Welcome to the main page of GR's PS3 Hype Machine! Clearly you're here because you're quivering with anticipation over Sony's next rig, so we'll dispense with the chatter and get to the good stuff. The following articles contain zero speculation and rumor, just the official words straight from Sony's giant, market-leading mouth. Click to the future!
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PS3 Game Screenshots And Info Until the games come out, it's the screenshots that matter. Check here for a complete list of all currently released screenshots and fact sheets for upcoming PS3 games. |
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3/22/06: PS3 @ GDC 2006 Learn more about the online network, plus region-free discs and no, that controller ISN'T final. |
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3/15/06: PS3 Release Date Finalized, More Specs Released Impromptu Japanese press conference sets November 2006 date and unveils new info about the system hardware capabilities. |
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5/16/05: PS3 Announced At E3 2005 The initial blast of hardware pics and specs. The hype starts here. |
3/22/05 – GDC 2006
Hot on the heels of the awkward Japanese press conference last week, Sony's Phil Harrison opened the 2006 Game Developer's Conference with a keynote address that echoed many of the facts given in Japan while delving a bit further into the company's online plans for the PS3.
Currently coded the "Playstation Network Platform" and being co-developed with Sony Online Entertainment, the network will launch with the PS3 in November. It will be a free service, though much like Xbox Live, it will contain an online shop in which users will be able to buy new content for their games or even download games directly to the hard drive to launch without a disc. The 'micropayment' method pioneered by Microsoft will also be a feature, as will standards like matchmaking, video, avatars and voice-chat.
A few other interesting tidbits popped up during a Q&A session after the keynote, the most notable of which is the fact that PS3 games will apparently be region-free. In other words, a U.S. gamer will be able to play European games on a U.S. PS3, and vice versa. Illegal piracy rings, rejoice…if you can figure out how to pirate Blue-Ray discs, you evildoers, you.
Otherwise, Harrison and Co. didn't make any really Earth-shattering announcements. Indeed, the system will be fully backwards compatible at launch, and that crazy-looking controller unveiled at last year's E3 is NOT the final design. We'll see that at the upcoming E3 convention in May.
Since no video or screenshots were allowed and since the company has yet to put out any official press release, that's about all we know…for now.
The cat's not out of the bag yet, but it's definitely peeking.
At an impromptu press conference in Japan today, Sony president Ken Kutaragi responded to rumors about the release date of the PS3 and unveiled new material about the rig itself. Here's the current dish:
– The PS3 will enjoy a simultaneous worldwide (Japan, Europe, U.S.) release on November 11, 2006, just in time to drive your holiday spending through the roof.
– It will not cost less than about $425 (U.S.)
– The PS3 will include HDMI support for HD gaming.
– The system will support a 60 GB HD pre-installed with – nerd drum roll please – Linux. Though at first it was unclear as to whether or not this would come bundled with the system, it's now been confirmed that it will.
– To combat piracy, every game will be on the new Blu-Ray format.
– To combat, uh, Microsoft, the PS3 will be fully backwards compatible, able to play PSOne and PS2 games with hi-res re-texturing, as well as capable of playing both DVDs and CDs.
– A totally free online gaming service, dubbed the Playstation Network Platform, is in the works.
So there you have it…for now. The PS3 will indeed come out this year, and we'll be updating this page as new info leaks out. Until then, you can always check out our current rundown of PS3 titles, flip through the official PS3 console shots from last year's E3 show, or or dig the official press release below.
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PLAYSTATION�3 LAUNCHES WORLDWIDE IN EARLY NOVEMBER 2006
Tokyo, March 15, 2006 � Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) announced today that it would launch PLAYSTATION�3 (PS3) in early November 2006 in Japan, North America and Europe simultaneously. With a monthly production capacity of one million units, SCEI will push forward a powerful product launch to spread the platform rapidly throughout the world, together with a strong and attractive lineup of PS3 game titles. PS3 incorporates the final specifications of BD (Blu-ray Disc), and with the overwhelming computing power of PS3, it enables to playback BD software at a high bit rate. With a maximum storage capacity of 50 GB (dual layer) and robust security, BD is a highly anticipated storage medium that delivers digital entertainment content such as games and movies at an unparalleled level of image quality. PS3 is compatible with a vast lineup of television sets currently out in the market, from standard-definition TV to full high-definition TV. Users can also connect PS3 to high-speed broadband network through Gigabit Ethernet and comfortably enjoy a wide-range of rich and exciting content and services over the network.SCEI, together with the support and cooperation of game content creators around the world, will strongly promote the creation of a new world of computer entertainment available on PS3. |
5/16/05 – SONY SHOWS THE PS3
Not to be outdone by the likes of a wimpy little company like Microsoft, Sony blew the lid off speculation by revealing their upcoming Playstation 3 system at their annual E3 press conference/Powerpoint training seminar.
Among the more interesting morsels of info are a release window (Spring 2006), a slew of announced games, some actual hardware and (quite ugly) controllers on hand, and the kind of technical chatter anyone with an I.Q. below 200 would consider crazy gibberish.
But why take our word for it? Check out the hardware, the massive press release and the nerdy specs! We'll be adding game info as soon as we mainline more coffee.
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Click any shot to enlarge!
