Sony`s TV box add-on for the PS3 is launched today in the UK. With PlayTV you will be able to watch freeview TV through your PS3 or streamed to your PSP. Thanks to the two receivers built into the unit it will also be possible for you to record one program while watching another. The PS3 will also be able to record TV while you are playing games, with the recordings being watchable at a later date on either the PS3 or streamed to a PSP.

PlayTV is the long awaited add-on which allows you to watch, record, rewind and pause live TV on your PS3. Complete with a seven-day Electronic Program Guide you can even schedule recordings to be completed whilst you use one of your PS3’s many other functions or, because of the unit’s dual-tuner, you can even record one channel whilst viewing another. It also incorporates funky Remote Play compatibility for use with the PSP on the move.

Check inside for a comprehensive preview, brought to you from ThreeSpeech 

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I originally reported on this back in June here and the latest from the PlayStation.Blog confirms it`s release and features. In brief - it will be available both as part of a bundle with Socom: US Navy SEALs Confrontation and separately. The headset will feature a HQ mode offering to

take advantage of advanced voice technologies and noise cancellation techniques to provide clear and wideband voice input to the PS3. The HQ mode will ensure a much better voice chat quality on the PS3.

HQ mode will also enable accurate speech recognition required to support or enhance ‘Voice Command’ and ‘Voice Animation’ features. Voice Command was originally used in SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs for PS2 to administer the AI-controlled teammates using the WHO, WHAT, and WHERE format (example: Bravo, Attack, Nav Point Zulu). Voice Animation refers to the in-game character mimicking you during voice chat. With HQ mode, these features can be enabled on a much larger vocabulary in select PS3 games.

It will also have a mute button and come complete with a docking charging cradle. A clever feature of this is you can still use the headset as a microphone while it is on charge

The full story is here

From a recent post at the US Playstation Blog, Michael Shorrock, Director of Publisher Relations at SCEA, has stated that future music games such as Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rockband 2 will feature support for cross game instruments. What this basically means is that you will be able to play Rockband 2 with a Guitar Hero: World Tour guitar - unlike the current situation whereby you would have to buy separate controllers for each game.

Rock Revolution’s drum set will work with both Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 2. In addition, Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 2 will both support the SingStar microphones.

They are still working hard to ensure compatibility between the Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles currently on the market, and hope to have an announcement on that shortly.

Source

Sony have announced at this year`s E3 event that we in Europe shall be getting the 80gb version of the PS3 - bundled with a Dualshock 3 controller, for the same price as the 40gb model.

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Amazon UK are now taking pre-orders for Dualshock 3 controllers. They are asking a quite respectable £29.99 for them with FREE delivery in the UK

Click below to pre-order yours now, or visit the PS3gamer Amazon Store here

It has been officially announced that the DS3 Sixaxis controllers are finally coming to Europe and the UK next month!

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