Sony Release 80 GB PS3

Gaming News

Sony have decided to beef up the PS3 console with a new 80 gig model. The new model has been announced on Sony's Koren website. So far it is only available in Korea but don't count on shipping taking too long. The new model comes without the Emotion Engine chip which allows you to play PS2 and PS1 games, so if you want this new 20 gig improvement, you are going to have to swap your old favourites for it. With the lack of PS3 games, I'd rather keep my Emotion Engine chip thank you very much.

Sony PSP To Get A Makeover

Gaming News

Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian has added his name to list of video game guru's to hint at an upcoming redesign for Sony's PlayStation Portable, writing in his note to investors that a PSP makeover was about to start. Next-Gen then followed up with Sebastian who had more to say about a new version of the PSP coming in before the end of the year.

Sebastian told Next-Gen, "Sony definitely has something in the works" but he also said that whatever that something is, it "may or may not mean a change in form factor." From what we've heard, a change in design is possible but Sony's priorities are with improving the features first.

The Commodore Is Back! Commodore XX

Whether you are looking for an extreme monster of a PC to run the latest and most graphically intense games the industry has produced or are just getting your feet wet in PC gaming… the Commodore gaming PC range offers that and everything in between. These machines come packaged in a specially designed, heavy-duty yet stylish casing, capable of withstanding our revolutionary painting process. Choose from our library of artwork to personalize your high performance gaming PC and express your own taste and style.

The Commodore xx doesn't just blur the line between gaming and reality, it redefines it. The fastest, most powerful Gaming PC money can buy, this world ending device will serve you and your gaming needs without even breaking so much as a sweat for some good time to come.

Via Commodore Gaming

The Agere BluOnyx : The Mobile Content Server

As the title would suggest, this is the Agere BluOnyx, a mobile content server or mini little hard-drive, whichever one tickles your fancy. The BluOnyx has been designed especially for mobile phones but can also be used with your TV or PC. "Hard drive for a mobile phone?" you say. Don't worry, your not going to have to carry around the equivalent of a PC tower. It is actually pretty much the same size as a credit card and is ultra slim. Which means you can slot it right in there in your wallet alongside all the gift cards you collected over the Christmas period. Not too much hassle to carry around surely! and i use the word "carry" in the slightest sense.

It works by connecting to your phone, TV or PC via either Bluetooth, SD Card, USB or Wi-Fi and is simple enough to move content to and from. It does not have a screen but don't fear, this is a very clever piece of technology. You browse through what you have on it through your mobile phone, just the same as when you connect to your friends phones via Bluetooth and steal all their stuff. Taking your important work documents or your favourite music and films everywhere you go has never been so easy! Just like an Mp3 player, plug it in to the PC, drag your Billy Joel collection onto it, take it out, and away you go. With a capacity ranging from 1GB to 40GB, hell you can throw your favourite films in there, connect your BluOnyx to your phone and laugh away at the Borat movie during next weeks board meeting!

Depending on the size that you order, prices range from £50 to £130 with 1GB being the least and 40GB being the most. You also have a choice of colour, you can choose from black, white, blue, pink, green, grey or red and have the option on whether to have the BluOnyx logo put on it or not.

Click here to visit the Agere website

The Most Expensive Mouse In The World!

As this is the world's most expensive mouse, I'm not gonna hold back on blurting out the price. 18,600 Euros! or if you would prefer, £12,200! or if your American it'll leave you... 24 grand in debt!

The question i asked myself when stumbling across this is, Who the hell is thing marketed at? The Sultan of Brunei! or perhaps its sole purpose is to sit in the cabinet alongside the crown jewels. Whoever it is aimed at, one thing that is for sure is that their bank account has to be bursting at the seems! Why is it so expensive? This mouse can be transformed from being a 3 button wheel mouse (which is pretty much your regular mouse) into being a necklace that will fit right in at the Queen's annual Christmas party. By that i mean, "The Diamond Flower" as it has been named, is made from 18 carat white gold! and is set with 59 eye blinding diamonds. They ain't so small that you need a telescope to see them either. 58 are 2mm in diameter and 1 is 4mm in diameter. I do have to say, that for a mouse, it is kind of attractive.

Just incase your not into Dandelions or Buttercups or whatever flower it is supposed to be, Pat Says Now (company that make these) have given you another model to chose from. This one has been tagged with the name "The Scattered Diamond" it contains the same amount of diamonds and are the same size but they are, well, scattered!

So, if your loaded don't be a scrooge and surf the net in style with "The Diamond Flower" or "The Scattered Diamond" if you prefer, i mean after all you are rich! show it off! and if your a regular Joe Bloggs like me, stick to your £20 Logitech and save the bailiffs from giving you a visit!

