Since launch, Sony has advertised the PlayStation 3 as a household center for entertainment. In addition to Blu-Ray playback, Sony soon took it a step further with a few software updates giving it access to tons of Movies and TV Shows through the PlayStation Network Store. It even supports DLNA streaming to share music, photos, and videos between computers on your home network. Despite those features, it lacked something that Microsoft was able to put into the Xbox: Netflix Streaming.

Fortunately Sony has caught up with the times and has partnered with Netflix. They plan to offer PS3 owners and Netflix subscribers streaming access to their library as early as next month at no additional cost. This will be a great complement to their snail mail Blu-Ray rental service.  To enable your PS3 for the service, you’ll need to get a special free disc from Netflix that will enable the service. Let’s hope there will be more features such as this one coming down the line. Hulu please?

Links: Netflix.com/PS3

This isn’t the first time Sony’s slimmed down on a console. It’s predecessor the PlayStation 2 also shed a few pounds and was re-launched with a new look a couple of years after launch. The PlayStation Portable also was re-branded as a more compact PSP Go and will be reaching stores later this year.

Sony’s PlayStation 3 hasn’t dominated the console war as the PS2 had during it’s time, mainly due to competing prices. As of early 2009, the Sony PS3 has sold about 24 million units worldwide behind both Microsoft’s Xbox 360 at ~32 million units and Nintendo’s Wii at ~52 million units. For consumers, the good news might be the new price tag of $299, which is effective immediately, for both the upcoming Slim model and the currently available one. One quirk that still disappoints is a continued lack of backwards compatibility for PlayStation 2 games. Despite that, if you are interested in grabbing a unit, the PS3 Slim will be available for purchase online and in stores on September 1st, 2009.

Pre-Order: Sony PS3 Slim – $299
Links: PlayStation Blog

As many of you have already heard there was a torrent of game announcements that came out of E3 that just gets our hearts pumping. So, without any further adieu here are the games that I personally am most excited for on each the following consoles.

PlayStation 3:

• God of War III – Sony CEA
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – SCEA
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Activision
• Heavy Rain – Sony Computer Entertainment
• Bioshock 2 – 2K Games
• MAG – Sony Computer Entertainment
• Assassin’s Creed II – Ubisoft

Xbox 360:

• Assassin’s Creed II – Ubisoft
• Halo 3: ODST – Microsoft
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Activision
• Alan Wake – Microsoft
• Splinter Cell: Conviction – Ubisoft
• Mass Effect 2 – Electronic Arts
• Bioshock 2 – 2K Games
• Left 4 Dead 2 – Valve Software

Wii:

• New Super Mario Brothers – Nintendo
• Metroid: The Other M – Nintendo

DS: Scribblenauts – Nintendo

PC:

• Left 4 Dead 2 – Valve Software
• Star Wars: The Old Republic – Lucas Arts and Bioware
• Splinter Cell: Conviction – Ubisoft
• Alan Wake – Microsoft
• Bioshock 2 – 2K Games
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Activision
• Mass Effect 2 – Electronic Arts
• Assassin’s Creed II – Ubisoft

With the sleuth of new games this month, it appears as though the holiday season is upon us and game publishers are starting to let loose all of the major titles. With the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 with major titles coming out: Resistance 2 and Gears of War 2, respectively, it looks like this is going to be another exciting holiday season for gamers.

Nintendo Wii:

• Shaun White SnowBoarding – Ubisoft
• Cooking Mama: World Kitchen – Majesco
• Need for Speed: Undercover – Electronic Arts
• Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party – Ubisoft
• WordJong Party – Destineer
• Animal Crossing: City Folk – Nintendo
• Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars – Gamecock Media Group
• Star Wars The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels – LucasArts
• Imagine Party Babyz – Ubisoft
• Candace Kane’s Candy Factory – Destineer
• Rock Revolution – Konami
• Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World – Namco Bandai
• Pet Pals: Animal Doctor – Legacy Interactive
• Mortimer Beckett and the Secrets of Spooky Manor – RealNetworks
• PopStar Guitar – XS Games
• WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2009 – THQ
• Madagascar Escape 2 Africa – Activision
• James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace – Activision
• Kung Fu Panda: Legendary Warriors – Activision
• Monster Lab – Eidos Interactive
• Alien Crush Returns – Hudson Entertainment
• Home Sweet Home – Big Blue Bubble

