Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/13 minutes of FarCry 2 footagehttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/07/13-minutes-of-farcry-2-footage/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/07/13-minutes-of-farcry-2-footage/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/07/13-minutes-of-farcry-2-footage/#commentsFiled under:

Taken at the Leipzig Games Convention, this 13-minute video gives a good taste of what FarCry 2 will have to offer. If you don't know yet, FarCry 2 takes place on the African savannah in a giant sandbox environment. Obviously, Ubisoft's Montreal Studio (Crytek is off doing Crysis) don't consider the now-classic Survivor: Africa issue a problem. When the television show Survivor went to Africa something got lost (like beautiful blue water and lush green vegetation) and they never went back to anything similar. FarCry 2 continues the gaming trend of a more brown environmental color palette. It'll be interesting to see how fans react to the new environment.

And before the calls of racism start over a white man going on a shooting rampage in Africa, the people you are shooting appear to be white. At least we think they are, way too much movement in the video to be sure, but a lot of the still images in the gallery below show white people. Although that opens up a whole other set of issues.

The game does look beautiful and is still in a pre-Alpha build. The title is expected next spring on PC. With any luck we'll get some console release projections in the near future. There is also a special introduction announcement for the FarCry 2 footage after the break.

Gallery: Far Cry 2



Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>demoFar-Cry-2farcry2lgc07Alexander Sliwinski2007-09-07T14:00:00+00:00Games Convention can't leave Leipzig until 2009 and probably won'thttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/03/games-convention-cant-leave-leipzig-until-2009-and-probably-won/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/03/games-convention-cant-leave-leipzig-until-2009-and-probably-won/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/03/games-convention-cant-leave-leipzig-until-2009-and-probably-won/#commentsFiled under: ,

A little more information is coming out about the rumor from early July that the Leipzig Games Convention may be moving in 2008. According to GI.biz, it couldn't even leave until 2009 anyway and would require the permission of the event's organizers -- the Leipziger Messe. The brand is owned by Leipziger Messe, so a change in location or design would require the permission of the organization.

According to a representative from Leipziger Messe, the rumor actually got started because their contract for the convention center expires in '08. They say that contracts are negotiated in terms of years, so they just have to renegotiate their contract for the grounds past '08. Unless there's something that the Leipziger Messe is hiding, it looks like they plan to stay in Leipzig with the Games Convention for years to come -- not like it hasn't been successful.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>leipziglgc07movingrumorAlexander Sliwinski2007-09-03T10:30:00+00:00Leipzig, booth babes, video, nudity, NSFWhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/28/leipzig-booth-babes-video-nudity-nsfw/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/28/leipzig-booth-babes-video-nudity-nsfw/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/28/leipzig-booth-babes-video-nudity-nsfw/#commentsFiled under:


The picture above is about to get NSFW in one frame ... in just one frame it goes from normal marketing cosplay to borderline furry pron. GameTrailers put together a Girls Gone Wild-esque segment of all the Leipzig booth babe fit for video (which we have placed after the break). We joke, the video is very tastefully done, as tasteful as one can get editing together flesh shots meant to titillate. On some level it's great culture context, for our puritan American eyes, public displays of boobies burns us they do.

Leipzig obviously takes a different approach to displays of the female form than E3. Although it was a moot point this year, the last "real" E3 had a ban on booth babes. We re-emphasize that the video after the break is not safe for work, don't come crying to us if your boss catches you -- although, for all we know, he might be into furries.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>boothbabesfurrygametrailerslgc07nsfwnuditysexwomenAlexander Sliwinski2007-08-28T10:44:00+00:00LGC07: Nintendo booth tour reminds us we're not the target audience anymorehttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/27/lgc07-nintendo-booth-tour-reminds-us-were-not-the-target-audie/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/27/lgc07-nintendo-booth-tour-reminds-us-were-not-the-target-audie/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/27/lgc07-nintendo-booth-tour-reminds-us-were-not-the-target-audie/#commentsFiled under: ,

While Microsoft and Sony both held press conferences during the Leipzig Games Convention, Nintendo decided to take a more personal approach and conducted three booth tours during the official 'Business Day'. After all, telling an entire audience that they've been dumped should be done face to face, right? The booth tour served as a way to let us know that, no, we're no longer needed and, yes, we've been traded in for a different audience. An older, more mainstream demographic.

