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).

It's one of those days, you know, the ones with a big roundup of PS3 semi-news. Fortunately, there's at least a bit of information that's more conclusive than usual, or at least indicative that more conclusive news will be coming eventually.

- This first item, however, is a bit more typical. The latest entity to chime in with doubts that PS3 will make its long-professed spring deadline is Japanese publisher Namco Bandai. Speaking to Bloomberg Japan, company president Takeo Takasu stated that "the spring release [is] impossible." After the merger of major publishers Namco and Bandai, the resultant Namco Bandai Holdings has become Japan's second-biggest video game and toy manufacturer. Namco Bandai is of course developing games for PS3, but Takasu states that "the release of the games depends on the timing of the hardware," and Sony has not given developers any indication of their marketing strategy. However, analyst Hiromu Takada explains, game makers have expected this gradual unveiling of the new consoles, so he does not expect it to significantly impact the industry. For its part, Sony has stated that while no changes to its official "spring 2006" release date have yet been announced, there may be a possibility of a delay.
- In an interview conducted by GameDaily BIZ, Game Developers Conference director Jamil Moledina suggested that Sony will in fact have information to present about PS3 during its GDC keynote. The keynote, entitled "PS3: Beyond the Box," will be presented by SCE Worldwide Studios president Phil Harrison. Moledina also noted that Nintendo's keynote by president Satoru Iwata should have interesting information as well: "With that in mind, this [Sony] GDC keynote, along with the Nintendo keynote by Satoru Iwata, have both been in development for several months, and contain significant editorial value and developer takeaway. I strongly encourage you to attend both platform keynotes."
- Chinese language website MyDrivers.com, with translation by The Inquirer, claims to have an inside source with Taiwanese manufacturer Compeq. Compeq, which manufactured parts for PSP, recently announced that it will be producing circuit boards for PS3, and MyDrivers alleges that mass production of those boards will begin by June or July. If true, it certainly rules out a spring release, but does suggest that PS3 is getting finalized and will be arriving this year rather than, as some have speculated, 2007.

French language site Gamekult.com reports that three game design luminaries have been granted knighthoods within France's Order of Arts and Letters. Two of the recipients of the honor are French: Frederick Raynal, creator of Alone in the Dark and and the Twinsen series (known as Little Big Adventure in various territories), and Michel Ancel, creator of Rayman and the excellent Beyond Good & Evil (PS2, Xbox, GCN, PC). The Order also accepts non-French contributors to the arts, however, and this year Nintendo design head Shigeru Miyamoto is also being knighted. He has the distinguished honor of sharing the rank with past non-French recipients such as James Joyce, Jackson Pollock, William Faulkner, and Oscar Peterson, as well as the slightly more suspicious Danielle Steele and Celine Dion.

Orbital Media sent word today that its 2D GBA and DS action title Scurge: Hive, which has undergone long delays, is currently slated for a release in "early June." Orbital also included a render of the game's main character.

Namco Bandai today announced One Piece: Pirates' Carnival for PS2. Based on the comic series and TV series, Pirates' Carnival is an "over-the-top party game" with over 30 mini-games. It supports up to four players competing on a game board to become King of the Pirates. Few details were revealed, but the game should ship this spring. - Press release.

Publisher Success has announced a DS entry in the Metal Saga series, alongside the previously announced PS2 game. The DS game's title translates to Metal Saga: Season of Steel, and is being designed by series creator Hiroshi Miyaoka. The game is entirely 2D in an isometric perspective.

Publisher THQ announced today that it has signed a three-game deal with in-game advertising firm Double Fusion to facilitate marketing campaigns within the games. THQ's Kelly Flock said, "In-game advertising opens up new revenue opportunities for the company, and helps us deliver an exceptionally strong communications channel to our brand and marketing partners." It was not stated which games would be affected by the deal, though they include "new, original properties for next-gen and licensed properties scheduled for release this fall." - Press release.

In-game advertising has been a hot topic recently, with various agencies recently signing deals with major publishers. Last month, Double Fusion entered into a similar agreemenet with publisher Midway.

Game Informer chats with Clover Studio president about The Game You Will Buy (PS2).

GameSpot has a developer interview on EA's The Godfather (PS2, Xbox, PSP, PC).

EA sends over a target render for Superman Returns: The Videogame (PS2, Xbox, GCN, X360, PC), also explaining what's going on in the scene and what exactly a "target render" is.