Well if in fact you want to read about cell go to this site and read on....


http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/jan06/2609

I just hope this rumor isn't true about the PS3's launch date if it is then I'll get pretty pissed of...


http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/ps3/ps3-apparently-released-next-sept-in-europe-144922.php

I found this infromation or rumor call it what you like at joystiq.com

"According to an alleged employee of Rockstar North in Glasgow, Scotland, the next installment in the GTA series "will be titled Grand Theft Auto: London and will take place in the Great City of London in 1997."

If true, this sounds suspiciously like Rockstar trying to claim the "Great City" back from Sony's supposed usurpers to the crime-drivin' throne. Also, if you recall, there was a PC expansion to the first GTA in 1999 called Grand Theft Auto: London 1969, so this is either a bad rumor or a likely remake of old material.

We here at Joystiq hear a lot of crazy rumors about games, of course, but we sometimes wonder what to make of anonymous tipsters who claim to work for certain "developers of interest." Read on for the other details we received, and make the decision for yourself.

According to our source (who admittedly doesn't have the most perfect spelling), the "3 Island" system will be replaced by a new "North, East, South, West" system, and the main character will be an ex-gangster starting off in the "rough-and-tumble east end of London." Unlocked regions are to include the North End, South End, and West End, in order. The game is supposed to be about 60% finished, with the graphics and physics engines both completed. The focus is now mainly on the game's story component. The game is currently set to launch with the Playstation 3 in North America and Europe in Q4 2006. With about a year's work already done, the PlayStation 3's "fantastic graphical power" should provide some better horsepower under the hood of the sandbox series."

 AQ Entertainment recently announced Vampire's Rain for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Now check out these first in-game pics.

Iv'e pasted this info from a site, take a look at it...


 

An obscure posting about an open position at Sony has people talking about Sony PS3 Live.  Could this be Sony's answer to XBox Live or are we simply reading into it too much, the internet is always a curious place and sometime even the weirdest rumors do come true.

Junior PSP/PS3/PS2 Network Game Integration Engineer Description of positionWe are managing all of Sony Computer Entertainment's games recruitment and the London office is a world class development studio. It has unrivalled development facilities and offers a creative and stimulating environment coupled with access to the best London has to offer in Soho.

This role is to assist the game teams implement online elements in their products, and support the strategic online goals of the company. This will include writing and supporting libraries to help game teams concentrate their efforts on writing game code both for in-game networking, and for lobby functionality (e.g. Matchmaking, content download), supporting the use of key SDKs produced by the group in the U.S. creating the bulk of the networking middleware for use by the teams, and providing lessons learned/best practice for teams embarking on online projects.

As well as a having a degree in Computer Science or related discipline, and a strong interest in online gaming, essential for this role is knowledge of/experience with :
* Sound knowledge of C++ and OO methods (sound knowledge and practical experience).
* Ability to understand and work comfortably with C functional programming, both engineers and SDKs.
* Ability to work and communicate effectively with the team you are a member of, and with outside teams

Network Programming experience is highly desirable but not essential.

Skills include some of assembler, hand-held, mobile, network, on-line, tools, plugins, gba, AI, C++, PC, gameboy, PSP, Unix (Linux), Java, SCE-RT.LocationCentral LondonCategoryProgrammersContract TypeJob referenceDS7216Salary£NegThis job is being advertised by Datascope USA.

I don't want to spoil anything just watch it...

http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=0&cId=3146425

Maybe you all have seen the real-time trailer at 1up.com, which showed that the MGS 4 trailer was infact real-time footage, but the trailer you can download in this site is 9 minutes long(!) and is translated into English, it's just unbelieveble, just watch it and you will most certainly agree.


http://download.qj.net/Metal-Gear-Solid-4-Real-Time-Video/pg/12/fid/343/catid/3

I'm close to accomplishing my goal at GameSpot, and that means I'm close to set new goals as well( If you didn't know what my goal was then I'll tell ya, it was to get the rank Phoenix Down, level 10).

