Isaiah's Tech

For those who are waiting for Final Fantasy IX on the PSN, you should note that the US will finally be launching it on June 15th. It'll be priced at $9.99 - because you wanted to know.

[vg247]

Sqaure Enix has just announced that Final Fantasy IX will be hitting the PS3's PSN in the near future. Obviously, the exact date wasn't mentioned so we'll really just have to wait and see exactly when this drops. Let's hope it's available for the Summer because it's a pretty good game to kill some time with.

Update: We knew it was on the way really soon, and Joystiq has just mentioned that it'll hit the Japanese PSN starting on May 20th.

[G4TV]

Another Final Fantasy game is set to hit the Japanese PSN - Final Fantasy IX. We don't know exactly when and the price tag wasn't mentioned, but the announcement was made on Twitter. The rest of the world will likely get it at a later date.

[vg247]

If you live in Japan, you can now get Final Fantasy VIII on PSN right now. Since I don't live in Japan, I'm not sure how much it's going for so you're going to have to check it out for yourself. A US release date hasn't been mentioned yet.

[Kotaku]

In case you're interested in PlayStation 3's Little Big Planet: Game of the Year Edition then you should already know that it will be hitting shelves on September 8th for $59.99. If you're having second thoughts about it, you'll be able to download a demo of it on the PlayStation Store soon - more specifically September 10th.

Update on September 9th: Maybe it arrived one day late, but the game is now available - according to PS3 Blog. The demo is expected to launch tomorrow, so look out for it!

According to the PlayStation Blog, the demo will contain a handful of in-game levels and minigames, which can be played alone or with friends. Stickers and objects will also be available, along with a few community levels that have been handpicked by Sony.

[1 UP]

Last week, Sony mentioned that Firmware 3.0 for the PS3 is going to be the last major update of the year with small updates for the rest of the year - of course. Well, it's now live to all users. Here's some new features that have been found already, more will come later of course. By the way, I'll be updating this post when more information about Firmware 3.0 gets pushed out.



Update: According to Sony Insider, here is most of what has changed in Firmware version 3.0.

• The system startup has been slightly redesigned.
• [Information Board] replaced by a [What's New] feature.
• When the system is started it will display the [What's New] screen by default instead of the [Games] menu.
• A [Status Indicator] added to the top of the screen showing the user’s online status, the number of friends online and an icon indicating if there are unread PSN messages.
• The swirling activity indicator has been redesigned and now looks like an analog clock
• The [Friends] list has been redesigned.
• Messages from a specific person will now be accessible from that user’s profile screen.
• BRAVIA Sync allowing control of the XMB by BRAVIA TV remote control. (120GB PS3 only)
• Graphical changes to the XMB (increased font and icon size)
• The default theme has been changed to an updated version of the ‘Original’ waves theme
• Added print screen functionality to the [Internet Browser]

• A new feature will be added allowing game developers to display Trophies in different ways, such as grouping them by add-on pack, etc.
• A [PlayStation Store] icon will be added under the [Game] category.

• A BBC iPlayer application for users in the UK/ROI.
• A ABC iView application will be added for users in Australia.
• A [PlayStation Store] icon will be added under the [Video] category (where available).
• Added the ability to upscale audio stored on the internal or USB hard drive to 88.2KHz or 176.4KHz

Settings changes

• Support for new [Dynamic Custom Themes].
• [Install Other OS] and [Default System] will be removed. (120GB PS3 only)
• An option has been added to the [Settings] menu to allow the user to change what the system displays by default on startup
• Option to output audio through multiple sources (e.g. HDMI and optical) simulatiously

[Engadget, Kotaku]

The long wait is over Marvel and/or Capcom fans. Marvel vs Capcom 2 is going to hit the PSN today for $14.99. If you live in the US, GameStop should be offering up their Marvel vs Capcom 2 package. In case you forgot, the package has: a download code (not the actual game), an eight-page colour manual, a free 1-month subscription to Marvel Digital Comics, and 2000 Capcom-Unity points. And yes, the August 13th date we heard about clearly stood still.

[PlayStation.Blog]

According to the latest rumour, Sony will unveil new PS3 firmware and a new PlayStation Network on August 18th as well. August 18th marks Sony's 3-hour press conference scheduled to take place at GamesCom in Cologne, Germany this year. It's only eight days away. Don't forget that Sony could also be announcing PS3 news aka PS3 Slim news and they could also be announcing the original PSP's price cut - to make way for the new PSP Go. This event - for me - is starting to get more hyped up than E3 was.

