Sony Computer Entertainment to be at The Bamboozle 2008

The Sony Computer Entertainment family are coming to this weekend's upcoming Bamboozle in East Rutherford, NJ. The music festival will be taking place on Saturday and Sunday featuring the likes of Snoop Dogg, Paramore, and more great artists.

SCEA is going to be rolling out their PlayStation trucks packed with PlayStation 3 games SingStar, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, and MLB 08: The Show along with PSP titles Secret Agent Clank and God of War: Chains of Olympus.

Game well playing on the PlayStation trucks because it might earn you a chance to meet the various artists at the event. View the press release below.

Sony Computer Entertainment America Gets Its Game On at the Bamboozle Festival 2008

Sizzling Spring PlayStation(R) Lineup Showcased at the East Coast's Hottest Music Festival

FOSTER CITY, Calif., May 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) announced today that it will take the stage at The Bamboozle Festival 2008 (Bamboozle). The two-day alternative music festival spanning from May 3rd to May 4th is expected to draw a crowd of over 85,000 fans to the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, NJ and SCEA will be on hand to enhance their concert experiences as well as shine the spotlight on exciting new PlayStation(R) products.

"Bamboozle draws a young and independent-thinking audience that truly resonates with the PlayStation consumer," said Ginger Kraus, senior director, brand alliances and promotions, SCEA. "Being a part of Bamboozle will allow us to provide this shared demographic with VIP access to our current and upcoming titles as well as the chance to be rewarded with opportunities to take their event experiences to the next level."

Those attending the festival will be granted access to an interactive showcase of the best and brightest the PlayStation brand has to offer. Headlining the showcase will be the PlayStation(R) Patrol Truck featuring the newly designed "Player Lounge." This social gaming area will provide up to 16 attendees with the opportunity to test drive titles for the PLAYSTATION(R)3(PS3(TM)) system such as Gran Turismo(TM) 5 Prologue, SingStar(TM) and MLB(R) 08 THE SHOW(TM).

The showcase will also feature several PSP(R)(PlayStation(R)Portable) Zones which will allow attendees to experience the gameplay function of PSP(R)(PlayStation(R)Portable) system with titles such as Secret Agent Clank(TM) and God of War(R): Chains of Olympus. These displays will also highlight a few of the multifunctional capabilities of PSP system, such as storing and playing music, videos and photos, listening to Internet Radio and accessing PS3 system through Remote Play.

Racking up high scores at the PlayStation Patrol Truck could win attendees the once in a lifetime opportunity to meet their favorite Bamboozle artists. Twice daily, top scorers will have the chance to challenge artists such as Armor For Sleep, Chiodos, Circa Survive, The Color Fred, The Audition and All Time Low to compete in a SingStar, MLB 08 THE SHOW or Gran Turismo 5 Prologue showdown. Winners will receive VIP access to the show.

When they are not competing at the PlayStation Patrol Truck or onstage, festival artists will be able to party like the rock stars that they are in the Red Bull Artist Lounge. SCEA will bring the music backstage by stocking the lounge with two gaming stations of Rock Band(TM) for the PS3 system. Bands such as Cobra Starship, The Academy Is, Circa Survive, Jack's Mannequin, Chiodos and My American Heart will be able to play with their fellow band mates and even mix and match members to create their own Rock Band

super-groups. The groups will then be able to perform head-to-head in a battle of the bands.

Single Day, 2 Day Passes and VIP Passes to the event are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.thebamboozle.com, http://www.livenation.com and http://www.ticketmaster.com. For press information regarding The Bamboozle Festival 2008, please contact Rebecca Novak RebeccaNovak@livenation.com or Tom Wojcik tom@heavyhitterinc.com. For updates and more festival information visit: http://www.thebamboozle.com.

PlayStation Day Details Revealed

Today, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe revealed information on PlayStation Day 2008 in Europe.

The press day will be in early May 2008 in London showcasing some new games for the PlayStation 3, Network, PSP, and PS2. SCEI President Kaz Hirai and SCEE President David Reeves will be holding keynotes at the event as well.

We will keep you update as the event approaches.

[The Way Ahead]

Midnight Club: Los Angeles Announced for September, New Screenshots, PSP Edition

Rockstar has announced today that Midnight Club: Los Angeles will be hitting the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this September 9, 2008 for North America. They've also announced a PSP brother of the next-generation game, Midnight Club: LA Remix.

"People are going to be blown away when they see how true-to-life Los Angeles looks in this game," said Jay Panek, Midnight Club Producer Rockstar San Diego. "We've added some great twists and turns that let players experience the authentic vibe and feel of the city at blistering speeds that you simply couldn't get away with in real life." The press release below.

