Dual Shock 3 to be released in October?

The rumble-equipped successor to the lightweight SIXAXIS is almost ready for release. According to the latest issue of Japan's Dengeki PlayStation magazine (quoted over at NeoGAF), the Dual Shock 3 will be compatible with Gran Turismo 5 Prologue.

And looking at the image above, taken from Sony's official Japanese GT5 site, it seems clear that the new controller will become available in Japan at the same time as GT5 Prologue itself: this October. Which is little over two months away.

If the Dual Shock 3 becomes the PS3's standard controller, which it almost certainly will, just imagine the flood of second-hand SIXAXIS pads that will appear. Although there's no official confirmation of the Dual Shock 3's UK release just yet, it might be an idea to hold off from buying spare SIXAXIS controllers...

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PC Game Crysis Headed To PS3

News has been coming out left and right in regards to this story as it appears that the highly-anticipated PC shooter Crysis is heading to the PS3.

Many sources are claiming that Crysis is on the way to the PS3. Some of the sources are within the industry while others are just plain old observers out there. It seems that GameStop has began advertising Crysis on the PS3 inside of a PS3 box.

Usually a retailer such as GameStop will not advertise a PS3 game until it is absolutely confirmed from the publisher and developer that it is coming to that respective console.

According to an Official PlayStation forum member he went into GameStop and asked about Crysis on the PS3 as he saw the box. The report states that the manager then yelled at the sales associate stating that the box art for Crysis on the PS3 was not suppoed to be on the sales floor just yet.

So it appears that Crysis is on the way to the PS3.

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It's said that the sixaxis with rumble (Let's call it "ShockAxis" :D) is already in hands of the devs of the upcoming games & will be unveiled at the Leipzig

Fresh confirmation that SIXAXIS rumble-enabled prototypes has found it's way into developer hands, with an expected unveiling to take place in Leipzig.

Following much gossip regarding the development of a rumbling SIXAXIS controller, InnerBits.com claims that Sony developers have already got their hands on rumble-enabled prototypes for use in development of new games. The unveiling is predicted to take place at Leipzig.

This seems a logical conclusion, when considering Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's president and CEO David Reeves already stated mid-July that E3 wasn't the biggest event in Sony's calendar.

"We prefer to make our big statements in Leipzig, it suits us much better. Yes it has been a bit of a slow summer, but we feel that we have kept the momentum going. There will be absolute fireworks at peak, that I can promise you. We will be doing things no-one has seen yet for both PS3 and PSP."

As well as the prototype SIXAXIS, it appears that new versions of the SIXAXIS controller are replacing the original controllers launched with the console. Modifications and upgrades to the internal hardware are improving the fidelity of motion sensing in the controllers. The originals apparently suffered too much dead zone, or spaces and angles that the controller was unable to pick up.

So what will we be seeing at Leipzig? A new rumble SIXAXIS controller hopefully, though its launch would most likely coincide with the release of rumble enabled games.

The GC Developers Conference happens in Leipzig from the 20th to 22nd of August. Expect some big announcements around that time.

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PlayStation 3 Firmware Cracked...But It Isn't Worth It

Yes, you're reading the headline correctly, the PlayStation 3's firmware has been cracked. And what exploits can this bring? Well, the most notorious of them all, playing pirated games. But whoah, whoah, hold on there, skipper. You see, unlike the PSP where firmware updates didn't really offer too much, the PS3 is a completely different beast. The PS3's firmware has already given us gems like enhancing backwards compatibility and DVD upscaling. Likewise, new games will require a system to have the newest firmware installed in order to be booted (just like PSP games).

But, the most pinning reasons why pirating PlayStation 3 games just isn't a good idea are simple. 1) A recordable Blu-Ray disc costs in the neighborhood of $40. 2) PlayStation 3 games will soon range between 20-40GBs in size and that's a lot to download, even for today's broadband connections. 3) Just like Microsoft, if you get caught with piracy, Sony will likely axe you (read: ban you) from the PlayStation Network. Don't succumb to the stupidity of piracy.

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Rumor: Rumble Coming To Sixaxis This Fall

Haze Dev Talks Power of PS3

A developer for Haze made some big comments in regards to the PlayStation 3.

The developer stated that the power of the PlayStation 3 is greater than anything else currently out there. This would likely mean that the developer would highly prefer the PS3 over working on other next-gen consoles such as the Xbox 360, Wii, or even the PC.

The developer is working on the PlayStation 3 to create the most realistic environments and experiences they have ever been able to accomplish.  Check out the screenshot below of Haze to get an idea of just what type of realism he is talking about...

The dev stated in an interview that "Working on PS3 has allowed us to create vastly superior environments that verge on photorealism - full-screen effects, High Dynamic Range and obscenely complex shaders. Its more challenging than ever before, but the power is greate than anythinglse that's out there."

Big words from a big developer in support of the PlayStation 3.

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Ubisoft confirms it's working on a secret title exclusive to Sony's console

"Ubisoft C.E.O C.E.O., Yves Guillemot, has let slip that Ubisoft is currently working on a new game exclusively for PS3.

Guillemot declined to specify a title or any details whatsoever in his interview with Reuters (via Gameswank ), but it is hoped, however, that the new game will be revealed at Ubisoft's Ubidays event, which will take place tomorrow and Wednesday in Paris."

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