I am delighted to be able announce today that we have sold more PlayStation 3s throughout Europe than Xbox 360 - even though they launched sixteen months before PS3.

These numbers are a testament to the strength of the PlayStation brand throughout our region, the ever-increasing number of titles being launched, the rich content on offer and its appeal to different demographics and cultures.

PS3 has outsold Xbox 360 in Europe [Eurogamer]

Two bits of video from Sony's UK Gamers Day have already made their way onto the net. This first shows off a touch of Resistance 2 gameplay, while on the jump we've got a very, very short snippet of Killzone 2.

A Snake-Skinned Package with Real Veno

London - 6th May 2008: One of the legends of the PlayStation® generation has taken his partnership with the platform to the next level. Solid Snake, the hero of the Metal Gear Solid® (MGS) franchise, is, this summer, being bundled with PLAYSTATION®3 and a SIXAXIS controller offering millions of PS3 and MGS fans around the world the ultimate gaming combo.

Concluding Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid saga, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is set in a battle-scarred future where huge conglomerates fight for supremacy using armies of hand-picked mercenaries. This devastated world is seen through the battle-weary eyes of an older Solid Snake who has been charged with infiltrating a number of key locations across the globe, including the Middle East and South America. As such, the epic end to Snake's story offers ground-breaking combat elements, a refined control system that offers unprecedented control over the aged hero, and the tying up of key plot lines and loose ends.

Similarly, the accompanying Metal Gear Online features all the stunning stealth and combat elements of Guns of the Patriots, as it drops the player into a series of war zones and game options. With all-out 'Last Man Standing' battles to rescue and protection missions, Metal Gear Online effortlessly transfers the sublime control system of the series to an online competition, creating an absorbing battle between like-minded fans.

Available from June 12 and priced at 439,99 Euros this offer is one of the most exciting bundles to date - bringing two great servants of the games industry together for the conclusion of what has been one hell of a ride!

Movement (PSN)

Seeking out the greatest unsigned bands from across Europe, Movement is an exclusive PSN music experience which will open your ears, your PS3 and PSP to the best in international music. From French electronica to London grindie via melody driven rock from Germany, you’ll hear it all courtesy of hosts Spencer and Martin who are tracking down the sweetest sounds across the continent in their VW Camper. With exclusive downloads on PSN and performances at PlayStation Day, movement will culminate with one band being selected by Spencer and Martin to have a professional promo video made. Look out for the entire madcap adventure on PSN soon.

This is an interesting concept. I wonder if PSN is going to start producing other original video content.

The next-gen horror-survival title is set in the Japanese village of Hanuda, where a TV crew from America arrive to research the legend of the ‘Vanished Village’ where human sacrifice is said to have taken place thirty years ago. Players discover the horrific curse that haunts Hanuda and battle to save the village’s survivors from the living dead – a spine-tingling struggle that involves using the unique Sight-Jack system to view events from the angle of your undead pursuers. In a gaming first, Siren Blood Curse will be released episodically, keeping gamers on the edge of their seats until the next download arrives in PSN.

"SPHE is delighted to bring BD-Live to International markets for the first time," stated Matt Brown, EVP, International, SPHE, "This follows a successful launch in the US in March and is just the start of the exciting possibilities that will soon be available on high definition Blu-ray Disc."

PlayStation Day '08 Men In Black To Be First Blu-ray Title With BD-Live For International Market

London, (06/05/08) - Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) announced today that it will launch its first BD-Live enabled Blu-ray title outside the US market, with the release of Men In Black in selected international territories* beginning 16th June 2008.

This release follows the recent Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0 software update for PLAYSTATION®3 (Version 2.20), which made the PS3™ the first Profile 2.0 Blu-ray player available on the market.

Blockbuster hit Men In Black will bring network connected features to international territories for the first time. These features include a BD-Live multi-player Interactive Trivia Game, as well as exclusive downloadable theatrical and home entertainment previews and a FAQ about BD-Live functionality.

Men in Black follows the exploits of agents Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) and Jay (Will Smith), members of a top-secret organization established to monitor alien activity on Earth. The two MiB find themselves in the middle of the deadly plot by an intergalactic terrorist (Vincent D'Onofrio) who has arrived on Earth to assassinate two ambassadors from opposing galaxies.

"SPHE is delighted to bring BD-Live to International markets for the first time," stated Matt Brown, EVP, International, SPHE, "This follows a successful launch in the US in March and is just the start of the exciting possibilities that will soon be available on high definition Blu-ray Disc."

BD-Live allows consumers to experience a variety of network connected options. In addition to exclusive content, BD-Live titles can enable an exciting slate of next generation possibilities, such as ring tones/wallpaper downloads, peer to peer interactions, live events and gaming activities.

