Gran Turismo 5 Prologue may be released a bit earlier than expected. Following an impressive showing at E3 last week, Polyphony flew back to Tokyo in time for today’s PlayStation Premier event where it announced that Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will be released to the Japanese market in October.
As for the content set to be included in Prologue, according to Sony’s press materials, we can look forward to a variety of cars, including some set to debut at this October’s Tokyo Motor Show. The game will also have online play.

The only question is cost. The game’s pricing is listed as “TBA,” which suggests that it might not end up being the free download that everyone was hoping for following last year’s big demo gift.
More details on content and pricing soon.

[E3 GT 5 Prologue Trailer]
[PlayStation Premiew GT 5 Prologue Trailer]

According to Game Informer, Sony is planning to release 40GB PlayStation 3 in North America retailing for $399, but will have no backward-compatibility. Game Informer was even waiting for the announcement at E3, but the news wasn’t confirmed at the event. As for the PAL market, Sony has hinted that a 120GB model could be in the pipeline.

SCEE President and CEO David Reeves has said the leap of 20GB from 60GB to 80GB which has occurred in the US is too small a jump in capacity, but doubling the capacity would definately be worth it.

“The difference between 60 and 80GB is very small, we just feel that going up 20GB is not worth it,” Reeves told Norwegian website Dagbladet.
However, “If you go to double it, it’s worth it”, he added. “So maybe you’ll see something a little bit later.”

Two new games are headed to the PlayStation Network, Elefunk and Snakeball. Elefunk is a original pizzle game that will play in much the same way as Lemmings. The aim is to save the elephants by building structures using a range of raw materials. The aim in Snakeball is to glide across the floor swallowing balls as you go and ultimately score more points than your opponent, similar to mobile phone game Snake.

Both the games are originals for the PS3. Elefunk will also include online leaderboard and multiplayer options. Snakeball could be one of the first PS3 games to use the PlayStation Eye to map your face onto the in-game characters, depending on the release date. Check out some screenshots below.

Elefunk

Snakeball

In a recent interview, David Reeves mentioned that the 60GB PS3 model will be discontinued in North America, once stock sells out. This move has now been denied by Dave Karraker, SCEA President. Karraker stated that the quotes obtained in the interview in regards to a 60 gigabyte Playstation 3 phase out was “inaccurate”. The claim was backed up by Sony Canada spokesman Kyle Moffatt.

Karraker told Joystiq that “As announced this week, SCEA’s product offering in North America consists of a 80GB PS3 available in August at $599 and a 60GB PS3 available now for $499. We have will have ample supplies of both models to meet the needs of our consumers for the foreseeable future.”

Kaz Hirai however, in a interview, stated that the 60GB PS3 model is no longer in production and will soon be phased out.

Peter Dille, Senior Vice President of Marketing for SCEA, told Gamasutra today that movie download service for PSP and PS3 will be coming very soon, and that the company is actively working on the service. Sony is working hard on the service to ensure that it makes a good impression on consumers when it is launched.

“I think what might convince [people who haven’t picked up a PSP] would be the advent of a service that allows them to put content onto the PSP in an easier fashion,” said Dille. “There’s been a lot of speculation about when we’ll offer our video download service on PSP or PS3, and I think that could be more of a killer application to get people off the fence.”

Dille also said: “We didn’t have any announcements about that at the show, but what I can tell you is we’re working on it, we see that it’s critical, not just for PSP but also for PS3, and it’s something we know is super important to get right. We won’t have a second chance to make a first impression. If we launch it and it’s not right, we’re going to get creamed. So we want to make sure we get the consumer experience right, get the right content, and we’re working really hard on it. And I don’t think we’re talking about years, I think this is something we could get behind really soon.”

[Via: Gamasutra]

Sony has confirmed that they will not be cutting the price of the PlayStation 3 in Europe or releasing a 80GB model – instead it will be offering a Starter Pack containing the console, two games and an extra controller for GBP 425 / EUR 599. The announcement will also affect Australia. SCEE has chosen to bundle first-party titles and a second SIXAXIS controller with a combined RRP of GBP 115, rather than lower the price.

