Here is the Playstation Store Update for January 14, 2010

It’s time for the weekly PlayStation Store Update.

Updates

Steambot Chronicles Permanent Price Drop (now $14.99, original price $29.99)

Game Demos (free)

UNO Demo
Play the free trial version of UNO now! Get ready to call “UNO” on your PlayStation 3 system! The world famous card game is faithfully reproduced for the PS3 system and also features exciting new rules. With a multiplayer mode played on one PS3 system or on PlayStation Network, UNO has never been so fun and easy, so be the first to get rid of all your cards!
ESRB Rated E
File size: 258 MB

Bundles

Magic Orbz Bundle Pack ($13.99)
Creat Studios presents new Magic Orbz Bundle Pack. We offer you a collection of all released Magic Orbz episodes: exciting “Plundering Pirates”, romantic “Naughty Knights”, mysterious “Wicked Witches”, and delightful “Winter”. Smash these diverse worlds one by one into tiny pieces! If you think you’re up for the challenge, check out the Magic Orbz Bundle Pack today!
ESRB Rated E
File size: 155.2 MB

Add-on Game Content

Magic Orbz Winter Pack ($2.99)
Magic Orbz is a fresh spin on classic brick-breaking gameplay, enabling players to bust apart 3D environments, piece by piece. You will find a snow covered world in the new Winter Pack. New levels, trophies, and adventures! And a good opportunity to remind Santa about you – don’t miss your chance! If you think you’re up for the challenge, check out the Magic Orbz Winter Pack today!
File size: 100 KB

ZEN Pinball Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Table ($2.49)
The shadows of evil are gathering once again in the dark corners of Tokyo Sky City. Only Ryu Hayabusa and his gorgeous teammates, Rachel, Ayane, and Momiji, can banish the vicious Spider Ninja clan and defeat its fierce leader, Genshin. Intense ninja combat meets arcade pinball action in thisNinja Gaiden Sigma 2-themed add-on table for Zen Pinball. Are you up to the challenge, warrior?
File size: 54 MB

Guitar Hero 5
For all song credits please visit www.guitarhero.com.

• “Cousins” by Vampire Weekend ($1.99)
• “Holiday” by Vampire Weekend ($1.99)
• “The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance” by Vampire Weekend ($1.99)
• Vampire Weekend Track Pack ($5.49) – Downloadable Track Pack featuring “Holiday”, “Cousins”, and “The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance” by Vampire Weekend. Please Note: Many songs are available both as singles and as part of a Track Pack, so please carefully consider your purchases before downloading.
File sizes: 24 MB – 38 MB (singles), 85 MB (track pack)

Rock Band
Build your Rock Band library by purchasing these song game tracks. For song credits, visit www.RockBand.com.

• “Grind”— Alice In Chains ($1.99)
• “Heaven Beside You”— Alice In Chains ($1.99)
• “Last of My Kind”— Alice In Chains ($1.99)
• “We Die Young”— Alice In Chains ($1.99)
• “Your Decision”— Alice In Chains ($1.99)
• Alice In Chains Pack 2 ($8.49) – Build your Rock Band library by purchasing this song game track pack: Alice In Chains Pack 02. This pack includes: “Grind,” “Heaven Beside You,” “Last of My Kind,” “We Die Young” and “Your Decision” by Alice In Chains
File sizes: 23 MB – 45 MB (singles), 172 MB (track pack)

Game Videos (free)

White Knight Chronicles International Edition Combat Trailer
File size: 127 MB (HD) 215 MB (1080)

2009 Gran Turismo Awards
File size: 183 MB (HD)

Star Ocean: The Last Hope International Debut Trailer
File size: 121 MB (HD)

SOCOM US Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3 Dev Diary #2
File size: 101 MB (HD)

2009 Virgin Mobile FreeFest Videos (x5) (US only)
File sizes: 202 MB – 232 MB (SD)

PlayStation Store for PSP

Downloadable Games (also available from PS3 storefront)

Luxor: The Wrath of Set ($9.99)
Journey across the lands of ancient Egypt with Luxor, a thrilling action-puzzle adventure. Play 123 exhilarating levels, through 20 challenging stages, using your mystical winged scarab to shoot and destroy the approaching magical spheres before they reach the pyramids at the end of their path. Unleash awesome powers through electrifying and unique power-ups such as explosive Fireballs and thundering Lightning Bolts. Experience three challenging play modes for loads of action-packed, pulse-pounding excitement!
ESRB Rated E
File size: 24 MB

PSP minis

Dynogems ($2.99)
Incredibly addictive and easy to play! Kick back and get ready to experience this new jewel in the classic “Match Three” tradition. Make fantastic combinations organizing and regrouping jewels of the same color, setting off multiple explosions and chain reactions, and even clear the screen when you get the right jewel in the right. You can also use magic items to get more powerful explosions.
ESRB Rated E
File size: 16 MB

PSP Demos (free)

Lunar: Silver Star Harmony Demo
Dragons and magic abound in this timeless adventure. In this remake of the classic RPG, Lunar: The Silver Star, explore the world of Lunar anew with updated graphics, an all new scenario and new music, while revisiting an unforgettable cast and story.
For more details, visit www.xseedgames.com
ESRB Rated T
File size: 210 MB

Add-on Game Content (also available from PS3 Storefront)

Gran Turismo PSP Car Pack (free)
Prepare for the most authentic handheld racing experience as Gran Turismo debuts on the PSP system. Prove your driving skills on 35 tracks, and trade or share more than 800 stunning cars from the world’s top manufacturers. Download this free car pack with five of the best cars in exclusive colors not available in the game.
File size: 1.02 MB

PSP Themes (also available from PS3 Storefront)

Savage Moon: The Hera Campaign Big Guns PSP Theme (free)
File size: 554 KB

Savage Moon: The Hera Campaign Red Planet PSP Theme (free)
File size: 504 KB

Savage Moon: The Hera Campaign Tower PSP Theme (free)
File size: 445 KB

Today European Product Manager Alex Pavey has let us know the official Heavy Rain PS3 Web site is now live and revealed some more details, as follows:

Hi everyone! More exciting Heavy Rain news – I’m pleased to confirm that the official Heavy Rain website is now live.

