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Sony has confirmed that the DualShock 3 wireless controller for PlayStation 3 will be available for purchase in European territories on July 4.
Originally released in Japan in November 2007, the DualShock 3 will retail for approximately GBP 39.99 and brings vibration functionality to a wide range of existing PS3 games, provided the user has installed Firmware update 1.94 on their console. The majority of future titles will also incorporate this technology, with the DualShock 3 acting as a permanent replacement to the Sixaxis controller.
David Reeves, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) commented, “We are delighted to confirm that DUALSHOCK 3 will be released in SCEE territories in early July. We hope this will add to the intense gaming experience for our fans, as we continue to evolve PS3, its software and its peripherals.” [PSU]

Sony has revealed its intention to revitalize the development community for its PlayStation Portable console, with plans to back the handheld gaming system for the next ten years.
Speaking with Pocket Gamer, Sony Europe’s Vice President of Publisher and Developer Relations, Zeno Colaco, commented: “We definitely have the ambition for it to feature very strongly in the future, both on its own and also complimentary to PlayStation Network environment and the PS3.”
“But we’ll have to wait a while before we can fully reveal the direction we’re going in. Ten years is certainly the long-term plan though.”
“We need to revitalise the developer community to get behind PSP,” said Colaco.
“For example, it’s easy to make a DS-type game for a PSP game in terms of cost and speed of development and we will be looking to do encourage that as we continue to develop the PSP. I’m not just talking about the hardware but the services and the business models and the support, too.”
“Our sales for PSP is over 37 million units, which is huge, particularly when you take into account the level of third-party sales there are for PSP compared to DS.”
“So from my perspective, what’s important is we continue to tell publishers and developers that there’s an opportunity to make money on PSP, which is something that will become apparent over the next two years as the network services are developed.” [PSU]

During the Interactive & Digital Entertainment Festival in Paris, Sony Computer Entertainment is rumored to have announced that God of War III will be revealed at the E3 expo next month.
Currently, the only confirmed details on God of War III are that it will run in 1080p HD resolution and utilize both Sixaxis and DualShock 3 functionality. Other rumored details include talk of cooperative modes and online gameplay.
With Sony possibly set on unveiling God of War III at E3 next month, we can only wait with bated breath. If shown, we are expecting new details on game and a teaser trailer at the very least. Stay tuned to PSU.com for information as we’ll be attending E3 in July. [PSU]

According to the rumor mill in the August issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Kratos is to appear as a PS3 exclusive character in Soul Calibur IV.
The magazine states that Kratos will be the next PS3 character revealed, so if the rumor is in fact true, we should be seeing something soon. Also, this will be the first look at Kratos on next gen hardware, and possibly a first glimpse at what to expect from God of War III. Obviously if Kratos appears in SCIV, Namco has cut some deal with Sony, and could be sharing actual assets or character concepts from the upcoming PS3 exclusive.

Update: We have received word from Namco Bandai on the recent rumor, however, as you’d expect, the PR department cannot confirm or deny the rumor.

“We don’t comment on rumors or speculations,” said a Namco Bandai representative. [NeoGaf via PSU]

Preempting Intel’s official launch of its latest Centrino 2 mobile processors, PC makers and chip resellers are leaking processor details by letting customers preorder the chip through channels and in laptops. The Centrino 2 platform, codenamed Montevina, is an upgrade to Intel’s current Centrino platform and will include five Core 2 processors running at clock speeds between 2.26GHz and 3.06GHz. The chip will also come with WiMax support.
Due by the end of June, the launch of the chip was later delayed to July due to chipset problems. It is now due July 14. The processors are being offered by Santech , a European PC vendor, in its X46 laptop. The laptop will support up to 4G bytes of RAM, include a 15.4-inch display, WiMax capabilities and wireless A/G/N networking. The X46 prices begin at €619 (US$963).
View: The full story @ InfoWorld

The head of BFG Technologies, a well-known Nvidia-exclusive supplier of graphics cards, admitted in an interview that Intel Corp.’s highly anticipated code-named Larrabee graphics processing unit (GPU) would change the market of graphics processors, however, he still said that Nvidia would be able to remain on top.
“Next year we’re going to see a completely different competitive landscape and it will change how people buy graphics cards,” said Scott Herkelman, the president of BFG Technologies, said in an interview with Hexus web-site.