Play Station 3:

• Resistance 2 – SCEA
• Tom Clancy’s EndWar – Ubisoft
• Valkyra Chronicles – Sega
• Quantum of Solace: The Game – Activision
• Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm – Namco Bandai
• WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2009 – THQ
• Mirror’s Edge – EA
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 – Konami
• Call of Duty: World at War – Activision
• Shaun White Snowboarding – Ubisoft
• Mortal Kombat Vs DC Universe – Midway
• NCAA Basketball 09 – Electronic Arts

Xbox 360:

• Gears of War 2 – Microsoft
• Call of Duty: World at War – Activision
• Command and Conquer Red Alert 3 – Electronic Arts
• Mirror’s Edge – Electronic Arts
• Mortal Kombat Vs DC – Midway
• Shaun White Snowboarding – Ubisoft
• Naruto: The Broken Bond – Ubisoft
• Need for Speed Undercover – Electronic Arts
• Left 4 Dead – Electronic Arts
• The Last Remnant – Square Enix
• Quantum of Solace – Activision
• Tom Clancy’s Endwar – Ubisoft

Games List: Nintendo Wii | Sony PS3 | Microsoft Xbox 360
Purchase Games: Amazon’s Selection (ships free + no tax)

During the Games Convention in Leipzig, Sony announced a new accessory for the PlayStation 3. This little keyboard snaps onto any SIXAXIS or DUALSHOCK 3 controller to make inputting text easier. The Wireless Keypad accessory is quite similar to what Microsoft rolled out for their Xbox 360 controller over a year ago, however it’s got a few extra features. In addition to making it easier to chat with others and use the browser, it also features a few shortcuts and a special touchpad mode. The shortcuts allow quickly accessing the friends list and message box through the XMB while in games. And the touchapad mode turns the entire face of the keypad into a touchpad to control the pointer when using the browser.

The Wireless Keypad doesn’t seem to communicate with the controller at all, but rather just clips onto it. It has to be paired directly with the PS3 using a USB cable the same way a controller is. And it’s just using the standard Bluetooth 2.0 technology that’s built into the PS3, so no additional equipment is necessary. One bummer might be that this QWERTY keyboard doesn’t seem to be backlit, which the Xbox accessory does. According to the press release the keyboard will become available in North America in November, however pricing hasn’t yet been mentioned.

Links: PlayStation 3 Wireless Keypad

It seems that July will be yet another slow summer month as developers are biding their time until the holiday season to release their triple A titles.

Nintendo Wii:

• Summer Athletics: The Ultimate Challenge – dpt entertainment AG
• Order Up! – Zoo Games
• NCAA Football 09 – Electronic Arts
• Rock Band Track Pack Volume 1 – MTV Games
• Wonder World Amusement Park – Majesco Entertainment
• Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon – Square Enix
• SPOGS Racing – D2C Games
• Freddi Fish Kelp Seed Mystery – Majesco Entertainment
• Purr Pals – Crave Entertainment

PlayStation 3:

• Beijing 2008 – The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games – Sega
• NCAA Football 09 – Electronic Arts
• Soulcalibur IV – Namco Bandai Games

Xbox 360:

• Golf: Tee It Up – Activision
• Schizoid – Microsoft
• NCAA Football 09 – Electronic Arts
• Soulcalibur IV – Namco Bandai Games
• Spectral Force 3 – Atlus

Games List: Nintendo Wii | Sony PS3 | Microsoft Xbox 360
Purchase Games: Amazon’s Selection (ships free + no tax)

Nintendo Wii:

• Top Spin 3 – 2K Sports
• Rock Band – MTV Games
• Blast Works – Majesco Sales Inc.
• The Incredible Hulk – Sega

