Late Night Consoling

Sony yesterday stated that it still plans to launch its PlayStation 3 console next spring, a goal the company has previously announced. Presumably, this refers to the Japanese release of ths system, though no territories were specified. It is unlikely that Sony will follow Microsoft's lead with a semi-worldwide simultaneous release. For one thing, PS3 uses even newer tech than Xbox 360, with a Blu-ray player and Sony's Cell processor. Also, with PS2 as the market leader in all major territories, Sony would be dealing with even more daunting supply issues than Microsoft, which for example faces relatively low demand in Japan compared to Sony.

Electronic Arts CEO Larry Probst, however, said several days ago that he does not believe Sony will bring its machine to market until at least fall of next year. Again, it is not clear if this refers to the machine's release in North America or in Japan, where EA does much less business.

Sony has a vested interest in launching PS3 next spring, as that is when the Blu-ray consortium plans to launch its would-be successor to DVD. Sony is the driving force behind Blu-ray, and its stated primary means for dealing with competitor HD-DVD is by ensuring that Blu-ray is fitted into a machine consumers will want whether they care about Blu-ray or not--that is, the PlayStation 3. This will put a large quantity of Blu-ray players into households automatically, making Sony's task of getting people to buy the actual Blu-ray media easier. The HD-DVD group, spearheaded by Toshiba, has been publically skeptical in recent months about Sony's ability to launch a fully capable version of Blu-ray in a timely fashion. Sony reiterated that it and other manufacturers will have additional Blu-ray hardware and content out by the planned release period.

Microsoft has added eight of Tom Clancy's titles to its list of list of Xbox games compatible with Xbox 360 (though for some reason only six are listed as "new"). They are Ghost Recon, Ghost Recon 2, Ghost Recon 2 Summit Strike, Rainbow Six 3, Rainbow Six 3 Black Arrow, Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow, and Splinter Cell Chaos Theory. Additionally, the "Monk Zheng content" from the limited edition of Jade Empire which was previously 360-incompatible is now working. Gamers who wish to play any of those games on Xbox 360 can now download the compatibility code through Xbox Live.

It seems that additions to the list might come on a monthly basis; the Monk Zheng note calls this "the December 2005 update."

Japanese publication Shonen Jump has revealed that Square Enix and Tri-Ace will be developing a prequel to Tri-Ace's 2000 RPG Valkyrie Profile (PS1). Set hundreds of years before the original game--ever notice how nobody seems to want to make actual SEQUELS anymore?--it is the story of valkyrie Silmeria (sister of Valkyrie Profile's Lenneth), whose soul is trapped in the body of Alisha, princess of Dipan . The game will ship at some point in 2006 and is expected to be displayed at a Shonen Jump event next week.

Square Enix is also working on porting the original Valkyrie Profile over to PSP. It will be renamed Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth in reference to the game's protagonist, and should be released in Japan next March.

Xbox 360 owners now have the opportunity to play Backgammon, Hearts, and Spades over Xbox Live. Those three titles have been released through Xbox Live Arcade for 400 Marketplace Points ($5) each, the usual price point for less complex games purchased through the service.

If you missed out on Konami's second and third Castlevania entries for the Game Boy Advance, Harmony of Dissonance and Aria of Sorrow, you'll soon be able to pick them up on one cartridge for a combined price of $29.99. Konami's statement was sure to mention that series director Koji Igarashi is in charge of the bundle, which seems a little odd considering no new actual development was announced.

A 1UP-hosted blog by Jason Cross has an analysis of the Xbox 360's launch that's completely by the numbers, concluding that in terms of the launch lineup it's basically no better or worse than launch lineups have been in recent years.

1UP speaks with Microsoft's Peter Moore about the Japanese Xbox 360 launch.

GameSpot has a video interview on Sonic Team's The Rub Rabbits (DS) (formerly Where Do Babies Come From?).