OPM: Consumers have been pretty reflective about the PS2 now that the PS3 is on the horizon, particularly about the hard drive and online play. Is Sony as a company planning to stay the course or is it going to lead the pack with online, the hard drive, or extra features?

KH: The hard drive is really a tactical method for getting entertainment content and having consumers interact with it, but more on a strategic level, online-especially in the next iteration of hardware-is going to be like air conditioning in a car. I can't imagine any car without it. We showed that online in the PS2 generation isn't going to be the end all be all, but it's become a more integral part of the experience, and I think we've proven that. If you look at the latest metrics, SOCOM 3, which has been out for two weeks now [as of the time of this interview]-we're looking at numbers of more than 40,000 peak simultaneous users, and you guys are playing around four hours on average [per day]. These are some staggering numbers.

As far as going forward, the biggest challenge we have is that we have a huge install base of PS2 users and a growing install base of PSP users. You have to realize that when we launch the PlayStation 3 next year-we've been in the PS2 business We've proven over the past 10 years with three products that we can deliver.for a good five years-we're going to have a huge install base of users, so we don't have the luxury that other platforms have where they say, "The old platform is the old platform. This is the new platform, and we'll have online optimized for the new platform." When we launch a PS3 online service, we certainly want to take advantage of the PS3, the technology it brings, and offer a great online experience for PS3 users, but at the same time, we want to make sure we bring along the huge install base of PS2 users and the install base of PSP users and have them be able to take part in the online experience as well. What we want to accomplish is not be cutting edge for cutting edge's sake, but to come up with something that everyone who has a PlayStation console can enjoy. But we want to push the envelope for the PS3. It's a challenge, but it's a challenge that's going to pay great dividends.

OPM: Is there a sense that the PS3 needs to be rushed out with the Xbox 360 being first to market? Or is Sony taking its time and making sure that everything that needs to be there on launch day will be there?

KH: Yeah, you pretty much answered the question. You probably know by looking at our history that we've never been first to market with any of our products. Saturn was there before the original PlayStation, and Dreamcast was out before the PS2. Plus, there have been so many handhelds before the PSP. People, especially people up north on the West Coast, seem to put a lot of credence on being out before the other consoles. If you take a look at when our competitors came out in the market, we had upward of 3 [million] to 5 million PS2 units when our competitors came out with a platform. Consumers adopted our platform because [they like our content] and not because we were first to market. And, first to market, from what we can tell, has never been an advantage.

At the end of the day, it's all about the entertainment content that you bring to the consumers, to the PlayStation family of products. We're going to make sure we're your family and that we'll take care of you. The last generation isn't just going away.

OPM: So you're saying content will be king for the next generation, but it seems the PS3 has a technological advantage as well.

KH: The technological advantage is almost a given, but by itself, it doesn't mean very much. What kind of software do you have to help drive that technological innovation? We've proven over the past 10 years with three products that we can deliver, whether it's with first-party or third-party support.

[Secret Weapon: SOCOM is an immensely popular game, and it serves as evidence that the Sony model for online play can work. But one can't help but wonder if it wouldn't be even more successful with an Xbox Live-like service to back it up.]

OPM: With that technological advantage, costs in game development are increasing. Will these costs scare developers away from the PS3?

KH: If I look at just the closed world of PlayStation products, the answer is no. Yes, costs are going to be expensive compared to the last generation, but we bring the three-platform strategy to the table because we're giving publishers the opportunity to be in a healthy environment that allows them to invest in PS3 development.

If you expand that out to the other platforms, I don't know that it holds water. If you're doing development for the Xbox 360, how much are you going to be able to advertise that or get support from the back end with revenue that you may get from current-generation titles. That's questionable. But if you look at the PlayStation business, we're providing that one solution that allows for good revenue on the PS2 and PSP that allows people to go spend it on PS3 development.

OPM: By that same token, does it worry you that developers will take a lowest-common- denominator design philosophy, thereby not using all of the PS3's features?