Play Station 3:

• Kung Fu Panda – Activision
• Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy – Sierra
• LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures – LucasArts
• Race Driver: GRID – CodeMasters Software
• The Incredible Hulk – Sega
• Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit – Atari
• NASCAR 09 – Electronic Arts

Xbox 360:

• Ninja Gaiden II – Microsoft
• Kung Fu Panda – Activision
• LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures – LucasArts
• Alone in the Dark – Atari
• Race Driver: GRID – CodeMasters Software
• Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy – Sierra
• The Incredible Hulk – Sega
• NASCAR 09 – Electronic Arts
• Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit – Atari
• Don King Presents Prizefighter – 2k Sports
• Command and Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath – Electronic Arts
• Hail to the Chimp – Gamecock Media Group
• Hellboy: The Science of Evil – Konami
• Operation Darkness – Atlus
• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith – Activision
• Command and Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath – Electronic Arts
• Hail to the Chimp – Gamecock Media Group
• Hellboy: The Science of Evil – Konami
• Operation Darkness – Atlus
• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith – Activision

Games List: Nintendo Wii | Sony PS3 | Microsoft Xbox 360
Purchase Games: Amazon’s Selection (ships free + no tax)

After last month’s launch of Grand Theft Auto IV for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, which seems to have received best score of all time for both consoles, these new games are probably going to go unnoticed. And Wii users are still probably rejoicing with Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart.

Nintendo Wii:

• Emergency Heroes – Ubisoft
• Wii Fit – Nintendo
• DECA Sports – Hudson Entertainment, Inc
• We Ski – NAMCO Bandai Games America, Inc
• Castle of Shikigame III – Aksys Games
• Blast Works – Majesco Sales, Inc
• Bloom Box – Electronic Arts
• Iron Man – Sega

Play Station 3:

• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian – Disney Interactive Studios
• UEFA EURO 2008 – Electronic Arts
• SlingStar – SCEA
• Enemy Territory: Quake Wars – Activision
• Monster Madness: Grave Danger – Southpeak
• Haze – Ubisoft

Xbox 360:

• Iron Man – Sega
• Wits & Wagers – Microsoft
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian – Disney Interactive Studios
• UEFA EURO 2008 – Electronic Arts
• Enemy Territory: Quake Wars – Activision
• Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition – Capcom

Games List: Nintendo Wii | Sony PS3 | Microsoft Xbox 360
Purchase Games: Amazon’s Selection (ships free + no tax)

When the PlayStation 3 was originally launched Sony ran into a patent infringement with the rumble feature in their new controller. So instead of naming it the Dual Shock 3, which would be logical since it would have been a wireless version of the Dual Shock 2 for the PlayStation 2, they ended up naming the non-vibrating controller the SIXAXIS. When the patent issues were all settled by mid-2007, however the first Dual Shock 3 controller didn’t hit the market in Japan until November 2007. North America and Europe have an official launch date of April 15, 2008 at a MSRP of $54.99.

As always retailers are already taking in pre-orders for the controllers and Amazon seems to have a pretty darn good deal. Amazon is charging $49.99 for the Dual Shock 3 with free (super saver) shipping and no tax. In addition if you are worried the the price might drop, Amazon guarantees to offer you the lowest price it reaches between the time you place your order and the launch date. It’s a fairly good deal considering that the SIXAXIS Wireless Controller still runs at around $40-45. In addition you won’t have to wait for most games to become rumble-compatible. Over a hundred titles including best sellers such as Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots already fully support it, while other titles should get patches.

Pre-Order: Dual Shock 3 Controller – $49
Links: More DualShock 3 Info

This month will be an exciting time for Nintendo Wii owners since one of the most anticipated games, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is hitting stores on March 9th, 2008. Note that the game was already made available in Japan and this launch date applies only to North America. A date has not yet been set for Europe.

