Rejoice PSP and Playstation 3 owners, the new firmwares for your lovely gaming consoles are now available. The latest firmware for PSP, version 5.00, features support for Playstation Network that allows users to access the Playstation Store and download content directly to their PSP, a sleep timer function, full screen keyboard, and new XMB background design. As for the new PS3 v2.50 firmware, it comes with the ability to take a screenshot during a game (cool!), enhanced voice chat, and several power saving options, as well as a video scene search function (like on PSP) and SOCOM Bluetooth headset support.

Both PSP and PS3 firmware can be downloaded from Playstation’s official website. Not a happy owner of PSP or Playstation 3? Quick, put them on your Christmas list and when the time comes, get them from here or here.

And that’s thanks to the new PlayTV Tuner hardware which will be available in the market starting from September 10th. This device will let any PS3 owners to watch their favourite TV programme, as well as record them directly on PS3 hard disk. PlayTV Tuner itslef uses dual DVB-T receiver and capable of capturing one over-the-air digital channel while playing another live. Sounds gorgeous, huh? If you live in UK or mainland Europe, you can purchase this baby for just 99 EUR.

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According to a Wal-Mart data sheet, Sony is probably going to update its 40GB Playstation 3 series with a new model in August. No further detail about the plan has been revealed thought. Or whether it is true or just a rumor. However, if its true, the new version should come with larger storage or additional features. Let’s wait for the news in the next couple weeks.

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Toshiba has just started shipping SpursEngin SE1000 image processor and soon you can expect to see it in action on some PCs. Incase you didn’t know, SE1000 is the main engine of Sony Playstation 3 (PS3), the one who deliver that incredible graphics on your TV. This advanced image processor supports MPEG-2, MPEG-4 AVC/H.265 hardware encoding/decoding.

Yesterday Sony announced the new color variant of its Playstation 3 gaming console, the “Satin Silver”. Priced at €255 (39,800 Yen, $371), this silver PS3 will come with a 40GB of HDD and will be packed with all the features from the standard 40GB PS3 version. If interested, you can check out your nearby store on March 6. Don’t forget to bring an extra 5,500 Yen (about $51), because that would get you a brand new Silver DualShock3 controller as well.

But wait! If you want both the silver console and controller, what about a “Silver Playstation 3 Yakuza 3 Bundle”? For 47,040 Yen (or $441), you’d receive a package of silver satin’s PS3, silver-colored DS3 controller, Sega’s Yakuza 3 game, and a PS3’s Yakuza 3-themed sticker. Not a bad deal, knowing that Yakuza is an excellent title.

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Sony has just released “PS3 Best Collection”, a set of five Playstation 3’s games which will hit the Japan store next month — March 19 to be precise — with a price tag of 24 EUR in average (about 3,800 Yen). Each package will contain Ninja Gaiden Σ, FolksSoul, Resistance, Ridge Racer 7, and Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight. I haven’t bought PS3 yet, but I’ve heard that both Resistance and FolksSoul are awesome.

Dante is back! Don’t know Dante? Come on, you’ve never played any Devil May Cry games before? Well, he’s the main character on Devil May Cry, and this year, this wonderful saga continues with Devil May Cry 4 (trailer), featuring a new level with a deeper story, character development, an extension of fighting styles, as well as a new character with never-seen-before fighting attributes, Nero. To celebrate it, Sony and Capcom (the developer) offers an exclusive pack of Playstation 3 which include the original Devil May Cry 4. The package, available in either white or black color, sports a 40GB HDD and bundled with a 60-minutes Blu-Ray disc containing a bonus video. It’ll hit the store in late January 2008 with a price tag of 47,800 Yen (about 294 EUR or $421)

[ Pre-order Devil May Cry 4 for Xbox 360 ] [ Pre-order Devil May Cry 4 for PS3 ]

Have you ever played Hot Shots Golf? It’s one of the most enjoyable golf game you can find for Playstation. Well, Sony, hoping to boost the sales of Playstation 3, now offers a new bundled for its latest gaming console that doesn’t sell quite well. If you spend $315 (about €375), you can get PS3 with 20GB HDD plus Mina No Golf (the Japan edition of Hot Shots Golf) game. I’ve never played the PS3 edition of the game, but I bet it’d be much better than the PS2 version.

PS: If you own Wii, get Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 instead.

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PS3 Media Center X is a free multimedia server developed by Red Kawa. It allows you to stream certain types of pictures, music, videos and files from your computer (where the server running) to your Sony PlayStation 3. It runs on most major operating systems including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

Features

Videos – PS3 Media Center X lets you stream and watch videos in the Flash video format (FLV) on your PS3. You can download flash videos from many places on the internet or create your own using PS3 Video 9.

Music – PS3 Media Center X lets you playback MP3s on your PS3 without the need of any copying or downloading.

Pictures – Red Kawa Media Center lets you view pictures on your PS3 without the need of any copying or downloading.

Files – PS3 Media Center X lets you browse and copy files located on your server to your PS3.

Download PS3 Media Center X

• Windows Installer Early Alpha – Download
• Multi-platform Alpha (Mac OS X, Linux, Unix) – Download

PS3 Video 9 is a free video conversion application developed by Red Kawa. It allows you to convert your computer video files (like avi, divx, mpeg, etc.) into the specific video formats that are playable on the PlayStation 3.

PS3 Video 9 can also be combined with Videora, another software application, and together they can let you automatically download and convert video for your PlayStation 3 using BitTorrent and RSS technology.

Download PS3 Video 9