Last week, Japanese publication Famitsu provided the first comparison images highlighting the "wider color gamut and anti-reflection technology" of the new PSP-3000.

GameSpot has now provided a few more pictures, better illustrating the difference between the current PSP-2000 and the PSP-3000 redesign, due out in October.

Sony is being taken to court over technology purportedly covered in a patent owned by Orinda Intellectual Properties USA, Edge has uncovered.

Orinda claims that patent 5,438,560 has been infringed, covers recording and reproducing optical discs such as CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs. The company has filed for an injunction stopping the production and sale of all Blu-ray players including PlayStation 3 systems. Orinda is also asking for "a reasonable royalty" from those Blu-ray players it wants to remove from sale.

Major console manufacturers are sued by supposed patent holders with some frequency, and Sony is no exception. In 2007, for example, Sony settled with force-feedback maker Immersion but had a lawsuit over the Blu-ray Disc format dismissed.

Sony CEO Howard Stringer, pictured at left, confessed that the Wii "may be a superior business model" in a recent interview.

"The major difference lies in the fact that Nintendo makes money with the hardware alone," he explained to German newspaper Die Welt.

As for when Sony will recover the $3 billion it spent on the PlayStation 3, Stringer responded with a laugh, "Not for as long as I live."

He then turned serious. "It will certainly take some time. ... We are currently at the stage in which we need to get a grip on the production costs. That takes time," he said. The CEO stressed that the company is now making more money on PlayStation 3 games than it is losing on hardware sales.

Stringer also cast doubt on recent claims that the PlayStation 3 would see price cuts this year. "I think not," he stated when asked if the system would see a price cut before this Christmas.

Earlier this week, Sony announced that it would be releasing a new PSP model with a "wider color gamut and anti-reflection technology."

Now, Japanese publication Famitsu has provided the comparison to the left, which compares the new PSP-3000 (bottom) to the PSP-2000 model (top) that arrived last fall.

Sporting a built-in microphone as well, the new PSP arrives worldwide in October.

It will arrive in North America on October 14 as part of the $199 Ratchet & Clank Entertainment Pack bundle, which includes a copy of High Impact's platformer Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, a download code for SCE Japan's puzzler echochrome, a copy of the National Treasure 2 film, and a 1GB Memory Stick.

While discussing its record-breaking quarter, retailer GameStop revealed that it expects both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 to undergo $50 price cuts by the end of 2008.

A $50 price cut for the Xbox 360 Pro and Elite models has been practically confirmed, with the drop expected to take effect on or around September 7. Whereas the two higher-end Xbox 360 models will drop by $50, the hard drive-less Arcade unit is said to see a reduction of $70, making it $199.

Sony previously stated that it would not drop the price of its various PlayStation 3 units this year. However, the company is introducing higher-capacity PS3 models--the $399 80GB and the $499 160GB bundle--that maintain the existing prices of PS3 hardware.

Sony today announced that a new 160GB PlayStation 3 bundle will soon be making its way to North America.

The large-volume system will come bundled with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, a voucher for the PlayStation Network title PAIN, and a DualShock 3 controller. The 160GB system carries the same feature list as the 80GB model.

Sony expects the package to sell for $499.99 when it arrives in November.

Sony Computer Entertainment has just unveiled its third redesign of the PSP hardware, labeled the PSP-3000, ComputerAndVideoGames reports.

Due out this fall, the new model boasts an "enhanced LCD screen" that features "a wider color gamut and anti-reflection technology" along with a built-in microphone.

The new hardware will hit North America on October 14 in the new Ratchet & Clank Entertainment Pack bundle, which is priced at $199. Included in the package is High Impact's Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, a download code for SCE Japan's puzzle echochrome, a copy of the National Treasure 2 film, and a 1GB Memory Stick.

The current model of the PSP--the PSP-2000, often referred to as the PSP Slim--currently sells for $170 in the United States and hovers around 199 Euros in Europe.

Sony has brokered an arrangement between the developers of Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Revolution to ensure instrument interoperability on the PlayStation 3, Sony Computer Entertainment PR director Michael Shorrock revealed.

"We have been working closely with Neversoft and Activision, Harmonix and Konami to ensure that PlayStation 3 guitars and drum sets will all feature a basic level of gameplay compatibility," Shorrock wrote on the PlayStation.Blog.

