Hasta La Gadget!

Well, this one doesn’t exactly come out of left field, but it looks like gaming industry execs are starting to sing a decidedly different tune now that Sony has finally cut the price of the PS3. Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, Ubisoft bigwig Yves Guillemot said that “it’s exceptional news, actually,” adding that “I think the machine is a great machine, with the Blu-ray.” EA Games president Frank Gibeau was also apparently more than happy to back up that praise, saying that, “I think it’s awesome,” and that “it’s an old line, but it still rings true for us: ‘We make the ammunition for the hardware wars.’ So the lowest priced hardware possible is a good thing for us.” Still noticeably mum on the matter, however, is Activision’s CEO, who once threatened to pick up his ball and go home if Sony didn’t drop its prices.

[Via Joystiq]

Filed under: Gaming

EA, Ubisoft execs applaud PS3 price cut, also like things that are good originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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See that up there? That’s the all-new, not-yet-on-sale PlayStation 3 Slim’s stand. It works by laying flat on whatever surface you deem fit, and then it holds your new gaming console upright. We get the impression that it’ll do its job fairly well, but the $24 retail price is borderline insulting. Or, it’s just the motivation you needed to craft one on your own and prove that you were indeed born with a few DIY genes — it’s all about perspective, folks.

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Sony’s PlayStation 3 Slim stand gets pictured… all $24 of it originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shenanigans were afoot in Sony’s efforts to throw bloggers (such as yours truly) off the scent of the just-announced PS3 Slim in the FCC, and we’ve got to give them credit — filing the thing as a “Computer Entertainment System” manufactured by “Sand Dollar Enterprise, Inc.” managed to do the trick. Well played, Sony. Anyhow, it turns out that Sand Dollar’s address is registered to Sony Computer Entertainment of America, which in turn leads us to the matter at hand: test documents for this sneaky bugger reveal a second model number, CECH-2001B, listed as a 250GB version of the console. For the math challenged, that’s over two times the storage of the only SKU announced thus far, so if they can get this out for a reasonably modest bump in MSRP (we doubt it) and get it out quickly, it might be worth the wait. Why it’s legal for a company to falsify its name with the feds like this is unclear, but we’ll admit, we respect and admire the effort. In fact, we’d be even more likely to buy a Slim if it came from a company called Sand Dollar, we think.

[Via PlayStation 3 News]

Filed under: Gaming

Sony sneaks PS3 Slim through FCC under pseudonym, 250GB model discovered originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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	120GB PS3 Slim	160GB PS3	80GB PS3
Product code	CECH-2000A	CECH-Pxx	CECH-Kxx / CECH-Lxx
Price	$299.99	$399.99	$299.99
Color	Matte Black	Piano Black (Glossy)	Piano Black (Glossy)
HDD	120GB 2.5-inch SATA	160GB 2.5-inch SATA	80GB 2.5-inch SATA
Dimensions	11.42 x 2.56 x 11.42 in.	12.75 x 3.86 x 10.8 in.	12.75 x 3.86 x 10.8 in.
Weight	7.05 lb.	11 lb.	11 lb.
Power	250W	280W	280W
Vertical Stand	Optional ($24)	Not necessary	Not necessary
Compatibility	PSOne	PSOne, Linux	PSOne, Linux
PS2 compat?	No	No	No
BRAVIA Sync (HDMI-CEC)	Yes	No	No
Bundle	Wireless DualShock 3 controller	Wireless DualShock 3 controller, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, PAIN downloadable game voucher	Wireless DualShock 3 controller

At this point, would-be PlayStation 3 buyers have two options: wait until next month to get the ultra-hip PS3 Slim model for $300, or plop down that same figure now for its chunkier older brother. As far as we can tell, unless you’re absolutely dying to load Linux or another OS on top of the console, or have some strong aversion to matte finishes, there’s really no incentive to purchase one right now without a more drastic price cut — or if you’re really lucky, perhaps you can find one of the older, discontinued models that can still play PS2 games.

Filed under: Gaming

PS3 Slim sized up: smaller, deeper, no Linux or PS2 compatibility originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Over in beautiful Cologne, Germany, Sony has just confirmed what we’ve suspected for months now. Exclusive to the PSN Store, loyal Sony gamers will soon have access to a new segment of titles, ones that’ll be available anytime and anywhere that there’s an internet connection. The 100MB (or less) selections — which are being officially called Minis — are designed to take advantage of the “smaller development cost on the PSP,” and if all goes well, we’ll see 15 games (such as Tetris, Hero of Sparta, MiniGore and Fieldrunners) launching on October 1st. There’s been no mention yet of how expensive these “snackable” apps / games will be, but we’re holding Sony to its promise of 50 by the end of 2009.

Update: Press release after the break.

Continue reading Sony announces ‘snackable’ 100MB Minis for PSN Store

Filed under: Gaming

Sony announces ‘snackable’ 100MB Minis for PSN Store originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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