PS3 Launch Countdown
The PS3 launch is only three days away now, and I have to confess I’m feeling rather excited. I had an e-mail from Play yesterday saying my system had shipped, even giving a Parcel Force tracking number. I phoned them this morning (their customer service I should note, is second to none) for clarification. The machines are all boxed up and ready to ship, and have been allocated their tracking numbers. They are now in the warehouse awaiting collection on Thursday, for delivery on Friday. Efficiency, who’d of thought it?
Back when the system launched in the US and Japan I was absolutely resolute that I wasn’t going to buy one, there was only one game that was worth buying (Resistance), the rest being a number of ports of existing titles and updates that weren’t that different from the previous games (step forward Ridge Racer 7). In many ways (and hindsight is a wonderful thing), delaying the launch of the console in Europe is the best thing Sony could have done. When this happened a number of the big sites were starting to comment that March would be like a second launch for the console, and they’re not wrong.
We now have the must have Motorstorm with the launch line-up over here, as well a number of other nicely polished titles including the gorgeous Virtua Fighter 5. Sony seem a lot more ready for its final territory launch, and have enjoyed a lot more positive press than they were getting six months ago (I’m sure it’s no coincidence that Ken Kutaragi and Kaz Hirai have gone suspiciously quiet of late, with SCEE’s Phil Harrison taking over the PR duties, and doing a very admirable job too). The second ThreeSpeech event, combined with the announcements of Home and LittleBigPlanet meant that my preorder stayed, with my TiVo and Panasonic Q going on eBay to fund it.
Today has also seen the launch of the European PS3 compatibility web site, which details which PS2 titles will work with the new console, and how well via a three star style rating. Over 1,700 titles from the catalogue are compatible which an impressive feat as only last week that number was five hundred titles short. This updated list will be incorporated into the new version 1.6 firmware which goes live at midnight on Thursday. Also incorporated into the new update are:
Folding@Home
Bluetooth keyboard and mouse support
Full QWERTY on-screen keyboard
Improved Web browser
Re-writable Blu-Ray media playback
Control over whether the console boots to the XMB or the inserted disc
Remote play
Background downloading
It’s the final two items on this list that are of most interest, streaming video over wi-fi from the PS3 to the PSP and being able to download from the PlayStation Store while listening to music, viewing photos or playing videos from the hard drive, but not while playing Blu-Ray movies or games. Up to six downloads can be queued, ala Live Marketplace.
Rounding out today’s update, Capcom have confirmed what many people have been predicting for some time, that Devil May Cry 4 is no longer a PS3 exclusive. The game will be launching simultaneously on both PS3 and Xbox 360, with the surprise news that there will also be a PC port coming later on. Let’s just hope they do a better job than the travesty that was the Resident Evil 4 conversion.
With the relatively small install base of the PS3 at present, there is no way that Capcom are going to recoup the development costs of a AAA title like DMC4 on the one format, so it makes sense that the game will also come to the 360. I’m still expecting Dead Rising and Lost Planet to come to the PS3 before the end of the year as it’s still unsure whether Microsoft and Capcom have a full on exclusivity deal on those two titles, or a timed one.
I will, of course, be posting full impressions and details of the PS3 on Friday, as well as writing a separate piece for ThreeSpeech.
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Filed Under: Videogames
