• playstation home

    We, The PlayStation Underground, Are Now Beta Testing Home

    If you're a PlayStation Underground member, you'll likely be sending your membership in the program off in style this weekend as it appears everyone in good standing is now a PlayStation Home beta tester. Sony is conducting a load test of Home's servers tonight (6 PM to 8 PM PST) to celebrate the release of the service's graduation to version 1.0. Yes, do check you inboxes now to see if you got in. The rest of the Kotaku readership has, it seems, and has lovingly tipped us off already.

    With less than six weeks until the end of the year, will Sony actually get Home out as (most recently) promised? Will I be able to solve my current router problems and actually rub virtual elbows with you all in Home? Stay tuned!

    6:00 PM on Fri Nov 21 2008
    By Michael McWhertor
    4,063 views, 137 comments

    Most discussed TheDoomer: Wow, lame. I was in underground, and got the theme, and yet still no home. Curse you Sony. more »

  • playstation 3

    PS3 Trophies Are Now MANDATORY

    That's right. MANDATORY. Refuse to put trophies in your game and you, developers, will be SHOT. Your families, BILLED for the expense. Or...at least, Sony will be very cranky with you. Because, come January, all new PS3 games must have trophy support. No ifs or buts. So no more patching, no more developer ambivalence, no more inconsistencies. Not sure why Sony didn't do this from the start, but doing it now, at the middle, is better than never doing it at all.

    PS3 Trophies to be mandatory from January 2009 [Videogamer]

    10:30 PM on Thu Nov 20 2008
    By Luke Plunkett
    18,334 views, 172 comments

    Most discussed kitenai: haha i so thought that was like a glass dildo more »

  • north america

    PlayStation Store Update: Loco DLC

    There isn't much playable in this week's North American PlayStation Store update, but there's plenty to pay for. An army of downloadable content for LittleBigPlanet, Dead Space, Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band invades the store, giving you plenty of options to style your Sackboy or Plasma Cutter with. If a free MotoGP 08 demo will help you deal with all the paid for stuff thrown at us this week, it's there to help. For the full list, keep on reading. More »

    4:40 PM on Thu Nov 20 2008
    By Michael McWhertor
    5,465 views, 41 comments

    Most discussed StupidityTries: Who would have thought that Sony would be the ones trying to kill the PSP? Sure, they finally give us access more »

  • 2008 Kotaku Holiday Gift Guide

    The PlayStation 3 Gift Guide

    The holiday season is upon us, and PlayStation 3 owners and owner-hopefuls around the world are desperately trying to relate to their loved ones the sort of game titles they'd like to unwrap when their particular gift-giving festivity commences. Nothing says "I don't understand you" quite like a cold, unfeeling gift card, so let Kotaku be your guide to the best things to place inside your shiny Sony console. Whether you are giving or receiving, our 2008 PlayStation 3 Gift Guide is your source for festive holiday gaming.

    The guide is split into four different sections. We've got your Bargains, for those of you who want to stretch their holiday dollar; essential titles that every PlayStation 3 owner has to play (it's the law); social titles to lure your friends and family around the console; and finally epic titles that will devour your very soul and spit it out in a slightly moist but terribly happy little holiday lump.

    Nothing like the smell of freshly opened games on a cold winter morning... More »

    12:30 PM on Thu Nov 20 2008
    By Mike Fahey
    14,254 views, 130 comments

    Most discussed chrisnick: ps3 owners really are covered all through this year and the next (when it comes to exclusives and good games).....xbox?.....meh....im more »

  • metal gear solid 4

    "Exclusive" MGS4 "Limited" Edition PS3 Winds Up At Walmart For $399

    Boy, we really, really hope you didn't drop $599 (or more) of your hard-earned dollars on this "Konami.com exclusive" Metal Gear Solid 4 PlayStation 3 bundle that was going to be released in "very, very limited" quantities. And we hope you didn't tear your silky, well-conditioned hair out during the painful pre-ordering process. Because now it can be had for a comparative song at Walmart.com, reduced to just $399 USD.

    That's the same price as the standard 80 GB model PS3 that Sony's offering sans packed-in game and $100 less than the new 160 GB SKU bundled with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Quantities may actually be genuinely limited this time and the offer appears to be online only, so if you're feeling froggy, we'd recommend jumpin'.

    PlayStation 3 40GB Limited Edition Kojima Silver Bundle w/ Metal Gear Solid 4 [Walmart - thanks, Shaun!]

