Red PSP, MGS4 Bundle, DualShock 3 NA Availability
February 26th, 2008 at 11:29 am
I have to admit, I’m not really a big enough God of War fan to warrant having Kratos on my PSP, but this new red PSP, which Sony just announced as part of a $200 bundle shipping in June, looks great. I do need to pick up a new PSP Slimmie at some point–it’s sort of tricky to get video and screens of PSP games without one–and if I can hold out until June, this will be the one I get. It’ll come with God of War PSP, Superbad on UMD, and a voucher you can use to get Syphon: Filter: Combat Ops from the PlayStation Store. Not a bad deal at all.
On top of that announcement, Sony also announced plans to put together a Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle for the PlayStation 3, timed to the launch of the game. It’ll be an 80GB PS3 with a rumble-ready DualShock 3 and a copy of MGS4 for $500. The official Sony blog sticks to a “late Q2″ time frame for the launch of the game. But most of the news blogs out there have pinned it down to June 12. Apparently that date was specifically mentioned at a PlayStation-centric retailer meeting called Destination PlayStation. But that’s a Thursday, and games rarely hit on Thursdays.
Putting together a bundle for MGS4 sounds like a good idea to me. You often see it mentioned as one of those “I’m waiting for Game X before buying a PS3″ posts on message boards. Might as well make it easy and more tempting, but throwing in some sort of special bundle-only bonus related to MGS4 would certainly sweeten the deal. Heck, if it included a camo PS3, I’d probably go nuts and buy another PS3, just for the hardware.
The last bit of Sony kit is the DualShock 3, or as Sony likes to write it, the DUALSHOCK 3. Stop yelling at me about your controller, jeez! There’s another disparity between release info here, with Sony’s official statement listing April 2008, but everyone else nailing it down to April 15. Either way, it’s going to sell for $54.95. I’d write a bit here about how controllers have become a little too expensive over the last few years, but I imported a Dual…sorry…DUALSHOCK 3 a few months ago and paid a little bit more than that. So I’m already part of the problem.
At GDC last week, I heard more than a few people speculating and making educated guesses about how 2008 is going to be Sony’s year, the year they take it all back from Microsoft and make you forget about how your PS3 sat under a fairly thick layer of dust through most of 2007. Announcements like this, even if you think that’s a bit much to pay for a controller, certainly don’t hurt.
February 26th, 2008 at 11:43 am
It looks like its time for me to get serious about purchasing a ps3. I am definetly one of those people that say stuff like “waiting for MGS4 and FFXIII to get a ps3″ and really those are the only games that I really want on the ps3. Im more than pleased with my 360 and still wouldnt recommend a ps3 to someone else over it.
Im also one of those people that laugh at others on message boards for buying the ps3 when it was full priced and had very little to play when it is cheaper now and going to be bundled with probrably the best game on it for awhile.
February 26th, 2008 at 11:43 am
55 bucks for a controller is kind of a lot, i agree. It is a very good controller though.
The red PSP is also nice, but it would be even nicer if Kratos wasn’t on it.
February 26th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I never thought I’d say it, but that PSP has me thinking more consumer electronics should come in red. That looks lush. Well- minus the bald, angry dude.
February 26th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
The red PSP looks Great!
I think i will import a DUALSHOCK 3… can’t really wait for the EU release date.
February 26th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
John Connor: It is time!
Soon there will be a ps3 in my house. When the DUALSHOCK3! is finally bundled (what were you thinking no rumble) with the console. A package with MGS4 would be sweet. That’s one of the games i relly want to play on Sonys platform. I also would like to play UT3. I’m sticking to the apple sweetness (where is the mac port you douchebags. You promised a Linux client bundled with UT3 but apparently you don’t care much about that either)
Now if Sony only could bring back the 60GB version of the console here in europe. (or a version that support ps2 games) I really want to play the GoW games and the MGS games that came out after MGS2: Sons of Liberty. I don’t have a ps2 and i really don’t want to buy a new one since i sold mine to afford the original xbox (which by the way is broken). Makes me wonder who they asked over here since apparently there is no one in europe who wants sony to make their machines backwards compatible.
February 26th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
“Stop yelling at me about your controller” hahahahahahahaha
February 26th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
While I doubt 2008 will be Sony’s year, I don’t doubt I will finally be pretty happy about my PS3 purchase in 2008.
February 26th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
i think i could honestly live without having to play MGS4 in my life, same could be said for God Of War 2. But like an idiot i’ll probably invest in that MGS4 bundle.
i dunno why, i thought MGS3 was excellent but did i love it enough to want a sequel? no not really. There’s also the fact that there are absolutely no other PS3 games i’d want at all, since the rest are all on the Xbox 360.
February 26th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Hey Mats,I’m not sure if its different in europe or not bro,but I got a 80gig PS3 ,and it plays both God of Wars,and both Metal Gears,in fact,all the good PS2 games I kept,I haven’t had it not work with one of them yet.
