Sony will launch the PlayStation 3 console in Europe on 17 November, pricing the next-generation console and Blu-ray Disc player at just €499 (£342). As expected, the ‘banana’ controller unveiled by Sony last year has gone, replaced by a more classically styled motion-sensing wireless gamepad. The console also sports a hard drive.

The controller harks back to the PS2’s unit – as does the PS3’s new black colour scheme. Clearly, Sony wants to trade on the familiarity many consumers have with the new console’s predecessors. It’s even revived the original PlayStation logo.

The console’s specifications are largely as expected, and Sony confirmed earlier hints that the machine will indeed ship with a built-in hard drive – either 20GB or 60GB, depending on which model your buy. The 60GB version costs €599 (£410). Both prices match exactly those let slip by a Sony executive last month and soon after denied by the company.

Storage is further augmented with a three-in-one card reader capable of taking SD and CompactFlash cards as well as MemoryStick media. There are four USB ports.

The console has on-board 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0, and Gigabit Ethernet for wired networks. The optical drive also reads DVDs, CDs and – typical Sony, this – Super Audio CDs. The unit does multi-channel audio in variety of formats, and provides RCA audio/video, optical digital audio and HDMI output ports.

Not all these features will be available in both models: the low-end box appears to lack Wi-Fi, HDMI and the card reader.
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Need for Speed Most Wanted Demo description

Wake up to the smell of burnt asphalt as the thrill of illicit street racing permeates the air. From the makers of the hit Need for Speed Underground series, Need for Speed Most Wanted challenges players to become the most notorious and elusive street racer.

Combining illicit street racing and tuner customization with the intensity of strategic police pursuit that surpasses any Hollywood-style chase scene, Need for Speed Most Wanted will be on every gamer’s ‘must-have’ list this holiday season. Out-race rivals, evade cops and exploit hundreds of miles of open road as gamers make their way up the Blacklist.

To become the most wanted racer, players must build up their street cred and Rap Sheet with gripping, white knuckle, head-to-head races with the top drivers on the streets, as well as pull daring, evasive moves to out-run and out-fox the cops that patrol the open road. Players can manage their heat or utilize a number of strategic tactics to keep the cops off their tails as they leave their rivals behind to suck their exhaust fumes.

Need for Speed Most Wanted also features a variety of the hottest cars that range from tuners to super cars. You can customize your ride to race against any class of vehicles. The streets will be your playground and you’re teritorry

Here are some key features of Need for Speed Most Wanted:

·Open Road, Open World: Rule the streets as the most notorious street racer in various regions that include edgy industrial and urban environments. In the game, the environment can be a friend for a foe. Players will master short-cuts as well as use the traffic and destructible environments to their advantage.
·All-New Gameplay: Need for Speed Most Wanted features new and exciting gameplay that incorporates strategic cop pursuit and skill-based evasion techniques with illicit street racing.
·Visual Customization: Whether gamers are trying to lose the cops or they just want to pimp their ride, Need for Speed Most Wanted offers extensive visual customizations.
·Blacklist: As players enter the world of illicit street racing, they must go up against the best street racers on the scene to earn respect and rise to the top of the Blacklist.
·Rap Sheet: Players will build up their Rap Sheet with record breaking times, street challenges and out-foxing an escalation of police vehicles, tactics and technology.
·Performance Tuning: Can’t compete against a sports car? Head to the safehouse and tune up your ride to race against any class of vehicles.
·Next-Gen Graphical Features: Need for Speed Most Wanted for the next generation console delivers the next level of graphical excellence in video games. Utilizing graphical techniques including normal mapping and real-time lighting, the graphical experience is incomparable to any racing game on the market.
·Race Online* Need For Speed Most Wanted features online play for Xbox 360, Xbox, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and the PC.

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

*Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Professional, or Windows XP Home operating system
*Intel Pentium III (or equivalent) CPU running at 1.2GHz or higher
*32MB DirectX 9.0c compatible video card (Geforce2 or higher) using a supported chipset (see below)
*256 MB RAM
*DirectX compatible sound card
*3 GB of HD space
*8X CD-ROM

Source:Softpedia.com
Download Size:544.3mb
Download Link 1:Need for Speed: Most Wanted Demo
Download Link 2:EA games (ftp)
Download Link 3:3dgamers.com
Download Link 4:Filefront.com

Posting some pictures of the new soon to come Sony Playstation 3
looking at the pics its looking cool
sleek and slim
however the contoller looks a bit too big and uncomfortable
well looking forward for the release of this console
till then all i can do is drool at the pics

The Backside View

The Front View

The Panel

The Side view

Finally 3 colors to choose from

The controller i was talking about

- GPU: RN520 x 2core (16MB eDRAM), N are the meaning of Nintendo, PC R520 AMR technology, Are different in ATi R500.