    7:00 PM on Wed Nov 19 2008
    By Michael McWhertor
    9,256 views, 101 comments

    Most discussed AndrewMGS: This is awesome, I planned on trading in my "Wii-60" because of the NXE, and planned on getting one of more »

  • playstation 3

    "Volatile" Holiday Market Partly To Blame For LittleBigPlanet Sales

    Early sales on Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet didn't quite set the world on fire. The game moved a solid if unspectacular 215,000 copies in the United States during its debut month of October — just four days, really — and 69,000 units during its first two weeks of availability in Japan. In the UK, it dropped quickly to nineteenth place on sales charts in its second week. Over a quarter million copies in a few days isn't bad, but it might not be the killer app exclusive emotionally invested PlayStation fans or Sony executives were hoping for. More »

    6:00 PM on Wed Nov 19 2008
    By Michael McWhertor
    11,196 views, 264 comments

    Most discussed dae_giovanni: Is it possible that LittleBigPlanet is responsible for poor LittleBigPlanet sales? Just askin'. more »

  • playstation 3

    Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Running At 240 FPS , 3840x2160 Resolution

    Half-Life isn't the only game celebrating its tenth birthday this year. Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo series is now a decade old, leading the developer of the PlayStation driving sim to hold an anniversary event called Downshift Session 2008 in New York City last month. Yes, yes, mazal tov, Kazunori Yamauchi and crew.

    There was booze, picture-taking and C-level celebrities in attendance, but the two tech demos shown at Downshift Session 2008 were much more interesting. The team at Polyphony Digital had a special installation of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, one that required four PlayStation 3s to run. More »

    4:40 PM on Wed Nov 19 2008
    By Michael McWhertor
    20,266 views, 133 comments

    Most discussed BPMΣ: 240fps? Can the human eye even discern that? If not, that's the point? more »

  • afrika

    National Geographic Publishing Sony's Afrika?

    Sony Computer Entertainment Japan's Afrika, the photojournalist on safari PlayStation 3 title, may have had its North American publishing details stealth announced yesterday. National Geographic issued a press release on Tuesday announcing its upcoming plans to publish a series of games for the Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3 (and PlayStation Network), PC and iPhone under the National Geographic Games label.

    One of the titles the new Nat Geo Games label plans to publish is Sony's National Geographic: Africa. More »

    2:40 PM on Wed Nov 19 2008
    By Michael McWhertor
    2,876 views, 45 comments

    Most discussed Jnas: Cl. Nc t knw thy'v splld frc crrctly t. more »

  • playstation 3

    Half Of PS3 Owners Also Have A PSP

    Posting on his company's official boards, Capcom PR man Christian Svensson's has revealed a little piece of information Sony "have been sharing" with them. That information says that "about" 50% of PS3 owners also own a PSP. It's the kind of statistic that's both immediately interesting and utterly inconsequential at the same time, but it does make you wonder: if half the PS3's in the US/world (it's not made clear) have a PSP in the same house, why aren't developers making more use of the little guy with their PS3 games?

    [Capcom Unity]

    6:00 AM on Wed Nov 19 2008
    By Luke Plunkett
    2,229 views, 82 comments

    Most discussed ThursdayNext: Ooooh! I'm half of all PS3 owners. The half with a PSP that is. :) They really should do more cross more »

  • jumping the shark costume

    Sony Overdoes It With LittleBigPlanet LocoRoco Costumes

    Okay, Sony. Stop the cute train, we want to get off. On paper, blending the adorableness of LocoRoco's blobs with the preciousness of LittleBigPlanet's Sackboy looks like a win-win. In practice, though... :( We'll just keep chanting "Ico and Yorda Sackboy costumes!" until it becomes reality.

    If you don't agree and think that this rainbow of Sackboy get ups is worth your $2.99, they'll be yours for the garish taking starting this Thursday in North America. That's when the five-piece combo meal of brightly colored Sackboys hit the PlayStation Store.

    A second option is the Sack-in-the-Box costume, a free, television be-headed alternative. It's creepy enough to get some hard drive space.

    LittleBigPlanet Weekly Download Update [PlayStation.blog]

    5:40 PM on Tue Nov 18 2008
    By Michael McWhertor
    5,539 views, 92 comments

    Most discussed Striderhayasa - Phillyyakk on PSN and Live.: Ok...can we stop it already with the LBP bullshit? I like the game, I really do but I knew we more »