PSP meets Xbox 360 Chatpad in unholy union

Although Sony's efforts with predictive text make typing on the PSP less painful than it could otherwise have been, it's still no picnic. As the rest of us sit and twiddle our thumbs in wait for an official keypad for the handheld, which may even launch before the device becomes obsolete, one modder got off his backside and did something about it. Behold, the unholy alliance:

Well done, sir. Now, when the PS3 gets its Wireless Keypad, maybe someone will come up with something less blasphemous.

(via ElectricPig)

Related posts: Official PS3 headset revealed | Sony to fix instrument cross-compatibility issues

Sony unveils official PS3 Bluetooth headset

Confirming what was announced in the official SOCOM: Confrontation deets, Sony has made its PlayStation 3 Bluetooth headset official.

Along with proper PlayStation branding, it offers 8 hours talk time, 300 standby time and a range of 10 meters. It also comes with a charging cradle.

Other tricks up its sleeve include: instant pairing with your PS3 via the USB cable and an on-screen status indicator showing the battery level, volume and signal strength.

It's launching in Japan first for 5,000 Yen (roughly £25) and arrives on October 30th. There's no indication of when it might hit the UK and US, nor whether it's compatible with mobile phones and other Bluetooth devices.

(via Kotaku)

Related posts: QWERTY keypad accessory heading to PS3 | MGS4 headsets reach UK

Sony reveals Wireless Keypad accessory for PS3

The PS3 160GB wasn't the only bit of hardware news Sony had for us yesterday. Pictured above is the new Wireless Keypad. As you can see, it's very reminiscent of Xbox 360's Messenger kit, as they are both QWERTY keypads that cleverly latch onto their respective controllers. In this instance though, the pad aligns to the top of the controller, rather than the bottom - a design choice that we fear could make the pads heavy front heavy, especially the featherweight Sixaxis.

Even so, the keypad is pretty much ideal if you need to fire off a quick message to someone on your friends list, and now that Sony has got the in-game messaging system sorted via Firmware 2.40, these accessories are pretty well timed. It should also be good for web browsing too, although Sony may have somewhat reduced its own market share by being so generous with Bluetooth keyboard compatibility. Not that we're complaining, mind.

Other features include a 'Touch pad mode', which is apparently something like a mouse trackpad, although eyeballing the product pics sheds no light on how it works.

The Wireless Keypad is out in November in the US, and will be with the rest of us sometime before the end of the year. There's little chance of Sony missing out on extra sales during the Xmas hardware rush, so I'm guessing late November is a possibility. Prices are still being decided. I'll put good money on it being between £19.99 and £24.99 though.

Related posts: Sony aims for complete instrumental cross-compatibility | Sony nixes PlayTV

Sony aims to remedy instrument cross-compatibility woes

All that kafuffle over Rock Band and Guitar Hero instruments (well, not that WE get a choice) not playing ball together was pretty embarrassing. It was probably quite expensive for big PS3-owning rhythm game fans who weren't interested in Activision and EA politics and just wanted to get on and play. Clearly the situation demanded that a bigger member of the playground should step in, bash some heads and sort the whole mess out. And it looks like Sony has finally got itself together to do just that.

Making the announcement on the PlayStation blog, 3rd Party Relation Director, Michael Shorrock, revealed that he has worked closely with Neversoft, Activision, Harmonix and Konami to make sure that all their instruments will work with each other's games. So when it comes to Guitar Hero: World Tour, Rock Band 2 and Rock Revolution, all their individual instruments will work no matter what you're using with whichever game.

Or, presumably, if they don't, there'll be agreements in place to ensure that the company responsible must issue a patch to fix it. Not faff about with spurious legal rows that solve nothing.

Shorrock does warn that individual features of the different games may not mean a 100% smooth transition, but at least it's a promising start.

Related posts: New Singstar to be shown at LGC | Rock Band 2 improves drum kit

Sony drops PlayTV price, then cleverly ruins the service

I've had a good old grumble about the price of PlayTV so I should be happy, right? Sony saw people struggling to pay food, electricity and petrol bills and said 'you know what, let's cut them some slack for a change'. Unfortunately, at some point in the planning of this price trim, someone came up with a profoundly stupid idea - to TAKE AWAY the option to transfer recordings to wherever you want.