The tour started off inside the press-only section of the Nintendo booth. Hidden behind the white curtains and giant Wii disc slots were a number of stands showing off some of the big titles that will be out for Wii and DS this year, namely Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Pokemon Battle Revolution, Zack and Wiki, Flash Focus and English Training. Within fifteen minutes, and after a short video showcasing these titles, we were led outside into the public area. "We are now leaving the old world of video games," said the translation device in my ear, "and entering the new world of video games." My heart sank. Given the choice, I'd much rather stay in the "old" world of video games.

We stepped into the public area of the Nintendo booth, three times the size of the private area, and filled with DSs loaded with Brain Age and Flash Focus, a make-your-own Mii station and a gang of Wii Sports and Wii Fit stands. Here we remained for the next 45 minutes, listening to various lectures. The first felt very much like a "it's not you, it's us" speech detailing, basically, how much more successful the Wii and DS are compared to anything else on the video game market. "But look how much money we're making. How can we not abandon hardcore gamers?" was all I heard.


Brain Training (called Brain Jogging in Germany) is apparently incredibly successful here, along with Nintendogs. 1 Million copies of the latter were sold in Germany alone, with Brain Jogging remaining in the top ten for 60 weeks. At this point, we started getting bored and decided to play with the translator device. A wireless radio receiver which allowed someone, somewhere, to translate what the German Nintendo representative was saying on the fly. Seemingly bored himself, and hilariously British, the translator sounded like he'd missed his calling as a voice for public service announcements. "Now little Timmy knows the reason behind friend codes: Pedophiles -- gaming's hidden danger."

The speech finally ended with a random sidenote about how companies are using Wiis during their lunch breaks. Companies like Bosch. (Hmm, the translator device is made by Bosch ...) We were then invited to try out Flash Focus, an eye training game. Clearly, Nintendo won't be satisfied until every part of our face has been sufficiently trained. I can't wait for the peripheral that comes out with Nose Training.


We moved on towards the next part of the booth: a Mii creation station. We started to wonder if anyone even makes Miis anymore. We were told that everyone has a different idea of what Nintendo means to them. "What's your Nintendo," we were asked. "My Nintendo is gaming anywhere with my DS!" said one person.

Up next was a collection of Big Brain Academy stands. We were shown an advert for Brain Jogging which included a potentially very famous, and apparently clever, German. He only scored a brain age of 25, though, so he's not that clever -- there's still another five years for him to shave off! When the advert ended we were introduced to Memory Girl. At this point we got bored again and took to inspecting the translation-radio thing, so we missed her actual name. Apparently she won some memory competition when she was young.


She demonstrated how to memorize a list of seemingly unrelated words that were given to her by the audience and, once that was over, proceeded to beat someone at multiplayer Big Brain Academy. We applauded and moved on to the final section of the tour: the Wii Fit stands.

Here we had another special guest. A personal trainer stepped up and started discussing how important and fun exercise can be. She then proceeded to train someone on Wii Fit. At this point, an hour into the booth tour without having sat down, dehydration took the better of us and we gave up. Wii Fit has potential to be an interesting application for Wii, but a personal training session just wasn't enough to keep our attention. Thankfully, the booth tour soon ended, and we were free to go.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>lgc07nintendoJem Alexander2007-08-27T17:57:00+00:00LGC07: German journalists, experts pick all-time most influential gameshttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/27/lgc07-german-journalists-experts-pick-all-time-most-influentia/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/27/lgc07-german-journalists-experts-pick-all-time-most-influentia/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/27/lgc07-german-journalists-experts-pick-all-time-most-influentia/#commentsFiled under: ,

A gathering of German journalists, publishers and "experts" met at this year's Leipzig Games Convention to pick what they felt were the most influential games of all time (via GameSetWatch). Of the reported 150 nominations, 16 titles were ultimately chosen and, of those, four were noted for being most frequently noted.

