ps3 (3)

Porsche and Fanatec have teamed up to produce a realistic Porsche brand racing wheel for the PlayStation 3. The USD $350 peripheral features:

• Leather steering wheel
• Wireless USB technology, with the USB plug shaped like a Porsche key
• Three force feedback motors, so you can really feel the road
• Wireless Pedals, with clutch and soft-stop brake
• Two gear sticks: a regular sequential and a 6+1 H-pattern stick

The Porsche Wheel Turbo S is available at the Fanatec online store, or at Porsche dealerships.

Canadian Wal-mart stores have taken a full $110 off the price of the 80GB PlayStation 3 bundle, bringing the price down to a very palatable $549.83. The bundle includes the console, a controller, MotorStorm, and a Blu-ray remote. The sale ends on October 4th, and many games are also heavily reduced.

With the Canadian dollar sitting near equal to the US dollar, this move brings the Canadian PlayStation 3 price to below that of the US - and when Sony’s warranty page dictates that the console is covered in both the US and Canada, it seems a border rush is in order for US gamers.

via Destructoid

To pave the way for the release of Gran Turismo Prologue later this year, Sony will remove the free download of Gran Turismo HD from its Japanese Playstation store. At this stage it’s not clear whether the American store will follow suit. But if you haven’t grabbed it yet, it’s advisable to do so before September 30. Good news is that the online ranking system in the game will continue to function after this date.

PS3 owners will be happy to know that the demo for Clive Barker’s Jericho will be on the Playstation Store this week, along with NBA2K8.

You’ll also find a bunch of new game videos and trailers, such as

Via PlaystationBlog

A demo for Clive Barker’s Jericho will be released this Thursday, and in a rare, but much appreciated move, Codemasters have managed to organize a simultaneous release for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC users.

Unless you’re a PlayStation 3 user in Europe, that is - in which case you’ll be waiting until next week…or setting yourself up a US-based PlayStation Network account.

As if we needed further proof that Bioshock has made it to cultural icon status - Big Daddy and Little Sister have joined the ranks of Britney Spears, Fidel Castro, Jesus and 200+ other nostalgic images expertly rendered by the Flickr artist known as “The Etchasketchist”. Apparently this ephemeral masterpiece was twiddled together in 40 minutes, which is about how long it takes me to get frustrated and give up on several dismal attempts at a peaceful country scene.

Those eagerly hanging out for GT5 have probably heard about Gran Tourismo 5 Prologue. This is not the demo for GT5. It actually has its own demo – due out in October. Prologue will be getting a Japanese release date on Dec 13, featuring 50 cars, 5 tracks, and 16-player online play.

via Joystiq

CVG were recently at an EA event in Tokyo checking out Burnout Paradise. Rather unexpectedly, they noticed the Sixaxis controller they were using was rumbling - just like back in the day! Upon inspection, nothing else had changed apart from being noticeably heavier, and having a sticker attached on the bottom that rather cryptically read “RUMBLE.”

Now Kaz Hirai has officially announced the DualShock 3 in his keynote at TGS. The DualShock 3 will be released in Japan this November, with North America and Europe getting in on the action some time in early 2008. No pricing details have been announced.

Two games, five demos and a bunch of other crap have just been added to the PlayStation Store in the US - because, you know, the rest of the world just doesn’t want new content right now!

The games are PixelJunk Racers, a top down racer which supports eight players, brings back memories of Ivan Stewart’s Super Off-Road, and will set you back $7, and High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition which should need no explanation, and costs $10.

If your credit card is taking a breather in preparation for the coming onslaught of AAA titles and Halo merchandise, you can entertain yourself with demos for PixelJunk Racers, Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground, NHL 08, FIFA 08, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. OK, I apologize - the word “entertain” might not be appropriate for that last one.

The bunch of other crap I mentioned earlier consists of trailers, videos and wallpapers - but I’ll let you discover those on your own steam.

If you’re willing to pre-order Guitar Hero III straight from RedOctane, and pay an extra ten bucks, you’ll get a whole heap of schwag as part of the deal. The deal has been dubbed the Elite Bundle, and you’ll not only get your wireless guitar and copy of the game, but all of the following - apparently worth another $70.

• Custom faceplate
• Guitar Hero III t-shirt
• Gig Bag with room for two guitars
• Custom 2″ wide guitar strap
• Guitar Hero keychain
• Guitar Hero sticker pack

The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 Elite Bundles will set you back US $109.99, with the potentially crippled Wii version at $99.99. All three bundles feature free shipping as part of the deal.

via RedOctane