Well, that’s it then…  as of 23rd March 2007, The Whole Wide World has got it’s hands on the Playstation 3 !

Well, okay, India and a few notable others are still waiting…

Anyway, I think we can judge how it went from the news from the UK, the most active gaming community in Europe, a fair barometer if ever there was one.

Overall, the pick up in the UK has been good whilst on the continent and Australia there have reports of the media outnumbering the customers! Well, gotta laugh. This is still an expensive bit of kit and this is to be expected but YET AGAIN it seems the press are keener to knock SONY and concentrate on the negatives. I’m all for balanced press and I wouldn’t expect them to make a euphoric song and dance out of it but what IS their problem!?  Strange.

Apparently, in London, 100 people who waited patiently in a midnight queue were actually given free large HD TVs for their trouble !! Unbelievable.

Sony has declared its launch of PlayStation 3 to date as a success, saying early sales are faster than those of its predecessor PS2.

It believes that the combination of a high-definition Blu-ray DVD player, online capabilities and gaming powered by the Cell processor will convince gamers to spend £425 (599 Euros) on the machine.

“High definition is very important to people,” said Ray Maguire, head of Sony Computer Entertainment in the UK.

“A lot of people have bought flat panel TVs and they want content to go on it and PlayStation 3 is one of the few places they can get that kind of experience.”

Mr Maguire said the TV giveaway in the UK was a reward for gamers’ patience and exceedingly generous for a firm reported to be losing up to $300 on every PlayStation 3 sold.

At least the number of COD3 players online will double which should be fun !

www.ps3news.eu

 

SONY have realeased a list of the PS2 games that can play on the Playstation 3 games console. You can get to the list by clicking HERE.

It includes a simple system that shows to what extent the issues within a game affect how it runs on a PS3. Some games have very minor issues whilst others have more obvious problems.

At least this list can help you make a correct purchase decision before it’s too late!

You will need to look for the PS2 game’s code to make sure.

SONY have had to do this really because they said last month that the PS3 model to be launched in Europe would lack a chip used in the earlier models introduced in Japan and North America in November last year.

The function of the chip would be replaced by software, making the console cheaper to produce but taking away the almost full backward compatibility enabling PS2 games to play on PS3.

Sony’s website http://faq.eu.playstation.com/bc lists games that should work. “If your game is not listed here, emulation is not yet supported on PlayStation 3,” it says.

In order to play the old games, the new PlayStation 3 owners will first need to install software, called firmware, on their new device. The software can be downloaded from the Internet or obtained on a disc from the customer service unit.

“We will be adding additional titles to this list in future firmware upgrades,” said David Reeves, President of Sony Computer Entertainment.

But Reeves reiterated that Sony will not put much effort in making old PS2 titles available on PS3, but rather focus on developing new services and entertainment features exclusively for PS3.

So, it’s bad news about the slight lack of PS2 support but it seems SONY has it’s heart in the right place.

www.ps3news.eu

Ireland is getting a very welcome injection of a rumored $1.5 million advertising budget by SONY for the impending realease of the Playstation 3 console over there.

This good news follows the decent showing in the Rugby, the fun of Saint Patrick’s Day and even a win in cricket over Pakistan!!

Well, we are gathered here today to say a final farewell to the 20GB SONY Playstation 3 console. Whilst it’s life was short, it did enjoy a lot of good times and maintained dignity at all times despite being considerd the lesser model in it’s family.

It leaves behind it’s big brother, the 60GB PS3 - 2  children, the PSP and PS2 – and 1 grandchild, the Playstation One.

It will be sorely missed by all.

Motorstorm,  the manic racing game is upon us!

Well, has it been worth the wait and hype. Don’t forget this PS3 game was one of the very first PS3 exclusive games we ever saw.

Rather than a long winded review, here is some nice simple bullet points to help you make your mind up!

The Good Points

• It has stunning graphics - Almost certainly the best visuals of all the Playstation 3 games so far. This is definately one to show off to your friends.
• Multiple vehicles types – There are large trucks, jeeps, cars, ATVs and motorcycles to get stuck in to. Thankfully, different vehicles can take different routes around the track so you dont squished by the larger stuff when on a bike.
• Bikers and ATVers can attack each other mid-ride.
• Superb damage and crash dynamics that make crashing actually an enjoayable experience!
• Online multiplayer racing! – Up to 12 players in a race and due to the extraordinary terrain and different vehicles it offers great entertainment and its never the same twice.
• Voice chat is supported

 

The Bad Points

• Only 8 Tracks so there is a lack of variety and the offline experience may not have much longevity.
• No offline multiplayer racing – So now racing against your friends.. 
• Lack of game modes in single player.

So it really comes down to your own personal preferences in a game. Personally, the offline experience in all the games I have don’t appeal to me much after a couple of weeks. For me its the online experience that matters. In this respect this game is fine. Yes, it doesnt have the greatest online variety but there is enough there to  keep you ticking over long after the single player experience has dried up.

 

 

www.ps3news.eu