Eurogamer Editor Tom Bramwell is our man on the ground. He's not inside yet.
Sony gamescom 2010 conference
New PS3 SKUs! New Ratchet! Resistance 3! More.
Sony's gamescom 2010 conference is over. Euro-boss Andrew House stepped on stage to unveil two new PlayStation 3 SKUs with bigger hard-drives and two new titles from Insomniac Games. All that and more besides.
Eurogamer covered the event live. Our blow by blow account can be found below, with the earliest entries presented first.
Our live coverage of this event has finished.
Coverage
Hello! We have braved rain, broken 3G internet dongles and countless new business models but we are in and ready for Sony's gamescom press conference.
We're sat on benches and plastic chairs among all sorts of weird neon lights and exposed brickwork. There aren't many seats. Some people look unimpressed by this.
Nothing has happened yet. A big screen in front of us says "SCEE Exclusive Preview Event" and has people jumping around being lifestyle on it. Chirpy music has escaped from the eighties and joined us to ramp up the funk.
Silver-haired games industry legends David Reeves and John Riccitiello are in attendance. Expect some EA presence judging by what the PR just said to us [the Medal of Honor live demonstration mentioned in EA's press conference earlier -Ed]
"Gotta be startin' something," sings Jacko. You'd hope.
Still nothing. Lots of people standing around drinking wine and laughing. It's possible we're accidentally live-texting a wedding.
Riccitiello is in front row. Silverness: extreme. He's whistling to try to get someone's attention - it's Kaz Hirai! Drama before our very eyes.
They've been joined by a blonde woman. Now they're all talking. This is riveting.
[Eurogamer news editor Wesley Yin-Poole captures the scene on camera: http://twitpic.com/2fnd4o -Ed]
Kaz is holding a plastic cup. We cannot confirm its contents. More as this develops.
Wes speculates that they're discussing PS4. Perhaps they're debating whether Sony plans to have a press conference at its press conference.
Kaz drink update: apple juice. We'll try to collect the cup and give it away on the podcast [the new episode of which is out today -Ed].
Riccitiello's gesticulating.
Kaz is laughing. John's watch keeps blinding me with reflections. Still no sign of the show starting.
Oh come on you numpties, I haven't had anything to eat all day and I want a jagerschnitzel.
START! Passion Pit over LittleBigPlanet 2 video. Gran Turismo 5. Killzone 3. God of War PSP. Hustle Kings.
PAC-Man, Invizimals, Dead Nation. Love this song. Snippets of SingStar online videos. Patapon 3. Sly Trilogy. EyePet.
The Move edition of EyePet, that is. MotorStorm Apocalypse. Buzz Music. SOCOM...
Music drops and Andrew House is in the house! He's sorry he's late.
He says he tried to get Kevin Butler over but now he's too famous.
This will be fun, short and informative with a focus on how PlayStation is performing in Europe, apparently.
But mostly he wants to focus on games and give us free bratwurst bitte.
Last year's gamescom conference was "pivotal", he says, pointing us back to the announcement of the PS3 Slim. "That was the instant PS3 sprang to life."
It's continued to this day, he says. Never mind what the competition does, the momentum is "firmly in our favour".
Global PS3 sales are now over 38 million, with 16 million of those in Europe.
PS3 software sales are up 38 per cent against the prevailing conditions. He's citing Metacritic scores: PS3 average is 80 per cent compared to the Xbox 360 average of 77 per cent, he says.
Now he's talking LittleBigPlanet. This November Sony launches the sequel. You can create levels but also games. We're going to watch a video.
More Passion Pit. You can never have enough. Ellie Goulding next, please.
It's a lot of footage of Sackboy doing fun things. Mostly running and jumping around colourful environments.
You can customise the music, cinematics, etc. and share the results. "Create big drama in a little universe."
House says PS3 will "maintain leadership" with two new models of PS3 with larger disks.
From 15th September you can get a bundle of 320GB PS3, Move kit for EUR 349. EUR 299 will get you a 160GB console - gradually replacing the existing unit.
PlayTV Live Chat is due soon, too. This is what we've known as PlayTV 2.
This upgrade brings "community functionality". You can discuss stuff with people watching the same things.