Nintendo Wii:

• Super Smash Bros. Brawl – Nintendo
• Summer Sports: Paradise Island – Destineer
• Bully: Scholarship Edition – Rockstar Games
• Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed – Locomotive
• Ninja Reflex – Electronic Arts
• Major League Baseball 2k8 – 2k Sports

Play Station 3:

• MLB 08 The Show – SCEA
• Army of Two – Electronic Arts
• Condemned 2: Bloodshot – Sega
• Dark Sector – D3 Publisher of America
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 – UbiSoft
• Sega Superstars Tennis – Sega
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 – Konami

Xbox 360:

• Rainbow Six Vegas 2 – Ubisoft
• Condemned 2: Bloodshot – Sega
• Bully: Scholarship Edition – Rockstar
• Major League Baseball 2k8 – 2k Sports
• Army of Two – Electronic Arts
• Brothers In Arms Hell’s Highway – Ubisoft
• Dark Sector – D3 Publisher of America
• Universe At War: Earth Assault – Sega
• Viking: Battle for Asgard – Sega

Games List: Nintendo Wii | Sony PS3 | Microsoft Xbox 360
Purchase Games: Amazon’s Selection (ships free+ no tax)

Logitech has just announced two new bluetooth based accessories for Sony’s PlayStation 3: the cordless Vantage Headset and MediaBoard Pro. The new wireless headset is a lightweight behind-the-head design and has can be worn on either the left or right side. The reachable headset, with its noise canceling features, offers up to 12 hours battery life. The new black MediaBoard Pro has been specifically designed for the PS3, therefore supports just about any feature the console offers. In addition, as an upgrade to the its predecessor, the keyboard now includes the PS3’s triangle, X, square, and circle buttons. With the improved touch pad and action buttons, there is no need for an additional mouse or to have to fiddle around with a controller in addition to the keyboard. The MediaBoard functions from up 30 feet away from the PlayStation 3 and provides over 200 hours of battery life.

The Logitech Vantage Headset will be available in November 2007 for a retail price of $79.99, while the MediaBoard will hit stores as early as next month and will also cost $79.99. Logitech’s accessories are high grade quality, however are often expensive. In this case, this headset’s price is more than usual because of its extremely long battery life and noise cancellation technology. If you wish to spend the cash it will be worth it. However for the majority of people bluetooth headsets such as Jabra BT5020 or Samsung WEP200 will do just fine. We would recommend the keyboard though!

Links: Logitech Vantage Headset | Logitech MediaBoard Pro

The long awaited mass-multiplayer game, Warhawk, is finally ready for launch! The game, which is a remake of game on the PlayStation One, now supports battling on foot as well as in jeeps, tanks, and planes. Players connected to the PlayStation Network can create and join arenas with up to 32 others. Warhawk will also truly utilize the PS3’s SIXAXIS motion sensors to perform tasks such as maneuvering aircrafts. Unfortunately this will not be one of of those “Full 1080 HD” games we’ve been waiting for since it will be rendered in 720p like most games on the market.

Anyways as stated in the title the game will be available at the end of this month, August 28th. Sony also stated in there most recent press release that the game would be available online from PSN and in retail stores. The downloadable version will cost only $39 while the boxed retail edition will be priced at $59 since it includes developer interviews, original sketches, trailers, and videos. In addition to the extra digital content the in store edition will include a “free” Jabra BT 125 Bluetooth headset, which normally retails for about $25 – $35, to promote voice chatting.

Pre-Order: Warhawk w/ Headset $59 (FREE SHIPPING)
Links: Warhawk Official Site | PlayStation Blog

It looks as though if April is going to be another slow month for game releases. However there are three high anticipated games arriving. The Wii will be getting the Prince of Persia: Rival Swords, which now has better graphics, and Super Paper Mario, which brings back the popular traditional Nintendo characters. Finally, F.E.A.R., a popular PC and Xbox game will be hitting the Sony PlayStation 3!