View: The full story @ Xbit Labs

Intel plans to launch three Nehalem-based quad-core processors (Bloomfield) at the end of the fourth quarter this year targeting the company’s new LGA1366 socket, according to sources at motherboard makers.
Although official model names have not yet been set, the CPUs are currently identified by the codenames XE, P1 and MS3 with core frequencies of 3.2GHz, 2.93GHz and 2.66GHz, respectively. All three have a TDP of 130W, 8MB L3 cache and will support simultaneous multi-threading (SMT) technology, the sources detailed
View: The full story @ DigiTimes

It appears that Sony and Konami may have underestimated the consumer demand for a PlayStation 3 bundled with Metal Gear Solid 4.
The MGS4 exclusive bundles seem to have been swept up as soon as they hit shelves. The bundle which was paired with an 80GB PS3, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (regular edition), a Dualshock 3 and a voucher for a free download of PAIN from the PlayStation Store.
“Due to overwhelming demand, the product is currently unavailable. The new estimated time of arrival date for when this will be available is the beginning of July,” a Sony Style representative said.
Amazon.com has even gone as far as to instill a MGS4 pack policy in order to ensure gamers are able to get their hands on this hot seller: “As you may know, the PlayStation 3 80 GB Metal Gear Solid 4 Pack (“PS3 80GB MGS4 Pack”) is in great demand, and there are limited quantities of this product across the U.S. In an effort to provide as many customers as possible with the opportunity to purchase a PS3 80GB MGS4 Pack, we are limiting the total number of PS3 80GB MGS4 Packs that can be purchased. As a result, each household may only purchase one PS3 80GB MGS4 Pack total.”
While Sony has yet to provide any details on the stock of the bundle nor has it mentioned anything about a potential street date for the next wave of MGS4 bundles.
“While we can’t provide specifics on inventory levels, the Metal Gear Solid 4 PlayStation 3 bundle is a limited-edition offering that’s experiencing high demand from Metal Gear and PlayStation enthusiasts,” the SCEA statement read. “We’re pleased with the strong consumer interest in the bundle and are working to ensure that additional shipments are provided to retailers.” [ZoonShare]

It seems as though last weeks announcement of the soon to be released firmware version 2.40 has sent the internet ablaze with speculation as to when it would be going live. From a recent posting on the PlayStation Blog, Eric Lempel revealed that the new firmware would provide in-game access to the PS3’s “Xross Media Bar,” PSN Trophies, and some new features that have yet to be announced.
Many have wondered what format these PSN Trophies would be presented in and it seems that the internet has found a way to leak out a screenshot of a PSN trophy card. Coming from an insider tip from a contributor known as “The Patriots” over at PS3Fanboy, this person revealed the first indications of what PS3 owners could possibly expect upon release of Firmware version 2.40.
The screenshot shows the user’s avatar in the upper left hand corner of the Trophy Card with a breakdown of the user’s trophy collection. The collection is broken down into four categories: Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze, however details are a bit hazy on what merits each. The Trophy Card also seems to have 3 pages (the two pages featured below are unofficially labeled “gamercard” and “compare”), which appear to be able to be cycled through with the L1 and R1 buttons, but again, no formal indications are given to their specific functionality. [PSU]

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A rare Mac OS X Trojan has been spotted on the internet. The AppleScript-THT Trojan horse exploits a vulnerability within the Apple Remote Desktop Agent to load itself with root privileges onto compromised Mac machines. The malware, which is capable of infecting Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5 boxes, surrenders control of compromised systems to hackers.
Keystroke logging on compromised systems, taking pictures (using the built-in Apple iSight camera) or capturing screenshots are among the hacker exploits enabled by the malware, Mac security outfit SecureMac reports. The malware weaves its malicious spell while attempting to remain undetected by opening ports in the firewall and turning off system logging.
View: The full story @ The Reg