ShackNews reports that PS3 firmware version 1.94 — included on Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction — will include rumble support. Players will be able to toggle the rumble support by pressing the Playstation button. However, rumble will only be enabled on the dual-shock controllers — the ones Sony has yet to release.

Most of you are very familiar with the statements that Sony has previously made regarding rumble. However, they have realized the error of their ways — or rather, worked out things with their legal issues — and is now ready to make your fingers vibrate once again.

Is this that important of a feature to y’all? Personally I enjoy the feature when it is there, but it isn’t something that I miss when I play my handheld games. Hell, it’s not even something I miss when playing Warhawk. I just don’t get it.

Chufmoney

Well, it’s almost NPD time again, and this month should continue a trend for the interesting; July’s numbers showed the PS3’s inability to beat the 360 even after a hundred dollar price cut on one model of the system, while August showed a precipitous drop in PS3 sales from the previous month while the 360 posted solid numbers amid a phenomenal showing for both Bioshock and Madden 2008 on the system. Meanwhile, the Wii continued to coast along on word of mouth and the excitement of scarcity, while its highest profile title in months posted a surprisingly subdued first week of sales.

This summer has defied conventional logic, with solid sellers for June, July, and August. But September is where things are going to get really interesting.  The 360 entered the month at a lower hardware price, and a new SKU released. Then of course, there’s the release of Halo 3, which many have long stipulated would be a mover of consoles for the platform. Meanwhile, one of the PS3’s most anticipated games debuted this month to terrible critical reception, and the weight fell on Heavenly Sword to pick up the slack and hopefully boost the PS3’s hardware numbers. Michael Pachter is now going so far as to predict that the 360 might even beat the Wii in sales numbers this month for the first time in almost a year:
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Gameindustry.biz has learned that the PSP will get original titles, via the Playstation Network, in 2008. The store will also carry demos of retail releases and PS1 titles. All the PSP merchandise is scheduled to be available to find, purchase, and download to the PSP, via any wireless hotspot.

According to the Gameindustry source, thirteen games are being developed internally for release in the Playstation Store. Sony is also hopeful that more developers will jump at the chance to make downloadable games, as the cutting out of the middle man — fuck you, Gamestop — will make it more lucrative for both Sony and the publisher.

While this sounds amazing in theory, I have my doubts as to whether it will actually happen as they say. Sony is not in a position where they can screw with retailers, as evidenced by the release of Warhawk in both retail and downloadable forms, making we here at ESG pretty sure that whatever games come out for download will be released in some sort of retail form as well (hellllooo game bundles).

Chufmoney

I’ve been wracking my brain for the last week trying to figure out what it is that’s so turning me off of TGS this year. Something about it, and the Japanese gaming scene in general lately, has been nagging at me, worrying at the back of my mind, telling me that there’s some strange connection between a number of separate things. And finally, in the last day or so, it’s hit me: Fear. Fear is the connection here.
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