PS3 Price Drop and New Version Announced

SCEA has announced that it will be releasing a new PS3 model in North America that comes with a 80GB hard drive and a free copy of MotorStorm, retailing at $599. The new model will on sale from August. In addition, the price for the 60GB version is being cut by $100, to $499 effective immediately, as we reported earlier. Finally, the rumors have been confirmed by Sony and only a few days before E3 kicks off.

In other news, Sony mentioned a forthcoming download service which will include videos, movies and other entertainment content for the PS3. And, Sony is planning to stream a live version of the E3 SCEA press conference this Wednesday, July 11th, starting around 11:30 A.M. pacific time.

[Via: PlayStation.Blog]

Sony Reveals PSN E3 Coverage Plans

Sony has revealed its plans to offer PlayStation Network coverage of E3. Sony states that consumers will be able to download E3 content onto their PS3 consoles directly from the PlayStation Store, including the entire SCEA press conference to be held on July 11th. A variety of game trailers, videos, and other editorial content from the show will also be made available.

In addition to the downloadable content available through the PlayStation Network, consumers can follow E3 2007 through daily content on Playstation.com and the official PlayStation Blog.

UPDATE: PS3 and Xbox 360 Price Drop Imminent

The rumors about the PS3 and XBox 360 price drop have spread across the Internet like wildfire. Information about the price drop has popped up on several websites claiming that the price drop has been confirmed. Circuit City is said to be dropping the price of the PS3 to $499 from July 15th. However, according to Reuters, Sony has no to cut the price of the PS3 at present to pep up demand and counter surging sales of Nintendo’s rival game console Wii.

“At present we have no plans [to cut the PS3 price]”, Ryoji Chubachi told Reuters in an interview.

The higher price tag has been cited as one of the main reasons the PS3 has been trailing the Wii in sales, and analysts have been widely expecting Sony to soon slash the price to increase demand.

[Via: Reuters UK]

UPDATE (6th July 2007, at 19:14):

Once again, further confirmations of the PS3 price drop are surfacing despite Ryoji Chubachi’s earlier statement. GameDaily has confirmed with “a merchandising manager at one of the world’s biggest retailers” that the price drop was true. Also, moles at both Best Buy and Target state that they too have word of a price drop. The Target mole reports that the retail chain’s inventory tracking program is listing retail for the 60GB PS3 at $499.99. And a mole at Best Buy tells us they just received their upcoming ads and that they all list the PS3 price at $499.99 as well.

Sony is obviously trying to keep the rumours under wraps to avoid loosing hardware sales. If indeed the rumours are true, we should hear from Sony next week at E3. Until then, we will keep you updated on any other developments.

How to Create a Japanese PlayStation Network Account

Login as a existing user and create a new account, i.e “JPSN”,
Login as the new user and click on “Sign Up for PLAYSTATION Network” under the Friends menu on the XMB.
On the Account Sign-up screen, click on “Yes, I want to create a new account.” Then click “Continue” to begin the registration.
Under Country/Region of Resisdence, select Japan and leave the Language as the default option. Enter your date of birth. If you are under 18, you will not be able to create a master account.
On the following screen, select the top option to create a master account.
On the Terms and Conditions screen, click on the right button to accept.
Enter your email address in the first field, followed with your desired password in the next two fields. The dropdown option is for a security question. We recommend leaving the default option and entering something you can remember in the field below. Once done, click on the button to continue.
On the next screen, you need to enter your online ID. Then click on the right button to continue.
On the following screen, enter your First Name, Last Name and your First Name and Last Name again on the two fields after. Select the Left radio button for Male and the right one for Female.
The next screen is for your address. The first field is your ZIP code, use 5 numbers. The drop down option if for city, here, you may select any. The next field is for your name again followed by the first line of your address. You can leave the next field blank if you wish. The last option is for the area. Once finished, click on the right button to continue.
On the following screen, choose the second option to continue with registration. The first option is to add funds into your account.
The next screen askes if you are interested in receiving the PlayStation Network Newsletter. Click on the right button to continue.
The following two screens are for you to review your account information. If you are happy with the details, click on the right button to continue.
After confirming your login information, choose an avatar on the next screen. Then click on the first option to continue.
You can cancel the next screen by clicking on the button on the button of the page to the far left.