You can also recommend programmes on Facebook, find like-minded people and more.
Film service MUBI is coming as well. This will be free to download and stream classic, indie and international cinema.
Quality is the key to the MUBI library, says House. Also has community features and a social network, director bios, trailers. "A never ending film festival." Available in 18 countries from October.
We're seeing film footage from classic films that I am too culturally immature to recognise. No sign of Deep Blue Sea, the film Jaws 2 wishes it was.
House is now talking PSN and how it's relevant to a broad audience. ModNation community has created 1 million pieces of content. PSN has a 70 per cent connection rate.
Catch-up TV - eg. BBC iPlayer - has been useful, too. ITV will be coming soon.
These won't be the last channels either, he says. He also listed some for Spain, Australia and elsewhere.
Now he's seguing into PSP. Strong future, yo. Sold 9.9 million units last year. Global sales include 20 million in Sony Europe regions alone.
He's even mentioning PS2! Sales of over 146 million worldwide, and projecting 6 million this year alone. "Plenty of life in the old dog yet." Yes he said that.
Gran Turismo 5 due out on 3rd November. A flutter of applause. A woop!
inFamous 2 is on the way as well, and House is bigging it up by showing us a video.
Music update: House of the Rising Sun. Might do this at karaoke later.
Nice video. The camera pans slowly through frozen scenes of violence.
Now it unpauses and we see Cole McGrath being electric again.
Time for Medal of Honor, says Housey.
Greg Goodrich, executive producer of MOH, is on stage. His beard is epic.
We're goig to see a demo of a level called Gunfighters. Mike Somebody from Linkin Park is going to play through it, bizarrely [Or not, given the debut of their single over a MOH trailer, TOM -Ed]
They've done a song for it apparently. Mike doesn't look stoned at all.
He's co-piloting a chopper over sprawling mountainous terrain. He's spamming a convoy with macine-gun fire.
It's just like watching WikiLeaks!
He's circling a camp, shooting RPG-toting guys next to mud buildings.
The radio chatter is pretty immersive. He's firing 'mashies' and carving holes in walls with them.
Boom! RPG to the face! Mission failed. Applause. "It's a tight game," says Mike. Thanks Mike.
House is back and wants to talk about Move. He's going over pricing again. "Very accessible for all gamers."
It's unique because it enhances all sorts of genres, reckons House - from Heavy Rain to Killzone 3.
MAG is getting Move functionality, too, apparently. Not sure we knew that.
The music has taken a real downturn. I am boycotting the soundtrack and singing In Between Days to myself instead.
Echochrome 2 looks quite interesting with Move.
Sorcery still looks like a lawsuit.
Virtua Tennis 4, eh? It's in the Move reel.
House draws attention to it. It will also have 3D functionality on top of Move controls.
We're now going to see Killzone 3 multiplayer.
A man is stabbed. A gun is turreted. A mech is piloted. A pack is jetted.
Not much detail there but hopefully we'll hear more at the show tomorrow.
House says Sony is committed to being at the forefront of the 3D revolution: "something that will be even more apparent in the next 12 months".
3D glasses time. "It's like taking a time trip back to a '50s cinema." I probably wouldn't have said that.
Music sounds like Julian Casablancas. Showing a game called Tumble that looks Jenga-like.
Mortal Kombat is a bit freakish in 3D. Virtua Tennis quite effective.
Lots of applause for all that. It's a long-term initiative for Sony, says House.
Evolution Studios guys are here to talk MotorStorm Apocalypse. They appear to be 3D.
Matt Southern is nooooorthern, and he says 3D is going to change gaming forever! "Literally a new dimension."
Judging speed, distance to corners and the feeling of progress is much greater, he adds.
"It's such a natural next step for racing games, which is why most of the world's top racing drivers are trained on the latest 3D simulators."
"[3D] nails the gonzo insanity of our games."
Du wurdest first. Not third place then. Game's out in spring.
Andrew House has one more guest: it's Ted Price from Insomniac.
Ted says he still loves Sony even though they're going multi-format with EA. They've also lengthened development cycles to three years.
The new game is by their North Carolina studio and being presented by a man called Chad.
