The Japanese will no longer be able to purchase 20GB and 60GB models of the PS3, as Sony has decided to cease production of those models to focus on the cheaper 40GB model, which sells for 39,980 yen (approximately US$360) in the country. This model does not feature backwards compatibility support; this void has been filled by Sony which now offers many PS1 games in the PlayStation Store.

It can also be noted that Sony “will launch new models to respond to end-user preferences,” though no exact timeframe was given.

This year’s list of “101 Dumbest Moments in Business” chronicles the PR blunders of Sony, listing the God of War 2 decapitated goat debacle as well as the inclusion of the Manchester Cathedral in Resistance. The list also carries other gaming organizations, including Atlus and Microsoft, though the latter is not included for a mistake related to gaming.

The Japanese will be getting a redesign of the PS2 hardware later this month, as announced by SCEJ. The model is listed as SCPH-90000, and is a slight streamlining of the current slim PS2. It weighs in at 720 grams, which is about 200 grams lesser than the previous model, and replaces the power brick with an internal one without affecting the system’s dimensions.

Arriving in the land of the rising sun on November 22, the new model will be available in three different colors - black (pictured), white and silver. Unlike past rumors, the price will remain the same at 16,000 yen (approximately $140 US).

No announcements were made for other regions.

Those looking forward to Gran Turismo 5 for PS3 can now mark their calendars, as Sony has announced that it will release Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, a preview of the full game, at the end of this year. Prologue will feature forty cars, new physics engine and up to 16-player online racing via PlayStation Network.

Cars by Lotus, Nissan and Ferrari will be available for riding around in various tracks including the Eiger Nordwand, the London City track and Suzuka. It will feature Gran Turismo TV, letting players view matches, as well as a couple of other online functions such as online dealership, a My Garage function and more.

Gran Turismo 5, the full title, launches next year. Prologue is intended to serve as an indication of things to come.

Already released in Japan, Sony has announced details of the v1.90 firmware that will be available in other regions tomorrow. The major feature in this update is the ability to set custom backgrounds (wallpapers) in the XMB menu interface and the ability to add bookmarks in the built-in browser. Here’s the full list of changes and additions:

• Ability to rearrange games on the XMB
  
• Option menu now includes “eject disk”
  
• Press triangle to eject games/CDs/movies in the XMB
  
• XMB backgrounds
  
• Change the folder classification
  
• Emoticons
  
• Change CD output to 44.1/88.2/176.4kHz
  
• Force 24Hz output for Blu-ray over HDMI
  
• Change PS3 video settings in-game
  
• “Bit Mapping” in the “Music Setting”
  
• Save AVCHD type animations from a Memory Stick
  
• Change settings like upscaling while playing PS and PS2 games
  
• Add bookmarks
  
• Web browser security function in the browser’s tool section
  
• Avatar moves during audio visual chat

IGN carries word that the PS3 sequel to Loco Roco was shown at the PlayStation Premier event and that it is coming soon to the PlayStation Network.

Dubbed Buu Buu Cocoreccho! By LocoRoco, the game is said to be more than a “peculiar extra chapter,” according to Sony. “Even if you don’t play it [as in control the game], the world and the LocoRoco will play [as in both playing amongst themselves and as in playing back like a video] on their own.”

According to the report, the PS3 version of the game will feature 200 LocoRoco characters and gamers will be able to use the SixAxis for motion-based controls. The game is also to be expected soon, as it is being listed by Sony as being 95% complete.

Word came out from the Tokyo PlayStation Premier event that the preview version of Gran Turismo 5 will be available for dlownload from the Japanese PlayStation Store this October. Dubbed Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, the game will feature online play and a number of different vehicles, including some unrevealed concept cars.

No details regarding pricing have been divulged yet. It is also not known whether it will be released in other regions as well.

At a Japanese press event, Sony announced that the redesigned PSP will launch in the region on September 20 at the price of 19,800 yen (around $160 US). It also announced additional new colors for the console - these light-colored models are being called “Bloom Series” and will come in rose pink, lavender purple and Felicia blue shades.

