Gromit

Pics comparing GT5 Prologue cars to the actual versions.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2341049...17175/sizes/l/

boredsilly

People have been saying for years that Madden has looked so good that it's hard to realize that people are playing a game. I've always called bullshit on that, even the best snapshots of the game still look like a game -- a game with great graphics, but a game just the same. Those GT5 shots however look incredibly real. It's insane how close they are.

lotsofdvds

Yeah but are those gameplay pics or replay pics? GT has always been about how cool the replays look...

Gromit

That's true. I'm not a huge GT fan (or any other driving game for that matter), but when I do play I find that the actual driving part of the game isn't really a time to appreciate the graphics anyway. I know it looks good, but I can't focus on how great the surrounding scenery looks as I'm zipping through a track at 150 mph. But the replays are "ooh and ahhh" time and that's when I notice the graphics.

So I guess I give games like GT a pass for using replays to show off their graphics capabilities since that's the only time I really focus on the graphics anyway.

PixyJunket

Screenshots of racing games with a "photo mode" are almost 100% from that mode.

RichC2

Yep.

I have GT5:Prologue Jap, the game looks very good but not jaw dropping while racing (I'm running at 720p and for one reason or another, the game still has plenty of jaggies), the replays do looks astounding, though.

Michael Corvin

Looks like Haze might only be a timed exclusive.

darkside

I need to find a copy of Dead Head Fred at that price.

Decker

First let's finally get this game out for the PS3, then we can worry about how long it'll be before it goes to another system.

Decker

Oh, BTW did anyone pick up Hot Shots Golf Out Of Bounds? The reviews have been very positive, but it looks a lot like the 3-5 HSG games I already have.

MasterofDVD

I was tempted to pick this up since my wife has always enjoyed the series but I was also thinking it was not a huge jump from the previous games. The number of courses didn't impress me and I was bummed there was no customization option for your golfer. It's at the top of my GameFly list so i can check it out but I'm not expecting it to be anything new or innovative.

Michael Corvin

'Eh, I kind of agree with you, but as someone looking forward to Haze, I'd much rather wait and use the 360 controller for a FPS.

collven

Great news on the new firmware, should be coming out next week.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/...d-live-to-ps3/

Hi again everyone. Here’s a quick preview of the next PLAYSTATION 3 system software update coming up in the next few days. Firmware v2.20, introduces a number of features to further enhance your PLAYSTATION 3 as the hub of your entertainment center.

Most notably, the update enables the PS3 to support Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0, also known as BD-Live. You can connect now to the Internet while playing discs that support BD-Live to obtain additional content and special features. These features vary from disc to disc, and will keep your BD discs fresh with new content and in some cases exclusive content only accessible to owners of BD-Live enabled discs. On April 8th Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release The 6th Day and Walk Hard on Blu-ray; these titles will be among the first to take advantage of BD-Live. With this update, the PLAYSTATION 3 becomes the first Blu-ray player on the market with BD-Live functionality.

Here are some of the other new features/enhancements that will be included in Firmware v2.20:

The ability to copy PS3 Music and Photo playlists to a PSP system. We introduced the ability to create Music and Photo playlists on the PS3 in firmware update v2.0. Now you can easily export your playlists to your PSP.

You can now play DivX and WMV format files that are over 2 GB.

Resume Play - begin playing a DVD or BD disc from the point where you previously stopped it, even if you eject the disc and insert a different movie or game.

Use your PSP as a remote control to play back your music files on your PS3 without turning on your TV.

The Internet browser now displays some web pages faster. In addition [Save Target] has been added as an option under file. This option lets you save a file that is linked to a web page to your PS3 hard drive or storage media.

There are a few other tweaks and upgrades included in v2.20 - we’ll provide more specifics as the update is about to go live.

Michael Corvin

Yea!

darkside

This is a really nice upgrade. Outside of in game XMB and DTS-MA decoding there is nothing more I really want.

sracer

If these items actually do make it to the official firmware update, then it is going to be a great one. (I wonder if breaking the 2GB limit for WMV and DIVX are just for those 2 file formats or if it is system wide for all files)

Also, I'm hoping that the browser update is sufficient enough to support hulu.com. Now THAT would be "freakin' sweet".