The bundle pack is due on sale in the UK on July 18 and in Europe August 1, the Starter Pack will offer two Sixaxis controllers and a choice of two first-party titles from a list of Resistance: Fall of Man, Motorstorm, Genji: Days of the Blade, Formula One Championship Edition and Ridge Racer 7.

“With sell through of over 1.2 million units in the SCEE territories to date, PlayStation 3 has proved to be an instant and huge success,”
said David Reeves, president of SCEE.

UPDATE (13th July 2007 at 13:55):

With the introduction of the Starer Pack, the PS3 price in the UK will return to £425. Most UK retailers dropped the price of the PS3 to £399 a while back to increase sales, but since the new unit will cost more, it is likely that retailers will increase the price to the original RRP.

SCEE president David Reeves has told GamesIndustry.biz that the 60GB PlayStation 3 will no longer be available in the US after stock sells out – which he predicts will occur by the end of the month. Reeves was speaking at an E3 event to announce the introduction of a new PS3 bundle in Europe. When asked about possible criticisms over whether SCEE should have given consumers the option to pay a lower price, as SCEA has done, he replied, “Well, they’re not really are they, because what the US are offering from the 1st of August is a USD 599 version with one game.

“All they’re doing is taking their stock in trade that they’ve got at the moment of the 60GB model, marking the price down and it will all be gone by the end of July.”

When asked to clarify if this will mean the end of the 60GB model, Reeves answered, “In America, yes.” This blow comes only a few days after the 60GB PS3 was lowered in price, effectively making the price cut void. After stock runs out, the only available model will be the 80GB version retailing at $599, since the 20GB version has already been discontinued.

Sony is confident about meeting its goal of selling 11 million PlayStation 3 units this fiscal year as the recent price cut and a slate of new games draw in consumers. “We’re very well-poised to get to that number on a worldwide basis,” Kaz Hirai, president of Sony Computer Entertainment, told Reuters in an interview. Sony’s fiscal year runs through the end of March.

A high price and relative lack of blockbuster games has dampened sales of the PlayStation 3, and Sony has tried hard to rectify both issues this week at E3, the $30 billion video game industry’s most important trade show. On Monday, Sony cut the PS3’s price in the United States by $100, or 17 percent, to $499, narrowing the gap with Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360, which comes in three versions priced between $300 and $480.

Since it went on sale last November, the PS3 has sold 1.4 million units in the United States through May, compared to 2.8 million units for Nintendo Wii console, according to market research firm NPD. The Xbox 360, which debuted in November 2005, has sold 5.6 million units.

[Via: Reuters UK]

Santa Monica, 12th July 2007 – Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) today announced the availability of a high value Starter Pack for PLAYSTATION 3, comprising a PS3, two first party games and two SIXAXIS wireless controllers, at €599.

Rolling out across the SCEE territories from 13th July, and in all territories by 1st August, the new Starter Pack represents exceptional value for money as an entry point into the exciting world of High Definition interactive entertainment with PLAYSTATION 3.

The choice of first party games available in the Starter Pack will vary to suit the interests of entertainment enthusiasts in each country, but will include million sellers such as Resistance Fall of Man and MotorStorm; titles specifically chosen to demonstrate the stunning graphics and enhanced gameplay of High Definition games on Blu-ray disc.

With an additional wireless SIXAXIS, motion sensitive controller provided for head to head and multi player gaming, the Starter Pack is sure to appeal to those seeking to enhance their entertainment experience with the best of 21st century technology.

“With sell through of over 1.2 million units in the SCEE territories to date, PLAYSTATION 3 has proved to be an instant and huge success”, said David Reeves, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

“The exceptional value of the new Starter Pack will bring the excitement of PlayStation gaming to a much wider audience. Add to this a stellar lineup of software titles for the second half of the year and we are confident that this amazing value Starter Pack will encourage many more keen gamers to join the PLAYSTATION 3 community”.

Sony has stated many times that the PS3 may not receive a price cut in Europe, but will instead get better value packs. The official announcement isn’t until later today at E3, but we have heard that the European market will be getting a new bundle pack .The ‘PS3 Starter Pack’, retailing for EUR 600 (GBP 410), will come complete with a 60GB PS3, Resistance: Fall of Man and Motorstorm, plus as two SIXAXIS controllers.

The official announcement will be on July 13th 2007, at 5:00 AM BST. We will bring you an update on this story tomorrow.