You can head over there right now to check out screenshots, character info and videos. But that’s not all – you can also find out about ‘Four Days’ – the Heavy Rain Online Experience...

‘Four Days’ is a live online mystery which plays out in real time across three weeks, beginning on January 26th. You’ll be able to get involved in the hunt for a killer – interacting with characters, identifying clues, making decisions.

Between Tuesday and Friday of each week there will be daily tasks for you to complete, or puzzles to solve. Along the way, you may well discover some cool exclusive content – but just as importantly, you won’t find any spoilers that will ruin your experience of playingHeavy Rain itself!

Look out for further updates on ‘Four Days’ over the next few weeks, and register now at the official site to make sure that you don’t miss the start of the hunt. If you do, you’ll also get a voucher code for an exclusive Home t-shirt. You may discover that there is more to it than meets the eye...

On a separate note, many of you will have seen my earlier blog entry about the Heavy Rain Special Edition; to whet your appetites even more, I thought I’d give everyone a glimpse of the full contents.

Finally, we noticed that some Heavy Rain fans have been hard at work on creating their own origami figures. It’s cool to see your creativity – so I thought I’d share the view from my desk.

Enjoy all this, and look out for more Heavy Rain updates soon... and a few snaps from the Quantic Dream studio in Paris!

Stay tuned for more PS3 Hacks news!

Read more

The PS3 is the only console that features Blu-Ray so Sony is deciding to take advantage of it. They are planning to combine both Blu-Ray and Games together.

“We are actively pushing, and the way that we see the future is that the movie and the game are placed on the same disc,” explained John Koller, director of hardware marketing for the PS3 in an interview with Video Business.

“There are a lot of developers who say, we have this game based on a movie, wouldn’t it be great to marry these concepts? We will definitely see this stuff this year.”

It certainly sounds interesting -- but Sony will have to make it cost-effective to the consumer. Simply knocking off a couple of bucks off of the full retail pricing simply will not cut it.

I'm open to any suggestions but I would also like to have other writers. If your interested email me at epicps3@gmail.com. What you can do as a writer for us is: bring us the latest news and write a review for a game or really anything that has to do with PS3. So don't hesitate, become a writer!

Thank You,
Epic PS3 Owner

There is little doubt that 2009 was a huge year for Sony. According to figures released by Sony today, The PlayStation brand generated more than $5.1 billion in revenue in the U.S. in 2009, which is a 26 percent share of the total video game industry revenue in 2009.

In December, there were some 1.3 million PS3s sold in the U.S., which represents an 87 percent increase compared to December 2008. The good news for Sony, December 2009 marks the highest selling month for PS3 hardware and software in the U.S.

It’s also pretty clear that many people purchased a PSP during the holidays, as hardware sales increased by more than 122 percent from November.

Sony released a statement today about sales in 2009, and how the future looks for the PS3. Patrick Seybold, Sr. Director of Corporate Communications at Sony Computer Entertainment America, said: “It’s no surprise we’ve seen PS3 units sold every month nearly double since October. We knew 2009 would be a turning point for the platform due to the new price and a content line up that is fueling unprecedented consumer and industry interest with games like UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves. The consumer response has simply been overwhelming and we anticipate the high demand for PS3 to continue into the coming months as we work closely with retail to meet the demand. The best part of PS3’s story today is that 2010 will offer entirely new gaming experiences to consumers as we launch MAG, God of War III, 3D gaming, and the new motion controller this year. It’s never been a better time to be a PS3 owner.”

On the software front, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was quite the seller for the PS3. It ranked in the top five software skus for December. The game has sold about 2.8 million copies on the PS3, followed by Madden NFL10, and Assassin’s Creed II. It was also revealed that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has surpassed 1 million units in North America.

-PSU

Last November, Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aime pledged that total sales of New Super Mario Bros. Wii would outperform individual versions of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 by the time January 2010 NPD data was publicly released.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii was the number-one selling game in December with sales of 2.82 million units. Wii Fit Plus was second with 2.41 million. And Wii Sports Resort ranked third with 1.79 million.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for 360 and PS3 took the fourth and fifth spots respectively with 1.63 and 1.12 million. Even when these numbers are combined for 2.75 million in sales, New Super Mario Bros. Wii remains the sales leader for the month.

Nintendo held six of the Top 10 spots on the month's top-sellers. Other games to rank included Wii Play with 1.1 million, Mario Kart Wii with 936,000 and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story for DS with 656,000 in sales.

-IGN

A new Assasin's Creed is said to be released this year or maybe between April 2010 or March 2011 which is Ubisoft's next fiscal year. The new game will include online multiplayer which is confirmed as the first of the franchise to include multiplayer.

"The 2010-11 fiscal year will see a greater number of franchise releases than in 2009-10, including Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction, a new game in the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series, Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands, Driver, Raving Rabbids 4 and a new episode of Assassin's Creed, which will be the first in the series to have an online multiplayer mode," the company said.

I've been reading around and a few people think this is going to be an online spin-off.