Under these limits, a single PSN account will be able to support two consoles and two handhelds. Prior to this change, up to five different PlayStation consoles could be connected to a PSN account and used to play the same games.

[via BBC]

Owners of the now older version of the PlayStation credit card shouldn’t panic, as the new scheme is backwards-compatible – your accounts should automatically be upgraded to this new one. You can find out more info and apply for the card here. And someone tell Mr. Lee M. Cardholder that his account is not secure.

I wonder what will happen if you use it to buy an Xbox 360 game.

[via PlayStation Blog via Gearfuse]

Splash Blue sounds like a Kool-Aid flavor, while Scarlet Red just sounds like a lipstick. These are 320GB PS3 Slim models (CECH-3000B), and you can expect them to hit Japan on November 17. Aside from the new coats of paint, everything under the hood remains the same. Along with the console, you also get a matching Dualshock 3 controller and AV, USB, and power cables with your purchase.

No word on when we might get them here in the states, but if you get sick of waiting, just remember, there’s always the old Krylon spray can option.

[via CNet]

Hori’s Fighting Commander 3 Pro controller for the PlayStation 3 starts out looking like just another retro gamepad, but this special controller has a few tricks up its sleeves. For starters, it does away with the DualShock’s analog sticks, making way for just a D-Pad, six oversize buttons and shoulder controls.

The D-Pad offers an adjustable angle from 0° to 20°, and you can also adjust how sensitive the diagonal inputs are on the D-Pad, choosing from three levels of sensitivity. You can also flip-flop the left and right shoulder buttons if  you so desire. The controller also offers an asymmetrical left-hand grip, which is said to give you better stability. In addition, the controller offers adjustable turbo modes, but you’d never use those, would you?

You can grab the Fighting Commander 3 Pro controller for the PS3 over at Amazon for about $35 (USD). No word on an Xbox 360 version at this time.

These geeky gamer necklaces are made by Deadly Pretty Designs, and you can choose from a bunch of them available in their Etsy store.

You can choose from a miniature Nintendo DS, Xbox 360 or PS3 controllers and more. The retro Super Mario Bros. necklaces are also pretty cool. Prices for the necklaces vary from $10 to $25 (USD).

[via holycool via Thaeger]

Every one of the games you see here is an official first-party game with the official PlayStation hologram to prove it. The collector says he bought a bunch of the games when stores were going out of business to keep costs down. Right now, he believes his collection has one of every single game made for the system.

That is 1850 games, not counting variants of the games. The collector says the hardest game in the collection to find was a sealed copy of Moto GP. The most expensive was Wizardry: Tale Of The Forsaken Land, which he ended up buying for $300 on eBay. The collection isn’t for sale, but I wonder how much it would be worth though in one giant lot.

[via Playstationcollecting]

The P1-4000 (aka PI-4000) Game Station may look a whole lot like a PS2 Slim, but it’s actually a media player, capable of handling a whole bunch of video file formats, as well as audio and e-books. The console can play videos in RM, RMVB, AVI, MKV, WMV, VOB, FLV, ASF, DAT, MP4, 3GP, MPG, and MPEG formats, and audio in MP3, WMA, DRM WMA, OGG, APE, FLAC, WAV, and AAC. It can play video at up to 720p resolution through its HDMI output.

The thing is also supposed to play all PlayStation 1 games, as well as Flash games written for PC versions of Flash 4-8, and Flash Lite 1-3 (assuming they use ActionScript 1 or 2). So you won’t be able to play the latest and greatest games on here, that’s for sure.

It’s got 4GB of built-in flash memory, as well as support for SD cards up to 32GB or USB storage devices. It comes with a pair of wired controllers that look just like the PlayStation 2′s controllers, along with an IR remote for controlling media playback. It also includes 8 DVDs filled with games (which I imagine you’ll have to copy over to flash memory from your PC). I have no idea what these games are, or if any of them are illegal, so this is definitely a Caveat Emptor kind of situation. That said, I dug up these photos which show the console playing some games:

If you’re willing to take a gamble on this thing, you can get your hands on the P1-4000 Game Station over at DealExtreme for about $92 USD. Of course, for about the same price, you could just buy an actual PS2.

You might be wondering why Pirate used an old PS3 SKU instead of one of the newer Slim models. That’s because the PS3 Slim wasn’t around when Pirate started this project way back in 2008. Ben Heck must have made a ton of PS3 laptops in between now and then, but then again none of them are liquid cooled. Speaking of which, Pirate used Feser One Cooling Fluid in this project. Other specs include a 720p/1080i screen (not sure if it’s 15″ or 17″), 4 USB ports, 500GB HDD, and built-in keyboard and speakers. Unfortunately the PSU is separate from the main unit, so minus points for portability there…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

… Not that that prevented Pirate from making a tidy sum of money out of his creation – the winning bid on eBay was $2,000 (USD). Although if you think of it, after putting in three years of blood, sweat and tears into the laptop, $2,000 sounds just about right. Check out PS3HAX and Pirate’s work log for more info.