Rumor Alert: PS3 and Xbox 360 Price Drop Imminent

The X360 and PlayStation 3 both have a hefty price tag, and that’s one of the reasons stopping gamers from purchasing them, but that could all soon change. Recent rumors suggest that some kind of price drop will be revealed at this years E3 for both consoles. The Xbox 360, currently priced at $299 (core model) and $399 (premium model) could both see a drop of $50 in price come September, during the same month that the mega-hits Project Gotham Racing 4, Mass Effect and Halo 3 debut. The PlayStation 3 on the otherhand may recieve a $100 drop in price, bringing the price of the 60GB version to $499.

There are only rumors, so lets wait and see what announcements are made next week. As for Nintendo, well, don’t expect any kind of price drop, since it is already much cheaper than the competition. We will bring you an update on this story next week.

[Via: GameDaily]

European Launch Boosted Blu-Ray Sales by 1000 per cent

According to Matt Brown, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment VP, “the launch of the PS3 had a had a tremendous impact on Blu-ray software sales across the board. Recent sales figures are a clear indication that the PS3 is seen as an entertainment device.” Figures announced by Sony Pictures strongly support the statement. According to the announcement, 180,000 Blu-Ray discs have been sold in Europe after experiencing a 1000 increase in sales since PS3’s launch back in March.

“Casino Royale” got special mention for being one of the biggest titles. Combining 500,000 copies given away to PS3 owners and the actual number of copies sold easily makes it the most widely distributed Blu-ray film to date.

XTREME PS3 Mag i001 Out Now

XTREME PS3 is proud to announce the first issue of the XTREME PS3 Magazine. This is only a prototype issue to see how popular the magazine is and contains over 30 pages of content. The issue includes previews of Ninja Gaiden Sigma and GTA IV, reviews of Super Stardust HD as well as several articles related to the PS3. The magazine can be viewed on your PlayStation 3 or you can use a PC. Download it now and let us know what you think.

The magazine is viewable on the PSP but will require a lot of scrolling. Please let us know what you think of the first issue by posting comments or emailing us using the Contact Form. See below for a full summary of the issue:

Previews:
- Final Fantasy XIII
- Ninja Gaiden Sigma
- Grand Theft Auto IV
Reviews:
- Super Stardust HD
- Rainbow Six: Vegas
Features:
- Yellow Dog Linux
- Future of the PS3
- Remote Play

[Download XTREME PS3 Mag Issue 1]

Bug in Resistance:FoM Patch

The recent Resistance: Fall of Man patch, which was released Friday, seems to have a bug in it. After updating the game, it is impossible to connect to the new WW servers of the game.
Numerous users are reporting across all forums boards, that after the update they cannot log into the new online server. When users try to connect they receive error: “Network Connection Failed”.

This is believed to be a bug in the recently released update. We suggest RFOM users with the game to NOT update just yet and wait for a fix if they enjoy the online play, if not go on right ahead. We are currently waiting for a fix from the Developers. We will update you on any new developments.

UPDATE (03/07/2007 at 3:54 AM):

It seems that there are no bugs with the patch. The connection error is specific to the PlayStation 3 and not the patch. If you experience connection problems please reboot your PS3 and check that you are connected to the Internet. We have tried to connect to the game server lots of times and we did not experience any problems.

New PS3 Home Preview

Home is one of the most anticipated feature of the PlayStation 3. Home is a Home is a real-time online 3D, networked community available on the PlayStation Network (PSN). It allows PS3 users to interact, communicate, join online games, shop, share private content and even build and show off their own personal spaces to others in real time.

In-Game XMB Access Already Implemented?

As reported earlier, the next major PS3 Firmware Update will incorporate in-game XMB access. It now seems that the feature has already been implemented but is simply awaiting release. The video below (from IGN) illustrates that various options from the XMB can be accessed while playing a game, simplifying a lot of things like reading and sending messages, changing system settings and more.

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