Wii:

• Prince of Persia: Rival Swords – Ubisoft
• Bust-A-Move Bash! – Majesco Sales Inc
• Super Paper Mario – Nintendo

PlayStation 3: F.E.A.R. – Vivendi Games

Xbox 360: 2006 FIFA World Cup – EA Sports

Game Lists: Nintendo Wii | Sony PS3 | Microsoft Xbox 360
Related: Upcoming PS3, Wii, & 360 Games: March

Yesterday evening, Microsoft confirmed rumors of a new black Xbox 360, when it announced the Xbox 360 Elite. The initial details on the device further confirm the rumors that this new version of the 360 will come equipped with a 120GB hard drive and a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port. However, besides those two additions and the fact that it’s black, there appears to be little else that’s new.

The 120GB hard drive will also become available, separately, to customers of the original Xbox 360 for an estimated retail price of $179.99. The average gamer will probably have to decide whether they’d prefer three more games or more storage capacity. I’d rather take the games, but of course this all depends on what else you might use the console for. Obviously, if you’re a customer of the LIVE Marketplace video store the need for extra storage is a no-brainer, but for those of us who only use the 360 as a gaming platform the extra $180 might be better spent elsewhere.

The fact that this new version will feature a HDMI port means that is capable of providing a slightly crisper image, and a new source of digital audio output. It would also enable the 360 to play along with digital displays if Microsoft ever decides to enable HDCP, which is a protocol that would verify that the connection between the display and the console is not diverted to some sort of recording device. Contrary to popular belief, HDMI is not even necessary in order for the 360 to display 1080p “True” HD signals, the original Xbox could do that as well for its component output. So, in terms of benefit for the consumer, HDMI does little.

The 360 Elite really isn’t so “Elite” if you considers that there is still no HD-DVD support built-in, and that customers who would want this will need to purchase the external player, which only comes in white. Furthermore, getting the 360 Elite together with the HD-DVD player would costs as much, if not more than, the 60GB Playstation 3. But then again, the average consumer probably doesn’t care that much for the HD Format War and as such will only pay the $479.99 (U.S. MSRP) for the 360 console, which is still less than the $599 for the PS3. – In stores on April 29th.

Link: Microsoft Press Release | Xbox 360
Related: Upcoming Xbox 360 Games

This month Wii owners will rejoice with the arrival of four highly anticipated games. We are looking forward to how games like The Godfather: Blackhand Edition will work with the Wii controls. The PS3 will face some great games like Oblivion and Rainbow Six: Vegas this month, but unfortunately rather than MotorStorm they are all ports from the Xbox 360. Finally on the Xbox 360 we are looking forward to Armored Core 4.

Wii:

• Medal of Honor Vanguard – EA
• Prince of Persia: Rival Swords – Ubisoft
• The Godfather: Blackhand Edition - EA
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 – EA

PlayStation 3:

• MotorStorm - SCEA
• F.E.A.R - Vivendi Games
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Bethesda Softworks
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas – Ubisoft

Xbox 360:

• Def Jam: Icon – EA
• Virtua Tennis 3 – SEGA
• Armored Core 4 – Sega of America

Game Lists: Nintendo Wii | Sony PS3 | Microsoft Xbox 360
Related: Upcoming PS3, Wii, & 360 Games: Feburary

Unlike the last month, there will be a few more games released this month (February). PS3 and the Xbox 360 are getting a few, but the Wii seems to be getting only one game. In addition most of the games seem to be quite boring. The flOw for the PS3 seems to be quite similar to the highly anticipated Spore. Other than that, Forumla One might be good for HDTV sets. Wii owners planning to purchase another controller should purcahse Wii Play package since it will include a controller ($40) and a game for $50.

Playstation 3:

• Virtua Fighter 5 – Sega
• College Hoops 2K7 – Take Two
• flOw – SCEA
• Formula One Champion Edition – SCEA

Wii:

• Bust-A-Move Bash! – Majesco Sales Inc.
• Wii Play – Nintendo

Xbox 360:

• Dance Dance Revolution Universe – Konami
• Crackdown – Real Time Worlds
• Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 – Konami

Note: The items mentioned above are games for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 are planned to be launched in February 2006. The list is accurate as of 02/05/07, however games may be added or removed. Therefore check with Nintendo, Sony, and/or Microsoft for changes.