Rockstar Games Announces Release Date for Midnight Club: Los Angeles on the Xbox 360® Video Game and Entertainment System from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 Computer Entertainment System and Midnight Club: LA Remix for the PSP®

Open-world street racing series debuts on next generation consoles September 9th and 12th for North America and Europe respectively

NEW YORK—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Rockstar Games is proud to announce the fourth installment of its critically-acclaimed and genre-defining Midnight Club franchise, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, is set for release on September 9th in North America and September 12th in Europe. Developed by series creator Rockstar San Diego, Midnight Club: Los Angeles will give gamers the unprecedented freedom to race through a hyper-realistic LA.

"From the beginning, Midnight Club has been about street racing in a open-world," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. "With our team at Rockstar San Diego we have developed a game that we feel once again pushes the boundaries and expectations of what a racing game can be."

Whether driving by the beach or beating the competition by cutting through a parking garage at 200 mph, Midnight Club: Los Angeles provides a seamless, breathtaking environment for everyone who loves to compete. With no load times, no tracks, and no rules, the game allows players to race who they want, when they want, and where they want in an unbelievable recreation of Los Angeles.

"People are going to be blown away when they see how true-to-life Los Angeles looks in this game," said Jay Panek, Midnight Club Producer Rockstar San Diego. "We've added some great twists and turns that let players experience the authentic vibe and feel of the city at blistering speeds that you simply couldn't get away with in real life."

A racing game is nothing without the great cars and Midnight Club: Los Angeles allows extensive customization of vehicles for both performance and appearance. Players can now fully personalize their officially licensed imports, tuners, classic muscle cars and motorcycles both inside and out with a dizzying array of licensed rims, spoilers, interior gauges, tires and more.

Also scheduled for release on September 9th, Midnight Club: LA Remix for the PSP® system will provide another incredible portable racing experience. Developed by Rockstar London, the game will take full advantage of the hardware to deliver the unrivaled sense of speed and style that the best-selling Midnight Club series is known for.

For more information about Midnight Club, please visit our website at http://www.rockstargames.com/midnightclubla.

Rockstar Games is a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).

Sony Wants to Know Why You Hack Your PSP

A new survey released by Sony Computer Entertainment asks "Why do you hack your PSP?". As you may or may not know, many of the firmware updates were released in attempts to stop PSP hackers from custom firmware, emulators, homebrew applications, and such.

The Sony Representatives call the survey a part of the "ongoing PSP consumer research". Some of the questions are good ones too like "Hacking a PSP makes me feel like a rebel". I laughed.

[Sony Wants To Know Why You're Hacking Your PSP]

PlayStation 3 Outsells Everything in Europe this Week

The latest weekly sales report from VGChartz shows a nice growth in sales for the PlayStation 3 this week. With the recent release of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue in Europe, the PlayStation 3 has sold more than the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, DS, PSP, and PS2 this week, topping the charts with 150,420 sales.

[VGChartz]

LittleBigPlanet Coming to PSP?

A source has told CVG today that at Sony Studio Liverpool, they are developing a LittleBigPlanet for the PSP. Sadly, no further details were given on how the game will play on the PSP, but we can expect a link up with the PlayStation 3 version, to release September 2008.

[LittleBigPlanet coming to PSP?]

PSP Firmware Update v3.95 Coming Soon

Shortly, you may get a notification on your PSP to update the system. The v3.95 update includes two new features.

• While playing PSone games on your PSP, you can now customize how the buttons are assigned by going to [Controller Settings] > [Assign Buttons] and select [Custom].
• You can now quit Remote Play and choose to turn off your PS3 or leave it on after quitting. This is useful if you are performing a download and want to quit Remote Play, but still want your download to continue on the PS3. Select [Quit and Turn Off the PS3 System] or [Quit Without Turning Off the PS3 System] from [Quit Remote Play] when you press the HOME button on the PSP system.

Look for the update on the network soon.

[PSP Firmware (v3.95) Coming Soon]

Sony Shutting Down Online Server for Some PS2 and PSP Games

Sony Computer Entertainment of America announced today that many PS2 and a few PSP games will be having their online servers shut down. The games announced will go offline on June 30, 2008. The list can be seen below.

PS2 Games

• Amplitude
• Destruction Derby Arenas
• Everybody’s Golf
• EyeToy Chat
• F1 ‘04
• Jak X
• Lemmings PS2
• My Street
• Syphon Filter Omega Strain
• This is Football 2004
• This is Football 2005
• Twisted Metal: Black Online
  

PSP Games

• Lemmings
• World Tour Soccer 2
  

[Sony Shutting Down Online Servers For Many PS2, PSP Games]

Wyclef Jean's Fast Car Features PlayStation 3, PSP, Burnout

Wyclef Jean's music video for his song, Fast Car, features Criterion's Burnout Paradise, and a Sony PlayStation 3 and PSP. It seems Sony thought he was the right one to promote it, and the video is actually pretty interesting if you watch it. Enjoy!

