Abandon ship! Phil Harrison, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS), is quiting as of February 29, 2008. Kazuo “Kaz” Hirai is set to take Phil’s place as the President of SCE WWS. Subsequently Kaz shaved his head in order to better serve as president, because no one like too much change.

Phil Harrison has been with Sony from the beginning of their venture into gaming with the original Playstation. Is Sony really going to make it out on top this year? With a shocking resignation like this only time will tell what further effects it could have. Can Kaz Hirai lead the PS3 to victory? Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion.

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Morgan Webb and Adam Sessler of X-Play were kind enough to get us this interview and hands on demo of the upcoming super spy MMO The Agency. The Agency, hmm, much like the Counter Agent Global Enforcement, is something you’ll definitely be into. To my knowledge it’s the first MMO on a console and the first MMO based in the counter intelligence realm of spies and espionage. I know I’m not alone when I say this looks like a refreshing take on a genre of game dominated by the sole property that is Blizzard’s World of Warcraft.

If Sony’s willing to take risks like this and make unique, good gaming experiences more often then the PS3 may actually prove to be an adversary of the Xbox 360 giant. Here’s hoping.

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Originally uploaded by BluezPS

This has to be the coolest fake PSP design ever. If not the best general gadget mock up ever. The detail is amazing, though, if it was the real thing it would probably have different colored buttons. That was the only thing I noticed that didn’t look perfectly detailed. The creator even goes as far as detailing the ‘memory stick’ logo on the corner.

Best of all, this design brings the much needed dual analog joysticks, something Sony should have done from the beginning. I absolutely love this idea. What do you think?

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So, Sony had announced Skype would be coming to the PSP and it’s here. Yay! Sorry, it only works on the new Slim PSPs.

Here’s the Press Release:

Skype™ communication features available

London, 30th January 2008 – Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) today announced the immediate availability of the latest system software update for PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable). Version 3.90 will enable all owners of the new PSP Slim & Lite* to make and receive phone calls, adding a whole new raft of functionality, highlighting the true portability of PSP.

Skype™ is a little piece of software that allows users to make free calls over the internet to more than 276 million other Skype users anywhere in the world, whilst also having the ability to make cheap SkypeOut™ calls to landlines and mobile phones. With the addition of these features, alongside the ability to send and receive Skype Voicemail, PSP can now claim to be a highly cost-effective and accessible portable communications device, in addition to its entertainment credentials.

To use Skype on PSP**, users simply need to upgrade to system software 3.90, register and talk, using a headset and remote control or Go! Cam.

Also added through system software update 3.90, is the Go! Messenger icon, highlighting the commitment shown towards communications on PSP***. Although Go! Messenger will not be available until early March, the presence of the icon not only emphasises its impending arrival but also allows users to obtain more information about the feature from a dedicated website, accessed via clicking on the icon. More information about the release of Go! Messenger will be announced soon.

* The Skype functionality is available for the PSP Slim & Lite only

** To use Skype on PSP users require a suitable WiFi internet connection

*** Go! Messenger functionality will be available with all models of PSP, including Slim & Lite

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Business Weak has reported that Sony has been able to “shrink the PS3’s chips and tweak its design,” helping in getting the cost per machine down to “around $400 now, from above $800 just before it went on sale in November 2006.”

Engadget writes: According to Nikko Citigroup’s Kota Ezawa, the biggest culprit for such an improvement is the “reduction in the parts count.”

Looks like Sony is finally breaking even on the massive disappointment that has been the PS3. I think this is great. If they really want to sell PS3’s now all they have to do is cut the price in half, from the current high price of $399 to the very reasonable and attractive price of $199. That way they’re not only cheaper than the Xbox 360 at $279 for the cheapest “arcade” edition, but even cheaper than the ever popular Wii at $249. They’ll also only be losing half the money they were losing before, from $400 to $200. Win, win, I think. They get the Playstation 3 into a bunch more customer hands and solidify Blu-Ray as the dominate high definition dvd format.

I have to admit, I’ve been a little bit of a skeptic of Sony’s PS3 since they launched. However, if they did something like this (which they won’t, because they’re stupid corporate Sony) and continued to pass the savings on to the consumer, they could actually come out on top by the end of this year.

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The good news for Sony just keeps on coming. First our story about MGS4 and now this. It looks like the price of the PS3 has been cut in half. While $400 seems somewhat high it is notably better then $800 that it did cost to make.

The seeming victory of Blu-Ray over HD/DVD is also good news for the PS3. The money guys are saying that it means Sony will start to see a profit in the near future.

Looks like this might be the year on the PS3.

Thanks Businessweek

This doesn’t seem to happen very often lately, but it looks as though the Playstation 3 may finally be getting some good news. The news comes in the form of the consoles flagship allstar title Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots getting an early release date. As early as the 2nd quarter of this year. They won’t pin down an exact day, or even a month, but the game is said to be in the final stages or “last push” as assistant producer Ryan Payton revealed on the weekly Kojima Productions Report podcast, of testing and “polishing” the game.

Shack News has Payton quoted as saying: “Mr. Kojima of all people is really committed to [the date] because he really hates to disappoint people, and I know he is embarrassed by what happened with the 2007 slip into 2008.” Some features may be added, but “for the majority of the team, this is the end.”

If the rumors are true, this is also good news for Xbox 360 gamers, as they’ll potentially get the game on their console of choice sooner as well.

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That’ll teach you for naming names. In Electronic Gaming Monthly’s last issue Editor-In-Chief Dan “Shoe” Hsu wrote some editorials about game publishers bullying game publications. You know how the game publishers respond? With some bullying. Game Publishers Midway, Sony, and Ubisoft have “allegedly” banned EGM from writing about their products. Can they do that?

It seems they didn’t like what Mr. Hsu had to say about them and their games. There is currently no confirmation with the publishers as to these claims. However, in the wake of other recent publisher related scandals, like Gerstmann-Gate and all, I wouldn’t be so surprised.

Source: Video Game Media Watch

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Bill Gate’s gave his last keynote CES earlier tonight. How was it? What giant revelations did he have? Is he still as boring and un-charismatic as ever? Read on to find out. Oh, but yeah, he still can’t deliver on the charisma thing.

It all started with some of the crappiest music I could endure, Paulson, whatever. That led into the much hyped reveal of Mr. President and CEO of CES, Gary Shapiro, yeah no Gates yet. Once he was done pimping CES he introduced Bill Gates. (Note: this is his 12th and final CES). The Xbox was announced at CES some years ago, as well as a number of big Microsoft products. Mr. Gates walks onto stage to a funky remix of the ‘If you believe in magic’. He starts with talk about hopes and dreams. The technologies that have grown in the past few years.

It’s all about the first “Digital Decade”. He claims all media will be software, not hardware driven in the future. All about customizing your experience wherever you are. The TV meeting the Internet, i.e. their very own Windows Media Center.

Holy crap, then they did this crappy montage, skit thing about what Bill Gates last day will be like. I think they’re trying to make him lovable or something before he goes. They had him rapping with Jay-Z, working out with Matthew McConaughey , rocking out with Rock Band while on the phone with U2 singer Bono. Steven Speilberg, George Clooney, John Stewart, even Hilary Clinton, Obama, and Al Gore make cameo’s. All of the guys at Microsoft like to let their hair down and have a good laugh. They’re people just like you and me, not a gigantic, retarded, monopoly, right? More…

According to Sony’s CES site there will be a merging of the PSP and Skype. Here’s what the site says about the PSP and Skype.

This could be pretty cool. Skype works pretty well so maybe it will add a nice aspect to the PSP.