THE PS3 NATION

A new year has begun, and with it the wait for new games, features and announcements. Sony has made many promises for what the Playstation 3 can deliver. This year, with any luck, they can make good and deliver on those promises. The annual consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, Nevada has already generated some interesting news.

Sony recently announced that the PS3 will soon be capable of loading a portable version of any purchased Blu-Ray movies onto the PSP. This development promises to give gamers on the go added incentive to buy into the growing high-definition movie format. With film industry giants like Warner Bros. and Disney signing exclusive rights over to Blu-Ray, this news is the icing on the digital media cake.

Of course, the Playstation 3 wouldn’t be much of a gaming console without games. So developers are doing their best to keep the pipeline full of fantastic titles. This past holiday, we saw a surge of quality on the PS3. Games like Unreal Tournament offered gamers the first ever access to user-made gaming content on a console, as well as keyboard and mouse support for an FPS. These luxuries have been standard in PC gaming for a long time. So it’s about time we get them on a console. We PS3 gamers also got wireless guitar controllers to rock out with Guitar Hero III and Rock Band. We saw some impressive downloadable gaming like Pain and Stardust HD. Additional downloadable content for games like Warhawk and Motorstorm hit the PSN. There were amazing console exclusives too, like Uncharted: Drakes Fortune.

This year promises to be even better. Games like WipeOut HD, LittleBigPlanet, Metal Gear Solid 4, Tekken 6, Final Fantasy XIII, Singstar, and Killzone 2 are sure to attract even more gamers. Improvements in online interaction like Sony’s HOME should help bring them all together. In sort, we can look forward to some amazing content and an ever-expanding Playstation experience.

I was one of the first to own a PS3 when it launched and I endured a long while of people doubting my purchase. However, I enjoy my PS3 every chance I get. It continues to amaze me with its flexibility, solid hardware design, engaging games line-up and growing functionality. It can only get better from here.

Competition is good! Just last week I was admiring how awesome the addition of Divx playback to the Xbox 360 was. It allowed me to view downloaded content easily on a large screen, instead of my PC monitor. As a result of all the positive feedback, it seems that Sony has decided to follow suit with their console as well.

The new firmware revision 2.10 for the Playstation 3 will feature, among other things, full Divx playback functionality. This is a great step in the right direction and gives costumers even more reason to own the PS3.

Firmware 2.10 will also include some other interesting features. Among them, is Blu-ray 1.1 functionality, a voice-changer for video and audio chat, and BD Data support. I’ve copy and pasted the relevent info from the official site below.

The PLAYSTATION 3 system software version 2.10 update includes the following:

Voice Changer
The Voice Changer feature has been added to voice / video chat. Visit the Voice Changer guide in Help & Support under PS3 at eu.playstation.com for more details.

Using this feature, you can change the tone of a voice that is input from an audio device such as a microphone. High and low-pitched tones can each be adjusted to five preset levels. You can vary the tone when using voice / video chat under Friends.

Music
You can now select [Type 3] as an option under Settings > [Music Settings] > [Bitmapping]. This bitmapping process was developed specifically for the PS3TM system to enhance audio playback.

Video
DivX and VC-1 (WMV) have been added to the types of files that can be played. *
Blu-ray Disc Profile 1.1 is now supported. **
[BD Data Utility] has been added. ***

*- To play VC-1 (WMV) format files, you must go to Settings > [System Settings] and set [Enable WMA Playback].
- Copyright-protected files or files that were encoded by using DivX 3.11 cannot be played. - Files that are 2GB or more cannot be played.
** You may now be able to use several additional features such as playback of two videos at the same time with Profile 1.1-compatible Blu-ray Discs. The available features vary depending on the disc.
*** The management data that is used by the Blu-ray Disc is saved.

Come and discuss these update on our forums and let us know what you think of the Playstation 3.

It seems that there’s a new use for the PS3 being discovered every week. The latest news suggest that it can also be used to drive a car. According to eMediaWire, one of the teams competing in this year’s DARPA Urban Challenge will attempt to use the processing power of a Playstation 3 running Linux to pilot their vehicle.

When asked about the reason behind this decision to go with a PS3 for their computing needs, Axion Racing’s Team Leader Bill Kehaly said, “We like to think out of the box, using the latest publicly available computer boxes, and we only use boxes that help raise us above our competition.”

For the whole story, check out eMediaWire.com and check back here for further info about the PS3.

We’re getting ever closer to the magic Firmware 2.0 that Playstation 3 owners are psyched about. In the meantime, Sony is adding functionality with the latest addition of firmware 1.9. Those who upgrade can look forward to using custom wallpaper backgrounds, similar to how it works on Playstation Portable. They will also be able to sort games listed on the XMB in whatever order they like.

Read on for more details and additional functionality that hasn’t yet been listed in other web updates.
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It’s just been made public that Sony is slashing the price of the 60gb Playstation 3 by $100. The high-end model which includes built-in wifi and a card reader will now retail for $499. They are also releasing a higher SKU with 20 extra Gigabytes of storage space which will sell for $599 and include MotorStorm. The package is displayed below. Stay tuned for more exciting news from E3.

The Playstation 3 has enjoyed some amazing advancements in the short time since it launched last November. Now, with the downscaled E3 looming on the horizon, we are about to begin a flurry of activity in the video game world. The top three gaming companies will compete for our attention and dollars by unveiling new products and promises for the future. Read on to see how far we’ve come and get an example of where we’re going.
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Well, it looks like the Folding@Home client that came packaged with the latest Playstation 3 firmware revision is a big hit. In a matter of days, a small group of PS3 owners have managed to triple the total processing power of every Mac, PC and Linux computer out there contributing to F@H.

Naturally, we thought we’d get in on the act. So I’ve formed the official team for “The PS3 Nation.” When setting up your client software just enter the following number for your team: 62046

Help us to help Stanford with their research into possible cures for cancer and alzheimers. Who knows, our team may be the one which finally cracks the mysteries of human protiens.

As noted in a previous entry, my Playstation 3 had some Bluetooth problems and was voluntarily replaced by Sony. The entire process took about two weeks and wasn’t without frustration. During those two weeks, I actually got my PS3 replaced twice. I’ll explain the details in the rest of this article, including things you may not know about the exchange process. So keep reading…
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Promises Sony made ages ago are finally being fulfilled this week. Several new features have been added to the already feature-packed PS3 with firmware 1.6. After downloading the latest firmware patch for the Playstation 3, you will finally have background downloading, Folding@Home functionality, improved Remote Play, zooming while web browsing and more. For details, keep reading.
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As one of the lucky few to get a Playstation 3 the day it came out, I am also in the position of being most vulnerable to manufacturing defects or other bugs. Thankfully, the PS3 has been very stable, not displaying any obvious defects over the last several months of ownership. Recently, after upgrading to firmware 1.54, I started encountering a problem with Bluetooth and have now been asked by Sony to ship the console back for a replacement. This article will detail the problem, the troubleshooting steps Sony suggested and my impressions of the customer service I received from Sony. I’m also including youtube video of what my problem looks like. So make sure you click on “read more.”
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