Gamer’s Day 2006: The PS3 Breakdown
The launch games, the in-box contents, the online capabilities – everything you wanted to know about the PlayStation 3 before November 17. Read on!
Published: October 19, 2006
Believe it or not, folks, November 17 is steadily creeping up on us. Even with a launch less than a month away, Sony has still somehow managed to push a nebulously-detailed PlayStation 3 campaign this far. And there are some desperate questions in need of desperate answers. What can we expect from online play? What’s included in the box? And what about the launch games? The games, by golly, the games!
Well fret no more, gamers. In classic pre-system launch fashion, Sony Computer Entertainment America set up shop today in San Francisco to host its Gamer’s Day 2006 in full preparation of the PlayStation 3’s forthcoming release.
First and foremost – and yes, we know you’re waiting for ‘em – are the games. There will be more than 20 first- and third-party titles available through the launch window, says Sony, with most of those games expected to shelve at the $59.99 price point and under. More specifically, they’ll arrive through the holidays, though that’s still not the kind of “here’s what will be out on Day One” confirmation we were looking for. Yes, we’re simply enamored with the disclaimer-hinting language.
Here’s what we’re looking at:
First-Party Titles
Resistance: Fall of Man
NBA 07
Genji: Days of the Blade
Third-Party Titles
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII
Call of Duty 3
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
F.E.A.R.
Fight Night Round 3
Full Auto 2: Battlelines
Madden NFL 07
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire
NBA 2K7
Need For Speed Carbon
NHL 2K7
Ridge Racer 7
Sonic the Hedgehog
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
Tony Hawk's Project 8
Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom
Surprised? Shocked? Appalled? Looks like someone needs a little quote-worthy reassurance!
"Our line-up of PS3 games that will be available through the holidays is unprecedented in terms of volume, variety and innovation, surpassing any previous competitive launch catalog and even our own original offerings for other PlayStation platforms," boasted Kaz Hirai, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America and all-around bombshell dropper. "We are pioneering a new era of true next-generation gaming through such titles as Resistance: Fall of Man, a visually arresting game that takes advantage of the large storage capacity and exceptional visual clarity offered by Blu-ray Disc; and NBA 07, running at full 1080p for the highest resolution image possible, creating hyper-realistic characters and gameplay never seen before."
WELCOME TO THE NEXT-GEN ERA. Thanks, Sony, we were all so anxiously waiting for you to officially ring it in.
Now how about those wonderfully foggy online specifications? Here’s what’s been confirmed. First and foremost, SCEA made certain to stress that the PlayStation Network (g’head and remember that name) will be more than a gaming playground, but also a “rich online environment” expected to run on its well-fortified community aspects. More importantly, it’s all free of charge from the get-go.
Your gateway to all of it is the XMB (Xross Media Bar), which should be nothing new to current PSP owners (all 20 million of you worldwide!). The interface, like its pint-sized contemporary, allows navigation through three “key” areas: gaming (of course), online connectivity and the network, as well as the wealth of entertainment options such as movies and music. We reckon it’ll be perfect for all the multiplayer gaming/voice and video chatting/web browsing/content downloading/picture and video storing and watching/music downloading and listening/online shopping you’ll inevitably be doing.
What comes as more of a surprise is the fully-stocked online PlayStation Store. Not only will it be your one-stop shop for game demos and related content, but we’ll also be looking at a selection of first- and third-party casual games available for download. SCEA suggests they’ll come for less than $15 a pop, an expense that will suck straight from your electronic wallet.
Of the titles confirmed:
Blast Factor -- an old school arcade shooter with some very new school visuals.
Criminal Crackdown -– from God of War/Twisted Metal mastermind David Jeffe himself, a cartoony take on cops ‘n’ robbers with online multiplayer to boot.
Lemmings 2 -- the timeless puzzle game and spiritual successor to Lemmings PSP, now at full 1080p.
flOw -- formerly a Master of Arts, this Zen-like experience has you directing an aquatic organism through an interactive biosphere of sorts, consuming, evolving and thus further exploring the abyss.
Go! Sudoku 2 -- the portable puzzler gets a PS3 sequel, now with over 1000 downloable puzzles and 4-way multiplayer to boot.
Go! Swizzleblock2 -- plenty of cube-swapping to go around in this next generation makeover.