This feature alone has always been one of the main draws for PlayTV for me. I want to make recordings of TV shows. If I don't have time to watch them, I'll copy them onto my PSP and watch them on the train. Or maybe if I'm feeling too weighed down and less interested in the picture quality, I'll dump it on a mobile phone and watch from there. That was the kind of freedom Sony's DRM-free PlayTV was about to offer.

Continue reading >>

Posted by Al W on August 14, 2008 11:16 AM in Accessories| Release dates
Permalink | Comments (0) | digg this | del.icio.us this

Danger! Danger! PSP cameras may be a fire hazard

A PSPFanboy story doing the rounds reveals there may be a serious problem with the PSP's camera accessory, know in Japan as 'Chotto Shot'. One reader was informed by a retailer that there has been a product recall issued, stemming from reports that the devices can get "extremely hot" and sometimes emit a "burning smell". Yeah, well that's what they said about my underpants, and I never issued a product recall, baby.

According to the same retailer, the recall affects anyone who bought the Chotto Shot camera after July 1st, 2008. The camera accessory isn't actually available in the US yet, but it is over here. A quick check of the usual online retailers reveals that few places have any of the units left in stock which seems to corroborate the report.

Related posts: PSP Camera hits the UK | One nondescript, non-flammable PSP accessory

EIF 2008 : EyeToy Play: PomPom Party and EyeToy Play: Hero showcased

The Wiimote and Xbox Live Vision Camera may have muscled in on the "gesticulation gaming" craze in recent times, but Sony and their EyeToy development team at SCE Studios London are out to prove that they're not about to give up on the flail-em-up genre just yet, with the release of two new EyeToy Play titles for PlayStation 2, due out this Christmas.

Perhaps taking the lead from current arm-waving kings Nintendo, the focus this time around is on peripherals, with each game arriving bundled with garish accessories designed to take advantage of the software's new colour-tracking technology, and on breadth of appeal, with a game for each end of the gender spectrum.

A very unassuming PSP cradle

We've not a decent PSP cradle for a while, so here's one now. There's not much to tell - it's a cradle. For your PSP. Pop the console in it and you don't have to strain your limbs while you're watching a couple of hours of UMD movies.

Plug the cradle in and it'll ensure you don't run of batteries in the process, and emerge from the other side with a full charge. If you suffer from a peculiar kind of long-sightedness that means you can sit far enough away from the tiny screen to need a remote, well there is one.

And that's your lot. What I like most about it is the fact that it doesn't look ridiculous or have a big third -party brand name emblazoned on the front. Yours for a quite reasonable £24.99, courtesy of Play-Asia.

PSP AV cradle (via Tech Digest)

Related posts: Nyko's PS3 fan | An example of what a PSP cradle should NOT be

GPS games coming to PSP?

Well, they were hardly going to arrive on the PS3 now were they? Anyway, it seems there's nothing stopping PSP game developers from making GPS enabled games (apart form that the necessary accessory won't even be out in the US for another God knows how long).

John Koller, Sony's senior marketing manager for PSP, is all over the idea, telling MTV that the peripheral "changes the dynamics of GPS but also changes the way developers think about games on PSP because you can start integrating GPS into [them]."

According to him, Sony is already chatting up third-party game makers and talking ideas with its own dev teams as to how to make the system work and physically possible for an ordinary PSP player to have fun playing.

"There's been a number of things that our first-party worldwide studios have looked at, and they've been trying to look at different options," Koller said. We're keeping our fingers crossed that the first true PSP GPS-enabled game will launch alongside the GPS peripheral in the US in 2009.

(MTV via PS3fanboy)

Related posts: Haha, we've got our GPS already (no games though) | Remember, PSP is a drug

Sony PlayTV will record while you game

We're still smarting from our lack of TV and Movie PSN Store, but Sony has kindly come up with a sort of consolation prize: Sony PlayTV.

Yes, we've seen a lot of this before but there are a few new things to add to the equation. Firstly, Sony's tech goblins have been working day and night and to overcome a tricky technical hurdle. But they prevailed and SCEE president David Reeves has revealed that PlayTV will record even while you play a game.

