With the recent logo changes to the PlayStation 3, Firmware 3.0 is likely to bring about a change to the boot screen. A video was spotted on YouTube showing the new boot screen already on the pS3 Slim console, sporting the new logo. Currently, the PS3 boot screen says ‘Sony Computer Entertainment’. Only PS3 Slims could have this new boot screen, but it’s difficult to tell at the moment.
This week a bunch of new stuff is coming out for Crash Commando including a patch, new characters and a new map pack. On August 27th, a patch will go live with a number of new improvements (see below) as well as some cool new downloadable add-ons for you. Three character add-on packs will be released this Thursday, each containing two new playable characters, and a new map pack.
Its only been a few weeks since the first Red Faction: Guerrilla DLC pack, Demons of the Badland, was announced, and already a new pack in inbound. The second downloadable content pack will deliver destructive new multiplayer modes and maps. The Multiplayer Pack will feature two new modes, Bagman and Team Bagman, along with eight new maps, playable across all multiplayer modes.
At GamesCom, the PS3 wasn’t the only thing that got smaller. The entire PlayStation 3 branding was revamped to improve visibility. According to Kazuo Hirai, “when you have PlayStation 3 spelt out, the aspect ratio was such that if you wanted it on a billboard it became tiny. It didn’t work in terms of visibility.” The logo no longer uses the Spiderman font to sell out the entire system name; instead, it is now just “PS3” and uses a new font.
The first TV ads for Sony’s new PS3 Slim have surfaced online. This Japanese campaign focuses on the fun your face is having while you play video games. When we mean fun, we mean all kinds of people from different age groups and lifestyles, grunting, laughing, climaxing, what-have-you. This isn’t the first time Sony has released a odd advert to promote its products. Check out the adverts below.
The PlayStation Network will be undergoing maintenance tomorrow, Tuesday the 25th of August. As a result you will be unable to sign in to the PSN between 4:15pm and 9:05pm UK time. The maintenance window is global. If you’re already signed in before the maintenance begins, however, you should be able to stay connected to the PSN servers. It is likely that you’ll be disconnected and required to sign back in once the PSN comes back up at 9:05pm, though.
Speaking to the Times Online at GamesCom, Sony head Kazuo Hirai confirmed that Sony’s answer to Microsoft’s Project Natal is set for a spring launch next year. The motion controller from Sony was originally announced at E3 in July this year. The device, which uses the PSEye to track 3D movement and accelerometer within the device itself to track movement, is expected to be a major step up on Nintendo’s Wiimote.
PlayStation Network Cards are coming to Europe this September in £20 / €20 and £50 / €50 denominations. If you don’t own a credit card, this is a simple and easy way to add credit to your PSN Wallet. Once aspect about these cards is different from the US PSN Cards, however. The European PSN Cards will come inside a PlayStation 3 games case, as shown on PlayStation.com (see below).
SOCOM: Confrontation will be updated this Tuesday when Patch v1.50 deploys. Patch 1.50 includes many new and diverse features including but not limited to: Clan Ladders, Tournaments, Calendar, Follow-A-Friend, and Private Games. Along with these features there are many optimizations, enhancements and fixes. The changelog for this update is huge (see below). The update will be live Tuesday morning, Pacific time.
More and more details about the PS3 Slim are starting to emerge as we edge closer to the release date. The latest tech news out of Japan indicates that the PS3 Slim will bitstream Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio direct to your receiver. The HDMI chip on the older PS3 models bitstream new high-def codecs like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA, having to decode it internally and then sending the data to your receiver via LPCM.
