Gamertell

According to a new posting at Kotaku, Sony’s upcoming DualShock 3 controller has finally received a US release date. The PlayStation 3 rumble-enhanced controller (which, as the post points out, has been on gamers’ minds since the system’s launch) will be arriving in US stores on April 15, 2008 (just in time for GT5 Prologue), for an MSRP of $54.99.

It’s about time! I’ll the spare the easy “gamers don’t want rumble” jokes and just be glad that the PS3 is finally getting it. I know I wouldn’t want to play Metal Gear Solid 4 without it.

Read [Kotaku]

According to the PlayStation Blog, “father of the PlayStation” Ken Kutaragi has just been honored with the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences’ (AIAS) 2008 lifetime achievement award. The ceremony occurred earlier this week at the D.I.C.E. summit in Las Vegas.

Kutaragi is famous for his engineering skill, and is credited with much of the success of the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 consoles.

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Better dust off Alastor and reload ebony and ivory, because its time to unleash a flurry of awesome beat downs to a hungry horde of demons. The Devil May Cry 4 playable demo is now available through both the PlayStation Network Store (PS3) and on Xbox Live (Xbox 360).

The demo introduces us to a new character in the DMC franchise, Nero, along with his unique movements and attack combos. Many familiar faces make appearances in the new game, including Lady from DMC3 and Trish from the first game. I haven’t seen any hints that Lucia from DMC2 will be in the game but the new female character, Gloria, seems to have…

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The Playstation Store is expanding its reach onto the Playstation Portable. Players can now download games, trailers, demos, themes, and Playstation games to their PC for their PSP. The PSP game demos, trailers, and themes will all be free downloads, but people must pay to download PSP games and PS1 games. After paying and downloading the content to a computer, it can then be transferred over to the PSP via USB cable and enjoyed.

At the moment only a few items are available for the PSP in the store, but the number is sure to grow. Three PSP games are available for purchase at the moment, and they are Syphon Filter: Combat Ops ($9.99), WipEout Pure ($14.99) and Gangs of London ($19.99). There are more PSone downloadable titles available though, and they include Castlevania Symphony of the Night ($9.99), Crash Bandicoot ($5.99), Hot Shots Golf 2 ($5.99), Spyro the Dragon ($5.99), Tekken 2 ($5.99), Twisted Metal 2 ($5.99) and WipEout ($5.99).

There are quite a few freebies to be found there as well including free demos of Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow and SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Tactical Strike have just been added. PSPs with the 3.70 can have themes, which are customized icons and wallpapers, and the Playstation Store has three free themes up for download. One of them, “Cookies,” comes preinstalled on all new PSP slims. The other two are a “Classy Pink” theme and a ”Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow” theme. Free Parappa, WipEout Pure, SOCOM, and Syphon Filter wallpapers are also available to download.

Sure you can see why Sony might want to make everything downloadable through the store, but it can be a bit of a hassle just to download a demo or theme now. Even if its a free item, you have to make an account. If you’d just be doing it for the game demos, it might be a better idea to frequent the PSP Fanboy demo page. That way you get access to all PSP demos available, not just North American ones.

As for the downloadable games, they seem like a waste of space and money. A good memory card for the PSP can be upwards of $34.99. It seems like a waste to load it up with games, when you could find the same game at a store for about the same price. In fact, the games they have offered are probably cheaper if you go to Gamestop and just pick up a UMD version used.

Read [Kotaku] Site [Playstation Store]

Rumors can be exacerbating especially when shrugged off with a cold shoulder.  Another rumor has been officially dismissed as if it was the most ridiculous thing that could possibly happen. There was a report in the Economic Times of India on Wednesday (November 17, 2007) that led to strong speculation about a Playstation cellphone device, and it seemed credible as it quoted Sony Computer Entertainment’s co-chief operating officer, Jim Ryan, on the issue.

Jim Ryan was quoted as saying, “The playstation is a proven success and so is Sony Ericsson. Convergence with the two arms working together is definitely plausible.” He was even quoted as far as having called it a “seductive” proposition.

But the rumor-flaying reflexes of Sony have become active and it has dismissed the possibility of a Playstation Phone. The company has said that Jim Ryan was misquoted by the paper and the company doesn’t have any plans of a Playstation Phone right now.

Although the rumor has been officially shot down, such plans can not be ruled out in the future. This is because if Nokia’s new N-Gage service catches on with cellphone users then Sony Ericsson might be tempted to seek help from Sony’s gaming division in providing a better gaming experience, which rivals the N-Gage one. 

However, if it ever happens, it might not be a dedicated gaming phone but a gaming service on the lines of the N-Gage platform, as a dedicated gaming phone would also threaten to encroach upon the PSP’s market share.

Read [Next-Gen] Also Read [Economic Times of India]

Yet another amazing figure/statue in the Master Creatures 2 series is being released by Kotobukiya. This figure is of of Odin from Final Fantasy IX and has been created by master sculptor Takayuki Takeya.

There are only two of these available from this site and each costs $32. Here’s a brief bit of background from the site:

“This fantastic model is of the dark and ominous Odin summon from the Final Fantasy IX game for Playstation [released in 2000]. Measuring at 5 inches tall, this highly detailed work of art is fully painted and made of high quality PVC.”

According to a competitor’s site, however, the figure may actually be 6 1/2 in. tall.  Either way, it looks pretty firggin’ cool. Like other figures in this series, they are released in Japan before the US so if you import it, you’ll be the coolest collectibles kid on the block for at least a few weeks.

Product Page [Odin Figure] Site [Kotobukiya]

EDITOR’S NOTE: J-List feature items not suitable for gamers under the age of 18. As such, we provide links to J-Box, which is suitable for gamers of all ages.

The latest update for the Sony PlayStation3 console firmware was released on May 24, 2007, bringing the version up to 1.80. PS3 updates can be downloaded through the PS3 (connected to the web, of course), downloaded via an external media source (eg. Flash drive) or from a recently released game disc.

In this latest release, a new “Search for Media Servers” icon was added to every media menu column, video display was improved and a printing feature was added.

Here are all the new features added in ver. 1.80 as indicated on the Sony site:

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Added to the Playstation Store this week, available for download through the PS3:

Calling All Cars ($9.99) - This 3D racing game, by the creator of God of War, is packed full of cartoony weapons, vehicles, explosions and humor. According to G4 this game was delayed and tweaked after a few critics made some not-so-nice comments.

flOw ($4.99) - Temporarily reduced from $7.99, flOw features a slimy water creature that nibbles away at tiny organisms. It’s surreal gaming at its cute and weirdest.

Rampage ($4.99) - Killer monkeys. I said KILLER MONKEYS! This was listed in Sony’s press release but not yet appearing on the site, thoguh I did find it listed under Game Trailers (the “Video” tab on the web site).

Also, on the classic gaming side, are mortal Kombat II, Gauntlet II and Rampart, each available for $4.99.

Playstation download count (according to the Playstation site):

• Downloadable Games: 25
• Demos (Games): 15
• Add-Ons (Games): 8
• Blue-Ray Trailers (DVDs): 14
• Game Trailers: 48
• Theatrical Trailers: 31

Site [Playstation Store]