The other revelation is that PlayTV will be out on September 10th. Its price is set at 99 Euros, which equates to a little short of 80 quid. I suspect £79.99 will be the price touted by most retailers. Unfortunately, that's still a bit too much to make it worthwhile, in my opinion. There are just so many online catch-up facilities available now that it's just not worth it. You could get TWO DualShock 3s for that money. Heck, you could probably get three games.

(via TechDigest)

Related posts: BBC hands on with PlayTV | Details on the recording copy protection

E3 2008: Logitech prepares new wireless force feedback Racing Wheel for PS3

Logitech has a brand new wireless racing wheel that will be ready for racing fans this August. Dodgy old Bluetooth isn't good enough apparently (or too expensive to license, most likely), so it has gone with 2.4GHz wireless with separate USB receiver. That should work lag-free up to a range of 10 meters by which point you probably find yourself half way down the garden, in next door's kitchen or hurtling towards the pavement outside, all rendering you unable to see the telly anyway.

The whole 'wireless' thing is a little bit of fib because you still need to use a power cable. Rumble technology is one thing but Force Feedback requires a bit more juice that pathetic Li-Ion power sources can't provide. Still, one trip hazard is better than two trip hazards.

The main advantage of this wheel is that Logitech has found an alternative to affixing the device to a coffee table by using an adjustable lap rest, so you can use it pretty much anywhere.

The Logitech Driving Force Wireless Racing Wheel for PS3 will be on sale in August for £59.99; a bit late for Prologue fans, but well in time for MotorStorm: Pacific Rift and Midnight Club: Los Angeles.

Nyko presents: a dirty-great big fan for your PS3

Do you live in the Sahara, where boiling desert winds flay the skin from your feeble body and forces your PS3 to desperately air itself to maintain something like a coherent frame rate? Well, you'll need one of these here Nyko console intercoolers.

The PS3 version costs $34.99 and offers variable fan-speed control for those living in warmer climes and without the benefit of decent air-conditioning. The TempSmart system will even automatically adjust its speed to suit ambient room temperatures for when the doddery old geezer downstairs fires up the heating in mid-July.

The other cost is that it will add a bit of unseemly fan noise to the system and may result in you mistaking it for an Xbox 360. That said, although I've shared more than a perhaps fair amount of the recent Firmware 2.40 grumbles, I have noticed that my PS3 has been making a little bit more noise than it used to prior to the update, so maybe this will prove essential to the long-term health of the console.

If you've got a launch-console, it would be well worth preserving too because I think we've seen the last of the days when features like backwards compatibility and card slots were part of Sony's business plan.

(via Ubergizmo)

Related posts: Nyko's reveals its own PS3 card expansion slot | 3rd party manufacturer wants Wii games on proper consoles

Rock Band 2 amps up its drum kit with Cymbal Pack

Great news, European PS3-owning Rock Band fans! By the time your copy of the game and its peripherals show up in this desolate chunk of gaming outback, there'll be a new version in the States that makes yours look like a fossilised dinosaur turd. How awesome is that?

In order to amp up its battle against Activision and the rest of its newly merged publishing behemoth, EA and Harmonix will be launching a Cymbal addon pack for the new game. Instead of just the four mooshy drum pads currently available in the US and for the Xbox 360 in the rest of the world, the Cymbal pack will include crash, ride, and high-hat add-ons, which will all be able to plug straight into the drum kit expansion ports, including those from the original, essentially letting you tailor your accessories to suit your taste.

It'll also mean that your drummer mate who reaps all the benefit of your expensive gaming tastes without so much as buying a six-pack, will now be able to put some mullah down to improve his contribution to your virtual band.

Mysterious PS3 controller unearthed

Eagle-eyed MaxConsole has unearthed a peculiar 'new' PS3 controller. I say 'new' because it actually has 'knock-off' written all over it, and almost definitely is not official. None the less, it is intriguing.

It consists of a wireless controller and a gun-shaped holder. It takes two AAA batteries and works for 10 hours. I'd suggest it was a case of someone making a horrible mistake about a Wii controller, which it closely resembles, but you can clearly see PlayStation buttons. Also Wii remotes take AA batteries.

Product page

Related posts: Ugly card port for PS3 | Dual Shock arrives

Make your 40GB PS3 almost as good as a 60GB PS3, with the Nyko Media Hub

Okay, 'almost' might be going a little bit far. The Nyko Media Hub isn't going to give you an extra 20GB of hard disc space. It sure as hell isn't going to give you backwards compatibility back. However, it will give you some of the card readers that are now absent from more recent cut-price PS3 models.