Just How Much Has Computer Technology Come Along?

Recently i have been pretty obsessed with the Sony PS3 and cant wait for it to hit the UK shores, as you may be able to tell if you happened to read my recent post on it. Today however i stumbled across a blog post on one of the PS3's great great great grandfathers ,the old BBC computer, and it got me thinking just how much computer technology has come along. It got me rather intrigued so i have decided to post a little time-line of some selected gaming consoles from over the years.

Magnavox Odyssey - 1972 - Worlds first video game console.

The Magnavox Odyssey was designed by Ralph Baer. It was powered by batteries! and had no sound, sounds like a blast eh?. A prototype known as the Brown Box was actually completed in 1968.

Atari 2600/VCS - 1977

The Atari 2600 was originally named the Atari VCS but was changed to the 2600 in 1982. This is the console that gave us classics such as Pac-Man and Space Invaders. With the Atari 2600 you got 2 joystick controllers, 2 paddle controllers and a cartridge game. Wow!

Sega Game-1000/ Mk II - 1984

The SG-1000 was Sega's first games console which was popular in Japan, Italy, Spain and Australia. Sega released an improved Mk II version shortly after which had a detachable keyboard and a better looking case, looking back now though you wonder just how much of an improvement they actually made.

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) - 1985

The Nintendo Entertainment System was THE games console of its time selling 60 million consoles worldwide. This is when Super Mario and his mushroom friends came to life along with King Kong's cousin Donkey Kong and set the bar for competitors to follow.

Sega Master System - 1986

Ah, the Sega Master System, Alex The Kid! What a game, i absolutely loved that game! The Master System was to rival the NES and in the US it came off battered and bruised but here in the UK it was ultra popular. Definitive piece of technology in my mind, i loved it!

Sega Mega Drive - 1990

The Sega Mega Drive or Genesis as it was called in the US due to the suing culture they have in the states, had the same amount of power as the Amiga and Macintosh II home computers which at the time were the best hardware so you can just imagine how popular it was.

Super Nintendo - 1991

The arrival of the Super Nintendo started the war between Nintendo and Sega, if you think of what it is like between PlayStation and XBox today, times that by 50 and you'll see how fierce the competition was. We used to fight as kids over who would squish who between Sonic and Mario. (Sonic would win of course!)

Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn - 1995

The year of the Sony PlayStation, this is when gaming went to the next level with its 32-bit console, 3D graphics and all new great game list. It soon became the worlds best selling console and was a very exciting time for game lovers. Can you imagine life without PlayStation? The Sega Saturn however didn't live up to its high expectations despite its two 32-bit CPU's and was a flop.

Nintendo 64 - 1996

Nintendo were expected to release a new console to match the PlayStation and the Sega Saturn and instead of matching the very popular PlayStation's 32-bit console they decided to up the stakes and release a 64-bit console. The N64 was far more popular than the Sega Saturn but was no match for the PlayStation.

Sega Dreamcast - 1999

After the disaster of the Saturn, Sega had to take it a step further and with the Dreamcast they certainly did. The console boasted a 128-bit processor, Internet browsing with a built in modem which led to Online Gaming with SegaNet. In its first year the Dreamcast did amazingly well however Sony had announced that the PS2 was going to be arriving soon. This proved to be the death of Sega. I can just imagine the guys at Sega standing in the factory listening to the news of the PS2's arrival while the funeral march plays on the loudspeaker. After being the big dogs of the gaming world for so long, Sega made there exit from the hardware business in 2001.

Sony PlayStation 2 - 2000

When the PS2 was released in the US it became the all time fasting selling games console, with the introduction of its DVD-Rom it gave consumers that little bit more. With its ability to play new better looking games, DVD movies and PlayStation 1 games AND make them look a little better, it was a breath of fresh air.

Xbox - 2001

This is where Microsoft finally got their feet running into the race to have the best console. With an 8GB hard disk and a Pentium III processor, the Xbox was a beast and was right up there with PlayStation. The Xbox's update, the Xbox 360 was released in 2005.

Nintendo Wii - 2006

Now Nintendo have been clever with their Wii console, when i look down this time-line i notice a pattern. All competitors tend to compete with each other by matching each other. When you already have Microsoft and Sony producing such mind blowing machines i cant see how you can fancy your chances much... So Nintendo make something that is totally different! simple. With its unique control system it gives a gaming experience that is brand new to everyone. You know the graphics aren't going to be as good before you play but you don't care because playing the console is different from anything else you've played before.

Sony PlayStation 3 - 2007

So we're back to the present after going back in time, if you have actually read the full post and made it to the end i salute you! and invite you to give your brain a rest and let you finish off by watching a video review on the Sony PlayStation 3.