[PS3.QJ]

Sony has just confirmed that they are planning to release touchscreen-capable Vaios in the future utilizing Windows 7. However, he didn't specify whether this would include notebooks, the Vaio P, or their all-in-one PC offerings. This future Vaios will also have support for "casual gaming, streaming and downloadable movies and TV content from the PlayStation Network." That would be a great thing to include.

I wouldn't be surprised if touchscreen support was included in some of their future Vaio notebooks because it might work similar to Asus' Eee PC T91 / T101H tablet netbooks. Seeing a future all-in-one PC Vaio with touchscreen support also wouldn't be too surprising since Acer already has plans to do that too. What would be interesting - and kind of awkward - is if the "Mark 2" Vaio P set for a Fall release date comes with touchscreen support. We'll just have to see what happens in the future.

[Unwired View]

This is really unsurprising to me, but the PSOne classic, Final Fantasy VII, has just topped the list on PSN's "Top 10 Downloadable Games" list. After being announced back in early June, Final Fantasy VII dominated all month long and is probably still dominating now because it was a solid RPG - back in the day. I do find it surprising that Metal Gear Solid didn't nab the Number 2 spot though, I thought it was much, much better than Wolfenstein 3D.

[Joystiq - PlayStation]

We know that North America will be receiving Final Fantasy Dissidia on August 25th and it will also be hitting Europe on September 4th. Apparently though, a demo will be available for download [for the PSP] on July 23rd. This will actually be the first time we'll know how the gameplay is, since there have been no released gameplay footage of this game at this point. Be sure to check out PSN on July 23

[Joystiq]

So much for Marvel vs Capcom 2 coming out on XBLA and PSN in "late July." Last week, we heard that MvC 2 would hit XBLA on July 29th, but the PSN date was still TBD (To Be Determined). Capcom has just mentioned that Marvel vs Capcom 2 will be hitting PSN on August 13th with a $15 price tag. If I had the PS3, this would be a sure buy for me - it's a true classic. Mark it on your calendars folks!

[Kotaku]

Instead of the rumoured June 29th release date, it looks like XBLA will get Marvel vs Capcom 2 a month later - on July 29th. The PSN release date is still MIA, but Capcom has promised that the announcement for that will be soon. On XBLA, this classic will be priced at $15 USD, so let's hope PSN gets the same - or lower - price.

[Joystiq]

It looks like Marvel vs Capcom 2 will not be available on June 29, like we expected. But, it looks like it will be available "closer to the end of July" according to Capcom's Twitter account. So, shift that marker on your calendar to July because it will not be launching in 2 days, sorry!

[Joystiq]

At E3, Sony also announced that the PSOne classic, Final Fantasy VII, will be hitting PSN today! Talk about incredible news!! It makes me want to go out and get a Play Station 3 right now, but I think I'll wait for the PS3 Slim.

[Joystiq]

According to CNet, Sony is pushing to put music of some "big recording labels" onto the PSN for download - mainly for the PSP. Clearly, this is another attempt at luring Apple's crowd with their iPod Touch + iTunes combination. With the release of the PSP Go! possibly on the way (with its digital-ness and all), this rumour could come true in the near future. We'll just have to see what happens in the future.

[Engadget]

We heard a couple of days ago that Marvel vs Capcom 2 will be hitting PSN and Xbox Live, well the official date is rumoured to be June 29, 2009. That gives you over a month to prepare for the re-release. You can play Street Fighter 4 while you wait because that should be enough preparation. This is yet another date to mark on your Summer calendar.

[PS3 QJ]

Ahh yes, the rumours were true. The countdown is finished and Marvel vs Capcom 2 will indeed be relaunching. It will be coming to Xbox Live Arcade and PSN this summer. The aforementioned game will also have online play, so it's bound to get people excited. Playstation 3 owners should be expecting a demo this week - could be on Thursday because of the usual update schedule. You can visit the Capcom Unity website for a sneak peek or take a look at the video below if you please.



[Joystiq]

For all of you Street Fighter IV players, you're lucky - because I'm craving to get that game. Anyways, Championship Mode will be available via a patch on April 24 for both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. "Championship Mode brings a number of new features for online players, including the introduction of five levels of tournaments. Participating (and winning) in these tournaments will earn gamers 'Grade Points.' earn more Grade Points and you'll be granted the opportunity to enter even more exclusive tournaments." If you win a tournament you will earn Championship Points, which is basically Street Fighter IV prize money.

Another feature that will be added is a replay function. On PSN you will be available to rate matches and on Xbox Live you can download the replays but you can't rate them. So you can pick your poison or maybe you already have since you may already have the console and the game.

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