February 26th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
This will definitely be the year that I buy a PS3. I am one of those guys who has been holding off on buying one until I can enjoy Metal Gear Solid 4, Gran Turismo 4, and Grand Theft Auto 4. However, I am going to look for a used PS3 that has backwards compatibility so I can still enjoy my PSX and PS2 games.
February 26th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
I’m gonna end up buying a PS3 despite all the times that I’ve said that it sucks. It really doesn’t, I just don’t own it yet. I’m probably also gonna get the 50$ HD-DVD drive for the 360 and rummage through the bargain bins of various video stores for anything I can find. But before all that I’m getting my new computer… when the 9800GX2 (unless it ends up like the 7950GX2 in which case I’ll have to wait until the 9800GTX).
END
February 26th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
I keep thinking about getting a PS3, but then I remind myself that I have a silly friend who went and got one instead of following my advise and getting a 360,so now I can just borrow it from him when the 2 or 3 games that are worth playing come out. LAFF.
But in all seriousness I do hope Sony does better in 2008. It would be nice to have more reasons to pick up the console since I will inevidably find myself getting one.
February 26th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
While I’d like to see the PS3 do better, I’m skeptical that they will overtake the 360’s momentum any time soon. The fact still remains that the majority of programmers in the industry just don’t prefer to write code for it. 360 games are now looking “next-gen” enough for everyone to be perfectly happy doing their big projects as 360 exclusives or multi-platform games and only companies specifically paid by Sony will probably ever release a PS3 exclusive.
I also have a feeling that sometime in the future, when the 2nd version of MGS3 is released, like Substance and Subsistence, it won’t be exclusive to Sony. I can’t say where Squere might take things and while I’d love to try a new FF, it’s definitely not enough to get me to buy both a PS3 and a 360.
I only own a Wii now, but I’m getting very close to deciding that a 360 is the right choice to make between the HD systems.
February 26th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
I do want to play MGS4, but people are getting way too worked up over it. I’m also pretty skeptical that it can sell 1 million copies in one day, much less one week. MGS has always been one of those niche titles, albeit a high-selling niche title. It’s just so typical Japanese over-the-top “SNAKE IT’S NOT OVER YET!!”. I can’t see that having a mass market appeal.
February 26th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
ZOMFG! I love the look of that system!
February 26th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
The 40gig ps3 PAL version does not ps2 games and if i got this right they will only offer this config in europe from now on and that sucks bigtime.
Take a look at the Retail config table at [URL=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ps3#Hardware]wikipedia,[/URL]
February 26th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I guess I’ll be getting my PS3 in June. I don’t see a need to get a new PSP yet, mine works fine and I don’t plan on playing it on my screen via PS3.
February 26th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Time will tell with the PS3. i must say Sony does have a lot I’m looking forward to in 08.
February 26th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Ever since COD4 hit PS3, Sony’s dark pr times have pretty much been over. The PS3 + PSP combo is very strong going forward.
February 26th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Got my 60gb ps3 and my dualshock 3..oh wait i mean the DUALSHOCK3!! fired up and ready….now all i need is more software, which I don’t have to worry about in 2008 cuzz all of the great game is coming out for the ps3 this year. BTW, to be honest, I’m not that all hyped up for MGS4, played MGS2 on the ps2 and loved it but never finished MGS3. But damn, a 80gb ps3 with MGS4 and the DUALSHOCK3 as a bundle??!! man that is a good deal.
February 26th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Hey Jeff, My PS3 is still collecting dust. I also imported the dual shock 3 which is great. hey i thought rumble “was last gen” technology accordig to Sony. Everytime I switch on my PS3 I get an empty experience, the dash, the lack of games. I think the PS3 has a good line up of games however I also believe they need to improve their dashboard experience to hook more people in. I dont think HOME is the answer, then again, I could be wrong.
February 26th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
$55 for a DUALSHOCK 3!?!?!? Forget that, I really wanted one until just now. That is frickin ludicrous! If they want 08 to be Sony’s year, they can’t price their controllers that high. I won’t be getting one until they go down to at least $40.
I agree with you though that that red PSP looks awesome as hell. And I AM a big enough God of War fan to want Kratos on the back of it. I think I’ll have to get a 2nd PSP, my current one is the thick model anyway. The hard part will be justifying the $200 purch to my wife. Any suggestions???
February 26th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Hey Jeff, if you get a sweet new psp, how about sending your old crappy you-dont-need it to this poor, jobless teenager. You could give me the best present ever, a fantasmilistic easter. Or you know, you could become “the man” in “stick it to the man” and your friends would dispise you. Please note sarcasm
February 26th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
2008!!! the ps3 is back!!!
February 26th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
The new PSP looks pretty awesome. Since I still havn’t bought a PSP, I might buy that come June.
The Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 bundle is pretty much a no-brainer. Hopefully, I’ll also have a PS3 by June but if not, that’s definitely the way to good.
I don’t think $55 is too much for the DUALSHOCK 3!!!!!!. Seems like an alright price to me.
February 26th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
I’m waiting for “X” game to buy a PS3 as well…
Wireless controllers are worth 50+ bucks because the tech inside is rather expensive.
