Apart from the new 160GB PS3 and updated PSP, Sony also revealed a new Wireless Keypad for the PS3. The Keypad will launch across North America in late November and will be introduced in Japan, Europe and Asia by the end of the year.

The price has yet to be announced but keep a look out because Sony promise that the release date and price will be announced later in each region.

Designed to make text communications and web browsing easier, the Wireless Keypad is a new peripheral that snaps on to the top of a SIXAXIS or DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller. It can be easily attached or removed and allows for easier text communication than the on-screen keyboard.

In addition it supports text chat in PlayStation Home and enables gamers to enjoy interactivity playing online titles and enjoying entertainment content more smoothly. The Keypad includes a Touch Pad Button mode that turns the main key area into a touch pad where players simply slide their finger on this area to move the cursor on the screen and tap to enter.

PS3 owners will also be able to jump directly to pre-set features on XMB such as the “Friends” icon and the “Message Box” during game play thanks to two short cut buttons (a Communication Button and a Message Box button) on the Keypad. The Keypad features Bluetooth functionality and can be paired to the PS3 by connecting the keypad to the USB cable that is bundled with the PS3.

With games such as LittleBigPlanet featuring support text chat, PS3 owners will no doubt find the Wireless Keypad useful when it launches.

The new 160GB PS3 unveiled at Leipzig will be available across North America as part of a new limited edition Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune bundle. The bundle will be available in November for $499.99.

The bundle will include a copy of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, a PSN voucher for PAIN and a Dualshock 3 Wireless Controller. SCEA also confirmed that the previously announced 80GB PS3 has started shipping to retailers. It will be available for $399.99.

According to SCEA, PS3 momentum has soared in 2008 thanks to Blu-ray becoming the HD standard and the launch of key franchises including Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Grand Theft Auto IV and Metal Gear Solid 4. Sony anticipate that this momentum will continue into the holidays and beyond with their line-up including PS3 exclusives such as Buzz! Quiz TV, LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 2, MotorStorm Pacific Rift and Killzone 2.

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SCEE has unveiled a new PSP that will become available in Japan, Asia, North America and Europe this October. The PSP-3000 will be available in Piano Black, Pearl White and Mystic Silver.

The PSP-3000 features an advanced LCD screen supporting higher image quality as well as a built-in microphone and will hit shelves across the PAL territories (Europe, Middle East, Australia and New Zealand) on the 15th of October. The new PSP will be available as a bundle including one software title for 199 Euros.

The PSP-3000 will be available across North America on the 14th of October in the previously announced Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters PSP Entertainment Pack as well as a new PSP 4GB Memory Entertainment Pack. The PSP Entertainment Packs will be available across the US for $199.99 this October while a standalone updated PSP in Piano Black will become available later this year as part of the PSP Core Pack for $169.99.

The PSP 40GB Memory Entertainment Pack will be the first bundle to feature the 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo and will be available in November. It will include a Piano Black PSP-3000, 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo and a PSN voucher to download Everyday Shooter.

The Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters PSP Entertainment Pack will include the Mystic Silver PSP-3000 (the first updated PSP to be available), a copy of Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, a National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets UMD video, a PSN voucher to download echochrome and a 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo.

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SCEE today announced that the 160GB PS3 will launch across PAL territories on the 31st of October. It will retail for 449 Euros in a bundle including additional PlayStation Network content.

The 160GB PS3 boasts twice the storage capacity of current models, enabling gamers to download more games, demos and trailers from the PlayStation Network as well as store more videos, music and photos. With more games such as SingStar, Buzz! and LittleBigPlanet allowing gamers to download additional content, it looks like the extra storage space will be needed.

On the official US PlayStation blog, they’ve announced an opportunity to get into the Home Closed Beta Test, simply by downloading a new theme.

From the blog: “…the PLAYSTATION Store will be updated with a PlayStation Home theme. By downloading the theme, users are submitting an application to join the PlayStation Home Beta test community. We will be using a variety of criteria including activity on the PLAYSTATION Network to determine eligibility for the Beta community. Existing beta testers have automatically qualified to be part of the expanded beta.”

SCEE (Sony’s European arm) is also said to be conducting this expanded closed beta, targeting those users that have been most active on the PlayStation Network and Playstation Store, with e-mails being sent out shortly. Check the PlayStation Network today!

Despite Activision Blizzard dropping Ghostbusters from their release schedule, developer Terminal Reality believes the game will still get a release.

Mark Randel of Terminal Reality told VG247 that “Ghostbusters will be published. That’s all I can say at the moment.”

This comment comes in the wake of Variety reporting Sony Pictures’ announcement that Ghostbusters will be released “one way or another.” After all, Sony Pictures owns the rights to Ghostbusters (licensed to Vivendi) and the film was released in 1984 which means it celebrates its 25th anniversary next year. The game is still listed on the Activision website and is marked with a 31st October release date.

Ghostbusters is in development for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, DS and PC. Terminal Reality are handling the development of the PS3, 360 and PC versions while Red Fly Studio are in charge of the DS, PS2 and Wii versions.

So, we just need a publisher now. Until then remember the first rule, don’t cross the streams!

For more information and screenshots head over to our previous coverage.

Sony has popped a reminder on SCEA’s PlayStation Blog that PS3 firmware update v2.42 is now available for download.

The update appears to be relatively minor, just “improves the playback quality of some PS3 and PlayStation format software.” But still, good to know.

Some of you may remember that last year Capcom and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan unveiled Resident Evil: Degeneration, the first full length CG movie based on the popular Resident Evil series.