The company also announced a TV tuner (pictured) which users can attach to the new PSP via the USB port. The portable 17gm add-on will allow users to watch TV on their PSP thanks to the 1seg technology, which is only available in Japan. It will be released around the same time as the new PSP and will retail for 6,980 yen (around $60 US).

Japan will be graced by more PSP, too: a limited-edition Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII bundle. It will include special silver PSP, the game, and a keychain shaped like the sword of the game’s hero. The bundle will be released on the same day as the game - September 13 - and will be limited to 77,777 units selling for 25,890 yen (around $210 US) a piece.

An announcement on Sony Computer Entertainment’s Japanese site reveals the official name of the PS3 controller: Sixaxis. The company has officially dropped the DualShock name that has been used since the original PlayStation, with the new name referring to the controller’s six axes of motion control supported through sensors. Sixaxis will retail for 5000 yen (approx. $45 US).

Sony also officially revealed the memory card reader for the PS3; this will allow players to transfer their save games from the PS2 to the new console. It will retail for 1500 yen (approx. $15 US). The company also showed off the PS3 Blu-ray remote, which basically looks like the PS2’s DVD remote in design. The remote will retail for 3600 yen (approx. $30 US).

No prices for other territories were disclosed.

Serving as the latest blow of bad news for PlayStation 3 fans, the International Herald Tribune, by way of The Associated Press, is reporting that the Sony console has been delayed in Europe. This comes straight from Ken Kutaragi, who cites a problem in mass producing a key compononent in the Blu-ray laser part of the machine as the culprit. Europe will now get the console sometime next year, with March pegged as a probable release date.

Both North America and Japan will, however, be getting the PS3 this November, though numbers won’t be sweet: according to the report, the US and Japan will get 400,000 and 100,000 units, respectively, at launch. “We decided to focus on the Japanese and U.S. markets,” said Kutaragi in Tokyo, adding that he’s “sorry” for not being able to “meet all expectations.”

Atlus today announced the acquisition of the North American publishing rights to Rule of Rose, an action-horror game from Punchline and Shirogumi in Japan, and published by Sony in the region. Rule of Rose is scheduled for release this Fall.

March, 1930. A young girl named Jennifer, whose parents were killed in a tragic airship accident, is taken to the Rose Garden Orphanage, located in a remote portion of the English countryside. What Jennifer discovers is a dilapidated building and a ragtag mob of children who call themselves the “Aristocracy of the Red Crayon.” The demented residents of Rose Garden kidnap Jennifer and take her into the dark heart of an impossibly large zeppelin, on a meandering course for a distant land. Now, with the help of a canine companion named Brown, Jennifer has to find valuable gifts for the Aristocracy, or suffer a fatal punishment for her insolence…

• Befriend a faithful dog and work together to locate crucial items!
  
• Intense melee combat against bloodthirsty monsters!
  
• Musical score by Yutaka Minobe (Panzer Dragoon Saga, Skies of Arcadia)!
  
• An immersive storyline with 50 minutes of award-nominated CG scenes (Official Selection of the Annecy 2006 International Animated Film Festival)!
  
• Multiple endings and hidden extras!

Card monster action all the way from Japan!

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Japan
Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment Japan
Genre: Live Puzzle
Players: 1-2 players
Platform: PLAYSTATION®3 system

The Eye of Judgment™ sees the dawn of a new way to interact with the PLAYSTATION®3 system as an innovative game for the world of card games. Using the immense power of PLAYSTATION 3, and the ground-breaking technology of the next generation camera, players can now enjoy a totally new genre in gaming.

The Eye of Judgment presents a new style of gameplay where the player brings characters/monsters of fantasy trading cards to life for battle in 3D. Through use of a 3’ x 3’ board and trading cards - each encrypted with “cybercode”, players conquer the field by selecting a card and placing the “cybercode” in front of the next generation camera for their respective character to come to life and battle. Each character has various skillsets, which will determine the outcome of the battle. Players take turns to place cards as they jostle for control of the board; the winner is the first player to capture five of the nine squares. The Eye of Judgment presents the player with more than 30 cards, as well as unique online and offline gameplay.

The screenshots: