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European PS3 Motherboard Analyzed
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, PlayStation 3,
It didn’t take long for someone to dissect the European PlayStation 3 to see what makes it tick, and the hardware geeks at Beyond3D have analyzed the motherboard pictures and compared them with the US and Japanese PlayStation 3 to see if they can determine the exact differences, and where Sony might be going with their hardware design optimizations. The known difference is the removal of the Emotion Engine that provided hardware compatibility with the PlayStation 2. Other optimizations seem to have the Graphics Synthesizer connected between the RSX chip and the HDMI transmitter. Beyond3D seems to believe that the Graphics Synth chip will eventually be integrated into the RSX. Another unexpected development has the southbridge chipset shrinking for the PS3, indicating a possible move to the 65nm production process. While this has little to do with the game playing capabilities of the PS3 (other than backward compatibility), the article does give hardware design nerds some insight into Sony’s ongoing quest to reduce costs.
Read More 
| Beyond3D
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Microsoft finally confirmed the rumors; the Xbox 360 Elite will be available on April 29th for $479.99. As previously leaked, the new black console will feature an upgraded 120 GB hard drive and HDMI port, finally giving Microsoft’s console a true digital output for those with digital HDTV displays. The 120 GB hard drive will also sell separately for $179.99, while seems somewhat high, and would only seem reasonable next to Microsoft’s $100 price tag for the 20 GB drive. It is also somewhat disappointing that Microsoft’s “Elite” console only comes bundled with a month of their Xbox Live Gold service; it would seem an inexpensive way to increase the value of the bundle to include a full year. At least the bundle includes an HDMI cable, something Sony decided not to include with the PlayStation 3. In addition to the new bundle and hard drive, Microsoft will also be selling black versions of their accessories to go with the new console, so that gamers don’t have to worry about their wireless controller clashing with their game system. While this bundle offers a lot to new purchasers of the Xbox 360, it seems hard to justify to existing owners. It also seems disappointing that when Microsoft promised that they would make an HDMI connection available when the time was right, it kind of seems hollow that the connection requires a whole new console.
Microsoft’s full press release continues after the jump.
Click to continue reading Xbox 360 Elite Finally Official
Nintendo Alters Wii To Block Modchips
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Mods/Hacks, Nintendo, Wii,
Reports in Taiwan indicate that Nintendo may be altering the circuit board layout of the Wii to make mod chips more difficult to install. According to Digitimes, however, new modchips to deal with the changed layout may be less than a month away. While these changes probably won’t be difficult to work around, other mod chip installers believe that there are more complex methods available to Nintendo to block modifications for a longer period of time.
Read More | Digitimes
Virtual Console Release: Wii-k.
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Nintendo, Retro, Role Playing Games, Strategy, Virtual Console, Wii,
Koei has been milking the Dynasty Warriors franchise for a while, with seemingly dozens of releases hitting every platform from the PlayStation 2 to the Xbox 360. But the series actually spun off from another franchise for the company, the strategic Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. In fact, the Dynasty Warriors release pattern mirrors that of Romance; take a good idea, and run it into the ground with more releases than the public can handle. Still, the SNES release is one of the better entries into the series, and for 800 Wii Points, one can experience the property as it was originally intended. Having this as the sole retro release this week is a disappointment, however.
Read More | Nintendo
Playstation 3 Sells 165K in UK
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, PlayStation 3,
Despite reports of low turnouts at midnight launch events for the PlayStation 3 in Europe, Sony managed to break records for console sales during its opening weekend, moving over 165,000 units in the UK. ChartTrack in the UK believes that this sells through approximately 75% of the initial launch allocation for the UK, and surpasses all other console launches in the territory, including the Wii and the Xbox 360. Gamasutra also reports on UK software sales for the opening weekend, with Resistance: Fall of Man and Motorstorm taking spots one and two in the top ten. Of course, launch weekends are generally for the hard core; generally the first couple of million consoles sold are the easiest. Time will tell how Sony’s console does as its purchasing demographic shifts.
Read More | Gamasutra
Grab Shivering Isles For Xbox 360, $30
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Internet, Role Playing Games, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Xbox Live Marketplace,
Bethesda’s expansion for The Elder Scrolls: Obliviion, The Shivering Isles is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The expansion promises more than 30 hours of additional gameplay for one of the best games on the Xbox 360. The add-on sells for 2400 Microsoft Points ($30), basically matching the price of the PC expansion, which makes this the most expensive downloadable content to date. The download also weighs in at almost a gigabyte, so those rumored 120 GB drives might come in handy sooner rather than later. Still, for Oblivion addicts, this expansion should be a great way to pass the time during the upcoming Live downtime, assuming that you can get it downloaded before the service goes down.
Read More | Major Nelson
Ready At Dawn Talks PSP, Daxter, God of War
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, PSP,
The Ready At Dawn game studio had already made a name for itself with the impressive Daxter release on the PSP when rumors started swirling that the studio would be tasked to develop the portable version of the God of War franchise. Eventually, the rumors proved true, and now Gamasutra has interviewed Didier Malenfant about the company. Malenfant and Gamasutra discuss the ins-and-outs of the PSP platform (Ready at Dawn finds the 222 mhz default CPU speed most limiting), original vs licensed IP, and the Daxter and God of War engines. Gamasutra also covered the recent phenomenon of reverse ports going from the PSP to the PS2; Ready At Dawn left open the possibility of seeing Daxter hitting the PS2.
Read More | Gamasutra
UK Gran Turismo Get Force Feedback Back
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Driving, Internet, PlayStation 3,
IGN is reporting that European PS3 owners are getting an updated version of Gran Turismo HD in conjunction with the system launch. Dubbed Gran Turismo HD Concept 2.0, it looks like the game is essentially the same as the previous release, with one key added feature – support for force feedback wheels. While the SIXAXIS is woefully still without rumble, those gamers with access to third-party racing wheels like Logitech’s Driving Force Pro. IGN indicates that the force feedback implementation isn’t as detailed as they would like it for the game, but this does give hope that full rumble implementation is on its way. Hopefully the updated Gran Turismo will make it to other territories soon.
Read More | IGN
Japanese Ace Combat 6 Site Online
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Action, Namco, Screenshots, Xbox 360, Xbox Live,
Namco Bandai has launched the official website for their upcoming Ace Combat 6 for the Xbox 360. The site has details on the story, characters, and jets to be featured in the upcoming release, unfortunately all in Japanese. Still, clicking through the pages reveals plenty of high resolution, beautiful screen shots of the environments and fighter jets included in the game, and apparently Japanese Xbox 360 owners should be able to start downloading picture packs and themes for the game today.
Read More | Namco Bandai
EA Announces Wii-Exclusive Boogie
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Electronic Arts, Nintendo, Party Games, Wii,
Electronic Arts had previously announced both that it would be focusing more of its development efforts on original IP as well as moving resources to Nintendo’s Wii. Today, EA revealed an original IP game for the Wii called Boogie, a party-style game that will combing dancing and karaoke-style gameplay, which would seem to lend credence to a Wii microphone peripheral in the future. The game is being developed by EA Montreal, developers of SSX Blur. The game’s character design definitely looks interesting, and hopefully third-party developers continue to bring original creations to Nintendo’s console.
Read More | Gamasutra
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