Resident Evil: Degeneration will make it theatrical debut this fall in Japan while the movie will arrive on DVD and Blu-ray across North America later this year. The first footage of the movie was shown on Friday at the San Diego Comic Con.

Resident Evil: Degeneration is said to feature groundbreaking visual effects and a new storyline. The movie will star Leon S. Kennedy (Resident Evil 2, 4) and Claire Redfield (Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil Code: Veronica), with Paul Mercier and Alyson Court reprising their roles as Leon and Claire respectively.

The Umbrella Incident details how the government eradicated the deadly T-virus in Raccoon City by a missile attack. The Umbrella Corporation was dissolved after operations were suspended globally and stock plummeted. It is now seven years later, one zombie is unleashed into an airport somewhere in the United States and the events of the past look set to repeat themselves.

Claire is now working for an NGO supporting victims of bioterrorism and medical disasters. She happens to be in the airport when the outbreak occurs and is soon joined by Leon who is sent to take care of the incident. The trailer shows the airport being closed down with Leon having just 4 hours to defuse the situation before the T-virus is spread across the United States.

For more details and a look at the production blog head over to the movie’s official website.

Sony was obviously quite happy with the PS3’s performance in the US in June. The “tremendous momentum” of the PS3 was continued thanks to the launch of the PS3-exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4 and 404 488 PS3’s were sold, 84% higher than the Xbox 360.

Sony confirmed that PS3 hardware sales growth has exceeded 311% year-on-year in June, with over 94% month-on-month growth. Metal Gear Solid 4 topped the software chart in June, selling 774 647 copies. Software for the PS3 showed a 300% year-on-year increase with over 2.4 million software units for the PS3 being sold in June.

Sony highlighted key upcoming titles for the PS3 that promise to drive hardware sales into the holiday season. These include PS3 exclusives such as SOCOM: US Navy SEALs Confrontation, Resistance 2, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift, NBA ’09: The Inside and LittleBigPlanet.

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This trailer for Resistance 2, sequel to the great PS3 launch title, Resistance, reveals glimpses of new foes, also showing how the enemy has taken a hold of human cities in classy, city-destroying, War of the Worlds style. Maybe they read the book.

Resistance 2 is due out later this year on PS3.

The announcement of God of War III at Sony’s press conference yesterday brought with it a debut trailer.

While it doesn’t show any actually game play (Kratos using his chains in standard, ultra-violent fashion, for example) it’s great to finally get an official unveiling for the third game in this awesome series, giving us an idea of the story yet to come.

Being one of the three platform holders, Sony’s press conference at the E3 Media and Business Summmit is always an anticipated affair as historically it has been the platform used for big announcements in the industry. Being in the middle of a console generation, however, no hardware announcements were anticipated, so Sony simply show-cased their 2008 line-up, a few future titles and their bid to be every household’s media hub.

Jack Tretton, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America, began his talk explaining that the original PlayStation was planned to have a 10 year product lifecycle, and that this same strategy is being followed in the PlayStation 3’s case. He backed up his statement about the relative infancy of the PlayStation 3 by saying that seminal games of that generation, such as Final Fantasy VII, Gran Turismo and Tony Hawk were still on the horizon at this stage of the original PlayStation’s lifecycle. Next, as seems customary at these press conferences, Tretton boasted about one of Sony’s biggest achievements this generation - Blu-ray triumphing over HD-DVD. He also pointed out that the Cell processor is being used by IBM to power some of its latest supercomputers, and how the PS3 Folding@home project has in fact spawned the most powerful distributed computing system in the world according to Guiness.

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Sony of Europe and Sky have launched Go!View, the official PSP video-on-demand service, in the UK and Ireland.

Go!View enables PSP owners to transfer content to their PSP via a PC. The service includes a wide range of content thanks to agreements with Disney, ABC, ESPN, BBC, Sony Pictures, NBC, National Geographic and Sky Sports. Gamers can look forward to US dramas including Lost and Desperate Housewives as well as top UK shows Doctor Who and Top Gear.

You can also grab comedy, sports and entertainment packs by monthly subscription or use the rental service on Go!View for various movies and TV series. Subscription packs cost £5 (7 Euros) each while you can get two packs for £8 (11 Euros) and three packs for £10 (14 Euros). The good news is that you can trial all three packs free for a month. Rental TV costs £1.50 (2 Euros) per episode while movies will set you back £2.50 (3.20 Euros).

Content including TV, movies and sport will be added regularly to this service. If you sign up for the service at www.goview.tv you will receive a free month’s subscription.

A new firmware update for the PSP will be released soon.

This is the latest word from Sony who announced that version 4.05 will add new visualizers for music playback.

The update will also include ‘other features’ but you will have to stay tuned and hope more details emerge on SCEA’s PlayStation Blog soon.

Sony has announced that PS3 firmware update v2.41 will be released shortly.

Last week Sony released PS3 firmware update v2.40 which introduced the highly anticipated XMB access in-game and trophies. However, the update was soon taken offline after the XMB failed to display after the update was installed.

According to SCEA’s PlayStation blog, the problem has been fixed. PSN Operations Director Eric Lempel had this to say “We want to extend our apologies to the PlayStation community for any inconvenience. Now we’ll be looking forward to seeing everyone online and racking up those trophies!”

We will let you know the exact date as soon as Sony announces it.

For more information about firmware update v2.41 head over to our previous coverage or a detailed look at the XMB access in-game and trophies.