The four top-honored games are Tetris, Pong, Doom and Pac-Man. Though we agree with much of the list, we're still left feeling some titles were unfortunately overlooked (e.g. E.T., Custer's Revenge). What do you think of the list?

See Also:
10 most important video games of all time, as judged by 2 designers, 2 academics, and 1 lowly blogger

[Image credit: Senechaux]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>doomlgc07listspacmanpongtetrisRoss Miller2007-08-27T16:55:00+00:00LGC07: Lair Hands-on impressionshttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/27/lgc07-lair-hands-on-impressions/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/27/lgc07-lair-hands-on-impressions/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/27/lgc07-lair-hands-on-impressions/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ah, Leipzig Games Conference Business Day: a full nine hours of exploring the massive halls of the Leipziger-Messe convention center without a member of the 'Dreaded Public' in sight. We managed to get our hands on a number of games during this time and, after hearing mixed reviews and impressions of Lair, we made that our first priority.

We were immediately impressed with the visual quality of the game. The effort put into the character models and environments are evident, though there are occasional framerate drops. (We only noticed one framerate dip during the 20 minute play through and it was over within a second or two.) The detail in the graphics is most obvious when your dragon belly is scraping along the ground, or across the ocean.

As far as gameplay goes, we only had a chance to play a flying section, but it was very enjoyable. The SixAxis controls felt great -- which surprised us, since the controls had received the most negative press. Flying around as a dragon was incredibly satisfying as we could feel the weight of the creature when swooping down or pulling up further into the sky. It reminded us of the old DOS game Magic Carpet in how you had to compensate for momentum, lest you fly much further than intended.


As a result, the game features an auto lock-on targeting system. If your target is near the center of the screen then your fireballs will hone in on it, allowing you to concentrate on which attacks to make, not when to make them. The lock on also allows you to press the circle button and zoom towards your target, initiating close-quarters combat. An arrow in the top right hand corner alerts you to any nearby targets and a quick flick of the remote makes your dragon perform a mid-air U-turn, making maneuverability quite manageable.

Overall the demo was good fun, though there was no indication as to the length or depth of the final product. The one thing we're hoping for is that they change the voice acting before launch. Honestly, you may as well call it "Frat Boys On Dragons: The Game."

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>lairlgc07Jem Alexander2007-08-27T12:15:00+00:00Do you want to see 25 minutes of Killzone 2?http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/27/do-you-want-to-see-25-minutes-of-killzone-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/27/do-you-want-to-see-25-minutes-of-killzone-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/27/do-you-want-to-see-25-minutes-of-killzone-2/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Because we can probably hook that up for you. Ah, speak of the devil and up he jumps, here's nearly a half-hour of Killzone 2 footage straight from Leipzig. It's a hot clip, too. Thrill as the action occasionally starts after long periods of stopping! You won't believe how far the camera can zoom in and out!

...OK, so this is admittedly more of a making-of segment, with a developer explaining some of the tools that Guerrila Games has at its disposal to create the game. But if you're starved for Killzone 2 content, we imagine that you're not going to be too picky.

[Via PS3F]

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>killzone2lgc07sonyJustin McElroy2007-08-27T11:15:00+00:00LGC07: Spore for consoles ... after PC, DS versionshttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/24/lgc07-spore-for-consoles-after-pc-ds-versions/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/24/lgc07-spore-for-consoles-after-pc-ds-versions/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/24/lgc07-spore-for-consoles-after-pc-ds-versions/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

spore
During a Leipzig GC closed-door demo of Spore, Maxis reaffirmed plans to develop console versions of the ever-evolving sim game, but stressed that current resources were limited to the PC and DS builds. "Not right now, but we see this as a franchise," Maxis exec Patrick Buechener told Eurogamer when asked about console releases, adding, "It just won't be at launch." So when is launch?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>ealgc07maxissimsporeJames Ransom-Wiley2007-08-24T10:56:00+00:00LGC07: Sony and EA announce the FIFA Interactive World Cuphttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/23/lgc07-sony-and-ea-announce-the-fifa-interactive-world-cup/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/23/lgc07-sony-and-ea-announce-the-fifa-interactive-world-cup/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/23/lgc07-sony-and-ea-announce-the-fifa-interactive-world-cup/#commentsFiled under: ,

