Hands on your buzzers. What two companies partnered during this year's Leipzig Games Convention to bring "key" PlayStation franchises to mobile carriers in the European market? Quickly now. 3 ... 2 ...1... buzzcrak! The correct answer, had you answered on time, would have been Sony and UK mobile games publisher Player X, though we can forgive your tardiness given that the duo's idea of a pivotal franchise is likely to differ from what you have in mind.

No, rather than whipping Kratos' Blades of Chaos with the number 4 key on your handset, or tapping a put into the cup with the 9 in a miniaturized version of Hot Shots Golf, the companies have announced plans to bring virtual quiz show Buzz! and Reflection's original PlayStation racer Destruction Derby to mobile phones this fall and in early 2009, respectively. True, neither of these inspire us to reach for our phones just yet. However, Sony adds that the deal, a first for Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios with an outsider, will continue to bring PlayStation luminaries to mobile phones in Europe for the next three years. Thanks for playing.

Similarly to Singstar, the Buzz! series hasn't really hit its mark in the US. In Europe, however, the series is a big hit. With PS3 versions of both franchises heading to America this year, Sony plans on using the internet to expand the feature set into something much more appealing to American tastes.

At first glance, Buzz! Quiz TV looks just like any other Buzz game on the PS2, but watching the game on a 40 inch TV really shows off how much of a facelift the game has undergone. Due to the relatively simple nature of the scenes shown on screen, the game's transition to Hi-Def looks great. All the characters have been remodeled for their HD debut and as a result the game is much more pleasing to the eye. Not that it's what Buzz! is really about.

Gameplay-wise everything's the same (just like Singstar) with the biggest change being the buzzers; Buzz! Quiz TV will ship with wireless controllers. Other than being wireless, they're no different from the PS2 versions with the big red buzzer on top and four colored buttons below. Classic gameplay modes are still around, such as "Pass The Bomb", and are mixed in with new variations exclusive to the PS3 version.

Sony hosted a pretty awesome Buzz! charity event at the PlayStation lounge last night. Sixteen players from various media outlets (Joystiq included) partook in the competition. The winner would be able to send $5,000 to a charity of their choice, courtesy of Sony.

Total PlayStation's Sam Bishop took first place with his serious movie trivia skills and will forward Sony's money over to the SPCA: the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Fun was had by all, even if some of us (sob) lost pretty early on ...

If we had one complaint about family fun generator Buzz!, it's that it just had too many questions that nobody could answer. We couldn't stand the questions about basketball and football (like anybody knows the difference!), questions about science (like anyone needs to know that!), and history (stop living in the past, people!) ... or basically anything that wasn't movies. Luckily, March 11 will bring us a brand new edition of the PS2 trivia game made for people with out specific areas of interest, Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz.

Also coming that day is a kids title called Buzz! Jr: Robo Jam, which sounds like a by-product of the robots eating old people's medicine for fuel.

Sony Europe today announced (via EuroGamer) that PlayStation 3 and PSP version of Buzz! Quiz TV will be released the same time this spring (barring any unforeseeable legal issues, at least). The PS3 version was revealed last August at the Leipzig Games Convention, then having a less vague March 2008 release date.

The PSP version sports single-handheld multiplayer via passing the PSP around and two standard multiplayer modes (no mention of Infrastructure online play). The PS3 version reportedly sports online, "sofa vs. sofa" multiplayer.

California-based Buzztime Entertainment filed suit against Sony Computer Entertainment Europe last week alleging Sony's line of Buzz! games violates several of its own trademarks. Buzztime was established in 1985 and makes various electronic trivia games for mobile phones, cable systems, and can be found in bars and restaurants.

Gamespot reports that while Buzztime does not have a trademark on the word "buzz," it does have a trademark on various games with the word "buzz" in it. SCEE is filing trademarks for "Buzz!" and two other versions of the word without the exclamation mark. Buzztime is accusing SCEE of "malicious, fraudulent, knowing, willful, and deliberate" violations, and has expressed desire for a recall and destruction of all infringing products. The company also requests actual and punitive damages, legal fees and that the US Patent and Trademark Office not register SCEE's pending application. If Buzztime stands a chance at winning, we wonder if it would be cheaper for Sony to just buy Buzztime outright instead of paying the damages?

Alright, so the connection between Buzz! and bees is no more than a tenuous one meant to serve the purposes of a trite headline, but in our defense, it's entirely possible that Sony's quiz game may ask you a question about bees at some point. This seems especially likely in the one called "Junior Jungle Party" -- what is a garden if not a junior jungle?

After selling 18 gazillion copies in Europe (smart people live there!), Sony Computer Entertainment America has finally seen fit to bring the Buzz! franchise to North American PlayStation 2 owners, h@rdc0rez and casual alike, for the holidays. The series emulates a trivia-based game show, complete with creepy host and obnoxious huge-red-button-controller. If we're to believe David Amor, boss of developer Relentless Software, Buzz! is the perfect game to enjoy with those friend things we've heard so much about. "The Americans are ready for Buzz," he declares. "I think it's that time. Buzz! is real immediate social gameplay. It's perfect for inviting a group of friends around, whether they're into games or not."

Look for Buzz! The Mega Quiz and Buzz! Junior Jungle Party on store shelves tomorrow.

Read -- Announcement
Read -- America's Ready to Buzz! (Next-Generation)

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.

Though the headline might fool you into thinking trenchcoat-wearing Sony goons will soon be infiltrating schools and selling children some sort of designer drug, it actually refers to the hugely popular series of quiz games on PS2. It's rather simple -- the game asks a question and you consequently slam your hand or forehead into a giant red button (part of the special Buzz! peripheral) before answering.

Being based upon the acquisition and sharing of knowledge, the game seems like an ideal fit for a classroom brimming with kids. Buzz!: The School's Quiz will derive its over 5,000 questions from the UK's Key Stage 2 National Curriculum, and will include cooperative play modes.

It's pleasing to see that some still see the value in video games as educational tools. You know, beyond the ones that teach us how to kill each other.

Ah, buzz, that unquantifiable aura of cool that can make or break a product launch. Wait, did I just say unquantifiable? I'm sorry, it's apparently highly quantifiable, as proven by a New Media Strategies report that finds online opinions of the Wii to be much more favorable than those of the PS3.

According to a MediaLife interview with New Media Strategies VP Sam Huxley, the Arlington, Va., market research firm "monitored 10,000 online conversations," and found a surprisingly hostile reaction to Sony's well-hyped system. Conversations about the PS3 broke 27 percent positive and 38 percent negative, according to the report, while Wii conversations were scored 49 percent positive and only 18 percent negative (the remaining conversations were rated "neutral").

Huxley cites availability and pricing issues as being responsible for most of the negative reaction to the PS3, and says the system was also hurt by not launching with any familiar franchises. In contrast, Huxley said the Wii received a lot of positive buzz for its new control method and Zelda, though some faulted the system for being hard to get used to. Despite the all the PS3 negativity, though, "the volume of discussion on PS3 is about double of that of Wii," Huxley said.

The study's methodology is not discussed in the interview, and there is likely some subjectivity in the evaluation of the online conversations. It should also be noted that internet chatter is not necessarily indicative of opinions for the public at large. Still, it seems that all-important buzz balance might be tilting in Nintendo's favor at this early phase in the console wars.

Previously: USA Today on favorable Wii buzz, early holiday winners