Hasta La Gadget!

Right on schedule — or a day early, depending on your time zone — Sony has unleashed version 3.50 of its PS3 firmware. And as previously promised, it’s got 3D Blu-ray movie playback with it. According to the Official US PlayStation blog, there’s also some added Facebook integration and new methods of grief reporting. We’re still updating and will let you know what else we might unearth.

Update: Surprise, surprise, it works. We were able to test Blu-ray 3D out and got it running without too much hassle, as long as the HDMI setting is on “Auto” it will detect your 3DTV and switch to the correct mode just like it has for gaming since the update that enabled 3D functionality there. We didn’t see any differences in the menus with the Disney Blu-ray 3D demo disc we had on hand, but we’ll be checking out how BD-Java functions in 3D later on.

Update 2: Per Sony’s v3.50 support page, and verified by several sources, the PS3 has to choose between Blu-ray 3D playback and lossless audio, whether from DTS-HD MA or Dolby TrueHD, it will fall back to a compressed codec while playing 3D content, while menus, items and BD-Java contet “may be different” on the PS3 than on other systems.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading PS3 firmware 3.50 is a go, 3D Blu-ray movies suddenly feel more wanted

PS3 firmware 3.50 is a go, 3D Blu-ray movies suddenly feel more wanted originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 23:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We really thought we’d seen it all when it comes to handheld video game controllers, but this upcoming “Ctrl+S” model from UNIQ brings a surprising quantity of new ideas. The most basic innovation is the weird “UNIQ wing” that sticks out from the rear edges of the controller, allowing you to passively support the controller with the insides of your index fingers instead of having to “grip” the controller to hold it up. Yeah, that sounds lazy, but the idea is to reduce muscle stress and cramps, which makes sense for people who game a few hours a day. The relaxed posture is also supposed to help improve thumb mobility, though we’ll have to test it out with a game to see if that’s actually the case. Around back are some nicely oversized and easily worked analog triggers, along with a grid of repositioned “face buttons.”

The feel of the prototype we were playing with felt just a little too light and a little too “cheap,” but that’s typical for prototypes, and the promises of improved ergonomics and optimized control placements are certainly compelling. The best news is that the controller will be highly customizable, with tweaks available for the analog sticks, “wings,” and even the force feedback motors. We’ll see how well this impacts gameplay when the controller hits the market in December for $69.99. Check it out on video after the break.

Continue reading Ctrl+S PS3 controller for professionals and burgeoning arthritics

Ctrl+S PS3 controller for professionals and burgeoning arthritics originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 10:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While the PlayStation Move isn’t supposed to go on sale until September 19th, that hasn’t stopped a few local brick-n-mortar shops from breaking the street date. Now Amazon’s jumped the gun and put the PlayStation Move $99.99 Starter Bundle up for sale a few days early. And with local express delivery, you can even get it shipped today if you qualify. Worse case, use one-day shipping and you’ll still get it before the Joneses.

Update: Oh, and we just found the $399.99 PlayStation 3 320GB with Move Bundle, $49.99 Move Controller, and $29.96 Move Navigation Controller ready for purchase too. Full press release detailing all the items after the break.

Continue reading PlayStation Move on sale now at Amazon

PlayStation Move on sale now at Amazon originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 08:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re live from Tokyo Game Show where Sony just announced a version 3.50 software update coming to the PS3 on September 21st. On that date, we’ll finally get 3D Blu-ray movie playback, in Japan at least, but likely worldwide.

Read more at our liveblog.

PS3 update 3.50 adds 3D Blu-ray movie support starting September 21 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 00:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony’s typically the equal-opportunity offender, poking fun at everything from Wii to iPhone, but the company’s latest marketing campaign is unmistakably aimed at Microsoft’s motion-sensing peripheral. Head on over to www.yaybuttons.com to interact with a two-dimensional PlayStation Move, which will pop out a series of quotes from Kevin Butler — Sony’s fictional VP of Realistic Movements — explaining Sony’s tactile advantages over Microsoft’s Kinect. While members of the Sony Defense Force will surely eat this up in spades, the rest of us will simply enjoy this latest tussle, and go back to waiting for both companies to put their money by their oral socket and make more games worth playing.

Sony launches anti-Kinect attack website, yaybuttons.com originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Sep 2010 04:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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