It's a new Ratchet game called Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One. [It's a four-player online and same screen drop-in, drop-out co-op game coming to PS3 in Fall 2011, according to Insomniac's Twitter -Ed]
It's multiplayer co-op. Ratchet and Clank are joined by Captain Qwark and Dr Nefarious. Ratchet & Clank: All Four One.
Play side-to-side or online. Isometric presentation. You can throw friends over gaps.
Running, jumping, blasting, collecting bolts... There are collaborative weapons like an electric tether.
The four climb on a gun that fires them across the sky onto a distant platform. Where they shoot guys. There's a constant banter between the characters.
Still has things like the slingshot, but now you can sling four people daisychained together.
The guys divide and conquer a group of big old robots and then a huge one bursts in through a nearby glass panel, so they team up to take him down.
Bits fall off the - dare I say it - crab-like robot as they nail him repeatedly [not sure you can say that either -Ed].
Hurrah he's dead. And the demo's over.
One more thing, says Ted...
Trailer of a train and a man running for it. Sepia ahoy. Looks olden.
["Oh, you wanted Resistance? Well why not two games? We are also incredibly excited to (finally) announce Resistance 3. Coming to PS3 in 2011!" from the Insomniac Twitter -Ed]
People on the train look despondent and filthy. Aliens on the horizon. Must be Resistance 3...
Good music on this. Blood on a railroad crossing. Ruined towns. Sirens. Darkness.
They're coming. Boom boom alien boom!
Resistance 3. No date. House is back.
There are "a few more we've yet to share" for this year, apparently, but for now that's it. Thanks Housey! And thank you, Eurogamers. We're out. To Passion Pit!
Latest comments
Ho hum. Anyway. You ain't seen me, right?
The specs have already been accurately reported elsewhere, now it's just a matter of time before the photos hit the net. After that it'll be a case of all bag and no cat.
Sony have said Last Guardian will be at TGS. Its a Jap based game so no shocks there
I hope there is some announcement at TGS next month.
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/gc-10-...
/ Ken
Nothing to spectacular content wise though. But Ratchet All 4 one sparks interest and that Infamous trailer was nice (they're already on the PS blog)
One day, I will be playing an FPS where I can shoot monsters in the face. In 3D. From the couch. Without twin sticking.
This is how Charlie felt when he found the golden ticket.
Yay!
There you go!!
I so want to watch this live
Edit - Yay thay announced it!
Another Virtua Tennis is ace though.
!
Bwahahahahahahaaha!
Yes, because he can read minds and knows exactly what they are going to discuss in advance.
I fucking wish someone would shoot an RPG at Linkin Park.
Did he unlock it when he reached level 50?
That jokes a bit old now. It's been old since E3 2010.
...2015
You know what i meant
http://en.justin.tv/puchi_#/w/323189280/2
I just spat my corn flakes out misreading that as 'PS3 with larger dicks'
Sorry guys!
PS - I wish metacritic would die.
Anyone else now got the voice of the dude from Little Britain saying "bitty!" in their heads?
And..... CUE PIE CHARTS!
/jihad on eurogamer
Edit - Nice shout out on Passion Pit, all is forgiven.
Hahaha lolololol roofle lmao - That joke never gets old
Oh, wait, yes it does. Got old back in 2006.
If the Ed's doing the liveblog, then who's Edding the Ed?
Enquiring minds, etc...
I respectfully disagree. Nevertheless a release date is mundane news. Even if it's LBP2 or Halo. Maybe if it was Duke Nukem Forever, maybe.
http://qik.com/afsis/videos
Hmmm.... Singstar: Michael Jackson anyone?
http://qik.com/video/10824064
Yes, the date is confirmed. My point is that I cannot see EG ever describing a potential release date announcement for a game such as Halo or Gears of War as mundane. I'm actually quite looking forward to a release date for LBP2. As are a lot of other people. How is that mundane news in any way? It's not like EG have already reviewed the game and think its pants and have therefore made that comment out of resentment.
A Journalist should never let his personal feelings towards a subject be known. It's part of being a professional.
You wouldn't say it was a mundane news if it was a release date for a Halo or Gears of War would you EG? I'm not starting a flame war by any means, but that's shocking journalism.
Wishful thinking more like...