New Gran Turismo HD Demo Info

 

IGN has received (and translated) the latest issue of Famitsu magazine, which contains an interview with Kazunori Yamauchi of Gran Turismo fame, who delivers some information about the upcoming demo. Its one track will be called Eiger Nordwand, which among climbers is referred to as the "biggest, baddest north face in the Alps." This is the tarmac rally track we showed you pics of earlier this year twisting between quaint villas and snowy peaks.

Additionally, ten cars will be included, though surprisingly no bikes. The list is:

• Suzuki Cappuccino '95
• Mazda Eunos Roadster '89
• Honda Integra Type R'04
• Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV GSR'96
• Infinity G35 Coupe
• Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX GSR'05
• Lotus Elise 111R'04
• Nissan Sky Liner GT-R V Spec II '94
• Toyota Celica GT-FOUR Rally Car '95
• Ferrari 599'06

Kazunori also spoke about plans for Gran Turismo 5, unfortunately not giving a solid answer about whether the game will include the controversial pay-per-car scheme:

Yamauchi spoke vaguely on the relationship between GT5 and GTHD. While not getting into specifics, he stated that his team wants to put both GTHD Premium and GTHD Classic into the new title. Asked if Sony intends on carrying out its ambitious plans for downloadable content, Yamauchi stated that there has yet to be a decision on whether or not to carry the business model over.

The biggest question is, of course, when will non-Japanese PS3 gamers get their hands on the demo, releasing at home on December 24? An American release has not been confirmed, but don't be surprised if there's a little bonus waiting in the Playstation Store for us, too, before Christmas.

Source: New Gran Turismo HD Demo Info
Originally published on Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:55:23 GMT

PS3 sales no longer hotcake-like?

 

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Business

Is there a PlayStation 3 supply glut? That's the provocative question posed by the headline of a NotifyWire press release which asserts customers are already tired of paying a premium for PS3 bundles online.
In the release, Ian Drake, head of the hot-product-tracking web site, cited a recent $1,000 PS3 bundle at eToys that remained available for over 12 hours. "This sort of thing didn't happen with the Xbox 360 until well after Christmas," Drake added for some historical perspective.
A quick look at NotifyWire's recent tracking history, though, shows the PS3 is far from dead in the water. Despite a slight increase in the amount of time the system has been available at a few major online retailers over the past few weeks, premium bundles from the likes of eToys were selling out in less than an hour as recently as Dec. 18.
This data is also a bit hard to interpret without supply numbers for each individual sale -- perhaps retailers have been getting larger shipments since Sony announced it had fixed its production problems. NotifyWire's system also seems to neglect major sites like Amazon.com, which recently showed intense interest in the PS3 through a lottery system.
Still, the longer-than-expected online offerings are a little worrying for Sony when paired with the PS3's rapidly declining eBay price and reports of consistent high demand for the Wii. But let's not dwell on such unhappy things. Let us instead think of pancakes -- moist delicious pancakes dripping with syrup and hot butter. Oh yeah...
[Via GameDaily]

 

Source: PS3 sales no longer hotcake-like?
Originally published on Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:25:00 GMT

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Please tell me this doesn't suprise anyone...

UPS rebel employees steal $19,000 in PS3s

 

 

Three UPS employees have been charged with stealing $19,000 worth of PS3s from the Elmwood distribution center in Louisiana. The men, who worked at the UPS plant in the evening, sent 20 PS3s and 24 SIXAXIS controllers to their day jobs at Andrews Sport Company Inc. by switching the stickers on the boxes.
Although the story broke today, the crime was originally filed on Dec. 11 and the thefts were finished by Dec. 5. So, if you were expecting a PS3 shipment by UPS between launch and Dec. 5 around New Orleans without it ever arriving, then we've got a pretty good idea who's got it. No word yet what the thieves did with the stolen systems.
[Via GayGamer]

Source: UPS rebel employees steal $19,000 in PS3s
Originally published on Thu, 21 Dec 2006 16:55:00 GMT

Ubisoft confirms PS3 Double Agent

 

Sam Fisher sneaks onto Sony's next-gen system in Europe and North America next March.

Source: Ubisoft confirms PS3 Double Agent
Originally published on Thu, 21 Dec 2006 15:52:18 GMT