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SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC. TO LAUNCH ITS |
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Unrivaled Performance with the Introduction of Cell Processor and Many Advanced Technologies, and Backwards compatible with PlayStation® and PlayStation®2 Los Angeles, CALIF., May 16, 2005 � At a press conference held in Los Angeles, California, today, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) revealed the outline of its PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3) computer entertainment system, incorporating the world's most advanced Cell processor with super computer like power. Prototypes of PS3 will also be showcased at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the world's largest interactive entertainment exhibition held in Los Angeles , from May 18 th to 20 th . PS3 combines state-of-the-art technologies featuring Cell, a processor jointly developed by IBM, Sony Group and Toshiba Corporation, graphics processor (RSX) co-developed by NVIDIA Corporation and SCEI, and XDR memory developed by Rambus Inc. It also adopts BD-ROM (B lu-ray Disc ROM) with maximum storage capacity of 54 GB (dual layer) , enabling delivery of entertainment content in full high-definition (HD) quality, under a secure environment made possible through the most advanced copyright protection technology. To match the accelerating convergence of digital consumer electronics and computer technology, PS3 supports high quality display in resolution of 1080p (*) as standard, which is far superior to 720p/1080i. With an overwhelming computing power of 2 teraflops, entirely new graphical expressions that have never been seen before will become possible. In games, not only will movement of characters and objects be far more refined and realistic, but landscapes and virtual worlds can also be rendered in real-time, thereby elevating the freedom of graphics expression to levels not experienced in the past. Gamers will literally be able to dive into the realistic world seen in large screen movies and experience the excitement in real-time. In 1994, SCEI launched the original PlayStation® (PS), followed by PlayStation®2 (PS2) in 2000 and PlayStation®Portable (PSP®) in 2004, every time introducing the latest advancement in technology and bringing innovation to interactive entertainment software creation. Over 13,000 titles have been developed by now, creating a software market that sells more than 250 million copies annually. PS3 offers backward compatibility enabling gamers to enjoy these enormous assets from PS and PS2 platforms. PlayStation family of products are sold in more than 120 countries and regions around the world. With cumulative shipments reaching more than 102 million for PS and approximately 89 million for PS2, they are the undisputed leaders and have become the standard platform for home entertainment. After 12 years from the introduction of the original PS and 6 years from the launch of PS2, SCEI brings PS3, the newest platform with the most advanced next generation computer entertainment technology. With the delivery of Cell based development tools that has already begun, development of game titles as well as tools and middleware are in progress. Through collaboration with world's leading tools and middleware companies, SCEI will offer full support to new content creation by providing developers with extensive tools and libraries that will bring out the power of the Cell processor and enable efficient software development. Preparations are under way for launch of PS3 and new generation software in the spring of 2006.
�SCEI has continuously brought innovation to the world of computer entertainment, such as real-time 3D computer graphics on PlayStation and the world's first 128 bit processor Emotion Engine (EE) for PlayStation 2. Empowered by the Cell processor with super computer like performance, a new age of PLAYSTATION 3 is about to begin. Together with content creators from all over the world, SCEI will accelerate the arrival of a new era in computer entertainment.� Supporting comments from third party developers and publishers (In alphabetical order of company name) �With the new generation PlayStation platform, we can create �GUNDAM WORLD� with the quality no one has ever imagined. The philosophy, connecting millions of Cell together, makes reality get closer to the world of SF films. We are delighted to share the vision of Ken, ARCHITECT, Kutaragi.� Shin Unozawa, Managing Director, Leader, Game Software Group, �The PLAYSTATION 3 has us really excited! So much so in fact that we are already working our hardest to get Devil May Cry 4 out for this new platform. New hardware always yields more options for developers to create exciting and fresh gameplay experiences. I believe that the PS3 is one piece of hardware that will test the mettle of our development team and help us to create some of the most amazing games, limited only by our imagination.�
Keiji Inafune, Managing Executive Officer, Research & Development Division, �Each generation of PlayStation has made a dramatic improvement in how we create and play videogames. PLAYSTATION 3 will be a breakthrough in how the world experiences entertainment. EA is fully aligned with Sony Computer Entertainment � we share their vision and applaud their success. � Larry Probst, Chairman and CEO, Electronic Arts
�President Kutaragi has thrown down a gauntlet. That gauntlet is called the Keiko Erikawa, Chairman & C.E.O., KOEI Co., Ltd. �With the arrival of the next generation computer entertainment system PLAYSTATION 3, I believe it will be possible for graphic expressions, more beautiful than before, to coexist with more deep and evolved game play which utilize the Cell architecture. I also have high expectations for the evolution by the online features that will be enhanced. We will utilize the features of the new platform and will strive to create contents that will bring new excitement for our users world wide, so please have high hopes for Konami. � Kazumi Kitaue, CEO, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc �Each time SCEI launches a console, the video games business moves to the next level. With PLAYSTATION 3 it looks as if it might be time for interactive entertainment to become, finally, the world's dominant artistic medium. � Sam Houser, President, Rockstar Games (Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.) �We at Namco have used and will continue to use the advancements in audio-visual technology to deliver games that are not only appealing to the eyes and ears, but that stir emotions, speak to the heart, and remain in players' minds for years to come. We are confident that the PLAYSTATION 3 is an entertainment system that will enable us to do just that.� Shigeru Yokoyama, CT Company President, Namco Ltd. Hisao Oguchi, President and Chief Operating Officer, SEGA Corporation �Next-generation hardware platforms will enable SEGA to create new game concepts that offer more immersive interactive experiences. SEGA continues to pursue the fusion of creativity and technology by publishing only the best, more innovative content to gamers around the world.� Yoichi Wada, President, SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. �Square Enix is extremely honored to have had the chance to provide you with this technical demonstration of what the Cell processor can bring to the PLAYSTATION 3 and the world of gaming. We are committed to fully backing SCEI's new computer entertainment system and plans to bring the FINAL FANTASY series to the PS3 are just beyond the horizon.� Yves Guillemot, President and CEO, Ubisoft �Ubisoft was one of the first major international developers to have its teams start focusing on next generation consoles. We are looking forward to developing outstanding games on Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s new system. Its powerful features will help take the industry to an even higher level in the very near future.� |
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PLAYSTATION®3 Specifications
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