November 2006 Archives

Kaz Hirai replaces Kutaragi as President of SCEI

In a day of managerial shakeups at Sony Computer Entertainment, so-called "father of the PlayStation" Ken Kutaragi is being replaced by current SCEA head Kaz Hirai as President of SCEI. Kutaragi will remain as CEO and will also become chairman. Jack Tretton, current SCEA executive VP and co-COO, will take... [More]

PS3 firmware v1.1.1 now available

Sony has released the latest firmware for North American PlayStation 3 systems. The firmware, v1.1.1, adds an Account Management System Icon to the Friends list in the XMB. Speculation runs rampant that the update also makes tweaks to other parts of the console's operating system, with various reports of faster... [More]

Second PS3 shipment arriving for Black Friday

Dave Karraker of SCEA has confirmed that the second shipment of Sony's new PlayStation 3 console has landed in the US and should be available in stores by Black Friday. It is still unknown exactly how many units were included in the shipment. Sony aims to bring 1 million PS3... [More]

New York Times: PS3 'isn't that great'

NYT writer Seth Schiesel spent more than 30 hours with the PlayStation 3, and wasn't overly impressed. Complaints include the lack of a centralized online buddy system, poor interface, and missing features. It often feels as if the PlayStation 3 can’t walk and chew bubble gum at the same time.... [More]

PS3 launch: long lines, small supply

Long lines were met with short supplies during last night's Midnight launch of the PlayStation 3. Several crowds, anticipating the launch, broke into mild violence and one caused the Super Wal-Mart in Palmdale, California to call authorities and close the store. Overall the launch is being viewed as a success,... [More]

Lines form as PlayStation 3 goes on sale

As you no doubt by now know, the PS3 goes on sale tonight at midnight. Unsurprisingly, die-hard gamers are lined up in large numbers across America to get the console. The Associated Press has a roundup of some of the happenings. "Retailers across the country arranged midnight sales at some... [More]

iSuppli: Each 60GB PS3 costs Sony $840

After dissecting both the 20GB and 60GB models of the PlayStation 3, market firm iSuppli has made estimates on how much both PS3 models cost Sony to make. According to their research, the 20GB PS3 costs Sony $805.85 to produce, while the 60GB model comes in at $840.35. In addition,... [More]

PS3 having trouble with some PSOne, PS2 titles

Sony's newly released PlayStation 3 is having troubles with backward compatibility on around 200 PSOne and PlayStation 2 titles, including some in the vastly popular Gran Turismo and Final Fantasy series. Problems with both graphic and sound errors have been reported, although Sony is supposedly working on a downloadable fix... [More]

Japanese PS3 units appearing in New York

Reports are starting to hit the internet that grey market retailers in NYC's Chinatown area are starting to receive relatively large stocks of Japanese PS3 units, just days before the North American launch. The units do not come with a warranty that is in the United States. Pricing details have... [More]

GameStop not getting enough PS3s for pre-orders

GameStop has confirmed that it will not be receiving enough PS3 consoles to fill pre-orders it took last month from customers. "We are beginning to notify our customers that our initial shipment of PS3 systems will not be what we expected," a GameStop representative told CNET News.com. "As this is... [More]

Report: Sony sold 88,400 PS3s in first 2 days

Sony sold 88,400 PlayStation 3 consoles in the first two days after the launch in Japan, according to video game magazine publisher Enterbrain. "Sony sold 88,400 units combined on Saturday and Sunday, depleting stocks at most electronics retailers that were able to get their hands on a limited supply of... [More]

PlayStation 3 goes on sale in Japan

The PS3 went on sale in limited numbers in Japan on Friday. "Hardcore gamers are expected to flock to stores in Japan on Friday as the much-anticipated PlayStation 3 game console from Sony finally hits the street," reports NewsFactor. "Although supplies are limited because Sony has been plagued with production... [More]

Sonic the Hedgehog delayed for PS3

Sega has announced that Sonic the Hedgehog for PS3 will miss its launch-day release target, and will instead ship sometime "Holiday 2006." Sega claims the reason for the delay is last-minute work on the downloadable content that will be available for the game. Sonic the Hedgehog was originally slated to... [More]

Atari founder Bushnell on PS3

Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari, recently spoke about his views of the PlayStation 3 with Red Herring. He unfortunately isn't very kind to Sony on the subject of the PS3, claiming "Sony shot themselves in the foot." Q: What about Sony’s PlayStation 3 Strategy? A: I think Sony shot themselves... [More]

Kaz Hirai talks about PS3 shortages

In a recent interview following the 2007 Sony Expo, SCEA president Kaz Hirai spoke about the expected shortages of the PS3, and reiterated their launch targets of 400,000 PS3 units for the initial U.S. launch and an additional 600,000 by the end of '06. “Unfortunately, there are going to be... [More]

Sony's Harrison: We 'overreached' with PS3

In an interview with Eurogamer, Sony's Phil Harrison claimed that Sony "overreached" when it decided to add the Blu-Ray drive to the PlayStation 3. "We have overreached in production of the Blu-Ray component - I can't deny that," Harrison said. "But that's the price you pay for adopting brand new,... [More]

Full Auto 2: Battlelines

Full Auto 2: Battlelines revs-up its engines as the next generation of high-speed combat racing. The game is the sequel to the award-winning Full Auto, and this new standard of vehicular mayhem will be exclusively available for the PlayStation 3. The once-pleasant districts of Staunton City are turning into battle... [More]