Tekken 5: DR alive and kicking on PS3

Namco Bandai fighting game arrives today on PlayStation Store alongside firmware update.

Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection missed the announced February release window for its PS3 debut, but it looks like the game won't have missed it by much. Sony Computer Entertainment announced that Dark Resurrection would be made available for download from the PlayStation store sometime today, with an asking price of $19.99.
Based on the arcade and PlayStation Portable editions that preceded it, Dark Resurrection for the PS3 includes a few new features of its own. Namco Bandai has said the game has been "optimized for the HD era" with 1080p visuals and the chance to take control of Jinpachi Mishima, the game's previously unplayable final boss.
Joining Dark Resurrection on the PS3's slate of downloadable offerings today is a behind-the-scenes look at MotorStorm, a trailer for the upcoming Nancy Drew film, and a new firmware update. PS3 owners can now download firmware version 1.54, which adds new features for video chatting.

Via Gamespot

Sega Rally Revo shifts to fall 2007

Publisher narrows down date of rally racer to this fall on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC; eight environment types confirmed for final release.

Sega of America today released some new screenshots of the upcoming game Sega Rally Revo, due out for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. Tucked away in the press release was also another nugget of info for rally-racing fans: the game's updated release date.
Sega Rally Revo is now scheduled for a fall 2007 release, a push back from its original release date of early 2007, which was given on the game's announcement at 2006's Electronic Entertainment Expo.
Some updated details on the game were also announced today. In addition to the previously known real-time deformation of tracks, the game will include eight environment types based on real-world locations. Car classes will include licensed 4WD, 2WD, and "classic" cars, as well as multiplayer modes that will be available both online and offline.

Via Gamespot

GDC Video: Calling All Cars' David Jaffe

With the Game Developers Conference winding down on Friday, GameSpot News caught up with Sony's Santa Monica studios creative director David Jaffe for a few quick questions.
Jaffe talked about his passion for working on downloadable games, how he handles the drama surrounding the PlayStation 3, and his participation in this year's Game Design Challenge (which was ultimately won by the Russian designer of Tetris and Hexic, Alexey Pajitnov).
In addition to his entry in the Game Design Challenge, Jaffe was in San Francisco to show off his latest project, the downloadable PS3 game Calling All Cars.

Via Gamespot

European Sony PS3 has inferior backward compatibility

Sony said today that the European version of the PlayStation 3 console will have less backward compatibility as the U.S. and Japanese models."The backwards compatibility is not going to be as good as the U.S. and Japan models," a Sony representative said.
PlayStation 3 was launched in Japan and North America in November. The model that will be introduced in Europe on March 23 will be designed differently.
Software will take over some of the functionality that was originally taken care of by dedicated chips, which means far fewer PlayStation 2 games can be played on a European PS3 compared with the Japanese and American PS3 models that play 98 percent of old games.
"Sony is managing expectations by saying now that the new console will play fewer of the old games. And that's a good thing," said analyst Alex Kwiatowski at British market research group Vertical Market Technologies.

Via DVH

Sony to allow movie, TV downloads on Playstation 3

MUMBAI: Japanese media conglomerate Sony has announced that users of the PlayStation 3 will shortly be able to download Sony movies and television shows on their gaming console. Sony made this announcement to hype the launch of the PlayStation 3 in Europe as well as push more sales of the system in the US. In creating a movie and music download service for the PlayStation 3, Sony will be putting itself in competition most directly with Microsoft and the Xbox 360 platform. The inclusion of a hard drive in the PlayStation 3 is part of a larger strategy to boost the PlayStation's presence as an entertainment hardware device, rather than just a game machine.

20GB PS3 At 200 Inches With Thousand Dollar Cable

Holy snot! Just take a look at Japanese gadget critic Yoshio Ohara's set-up. So sweet that a 20GB PS3 was hauled over to his house to see how it would look connected with a US $1,200 HDMI cable and projected on a 200-inch theater screen. Once hooked up, things like reading the print on the initial screens were difficult — Most likely, due to the fact the game wasn't designed for 200 inches. That aside, playing Ridger Racer 7 was compared to riding a theme park ride. Can you imagine?

Via Kotaku

PlayStation 3 Has Worst Week Ever

Sony just can’t catch a break. Recent Japanese sales data on the PlayStation 3 indicate that the expensive console has had its worst week since its launch in Japan. In the week ending January 14th, Sony sold a paltry 25,531 units.
Overall, the console market has slowed. The Wii turned in its second worst week with sales of 93,708. The Xbox 360 sold a meager 9,035 units. The source of the sales data is Media Create, Co., a Japanese console gaming research company.
The big news is that while Sony claims to have shipped a large amount of consoles the sales reported by retailers is fairly low, indicating that once well publicized shortage is being replaced apathy on the part of consumers.
PlayStation 3 games are slow to sell also. The highest ranking game “Resistance: Fall of Man” came in at #40 on the list of top selling games.
Whether the generally slow sales of consoles in Japan represents market glut, lack of interest or something else entirely remains to be seen. However, Sony may be in for a tough year as it looked for sales of the PlayStation 3 to revive slumping profits.

Via Slipperybrick