The next iteration of Sony’s PSP handheld will feature a sliding screen, will no longer carry a UMD drive and will allow shoulder button-only games to be played when the screen is in its ‘closed’ position.
That’s according to a development source close to Sony, speaking to Eurogamer on condition of anonymity. We first broke the news of a new update to the system late last year, revealing that PSP-4000, the third incremental hardware revision of the console, is planned for release later this year.
While Sony has refused to comment so far, further rumours have emerged in the past week claiming that 4000 will represent the first major overhaul of the system, with a sliding screen added and the UMD drive removed.
Our development source today confirmed these reports, adding: “The screen is basically the same as the one in the 3000 – except it slides.” When ‘closed’, we were told, the screen won’t cover the entire face of the console, but the unit will be “significantly smaller in width” as a result.
With the console in its ‘closed’ state, most controls will be inaccessible. However, our source claims that games which use the shoulder buttons exclusively – such as LocoRoco – will be playable, as these inputs will still be accessible. It’s expected that the unit can also be used for media playback in this configuration.
Eurogamer further understands Sony is approaching developers for ideas for games that only require the shoulder buttons.
Sony said this afternoon it does not comment on rumour or speculation.
Well the DS and iPhone had a good run but it looks like, with this iteration of PSP, Sony will deal a crushing blow to both platforms. Stay tuned to SDF for further developments.
What seems to be Microsoft’s newest ad campaign against the SDF has recently been spotted on Youtube. It seems the recent layoffs at MS has effected their viral marketing campaign budget.
Being the unbiased site that we are, we have decided to post the video here for all to see. We here at SDF like to show both sides of the issues.
November NPDs were released a few days ago showing strong momentum of the Playstation family during a period of economic uncertainty. Sony is clear on their way to sell their projected 10 million Playstation 3′s during the fiscal year.
During 2009, Sony sees a number of stunning titles only possible with the power of the Playstation 3. February 27th begins the launch of the graphical showboat Killzone 2, which will be followed up with InFamous, Heavy Rain, Uncharted 2, Final Fantasy XIII (exclusive in Japan), and Gran Turismo 5. This amazing lineup of exclusives, coincidng with a potential price drop sometime in 2009, will mark a transitionary period for the Playstation 3′s sales.
2007 was the year of the PS3, along with 2008, and we’re happy to report that 2009 will be an even greater year of the PS3.
Sony Defense Force has been on a hiatus for a few months, but there’s a reason why we’ve been unable to deliver groundbreaking unbiased coverage for so long. That reason has something to do with a relatively unknown studio that resides in a far away land we like to call Amsterdam. For years, this studio has had to endure the scalding criticism of Xbox loyalists for the original KILLZONE failing to live up to its often-quoted ‘Halo Killer’ nickname.
While the status of being a ‘Halo Killer’ certainly isn’t an impressive accomplishment, we’re here to tell you that KILLZONE 2 not only destroys the HALO series in every single regard, but it will also make xbots question the very foundation of their pathetic existence. For years, there’s been a legion of Xombies following the lead of their master Microsoft, even if it meant having their poorly designed system fail on them twenty five times. And why? Becaude Microsoft’s system has a title called ‘Halo’ on it. Supposedly, the only first person shooter that matters to these savage fanatics. Ever since Halo 3′s release, there’s been a post-traumatic stress syndrome associated with the product; Halo 3 failed to deliver on all accounts and ultimately ended up being a very poorly received product in the hearts and minds of even faithful xbox fans. This resulted in the massive sales bitch-slapping the PS3 has given the Xbox 360 in 2008, despite the system costing $200-300 more than the competition.
We’ve spent the last few months extensively playtesting KILLZONE 2 at Guerrilla Games in Amsterdam in order to provide proper feedback for the final release, and it is unquestionably the greatest title in existence. The graphical fidelity of the product represents a true generational leap over Xbox 360 titles like Gears of War 2 and Halo 3. The graphics were so impressive that we were left wondering whether or not we were playing on Playstation 3 hardare rather than prototype Playstation 4 dev kits. Guerilla Games assured us that the game was playing on standard Playstation 3 systems and that no trickery was involved. The playstation 3′s power over the 360 was always readily apparent, but KILLZONE 2 makes the difference seem all the more astounding; like comparing the 360′s graphics to the Wii.
However, the good news is that KILLZONE 2 plays as good as it looks. While we can’t reveal much about it since we’re under strict NDA, it’s safe to say that the suicide rate is likely to increase in the coming months as Xbox fans question the meaning of their lives since the system they blindly support is an utter failure with a derivative, shoddily made title called Halo 3 failing to deliver. For many of these individuals, they will never be able to afford the quality of the Playstatation 3 and KILLZONE 2, which will ultimately lead them to suicide.
But for all of the Xbots out there that are feeling depressed that KILLZONE 2 rapes anything on the Xbox 360– fear not. You can still turn in your fanboy shirt at the door and purchase a reliable, quality system with true next generation graphics. Most doctors agree that the purchase of a Playstation 3 completely cures all illnesses associated with fanboys feeling depressed by purchasing an inferior Xbox 360. SDF supports life, and that’s why we support the Playstation 3. Can’t wait to see you guys in February.
