PS3 Slim confirmed, PS3 price cut now

Update:
According to a press release from Sony Computer Entertainment the new PlayStation 3 system will be available in stores beginning September 1, 2009, in North America, Europe/ PAL territories and Asian countries and other regions at a retail price of US$299 and €299, respectively. The system will become available in Japan on September 3, 2009, at a RRP of 29,980 yen (including tax).

The old PS3 system will have its price reduced to USD $299. That price is for the 80GB unit and won’t kick in until August 18 (starting today) in North America and August 19 in Europe. Also in North America, the price of PS3 with 160GB HDD will be reduced to a RRP of US$399 starting August 18.

Original Story:
Today at its press conference at the GamesCom event in Cologne, Germany Sony Computer Entertainment Europe finally admitted two things: the PS3 Slim is real and the long rumored price cut is coming later this week. This slimmer, streamlined SKU will launch in the first week of September on a worldwide basis for 299 Euros in Europe and $299 USD in the States. The announcement was made by Kaz Hirai, CEO and President of SCE.

The PS3 Slim will feature a 120GB hard drive, will consume 34 percent less power than its first-generation sibling and will be 32 percent smaller in size. For once, many of those leaked images of the PS3 slim that were paraded out in hundreds of rumor posts turned out to be real. Go figure. Images of the new PS3 Slim can be found below (click to enlarge):

Activision not keen on PlayStation family

Activision’s top executive Bobby Kotick has told The Times that his company is not keen on the PlayStation family of consoles systems. In that article Kotick has gone as far as saying that, at some point, his company may have to stop supporting the PS3 and PSP.

“They have to cut the price, because if they don’t, the attach rates [the number of games each console owner buys] are likely to slow. If we are being realistic, we might have to stop supporting Sony,” Kotick told the Times Online.

“If we are being realistic, we might have to stop supporting Sony…When we look at 2010 and 2011, we might want to consider if we support the console - and the PSP too,” he added.

If Activision actually did this it wouldn’t be good for Sony. PS3 owners would miss out on a lot of key franchises including Guitar Hero and Call of Duty. We’ll continue to follow this story as it develops.

Terminator Salvation Video

I honestly don’t know if the game based on the new Christian Bale flick Terminator: Salvation, is going to suck or not. All of the Terminator video games that have been thus far are yawn inducing nonsense. I’ll wait for more details on the game, but this video from G4 is as good a starting point as any to get to form a general opinion. Check it out:

Guitar Hero Coming Home

Activision Publishing announced that Guitar Hero will get a virtual venue in PlayStation Home. Sony’s virtual destination for the PS3 will get “Backstage with Guitar Hero” giving fans VIP access to both a themed backstage lounge and massive concert venue where they can meet up, hang out, check out videos for upcoming titles in the franchise, and share their rock and roll secrets. Backstage with Guitar Hero will continue to evolve over time adding new functionality. More details on this new Home destination when we have them.

God of War III: Sony’s Killer App?

OTX analyst Nick Williams believes that God of War III could be the killer app Sony’s has been desperately in need of for the PS3. His reasoning is sound: a bunch of fans of God of War and God of War II do not own PS3 systems.

Williams is basing his conclusion on a recent consumer data poll which found that only two out of three people surveyed who plan to purchase God of War III currently own a PS3. But Williams also points out that Sony will have to put the price of its console in line with its competitors in order to get a significant gain in hardware sales.

God of War III is pegged for release in late 2009 or early 2010 at this time. If this data is true it could mean one of two outcomes for Sony: a boost in PS3 hardware sales or less than expected sales of God of War III due to the late adopters not willing to make the jump to Sony’s newest system.

LittleBigPlanet and MotorStorm Coming to PSP

So, you thought the PSP was dead, eh? Or at least living on borrowed time? Not so, says Sony, especially if its recently announced 2009 lineup is any indication. According to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Sony’s Little Handheld That Could will be chugging along uphill in 2009, as some of the most popular titles on its PlayStation 3 big brother get shrunken down for new PSP releases.

“There are a lot of big claims in the gaming industry but we’re confident when we say that 2009 is going to be an exciting year for PSP,” said Mark Hardy, European Marketing Director, SCEE. “Our fans have demanded big PSP titles and this year, we’re going to deliver again and again. With Resistance: Retribution, already on its way to stores, PSP gamers are going to get one big franchise after another.”

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EA Bringing C&C Red Alert 3 to PS3

Do you like your real-time strategy games set in alternate timelines, complete with Cold War flavoring, cheesy acting from big name talent, and uniquely interesting units? Well, if you spend your gaming time on the PlayStation 3, you’ve been out of luck. When Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 was released last October for the PC and Xbox 360, PS3 owners were left out in the cold. That’s going to change this March, according to an announcement from EA this morning.

Electronic Arts has announced plans to release Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Ultimate Edition to the PlayStation 3, which will finally bring the Command & Conquer franchise to the PS3 for the first time. The Ultimate Edition will include everything from the original release of Red Alert 3, while using the Blu-ray’s disc capacity to pack in a massive amount of bonus content. The bonus features listed so far for Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Ultimate Edition include:

• Five exciting new multiplayer maps
• Behind the scenes videos and trailers, including Raising the Iron Curtain Documentary, From Pens to Pixels, the Girls of Red Alert 3, Bloopers & Outtakes, the Red Alert 3 Remix and many more!
• PS3 exclusive Command & Conquer TV programming, including PS3-dedicated BattleCast™ PrimeTime and a special episode of Command School focused on tips, tricks and strategies from the development team
• In-depth profiles on all the Red Alert 3 Units
• The official Red Alert 3 soundtrack

“Our team has been dedicated to bringing the RTS genre to console gamers and we are excited to have this opportunity to introduce PS3 owners to Command & Conquer,” said David Seeholzer, Development Director at EA Los Angeles. “The PS3 is a very powerful platform, and the extra time we have had in development has helped us create the ultimate console RTS experience, with better graphics, improved performance, a ton of extras and some nice exclusive perks that cannot be found on any other version of Red Alert 3.”