You may be wondering why you should buy a specific Nyko accessory designed for the PS3. It probably isn't down to its aesthetic appeal. And the more eagle-eyed among you will also notice that it doesn't have the full complement of card readers that the original PS3 models boasted. That's because there's no CompactFlash reader on there.

Well, at least it is black. That's got to count for something, right? Handy though the PS3's card readers occasionally are, it has to be said that a normal USB card reader with the full complement of card slots is probably a far more sensible choice and will work perfectly well with any PS3 or computer you plug it into.

The feather in the Media Hub's cap is that it extends the number of USB slots to four. Now then; hands up who's ever had four things plugged into the PS3 at the same time.

Nyko (via Joystiq)

Related posts: Another Nyko PS3 accessory | And another

Me = wrong. DualShock 3 available in Europe tomorrow

You know, I've never been overly reluctant to admit that I can, from time to time, get things wrong. And with SCEE now promising that the DualShock 3 controller will hit our shores tomorrow, I'm very wrong indeed.

"We are delighted to confirm that DUALSHOCK 3 will be released in SCEE territories in early July. We hope this will add to the intense gaming experience for our fans, as we continue to evolve PS3, its software and its peripherals," said David Reeves, President and CEO of SCEE. Typical business speak that means bugger all really.

No word on price as of yet, though a starting point of £34.99, just like the Sixaxis, seems about right to me. Expect the Sixaxis to drop to bargain basement price by the end of the week, and Ebay flooded with the damn things.

Related posts: DualShock 3 on its way, It's FINALLY coming

DualShock 3 finally arriving July 4th? Or is it November?

Rumours are building that the long awaited appearance of the DualShock 3 on European shores is all set for July 4th, with a number of lesser known websites declaring that they will despatch said items on that particular date.

But, that flies in the face of a slightly earlier rumour that hints towards the vibrating controller arriving in Europe just before Christmas, around the start of November.

For me, you can forget the July date. It's far too close, and there are NO hints towards that date on the more well known gaming related trade sites on the web. Plus, there are still LOADS of the Sixaxis on the shop shelves, and Sony will be eager to shift that little lot before showing off a new pad.

A date just before Chrimbo sounds about perfect to me, and it's what those of you that are worried about importing should work towards. Although why you don't just import a cheap pad from elsewhere in the world I'll never know. Not only will you get your pad much earlier, but it'll be a damn sight cheaper than waiting for the extraordinary SCEE set price we'll have to contend with.

UPDATE: Well, what do you know, we were waaaaay off. An official Sony press release is saying July 2nd in fact, That's, like, scant hours away. Amazing really. Somehow we don't think we'll quite be able to believe it's all truly happening until the little feller is buzzing happily away in our hands.

Source: CVG
Related posts: DualShock 3 on sale in Japan, DualShock 3 FINALLY coming to Europe?

Third-party to bring Wii Remote functionality ahead of console manufacturers?

There have been rumblings in both the Sony and Microsoft camps about the possibility of ripping off Nintendo's revolutionary controller design. Given how Ninty is happily mopping the floor with both rivals, you can understand why, so sooner or later we can look forward to our 'core machines turning into childish, brightly lit playgrounds for shovelware. Hooray.

However, one third-party peripheral manufacturer looks like it is trying to beat them to the punch. In2Games cordially invites you to "Meet the adorable Squeeballs" and please avoid being noisily sick if you can help it. Here's a teaser website. Those interested in meeting Messrs Balls will find the new GameTrak Freedom accessory packaged with the game.

As you can see, it is a pretty straight rip off of the Wii Remote, with a slight hint of vibrator going on. It combines ultrasonic and RF technologies with 3-axis accelerometers so that its position in 3D space can be tracked and the technology will let you play through the 100+ minigames found in Sqeeballs.

Exactly which console Squeeballs and the GameTrak Freedom are destined for is not yet set in stone. In2Games only revealed that is coming out on next-gen consoles and that may or may not include PS3. But, y'know, I hear it is very easy to develop for that Xbox 360 thingy. And they totally want to get in on that cheap party games act. PlayStation though - it already has tons of stuff like that. The GameTrak Freedom probably wouldn't stand much chance there. Best try Microsoft, yeah.