During their jam packed (and some more) Press Conference at Leipzig today, Sony revealed that it will be partnering with EA to produce the first "FIFA Interactive World Cup." This online FIFA 2008 tournament will feature thousands of players globally facing off over the PlayStation Network. The 32 best players will the be invited to Berlin to play out the final match.

Up for grabs are $20,000 and a trip to the FIFA World Player Gala. Prizes like that are nothing to be sniffed at, so we hope you have a hanky handy. In order to be in with a chance (more than a chance, an opportunity) of winning, simply register for the contest on the official website. The tournament will run between October and May, so you have a month and a half to get your registrations in. No dilly dallying, now.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>fifa2008lgc07Jem Alexander2007-08-23T10:26:00+00:00LGC07: Metal Gear Solid Press Conference Q&A with Kojimahttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/23/lgc07-metal-gear-solid-press-conference-qanda-with-kojima/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/23/lgc07-metal-gear-solid-press-conference-qanda-with-kojima/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/23/lgc07-metal-gear-solid-press-conference-qanda-with-kojima/#commentsFiled under:

The Kojima Productions Press conference at Leipzig today ended with a Q&A session between the press and Kojima-san and his cohorts. The following is a summary of the questions and responses and covers Metal Gear Online, Metal Gear Solid 4 plans for the 360 and more.

Will Metal Gear Online be separate from MGS4 or will it be included?

Hard to explain. When you play story mode you will be able to go online and it will have extra stuff at the end.
Haven't decided whether it will be separate or not, but if you buy MGS4 you can play a portion of online at least. The worlds of MGS4 and MGO are very similar and they want consistencies between them. Final discussions haven't been made yet.

Can you say anything about the music?

There may be a special feature where you can play your own music.

Will Metal Gear Solid 4 ever come to 360, like the previous titles as a "subsistence" package?

Right now it's only being made for PS3. No plans for 360 for now.

It seems too easy. Was the demonstration in Easy mode? Can we expect harder AI in the full game?

I'm sorry to say that we set the AI for our producer, Ken, a little too easy in case he had difficulties. In the full game it will be harder. We are still balancing the difficulty.

In Metal Gear Online will other characters be playable? Bosses, maybe? Or just normal soldiers?

Yes, of course we'll have some special characters appear.

Aren't Metal Gear 2 and the Stealth suit too big an advantage for Snake? Does it make the game too easy?

You don't have to worry. We're still adjusting the difficulty. You can't complete the game just using those things, the full game will be much harder. Metal Gear mk. 2 is just a supporting device, so you can't proceed much further with it. Snake has to physically move in order to proceed.

Will the final game support Rumble?

For now, we don't have that feature. We wish we could. Let's see what happens in the future. In Kojima Productions there is a man, we call him The Rumble Guy, and he has nothing to do right now. So every day I worry about him. I want to include Rumble so that he has something to do.

Can you say anything about how weather will affect gameplay mechanics?

We have implemented psychological battles in the game. If you or your enemy are somewhere that is uncomfortable: too hot, too cold etc, then that will affect your gameplay. For example if you are in a hot area then you are tense, but if you eat hot food in that situation then you get a power boost.

What other uses will the SIXAXIS controller take on in the game?

