Nintendo’s been doing a bit of digging and it turns out it’s already won the console wars. If we’re only talking about the ladies, that is. A whopping 80% of American female primary gamers (the person who primarily uses the console rather than the occasional dabblers) do their thing on the Wii, which we see as a clear indication to the graphics-obsessed Xbox 360 and PS3 developers that women prefer their games to be fun to play, rather than just look at. Maybe if we also stopped dressing female characters in swimsuits, they’d find non-Wii games relatable too — that’s just a guess though, probably wrong.
Nintendo Wii has lion’s share of female console gamers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We were as surprised as anyone when the USAF threw down the cash for 300-odd PlayStation 3s back in March of last year, but what’s more shocking is that it’s now back for more — seven times more, in fact. Already employing its PS3 cluster for research into high-def video processing, the Air Force Research Lab wants to expand its capabilities significantly and it seems that Sony’s Cell processor is still its weapon of choice. We would use this opportunity to make a few jibes about lazy engineers upgrading their setups in time for Modern Warfare 2, but we’re better than that. We’ll also totally avoid noting that the US government’s skimping on costs now is leading it to commit to an instruction set tailored specifically to the Cell processor, which contrary to the latest Xeons — pricier though they may be — is not guaranteed to keep updating in pace with the USAF’s needs. Those are things we’ll leave for someone who isn’t afraid of death lasers and autonomous attack drones to say.
US Air Force orders up 2,200 more PS3s — for thinking, not gaming originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We’ve seen digital copies of Blu-ray via separate DVDs before (e.g. Watchmen), and just recently Sony finally cut out of the middle disc and put the transferable video on the high-def disc itself. Joystiq recently showcased how it’s done using a copy of Godzilla and a PlayStation 3. For this you’ll need a PSN account and the 12-digit code included in the disc case. The standard definition video, here clocking in at 2GB, will copy to the hard drive (not a separate download, thankfully), and then if you want to the PSP. All in all, it’s approximately a five-minute process. We can’t help but agree, the early batch of supported films — The Ugly Truth, Angels & Demons, and Godzilla from 1998 — isn’t exactly fine cinema dining, but surely this is just a sign of things to come. Want to see all the nitty-gritty details in action? Check out the video after the break.
Continue reading Sony’s Blu-ray digital copies tested on PS3, PSP
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Sony’s Blu-ray digital copies tested on PS3, PSP originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you’ve been lusting to indulge in all of those new social networking possibilities that the new PS3 firmware provides, today is your lucky day. And you know what that means:
the firmware 3.10 update! Are you ready to post trophies to your
Facebook page, signaling your gaming prowess to the world at large? Then you’ll want to travel over to the System Update option in your console. But first, make sure you hit up the Sony PR after the break for all the crucial details. You’re welcome.
Continue reading PS3 firmware 3.10 released with Facebook support, ‘richer’ trolling experience
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PS3 firmware 3.10 released with Facebook support, ‘richer’ trolling experience originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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After that false alarm about an October release date, the Tony Hawk: Ride bandwagon was all set for departure on November 17 and that’s exactly what’s happened. Available for a cent under $120, the new game / peripheral combo will allow players to shimmy, gesture, and ollie their way to (simulated) skateboarding immortality on the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii. The earliest European availability we can see is offered by Amazon UK, which indicates a December 4 launch for the Queen’s isles and a discounted £89 ($149) price. You can check out our own feets-on with that wireless controller right here or, if you so wish, peruse the full PR at the read link. What’s not optional, however, is missing the bonus “making of” video for that most radical of peripherals, which we’ve lovingly prepared for you just after the break.
Continue reading Tony Hawk Ride ready to rock indoor tricks in the US (video)
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Tony Hawk Ride ready to rock indoor tricks in the US (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Okay, pretend to be surprised if you want, but Facebook and PlayStation 3 are coming together, sort of. We saw the tiniest bit of teaser last week via leaked photo, and now we’ve got details and a release date. Users will have the option of sending status updates for PSN purchases and Trophies whenever the user syncs up the account to the PlayStation servers, and developers can now integrate automatic updates when certain game events occur, similar to what we saw with the recent Uncharted sequel. Unfortunately, some of the very basic functions you’d come to expect from Facebook apps, such as writing your own status updates, aren’t there yet. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more integration sooner rather than later, as the company’s noting this is just the beginning of the integration with the social network. Integration hits with firmware 3.10, which as we heard from a previous Sony Poland leak is this Thursday, just one day after Xbox Live’s Facebook integration debuts (how very convenient, indeed). Also in the update? New photo navigation and PSN gamer card options. Video after the break.
Continue reading Facebook for PlayStation 3 ‘begins’ this Thursday with firmware update 3.10 (video)
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Facebook for PlayStation 3 ‘begins’ this Thursday with firmware update 3.10 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Gamers in Japan with both a PSP and PS3 have been able to use the adhocParty service to expand their multiplayer gaming options for quite a while now, and it looks like folks in North America will soon finally be able to get in on the action as well. For those not up to speed on it, the service effectively lets you use your PS3 as a gateway to let you play PSP games with an ad hoc mode (like Gran Turismo or Monster Hunter) over the internet instead of simply with other PSP users near you. You’ll also be able to make use of the PS3’s wireless headset or PlayStation Eye for voice chat with the service, but you will have to make sure your PS3 is connected to the internet via Ethernet or a wireless bridge (since it makes use of the built-in WiFi to connect to the PSP). Still no firm word on a release date, but it will be a free download from the PlayStation Store.
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AdhocParty for PSP coming to North America ’soon’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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GameStop has been dropping hints about its digital download plans for a little while now, but it looks to have done its most extensive and official talking about the matter yet at the recent BMO Capital Management Digital Entertainment conference, where it confirmed that it will start testing the program “early next year” with kiosks in an unspecified number of stores. That program will apparently work in conjunction with services “such as Microsoft Corp’s Xbox Live and Sony Corp’s PlayStation Network,” and will focus primarily on add-on content rather than full game downloads. Why’s that, you ask? Well it seems that GameStop thinks “a large market for full game downloads is not imminent, (but) the add-on downloadable market will grow” — a view that some would obviously beg to differ with.
[Via Joystiq]
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GameStop to start testing game downloads early next year originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Although we were too late to verify for ourselves, both Joystiq and Scrawl swear up and down that the above three images, each of whom unfortunately lack a higher-res version, all hail from the official Sony Computer Entertainment Europe website, and each showing a feature of the PlayStation 3’s XMB we haven’t seen before: some form of Facebook integration, the ability to change gamercard colors, and a new method of photo organization / perusal. None of these would be too surprising or earth-shattering, really, and the juiciest question of them all — exactly when we might see these additions — is still a mystery.
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Leaked PS3 XMB images hint at Facebook integration, new image layout originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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For the most part, we’d say that Sony addressed the concerns of many when it introduced the PlayStation 3 Slim. The console was smaller, cheaper and easier on the eyes, and of course the 120GB hard drive didn’t hurt matters either. That said, we know that the redesign didn’t please everyone, and we’ve heard more than a few PS3 diehards complain about the new design. If it were you designing a newer, less expensive PlayStation 3, what would you have done differently? Kept PS2 backwards compatibility? Colored it white? Added HD DVD support? Don’t be scared to get a little crazy — besides, they call that “innovation” in the corporate world.
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How would you change Sony’s PlayStation 3 Slim? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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