- Memory : 512MB. CPU GPU share

- PPU : the processor only for physical simulations (32MB)

- The independent audio processor

- 720p and 1080i HDTV standards.

Source:Click

The recent settlement in the long-running legal spat between Valve and VU Games will see Valve’s entire portfolio of boxed product being pulled from shelves in August – creating a potential loss of millions to UK retail alone.

Under the terms of the settlement, VU Games is required to cease distribution of Valve’s games – up to and including Half-Life 2, and Valve properties developed by other companies, such as Counter-Strike Condition Zero – on August 31st.

Valve, whose heavily promoted online distribution service, Steam, was the root of much of Vivendi-Universal’s legal complaint, has remained silent on the question of whether its back catalogue and future titles will be distributed in boxed form by a new publishing partner, or whether it plans to move entirely to online sales.

However, the developer has hinted strongly that the forthcoming Half-Life 2 expansion pack, Aftermath, will be available through Steam only – at least initially – which points to the future direction the company may be planning.

Such a move would be a major blow to traditional retailers. In the UK alone, Valve’s PC products accounted for over a quarter of a million unit sales last year – which translates as around £8 million in revenue through the tills.

The story is repeated in other territories around the world; Half-Life 2 was one of the best-selling games on the PC last year, despite its availability on Steam, and titles such as Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and budget priced packs like Half-Life Generations have also sold strongly.

If Valve does pull its catalogue from stores, the move will be watched with keen interest by other players in the PC game market. With margins growing increasingly tight in this sector for many developers, the chance to establish direct sales to consumers is a hugely attractive one – but one which could seriously affect the sales of more “hardcore” PC game titles through traditional retailers.

“We’re yet to hear exactly how Valve plan to distribute their portfolio once this is in place,” Doug Bone, sales and marketing director of UK retailer Simply Games told GamesIndustry.biz today, “but if it IS via Steam, then I’d suggest there’s an element of trying to run before they can walk.”

“Steam is regarded in a love / hate manner by people that have used it (in equal measures),” he continued, “and whilst I understand why Valve are trying to do this, there are as many pros and cons for them as there are for VU and retailers. In short, does Valve no longer want to sell to browsing customers? Impulse buyers that like to browse a range on a shelf then buy accordingly?”

“Were they to limit the distribution of their range purely to the hardcore that hunt down Valve product via an exclusive site, I’m not convinced that, now, in 2005, this will improve their revenues and profitability from its existing model…”

Another group who will be hit by the settlement are cyber-café operators, many of whom purchased site licenses for Valve products from VU Games or its subsidiary, Sierra – particularly due to the popularity of Counter-Strike among café denizens. Those licenses will now be terminated.

It’s also as-yet unknown who will now be publishing Half-Life 2 on Xbox, which is due for release in late summer, with VU Games referring all queries on the matter to Valve – who had not responded to our request for comment at the time of publication.

ArticleCourtesy:gameindustry.biz

Remedy, makers of the stylish Max Payne franchise, send word confirming that it will be showing off their next game at E3 next month from ATI’s booth, plus announced that they are self funding the title.

After the completion of Max Payne 2, there has been a continuous, active interest towards Remedy’s next title from both the press and the gamers. So far the developer has remained silent and kept a strict focus on the pre-production of a new game franchise of their own design.

Petri Jarvilehto, Lead Game Designer, comments on the company’s silence: “Focus is important to us, we want to minimize distractions and to concentrate on making the best possible game. We felt that now would be the perfect time to give everyone a first look of what we’ve been up to. Once we get back from E3 we will pull down the shades, close the doors and get back to work.”

Remedy is currently self-funding the new title. “For a small, independent developer we are in a rare position of being able to maintain our own vision of what a perfect game is about. We are uncompromising and passionate about our work,” says Jarvilehto, and continues, “Our previous games have been successful, gamers have come to expect a lot from us, so there is a lot of positive pressure as well. We are thrilled to show what we have been up to since the Max Payne games.”

The game is targeted for the next generation of consoles and PCs. The release date has not been announced.

“Having worked with Remedy extensively in the past, we knew that the development of their next title was focused on creating the ultimate gaming experience,” says Michael Smith worldwide developer relations manager at ATI. “When we previewed the title at Game Developers Conference, we were blown away by its advanced graphics technologies. It’s going to be one of the most talked about titles at this year’s E3!”

News source: IGN