(via TechRadar)

Related posts: Third-party Rock Band / Guitar Hero guitar | PS3 faceplates

Sony eager to beat the Wii with brand new motion sensitive controller?

Rumours flooding the net at the moment hint towards a brand new motion sensitive control method currently in the works at Sony, with early development units already sent out to some lucky developers.

Apparently the idea behind this new method of control is a standard controller than can 'break apart' into a number of different units which can make use of motion sensitive functionality.

No word from Sony, or any of the developers who have been generously handed over one of these new units as of yet, so all this is firmly at the rumour stages at the moment.

If you've heard any decent rumours about this, do make a comment. It's always great to hear about what us internet folks come up with, and how bloody far we are off the mark when the truth comes out.

Related posts: Horrible DualShock 3 rip-off, DualShock coming soon

Hey - those Metal Gear Solid Bluetooth headsets are real, and available in the UK too

I admit that I had started to think those rarely seen Metal Gear Solid themed Bluetooth headsets were an April fool's joke. But that's definitely not the case as I just spotted a shipment of them in my local Game outlet.

At £39.99 I'm not going to pick one up, but I think you can get a deal by buying one with a copy of MGS4. The store manager also informed me that they were in very limited supply - my local store only had a batch of ten and wasn't going to be getting any more.

The headset was bigger than it looked in early pics and sports 160 hours standby time or 8 hours talk time and is compatible with both the PlayStation 3 and just about any other Bluetooth device you care to hook it up to.

Related posts: DualShock 3 heading to Britain at last? | PS3 PlayTV dated and priced

Play.com says September 26th for Rock Band PS3; 'No it isn't', says EA

It's not a lot of fun being on the late end of a timed release, particularly when a certain other region over there across the Atlantic is already merrily playing away already. So we're left to twiddle our thumbs while European Xbox 360 owners get their fill of EA and Harmonix's Rock Band, and all without any sign of salvation (i.e. a release date) in sight.

Play.com knows how badly we need to get our Rock Band fix. It even went as far as listing both the PS3 and PS2 versions for September 26th.

It's not like Play.com hasn't been wide of the mark before with its projected release dates, but it's usually more accurate than Amazon and the like. And c'mon, it seriously must know when EA is going to let it start selling. EA, however, won't budge from its "later this summer" stance. September isn't what I call summer though so I guess we could call Play's date a conservative estimate.

Either way, there's absolutely no danger that EA will miss the Xmas spend-fest for the sake of Microsoft's feelings, so we can guarantee it will be out before December. I wonder if, despite the fact that the video games industry has so far evaded the icy tendrils of economic slowdown, EA might have trouble peddling £130 boxes of hardware once we've been feeling the pinch for a few months. I bet then it'll regret being a bellend about timing exclusives.

(via VideoGamer)

Related posts: Say HOW MUCH?! | And HOW LONG?!

DualShock 3 pads FINALLY heading to Europe?

If you've wandered into any gaming retail store in the last week, you may just have noticed quite a blatant tell tale sign that SCEE may be gearing up for the launch of the DualShock 3 controller.

With the Sixaxis controller still retailing for a whopping £35, a double pack of said pads has been spotted in stores for only an extra £5. To some a bit of a bargain, and to others a blatant sign that SCEE are eager to shift as much stock as possible before the 'better' pad is available.

Still no official word from Sony as to when us Europeans will FINALLY see the DualShock 3, but this does point to be it coming sooner rather than later. Rumours still hint towards the end of June/start of July, so hopefully we might get some kind of official word soon enough.

Related posts: DualShock 3 ignores Europe, No MGS4 DualShock 3 bundle for us

SCEA considers PSP to be "a gateway drug", plans to release keyboard accessory

How amusing that while on the one hand Sony has to fend off accusations of being environmentally unfriendly, while on the other hand it's comparing its handheld console to harmful, addictive substances. SCEA senior marketing manager, John Koller explained that the company sees the portable device as "gateway drug" leading to other console purchases at a Wedbush Morgan Securities Management Access Conference in New York.