You might need to use the SIXAXIS controller on special occasions throughout the game.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>kojimaproductionslgc07metalgearonlinemetalgearsolid4Jem Alexander2007-08-23T09:00:00+00:00LGC07: Kojima-san introduces Metal Gear Solid 4's boss charactershttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/23/lgc07-kojima-san-introduces-metal-gear-solid-4s-boss-character/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/23/lgc07-kojima-san-introduces-metal-gear-solid-4s-boss-character/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/23/lgc07-kojima-san-introduces-metal-gear-solid-4s-boss-character/#commentsFiled under: ,


Hideo Kojima whipped out his Genius-to-English dictionary again today in order to address the press at the Leipzig Games Conference personally, rather than through a translator. Showing off a new video, he introduced us to Metal Gear Solid 4's boss characters. After a short video showing all the bosses from past Metal Gear Solid games, Kojima asked us "but how can you improve on these? Let me show you."

What followed was a spine-tingling in-game video showcasing each of the new bosses for the upcoming title. They come in the form of beautiful women transformed by a brutal war into sick, metallic beasts. A tentacle-wielding creature with a cruel laugh. A giant silver wolf with an echoing howl. A creature with wings and a jetpack, constantly screaming "rage!" and a floating puppeteer, complete with attached marionettes. All of them twisted, mechanical beasts.

Keeping with the "Beauty and the Beast" theme, Kojima modeled these boss characters and their movements off of "real world beauties", one of whom, Yumi Kikuchi, stepped up on stage to declare how happy she is to be in the game -- and how much she loves Leipzig, naturally.

Our anticipation for this game is at its highest yet. Q1 2008 can't come quick enough.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>LGC07MetalGearSolid4Jem Alexander2007-08-23T08:30:00+00:00LGC07: Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer arriveshttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/23/lgc07-metal-gear-solid-4-trailer-arrives/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/23/lgc07-metal-gear-solid-4-trailer-arrives/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/23/lgc07-metal-gear-solid-4-trailer-arrives/#commentsFiled under: , ,

If you read about some of the technical issues this trailer was having yesterday at Leipzig, you might be a little confused when you first start watching this new Metal Gear Solid 4 video from the show. Be patient! Though you've seen the first half of this video before, we think the second half will be pretty eye-opening.

We think you'd probably remember it if you'd seen scary metal dog in previous trailers, ditto for Lady Doctor Octopus, Flying Doctor Octopus and the guy who loves rage. Maybe it's just how they murder a bunch of people, but we're getting a rogue's gallery vibe here. What do you think?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>kojimakonamilgc07metalgearsolid4mgs4Justin McElroy2007-08-23T08:10:00+00:00LGC07: Rabbids attempt to invade Leipzig ... againhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/lgc07-rabbids-attempt-to-invade-leipzig-again/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/lgc07-rabbids-attempt-to-invade-leipzig-again/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/lgc07-rabbids-attempt-to-invade-leipzig-again/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The Rabbid site brings us another gem of quick humor as the Rabbids attempt to get into the Leipzig Games Convention. Ubisoft already has the Rayman: Raving Rabbids sequel all locked and loaded for later this year. If the Rabbids continue to bring Ubisoft even more financial success, we hope that they spin-off into their own demonic-bunny platformer game and ditch Rayman -- or, at least, get top billing in the next title.

If you missed the Rabbids attempt to break into the conference last year, you can find that after the break. Be sure to check out the Rabbid website for more clips and pics of the crazy Rabbids as they fumble their way to world domination and attempt to assimilate into our planet.

[Via Game|Life]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>leipziglgc07rabbidsraymravingrabbidsAlexander Sliwinski2007-08-22T21:59:00+00:00Here are the nominees for the LGC07 awardshttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/here-are-the-nominees-for-the-lgc07-awards/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/here-are-the-nominees-for-the-lgc07-awards/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/here-are-the-nominees-for-the-lgc07-awards/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

The nominees for the Leipzig Game Convention's Best of GC awards have been announced. Of the ten categories, eight are platform-specific, one is for online and one is for hardware.