Outside of the first-party realm (well, more or less), we’ve also got a take on Sony Online Entertainment’s up-and-coming handheld top-down shooter, Cash Money Chaos (‘cept now they’re calling it Ca$h Carnage Chao$), which is a twisted mix of 70s game show meets televised deathmatch, and with plenty of guns a-blazin’ and blood-smattering to go around.
Need a minute? Ok, we’ll wait. ...Ready? Onto the peripherals!
Let’s recap: as announced back in May, the PlayStation 3 will still launch in two different flavors: the $499 20GB HDD model and the $599 60GB HDD model, with built-in Wi-Fi connectivity exclusive to the latter. Now at last, we know for sure that all of the newfangled components -- the Cell Broadband Engine, built-in BD player, internal hard disk drive (HDD), HDMI output standard (the cable comes separate, mind you!), Wireless Controller (now officially the SixAxis), network capability ‘n’ so on -- that Sony’s been touting for so long are still intact.
Now for a newly-announced extra. Included with the first 500,000 PlayStation 3 systems (conveniently 100,000 less than we’ll initially see) shipped in North America will be a copy of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby for Blu-Ray Disc, which won’t street on its own until December 12.
That’s quite the package, huh? Tell ‘em, Kaz!
"As the industry leader, SCEA has always offered comprehensive entertainment systems that stand the test of time," assured Hirai. "The PS3 system features technologies that are truly next-generation. With so much packed into our system, we're confident that the PS3 will be just as 'future-proof' as our other PlayStation products, allowing consumers to enjoy a myriad of digital entertainment content for many years to come."
As for what to expect in that big box o’ joy you call PS3 packaging, the line-up of included goodies look a little something like this: the system (dur), a single SixAxis wireless controller, Ethernet cable, USB cable, composite cable and powercord. As mentioned, no HDMI cable luv here, kids.
For all that’s not stuffed silly into the system packages, a handful of first-party accessories will also be sold separately come the 17th. Accompanying the North American launch, we’ll see the SixAxis...s sell for $49.99 a piece, a Memory Card Adaptor priced at $14.99, which practically eliminates the need for PSone and PS2 memory cards once you load up all of your save data onto the internal HDD via USB. And coming soon, a BD Remote Control for $24.99.
So there you have it, folks! A fairly expansive breakdown of what to expect come launch day. We’ll be uploading a plethora of new media well into the night, so be sure to keep tabs as our modest little PS3 section continues to growwwwwwww!
Well fret no more, gamers. In classic pre-system launch fashion, Sony Computer Entertainment America set up shop today in San Francisco to host its Gamer’s Day 2006 in full preparation of the PlayStation 3’s forthcoming release.
First and foremost – and yes, we know you’re waiting for ‘em – are the games. There will be more than 20 first- and third-party titles available through the launch window, says Sony, with most of those games expected to shelve at the $59.99 price point and under. More specifically, they’ll arrive through the holidays, though that’s still not the kind of “here’s what will be out on Day One” confirmation we were looking for. Yes, we’re simply enamored with the disclaimer-hinting language.
Here’s what we’re looking at:
First-Party Titles
Resistance: Fall of Man
NBA 07
Genji: Days of the Blade
Third-Party Titles
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII
Call of Duty 3
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
F.E.A.R.
Fight Night Round 3
Full Auto 2: Battlelines
Madden NFL 07
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire
NBA 2K7
Need For Speed Carbon
NHL 2K7
Ridge Racer 7
Sonic the Hedgehog
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
Tony Hawk's Project 8
Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom
Surprised? Shocked? Appalled? Looks like someone needs a little quote-worthy reassurance!
"Our line-up of PS3 games that will be available through the holidays is unprecedented in terms of volume, variety and innovation, surpassing any previous competitive launch catalog and even our own original offerings for other PlayStation platforms," boasted Kaz Hirai, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America and all-around bombshell dropper. "We are pioneering a new era of true next-generation gaming through such titles as Resistance: Fall of Man, a visually arresting game that takes advantage of the large storage capacity and exceptional visual clarity offered by Blu-ray Disc; and NBA 07, running at full 1080p for the highest resolution image possible, creating hyper-realistic characters and gameplay never seen before."
WELCOME TO THE NEXT-GEN ERA. Thanks, Sony, we were all so anxiously waiting for you to officially ring it in.
