute in order for you to see the bigger picture. Up until the Move game out, I havent been a fan of motion gaming at all. Family games are cute and fun but thats not why I bought my PS3, 60″ Sony and my Denon receive and surround sound. I want to play impressive and immersive games. I have a feeling and know plenty of gamers who share my experience. This isnt to poo poo family games or the Nintendo Wii crowd. I’m happy to see the gaming community grow and pull in new users but those family games are not for me. The Playstation Move changed all of this. The following are some up coming Move titles and these are not partial support, but 100% compatible titles that can be played by the DualShock 3 or a Move combo.
- Killzone 3
- Socom 4
- MAG
- LittleBigPlanet 2
- Resident Evil 5
- Heavy Rain
MAG Move Gameplay:
Socom 4 Move Gameplay:
With games like that, the accuracy of the Move and the power of the PS3, I don’t have to sacrifice the types of games I like or give up on quality of visuals or accuracy of gameplay. Instead I can play the types of games I enjoy, yet try a completely new experience.
Reviews:
As I noted earlier, unfortunately Sony would not give us a demo unit in order for me to give you a much more indepth review of the setup and games but the following are some reviews to go by.
Techradar:
The biggest takeaway from our time with Move is its incredible accuracy. Augmented reality instruments move perfectly with the controller, Frisbees fly with the gentle curve you give them and you can select things with superb precision.
Telegraph:
The technical brilliance of the Move controllers themselves is the standout feature of this gaming system. The wand-style remotes are very easy to use, and offer a level of accuracy and precision that you won’t find on the Wii, or on Microsoft’s rival system, Kinect.
IGN:
At the end of the day, the PlayStation Move has the potential to be the best motion control system on the current crop of consoles.
Engadget:
It’s shaping up to be one of the most interesting eras in the history o console gaming, and make no mistake, Sony’s got all the right ingredients here.
Where to buy:
The Playstation Move should be available today at Best Buy and Gamestop stores, as well as other retailers like Walmart. If you prefer to buy online and not worry about paying tax on it, Amazon is another destination as well. Plus, if you guys purchase them from our links, it helps out the site!
Move Controller:
PlayStation Move Controller
Move Navigation:
PlayStation Move Navigation
Move Shooter:
PlayStation Move Shooting Attachment
Move Bundle:
Playstation Move Starter Bundle
PS3 Move Bundle:
PlayStation 3
Move Charger:
PlayStation Move Charging Station
IGN.com is a great site and have made numerous “top ____ lists” but recently they had their top PS3 editors get together to create the ultimate PS3 games list. I thought this was a great list that I wanted to share with our readers at SonyRumors (they made a top 25 list but I will share their top 10). This inspired me to make my own top 10 list of my favorite PS3 games so far. I say that because for the rest of 2010 there’s a bunch of new games coming out, some of which I’m sure will replace games on my list right now. So here you go; my top 10 followed by IGN’s. I would love to see what games would make your list. Share and comment away.
10. Warhawk
9. Pixel Junk Monsters
8. God of War III
7. Uncharted
6. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
5. LittleBigPlanet
4. Batman Arkham Asylum
3. Modern Warfare 2
2. Modern Warfare
1. Uncharted 2
I just want to talk a little bit about my number 2 and 3 choices. I know both games are ‘similar’ in the type and in the same series but they are my favorite to play on PS3. Uncharted 2 became number one for the unique and action-packed story which I will explain further down. I must admit though, I’m in love with the Modern Warfare franchise and what it did for FPS games. Modern Warfare 2 is the second top selling game of all time. The story mode is amazing, realistic and challenging. As for the online gameplay…I’m hooked. I think it’s so entertaining, intense and just the best, especially when I’m online with friends dominating matches. To those not a fan of the games, I bet I sound lame but that’s all I have to say about that. I have yet to find another FPS game that keeps my attention and interest like MW; I always come back to it.
Now moving on to IGN’s top 10 list, with a little bit about each game. Some of these made my top 10 list, but I wish Star Wars was on here.
IGN’s top 1o:
#10 – God of War 3
Kratos returned this year in the final chapter of the series to defeat Zeus and the Olympian Gods for revenge. This highly anticipated game for PS3 received incredibly high ratings and reviews as did the others in the series. I would say GoW is one of the most loved and popular franchises of Playstation. I own the complete collection of GoW and can say the graphics on GoW 3 are phenomenal with challenging puzzles and great gameplay. We are also reintroduced to Pandora’s Box in the third game and it’s pretty wicked cool. I also really enjoyed the ending where….don’t worry, no spoilers. 🙂
#9 – Metal Gear Solid 4
I have only heard amazing things from the Metal Gear Solid franchise. I admit I have not played any of these games because I’m just not a fan of the stealthy gameplay. Clements from IGN said this about the game, “The Metal Gear Solid games were exceptional efforts that blended stealth gameplay with a gripping story. Action, intrigue, amazing boss battles and more — Guns of the Patriots had it all. And the amount of collectibles and customization included in MGS4 were the figurative cherries on top.”
If you like what you see please continue on for the rest of the best.
On September 21st (my birthday), Sony will be releasing Playstation 3 firmware 3.5, finally giving Playstation owners the capability to play 3D movies. So far, via a firmware update, the Playstation 3 has been capable of playing 3D games and now via this update, as long as you have a 3D TV or projector, you can now play 3D blu-ray movies as well. Look for a few more features to arrive then as well but Sony is being tight-lipped about the specifics.
Besides having some celebrity power behind it and getting the grit and hopefully attention of the male audience, Playstations trailer of The Fight: Lights Out shows another thing, the diversity of the Move. You can see those who are playing the game can take lots of different moves and use them in the game. Not just waving their arms around like the Nintendo Wii. You actually have full X,Y and Z axes, aka depth and those will make a big difference to what your character does, but more importantly how immersed you are in the experience. This will also showcase the different level of players out there and how much of the controller and moves they have mastered. Think of it like a Tekken game. There are those who just button smash and on the Nintendo Wii, everybody just button smashes because the hardware cannot tell the difference and track all the different movements. On the Playstation Move, because of the accuracy, there might be those who only learn uppercuts and jabs, while others who really learn the game in and out and can execute different combos. Now apply this same thought process to other Move games and you can see what sets the Playstation Move apart from the Nintendo Wii.
What do you guys think of the PlayStation Move men? I’d hit it… I mean party with them if they dropped by.
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