KH: If a company embarks on that strategy, most of the time they're going to find that there are companies that don't do that and optimize for every platform. That's going to be a lot more compelling for consumers, so if you're trying for the lowest common denominator, it's going to show up in your software and affect how consumers support your title, which is probably not very much.

OPM: So is the PlayStation 3 going to take on the role of a PC as a full entertainment device?

KH: We've always brought additional functionality to our products that people find useful. The PS3, with online and Blu-ray capabilities-these are the things that consumers are going to find [useful], as well as its game-playing capabilities.

OPM: What about the PlayStation 3 controller? Is it going to stay like that?

KH: That was a prototype that was shown, and it's a tall order that Kutaragi-san ran past the designers. We've gone through two consoles with essentially the same controller design, and it's time for a fresh approach. We're going to look at the form factor, but at the same time we want it to feel familiar. It's difficult to balance the two. It's a work in progress. We certainly want to make sure that when you hold it in your hands that you've come home to something familiar.

OPM: What do you think it was that hooked the mainstream onto the PlayStation more so than any other platform?

KH: We were able to legitimize interactive entertainment, more than any other company has been able to. It's OK if you are over college age to sit down and play interactive entertainment. It's OK to say to your girlfriend, want to play some games? Videogames that is. [Laughs] It's OK for adults to spend time playing games. The reason we were able to do that was because, between first and third party, we could bring content that appealed to a wider audience. Polygonal 3D allowed users to enjoy titles that weren't just side-scrolling anymore, making them a more compelling entertainment option.

OPM: By that same token, it's brought a whole new set of eyes on the industry- eyes that don't necessarily understand the concept of videogames. Now we've seen more attention paid to violence and games and their negative effect on culture.

KH: Every time I have the opportunity, I will go on my soapbox and talk ears off about the whole violence in videogames issue and put it into context. The mainstream media still looks at the business as something for under 12-year-olds. As we know, nothing could be further from the truth. Just like in books or motion pictures, there's right entertainment content for different demographics. We've gone out of our way in explaining the rating system. We evolved it a lot quicker than other industries. We've done a lot of different things. The ESRB and the ESA have been very proactive as well, and I think it's come a long way.

I don't believe that many people have had the nerve to read this, but I sure hope so...

OPM: What are the benefits of being first to market, much like the Dreamcast was? What are the pitfalls?

JA: Good question. I'd say one of the pitfalls from a competitive point of view is that you don't know what the other guys are doing, and to be frank, the guys over at Sony have been very good at not telling anyone what they're doing. It's tough to tell where they're going with the PS3. The other tough thing is that you're under the microscope [when you're first]. [Sony] shows two movies and a product that you can't touch behind a piece of glass, and that's what you get to write about on them. For us, we just had 2,000 journalists from Europe, the U.S., and Japan all come to events we've hosted to play 20 games, [and we] just said, "Go play." My kickoff for the event in San Francisco was: You know what our strategy is and you've been to our press conferences-less rhetoric and more play. Go and enjoy the games for a day and a half. This is what our consumers are going to see. Try the wireless [controller] and walk as far away from the console as possible-tell us if you think it's good or bad. If you're a journalist, you can compare and contrast the two companies. One company has the promise while the other one has the reality. Sometimes, it's tough because we're not trying to fake reality. Promises are easier to fake. That's the hard part about being first.

The great part about being first is: We have a whole bunch of ideas, passion, talent, and titles that we want to put in the hands of gamers. We can't wait to get It's damaging to have three different companies pursue three different theories.people's feedback. I couldn't wait to get offstage the other night and tell people to go play. I wanted to watch people experience our product and see the delight on their faces. I want to ship this sucker. We're going to get the reaction first. We're going to make a lot of people happy this holiday season. We're taking gaming to the next level, and we're the first. Strategically and competitively, your first lap is going to be done before your competitor even leaves the pits. Is it a good thing from an industry point of view? I don't know, but it certainly boded well for PS2 versus Xbox in the last generation, allowing them to sell 10 million units before we put our first on the shelf.