Now how about those wonderfully foggy online specifications? Here’s what’s been confirmed. First and foremost, SCEA made certain to stress that the PlayStation Network (g’head and remember that name) will be more than a gaming playground, but also a “rich online environment” expected to run on its well-fortified community aspects. More importantly, it’s all free of charge from the get-go.
Your gateway to all of it is the XMB (Xross Media Bar), which should be nothing new to current PSP owners (all 20 million of you worldwide!). The interface, like its pint-sized contemporary, allows navigation through three “key” areas: gaming (of course), online connectivity and the network, as well as the wealth of entertainment options such as movies and music. We reckon it’ll be perfect for all the multiplayer gaming/voice and video chatting/web browsing/content downloading/picture and video storing and watching/music downloading and listening/online shopping you’ll inevitably be doing.
What comes as more of a surprise is the fully-stocked online PlayStation Store. Not only will it be your one-stop shop for game demos and related content, but we’ll also be looking at a selection of first- and third-party casual games available for download. SCEA suggests they’ll come for less than $15 a pop, an expense that will suck straight from your electronic wallet.
Of the titles confirmed:
Blast Factor -- an old school arcade shooter with some very new school visuals.
Criminal Crackdown -– from God of War/Twisted Metal mastermind David Jeffe himself, a cartoony take on cops ‘n’ robbers with online multiplayer to boot.
Lemmings 2 -- the timeless puzzle game and spiritual successor to Lemmings PSP, now at full 1080p.
flOw -- formerly a Master of Arts, this Zen-like experience has you directing an aquatic organism through an interactive biosphere of sorts, consuming, evolving and thus further exploring the abyss.
Go! Sudoku 2 -- the portable puzzler gets a PS3 sequel, now with over 1000 downloable puzzles and 4-way multiplayer to boot.
Go! Swizzleblock2 -- plenty of cube-swapping to go around in this next generation makeover.
Outside of the first-party realm (well, more or less), we’ve also got a take on Sony Online Entertainment’s up-and-coming handheld top-down shooter, Cash Money Chaos (‘cept now they’re calling it Ca$h Carnage Chao$), which is a twisted mix of 70s game show meets televised deathmatch, and with plenty of guns a-blazin’ and blood-smattering to go around.
Need a minute? Ok, we’ll wait. ...Ready? Onto the peripherals!
Let’s recap: as announced back in May, the PlayStation 3 will still launch in two different flavors: the $499 20GB HDD model and the $599 60GB HDD model, with built-in Wi-Fi connectivity exclusive to the latter. Now at last, we know for sure that all of the newfangled components -- the Cell Broadband Engine, built-in BD player, internal hard disk drive (HDD), HDMI output standard (the cable comes separate, mind you!), Wireless Controller (now officially the SixAxis), network capability ‘n’ so on -- that Sony’s been touting for so long are still intact.
Now for a newly-announced extra. Included with the first 500,000 PlayStation 3 systems (conveniently 100,000 less than we’ll initially see) shipped in North America will be a copy of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby for Blu-Ray Disc, which won’t street on its own until December 12.
That’s quite the package, huh? Tell ‘em, Kaz!
"As the industry leader, SCEA has always offered comprehensive entertainment systems that stand the test of time," assured Hirai. "The PS3 system features technologies that are truly next-generation. With so much packed into our system, we're confident that the PS3 will be just as 'future-proof' as our other PlayStation products, allowing consumers to enjoy a myriad of digital entertainment content for many years to come."
As for what to expect in that big box o’ joy you call PS3 packaging, the line-up of included goodies look a little something like this: the system (dur), a single SixAxis wireless controller, Ethernet cable, USB cable, composite cable and powercord. As mentioned, no HDMI cable luv here, kids.
For all that’s not stuffed silly into the system packages, a handful of first-party accessories will also be sold separately come the 17th. Accompanying the North American launch, we’ll see the SixAxis...s sell for $49.99 a piece, a Memory Card Adaptor priced at $14.99, which practically eliminates the need for PSone and PS2 memory cards once you load up all of your save data onto the internal HDD via USB. And coming soon, a BD Remote Control for $24.99.
So there you have it, folks! A fairly expansive breakdown of what to expect come launch day. We’ll be uploading a plethora of new media well into the night, so be sure to keep tabs as our modest little PS3 section continues to growwwwwwww!