Leading the nominations by merit of being multiplatform is Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 with four nods (PS2, PS3, PSP and Xbox 360) followed by Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and Hellgate: London with two apiece (PC and Online). Ladies and gentlemen, please make your predictions before the winners are announced Friday, August 24. Full list after the break.
PC
  • Sam & Max Season One
  • StarCraft 2
  • Hellgate: London
  • The Settlers - Rise of an Empire
  • Crysis
  • Enemy Territory Quake Wars

Xbox 360
  • BioShock
  • Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
  • Sacred 2: Fallen Angel 360
  • Eternal Sonata
  • Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

PSP
  • God of War: Chains of Olympus
  • Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
  • Silent Hill Origins

PS2
  • Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
  • Crash of the Titans
  • Singstar - Die Toten Hosen
  • BUZZ! - Das Film Quiz

PS3
  • Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
  • SingStar
  • Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
  • The Eye of Judgement
  • Pro Evolution Soccer 2008

Wii
  • Wii Fitness
  • Super Mario Galaxy
  • Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games

DS
  • Eye Training
  • Undercover: Dual Motives
  • The Simpsons

Mobile
  • Skate
  • Medal of Honor Airborne

Online
  • Hellgate: London
  • Enemy Territory Quake Wars
  • Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures

Best Hardware Product
  • Wii Balance Board
  • Rock Band
  • PlayStation Eye

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>lgc07Ross Miller2007-08-22T19:57:00+00:00LGC07: New MGS4 trailer borkedhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/lgc07-new-mgs4-trailer-borked/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/lgc07-new-mgs4-trailer-borked/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/lgc07-new-mgs4-trailer-borked/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Interested in seeing a new trailer for Metal Gear Solid 4? So were many in attendance at Konami's press conference during the Leipzig Games Convention. Unfortunately, as 1UP reports, technical glitches concerning the audio led to the publisher shutting down the trailer. "We apparently missed the important half -- everything we saw so far was just repeated from prior trailers," said 1UP.

As previously noted, Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima is holding a separate press conference tomorrow. With any luck, Solid Snake will be in better shape tomorrow. We hear at his age, he has good days and bad days.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>konamilgc07metalgearsolidmetalgearsolid4mgs4Ross Miller2007-08-22T18:26:00+00:00LGC07: European PSP Slim launches with new colourshttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/lgc07-european-psp-slim-launches-with-new-colours/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/lgc07-european-psp-slim-launches-with-new-colours/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/lgc07-european-psp-slim-launches-with-new-colours/#commentsFiled under:


Yes. Colours with a "u." Some specially designed PSPs will be available only within Sony Europe's territories when the 2000 models launch on September 5th. In "Simpsons Yellow" and "Spider-man Black and Red" flavours, these new designs are clearly geared towards movie-buffs but also make a more colourful alternative to the current selection of black, silver and white.

Americans will be able to choose from "Darth Vader White," black and silver -- if you really want a garish yellow PSP Slim, you can always import.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>LGC07PSP2000PSPLitePSPSlimJem Alexander2007-08-22T15:28:00+00:00LGC07: Go!Explore with PSP GPS technologyhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/lgc07-go-explore-with-psp-gps-technology/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/lgc07-go-explore-with-psp-gps-technology/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/lgc07-go-explore-with-psp-gps-technology/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

gpspSCEE has unveiled plans to release Go!Explore, a satellite navigation package for European PSP users. In collaboration with TeleAtlas and NavNGo, Go!Explore will offer in-car and pedestrian GPS navigation supporting 11 languages and available in 7 different geographic locations. The package combines a GPS receiver and UMD software, and is upgradeable through purchased PSN content. Go!Explore is due out next year for "an affordable price."

In December 2006, Sony released a PSP GPS receiver in Japan (pictured).