We absolutely haven't rushed the product out to get that benefit. It's just that we said 2005 is the right time to start [the next generation]. That's when HD gaming is going to start, and that's when all the technology is [going to be] ready. It's when the consumer and the industry are going to be ready. We weren't going to do a handheld before then, because if we did, it would distract everyone and blow '05. It's going to be a good holiday.

OPM: But what about technological differences? The Xbox's late arrival gave it better hardware that made it more attractive to developers like Tecmo's Team Ninja.

JA: In the last generation, we hadn't even started hardware development before they shipped, so we did have that huge advantage and we were willing to spend more money and lose more money on the hardware. They're talking about a spring 2006 release-the specs they published are equivalent to the specs we published when you go away from theoretical performance toward actual performance. It's a jump ball. Two companies selling something at Wal-Mart for the same amount of money [and] coming out four months apart from each other aren't going to [have products] materially different. Plus, they're willing to dump a whole lot of money per unit, and I'll tell you what: As a company with more cash in the bank than just about anybody, Microsoft isn't willing to do that again because it was really tough for us the last time around. So I'd be surprised if they had a strategy that said they could lose a few billion this generation to make more powerful hardware.

You have to think that Sony has learned a lesson or two about online this last generation just with their first-party [stuff]. If they had Xbox Live, Gran Turismo would be an online game. And you have to look at that and say it hurt, because Polyphony always wanted it to be an online game. That was part of its vision. Sony would've sold more copies, and it would've been better for the PlayStation brand. They diluted a franchise property in a world where you can play Forza online or Need for Speed online on another company's system. Here's your landmark title- the one that practically defines the PlayStation's history-and you can't make it online? That's disappointing. I'm a racing nut. I love the game and own every single one of them, so I'm hoping as a gamer and a competitor-and someone who's concerned about the health of the industry-that they get serious about online.

OPM: This year marks the 10th anniversary of the PlayStation. What, in your mind, has been the most significant change the PlayStation has brought to the industry?

KAZ HIRAI: The biggest thing we've brought to the industry is that the PlayStation family of products has changed the way the business world and the press look at the industry as a whole. It used to be a niche industry. People would talk about it, but we'd never get a good write-up in The New York Times or what have you. I think the amount of business we've brought to the industry put Sony on the map alongside music and motion pictures. Nowadays, you see the cooperation between the movie industry and our industry, we're equal players. In some instances we have the upper hand, whereas if any company in the business wanted to speak to a motion picture company 10 years ago, they wouldn't have been equal partners. I think that's a fundamental change we were able to bring into the industry.

OPM: It also seems like the PlayStation helped the industry grow up in general, but was it ready for that? Is it still having trouble?

KH: The PlayStation business meant that you need a business plan and you have to execute on it, mainly because a lot of the companies are publicly traded. When we started out in this business, if you look at Sony's financial reporting in '95, we were bunched together in the "other" category, so it was a small blip on a lot of people's radar. Now, it's gotten to be such a big business for everyone that if you don't plan, strategize, and execute, then the margin of error or the gap you might face is tremendous to the extent that you might have a huge impact. The videogame business has a significant impact on the overall bottom line for Sony, which has an impact on share prices, so I think the business has had to mature. But at the same time, Sony wants to keep that entrepreneurial, pushing-the-envelope spirit on the creative side of things but with a strong backbone supporting the business side, so you can give your creative side freedom without worrying where the next dollar is coming from.

OPM: Now that the gaming industry does make so much money, do you see other aspects of the entertainment industry as competition?

KH: I've always said that the competition for our business is all other forms of entertainment, whether it's listening to music, or going to the movies, or renting the DVD. Or going shooting pool with your friends with beer in hand-that's all entertainment. There are only a certain number of hours you can devote to entertainment, and it's our collective job to make sure that people are focused on our business as opposed to watching DVDs or shooting pool. You can't deny people those things, but my hope is that they spend more time playing games.

