Shocking people worldwide, Sony finally popped the lid on the PlayStation 3, divulging more information than expected. Well, the company today held its “PlayStation Business Briefing” at Tokyo, talking to partners and press about the upcoming console, as well as the PSP and the PS2.

First up is the PS2, which has been selling very well. Launched almost six years ago, the console has marked its place in 32% of US homes, 41% in Japan and 33% in the UK, with the numbers increasing daily. Seeing how well the console is doing, Sony stated that there will be no price cuts for the time being, and that the machine will sell at its current price of $150 for some time to come. Ken Kutaragi, also known as the father of PlayStation, expects the company to ship over 10 million PS2 units this year.

Things get interesting as it comes to the PSP. At the event, Sony announced that it has already shipped more than 15 million units of the handheld and that it has gained huge support from a range of users. And to further accelerate penetration of the handheld, Sony announced what many have been wanting: a new base model that will sell for $200 in the US and 200 Euros in Europe starting March 22. The Japanese market will see a new Ceramic White base model of the handheld at a RRP of 20,790 yen.

Sony also announced Macromedia Flash player support in a future browser update, as well as extend the RSS Channel function. As for the hardware - the console will receive two new peripherals this Autumn: camera (PSP-300) and GPS receiver (PSP-290). The camera peripheral will see the introduction of EyeToy, as well as the video chat function.

The handheld will also see a new download service that will offer selected popular PlayStation titles that users can download to their Memory Sticks and play them anytime, anywhere on the PSP. (great move from Sony)

Some more surprise announcements were made… this time regarding the PS3. Astonishing everyone, Sony announced that the PlayStation 3 will launch worldwide in early November, with a total of six million units to be available by the end of the year. SCEI has a monthly production capacity of one million units, expecting at the very least a million units per month in 2007. No exact reason for the delay is known at the moment.

It was also announced that all PS3 games will come on Blu-ray Discs, and that there will absolutely be no DVD games. This is to curb piracy, as BD-ROM is expected to be much more secure than other formats.

Confirming previous reports, Ken Kutaragi mentioned that a 60 GB hard drive will be bundled with all PS3s. The drive will be upgradeable, will run Linux, and act as a media hub. Also, all games will be developed assuming the HDD is present.

Talking on backwards compatibility, Kutaragi went on to mention that the next-gen console will feature full support for PS1 and PS2 games. He also mentioned that all legacy games will be displayed at a higher resolution, and that the system will be built in (not like Xbox 360).

Sony also talked about its Xbox Live competitor - the PS2 will feature community tools including lobby matching and voice chat, as well as commerce features that include bootable software via the hard drive. It will be provided free of charge to every user. IGN is reporting that Gamespy has been contracted to work on the online implementation, along with the assistance of Sony Online Entertainment. Note: Gamespy was also hired to work on Nintendo DS’s online service.

The company confirmed that final PS3 development kits will ship this June. No price point was mentioned for the console and no games were shown, too. But as a consolation, Ken Kutaragi did leave some crazy comments. The undisputed champion of infamous quotes stated that PS3 games are “live” and that the console’s concept is “4D.”

Sony is expected to showcase its titles at E3 this year. The price point is also expected to be set at the event. Be patient.

The release date for Bone: The Great Cow Race has been announced by Telltale Games: the next installment in the episodic series will be available starting next month.

The Great Cow Race is the continuation of a new breed of episodic interactive entertainment that Telltale began last fall. The company released Bone: Out from Boneville as the first episode in this series to wide acclaim in September. Hailed by reviewers and educators alike as engaging for all ages, the Bone books on which these games are based have become the anchor for a line of graphic novels from Scholastic’s new Graphix imprint. In an un-paralleled feat in the games industry, Telltale is distributing this follow-up to its first title in the series within a six month period, in order to match Scholastic’s book publishing schedule.

Ubisoft has announced IL-2 Sturmovik: Complete Edition that will see the series merged into one DVD. It will include IL-2 Sturmovik: Forgotten Battles, the Ace Expansion pack, Pacific Fighters and all the intermediary add-ons.

It will be on sale starting March 31 in Europe for GBP 20.

Get your battle grooves on as Steam News carries word that Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45, the WW2 FPS, has been released via Valve’s digital distribution service. A dedicated server has also been released; it can be run without purchasing the game.

Also, the Euro Force booster pack for Battlefield 2 is now available for purchase and download via EA’s own digital distribution service.

Following the last three Xbox 360 screenshots, Bethesda has issued a trio of new shots which showcase the world in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

Those on a budget can now add three portable Mario games to their roster. The GBA now has a “Player’s Choice” line that will offer Super Mario Advance: Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi’s Island and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga selling for $20.

