Today, Divx announced that they’ll be bringing their video technology to the Sony PS3. According to InfoSyncWorld…
Current PS3 end users will be able to add DivX functionality to their system via a separate system software update at a forthcoming date. PS3 game title developers will be able to utilize DivX’s decoder technology by updating the system software of PS3’s SDK to version 2.00, which was released by Sony on November 2.
PCWorld has a pretty neat “discussion” with a freelancer named Nick Mediati.
The PS3 can already play DVDs, CDs, and Blu-ray discs, as well as numerous other audio and video formats, so it can already serve as more than just a gaming console. DivX support only solidifies the console’s role as a media center, especially if you already have a collection of DivX-formatted videos.
He makes a very good point, with this announcement… this truly makes the PS3 a “Media Center”.
With the Holiday season fast approaching, I thought it would be a good time to look at some of the games coming out for the PS3. So of the games listed below, which are going to be the ones your most interested in?
Oddly enough Sony forgot to remove Unreal Tournament 3 from the list. Midway has just recently pushed back the release date until sometime in 2008.
* The Eye of Judgment
* Heavenly Sword
* NBA 08
* Lair
* Folklore
* Ratchet & Clank(R) Future: Tools of Destruction(TM)
* Uncharted: Drakes Fortune(TM)
* Warhawk(TM)
* Call of Duty(R) 4: Modern Warfare(TM), Activision
* Guitar Hero(TM) III: Legends of Rock, Activision
* Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground, Activision
* Jericho(TM), Codemasters
* Kane & Lynch: Dead Men(TM), Eidos
* FIFA 08, EA
* Medal of Honor Airborne(TM), EA
* Rock Band(TM), EA
* Orange Box, The, EA
* Simpsons(TM) Game, The, EA
* Bladestorm(TM): The Hundred Years’ War, Koei
* LEGO(R) Star Wars(TM): The Complete Saga, Lucas Arts
* BlackSite(TM): AREA 51(R), Midway
* John Woo Presents Stranglehold(TM) Collector’s Edition
* Unreal Tournament(R) 3, Midway
* Time Crisis(R) 4, NAMCO BANDAI
* SEGA Rally Revo(TM), Sega
* College Hoops 2K8, Take 2 Interactive
* WWE(R) SmackDown(R) vs. Raw(R) 2008, THQ
* Juiced(TM) 2: Hot Import Nights(TM), THQ
* MX vs. ATV(TM) Untamed, THQ
* Assassin’s Creed(TM), UbiSoft
* Blazing Angels(R) 2: Secret Missions of WWII, UbiSoft
* Haze(TM), UbiSoft
* TimeShift(TM), Vivendi
* Elder Scrolls IV: OBLIVION(R) - Game of the Year Edition
Any game you were hoping to see hit the shelves before the holidays… not on the list?
Today Trend Micro announced they have a web security service coming out for the PS3. The new service was built to block malicious websites using URL filtering combined with web reputation.
The service will be available on November 8, and will be free of charge until the end of April 2008. This service is the first globally supported Web security service for a home game system.
So what do you think about this news? It’s pretty big news that people are seeing game consoles for more than just playing games.
God of War fans can rejoice, it’s official… the PS3 is getting part 3 of the saga.
G4TV.com had this to say about the upcoming title…
Sony’s killer app quotient just officially got a little more realistic, what with the official announcement that SCEA is working on God of War III at their Santa Monica studios. This time, Kratos will be coming to the next generation, and we can only imagine that will mean that an already-almost-perfect game will be getting that much better. At least it will be larger and prettier, and can more God of War ever be a bad thing?
It’s going to be interesting to see how they handle GOWIII, since the designer of the previous GOW title quit the company.
So what do you guys thing about this news?
It seems that the PS3 is going to have a stellar holiday season. Moms and Dads around the nation are going to be buying their little ones a console for Christmas… but where is the best place to purchase one? Well, if you ask kotaku.com.. they’ll say it’s Dell.
Yes, you just read me right, Dell… the same Dell that makes computers. The package that they’ll be pushing is the new 40GB console with Spider-Man 3 Blu-ray, Startech 6ft HDMI cable (instead of the standard AV cable), and a copy of Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. If you add all that up that is going to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $488… but this same package at Dell is only $399.
So keep this in mind when trying to navigate the hoards of Christmas shoppers trying to find a PS3… when you can stay at home and eShop. Nothing says Merry Christmas better than shopping in your boxers.
It looks as though Sony is looking to cash in on Nintendo’s Wii supply shortages for the holidays. As you probably know, they have just released a cheaper version of the system at $399 for 40GB.
This and reports of PS3 sales catching up to the Wii in Japan combine to solidify Sony’s place as a contender in the race for console domination (though they’ve still got a ways to go) .
The company just started a new marketing campaign over the weekend to push the 40GB system and its games, not to mention it’s Blu-ray playing capability. The console is even being bundled with Spider-man 3.
For more on this, check out this article at SF Gate.
Game manufacturer Konami has delayed the release of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots until 2008.
According to DBTechno.com…
Konami along with Hideo Kojima have been stating all along that Metal Gear Solid 4 would be seeing a worldwide release this winter. This left many to believe that the game would be out around the time of February 2008. Konami has stated though that the new release date was needed “in order to make further improvements to the quality of th egame and provide even greater enjoyment for more customers worldwide.”
Konami still maintains that they’ll still release Metal Gear Solid 4 simultaneous worldwide… but now it’s just sometime in 2008.
The Sony blog, threespeech.com, posted the following about the impending firmware 2.0 update, “News on that is coming tomorrow but it will be within the next two weeks!!”.
Last week Kotaku.com posted a full detailed “rumor” about what is suppose to be coming in with the update… head over there to check it out.
An international two-day press event was held this week by the Blu-ray Disc Association, the event was to drive awareness for their next-gen DVD format. The PlayStation 3, also a Blu-Ray player, is expected to set the format up for the long haul and was a major part of the summit.
Blu-ray Group vice president, Victor Matsuda, said that the upcoming bundle of Spider-Man 3 on Blu-ray with the new 40GB PS3 is part of ploy to establish the PS3 as being a Blu-ray player as well as a video game console.
According to Next-Gen.biz Matsuda said “When consumers launch themselves into a new technology, building a library is what they do and this is the first concrete step into building that library”. He also stated that they’ll be marketing the movie playback as part of a holiday push.
Obviously, Blu-ray is trying to distance themselves from their competitor HD-DVD this holiday season. I’ve not seen a heated battle like this since the Dan or Dave stuff from the early 90’s.
So let me ask you this question… Who will win: Blu-ray or HD-DVD? Leave me a comment with your thoughts.
