Sony has confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that PlayTV has shipped 85,000 units to retailers in the UK.
The hardware add-on, which acts as a freeview box and personal video recorder, went on sale last weekend and retails for GBP 69.99.
Pre-orders for the peripheral were around 9,000 according to Sony. Momentum is building in the run up to Christmas, with specialist and national press giving thumbs up to the device, which strengthens the PlayStation 3's status as a multimedia hub for the living room.
Again, that's only numbers for the UK... The hardware is being rolled-out across the rest of Europe until December, but there are currently no plans to release PlayTV in the US.
We're sure you've grown to expect each European update to be disappointing and seriously lacking, however it's time for a change. SCEE has finally released an update capable of being proud of.
With demos for upcoming titles such as Fracture, where you're able to change the entire landscape at will and NBA Live 09, where basketball fans can rejoice and prepare for the long season ahead, gamers can probably let loose a smile.
Playable content
- Fracture demo
- SoulCalibur IV demo
- NBA Live 09 demo
Videos
- Fallout 3 official trailer
- Resistance 2 "Twisted History" video
- Pure Exhilaration trailer
- PAIN Amusement Park Clown Toss trailer
- PAIN Amusement Park Hot & Cold trailer
- PlayTV Product trailer
Here is the latest news and rumors from the new PSM3 magazine's 'The Insider' article, courtesy of SWORDF1SH via GameTrailers (linked above).
To quote: Alone in the Dark is being redesigned for PS3. Expect right stick camera control, a slicker menu system and enhanced visuals.
Apparently the reason for the 6 month delay of PlayTV, is that Sony tried to implement Freesat (an HD-capable alternative to Freeview), but its impossible - for now. PlayTV 2.0? Surely not...
Guitar Hero IV shots have leaked showing in-game Ozzy Osbourne renders. But the series could be in trouble after Warner Brothers were demanding more money for use of their music in the game, and in Rock Band too.
The new Medal Of Honor is rumored to take place in modern-day Afghanistan, possibly revolving around Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Intriguing details of BioShock's PS3-exclusive 'Plasmid challenges' have emerged. They're said to play like Valves inge... More »
Sometimes it's hard to keep track of what's "official" and what's not - especially because Sony continues to contradict itself. When we first heard the Euro-exclusive PlayTV box would allow users to copy recorded shows onto the PSP, we all said "yay."
The convenience of recording TV and taking it with us wherever we go sounded swell. Then, we found out that the files would be restricted.
Well, with PlayTV in the hands of reviewers, it appears Sony has switched back to the original plan. You'll now be able to copy DRM-free versions of your recorded programs to your PSP, or any other compatible MPEG-4 device, at least according to CVG.
Our European readers may want to check out CVG's review. The rest of us will just sit here in the corner, waiting.
SCEE won awards in three highly competitive categories, carrying off Best PS3 game, Best PSP game and Best Innovation awards.
A committee of respected games and entertainment journalists judged the awards, for which more than 120 products were entered in total.
PRESS RELEASE: LittleBigPlanet™, Resistance: Retribution™ and PlayTV™ all honored
London, 29th August: Leipzig’s 2008 Games Convention may be over but Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) left the building with three coveted ‘Best of GC’ awards. Having displayed a wealth of innovative games and hardware including PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™), PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable), and PlayStation®2 at the convention, SCEE won awards in three highly competitive categories, carrying off Best PS3 game, Best PSP game and Best Innovation awards.
A committee of respected games and entertainment journalists judged the awards, for which more than 120 products were entered in to... More »
Update: Sony have just called to confirm that you CAN actually record while playing games. There will be a message in the final build of the code that will ask you to reboot your PS3 to enable the background recording functionality.
This rather important bit of info was missing from the review build I have been using! Lovely. I'll have a look over the next few days and see what, if any, impact recording has when playing a game but clearly this makes PlayTV are far more interesting proposition.
The Guardian has reviewed the PlayTV from Sony for the PS3 and report back that the pricing is right for a basic PVR at £70, although the device is just a bit too restrictive to recommend.
They spot a few caveats with the product such as you need to have PlayTV to actually watch your recordings and question who the PlayTV is actually aimed at as early adopters are likely to have Sky + or a freeview PVR.
It's black, it plays nice with your PS3 and it enables owners in DVB-T territories to watch live TV via their PlayStation 3.
Yep, it's Sony's PlayTV, and it has recently been reviewed on video by Stuff's Ruth Owen.
We'd go into elaborate detail about exactly what she thinks, but then you might be discouraged from actually clicking through and hearing her most delightful accent. So we won't.
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has updated the region’s PlayStation Store for another week.
As expected this week, Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty is out on this territory, along with the PS1 version of International Track and Field from Konami.
See below for a full list of updates.
Full games
* Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty (£9.99)
* International Track & Field (PsOne) (£3.49)
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