PlayStation Home beta adding more users this Fall

After hitting delays already, we can't say that this was the PlayStation Home press release we've been expecting. Nevertheless, Sony just announced that it is expanding the closed PlayStation Home beta to more users in "Fall 2008." Kazuo Hirai, prez and ringmaster of Sony Computer Entertainment, said, "We understand that we are asking PS3 and prospective PS3 users to wait a bit longer, but we have come to the conclusion that we need more time to refine the service."

PS3 to get smaller Cell and/or RSX chips in August?

Nikko Citigroup upgraded its rating on Sony this morning in anticipation of it breaking even on PS3 costs earlier than expected. At the moment, Sony sells the PS3 at a loss. The respected group of analysts is now earmarking August as the milestone month. Sony's CFO recently suggested that the move would occur in the second half of the year -- a date analysts then pegged at November. No details behind the new upbeat expectations were provided by Nikko CG. However, it's safe to assume that the PS3's break-even event will be realized by a switch to a sub-65nm cell processor, sub-90nm RSX graphics chip, or both, since the smaller chips are less-costly to manufacturer.

Movies and TV shows coming to PS3?

The PlayStation 3's newest v2.30 firmware just came out yesterday, but Sony isn't show any signs of slowing down its updates for the PS3. In a blog yesterday, Senior Vice President Peter Dille wrote this enticing tidbit:

Many of you have been hearing rumblings about a video service that will allow you to download full-length TV shows and movies via PLAYSTATION Network for North America. While I don't have any new announcements here for the PlayStation Nation, it's already been confirmed that we'll be offering a video service for PS3 in a way that separates the service from others you've seen or used. Ultimately the goal of the PLAYSTATION Network service will be to break through the overwhelming clutter of digital media to give you the TV, movies, and gaming content you want. More on this very soon...

That sounds pretty promising for PS3 fans, but until we get more information, all we can do is speculate. Just a few months ago, there were plenty of rumors about Netflix coming to the PS3. That would certainly be a great score for the PS3, as many people already have Netflix subscriptions and consumers seem more open to subscription plans for movies than they do for music. Another solid option would be support for Hulu, which offers a bunch of TV shows from Fox and NBC--plus some Universal movies--broken up only by short 15-second ads. This might seem even better to some PS3 owners, mainly because it's 100 percent free. The most likely option is that Sony rolls out its own video service, and that has the biggest potential to be a bust. Sony always seems to be a little quirky with digital media downloads (see: Sony Connect and ATRAC3), and we're betting that a proprietary "Sony Video Store" would be much more expensive than Hulu or Netflix--probably more in line with iTunes pricing.

Video: the PS3 Laptop in action

The PS3 Laptop: check out the video of Ben Heck's latest creation.

The PS3 Laptop from Ben Heck

Ben Heck has already managed to build a Xbox 360 laptop and a Wii Laptop, so it was only natural that there would we a PS3 laptop next. On and off for almost a year and a half, he has finally managed to build... the PS3 Laptop!

The essential specs:

• Original backwards compatible 60GB model
• 17-inch LCD HDTV screen: 720p
• HDMI-DVI connection (same as last Xbox 360 laptop)
• Built-in keyboard, USB ports, stereo speakers, headphone jack
• Size: 17 x 13.75 x 3-inches
• Weight: 16 pounds!

Limited edition gunmetal gray MGS4 PS3 coming to America, hearts flutter

It's no secret that we've been drooling over all the hot limited-edition Metal Gear Solid 4 swag that Sony and Konami are dishing out in Japan, but it looks like a select few in this country will be able to score the baddest of them all: the gunmetal gray PS3 / MGS4 bundle with matching DualShock 3. Yep, it's coming Stateside on June 12th like the rest of the MGS4 editions and the standard 80GB PS3 / MGS4 bundle.

PS3 firmware v2.30 walkthrough: DTS-HD MA support / new PS Store included

A sneak peek (on video) of the looming PlayStation Store revamp and a confirmation of DTS-HD Master Audio output in the next PS3 firmware update, that's what. Over on the PlayStation Blog, we're casually walked through the impending v2.30 update, and just as we had heard, Blu-ray fans can shout in unison as the inclusion of their favorite audio codec (as well as DTS-HD High Resolution Audio) is just days away. Word on the street has v2.30 headed down the pipes on April 15th.

PS3 firmware engineers interviewed, DTS-HD MA support on the way

AV Watch scored an interview with some of the engineers behind the frequent PlayStation 3 updates -- most recently adding BD-Live in 2.20 -- and uncovered details on what's been going on under the hood so far, as well as what to expect in the future. 1080 deinterlacing and DTS-HD MA support are definitely in the works, although no date is given. A possible answer why it's not there yet, is the indication that the just implemented mosquito noise reduction on MPEG-4 AVC videos uses less processing power than the original version of BD player software, which used 100% of resources for DVD upconversion, but now only maxes out on PiP streams with BD-Java running. For best PQ, play your digital files from disc or USB stick instead of DLNA, since they are currently processed differently. Otherwise, we can expect future updates quarterly, and for those beyond the reach of the net, updates are also packed onto discs, like the Resident Evil flick with 2.10 firmware on it. Check out Beyond3D for more highlights and see if all your most burning questions have been answered.

PSP firmware 3.95 hits the tubes

The last round of PSP firmware updates brought Skype support, but it looks like 3.95 isn't nearly as exciting: Sony's added in reconfigurable button mapping to PS1 emulation, and made it so that you can choose to either shut down your PS3 or leave it running when you're done with a remote play session.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue gets Smashed

Vehicle deformation could arrive as soon as Autumn says Yamauchi.

It may have taken more than a little time for Polyphony to warm to the idea, but Gran Turismo head Kazunori Yamauchi has confirmed that the series is finally going to be implementing damage, saying it could be included as a downloadable feature for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue as early as this Autumn.

In an interview with IGN earlier today, Yamauchi said that, "maybe by Fall we'll be able to implement it," before confirming that it would feature as a download for Prologue, which launched in the UK and across Europe last week. Gran Turismo has long been famed for its refusal to include any vehicle deformation, despite heightening demands from its fan-base, and any inclusion of the feature would be a massive boon for the series.

Pictures emerge of impending PlayStation Store redesign

It's no big secret that Sony is gearing up to redesign the PlayStation Store for users in Europe and the US, but with just days to go until the hard hats are donned, we figured it prudent to pass along the latest tidbits surrounding the change. Apparently the refacing will start on April 3rd and finish up in around a fortnight, but until the job is finished, "no additional downloadable content will be posted." Of course, existing content will remain available, and chances are you'll appreciate the updates when all is said and done, but we know how tough it'll be to not log on weekly and eagerly sniff for all new material.