Speaking during the QuakeCon keynote, id Software’s John Carmack has revealed that the Xbox 360′s DVD format could result in the developer’s upcoming game, Rage, being compromised on the platform.
According to Shacknews Carmack noted three DVDs will be needed for the Xbox 360 version, although royalty fees to include a third disc would rule out this option. Unless Microsoft makes a concession, id will be forced to release the game on two DVDs with heavy compression, thus making the game look worse than the PS3 version.
This was known since 2005 when it was revealed that the Playstation 3 would include the revolutionary Blu-Ray drive while Microsoft’s Xbox 360 was sticking to the vastly outdated DVD media. We’re already seeing games like Uncharted, Metal Gear Solid 4, and others look a generation apart from 360 exclusives, and we’re glad to see Carmack agree that the inclusion of Blu-Ray was a great choice and great for gamers.
This article is too good to pass up. Perhaps we should invite Jane Wells and her son to be guest editors on Sony Defense Force; they speak nothing but the truth –the power of the Playstation, the awesomeness of Blu-Ray, and the magnificence of Metal Gear Solid 4 compels Xbots to trade in their loud, noisy, ugly, horribly built, RROD’ing Xbox 360′s in for the superior Playstation 3. As last month’s NPD pointed out, gamers everywhere are waking up.
The Ultimate Proof Sony Is Winning
Posted By:Jane Wells
Topics:Video Games | Movies & Film Studios
Sectors:Travel and Leisure
Companies:Sony Corporation
Forget the analysts. Forget the NPD sales figures. Forget the CEO’s. I live with the ultimate expert on the video game industry—my 16-year-old son.
He not only plays video games, he watches every show about them on G4, he participates in chat rooms about them on the internet, he competes in a variety of games on a variety of platforms. He always tells me the latest trend three months before I read about it in the media.
But he’s never been a PlayStation fan. Sure, he had a PS1, but as soon as the Xbox came out, it was game over. He loved the Xbox graphics, and once he was old enough to play “Halo,†he loved the games. He graduated to the Xbox 360, Xbox Live, “Gears of War,†etc. He even hung in there during the overheating Xbox “red ring of death†phase. Other than a two-year detour/obsession playing “World of Warcraft†on his computer, he has always been an Xbox fanboy. Sony just didn’t have great games.
Last week he recorded all of G4’s E3 coverage so he could watch it after work (he’s got a summer job to save money to buy gas and videogames, in that order). He was very excited after Microsoft had its news conference. “You can stream Netflix movies onto the Xbox 360!†he exclaimed.
Then he watched the Sony press conference, and the world as we know it changed. After hearing about “Metal Gear Solid 4â€, as well as other PlayStation exclusives in the pipeline and the awesomeness of Blu-ray, he promptly packed up his Xbox 360 and all his games and went down to Game Stop to trade them in. He bought a PS3 and “Metal Gear Solid 4.†I had to be there to approve the purchase of the M-rated game since he’s not yet 17, and I was surprised at how rapturous the Game Stop employees were about Sony. They then sold him a USED copy of “Metal Gear Solid 4.†“How can the game already be used?†my son asked. “Because some people get frustrated if they don’t have ‘cheats’,†he was told. But the cashier assured him that the game “was just as good as new.†My son asked, “How can that be?†“Because PlayStation players are ninjas!†was the response.
I’m happy to say my son didn’t accept this answer. Perhaps that’s because he’s now spending his own hard-earned money to purchase these games. He said, “Seriously, how does that work?†And the Game Stop fanboys explained that Sony now has a special coating on Blu-ray game discs which makes them virtually scratch-proof. We shall see.
One thing we do know. We may not be able to stream Netflix movies onto the console (yet) but now we can start ordering them on Blu-ray.
As we left the store, I said to him, “I never thought I’d see you with a PlayStation.†“Neither did I,†he replied.
2008 is the year of the Playstation 3 and the year that we all forgot the Xbox 360 even existed.
PlayStation 3 405.5k
PSP 337.4k
Playstation 2 188.8k
Xbox 360 219.8k
Wii 666.7k
Nintendo DS 783k
01. PS3 METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUN OF THE PATRIOTS KONAMI 774.6K (Does not include bundles with PS3 hardware)
02. NDS GUITAR HERO ON TOUR ACTIVISION 422.3K
03. 360 NINJA GAIDEN II MICROSOFT 372.7K
04. WII FIT W/BALANCE BOARD NINTENDO OF AMERICA 372.7K
05. WII PLAY W/ REMOTE NINTENDO OF AMERICA 359.1K
06. 360 BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY ELECTRONIC ARTS 346.8K
07. WII MARIO KART W/WHEEL NINTENDO OF AMERICA 322.4K
08. WII LEGO INDIANA JONES: THE ORIGINAL ADVENTURE LUCASARTS 294.5K
09. NDS LEGO INDIANA JONES: THE ORIGINAL ADVENTURE LUCASARTS 267.8K
10. PS2 LEGO INDIANA JONES: THE ORIGINAL ADVENTURE LUCASARTS 260.3K