The director explained that both the drum kit and guitar from Neversoft's Guitar Hero World Tour will function with Harmonix's Rock Band 2, and vice versa. Drums and guitars from both titles will be compatible with Zoe Mode's Rock Revolution, while Rock Revolution's drum kit will work with both Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour.

The director further noted that microphones from SCE London Studio's SingStar will also be compatible with Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour.

"We're still working hard to ensure compatibility between the Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles currently on the market," Sherrock added. "We hope to have an announcement on that shortly."

New listings and technical documents for a revised version of Sony's PSP handheld have appeared on the FCC's website, according to a Gizmodo report.

Going by the accompanying illustrations, the newest revision—model number PSP-3000—appears virtually indistinguishable from the most recently released version of the PSP hardware, the Slim and Lite PSP-2000.

The PSP-3000 hardware still makes use of the system's proprietary UMD media, and incorporates 802.11b Wi-Fi functionality similar to previous hardware iterations.

During a roundtable discussion at this year's E3, Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO Jack Tretton stated that further hardware revisions would be aimed at securing the device and lowering manufacturing costs. Any substantial changes in the PSP-3000 will likely be internal, focused on preventing would-be pirates from cracking the oft-exploited handheld.

Sony has yet to make an official announcement for the hardware, but will likely reveal more information in the near future.

Only three in ten games make enough money to recover development costs, former Sony executive Chris Deering stated in a Edinburgh Interactive Festival keynote.

Prior to his appointment as president of Sony Europe, Deering served as the head of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe during the launch of the original PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and PSP, which gave him significant knowledge of Sony's internal and external development strategies. He resigned from Sony in 2005.

By 2011, Deering estimates that there will be 2.5 billion potential gamers across the world with cable and internet providers being a part of the "competitive array," according to Develop.

With more competitors coming in and publishers rarely breaking even, he said "something is going to have to be there to make up the difference... Read more

In an effort to reduce game development costs, PlayStation maker Sony Computer Entertainment intends to bolster its development efforts in India--a popular choice for outsourced labor.

If successful, the initiative could break even in three years and lead to a dedicated Indian development facility, SCE country manager Atindriya Bose told news site DNA.

Using technology and talent from other SCE branches, such as SingStar and Getaway veterans London Studio, Sony will be coaching local programmers in game development and loaning out development hardware.

Four Indian developers have been tasked with five projects thus far. Sony hopes the effort will help lower game costs, with an 18-month PlayStation 2 game currently budgeted between $3-5 million while a PlayStation 3 title is estimated at $20-30 million.

"The future of the Indian game development market will depend on the quality of the game developers who are starting at a zero base," Bose noted.

NFL Hall of Famer turned actor Jim Brown has sued game makers Electronic Arts and Sony regarding his alleged appearance in the Madden NFL series, seeking to halt game sales and obtain all profits derived from any Madden games with his likeness.

The suit stems from Brown's recent discovery that a Cleveland Browns player using his number, but not his face or name, appeared in Madden NFL 2001, reports GameSpot.

Brown describes the character as "a muscular African American player," claiming that this hurts his "inherently distinctive, and arbitrary trademark as the All-Time Great Cleveland Brown Running Back."

The one-time Cleveland Browns number 32 claims that he "never signed away any rights that would allow his likeness to be used [in a video game]" and that both companies "unjustly enriched and have received and continue to... Read more

During a conference call today, Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith detailed the company's expectations for console sales across 2008, revealing its belief that the PlayStation 3 will sell more systems than the Xbox 360 this year.

By the end of the current calendar year, Activision believes the consoles will sell:

• PlayStation 3: 8 million units
• Xbox 360: 6-7 million units
• Wii: 15 million units
• PlayStation 2: 4-5 million units

Griffith also noted the company's expectation that handhelds will grow "in excess of 24 million," but did not provide a specific breakdown between PSP and Nintendo DS.

Naughty Dog designer Richard Lemarchand believes that new social networking and connectivity features in the works for the PlayStation 3's online PlayStation Network may give the service an advantage over competitor Microsoft's Xbox Live.