OPM: Sony's taken steps to make the PlayStation (the PS1, PS2, and PSP) an all-inone entertainment device, but has there ever been a problem with the message of being a gaming platform getting diluted?

KH: We've talked about these machines, first and foremost, as a great way to play interactive entertainment. With that, we've coupled other functionalities-functionalities that not only looked good on paper but also brought something to the consumers. Take DVD playback on the PS2-more than 90 percent of all PS2 users actually play DVDs on their PS2s as well. If you take a look at the number of motion picture titles that sell through on the UMD video side of the business, that's a feature that consumers have embraced. It's not just some feature on a sell sheet. Having said all of that, the core is all about compelling interactive entertainment. If you don't have that, then the other functionality they may have gets diluted as well.

OPM: In the case of the PSP, we've seen stores that have huge UMD movie sections that dwarf the PSP games section. How do you feel about that occurrence and the PSP's performance to date?

KH: First of all, the fact that there are so many UMD video titles is vindication of We're here because we work hard every day and try to keep two steps ahead.what I've been saying since CES of this year. It's obviously a great handheld console, but it does so much more. But we had people asking, "Are you going to get more than a few movies?" or "Is anyone other than Sony Pictures onboard?" Now, I get the reverse of those questions. Once the ball got rolling on the video side, you're going to expect more titles because they don't have to be developed like videogame titles. Look at PS2-certainly there are more DVDs than PS2 games, so I think that's just the natural progression of the video format.

To answer your second question, with the install base that we've garnered since last month-with 2.3 million PSPs, and it's been selling out since the end of March-I'm very happy with the growth of the install base we're getting, and all of this is before we've even had one holiday season. We're looking to double the install base within the October, November, December time frame in North America to 5 million or so. I'm happier that we're getting consumers and retailers, that this is more than just a great handheld console.

OPM: What about the flow of software to the PSP? The summer period is universally slow for most platforms, but the PSP seemed to be suffering more than the other platforms. Will new titles for the PSP come at a steady rate?

KH: We have great titles from first- and third-party developers. Take, for example, Liberty City Stories, and Madden just launched. I think between now and the end of the year, we're going to have a good lineup of fresh titles for the platform. That's been the secret to our success over the past few years with the original PlayStation and the PS2. We're out there because first and third parties bring fresh content.

OPM: If you were to go back and examine the life cycle of all of the PlayStation platforms, what would you say have been the mistakes Sony has made? What should've been done differently?

KH: If you're just talking about general business or strategic decisions over the past 10 years-I can't really think of anything as a fundamental mistake that we would want to go back and change. If you're looking at more technical things, like the holiday of 1999-would we have liked to sell more PS2s? Yeah, maybe. There are always things you want to do better, but at the strategic level there isn't one issue where I can say we should've done it differently. And, knock on wood, I think we were very lucky in not having mistakes of that magnitude.

OPM: Being in that position, does that make Sony complacent?

KH: With any successful organization or business, the longer you're on top, you have the tendency of taking that position as a given and that you're there because you've been tricked into thinking you're geniuses. [Laughs] That's not the case. We're here because we work hard every day and try to keep two steps ahead of the competition, and that is what has kept us at the forefront. It's also the hard work we put in and everyone else-publishers, retailers, and developers-supporting our business.

OPM: With that in mind, what could make the PlayStation brand stronger?

KH: It's the continuous evolution of the brand, that the name PlayStation stands for the cutting edge of interactive entertainment at any given time. Not a lot can change in a generation, but it has stood for and always will stand for that. Also, it's cutting edge, but not so cutting edge that when it looks back there aren't just three people following. It's cutting edge enough that people can walk along with you, such as the 90 million people marching with the PS2 worldwide. It's a fine balance understanding what consumers want and also being able to do that but not taking such a big step that you lose the consumer.

to be continued...