Late Night Consoling

Owners of PlayStation 3 and PSP can now use their portable systems to play classic PlayStation games purchased through the PlayStation Store. Currently, the games can only be downloaded through PS3, and can only be played after being transferred via USB to a Memory Stick-equipped PSP, but Sony has promised to bring PS3-compatible versions of games to the store. The company has also indicated that at some point it will provide alternative means of purchasing the PSP versions of the games, through PSP itself or through a PC.

Currently, the five following games are available, each for a purchase price of $5.99:

- CoolBoarders (UEP Systems, Sony Computer Entertainment America) (283MB)
- Crash Bandicoot (Naughty Dog Software, Sony Computer Entertainment America) (469MB)
- Hot Shots Golf 2 (Clap Hanz, Sony Computer Entertainment America) (157MB)
- Syphon Filter (Eidetic, Sony Computer Entertainment America) (385MB)
- Tekken 2 (Namco, Namco Bandai Games America)

The description of each game includes a disclaimer that "this title has been converted from the original PlayStation disc to the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system" and that as a result, features such as original PlayStation peripheral support and multiplayer modes will not function.

Publisher Take-Two Interactive Software has announced an agreement with dynamic in-game advertising firm Double Fusion to provide in-game ads in up to nine games from Take-Two's 2K and 2K Sports labels. Today's announcement did not include details of what games or franchises would make use of Double Fusion's ads, though it did clarify that Double Fusion would not act as the exclusive ad provider for 2K's games on the Xbox and Xbox 360 platforms. The deal gives Double Fusion in-game ad exclusivity for the relevant 2K games on all other platforms, including last- and current-gen home consoles, portables, and PC.

This week's Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday release was announced by Microsoft today to be Naked Sky Entertainment's single-player puzzle/action game RoboBlitz. RoboBlitz has gained some notoriety for being the first Xbox Live Arcade game to be built on Epic's Unreal Engine 3, as well as for making use of procedurally generated textures which allowed the formerly 500MB+ game to become a sub-50MB game suitable for release through Xbox Live Arcade. The game runs

RoboBlitz is also available through Valve's Steam service for $14.95, and a demo is available on FileShack.

As announced last week, today Microsoft opened initial registration for the upcoming Halo 3 multiplayer beta test on Xbox 360. Gamers can sign up over at the official Halo 3 site. Only those residing in the United States or Canada, of a minimum age of 17 years, will be considered. Participants must own an Xbox 360 and have an active Xbox Live Gold subscription. Microsoft has indicated that registration details for European gamers are to follow. In a note to press today, Microsoft stated that that registration "is not limited to a first-come-first-served basis" and that the company will be providing "additional ways to gain access in the coming weeks." The test is scheduled to start this spring.

The new CG trailer for Halo 3 is also now freely downloadable via Xbox Live Marketplace.

In an attempt to downplay potentially negative effects the PlayStation brand may see in Australia thanks to the machine's high price and its release delay in that region, Sony Australia & New Zealand general manager Nic Foster inadvertently praised the machine's competition. Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Foster suggested that consumers will be able to identify the PS3's many entertainment functions. "Gamers are extremely aware of what they're after and what they want," he said. "So gamers will already have a very good understanding of what PlayStation 3 offers versus what Wii offers and many of them will probably have both devices." When it came to outlining what distinguishes the PS3 and Nintendo's Wii, however, Foster was surprisingly charitable to his company's opponent. "Wii is a core gaming device. It's a more fun, intuitive sort of product to pick up," he said, "where the PS3 is a broader entertainment solution." Foster went on to point out the PS3's various multimedia functions such as Blu-ray movie playback, and access to photos and music.

PlayStation 3 will launch in Australia in March 2007 at a retail price of AU$829 (US$654.58) for the 20GB model and AU$999 (US$788.81) for the 60GB model.

Burger King and Microsoft recently launched a marketing campaign that saw the release of three Blitz Games-developed Xbox and Xbox 360 games sold in Burger King Restaurants. Today, the fast good giant was revealed to be involved in a marketing effort with another major video game publisher as Konami announced a tie-in program promoting the company's well known Dance Dance Revolution series of rhythm games. From December 4 to December 31, participating restaurants will include Dance Dance Revolution toys in Kids Meals, and Burger King will include DDR-themed marketing in its food packaging and television commercials.

The campaign is in support of the recently released Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA (PS2) and Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 4 (Xbox) as well as the upcoming Dance Dance Revolution Universe (X360).