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Released in North America

The day all PlayStation Portable owners have been waiting for is finally here. Today (March 25, 2008), Square Enix is releasing Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII for the PSP in North America. The game's MSRP is set at $39.99, and you can check it out here.

Europe Wants Their Own Official PlayStation Blog

Members of the Official EU PlayStation Forums have joined together in a petition for an official PlayStation blog for Europe. While the United States has PlayStation.Blog, Europe only has Three Speech, which is a semi-official blog.

European PlayStation console owners currently have no means of direct content with Sony Computer Entertainment. With an official blog, they would be able to get PlayStation Store and SingStore updates easier.

I voted a yes on their petition poll. If you agree, head over at the link below and vote a yes.

[Who would like to see an official Playstation Blog for Europe?]

PSP Firmware 3.93 Coming Tomorrow

On March 18, 2008, Sony will be releasing PSP firmware version 3.93, which expands support for PlayStation Network titles. The PSP Internet Radio feature will also have 20 new internet radio players to enjoy as well. Look forward to it tomorrow.

[New Internet Radio Stations and Firmware coming to PSP]

flOw Coming to PSPs Tomorrow

For those that have yet to know, SuperVillain & thatgamecompany's flOw is coming to the PSP PlayStation Store tomorrow for download. Check back tomorrow for the price and the full PlayStation Network update.

[flOw PSP Out Tomorrow]

Echochrome In Real Life

A new advertisement for the PSP version of Sony Computer Entertainment's upcoming Echochrome is quite fun to watch. It shows a real life version of the game, as a man goes through a mini-stage. It just started airing in Japan. Enjoy!

Red God of War Themed PSP Bundle Coming This Summer

Even more news comes in from Destination PlayStation. Along with the Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle, Sony will be offereing a special red God of War themed PlayStation Portable bundle in June.

The God of War bundle will come with God of War: Chains of Olympus, a UMD version of one of the greatest comedy movies, Superbad, and a gift certificate for a PlayStation Store downloadable game. This will go for $199 and launch around the summer. Just a note, that image to the left isn't what it will actually look like.

[Red PSP Comes Stateside With God Of War Summer Bundle]

Update: We now have official screenshots of the new system, you can view them below.

GDC 2008: PLAYSTATION Store Coming to PSP

Chris Eden from Sony Computer Entertainment is currently at GDC 2008 and mentioned a PLAYSTATION Store on the PSP in his GDC session. Currently, players need to have a PC in order to access the store for the PSP. PSP owners will soon be able to download games straight to their systems from within the actual PSP itself. "Access native PLAYSTATION Store on PSP via wireless hotspot," the slide notes. "Purchase and download content direct to PSP (no USB cable)." As of now, the release is currently TBA, but we will update you when we find out more.

[GDC08: Wi-Fi PSP Store promised]

Nippon Ichi Software Creating New Titles for PS3 & PSP

In a new interview with Nippon Ichi Software's Souhei Niikaw, he talked about Disgaea 3 and his NIS's plans for the future. Currently, the company is working on a few other adventure titles. They are even thinking about branching off to other genres rather than adventure and RPG. Niikaw states to look out in the future for more PLAYSTATION 3 and PSP titles they are working on.

[NIS Planning New PSP, PS3 Games]

PSP: The Design Sony Should of Made a Reality

This PSP redesign was made by BluezPS from Flickr. He is obviously a dedicated PLAYSTATION fan, which you can tell by both his name and redesign.

I wonder how much sales the PSP would of gotten if Sony would of used this design.

[BluezPS' photos]

flOw Officially Announced for the PSP

SuperVillan Studios updated us today on the PlayStation.Blog that they will be releasing flOw on the PLAYSTATION Store for PC. They want to ensure that the sights, sounds, and feel of the game met the highest of standards for the platform.

No word on release. Enjoy the video.

[Coming to PSP: Go with the flOw]

PSP Burns Michigan Child's Leg

A student of Warner Middle School in Farmington Hills, Michigan was burned by his PSP today at around 9 a.m.

The PSP overheated and caught fire, burning a hole in his pants. Luckily, the teacher was able to get the PSP away from the child.

The student was treated at the school nurse with burns to the leg. He was then taken to a local hospital.

Hope everything is arlight. Remember kids: No PSPs in school!

[Child Burned By Video Game In Pocket]