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Phil Harrison, the president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios will be leaving his current position as of February 29, 2008. The news comes via an announcement from Sony, however no details were given as to why he is stepping down, there is speculation that he has become a victim of the not so stellar PlayStation 3 sales. Kazuo Hirai, who is the president and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment International will step up and assume his role.

Via [Crave]

Did we say Sega Saturn? Oh yes and we’re not kidding. The latest Wii rumors are that we can expect to see the lost Sega system popping up on Wii Virtual Console. The rumor started back at DigiPen, who shares an office building with Nintendo America.

Now when I think retro SS hardly ever pops into my mind but why not bring Sega’s 32-bit, CD based gaming system to a whole new generation. If you remember the Saturn to rendered First-person shooter games better than other consoles at the time, games like Quake, Powerslave, Duke Nukem 3D, HeXen.

And now a history lesson from our friends at Wikipedia:

In early 1995 Sega president Tom Kalinske announced that the Saturn would launch in the U.S. on “Saturnday”, (Saturday) September 2, 1995. This date was greatly anticipated by gamers and the media. It also allowed Sony to announce that the Playstation release date would be one week later on September 9, 1995. However, at the first Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 in May 1995, Kalinske announced that the “Saturnday” date was a ruse and that the system was being released nationwide by a few select retailers immediately.

This surprise move shocked everyone in attendance (Sony most of all) and it appeared that Sega had a real opportunity to take a commanding lead in the 32-bit race by beating the Playstation to the market. In reality the “surprise attack” launch backfired for Sega. The Saturn was released at a high price point of [USD]$400 (Sony announced a $300 price for the Playstation at E3).

By the time of the Playstation’s release on September 9, 1995, the Saturn had sold approximately 80,000 systems. The Playstation sold over 100,000 units upon release in the U.S., a record at the time for a new system.

Read [T3]

As we already mentioned, Sony has just announced PlayStation Home, a virtual world that you control from your PS3.  Check out the video and leave a comment with your impressions.

Via [Kotaku]

In what seems like an effort to fight off the Wii and it’s family friendly image, Sony has gone soft and announced its latest addition to the PS3, PlayStation Home.  During their announcement at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), they coined the term Game 3.0, conveniently inlcuding the same “3” that can be found in PS3.  Their new product, Home, is a community similar to your traditional MMORPG you hear so much about these days.  The 3D virtual world allows you to interact with other players around the world and fork over real money to Sony, of course.

Home will have 3D banner ads (like billboards) as well as offer you special promotions and what not.  You will be able to demo the latest games from developers (that probably pay a hefty sum) as well as watch movie trailers.  Conveniently however, you can also go Home in the game.  Your home is aparently designated an ad-free zone by Sony and is able to be customized however you’d like.  Throw up a poster on your wall, change the colors of your room.  These are bound to be some of the many ways to customize.

Another sweet feature of PlayStation Home is that you can go into an “achievement” area where you can admire your hard work and accomplishments in all of your other PS3 games.  You can also visit another hall and check out the “achievements” you haven’t gotten as well.

All in all, PlayStation Home seems like a great effort by Sony to take over the MMORPG space as well as the console war.  Head over to Gizmodo for some screenshots (along with the one above), and of course the NYTimes for more.

Read [NY Times]

Sony announced at CES 2007 that they shipped 1 million PlayStation 3 game consoles to North America by the end of 2006. They further explained that the PS3 reached the 1 million mark faster than either the original PlayStation or PS2, though some reports indicated only 800,000 units sold. Also, 1 million is only half of Sony’s original, promised goal of 2 million shipped by last year’s end.

The announcement was not a big consolation to gamers who still don’t have the pricey system or who paid a small fortune to get one close to the initial release. The Xbox site naturally claims PS3s are just sitting on shelves while the Wii is consistently selling out. The good news is that Sony is committed to each of their products for 10 years, so you’re likely to get a semi-affordable PS3 before then. Oh, and the European launch is still on track for March 2007. (Whoopie for that.)

See Gadgetell’s Sony Press Conference recap for more PS3 and PSP details.

Read [Home Media] Read [Blogging Stocks] Read [TeamXbox] Read [TechSpot] Read [PSU] Review [PS3]

Today Toys “R” Us claimed they have “thousands” of Nintendo Wiis, and 6,000 PS3 units ready to be released before Christmas.  Do you think they know how awkward of a time it is to be releasing new units?  It’s unheard of to be releasing new shipments less than a week before Christmas.  But as bizarre a move as it is, consumers will still flock to the stores scrambling to get a unit for their kid (or themselves).  The company has not announced the real number of Wii units they will have in stock… because let’s be honest, “thousands” is quite vague.

Joystiq points out the “fast one” Toys “R” Us pulled on shoppers on Black Friday last month.

But that sounds consistent with previous fast ones Toys “R” Us pulled on consumers when the company baited-and-switched Black Friday shoppers, forcing them to purchase a $450 bundle if they indeed wanted the $250 console. Prospective buyers beware.

Read [Next-Gen] Via [Joystiq]

Further pissing off those who stood in line for hours and still didn’t get a PS3, Sony admits that they were unable to meet their own shipping requirements. Sony remains hopeful and once again promises to reach their goal of 1 million PS3 consoles reaching stores by the end of 2006. Sony had planned to sell 400,000 units in November, but according to research company NPD Group, were only able to sell 197,000. Of course, Sony still sold 664,000 PS2s and 412,000 PSPs, so Sony can’t be too upset. Disappointed PS3-less fans, however, can.

Read [Game Industry] via [Kotaku]

• Support for a Bluetooth-enabled Blu-ray Disc remote control


• Ability to select the video output format (automatic, RGB, or Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr) for Blu-ray disc playback using an HDMI cable.


• Change to video output resolution. You can choose all the resolutions supported by the TV. The video will automatically be displayed at the maximum resolution possible, according to the following order: 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, Standard (NTSC).


• Backup utility has been added as a feature under System Settings, enabling you to back up your PS3’s hard disk data to storage media or restore data from storage media to the hard disk.


• USB peripherals designed for PlayStation2 titles, including steering wheels and flight sticks, can now be used when playing PlayStation 2 games on the PS3 system. These include:

More after the break:

• Logitech Driving Force USB Steering Wheel


• Logitech Driving Force Pro USB Steering Wheel


• Logitech Driving Force EX USB Steering Wheel


• HORI Flightstick2 USB Flight Stick


• Logitech Flight Force USB Flight Stick

Read [PS3]

I was lucky enough to find a few in the electronics section in the middle of the accessory displays for each game system. I took quick video of the two that actually do something you can hear or see (see the links below). The Wii card lights up on five sides (all but the back) rather brilliantly, while the Xbox 360 card includes the system startup sound and glowing green logo. The PS3 card has grid hologram encased in a thick, clear plastic body, and, as far as we can tell, doesn’t make a noise or light up. They are all standard card dimensions but 5-6 times thicker to accommodate the electronics (or in the case of the PS3, just look cool).

Grab them while you can, since most were either offered when you buy a system, or snatched up as soon as they hit the racks. They don’t come loaded with cash but do work just like the good ol’ flat gift cards.  Check out videos and pictures of the cards after the break.

Holding handhelds is a problem if you’ve got big clunky hands like Lenny from Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.  For those of you like Lenny - or those of you that simply have issues holding the slim device, you should check out Nyko’s new Charger Grips.  Not only do they make your PSP more comfortable, but they also give it an extra hour and a half of play time before running out of juice.  So next time your PSP gives you carpel tunnel, just think of how great it would be to have Charger Grips.

Read [CrunchGear]