hamispink

@rjejr The PS3 can be sold for $200, Sony just isn't yet so they can make a bigger profit. Also, I'd be very surprised if the PS4 came with anything less than a 250gb hard drive. Hard drive costs are low, and it's kind of a joke that the Wii U would use flash storage and only include 32 gb (though thankfully they allow for external hard drives). As far as manufacturing costs go, I wouldn't be surprised if a 250/500 gb hard drive costs Sony less money than a 40-120 gb drive because they aren't produced in the same quantity anymore.

I think that gaikai connectivity for the vita would help it far more than ps4 remote play. If Sony announced Wednesday that you could now stream PS 1/2/3 games to the vita (which will presumably cost $200) it would instantly squash all the talk of the vita having no games. They wouldn't be exclusives, but the idea of playing ps3 games on the go is certainly exciting. I think it makes more sense for the vita to receive streams from gaikai servers than from an actual ps3.

I think the reason people believe the xbox has better media options is because it is displayed prominently in the xbox's menu (even before games) and because Microsoft markets it as an entertainment machine. Normally I would say that they seem to be equals in the non-gaming entertainment space, but as Sammy pointed out, the PS3 doesn't lock you out of paid subscriptions with another paid subscription.

I read that people in japan generally pronounce Playstation systems in the English pronunciation.

edit: I give up on trying to link (darn html) A Playstation Lifestyle article stated that it would be pronounced "pee-esu-foaa" by most people.

The box art in the corner having the Spiderman 3 font shows how long this game has been in development.

I've enjoyed it so far playing through Bentley's turtle shooter, though I tried the motion controlled ball levels and couldn't stand it. I'd like it if I could use the thumb stick because the motion controls are annoying and feel tacked on. The same type of levels in Mutant blobs attack were also a low point.

@get2sammyb That's an interesting rumor. Playstation Home would be infinitely more interesting if it had the style and presentation of games like LittleBigPlanet or Tearaway.

@Epic They stated a couple of years ago that they were stepping away from LBP development. I had assumed that they were working on some new IP, but as Sammy stated they could be working on the next version of Home.

It's gonna be a long 10 days.

I don't think that i would ever complain about more PixelJunk shooter. I absolutely adore everything about shooter 1+2 from gameplay to music to art style.

@get2sammyb combined between freedom 2 and unite(which was an expansion) yup I'm over 900. I've played with a group of 6 friends on and off for years, and we still haven't done everything! I still plan to get back to it some time to try to get past the 1000 hour mark

I'm getting excited for this game, though I do still have some reservations after being at least somewhat disappointed by Ragnarok Odyssey.

I hope Soul Sacrifice can grab me like monster hunter did so I can have another 900+ hour character in a game (and presumably a platinum trophy to go with it!).

I'm not sure how I feel about this. My first though when I saw this rumor is that it would mean that everyone with a PS4 would have a Mic, which would a huge enhancement for Playstation multiplayer, given the scarcity of finding a game online where even half the people are using a headset.

As far is Kinect style play is concerned, I'm not a fan. I don't want to be up and about for 99% of the games I play, and "better with dual camera" gameplay such as head tracking and voice recognition doesn't interest me in the slightest. The other issue, which the article pointed out, is whether the inclusion of the camera with every console sold could result in higher prices.

Even if this rumor turns out to be true, I still expect there to be a baseline $400 model, if only because I really want it to be true, and because I think Sony is more worried about netting more sales, then they are about pushing another accessory.

I suspect that it will be a PS4 game, but I also suspect that it will be an entirely different game.

There has been praise for Sony going around on twitter after Journey won game of the year at DICE for allowing for huge amounts of creative freedom, but this The Last Guardian's 8+ year development time is an example of the dark side of allowing too much creative freedom, and not forcing devs to stick to and complete their original vision. I feel that in this situation, it would be best to strike a balance between the two.

I didn't think it was too awkward, though it certainly did surprise me! I did enjoy in an earlier episode while he was playing Killzone, he was wearing the Playstation wireless headset. I got a laugh out of that because I was wearing the same headset while watching the show

On the topic of the show, I'm really enjoying it. I'm surprised how much I want him to succeed considering he seems downright evil in his pursuit of power.

I think this is pretty likely, during an interview on the playstation blogcast yesterday, the lead designer for Killzone: Mercenary (who was also lead designer on Killzone 2,3, and liberation if i'm not mistaken) stated that the other Killzone games were made on a two year development cycle(development of the killzone engine not included) which would put Killzone 4 right on pace for a release in 2013 after Killzone 3's February 2011 launch.

I was hoping for some rewards program, but I suppose this is nice. I've got 24 platinums, though I'm surprised killzone 3 is so rare. I thought it was relatively easy(especially compared to killzone 2!) And it was really fun to get also.

