At last, an answer to that pesky imaging problem when older PlayStation 2 games are popped into a PS3.

Sony has released a free download that enhances the imaging quality of older games and even movies. It also allows users to watch stored video and more through the Internet via the PlayStation Portable.

According to a report from KomoTV.com, "The software will also work to adjust the image quality of movies so they will look much better on the PS3, which is equipped to deliver higher image quality through next-generation Blu-ray disc technology.

Up to now, people could use the PlayStation Portable to watch content stored in their PS3 through a wireless local area network.

With the upgrade, users will be able to use PlayStation Portables to check out music, photos and video stored in their PS3 machines at home, while on the go, even from abroad, wherever there's an Internet connection. But they won't be able to play PS3 games on their portable console."

This sounds like a very important upgrade for the PS3 in a particular. The ability to play older games on the machine was a draw for gamers waiting for bigger and better PS3 titles to arrive. But, with the imaging issues, some of the fun was sucked right out of the proposition.

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Labels: playstation network, playstation portable, ps2, ps3

Courtesy of The EPN and Namco Bandai, the Igniq.com tradition of giving continues.

This time around we have a $20 gift card to GameStop or EB Games courtesy of the two to give away in honor of the recent launch of Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection for download on the PlayStation Network. The card roughly covers the cost of the download.

The Tekken 5 download is a big one. It took us quite some time to get through it, but it was worth it. The game looks great and is a fun play.

To get in on the gift card giveaway, answer this question correctly: What anniversary did the Tekken franchise recently celebrate?

E-mail answers to sherri@igniq.com. Eligible contestants must live in North America and must answer the question correctly. The deadline is May 19. The winner will be drawn shortly thereafter.

Now, in regard to our .hack://g.u. giveaway, the brand new copy goes out to Krista Edlen in Florida, who was among those who correctly placed the world of Norrath with the MMORPG EverQuest. Congratulations Krista! Your game will be mailed out this week!

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Labels: free video game, namco, namco bandai, playstation network, tekken 5

Sony Computer Entertainment let the cat out of the bag about its big, free promotion to make the PlayStation 3 a little bit different than anything else out there. Taking tips from the MMORPG Second Life and the Wii with its adorable Miis, Sony plans to make gamers feel right at “Home.”

Home is a new service that will launch sometime this fall that will offer gamers a detailed 3D sort of game within the game.

From Sony’s media release, “Home is a real-time online 3D, networked community available on the PLAYSTATION®Network. It allows PS3 users to interact, communicate, join online games, shop, share private content and even build and show off their own personal spaces to others in real time. Home will be available as a free download from the PLAYSTATION®Store and will launch directly from XMB™ (XrossMediaBar) on PS3.”

Users will get to create their own avatars and customize them to their own liking. They also will have their own in-game apartments where they can have others over to see their gaming trophies, watch videos, show off pictures and so on.

“This is a significant step forward in the area of user community services and emergent entertainment experiences,” said Izumi Kawanishi, Corporate Executive and CTO Software, SCEI. “While the 3D graphics demonstrate the power of PS3 and the PLAYSTATION Network, the most impressive feature in Home is the variety of ways in which multiple consumers, as well as our third-party partners, can experience the next generation of communication by interacting and sharing among each other. I feel strongly that this unique blend of community, user-generated content, collaboration and commerce will expand the future of computer entertainment.”

The new Home project goes into closed beta this spring with the full launch set for sometime this fall.

I’m personally not sure what to think about this. Granted, games like Second Life have an impressive following, but I’m having trouble seeing a hard-cord PS3 gamer that’s been pulled in by the power wanting to sit around and show home movies in a cyber apartment. I'm just not sure this is the kind of PS3-targeted game fans were looking for.

Maybe it’s just me?

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Labels: home, PlayStation 3, playstation network, ps3, second life, sony, Wii

Sony’s making sure European PlayStation 3 buyers don’t miss out on some serious racing action when the console arrives next month. Gran Turismo HD Concept will be available March 23, just in time for the launch.

The fully playable, one-track sneak preview of the game will be available for free download via the PlayStation Store over the PlaySation Network. The North American launch of the demo was so popular, Sony's servers couldn't handle it.

According to a Sony media release, players get to start with a single car on the Eiger Nordwand track in the Swiss Alps. When that track’s completed, a new car is unlocked. Players that are really good can even manage to unlock a Ferrari 599. The game’s time trail will also kick off the first Gran Turismo online ranking system.

The actual new Gran Turismo isn’t due out for a long while, so gamers should savor the demo while they can.

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Labels: gran turismo hd, PlayStation 3, playstation network, ps3

Sony’s Phil Harrison has let the cat out of the bag about Sony’s intention to add movie downloads to the PlayStation Network.

"We made a very conscious decision in putting a hard drive in every machine and a minimum of 20GB, 60GB and who knows in the future, maybe that will rise. You know, that tends to be a trend," Harrison has been quoted as saying. "The decision we made to put a hard drive in every PlayStation 3 was because we saw the long term benefit. The ten year plan of allowing people to download all kinds of digital content to their PlayStation 3 -- not just games but movies, music, HD, standard definition TV, you name it. And that was a significant investment, but it was absolutely the right thing to do."

The news comes as little surprise as Microsoft is already in the field. Its movie and TV download service over Xbox Live Marketplace is a big hit, with gamers fast realizing their Xboxes can be used for a whole lot more than games.

As 1UP aptly points out, Sony is a in great position going into the proposition due to its Sony Music and Sony Pictures divisions. Content should not be an issue for the company.

Hopefully, more news on this will be coming soon. Lots of questions remain, including pricing, content, a launch date and whether or not IPTV will go along with the deal. No matter what, though, this is good news for PS3 owners that bought to make the console a part of a total entertainment package.

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Labels: PlayStation 3, playstation network, ps3, xbox live