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PS3 NEWS COMPENDIUM
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In order not to flood the forum with new threads every time a small bit of PS3-related news comes out, let's use this one thread for posting anything that has to do with, for example:

- New game announcements
- Firmware updates
- New PSN additions
- Games just released
- Price drops
- Et cetera

When big-name games come out, by all means create a separate topic to discuss it. Have fun!



Latest news

18-10-2007:

Capcom announces Street Fighter IV (no platform stated). Lost Planet, previously only available on PC and 360, will see a PS3 release too with extra content. Nice!



Latest firmware

Version 2.30 was released on April 14th. This latest firmware introduces the revamped PSN Store.



Models and pricing

Sony has officially introduced the new 40GB PS3 model, priced at a competitive € 399. There are some omissions to this unit that new buyers might want to take note of, however. First of all, this unit will only have 2 USB 2.0 ports. It will NOT have the multi memory card reader, nor will it feature backwards compatibility with PS2 titles (which shouldn't be much of a problem for most people, since everyone and their neighbour's pet dog has a PS2 unit anyway).

The existing PS3 Starter Pack, consisting of Motorstorm, Resistance: Fall of Man, a 60GB PS3 unit and two Sixaxis controllers, has been dropped in price to € 499, and will remain for sale until stockpiles are depleted.



Numbers on current units shipped and sold

Sony recently announced that 10.5+ million units have been sold to consumers worldwide to date. The holiday month of december 2007 has been hugely successful, and it appears the introduction of the 40GB model has really spurred sales big time: in 2007, PS3 outsold the 360 when it comes to worldwide sales.

In the first three months of 2008, the PS3 has also outsold the Xbox 360 in its 'home market' of North America.



Notables titles that are out now

(With average score on Gamerankings.com)

LittleBigPlanet (95.2%)
Call of Duty IV: Modern Warfare (94.7%)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (93.0%)
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (92%)
Rock Band (90.9%)
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (90%)
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (88.8%)
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (88.5%)
Burnout Paradise (87.4%)
Virtua Fighter 5 (87.1%)
Resistance: Fall of Man (87.0%)
Ninja Gaiden Sigma (86.7%)
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas (86.0%)
Unreal Tournament III (85.6%)
Devil May Cry 4 (85.3%)
Assassin's Creed (84.2%)
Warhawk (84.1%)
Guitar Hero III (84%)
Motorstorm (83.0%)
SingStar (82.5%)
Sega Rally Evo (82.2%)
Everybody's Golf: World Tour (82%)
Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (81.8%)
Heavenly Sword (80.7%)
Folklore (76.0%)



Upcoming games to watch out for

Near future:

Grand Theft Auto IV



2008 and on:

Afrika
Agarest Senki
Alpha Protocol
Angel Love Online
Angel Rings
Ape Escape 4
Aqua
Battle Fantasia
Bomberman
Brave Arms
Castlevania
Coded Arms: Assault
Cross Edge
DC Universe
Disgaea 3
Driver 5
Eight Days
Empire
Eternal Sonata
Eyedentify
Fallout 3
Fatal Frame PS3
Fatal Inertia
Ferrari Challenge Pirelli Maranello
Fifth Phantom Saga
Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII Versus
Free Realms
Future GPX Cyber Formula
God of War III
Golden Axe: Beast Rider
Gradius
Gran Turismo 5
Haze
Heavenly Sword 2 (rumoured)
Heavy Rain
InFamous
Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier
Killzone 2
Kurayami
L.A. Noire
Legend of Spyro: Darkest Hour
Metal Gear Online
Metro 2033: The Last Refuge
Mirror's Edge
Mist of Chaos
Monster Madness: Grave Danger
Motorstorm 2 (working title)
Naruto PS3 Project
Ni-Oh
Planet One
Prince of Persia
Project D
Project Psychic
Redwood Falls
Rengoku: The End of the Century
Resident Evil 5
Resistance 2 (working title)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms PS3
Saints Row 2
Shin Megami Tensei (working title)
SIREN: New Translation
Silent Hill 5
SOCOM Confrontation
Soul Calibur IV
Steambot Chronicles
Street Fighter IV
Sunrise Eiyuutan
Super Robot Taisen
Syphon Filter PS3
Talisman
Tears to Tiara
Tekken 6
Terra: Formations
The Agency
The Getaway 3
The Last Remnant
Time Crisis IV
Twisted Metal (working title)
Uncharted 2
Valkyria Chronicles
WarDevil
Way of the Samurai 3
White Knight Story
WipeOut HD
Yakuza 3
Zone of the Enders 3

Other/rumoured:

Dark Cloud 3
Project by Team ICO
New Square Enix MMORPG
Kingdom Hearts III
Rockstar Games PS3 exclusive franchise (after GTAIV)
[Reply]

Nice thread I just pinned it. Interesting are the demo additions in the shop too, as I'm not online every time, so when a new demo is out, I will see it here if it's posted. Still waiting for a PES 2008 demo.
[Reply]

Thanks a bunch, D.C.
[Reply]

5/10/2007:

Official price cut confirmed.

€ 499 for the current Starter Pack until stockpiles are depleted, or € 399 for a plain 40GB unit without Backwards Compatibility for PS2 games. The new units will likely start filtering into stores from 10 october onwards.

I think this is a good move on Sony's part, to push more units for the upcoming holiday season. Cutting backwards compatibility is a shrewd tactic also, since the slimline PS2 is still selling strongly.
[Reply]

It's always the same, I bought the starter pack with 2 controllers and 2 games for 599€, and after 2 weeks now it drops to 499€, very typical
[Reply]

Yeah, and I bought mine a few weeks before you did ... but hey, I don't mind too much. Frankly, I'd feel more shafted if I'd bought the Apple iPhone, which saw a 200 buck price cut barely 2 months (I think) after its introduction.
[Reply]

But the PS3 is useful. Can't say quite the same about the iPhone. Looks pretty... but that's about it. Much like all other Apple hardware.
[Reply]

Yeah, I find it actually rather disgusting that Apple had the guts to introduce the iPhone at $ 599 - and people actually were standing in queue for hours to snatch one up at launch. Talk about being ripped off. Funny thing is that most of those early buyers likely already HAD an iPod (with more storage capacity), and most definitely a cellphone as well (which nowadays can usually play MP3s as well). Some people really have too much money in their pockets.
[Reply]

If I were actually interested in it I would instead purchase the iPod Touch (hmm...where have I heard that name before!) and use a normal mobile for calls.
[Reply]

Isn't backwards compatibility done in software anyway? So in a few years time, when PS2 sales have dropped right off and no new games are being produced they could put it back in with a firmware update.
[Reply]