Lower the price to increase sales, entice third party publishers to the device with the larger audience and some form of ps4 software interaction, aggressively advertise Playstation plus next to Xbox live(which will help both vita and ps3/ps4). Do this for two years, and at the end of that?. . .Profit!
I think it's pretty simple

I'm also curious to see what Sucker Punch has been working on. Its been quite some time since festival of blood released, and they've been quiet ever since. I'm hoping that their next game will be unveiled at this event(and that it won't be an infamous game.)

I think that with all these games failing to light up the sales charts, Sony is experiencing the same problem as THQ. There isn't much room left for mid-tear retail games. I think that Sony is going to continue its trend of releasing fewer games and focusing on its biggest franchises in the same way that Microsoft focuses on it's few exclusive games, and makes their releases into events. The studio closures are proof of this for me.

I'm perfectly okay with Sony focusing on fewer studios and giving them bigger budgets for both designing the games, and for marketing. Though I hope that it won't result in fewer new IPs. For the past 3 generations, many Sony owned studios have started new IPs to begin a console generation, and abandon them for new ideas with the release of the next Playstation. I think this has worked in their favor to allow Sony published games to always feel fresh and modern in both gameplay design, and art style.

@Ginkgo you actually can make custom folders by pressing square to sort. To change what folder the game goes in, press triangle on it and press information. I'm not sure how the parental guidance restrictions work, but I'd assume that you can set passwords on a game-by-game basis. Hope this helps!

@nathanuc1988 That makes sense, though I wonder how much the OLED screen actually bumps up the production costs.

I didn't think that $250 was too much to ask either, that's why I bought the 3g vita on day 1, but most people obviously aren't willing to pay that much for the device (the sales figures prove that). It doesn't seem like a big deal to gamers who would be reading this site, but getting below the $200 mark is more important now than ever with the 3DS, ipod touch, google and amazon tablets, and contract smartphones coming in that price range. The vita may not be directly competing with those devices in the exact same market, but for some people, they only need one portable device.
In my case, if I didn't have a vita, I would have bought a nexus tablet just so I could have a portable netflix device, and that would be the only portable that I needed.

@nathanuc1988 on your off topic, there's no way that Sony could release a vita without touch functionality. It would eliminate half the library, or at least force devs to produce updates for games that don't necessarily require touch. Though it would be smart if they just made the current vita a "budget" version. At this point the console needs to be below $200 to have a hope of being successful.

edit: after re-reading, I suppose you probably meant an LCD touch screen with lower resolution which makes sense, but my point still stands on the pricing.

Now it's time for the grueling wait!
I wonder how much they will show at this early "meeting". Because they are inviting investors and media, i'd like to think that they will try to wow everyone with both the new hardware, and some game announcements. It will be interesting to see if any third party studios or publishers leak any info on what they'll be showing (if anything).
GET EXCITED!

It's great that there was more light shed on these titles, but Sony really does need to announce more. There are apparently less than 10 game coming to the vita this year that have any significance to the mass market (I'm sure there will be some fun and small downloadable games along the way that i'll love). I'm still loving my vita with too much to play on it, but unless Sony will drop the price in the next couple months and get more people buying the vita, the third party support will never come.

I'd pick it up for the vita, sure.

Now you've gotten me curious to know more about Crytek. I had no idea that they had multiple studios, let alone 9.
Also, that's great news for at least some ex-THQ employees, and best of luck to anyone else who lost their job!

When I saw the Facebook post by PlayStation about sleeping dogs I got excited, bit when I followed the link and saw blog.EU my heart broke just a little bit.

Because of the different architecture, I'm sure that the PS4 won't support actual hardware backwards compatibility. Though as the article suggests, lets not forget that Sony recently bought Gaikai, an online game streaming service company. I'm guessing that we will be able to stream our past purchases to the PS4.

Also, to those above guessing that only downloads will be supported and not discs, this doesn't make sense. The only difference between a downloaded game and a retail bluray game is the medium from which it is loaded. The PS4 will support bluray discs, so It would make sense that if they DID have backwards compatibility, it would support retail as well as downloads.

I don't think that there is any place for micro transactions in non-free games. It's both a way for publishers to milk more money out of consumers as well as feed my own personal gripe about games not being completed until 6 months after launch for 30 more dollars.

@ThatOneBlackGuy I wouldn't call Unit 13 a failure, though I only played the demo. It seemed good, but the score chase mechanic didn't catch my interest.

@Squiggle55 You should absolutely get it if you like other PS2 games with platforming, especially for only $2!
Jak & Daxter is more platformer that either of those titles, but it's a superb game. I'd say that it's more similar to Sly Cooper in terms of the speed that you move and the actual platforming aspects, though the world is open and there is a collecting element that is reminiscent of the original Spyro games.