[via HacknMod]

As we learned back in January, the PS Vita (NGP) will offer both front and rear touchpads, a high-res OLED Screen, SIXAXIS motion sensor technology, dual analog sticks, and both front and rear cameras – providing support for augmented reality gaming.

The Vita will come in both WiFi and 3G/WiFi models, and Sony also announced an exclusive partnership with AT&T as the 3G carrier for PS Vita (which brought along with it substantial groans from the audience). They also showed off a demo of Uncharted: Golden Abyss, running on the portable, and it not only looks damned impressive, it takes full advantage of the front and rear touch controls, along with the motion sensors and both thumbsticks.

Another nifty feature that was shown was the ability to start a game on your PS Vita, then resume it on your PS3, using cloud-based saves. Sony also announced a feature called “Cross-play” which will offer games which can be played between players on both PlayStation Vita and PS3 consoles. Also revealed was an awesome looking new PS Vita version of Little Big Planet, which takes full advantage of the handheld’s unique control capabilities, as well as a cool touch-based level editor. This could be one of the Vita’s killer apps, IMHO.

There are more than 80 titles in development, with titles mentioned during the presentation including Street Fighter X Tekken, Wipeout, and ModNation Racers, among others.

The Sony PlayStation Vita will be available in time for the 2011 holiday season, and will sell for $249 (USD) / €249 (EUR)/ ¥24,980 (JPY), with the 3G/WiFi model selling for $299 (USD) / €299 (EUR) / ¥29,980 (JPY). No word yet on an AT&T subsidy, or costs for a 3G data plan. Both models can be pre-ordered now over at Amazon.

There’s no question that the hardware in the PlayStation Vita looks impressive. The real question is whether or not handheld gaming systems can compete with smartphones and tablets now that they’re so pervasive. Personally, I bought a Nintendo 3DS, and it’s frequently gathering dust in favor of playing games on my iPad 2. That said, the PS Vita’s hardware and control capabilities are arguably more advanced than the iPad, and the inclusion of tactile controllers might be enough to convince me to buy one anyhow. Now if only Sony could keep their PlayStation Network alive and secure.

More details can be found over at Sony’s NGP/Vita website and on the PlayStation Blog in the near future.

So what does SOE do? Give away free stuff, that’s what!

If you were one of the users who was affected by these, then you’re set to receive a free Batman-inspired mask and 30 days of subscription credit (plus one day for each day that you were unable to access the service.) Further information on how you can get your hands on these masks will be made available soon by Sony.

Now that’s how an apology should be done. Maybe a cape would be in order for next time?

[via PlayStation Universe]

Sony has also offered up figures on the sales of other gaming items too. As of April 3 Sony had sold more than 8 million PlayStation Move motion controllers globally.

Sony attributes some of the success of the PS3 to the multifaceted things that it is capable of. The PS3 is much more than just a game console. It can play Blu-rays and is still one of the best Blu-ray players around. The PS3 also supports 3D Blu-ray and 3D gaming as well. Plus, even though the PS3 has been on the market since 2006 it arguably has the most impressive graphics on any console.

[Press Release]

The buttons can be made in colors or peanut butter too. Nothing like a D-Pad made out of peanut butter, right? Usually if I want that I have to eat some Reese’s then play some Killzone 3 in order to get that same effect.

To sweeten Michelle’s already sweet deal, the set includes a “game disc” for Grand Theft Chocolate. Personally, I’d like God of Chocolate III or LittleBigChocolate 2 instead, but GTC will have to satisfy my stomach for now.

You can get your hands these delectable PS2/PS3 controller chocolates over at Michelle’s Etsy shop. A single controller will set you back just 7 bucks, or you can grab the controller/disc combo for $14. If you want any customization or want more than one, be sure to drop Michelle a convo. Personally, I’d like a full-size PS3 made from chocolate, then dipped in a crunchy candy shell.

Takara Tomy’s SR Series PlayStation History Collection 1 includes miniature plastic versions of four PlayStation models. Designed to be sold in Gashopon vending machines in Japan, this set includes not only the consoles themselves, but mini versions of games, memory cards, joysticks and more.