This is interesting because it reflects the slight peculiar nature of the PSP. It's now a bit of an aging piece of hardware and in the years since its launch it has basically failed to pick up anything remotely spectacular in terms of a game back catalogue. And yet it seems to go from strength to strength, battling stoically with Nintendo's legendary DS handheld.

Koller even admitted "It's become, from a gaming perspective, a lot different than I think we even envisioned it when we first launched it." "That's a very good thing," he added. "It's expansionary. For us, the PSP is a very high growth, high margin business and something that is a very good product for us."

Pursuing the fact that PSP has appealed to much more than intended core of 20-40 year-old business men, Sony plans to release dedicated keyboard peripheral within the next year.

(via GamesIndustry.biz)

Related posts: PSP GPS coming to europe | Oooh, metallic blue

IXOS launches high-end HDMI cable for PS3 users

We don't often delve into high end Home Cinema equipment here at PSPSPS, but thanks to Sony's victory in the high def format wars and the fact that the PS3 is a very capable Blu-ray player, the PS3 must have taken an important role in the living rooms of videophiles.

Cable manufacturer IXOS has seen this and noticed the fact that Sony doesn't bother to provide its own HDMI cable in the PS3 bundles, and sees an opportunity. So this is the excitingly named IXOS XPP158 HDMI 1.3 cable for PlayStation 3.

I'm pretty sure you can actually plug it into pretty much anything that accepts an HDMI cable, but it has been designed to match the PS3 aesthetically... by being black. It does have the goods to keep serious high definition enthusiasts happy though and a long list features the majority of us don;t understand. These are the specs:

- Patented 4-layer PC board in the plug minimises FEXT
(Far End Cross Talk) by stabilizing impedance

- High Grade PC-OFC (Pure Crystal Oxygen-Free Copper)
conductors significantly improve picture and audio detail

- Dual molded strain relief protects the cable at the point of greatest
stress even with repeated disconnecting and reconnecting to the hardware

- High-density cable jacket and braiding reduces external
vibrations for maximum signal strength

Impressive, huh. But you'd want it to be for £39.99 wouldn't you? I'd love to know how well the PS3 compares to dedicated Blu-ray players, particularly the new ones. Anyone who has managed to see some side-by-side, do let us know if there are noticeable differences and how well the PS3 stands up.

Related posts: Replacement PS3 faceplates | Make your PS3 Portable

Go!Explore to hit European PSPs in July?

Woah déjà vu. Here we have another apparently leaked release date courtesy of an online retailer. Again we have sceptical hats on, but it is worth noting that Sony promised late year that Go!Explore would be arriving early in 2008 so this would sort of fit. Well, it's a long way passed arriving in Q1 that's for sure.

Go!Explore is a GPS system for the PlayStation Portable. A GPS receiver connects to the USB port on top of the handheld and a UMD disc contains all the relevant mapping information for your area.

Various bundles are going to be offered - the main one comes with a new slimline PSP, the GPS receiver, the UMD maps, Car Adaptor and Car Mount. It will set you back 300 Euros (around £237). You should also be able to pick up bundles that don't have a PSP, consisting of the GPS attachment and Car accessories in one or just the GPS and maps on its own. Price aren't too clear on these latter bundles, but Game looks like it'll be charging £29.99 for the most basic package.

Amazon (via MaxConsole)

Related posts: Do we really want GPS on PSP? | A CES update

Sony settles on PlayTV date and price

There have been a few rumours about the PlayTV date and price, all of which have been resolutely denied by Sony so far, but at the PlayStation Day event yesterday SCEE's David Reeves unveiled the official deets: September, EURO 99 / £80.

PlayTV is a small accessory and software for recording digital terrestrial telly onto your PS3 hardwar, with the added bonus being that the content is then viewable at any time, from anywhere on a PSP via remote play. It's reasonable to expect that you'll be able to copy it over for times when you don't have network access / the connection is playing silly buggers.

It is also believed that the recordings will be DRM free so that non-PSP owners should be able to take their content out and about with them too.

Eighty quid sounds a lot better than some of the numbers being bandied about before, but still a little too expensive for an impulse purchase. For that money, I think I'll be giving it at miss. Anyone else?

PlayStation Day (via NextGen)

Give your PS3 a faceplate makeover

Although that slightly translucent, incredibly shiny black finish on the PS3 looks superb, it does have one huge flaw in it. Well, mine now has several huge flaws in it... because it scratches incredibly easily.