BD-Live titles are compatible with the latest Profile 2.0 BD players. These models also support Blu-ray's "Bonus View" picture-in-picture feature that was available on previous Profile 1.1 BD players.

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As mentioned earlier, Resistance 2 will hit in November with eigh player co-op, 60 player multiplayer and a new story featuring more Chimera enemies.

All we know about SOCOM is that it's coming out later this year and will include headset support and the ability to spectate.

Hit the jump for the bull breakdown on all four games from the official press release.

06/05/2008 17:30
Join the best, challenge the best; be the best

London, 6th May 2008- The world really has never been such a small place thanks to the online capabilities of PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) with a growing community of gamers testing themselves against the best of the best worldwide. The speed of play, the ease of use and the quality of the game offering that comes with PS3 is unparalleled; it’s the ultimate online arena to meet, interact and play with fellow gamers across the world. So if words like teamwork, precision, competition, strategy and ‘never give up’ are your mantra, PLAYSTATION®Network, is the place for you.

Resistance™2 (PS3)

Team up with seven other players in eight player co-op mode and also in massive online battles involving up to 60 gamers in multiplayer mode - Insomniac Games’ sequel to phenomenal history re-write Resistance: Fall of Man features an unprecedented level of online play. Upping the stakes with new Chimera enemies and vast online battlefields, the action has moved across the Atlantic and will take place in a devastated America. Once again, the Chimera threaten the very future of mankind itself as the terrifying alternative history of Earth’s last days continues to unfold, November 2008.

SOCOM™: Confrontation (PS3)

Recruit the best soldiers from across the world to form an elite team and lead your hand-picked squad against other highly-skilled outfits. Released in late 2008 and exclusively online, join specially organised events or take the back seat as a spectator on massive multiplayer campaigns where you’ll communicate in-game via headsets. SOCOM: Confrontation demands strategy and teamwork to win the war and see your tooled-up soldier rise through the ranks. Reward your troops not only when they are brave and fearless but when they use intelligence and work as a team.

Warhawk™: Operation Broken Mirror expansion pack on PSN (PS3)

Since the first Warhawk expansion pack (Operation: Omega Dawn, available now) was released, online gamers have been stepping up the attack around the world, battling for domination on the ground and in the air. The next pack, Operation: Broken Mirror, brings the mighty Armoured Personnel Carrier into the fray as troops battle it out in the seven arenas of the new Vaporfield Glacier. Available now, the battle will be decided across seven arenas capable of holding different numbers of players – up to 32 gamers can fight in Tundra Assault, for example, while Olsavik Village is designed for smaller battles with four to eight players.

Haze™ (PS3 – Third-Party Title - Ubisoft)

Play both sides of the same war in Haze – a new, PlayStation-exclusive first-person shooter set in a futuristic world where governments have outsourced military operations to private corporations. You play Shane Carpenter, an idealistic young soldier in the pay of Mantel Global Industries, a military company that feeds its troops the performance-enhancing drug Nectar as part of its hi-tech onslaught against vicious rebel group the Promise Hand. An unforeseen revelation leads you to switch sides halfway through the struggle, eschewing your hi-tech weaponry for the cunning tactics of the Promise Hand. It’s a stunning new title for PS3, brought to you by the developers of the TimeSplitters® series.

It sounds like it's connected to a contest that will give two luck people a four-month, real-life racing tutorial and then have them participate in the Dubai 24-hour race in January.

The vids will hit starting the PSN on May 23rd.

PlayStation Day Conference [Eurogamer]

LIVE: EU PlayStation Day dawns [GameSpot]

Multiplayer will support up to 60 players and include Chimera, again, it will also be structured in a way to bring back a sense of intimacy. There will be squads within these mammoth fights, making the game feel more personal and filled with skirmishes instead of giant, faceless wars. The game will use some sort of system to make sure you always respawn near the same group of players, so you can really start to gun for them.

R2, which is six months from hitting shelves, will also include persistent levels which you earn by getting points for things like helping out your team.

PlayStation Day Conference [Eurogamer]

Killzone 2 will be hitting the Playstation 3 in February, David Reeves told journalists gathered in London for Sonys Gamers Day there today.

Not a whole lot of other information about the release, but several sites report that the game will be playable to the press both today and next week during the U.S. Gamers Day.

The news came following an announcement that LittleBigPlanet has been pushed back from a September launch date to October. SCEE also sales of the Playstation Portable, Playstation 2 and Playstation 3 in Europe and apologized for the delay of Home.

PlayStation Day Conference [Eurogamer]

Kaz Hirai told a gathering of press that the game will revolutionize the way people interact with games. Hirai also said that Sony Europe has sold 12 million PSPs, 48 million PS2s and 5 million PS3s and apologized for the delay of Home which he says will not launch until he's happy with it. More news to come as the Gamers Day continues.

PlayStation Day Conference [Eurogamer]