Archive for November, 2006

Some of you may remember a few months back a rumour started going around that Sony were going to charge users for demos downloaded through the PlayStation Store. Well, as those with a PS3 and Motorstorm demo can attest, demos are free.

Well Kotaku have come across some information that suggests that third party developers will have to pay for their demos to be added to the download list. Sony will be charging them to regain the costs of the free PlayStation Network. Kotaku extrapolate that this will mean there will be fewer game demos available on the PlayStation Store.

There are a few flaws in this rumour however. Firstly, if true then these costs would be paid for by the game’s publisher, not the developer itself. Secondly, this is hardly likely to restrict game demo content. Publishers understand that demos can be a great way in creating hype about an upcoming product- downloadable demos have met with great success on the 360, and if a publisher spends time and money creating a demo for the 360 then it makes sense to get as much value out of it as possible, even if the costs do rise. This is without even getting into how much it costs a company to put a demo online and allow downloading- Sony don’t seem to charge anyone to put PSP demos on their sites, and assuming they take a smart approach with PS3 demos they should not cost much to distribute.

Again, I should add that this is a rumour, but even as a rumour it doesn’t have much credence- “Several industry insiders” (ie. anyone from employees at your local game store to Sony’s Ken Kutaragi) and words such as “apparently thinking”, “considering” and “unconfirmed” add up to a story with little value.

Kotaku

PSOne game downloads will begin in Japan today. You’ll be able to download the games and then transfer them to your PSP for play. (No, you won’t be able to play them on the PS3 just yet.) These games will be available for 525 yet, or about $5 (I think).

Resident Evil Director’s Cut (Capcom)
Konami Antiques MSX Collection Vol.1 (Konami)
Konami Antiques MSX Collection Vol.2 (Konami)
Bishi Bashi Special (Konami)
Arc the Lad (SCEJ)
Jumping Flash! (SCEJ)
Hot Shots Golf 2 (SCEJ)
Silent Bomber (Bandai Namco Games)
Tekken 2 (Bandai Namco Games)

Personally I don’t care too much about playing PSOne games on my PSP, but for other people that may be a cool way to relive the past. Thoughts?

PlayStation Downloads Start on 11/22

How does the PLAYSTATION 3′s SIXAXIS controller do it’s sensing? Tiny springs, that’s how. Same thing goes for the Nintendo’s motion-sensing controller.

When you wave around the new Nintendo controller, two tiny, flat pieces of silicon inside it, each weighing about a millionth of a gram, flex against silicon springs that hold them in place.

The movements are minute, or to put it another way, they’re on the scale of 10 to 100 hydrogen atoms stacked side by side.

But these tiny movements can be measured with incredible accuracy. A charge is applied between the moving pieces of silicon and two nearby sensors. Faint fluctuations in that charge, as small as that of 10 electrons, are picked up by a chip that translates it into an understanding of how the controller is moving.

Cool stuff, huh? It was funny that I saw this article just two days after my Dad wondered about how this stuff works.

Tiny springs keep Wii, PS3 under control

The internationally renown newspaper, The New York Times, has published its op-ed piece on the PS3. And they dislike it. They really dislike it. We’ve debated these points a million times, so there’s no point in going over them again; that’s just not the point.

Being a PlayStation fan is sometimes like being repeatedly kicked in the groin.

It’s like there’s an all-star lineup of game developer celebrities, industry icons, and now the most highly regarded newspaper on the planet to lend their credibility to denouncing the PS3. What’s next? Will U.S. President Bush declare the PS3 as a national terror? Will the international science community come to the consensus that the PS3 is the source of all pollution and global warming? Will a heavenly deity descend upon the Earth and smite the PS3 from this planet?

Please vent here.

From the PS3 launch: A Weekend Full of Quality Time With PlayStation 3
From the 360 launch in 2005: Microsoft Ups the Console Ante

Nike has created a PS3 Sneaker:

While this sounded ridiculous at first, apparently only 24 pairs of shoes were made as a limited collectors item kind of thing.

Nike PlayStation 3 Air Max 360/90 Hybrid