PlayStation News, Articles and Information for the UK and Europe

Sony has apologised to PS3 gamers who lost out as a result of the removal of the PS3′s ability to run a Linux operating system. Although only a very small handful of gamers used this feature, many were nonetheless dismayed at losing a function which they saw as one of the benefits of the PS3 over the competition. In their official statement, Sony said:

“We are sorry if users of Linux or other operating systems are disappointed by our decision to issue a firmware upgrade which when installed disables this operating system feature. We have made the decision to protect the integrity of the console and whilst mindful of the impact on Linux or other operating system users we nevertheless felt it would be in the best interests of the majority of users to pursue this course of action.

“As you will be aware we have upgraded and enhanced functionality and features of the console by numerous firmware upgrades over time and this is a very rare instance where a feature will be disabled. Further enhancements are in the pipeline.”

Sony then went on to excuse themselves for what they have done:

“Users do have the choice whether to install the firmware upgrade and this is clearly explained to them at the time the firmware upgrade is made available for installation. Furthermore our terms and conditions clearly state that we have the right to revise the PS3′s settings and features in order to prevent access to unauthorised or pirated content.”

It is a shame that the PS3 has lost this function but gamers should also be aware that this whole fracas was kicked off because a hacker used the Linux OS on his PlayStation to hack the console, potentially opening it to piracy abuse. Who do you think is more at fault? Sony, or the hacker?

PLATFORM: PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360

RELEASE DATE: 9th March 2010

RATING: 16+ (PEGI)

DEVELOPER: Square Enix: Product Development Division (PDD) 1

PUBLISHER: Square Enix

It’s been just over three years since the last flagship instalment of Final Fantasy was released in the PAL region, and the wait between XIII’s original release in Japan in December and the release worldwide has been far too long; but we’re finally here, the first High Definition Final Fantasy. Does it live up to expectations and fill the gap that XII left? Or does it fall flat on its face faster than Lightning? (Excuse the pun)

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It was today announced by Naughty Dog that later this month a third pack will be released – the Siege Pack. The pack itself will include 6 new skins, a new co-op mode, 2 new maps and an extra 11 trophies. The pack will hit the store for £4.79/€5.99 on (Thursday) 22nd April. Hit the official blog via this link for some screenshots. Listed below are the full details for this pack…

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The forthcoming ‘Stimulus Package’ DLC for Modern Warfare 2 has finally been given a release date for PlayStation 3 and will be hitting UK shores on 5th May 2010. Once again those lucky folk in North America get it a day earlier, on the 4th May.

The Stimulus Package contains five maps, two of which are remakes from the original Modern Warfare game (‘Crash’ and ‘Overgrown’). The other three are brand new. Infinity Ward Community Manager Robert Bowling announced the release on his Twitter feed:

“The Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package DLC will hit PS3 in North America on May 4th, everywhere else May 5th”.

The UK price for the ‘Stimulus Package’  will be £10.99.

Yes it’s finally here!  Today, FirstPlay will be officially launching in the UK, bringing with it lots of news, reviews, previews, videos and of course, exclusive downloads from the team that we know and love: OPM. For those that don’t know, FirstPlay is a weekly downloadable service from the PSN, it currently costs 99p per episode or £8.99 for a 90-day subscription (approx. 12 episodes). Click ‘Read More…’ to get a detailed list of what will be hitting your PS3 this week. Read more

Another nice update for the store this week, though again no PSOne Classics. Of interest this week is Aqua Panic! HD, a downloadable PS3 game from Eko Software. There is also DLC for Just Cause 2, Hustle Kings and Mega Man 10, as well as the usual updates from Rock Band, Guitar Hero 5 and LittleBigPlanet.

 Don’t forget that the debut episode of FirstPlay is also out today. See the full store update below:

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Fresh off the Yahoo news press comes a rumour that a next-gen PSP in currently in the works and will be officially unveiled at this year’s E3 in June. There’s only very slight evidence to suggest this but poor launch of the PSP-Go coupled with sightings of the phrase ‘PSP 2′ are starting to set rumours flying around the web.

Our impression? Sony have enough on their plates with the fantastic line-up of 2010 exclusives, the forthcoming 3D support and of course the launch of PlayStation Move in the Autumn without adding a PSP 2 into the mix. Either way, June 2010 should be a very interesting month for PlayStation fans!

We’re not sure if this is a delayed April Fool’s Day joke or what but according to Kotaku, a Japanese third-party hardware developer is planning to release a slightly cumbersome looking add-on TV screen for the ‘PS3 Slim’, turning the console into a quasi-portable gaming machine. The add-on will be released in Japan on May 27th for around 25,000 Yen, which is roughly £180.

Maybe a few real hardcore gamers will be interested but it’s difficult to see this taking off here in the UK.

European PlayStation 3 fans will finally be able to strap on their jetpacks and launch into the world of Section 8 next  Thursday, April 15th.

Developed by TimeGate Studios, the full-featured, first-person shooter (FPS) will be released for £19.99 on the PSN Store in the UK and €24.99 in Europe and will include  three bonus maps. Section 8 was originally released for Windows and Xbox 360 in September last year.

If you like futuristic FPS games then Section 8 might be worth checking out – have a look at the video below to see for yourself: Read more

As reported on CVG, highly anticipated racing game Gran Turismo 5 may support both PlayStation Move and 3D, according to the developers Polyphony Digital. When asked about both forthcoming technologies, Kazunori Yamauchi, the developer’s boss, went on record stating:

“We’re always attuned to new technologies. If there are display devices or peripherals that seem interesting, I’m sure we’ll work to support them.”

 Although not a definitive yes, Move and 3D support are clearly a possibility for Gran Turismo 5 – perhaps that’s one of the reasons for the game’s substantial delays. No release date for the UK/Europe has been announced yet but it’s likely that Gran Turismo 5 will be released in the late Autumn this year. As with previous Gran Turismo games, it will be exclusive to PlayStation and this will be the first full-blown Gran Turismo game released for the PS3.