PixyJunket

A year and a half down the road. At least it's finally here.

Decker

Thank God for resume play. It's annoying as hell to lose your place every time you turn off the player. I don't think my A3 HD DVD player has that either. Anyway it's nice to get it. Also the web-enabled features are nice to have (at least in theory); frankly I can't see why anyone would have any other BR player at this point.

I guess all I really need is an IR solution for total integration into my universal remote.

Brooklyn

I wish they'd add allowing 2 users to sign-in at once for co-op play to one of
the updates (and a custom sdtk ability, but I don't want to sound too greedy .

Chew

Has anyone seen any reviews for Dark Sector?

Raul3

There are demos for Condemned 2 and Sega Tennis in the PSN Store. I checked in Xbox live too and they weren't there so the PS3 had them first.

I tried a little bit of Condemned 2 but I got stuck and didn't know what to do next. I haven't tried Sega Tennis yet.

Decker

Here's the official story on the next firmware update from PC World:

PS3 BD Live Support Coming Soon
With the next firmware update, the PlayStation 3 becomes the first Blu-ray player to get BD Live support.
Darren Gladstone, PC World
Thursday, March 20, 2008 11:01 AM PDT

Sony announced today that its PlayStation 3 is poised to take the next step in the evolution of the Blu-ray Disc format.

The firmware, due soon, will update the PS3 to Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0, also referred to as BD Live. BD Live enables Internet-connected activities such as multiplayer gaming, e-commerce, downloading new content, and social networking.

BD Live impressed crowds earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show, where Sony demonstrated downloading ring tones and new content to a BD Live player. Sony announced last October that the PlayStation 3 would support BD Live. Now, it appears that the PS3 will be the first Blu-ray Disc player to support this latest advancement in the Blu-ray format. Sony Electronics' own forthcoming BD Live-capable players aren't due out until this summer and fall.

Big News for PS3
Director of PlayStation Network Operations, Eric Lempel, revealed the news in his latest blog entry, ahead of the company sending out a press announcement.

The first titles to take advantage of BD Live are due out on April 8 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment: The 6th Day and Walk Hard--The Dewey Cox Story. The extent of the BD Live features on these titles remains unknown

Releasing this firmware update is a pretty cagey move on Sony's part. Since the PS3's release, frequent updates to the system have brought boatloads of needed features on-board--including the ability to upscale standard-definition DVDs.

Research and disc sales show that consumers are using the PS3 as a Blu-ray player. The PS3 played a role in the growing volume of Blu-ray disc sales, which in turn prompted Warner Brothers to back Blu-ray Disc exclusively at the start of the year. Warner's move led to the format war with rival HD DVD.

Firmware 2.20: Other Features

Other multimedia additions for the upcoming release include the ability to copy PlayStation 3 Music and Photo playlists to a PSP system (previously, you could create Music and Photo playlists on the PS3, but couldn't export them to a PSP). Another feature for PSP users: turn your PSP into a remote control, for playing back music files on your PS3 without turning on your TV. You can also play long DivX and .WMV format files (over 2 GB).

Disc playback has been enhanced, to allow resume play: You can pick up where you left off on a DVD or BD disc, even if you've ejected the disc and inserted a different movie or game in the interim.

Finally, Sony says the PS3's Internet browser now displays some Web pages faster. You can also save file files locally or to external storage media via the PS3 Web brower.

darkside

I'm happy they have BD Live on the way, but the stuff in the press makes it sound like some new breakthrough technology despite the fact HD DVD had this in 2006. Anyway, glad for the update and hopefully they will give us DTS-MA decoding and the final piece of the Blu-ray puzzle.

cultshock

Sounds like a bunch of nice added features.

This little one will come in handy for me sometimes. Nice idea.

PopcornTreeCt

Sega Tennis isn't so fun. Maybe it was just me but I just couldn't return hits. I would go right at the ball and miss just about every time. Lame game.