The rumours were true - SCE Australia is preparing a PlayStation 3 Grand Theft Auto IV bundle for release alongside the game on April 29. Newspaper advertisements from a major retailer put the bundle price at $748 - not a bad deal considering the PS3 is currently fetching $699, and GTA IV itself is priced at a whopping $120.

No details on the storage size, or whether the new bundle includes a DualShock 3 controller in preference of the antiquated Sixaxis - I have pinged Sony for a response, so stay tuned.

via Screen Play

SCE Australia has announced a release date for the DualShock 3. In stores on April 24, the DualShock 3 has been priced at a truly ridiculous AUD$99.95.
New Zealand is left waiting until May 9, and paying NZ$109.95.

Of course, The Gamer Gene strongly recommends importing DualShock 3s from Play-Asia - they’re only US$54.90 (AUD$59.30) so even with express shipping you’re likely to save nearly $30.

Don’t believe the game could look as good as this? You might want to check after the jump.

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Konami has announced that the Metal Gear Online Premiere Beta will be open to Australians. Look for the free beta on the Australian PlayStation Store this Thursday (April 17) - play commences on April 21 and ceases May 6.

Atari has also confirmed the Australian release date for Metal Gear Solid 4 will be the same as the rest of the world - June 12, 2008.

via PALGN

Looks as though PlayStation 3 owners will actually get an early taste of the PlayStation 3 exclusive FPS from Ubisoft, Haze. The demo, set to hit the PlayStation Network in early May, will feature a small sample of the single-player campaign as well as online, four-player co-op gameplay. Can anyone give us a WOOT? And just to tease you further, click inside for a new screenshot yanked straight from the demo!

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Today marks the oh-so-happy day that SCEA releases its highly-anticipated Gran Tourismo 5 Prologue. The Blu-Ray version hits the streets as of today, while the downloadable version will be available on the PLAYSTATION Store at 12:01 AM EDT on April 17. While the Blu-Ray version will include an exclusive behind-the-scenes HD video feature called “Beyond the Apex,” both versions will be available for $39.99 (kinda seems stupid to download it then).

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Sony has released the new firmware v2.30 for the PlayStation 3, which brings the newly-optimized PlayStation Store and DTS-HD Master Audio output to your living room.

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A well-known PSP hacker by the name of Dragula96 set out to find an exploit in the current PlayStation 3 firmware, and managed to do so in a single days work - here’s video of his proof-of-concept “Hello World” application. While he isn’t convinced that his exploit will result in ISO loading capabilities, there’s a good chance it will open the doors for homebrew applications.

PS3 Evolution via Engadget

Sony today announced the latest firmware update for the PlayStation 3 - version 2.20. Planned for release later this month, the update adds Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0 (or BD-LIVE) support, enhanced PSP integration, and a host of other features. BD-LIVE format movies will arrive in April, and allow studios to add features to Blu-ray movies such as ringtones to send to your mobile phone, and network-enabled games.

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Sony has announced the June release of a new 80GB PlayStation 3 bundle for North America. The box includes an 80GB PS3, the long-awaited Metal Gear Solid 4 and a DualShock 3 controller. It’ll set you back $499.99.

Update Those that can’t get enough of cardboard box mock-ups best check after the jump.

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