@IAmNotWill I didn't mean that my problems with the controller effected the games, just that my complaints (which I see as flaws) are too numerous to claim that it was a great controller. It's true that the DS3 triggers are worse than the gamecube's, but that just means that they are both bad. The d-pad is important, especially as more 2-d games are being released as downloadable titles.
I've still yet to use a perfect controller, though the SNES controller was perfect for the time.

@IAmNotWill I still can't comprehend any defense for the gamecube controller aside from the shape of the shell. The d-pad was in a useless position, the octagon around the left analog stick is annoying, the c-stick is a joke, the b,x,and y buttons are awkwardly placed (though the idea of surrounding a central button with more is interesting) L and R triggers are awful, and the z button is a pain to reach with my index finger. </rant>

I'd like to think that it will make it's way to the vita eventually. I doubt it, but I'd still like to think it.

@ohhaime I agree that it won't help the vita THAT much because so many people already own a 3ds in japan.
That said, this would be a dream come true

I really enjoy the game, though I'm almost always a fan of card games. Granted it is lacking in presentation, and the lack of ad-hoc or direct online multiplayer is a bummer. The five on five setup reminds me of an old yugioh card game that was on the PS1.

@Sanquine Killzone 5? what happened to Killzone 4?

@rjejr The rumors suggest that the ps4 will use fairly standard PC components for the most part, which will cut down costs tremendously. Also, hard drives don't cost much to manufacture at all. skimping on the hard drive with less than 250gb of space would likely only drop the overall cost of the system by a few dollars.

I think it's safe to just keep calling them the "hd twins" both in performance and sales. As the article says, these sales don't matter at this point. Both consoles are huge successes, and the real battle will occur at the end of the year when (hopefully) both Microsoft and Sony release their next consoles. Assuming that both manufacturers are smart and release at least one version of their consoles at $399, then It will come down to what the market wants. Will they want a TV box that focuses on being the media center for your living room(with a $60 per year charge of course) from the xbox, or a game machine from Sony that can also be used as a media center, though It will have some glaring problem that will lower it's mass market appeal. (It is a Sony device after all)

That was a fun read. Great review.
I have the old wireless headset, so I don't think it will be worth upgrading, though I really do want these headphones. If I'm ever In need of a new pair I'll know where to look first.

I think lower sales are both a sign of the lower quality of games overall this year, as well as the move to digital for some consumers. If sales don't pick up for all of the huge games set to release in the first half of 2013, as well as with the release of new consoles, then we should be worried.

When I first read the headline, I though to my self, "Tearaway was canceled? noooooooo. Really!?!" but this makes a little more sense.

It wouldn't really effect me per se, but for the rare time that I buy used games, or sell my old games, this would suck. I'm in the camp that I doubt it would happen, but if Sony were to implement this, I wouldn't be buying a PS4 anytime soon. Not because I need used games, but because the console would fail and I'd be buying the next dreamcast.

What was my favorite vita game of the year? Well it seems off topic, but I'd still say that it's a toss-up between LittleBigPlanet and Persona 4.

My top five would probably be Persona 4, LittleBigPlanet, Uncharted: GA, Mutant Blobs Attack, and Gravity rush respectively. (Need for Speed is an honorable mention)
The bottom three could probably be interchangeable, though choosing between Persona 4 and LittleBigPlanet is a tough call. I've had so much fun with so many vita games this year, and I've still yet to finish Persona 4, Need for Speed, or Uncharted fight for fortune, and I've yet to even tough MGS:HD. My vita should still get plenty of play time through next year, even with the sparse release schedule.

I've been playing Ragnarok Odyssey and Uncharted: Fight for Fortune on vita, as well as Batman Arkham Asylum(finally about to finish it) and minecraft. Persona 4 should be shipping home tomorrow so I'm really looking forward to diving into that world. On the horizon I'm planning to get Zero Escape on vita, and Ni No Kuni on PS3

you Europeans may get consoles late (and more expensive), but I'm getting really jealous of these PS plus updates. since the instant game collection, I've felt ps plus has actually fallen in the quality of new games, aside from the great vita starting lineup.

I don't mind firmware when it adds new functions. This software patch would bug me if it wasn't optional, but it is so no big deal.

I'm assuming that the ps4 will have a specific streaming ability for the vita(i'm assuming an additional wifi NIC for ad-hoc). It will operate in the same way as the Wii U. Though of course the separate systems and high entry cost will keep this setup from ever being viable for the mass market.. . .

I enjoyed the original, It was given out for free via message from psn on valentines day!