A new PSP, PS3 price cuts, new Xbox LIVE features for WP7, trailers galore, and a 100,000 player multiplayer game – if you’re a gamer, it’s a very good day indeed.
Gamescom is happening right now over in Cologne. But don’t worry, there’s no need to go site hopping to pick the best news morsels from the mound of fanboy gushings; we’ve got all the news fit to print right here. Let’s dive in.
PS3 price cut
Sony has slashed the price of the PS3, from £250 to just £199, bringing it closer to the Xbox 360. Rumours abounded about this, so it wasn’t exactly unexpected, though it didn’t go as far as the £179 some were hoping for.
PS Vita gets social
Sony also took the opportunity to announce some more details on the PlayStation Vita, and it’s good news for social networking fiends (so, all of us then). The Vita will ship with Facebook, Twitter, and Skype onboard, meaning it’ll have almost the same networking abilities as a phone. Still no word on a release date though, so watch this space for news as we get it.
PSP E-1000: the cut price PSP
Perhaps the most unexpected of the Sony announcements was an entirely new PSP, the PSP E-1000. It’s a budget version of the standard PSP, with the same matte finish as the latest version of the PS3, though it lacks Wi-Fi, so you won’t be able to access any of the online goodies like game downloads or streaming videos. It’ll still play standard PSP UMDs though, so will be compatible with all your existing games. To coincide, a range of PSP Essentials titles will launch, including FIFA 12 for just €9.99 There’s no UK price yet, but the console will hit Europe this autumn for €99, so a guess at £99 won’t be far off, we reckon.
PS3 3D display coming Autumn
Rounding off the PlayStation announcements is this 3D display that was shown off back in June. It’s an attempt to push the PS3’s 3D gaming abilities, costing just £499 – far cheaper than most 3D TVs. A feature called SimulView lets you see two images if you’re sitting in different places, aiming to add a new dimension to multiplayer gaming. Expect it to touch down this autumn.
WP7 gets new Xbox LIVE abilities
New features coming the Mango release of the mobile operating system include: avatar awardables, which are like achievements but that your avatar wears, like a badge of honour; add-ons; parental controls, so you can protect little Johnny from M (Mature) rated titles; and fast sync, which improves multiplayer turn-by-turn games on your mobile, meaning less hanging around waiting for your go. Microsoft also announced 14 new Xbox LIVE titles coming to WP7, including Burn the Rope, Chickens Can’t Fly, Gravity Guy, MUSH, and Toy Soldiers Boot Camp.
SSX to get mental 100,000 player online mode
The snowboarding sim is getting a monumental online multiplayer mode, though this will be asynchronous play, so you can compete with people who aren’t online at the same time. Still, just makes getting on the podium even more of an achievement.
Street Fighter X Tekken, Heroes of Ruin, Resident Evil: Revelations, and DOTA 2 get trailers
Street Fighter X Tekken shows off some new characters, as well as the gameplay basics.
Heroes of Ruin has over 20,000 weapons per class, as well as a randomisation mode to keep things interesting. It definitely looks like it’s taking full advantage of the third dimension on the 3DS, too.
Old favourite Resident Evil looks amazing on the 3DS. Let’s just hope they’ve improved the cut scenes since the original.
Defense of the Ancients started life as a mod for Warcraft III, but was so successful it stood on its own two feet. And it’s not hard to see why, judging from this cinematic trailer for the sequel.
Warface heading for the UK
Crytek has announced its free online FPS is heading to the UK and Europe next year. The game uses the same CryEngine 3 engine as Crysis 2, and is set in the near future, with military missions galore. If you like Call of Duty and Battlefield 3, this should be in your sights.
