Sam_Protagonist, an SCE developer has just posted up at the Official PlayStation forums (linked above) that:
"There will be a limited public BETA test for LittleBigPlanet in September. If it will be possible to "sign up" for this test, full information on how to do so will be made public in advance of the test. Similarly if the test is going to be conducted in an invitation-only we will let you know ahead of time."
To quote in full: Hi all, here's your guide to what a beta test is, why it happens in the first place and what the different is between internal, external, public, private, open and closed.
A beta test takes place in order to test aspects of a game that cannot be checked using internal testing and QA staff. This is usually because of the number of people required to adequately test the game is far beyond the size of internal test departments. Often these tests are looking to ensure that balance, stability and various online func... More »
CVG has learnt that Sony's next firmware update for PlayStation 3 will include an option for screen grabbing, allowing you to take your own shots of what you get up to on your PS3.
A development source has told CVG that PS3 firmware update 2.5 is rumored to have screen grabbing built in.
Exactly how this would be done and what you could do with the shots once you've grabbed a piece of the action isn't yet known. But you've got to reckon that uploading them to a server and showing off and using the images as themes would be a safe bet.
Sony hasn't announced anything about a 2.5 update yet and won't even discuss the subject.
We'll file this one under 'wait and see' for the time being.
SCEE today announced exciting and new content for the ever expanding SingStar world at Games Convention 2008. Michael Jackson joins the SingStar roster for the very first time in SingStar Vol.3 Party Edition, and takes his place alongside the greatest pop artists old and new. Barry Manilow, Lionel Richie and Kate Bush sit alongside recent chart hits from The Ting Tings, Timbaland, Sara Bareilles and Coldplay.
Press Release: Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and Barry Manilow make their SingStar debut on SingStar Vol.3 Party Edition
More than 2 million tracks downloaded from SingStore™
SingStore to launch song packs with Queen themed downloads
Leipzig Games Convention, 20th August 2008: Since its launch in 2004, SingStar™ has become one of the world’s most popular game titles and a phenomenal success for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), proving that everyone wants a chance to sing along to their favourite tune.
Per Grace Chen (Senior Manager, PLAYSTATION Store) today:
Hey, everyone. It’s time again for the PLAYSTATION Store weekly update.
Downloadable Games:
PixelJunk Eden ($9.99)
PixelJunk Eden is an organic platformer that sees you take control of a little ‘grimp’, swinging and jumping between tall alien plants, and collecting pollen to grow more life. Lush visuals, slick controls and amazing music make it an incredibly atmospheric and addictive experience. Download the full game today and prepare to enter Eden!
ESRB Rated E
File size: 106 MB
Add-on Game Content:
Soul Calibur IV: Customization Equipment 1 ($1.49)
Revival is the word with equipment delivered directly from the previous Soulcalibur series. As a sneak preview, the armour of Sophitia, the head gears of Astaroth, Nightmare and Voldo are available to name some. Did we mention that the head gears of Yoshimitsu is also available as ... More »
HBJ5, a member on FinalFantasy-xiii.net Forums (linked above), has found a leaked version of the Final Fantasy Versus XIII Trailer shown at Jump Festa 2007 which has never seen public eyes outside of Square-Enix's evil Closed Mega Theater.
To quote: We're not sure where this video has been leaked from, but we can only thank the Photobucket user a thousand times for uploading it for us. Thank God they have a good quality camera.
From what we can tell, this isn't the complete trailer, but is a good portion of it. The music is apparently from the final boss battle in Lost Oddyssey but I don't remember it. This trailer like all the rest is 100% CG.
Video is available from idStarfleets via YouTube below:
Just being able to play games is only the beginning. If you're going to call yourself a proper gamer (as opposed to a casual pretender) there are a few requisite skills that you must master first. 50 skills, in fact. And they're all right here...
1. Give a game a review score without ever actually playing the game
A cursory glance from 20 paces of a grainy postage stamp-sized super lo-res scanned-in screenshot pinned to the ass-feathers of a headless chicken in a sandstorm should be all you need to confidently attribute an authoritative and infallible review score to any game. It's how professional reviewers have been doing it for years.
2. Be able to spot whether a game is running in 720p
Just by looking at it.
3. Survive with only four hours sleep (max) a night
We all abide by the 'one more go' mantra. It demands that we are strong in the face of severe sleep deprivation.
4. Play Wii without using the wrist strap
<... More »
Sony claimed that all Firmware 2.35 did was "improve stability of some PS3 titles". Well, it turns out that the YouTube compatibility is one of those secret updates that occasionally make it unannounced into a PlayStation 3 firmware update.
The functionality was added via Version 2.35 of the firmware. At the moment, Mainichi Issyo (the crazy cat game downloadable only on off the Japanese store) is the only title to do so.
Videos are captured at 320x240, 30 frames per second and saved in an MPEG-4 file at 768kbps. Sound is recorded at 64kbps in AAC format. The maximum clip length is ten minutes.
Upon selecting to finish their recording sessions, players are given the choice of either saving their clips to the hard disk or uploading them to YouTube. Choose the latter option, and you're prompted for your YouTube user name and password.
The game then uploads the clip on the spot, showing a progress bar while you wait for the uplo... More »
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