November 28, 2005

Parental Controls for PlayStation 3

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced today that Sony would implement parental controls in its forthcoming machine, PlayStation 3.

The announcement was made by ESA President Doug Lowenstein who commended the PlayStation 3 console manufacturers for voluntarily implementing the parental control technology.

For PlayStation 2, parental controls will extend only to movies and not to games. Sony was not immediately prepared to comment reports iht.com.

The video game industry has been under attack from parents and watchdog groups - especially in the wake of this year's scandal involving hidden adult content in the popular Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Microsoft placed parental controls in its Xbox 360, which went on sale last week. The machine lets users restrict access to video games and DVDs that carry certain ratings, such as T for teenager or M for mature. It also offers parental controls on the company's Xbox Live online gaming service, limiting who their children can interact with.

This month, Nintendo announced similar plans for its next-generation machine, Revolution, scheduled for 2006.

November 24, 2005

CNN pulls Sony PS3 (Playstation 3) $300-$400 Price Quotes

Comments published in a CNN article purporting to be from Sony CEO Howard Stringer regarding the a 300-$400 Price for PlayStation 3 have been removed after it emerged that he had not said anything on the question reports GamesIndustry

The article, FORTUNE senior editor Peter Lewis cited Stringer as saying that the PS3 would be priced between $300 and $400, and would launch in the middle of next year in Japan, followed by a US launch a couple of months later.

No such information was discussed in the original FORTUNE interview - and CNN Money has now pulled the quotes, placing an addendum on the article which says that "Stringer has not commented publicly on how much the PS3 is expected to cost, or how soon it will appear in the US after the Japanese launch in spring 2006."

November 23, 2005

Ten Reasons to Wait for Sony PS3 or Playstation 3

As expected Microsoft's new Xbox 360 console is selling like hot cakes, the demand is so great, some people are commanding as much as $2000 for a premium system on ebay.

The folks at IGN have compiled 10 reasons why you should wait for the Sony PS3, so if for some reason you are on the fence or you just don't have $2k right now, check out these reasons to help ease your pain.

You could totally use these to put your friend in his places when he starts bragging about his Xbox 360 purchase...

Reason #10: Xbox 360 Doesn't Have a Killer App
Reason #9: Dual-Screen and 1080p Support
Reason #8: Hefty Expandability / Connectivity Options
Reason #7: You Can Still Pre-Order
Reason #6: Seven-Player Wireless Support
Reason #5: The HD IP Camera
Reason #4: Full Backwards Compatibility
Reason #3: Stronger Japanese Developer Support
Reason #2: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Reason #1: The Blu-ray Player

UPDATE IGN also has 10 Reasons to buy the Xbox 360 Funny this list is more compelling

Thanks for update K

November 20, 2005

PlayStation 3 Controller Final Design?

In the latest issue of Japanese gaming magazine, Famitsu, an un-named Sony representative stated that any modifications to the Sony Playstation 3 controller will be mere tweaks to basic ergonomics.

It was thought that Sony was playing a double-bluff, withholding the final controller - presumably complete with Revolution-style surprise - for a full debut at this January's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Alas, this appears not to be the case reports Spong

November 7, 2005

Sony not considering an online service for Playstation 3

In the latest issue of the Official Playstation Magazine, Sony revealed that the online service for its new Playstation 3 console will use the same non-unified architecture as the Playstation 2's online service.

The lack of a centralized online service means that gamers will be required to maintain separate accounts on different servers for different games in order to access online games via the PS3 reports ps3focus.com.

November 4, 2005

Sony's 'Micro Cell' to power mobile devices, PS3 (PlayStation 3) run games at 120 frames per second

Speaking at the Tokyo International Digital Conference, Ken Kutaragi also known as Sony's PlayStation baby daddy said that the Cell processor (will star in the PlayStation 3 console) will be reduced in size to lower power consumption and allow for multi-core architectures. Dual Cells and Mini Cells will be developed, and eventually the Micro Cell will be used to power smaller handheld devices reports mobileindustry.biz

Kutaragi also talked about the PlayStation 3's capability to run games at 120 frames per second, saying that the new frame rate will "become the benchmark for the coming generation of digital life."