Links: Nintendo Wii List | Sony PS3 List | Microsoft Xbox 360 List
Related: Upcoming PS3, Wii, & 360 Games: January

Only a few weeks after the previous firmware release, Sony pushed out another update, version v1.50, for the PlayStation 3. Unlike previous patches this update supposedly fixes larger issues such as the jaggedness which appears while playing certain PlayStation 2 games. Multiple patches have been released since launch which have fixed issues such as display problems with 1080i HDTVs and other minor bugs. If you plan to play ANY games on the PlayStation Network, you MUST update to this version (1.50). You will not be allowed to connect to an online game or even browse the online store unless the update is performed on your console.

Sony PS3 Firmware 1.50 Features:

• You can now select an image to use as the User icon from [Photo].
• [Key Tone] has been added as an option under [Sound Settings].
• [Delete Backup Data] has been added under [System Settings] > [Backup Utility].
• WEP 128, WPA-PSK (TKIP) and WPA-PSK (AES) have been added as security methods.
• The method for saving your password / signing in automatically under PLAYSTATION®Network has been changed. There are now 2 separate options.
• You can now enter text in Korean using the on-screen keyboard.

We updated our console with no issues what so ever. You may update your console in a variety of methods. Either download the update directly to the unit using the built-in System Update function or downloading the file from PlayStation.com and copying it to the PS3’s HDD. The update file is about 100MB so it may take a while to download.

Update: Sony has just released version 1.51 for the PS3. There is literally no changes since v1.50, but Sony’s changelog states “Support for PLAYSTATION 3 format software titles has been expanded.”

Links: PlayStation 3 Updates
Related: PSP Firmware 3.00

January will be another slow month for new game releases for ALL the next generation gaming consoles. There will only be one game available for the PS3 and two games for each the Wii and 360. If you are waiting for new games to purchase, you might as well go pickup a currently available one unless you find something on the list below interesting. From our perspective, the only games worth purchasing this month are Sonic The Hedgehog for the PS3 and Fuzion Frenzy for the Xbox 360.

PlayStation 3:

• Sonic The Hedgehog – Sega

Wii:

• Baseball – Nintendo
• Urban Champions – Nintendo

Xbox 360:

• Fuzion Frenzy 2 – Microsoft
• Dance Dance Revolution Universe – Konami

Note: The items mentioned above are games for the PlayStation 3 and Wii that are planned to be launched in December 2006. The list is accurate as of 11/30/06, however game may be added or removed. Therefore check Nintendo’s and/or Sony’s webpage for any changes.

What console do you own? Purchase any games recently? – let us know!

Links: Nintendo Wii List | Sony PS3 List | Microsoft Xbox 360 List
Related: Upcoming PS3 & Wii Games: December

Although November was a crazy month for the gaming industry, amazingly only a handful of games will be launched in December. Most would expect Sony and Nintendo to try to force developers to push out a ton of games in time for Christmas, however the PS3 and Wii will be getting two and five games, respectively. From the looks of it, Far Cry will be a big for the Wii, while Blazing Angels Sqadrons will be probably the only game those who were lucky enough to get a PS3 and still have money may consider buying.

PlayStation 3:

• Fight Night Round 3 – Electronic Arts
• Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII – Ubisoft

Wii:

• The Ant Bully – Midway Home Entertainment
• Elebits – Konami
• Super Swing Golf – Tecmo
• World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions – Activision
• Far Cry: Vengeance – Ubisoft

Note: The items mentioned above are games for the PlayStation 3 and Wii that are planned to be launched in December 2006. The list is accurate as of 11/30/06, however game may be added or removed. Therefore check Nintendo’s and/or Sony’s webpage for any changes.

Did you get a Wii or PS3? What games do you plan to get? – let us know

Links: Nintendo Wii’s Game List | Sony PS3 Game List
Related: Upcoming PSP Games: November