New PlayStation 3 “Superslim” ad tips Zombie 3D hardware update

A brand new PlayStation 3 updated hardware release has been advertised (after a reveal earlier this year) with just about as strange a 15-second commercial as you’re ever going to see. This ad spot has the gaming console rotating in space with a couple of specification updates, first of all – no big deal. Then there’s a freak-out session with a zombie that bursts forth from the device and grabs directly at your face in 3D.

The video was updated to an official Sony PlayStation Japan YouTube Channel and does indeed work in 3D via YouTube’s ability to show such content. Because of this, we’ve got the feeling that Sony will be pushing 3D abilities from the basic place they’re at in the current newest iteration of the PlayStation 3 to a new level by the time this device is out across the earth. That said, there’s really no accounting for the terrorizing of the audience.

On the other hand, it could very well be a teaser for the upcoming 3D release of Resident Evil 6, of course. This release will likely be so gigantic that Sony will be joining in on the fun with special edition controllers and perhaps even a console covered with infected blood – you never know! For now we’re guessing that this is just something we can rack up to Japanese television wackiness.

Take a peek at the timeline below to see other hints and tips on what the next PlayStation 3 console release will be like. We know it’ll be 25% lighter and 20% smaller than the PlayStation 3 Slim, but other than that we’ve got little to no information on the books. Don’t expect any sort of price decrease, either!

[via WebProNews]


New PlayStation 3 “Superslim” ad tips Zombie 3D hardware update is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Sainsbury’s pairs up with Rovi for video service, stays ahead of the techie curve

SSB

Beloved UK supermarket Sainsbury’s is making a big push into digital media, after snapping up e-book retailer Anobii and music company Global Media Vault, it’s now partnering with Rovi for a digital video service. Launching later in the year, it’ll offer video-on-demand and downloadable copies of “major” film and TV titles, available the same time the discs are available in store. It’ll initially be limited to computers, before rolling out to Smart TVs, connected Blu-Ray players, smartphones and consoles. The only question we have is if we’ll be able to collect Nectar Points on our purchases — if so, we’re sold.

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Sainsbury’s pairs up with Rovi for video service, stays ahead of the techie curve originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale new characters drop in at Gamescon

This week at Gamescon Sony is letting the big guns rip with a brand new trailer for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, complete with several new character reveals. First you’ll find Ratchet and Clank, then dropping in on you will be the ever-so-unpopular Spike from Ape Escape, a Devil May Cry favorite you might recognize as Dante, and none other than Sackboy from LittleBigPlanet. What a strange and wild journey this is about to be!

The first video you’re going to see is called the “Main Event”, then you’re going to get a peek at individual trailers for each of the new characters including gameplay. This first video shows the characters looking fabulous in their cinematic-mode style, standing around looking epic or otherwise jumping about for glee. This trailer was released at Gamescon 2012 in Germany, if you’d like to know.

The above trailer also uses the song “Genesis” by Justice from the album Cross (or the cross symbol, if you prefer.) Below you’ll see the first character trailer with Spike from the game Ape Escape. This little guy will be rolling with a massive sword and set of energy moves for close-range attacks as well as specials like his energy blaster. Terrifying satellite bouncing included!

Next you’ll see SackBoy from LittleBigPlanet, complete with rocket packs and some undeniably hardcore-looking fists of metal. This isn’t Mortal Kombat, but Sackboy wouldn’t look all that out of place there for one reason or another.

Have a peek at Dante after that, with one of the more human looks of the game. You’ll be slicing your way through your opponents with a massive scythe and pistol, not to mention a batch of lovely white magic and a red iteration of yourself for ultimate bloodthirsty supremacy.

Finally there’s Ratchet and Clank, with so many gadgets your head will spin. Fly and hover, toss bombs, create little minions, and bust out some of the most massive guns in the game. You’ll be playing as Ratchet some times and Clank the others, and you’ve got a special move that includes you busting out your spaceship’s full offensive systems on the entire gaming grid at once – watch out!

Stay tuned as Sony continues to unleash fury upon Germany and brings the PlayStation universe into the future in waves. Check the timeline below for all the PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale history you can handle, and watch the gaming throne, Sony wants it back!


PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale new characters drop in at Gamescon is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


SlingPlayer survey hints at possible expansion to game consoles

We haven’t exactly been lacking in SlingPlayer-supporting devices as of late, but it looks like the placeshifting service could possibly be set to expand to an entirely new area: game consoles. That word comes from a new Sling survey obtained by Zatz Not Funny, which attempts to gauge customers’ interest in a SlingPlayer app for game consoles (it specifically asks if they own an Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or Wii). As you might expect, however, details are light beyond that, with the survey only mentioning that such an app would let you watch video from your SlingBox in full HD, and that you’d naturally be able to control it with your console’s controller. Of course, while it does come directly from Sling itself, it is also still just a survey, so we wouldn’t recommend getting your hopes up too much for the time being.