Even though mine now sits neatly enclosed in the TV stand shelf, I know those big old scratches are there, lurking in the darkness, a permanent testimony to the fact I couldn't take care of it properly and that PS3s just aren't meant to be ferried around.

Fortunately salvation is at hand - a US company has started selling replacement cover plates. For $20.00 you can pick up a white or silver CXM Smart Plate that doesn't just cover up your existing one: instead you remove the old plate via a couple of screws and secure the new one in place. Good as new.

Apparently more colours, including yellow, green and black will be coming along soon. I'll doff my cap to anyone who can transfer a piece of GTA IV artwork to one. The maker, Extreme-Mods, will ship to the UK apparently but you'll probably end up paying as much again in shipping. Hopefully someone will start importing their own.

Extreme-Mods (via Technabob)

Related posts: Bathe with your PSP | Make your own cheap PS3 Portable

Rumour rubbished: Sony says Q4 for PlayTV in Europe

Guess that old Amazon leak was wrong after all - Sony Australia has told Gizmodo that the digital TV tuner and recording software for PS3, called PlayTV, won't be out until Q4.

Proof that the natural order of things has been rebalanced after that appalling DualShock 3 slap in the face; Australian PS3 owners will be getting their PlayTV a month after it hits Europe. Gizmodo reckons that it could be pointing at the end of October time frame here.

Price is our most immediate concern. Again, all we have to go on is "less than 200AUD" (around £94). I'd bloody hope it is less than £90 quid. In the end it is basically only a Freeview tuner and some software. The £60 price tag Amazon was once claiming suddenly seems a whole lot more realistic.

Bit bored having a wash? Then get your PSP to share your bath

Ever found yourself lounging around in the bath after a hard days work, and just not enjoying the old 'bath plus book' scenario? Well worry no more as the PSP now has a, erm, new waterproof bag accessory.

Yep, those of you eager to get some PSP action while sprawled in the water can now pick up this handy little gadget (well, gadget might be stretching things a touch) to allow them to do a little fiddling while they soap themselves down. Ooer.

Complete with suction cups to attack it your showers wall, it's big enough to house the PSP TV tuner too so you can strain your eyes watching some crappy early morning breakfast television before work. But still be safe in the knowledge that you wont destroy your PSP.

Can't say I can see it catching on really...

Source: Game Watch
Related posts: Sony and Sky team up, PSP wins Japan with boobs

Guitar Hero following Rock Band's lead, introducing drums and mics?

Rumours are going round that suggest Activision is gearing up to try and beat EA and Harmonix at their own game. CEO Bobby Kotick is expected to shortly announce a new direction for the Guitar Hero franchise, one that will include additional instruments (drums, mics). As they say, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Guitar Hero IV, in spite of these changes, will still be called Guitar Hero IV and not Guitar-and-Mic-and-Drum-and-Maraca Hero as I'd hoped.

It will also be going for a more 'local' approach, by supporting "local content" from "local bands". Such as you might have seen "down the local". Also, downloadable content is going to be much better, and probably supported by the merger with Vivendi and the access this will grant to the Universal Music Group content owned by the same. Who's not anti-competitive now, eh EC?

But basically it sounds like it's copying Rock Band on just about every possible count. Still, that might not really be such a bad thing...

PlayTV date and price surfaces, promptly denied

Amazon.co.uk was responsible for a brief surge in PlayTV speculation yesterday when an errant posting put a July 31st release date and a £60 price tag on the digital TV PS3 accessory. The listing has now been removed.

Sony has since denied the story, with a spokesman offering up the tired old line of "We have yet to announce a release date and price for PlayTV, and do not comment on rumour or speculation."

I sometimes wonder if the conversations between spokespeople and journos on these topics go along of the lines of: "Oh hi, yeah X product has been given Y release date by Z source, care to comment?" "Not really thanks, just go with the usual please".

Amazon has been known to pluck release dates right out its bum on occasion, particularly where gaming is concerned, so perhaps we shouldn't put too much stock in these numbers after all, but the timing and price seem a lot more realistic than what we've seen before. July 31st gives plenty of time for software fine-tuning and £60 seems about the right ballpark for a price.

A cheaper type of PlayStation 3 portable...