The lids on the CD-ROM trays even open, and the controllers actually plug in too. About the only thing these miniatures don’t do is play games. The set of four includes:

• SCPH-1000 with I.Q. game, memory card, and original joypad
• SCPH-7000 with Minna no Golf, memory card, Dual Shock
• SCPH-9000 with Ape Escape and PocketStation (SCPH-4000C)
• SCPH-101 with LCD monitor accessory, Dual Shock 2, and Dokodemo

You can pre-order the set over at NCSX for $29.90 (USD) for delivery this Summer. No word on when they’ll release PS2 or PS3 versions.

[Image Credit: Toy World HK, and a nod to Game Set Watch]

Based on the original 1994 Sony PlayStation design, this aluminum case from Takara Tomy Arts is perfect for carrying your business cards. It’s been embossed with the familiar flip-top CD-ROM drive lid, open, power and reset buttons, and the original PlayStation logo. The cases are available in both a traditional PlayStation gray, or a brushed metal finish. As much as I like the brushed metal look, I like the authenticity of the gray one.

At this point, the only place I’ve been able to find these so far is Japan’s NigiShow [JP], but I imagine they’ll turn up soon at global exporter Strapya-World, since I believe they’re the same company. They sell for ¥1000 (appx. $12 USD) each.

Each handmade felt case is a tiny little replica of a famous gaming console, precisely stitched, and filled with a little bit of padding to protect your delicate iPhone, iPod Touch or other gadget of similar size. While I do love the classic white Xbox 360 one, I have to say I have a special place in my heart for the Famicom version:

The retro PlayStation one doesn’t look too shabby either:

Please note that the miniature controllers shown in the pics are not included, but they are available separately. Prices for the cases range from $28 to $38 (USD), and the mini controllers sell for $13 bucks each. You can find them all over at rabbitrampage’s Etsy shop.

Yeah, I don’t get it either, but the guys at Taito are making three towel designs including a white one with the PlayStation logo and button designs, a blue one featuring the soon-to-be-extinct current-gen PSP, and a third one with a black background and triangle, circle, X, square designs. Each towel measures about 28″ long, so you might be able to dry off with one, but you won’t be able to wrap one all the way around your body unless your skinnier than Abe from Oddworld.

NCSX is taking pre-orders for the towels for $23.90 (USD) each, and they ship starting in March – just in time to hit the beach for Spring Break.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Damn, now I can’t get that song out of my head, and need to run out and grab a copy of LBP2 now. I’ll get right to that after I finish playing the Bulletstorm and Crysis 2 demos that are downloading onto my Xbox 360 tonight. I know, I can play Rated M and Rated E games on the same night. It helps keep me a well-rounded individual.

[via Kotaku via Geekosystem]

I’m not saying that these shoes are ugly, just that the supposed crossover – the very reason why these shoes are rare – reeks of laziness. No PlayStation color scheme or graphics. Just one square patch of the classic PS Logo, which even looks out of place if you ask me.

But based on rarity alone, these are a must-have for Air Force 1 collectors or PlayStation devotees. According to the seller, these shoes never went on sale; they were released in 2006 but were given only to “Nike/Sony Friends & Family”. Only 150 pairs exist – for two big corporations, Nike and Sony sure have a small social circle. If you’re interested, be quick and head to eBay. Bidding is already up to $780 (USD) and rising.

[via GameSniped]

I’m not sure why Intel is touting their AppUp store as only for “netbooks and laptops”, but since the only system requirements they mentioned are Windows 7 or Windows XP, I think it’s safe to assume that Windows desktop users will be able to download and play Angry Birds as well. I’m also not sure why Rovio chose the relatively obscure AppUp instead of Steam to distribute their game.

As for PlayStation users, the game will be packaged as a PlayStation Mini, so you’ll be able to play it on both the PS3 and PSP. No word on how much Angry Birds will cost as a PlayStation Mini; on the AppUp it’s regular price will be $10 (USD), £6 or €7 depending on your market, but for a limited time it’s being sold at a special introductory price of $5.

I’m still waiting for Epic Games to port Infinity Blade for the PlayStation Move and the Kinect.

[via Rovio's Blog & Mashable]

A few questions, Sony: why would you combine an HDTV with an old console that can’t take advantage of the high-definition display? Why not integrate a PS3 and a TV? A least this TV is only 1366×768 resolution, so it’s not a full HD set. And why won’t you just release a PS3 with a PS2 built-in?! You’ve got this whole amalgamation gimmick backwards.

But for gamers who are on the lookout for an HDTV for their rooms and have no PS2, this one is a no-brainer. The SONY BRAVIA KDL22PX300 is a 22-inch HD ready TV with 4 HDMI ports, Bravia Internet video, a couple of optical audio outs, and 2 USB 1.1 ports. And a PS2 built-in. For some reason. You can order it now at Richer Sounds for £199.95 (approx. $314 USD), which is actually a low price, considering you’re buying a Sony gadget.

[via Joystiq]