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SlingPlayer survey hints at possible expansion to game consoles originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 21:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OUYA console pre-order now available for non-backers starting at $109, slated to ship in April

OUYA console now up for preorder for nonbackers, slated to ship in April for $109

Miss out on your chance to snag the Android-based gaming console during OUYA’s Kickstarter tour-de-force? Worry not, friends. The outfit has opened up pre-orders it promised for those who didn’t take the plunge initially via on its website. While you will have to wait another month to get your mitts on a kit of your very own, the second round of advance purchasing will set you back $109 for US customers and $119 for those abroad. Included in the aforementioned price tag is the console, a single controller and the requisite shipping costs. Hit up the source link below to part with your funds and begin the waiting period.

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OUYA console pre-order now available for non-backers starting at $109, slated to ship in April originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 10:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Missed OUYA? Pre-order one for $109 on the official website

OUYA completed its Kickstarter funding last night, shattering its original $950,000 goal and reaching a grand total of $8.6 million. Around 63,416 backers funded the project all in all, but what if you missed out? Fear not, as the company has thrown up an official website at ouya.tv that will allow curious gamers to pre-order the Android-based console. The Kickstarter funding required you cough up $99 for the miniature console, whereas an official pre-order will cost $109 including shipping.

OUYA believes that the Kickstarter consoles will ship it to backers sometime in March 2013, whereas any pre-orders made on its website will come a month later in April 2013. You’ll receive the same package as Kickstarters though: one console and one controller. Naturally, buyers will gain access to the same game and content library as those who gets their hands on the console early.

The team behind OUYA has managed to garner support from several high profile gaming companies and entities, with OnLive pledging that its streaming games service will be available on the console, and Square Enix also promising a port of Final Fantasy III. Several independent developers have expressed interest in the platform too, with OUYA luring backers with the promise of free games and a vast content library.

Media has been taken care of in the past few days as well, with OUYA announcing a partnership with the XBMC team that will see the popular video solution making its way to the console. Development kits will be sent out to the XBMC team so that full compatibility can be worked into the software. OUYA has also promised support for Plex, an alternative media center.


Missed OUYA? Pre-order one for $109 on the official website is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


OUYA Kickstarter ends with over $8.5 million in funding

It’s been a long and very exciting ride, but the Kickstarter campaign for the Android-based game console OUYA has finally come to a close. The last few pledges are still trickling in, but with the timer reading 0 seconds left to go, OUYA has attracted 63,308 backers and pulled in a whopping $8,584,440 in funding. And here we thought Double Fine made a lot of money with its Kickstarter.


The Kickstarter for OUYA has been a smashing success ever since the beginning. It was only a matter of hours before it surpassed its $950,000 goal, raising a record-breaking $2.5 million in the first 24 hours. Since that first day, we’ve been given announcement after announcement, as OUYA revealed partnerships with the likes of iHeartRadio, VEVO, OnLive, XBMC, and TuneIn. There are also the game deals, with developer Robomodo announcing that a prequel to its upcoming game Human Element will be exclusive to OUYA, and Square Enix promising that Final Fantasy III will be a launch title for the console. Just yesterday we were told that the OUYA team is in talks with Namco Bandai, so we’re looking forward to more details about that.

Naturally, pledges slowed as the Kickstarter campaign went on, but in the past 24 hours they’ve seen quite a boost. OUYA has managed to raise nearly $1 million in the last 24 hours alone, partially due to the last-minute backers who were getting in before everything wrapped up, but also because OUYA announced yesterday that backers can get four controllers with their console by upping their pledge amount by $90. It was obviously an appreciated option, and one that ended up making OUYA quite a bit more money in its final hours.

Now that the Kickstarter campaign has ended, the OUYA team will take the millions they’ve raised and get to work on making this console a reality. Should everything go as planned, the first OUYA consoles will be heading out to backers in March 2013, and after that we’ll see if OUYA sinks or swims. There are still plenty of people out there who think OUYA is destined for failure, while many others think that this console will be, for lack of a better term, a game-changer. Stay tuned, because the end of the Kickstarter only marks the beginning of the OUYA story.


