Sony’s PS3 showing at E3, the world’s largest videogame trade show, taking place in Los Angeles in early June, will include the next installments in the MotorStorm, Jak & Daxter and Uncharted series. As well as the massively-anticipated, grown-up adventure game Heavy Rain (by the makers of Fahrenheit) and, presumably a load more.
The list of games was revealed as Sony announced a pre-E3 press event for US media.
Rock Band Unplugged for the PSP will most likely release in the UK on 12 June. MTV, Harmonix and Electronic Arts have announced a global release “beginning 9 June”. As games traditionally release on a Friday in the UK, that should see Rock Band Unplugged available 12 June.
The Microsoft Xbox 360 is the console that has the highest proportion of satisfied Japanese owners, according to a poll of Famitsu readers. The influential Japanese videogames magazine found 24 per cent of Microsoft Xbox 360 owners were extremely satisfied with their console, and 16 per cent were satisfied. This beat rival consoles the Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii, as well as handheld consoles the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP.
The Sony PSP2, Sony’s successor to its handheld multimedia console, almost certainly won’t feature a disc drive for retail games. Dave Perry, respected videogames industry veteran and Chief Creative Officer at Acclaim, had already said the PSP2 wouldn’t feature a UMD disc drive. But Sony has, until now, denied this. Now it has edged closer than ever before to admitting the “stupid battery-sucking” drive (as Perry put it) is out.
US and UK analysts of the videogame industry tip Nintendo, with its Wii and DS, to be worst hit by recession – because its new base of casual gamers will stop buying games sooner than hardcore gamers, diverting their money elsewhere. UK analysts also point out that Sony’s PS3 will suffer from being at a higher price than its rival consoles. While US analysts have focussed on the fact that Microsoft has, at least for 2008, got the better exclusive franchises for the Xbox 360, with Gears Of War 2 leading the charge.
Research firm NPD Group has found, in a survey of usage by 3,200 handheld gamers in September, that most play their Sony PSP, Nintendo DS or Apple iPhone at home.