February 26th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
I’ll somehow try to swoop a Dualshock 3 deal. I was able to get the 360 pink controller for my girlfriend for $32 the week it came out. So I shouldn’t have to spend more than $42 for the Dualshock 3. Even that price is too pricey.
February 26th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
backwards compatibility. please.
please.
February 26th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Oh you silly Americans, oh how I laugh. $55 is too much for a dualshock 3. (hearty chuckle) Come to Europe where we pay (checks currency converter) $82 for a standard six axis.
But anyway enough of that tired old Europe gets hammered on game prices stuff. The new psp looks sweet. But why must they continue to put faces on the back of them. Sort of tempted to get one again, last one I traded in for a DS. I like the idea of being able to remote play pixeljunk monsters.
I only see my ps3 every two weeks when I get back from college and to be honest I never really miss it. I brought my 360 with me to college. Handy how it can be hooked up to a pc monitor. Hope this year is the year I’m excited to get back and play something on that shiny black box. For now I’ll just have some fun with warhawk.
February 26th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
So, Sony is going to charge $55 for a controller that (a) has a feature that the 360 one had at launch, (b) features virtually no ergonomic improvement from the controller they’ve been using since PSX (!) days, and (c) has a gimmicky axis feature that hasn’t been put to good use on even ONE occasion.
No wonder they’re getting their asses kicked by MS……
February 26th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Will a bundle like that come to Europe or other continents for that matter?
I’m asking mainly because we in Europe only have a 40 GB PS3, that doesn’t have half of the USB ports, all of the memory card slots and PS2 compatibility <.<
I want a better model then that thing should I get a PS3…
February 26th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
I too need a slim PSP and I must say the red does look awesome. I’m also gonna want to get the God of War game as well, so this is a sweet deal, definitely gonna pick it up. As much as I love my 360, I wouldn’t mind seeing 2008 being Sony’s year as then I can finally use my PS3 for something other than Blu-Ray…like playing games! However, I don’t think they will overcome Microsoft.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:22 am
I don’t have a PS3, I’m waiting for MGS4. So I’ll probably end up picking that bundle.
A MGS themed PS3 would even be better.
February 27th, 2008 at 5:13 am
IMO backwards compatibility for PS3 is totally unnecessary. I have a PS3 since March and have played only one PS2 gme on it - PES 6. Now PES 2008 has arrived, I don’t use it for PS2 games at all.
February 27th, 2008 at 7:19 am
Stupid game controller’s and their damned lawsuits!
February 27th, 2008 at 7:53 am
hi jeff, not really related but check out the picture for the joystiq article: “The exodus continues: Jason Ocampo leaving Gamespot”
its great….
http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/27/the-exodus-continues-jason-ocampo-leaving-gamespot/
February 27th, 2008 at 8:02 am
top_banana, you might have no use for backward compatibility, but some of us own a couple hundred PS1 & PS2 games and already have more than enough devices connected to the TV.
My PS2’s getting pretty old and even with the low prices on the newer models, if I’m ever going to get a PS3, I’d rather not spend the extra money on another one.
I’ve probably played 20 Gamecube games on my Wii this year and it’s been nice to have the old cube packed away and out of sight.
February 27th, 2008 at 9:19 am
@ lestspiff and top_banana
the thing is that Sony shouted really hard: Vibration is not important, and backward compatibility is super important. And now they did the complete opposite, these guys really should little more to the gamers and dev. PS2 titles still sell a lot. being able to use em on the PS3 isnt overated… yet …
Same goes for Microsoft who made the CORE sku just to be able to show a 299 price tag.. but in the end it was a stupid move,, HDDs are necessary now, heck they were saying that back when they shipped the first XBOX !!!
February 27th, 2008 at 9:21 am
dayam! that new PSP looks muy sessy. i guess i’ll be picking up a new PSP Slim sooner than i thought.
February 27th, 2008 at 10:01 am
MGS4 is definitely “game X” for me, so I’ll probably just scoop up that bundle when it comes out. Unless there’s some particular reason i might want to get it all separate. I’ll have to look in to it more. but I’m definitely glad that it won’t be some crazy camo PS3 or something. I always like to get the default color for all my systems. But that red PSP definitely looks sharp. I like God of War, but I don’t think I would want Kratos on it. I never understand why anyone would want their entire system branded with one game. never really made sense to me.
February 27th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
I’m still skeptical about the PS3 hype for this year. Everyone seems to be saying it’ll do well, but why? What’s it got going this year that it didn’t have previously? And what’s to say that the 360’s gonna fade out?
February 27th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Jeff–am I the only one who thinks that Sony’s HOME is going to blow Live out of the water? Esp. if HOME is free? I never got the big deal about Live. It’s got a nicer interface than the PSN store but seems to have hardly any more features. Oh, and is it just me or does Microsoft’s 2008 lineup seem pretty week, with the exception of Gears 2? What’s your take on Sony v. Microsoft’s lineups this year?
February 27th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
I might just have to pick that Red PSP up even though I already have a White PSP slim with Darth Vader. As for the PS3 bundle I’ll stick with my 60GB backwards compatible model.