OUYA Kickstarter ends with over $8.5 million in funding is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


OUYA’s Kickstarter funding is complete: over $8.59 million raised, starts shipping in March

It’s a wrap! Suffice it to say, it’s a been a relatively short, yet astoundingly fruitful — and initially record-breaking — funding run for OUYA, the hackable, Android-based gaming console. With just 29 days to work with since being announced, the Yves Behar-designed system has raked in over $8.58 million thanks to just under 63,300 backers on Kickstarter as of its official 1AM ET funding deadline today (You’ll find the final tally below).

Those who opted for developer editions will be able to start tinkering with their own units around December, while the majority of backers should receive the console as early as March 2013. Missed the Kickstarter bandwagon? Don’t fret, because OUYA plans to take pre-orders from the general public over the web soon, expecting those units to arrive at doorsteps near April.

The numbers are only part of the picture, of course. If you’ll recall, OUYA swiftly acquired a slew of partnerships from companies like OnLive, Square Enix, XBMC, Vevo, and Robotoki — and as if that wasn’t enough, just yesterday Namco Bandai and Plex officially joined the content-providing party as well. What’s more, we now know that each console will support up to four of those touchpad-equipped controllers for local multiplayer action. Even with all that, this story is far from over, as Joystiq points out that Julie Uhrman and company “promise” to have more updates before its official launch. Naturally, it still remains to be seen how OUYA’s (literally) tiny, Tegra 3-powered footprint will fare against the big three in gaming, but we’re cautiously optimistic.

So, while the final, mass-produced product is still months away, in the meantime you’ll find a recap of all the highlights from OUYA in the nifty saga module below. You can also hit up our friends at Joystiq here for extra insight from the company about its successes so far.

Update (1:15AM): Despite the timer hitting zero, it appears that pledges are still being accepted past the 1AM deadline — better be quick! We’ll be sure to update the numbers again as soon pledging is officially halted.

Update 2 (7:30AM): It took a bit of time, but OUYA’s Kickstarter is officially not accepting any more pledges. The final numbers? 63,416 backers helped to raise a final sum of $8,596,475.

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OUYA’s Kickstarter funding is complete: over $8.59 million raised, starts shipping in March originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 01:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OUYA adds Namco Bandai, Plex, and four controller support

There’s not long to go until OUYA’s Kickstarter project is finally over, but the company is still announcing new features and partnerships left, right, and center. OUYA has taken to its Kickstarter page once again to announce that Namco Bandai is in discussions to bring its games to the Android-based console. Namco name drops some classics such as Pac-Man, Galaga, and Tekken, but it wasn’t confirmed that those specific titles would make it to the platform.

OUYA is remaining tight lipped about exactly what you can expect from the console at launch too. Although the team says it has some titles lined up, it can’t delve into specifics due to legal obligations. No doubt negotiations are still active behind the scenes, so eager gamers will just have to sit tight until the company is ready to spill the beans.

The team has also said that support for four controllers will be added to the console to allow for some serious multiplayer gaming sessions. The company warns though that supplies may be limited, and urges backers to update their pledge amounts in order to accommodate the extra controllers needed.

Finally, OUYA announced a partnership with XBMC yesterday that would see the popular media center customized to take advantage of the console’s software and hardware. There are those out there who swear by Plex, so the team behind OUYA have pledged that the console will support that media solution on top of XBMC. Plex already has an Android port, and works on Google TV as well, so tweaking it to run on OUYA shouldn’t be too difficult.


OUYA adds Namco Bandai, Plex, and four controller support is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


OUYA, XBMC sitting in a tree, media s-h-a-r-i-n-g (update: TuneIn, new pics)

OUYA and XBMC sitting in a tree, media sharing

OUYA’s slew of collaborations isn’t letting up, even with less than two days to go before its fundraising round is over. The XBMC team has just pledged that its upcoming Android app will be tailored to work with the upcoming console. While the exact customizations aren’t part of the initial details, the media center app developers will have early access to prototypes of the OUYA hardware. There’s suggestions that there won’t be much of a wait for the Android port of XBMC, whether or not you’re buying the cuboid system — XBMC’s developers note that Android work should be merged into the master path once “final sign-offs” are underway. All told, though, the OUYA is quickly shaping up into as much of a go-to media hub as it is a game system.

Update: OUYA itself has also posted word that TuneIn’s radio streaming is also on its way. And just to top off its efforts, the company has posted rendered images that better show the scale of the console: our Joystiq compatriots note that it’s really a “baby GameCube” in size, and its gamepad looks gigantic by comparison.

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OUYA, XBMC sitting in a tree, media s-h-a-r-i-n-g (update: TuneIn, new pics) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 09:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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