I can't imagine for one moment why on earth anyone would want to take a PlayStation 3 'on the road' with them. Home consoles are allowed the luxury of being bulky fellers, but the PS3 takes that about as far it can go, being large enough to small family of migrant workers and (as I learned to much annoyance) the shiny chassis isn't really suited to being transported amidst sharp scratchy objects normally found in a bag. Like zips.

But if you are absolutely desperate to get PS3 gaming on the go, then the best possible solution is to buy Ben Heck's PS3 laptop, but that will cost you an alarming amount of money and there aren't many to go around. There's only one actually. So a close second has to go to Chinavision's PS3 Gaming Monitor.

It comes with a pair of stereo surround speakers so you don't have to watch everything in silence. On the (major) downside, that tiny 7" screen isn't HD at all so it'll be back to old school standard definition graphics while you're on the road. It does come in a nice matching glossy balck though in case that sways you.

No word on prices, but we're going to go out on a limb and suggest that it'll be less than the price of a luxury cruise for seven.

(via Tech Digest)

Related posts: Rockband / GH guitar | Third party rumbling controller

Grand Theft Auto IV official strategy guide

With the Rockstar Social Club holding a competition to reward the first 100 players to play the game to 100% completion, anyone wanting a shot at that exclusive key to the city will need help.

Primarily in the form of understanding and willing friends who can take over gaming duties when sleep beckons, but also perhaps something more professional, such as a book that tells you how to do everything. Wouldn't that be handy? Especially as there won't be any player written guides on gamefaqs for at least a week.

So there's this, the official strategy guide, which we assume isn't just designed for those seeking the 100% award but who are just wanting a few pointers to finding their way around Liberty City. It also means that two lucky buggers have already played the game enough to know all the missions and where everything is hidden.

All their inside knowledge is revealed within this 278 page behemoth - we've come a long way since those tiny little books full of seemingly random cheat codes you used to get on the front of magazines, eh? I just hope it has a really good index.

If you want to learn everything for yourself without outside, we salute you. If you don't, you're only human, and one of these can be yours from April 29th.

GTA IV

Related posts: Poll sez Xbox 360 GTA victor | Multiplayer details

DualShock 3 ignores Europe, heads Down Under

Sony has confirmed that Australia and New Zealand are next on the list to get their fix of DualShock 3 vibrating controllers. And they'll be landing soon - on April 24th and May 9th respectively.

Not that we have anything against our friends down under getting their mitts on some cool tech first, but you'll forgive us for asking, what gives? We here in Europe would like some vibrating lovin' too. This year preferably. If this is what it feels like to be relegated to fourth class technology citizens, it's not nice at all.

But it seems Australia and New Zealand have skipped up the technology ladder by employing a particularly sly new tactic - they've gone and bought up all the Sixaxis stock, prompting (forcing) Sony to replenish it with DS3 stock.

Don't worry though, Sony is still going to shaft them royally for their impertinence - a new DS3 will cost 99.95 Australian Dollars or £47 (ouch), and in New Zealand it will be $109.95 which is more like £52. Over fifty quid for a controller with a rumble pack!? I'd consider emigrating.

(via Spong)

Related posts: Farewell to Sixaxis | Ugly DS3 alternatives

Metal Gear Solid 4 Bluetooth headset revealed - just more promo paraphernalia, or something much better?

Along with the new MGS4 PS3, there's allegedly*a new Metal Gear Solid 4 themed Bluetooth headset coming along too.

As you'd imagine from a Bluetooth headset, its specs aren't all that exciting. You get about 30 feet of range (and if you exceed that then your telly is far too big) and it'll give you around 8 hours talk time or 160 standby.

Being a Metal Gear Solid 4 accessory, it's obviously designed for the PS3, but that doesn't mean you couldn't use it on any ordinary mobile phone too. Just be cautious about wearing it in public and the possibility of people pointing, laughing and throwing things.

In the end though, there seems very little point to $60 accessory. Sure it looks authentic, but what actual use is it for MGS4 specifically? Metal Gear Online is the game that actually needs a headset after all, and although you get a preview of that in MGS4, it has its own full, spin-off title coming. I have another idea though...

...What if by connecting a Bluetooth headset, all of Snake's Codec conversations could be played through the headset?