From multiplayerblog.mtv.com:
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My interview was with Eric Lempel, director of network operations for Sony Computer Entertainment America, who I spoke with last week. Lempel is not just responsible for the PSP PC store. He's also behind any of the firmware upgrades SCEA issues for the PS3 and PSP.

* Multiplayer: There've been a lot [of PlayStation 3 firmware upgrades] and it's certainly improved the machine. I can't say that I love every time I turn my system on -- well not every time I turn my system on -- but when I turned my system on last night to check something needed an upgrade already. I just got 2.0.
* Lempel: Right. Right. We're trying to certainly cut down on the amount of times we do it. But on occasion when we've got these good features ready to go, let's give them out to the consumers. Let's get them out there. We definitely understand that it does happen frequently and that can be somewhat annoying to some users.
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From next-gen.biz:
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Speaking to CNet Japan, Wada suggested that only Microsoft is putting the message out to consumers that its next-gen console, Xbox 360, is a games machine. He said that consumers are viewing the Wii as a plaything, while Sony is leaving the public confused as to whether its PS3 is a media-hub or a games console.

"The Wii is the antithesis of the Xbox 360. It's strictly for hardcore gamers. The attachment rate for the Xbox 360 is much higher than for the Wii. People who buy the 360 really like games," he said. "I think the current trend is that most people aren't buying the Wii as a game machine, but as a toy... It seems that Sony isn't sure what it wants to do. Is it making high-end electronics or a game console for gamers? I want them to clearly define their console."
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From tvpredictions.com:
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Phillip Swann, president of TVPredictions.com, has been making predictions about TV technology issues for several years with an incredible rate of success.
For instance, Swanni was the first to say Voom's satellite TV service would fail; that Apple TV would be a bust; and that Interactive TV programs would never reach a mass audience in the United States.

With 750,000 HD DVD players and nearly 3 million Blu-ray players in homes, many analysts say both high-def disc formats will stay in business in 2008 and the years beyond. But Swann predicts that the Blu-ray forces, led by Sony and HD DVD's backers, led by Toshiba and Microsoft, will reach a compromise on a single format next year. He says the studios will push for a single format because most consumers will not buy high-def DVD players if there are two formats.
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Full Story: tvpredictions.com (incl. video)
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From tehskeen.com:
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Shown is 3 animated quads, drawn in immediate mode as well as a series of triangles in the background drawn using an index buffer. This demo is a modified version of IronPeter's libps3rsx running via patched 2.6.24 experimental, unofficial kernel on Gentoo Linux.

From psu.com:
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While responding to a question about firmware updates, Peter Dille, Sony's Senior VP of Marketing, wandered onto the topic of in-game XMB himself:

"As far as in-game XMB access, we know it's a feature that's important to our consumers. Because PS3 packs so much advanced technology 'under the hood,' it takes some time to implement major, new functionalities, but we are working hard on addressing this feature, as well as continually expand the capabilities and functionalities of PS3."
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From next-gen.biz:
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L.A.'s Deutsch landed the $150 million PlayStation account, signifying the end of SCEA's long-running partnership with TBWA/Chiat/Day, SCEA announced Monday.

SCEA said that Deutsch's campaign will be emerging next year.
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From gamedaily.com:
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Tretton believes that the PS3 would be in a better position today if Sony had simply been able to ship more units. As you may recall, however, a blue laser diode shortage at the time put a damper on the launch (and led to the European launch being postponed).

"I don't think there's any question that there were missteps, but I don't think anybody is being honest with you if they say that the first year of any platform goes perfectly according to plan. I think the biggest miss for us was the launch, in that we had easily a million consumers in North America alone that wanted to get their hands on a PlayStation 3 ... and we had roughly 200,000 units to take advantage of that demand. ... I think that that was probably the biggest disappointment for the first year," Tretton admitted.

Interestingly, regarding his competitor Microsoft, Tretton said that they launched the Xbox 360 a year ahead of the traditional console cycle not so much to get a head start but because "they'd taken the Xbox as far as it could go, and so if they wanted to remain in the business, they had to go back to the drawing board."
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Full Story: gamedaily.com
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From gamesradar.com:
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It's been the rallying cry of Sony fanboys from the beginning. Things might be bad right now, but you just wait until Metal Gear Solid 4. Then we'll see the PlayStation 3 rise up to conquer, just like the PS2 did, and you'll all be sorry for doubting it.

But will we really? There's a very good argument that Metal Gear's release won't make the blindest bit of difference to the PS3's fortunes as a format, however good it turns out to be (and there's every chance that it will be brilliant). The reason? Things just don't work that way any more.

The industry has changed a lot since Metal Gear Solid became a killer app for the PSone. It's changed almost beyond recognition in just the last twelve months in fact. Two major differences separate the way things are now from the way thing were then: The cost of making games and the kind of people who play them.
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Full Story: gamesradar.com (3 pages)
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From videobusiness.com:
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The Blu-ray Disc Assn. is touting a new milestone passed over the Black Friday shopping period, noting that player sales since launch reached 2.7 million units through Nov. 24.

The 2.7 million sold is a clear achievement over the HD DVD side, which pushed its installment base to 750,000 units following widespread holiday retail sales, notably including $99-priced players at Wal-Mart and Best Buy.

According to the BD camp, total BD disc sales in the U.S. since launch topped 4 million units in November, about the same time HD DVD software sales passed just 2.5 million units.

According to Media Control Gfk International figures cited by BDA, BD movies control 73% of the European market, outselling HD DVD by a three-to-one margin, and BD holds a 95% share of the high-def recorder market in Japan.
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Full Story: videobusiness.com
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