The first module for Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach was announced today by Turbine. Scheduled for release this April, the module, dubbed “The Dragon’s Vault,” will provide players the opportunity to battle the dangerous Valut of Night that is protected by a red dragon. Further details below:

The Dragon’s Vault module contains 15 compelling dungeons and a new large-scale raid feature focusing on a vicious red dragon. The new dungeons provide a variety of additional content for players of all levels in the game. Turbine announced today that the Dragon’s Vault module will be free of charge for all current DDO subscribers as a way to say “thank you” to all of its fans. Turbine also declared its plans to release additional modules over time that include new content, features, and other improvements to the hit MMOG.

The module is the first in a series of planned modules for the only D&D MMORPG.

The following titles have gone gold and will be hitting store shelves soon.

• Act of War: High Treason (PC)
  
• Battle for Europe (PC)
  
• Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII (PC, Xbox, Xbox 360)
  
• Dynasty Warriors 5 Empires (Xbox 360, PS2)
  
• The Godfather (PC, PS2, Xbox)

Sega has announced Yakuza, a new action game for the PS2 that lets players experience the Japanese crime life. Being developed by noted producer Toshihiro Nagoshi with novelist Seishu Hase, the game is set to re-create the streets of Tokyo’s nightlife district, deadly fighting and offer a free-roaming adventure.

In a society where respect and honor holds great importance, there is an even higher regard for these traits within the one organization that is most feared by all: the Yakuza. Kiryu Kazuma - a former rising star in the Yakuza who is rebuilding his life after serving a 10-year prison term for murder - suddenly finds himself caught in a spiraling underworld plot involving a mysterious girl known as Haruka and a missing ¥ 100 billion ($100 million). Kazuma must use his fists and his wits to stay alive as he unravels the complex web of truth and lies that surrounds the notorious Yakuza.

Further information and screenshots can be found on the game’s product page. Yakuza is set for release this Fall.

Kevin Bachus, the man behind the first Xbox and ex-CEO of Infinium Labs, the company behind the Phantom console, has been hired by Nival as its CEO. The company also announced that it has established its global headquarters in the United States, a first for an Eastern European game company.

Now based in Los Angeles, CA, Nival is using a “reverse outsourcing” technique, having lead designers, art directors and programmers based in LA, and other employees in five development studios overseas. According to the company, this is being done to “leverage its excess capacity to offer outsourcing work to its partners while simultaneously developing its own games.”

Nival is known best for Blitzkrieg II, Silent Storm and the upcoming Heroes of Might & Magic V.

Seeing how popular the Grand Theft Auto franchise is getting (thanks mostly to zealous and disenchanted politicians), Take-Two has signed a three-year deal with “key Rockstar personnel” that will see them giving the company $25 million in a bid to safeguard the “creative engine” behind the GTA series.

Outlined in a 10-Q filing, the agreement will provide the “key” personnel with $25 million in restricted stock, plus unspecified internal royalties. However, as Next-Gen humorously points out, it won’t help keep their “magic touch” intact; it also isn’t a guarantee that these key employees will stay.

Nintendo, following its Peach and Hunters announcements, sends word that Pokemon Link! will be released exclusively for the DS on May 5 throughout Europe. The game has players don the role of Lucy Fleetfoot, a secret agent for Secret Agent Operations League (SOL), as she recovers stolen Pokemon from the “evil” organization Phobos.

The title will feature multiplayer modes including wireless Link Battle and Pair Link modes, the last of which is a co-op game in which the challenge is to beat the game’s high score. Download play will also be supported, letting users play multiplayer games with friends who don’t own the game.

Remember: you gotta catch ‘em all on May 5.

Stardock is in the news once again - an update on the Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords website follows-up on the recent story of the exclusion of copy-protection program in the game. The update states that StarForce has apologized for the incident and that various torrent sites have already pulled down links to the pirated copy of the strategy title.

Also mentioned in the post was the mention of how popular the game is. It appears that GalCiv 2 was on EBGames’ top selling games list, taking the top spot in PC titles and #2 in all platforms.

From Gamespot comes word that Pheonix Wright will be heading back to stores. A Capcom representative spoke to Gamespot, saying that the company has shipped more units of the game which has earned the affection of many thanks to its original gameplay mechanics, among other things. First released for the DS in October, stores soon ran out of stock, forcing gamers to look for it on auction sites, with many copies going for as much as triple the $30 price tag.

According to the report, Capcom has re-issued the game due to high “demand” and that the courtroom title should now be back in stores, retailing at its original price point.

Three new high-resolution screenshots from the Xbox 360 version of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has been released. The game should be available soon.