Speaking with IGN, the Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3) lead developer said that the PlayStation 3's trophies build off of groundwork laid by the Xbox 360's Achievements, adding that the social aspects offered by the system could "become the norm across all gaming systems."

"I like the fact that you can pull them up and look at them in-game anywhere you are on the PS3 interface," Lemarchand continued. "I think there's going to be other things coming down the pipe that's going to give PSN as a whole a competitive edge."

Lemarchard declined to offer specific details on the upcoming additions, but stated that he was excited by the internet connectivity and user-oriented content... Read more

Sony's Greatest Hits line of budget titles arrives at retailers this week, with an inaugural lineup of ten titles relaunched at a new $29.99 price point.

As revealed in the company's E3 2008 announcement, the line includes:

• Warhawk (Incognito)
• Motorstorm (Evolution Studios)
• Resistance: Fall of Man (Insomniac Games)
• Call of Duty 3 (Treyarch)
• Fight Night Round 3 (EA Chicago)
• Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft Montreal)
• Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas (Ubisoft Montreal)
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda Game Studios)
• Ninja Gaiden Sigma (Team Ninja)

As can be seen above, Greatest Hits titles will sport clearly marked packaging, much like the preceding Greatest Hits lineups on the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, along with a bold red Blu-ray case to denote inclusion in the line.

Sony Computer Entertainment has now sold over 14.41 million PlayStation 3 units worldwide since it launched in 2006, according to financial documents released today.

The company sold 1.56 million PS3 consoles during the first quarter of its 2008 fiscal year, which ran from April 1 to June 30. At the end of Sony's 2007 fiscal year, over 12.85 million PS3 units had been sold worldwide.

As of March, Nintendo's Wii had sold 24.45 million units worldwide while Microsoft's Xbox 360 had moved 19 million. Both companies have yet to provide updated figures.

Lifetime worldwide figures for the PlayStation 2 and PSP hardware are not available, as 2007 was the first fiscal year that Sony declared sales, not shipment ... Read more

Media Molecule's upcoming platformer LittleBigPlanet (PS3) will eventually allow players to profit off of their user-created levels or add-ons by offering the content online at a price, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has revealed.

"What we're trying to do with LittleBigPlanet is almost iTunes meets eBay in the sense that once an individual or a developer has qualified by producing certain levels or certain add-ons, they will then be able in the future to exchange these and make money out of them," SCEE president David Reeves told PS3 Fanboy.

Described by Shacknews editor Chris Faylor as an "adorable physics-driven platformer," the game places a pronounced emphasis on community-created content shared among its player base. Reeves added that the user-side content-sale ... Read more

One of the more persistent rumors in the industry is that Microsoft is readying to announce a Blu-ray player for the Xbox 360. After the failure of the HD-DVD format, the move was often seen as only a matter of time.

Now a new interview with Microsoft gaming vice president of business Shane Kim has all but killed the hope of seeing Sony's player matched with its rival's console.

"I can categorically say that we're not working on a Blu-Ray player for Xbox 360," said Kim in an interview with Forbes. "To my knowledge, we don't have any intent to do that."

According to Kim, Microsoft is more interested in digital distribution. The company announced this week that Netflix will begin streaming movies and television over the Xbox 360 starting this fall.

Sony announced today that the PlayStation 3 will tonight begin offering video downloads of television shows and movies from studios such as Sony Pictures, Fox Film, Lionsgate, Disney, Paramount, Turner, and Funimation.

The video store will offer both rental and digital sales of television shows and movies. SD and HD versions of television shows will sell for $1.99.

Movie rentals will run from $2.99 to $5.99, with movie purchases going up to $14.99. AS one would expect, HD version of the movies will be available as well.

Sony explained that it would take about an hour to download a regular SD movie, but playback is available beginning a minute after the download begins.

The videos will also be viewable on the PSP via a USB data transfer or a download from the PC version of the PlayStation Store.

A $399 model of the PlayStation 3 equipped with an 80GB hard drive will replace the current $399 40GB model in September, SCEA CEO Jack Tretton announced today.

Currently, the 80GB PlayStation 3 is bundled with a copy of Metal Gear Solid 4 for $499.

The new 80GB model will have "the same functionality as the 40GB," Tretton claimed.