Hasta La Gadget!

Do you dream of big plastic tennis-rackets and steering-wheel snap-ons for Sony’s upcoming motion controller? Yeah, then why not build them yourself? Sony Computer Entertainment has launched its Official Licensing Program that gives accessory and peripheral makers in Japan, Asia, North America, and Europe access to all the PS3, PSP, and PS2 tech documents and schematics required to qualify your product for an “Official Licensed Product” logo. Sure, you’ll likely have to hand over some cash for the privilege, but imagine the bank that awaits the person who converts the glowing orb atop Sony’s motion controller into the very first official PS3 lightsaber.

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Sony seeks official PlayStation peripherals — offers logo, good time originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So that “certain premium” for the UMD-less PSPgo? We may gripe about the $230 price tag here, but our friends across the pond might actually have it worse. Right now, while UK gamers are shelling out on average £100 (about $165 US) for a new PSP, the “guide price” for Go is currently set at around £230 ($370 US). Egregious? We think so, and it looks like British consumers might agree, as two independent retailers have reported zero pre-orders so far. Ouch. Of course, it’s not indicative of the entire region, especially given there’s no data here from the big chains, but as a “canary in a cage” indicator, it still doesn’t sound good — but hey, there’s still plenty of time before its October 1 launch, and anything can happen.

[Via Joystiq]

Filed under: Gaming

Lack of PSPgo pre-orders bemoaned by UK retailers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yeah, the PSPgo made the rounds at a little show you might’ve heard of called E3, but we tracked the thing down in the wilds of NY the other day, and thought you might like to see the wild slider action for yourself. We have to admit, the handheld looks better in person than it does in press shots, but only just barely. It’s perfectly playable and comfortable to hold, but it almost seems a regression in design sense for Sony. In comparison to the PSP-3000, the PSPgo feels just a teensy bit lighter, but that’s to be expected with the UMD drive kicked to the curb. At least it doesn’t feel cheap. Because it isn’t cheap. Video is after the break.

Continue reading PSPgo video hands-on quickie

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

PSPgo video hands-on quickie originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s the last day of Dell’s “10 Days of Deals” promotion, bringing you significant savings to start off the summer. (How’s that for alliteration?) The following offers can be had until June 25 at 6 a.m. Central Time.

I own a Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop and absolutely love it. I bought it last year for around $600. But you’re going to get an even better deal than I did. Dell’s Inspiron 15 notebook is being offered for just $499. You get 3GB of memory, 320GB of hard drive space, and a 6-cell battery. You even have the option of sticking with Windows XP.

If what you’re looking for is a desktop with an Intel Pentium Dual-Core processor, 3GB of memory, and a 320GB hard drive, then look no further than the $349 Dell Inspiron 537 desktop.

Maybe my dream of owning an HDTV will come true sooner than I thought? Dell is also offering the Sony Bravia 46″ KDL46V5100 120Hz HDTV for $1,349. This energy-efficient HDTV offers 1080p, 1,920-by-1,080 resolution, a 50000:1 contrast ratio, and three HDMI inputs.

The final deal of the day is the Sony PSP 2000 for $110; that’s 35-percent off the original price. This handheld gaming console is equipped with 64MB of internal memory, a 4.3-inch LCD screen with a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, and built-in Wi-Fi. It’s also sleeker and lighter than the original PSP, and earned a rating of 4 out of 5 by PCMag.

Now that Sony’s committed itself to downloadable games with the PSP Go, it’s only natural to wonder where that strategy might lead — and the hot buzz says there’s an “app store” of sorts due in August at Gamescom. The new section of the Playstation Store will supposedly impose a 100MB limit on content and set prices in the $2 – $6 range, but otherwise have no restrictions, meaning devs will be free — and even encouraged — to code up non-game apps as well. Of course, you’ll still be able to snag other PSP titles from the other parts of the store, but if this actually happens it’ll be interesting to see if Sony can channel some of the energy from the vibrant PSP homebrew scene into a more legit distribution channel. We’ll keep an eye out.

[Via Joystiq]

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

Sony working on a PSP non-game app store? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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