Go!Explore features:
  • 11 languages (English, German, French, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian & Finnish)
  • Find & Go Easy Search & Smart Keyboard
  • Smart Zoom; automatic zooming & tilting
  • Explore Map Search
  • Points Of Interest; 100 categories, with thousands of locations
  • My Data Favorites, Home & History
  • Route settings; fastest/shortest, day/night mode
  • Improved graphics; 3D city maps & 3D landmarks
  • Customizable settings (route settings & visuals)
  • Itinerary Mode; turn-by-turn overview
  • 7 geographic versions confirmed (with country maps, hundreds of 3D landmarks and thousands of POIs available): UK/Ireland, Iberia, France, Germany/Austria/Switzerland, Italy, Benelux & Scandinavia

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>breakingnewsGoExploregpslgc07James Ransom-Wiley2007-08-22T14:10:00+00:00LGC07: PSP's on-demand video service launches in Europe 2008http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/psps-on-demand-video-service-launches-in-europe-2008/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/psps-on-demand-video-service-launches-in-europe-2008/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/psps-on-demand-video-service-launches-in-europe-2008/#commentsFiled under:


Having your demands met is something you likely strive for and throw tantrums about on a daily basis. If said demands happen to involve portable video devices, you'll be pleased to note that Sony and Sky's on-demand video service for the PSP is set to launch in Europe next year. Dubbed "Go!," the service will allow PSP owners in the UK and Ireland to access content and watch it on the "Go!". You see, that's a well-researched title.

In the "oh snap" section of the press release, it's stated that, "Unlike other services, the Video Download Service will launch with a rich selection of high quality entertainment." In your face, other services! The content, which can be downloaded to the PSP via Wi-Fi or transferred from a PC, will run the gamut of sports, movies, music, animation and the vague "entertainment." Exact pricing details will likely be revealed closer to the launch in 2008.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>BreakingNewsGo!LGC07PSPVideoSCEESkyLudwig Kietzmann2007-08-22T14:00:00+00:00LGC07: Buzz! Quiz TV for PS3 coming to Europe in Marchhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/buzz-quiz-tv-for-ps3-coming-in-march/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/buzz-quiz-tv-for-ps3-coming-in-march/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/buzz-quiz-tv-for-ps3-coming-in-march/#commentsFiled under: ,

Sony is bringing its popular (in Europe, at least) quiz series Buzz! to the PlayStation 3 with Buzz! Quiz TV, set for release in March 2008. The game sports 5,000 questions over five channels: Music, Movies and TV, Sports, Knowledge and The Lifestyle Channel. And, of course, high-definition graphics.

Downloadable Quiz packs will also be released via the PlayStation Store. According to the press release, "Many will be specific to individual countries or even towns - just imagine playing a quiz on your local football team, for example." You can also create your own quizzes and upload them online via MyBuzz community site for others to play and rate.

Online multiplayer is done "Sofa vs. Sofa," according to Sony. Up to four couches can take each other on to see who knows the most trivia -- any higher than four and it screws up the online Feng Shui.

Buzz! Quiz TV is due out in March for Europe. No word yet on a release in other territories.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>buzzbuzzquiztveuropelgc07sceesonyRoss Miller2007-08-22T13:50:00+00:00LGC07: Go!Messenger PSP enables IMing, voice and video chathttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/lgc07-go-messenger-psp-enables-iming-voice-and-video-chat/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/lgc07-go-messenger-psp-enables-iming-voice-and-video-chat/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/lgc07-go-messenger-psp-enables-iming-voice-and-video-chat/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

pspSCEE has put a name to the BT-developed software that will enable a suite of VoIP functionalities on PSP: Go!Messenger. The Go!Messenger XMB application will be installed with a future firmware update due in January (or downloaded separately), enabling European PSP users to instant message each other using a redesigned virtual keyboard (we're still waiting on a physical QWERTY pad to materialize). In addition, the PSP headset and Go!Cam can be used for voice and video chat.

Go!Messenger has been developed in conjunction with BT, the UK's leading telecommunications and broadband internet provider, which services more than 170 countries. Initially, Go!Messenger will only be available in select European territories and will remain limited to Wi-Fi hotspot availability. No plans to expand the chat services beyond BT's jurisdiction have been announced.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>breakingnewsGoCamGoMessengerlgc07voipJames Ransom-Wiley2007-08-22T13:35:00+00:00