Yesterday was fun. E307 continues today, though I don’t really expect too much big news to come out of the show. Still, I’ll let you know about anything that catches my eye.

1. According to PS3 Fanboy, a rumbling SIXAXIS, (which they’re calling Rumblaxis) will be released in September. However, their source, a release from Immersion, makes no mention of Sony releasing these controllers, and instead states that a company called Katana is the one releasing rumbling controllers for the PS3 for North America in that month. I think PS3 Fanboy just misread the release. After all, Logitech recently released rumbling controllers for PS3 as well. Still, an employee of SCEA did confirm to a writer at Kotaku that a rumbling SIXAXIS is coming. We just don’t know when yet.
2. Gametrailers.com is now hosting a whole bunch of developer walkthrough and other gameplay footage. The look at Killzone 2 from the SCE press conference is up, offering a little better look at the game. I might have to get that one up for download directly onto PS3′s later today. In addition, Rock Band, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Army of Two, Medal of Honor Airborne, and more!
3. An addition, make sure to watch the first Heavenly Sword gameplay video. Simply amazing graphics. The second video shows a bit of something that I think is a major improvement since the game was last shown, impact. It’s important that in an action game, your attacks feel like they have impact. In previous videos, the blades just seemed to cut right through and never looked like they were making contact. I can’t wait for this game.
4. I missed this one yesterday, but they announced Silent Hill V for Xbox 360 and PS3. Not really any details on the game except that a western developer is making it. Just like Silent Hill Origins for the PSP, which looks pretty good. In the end, it’s the music that counts.
5. Ooo, Burnout Paradise has some interesting features I haven’t read about yet. It’s kinda like Test Drive Unlimited, in that all the races and such take place in one big city, and there are other players online, up to 8, that can drive around in the city with you. Another neat thing is that whenever you takedown another player, that person’s PS3 or 360 webcam will take a picture of him or her at that moment and plaster your screen with it. It’s a neat idea, but… this game is rated Teen, right?
6. A reminder I just saw, Entertainment Tonight is going to be airing the first public trailer for the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for PS3 and 360 tonight at 7:00pm EST. The Force is strong in this one. Really strong. Joystiq has heard that not only will you Force push people into walls, you’ll push them through walls. One of the earlier concept arts actually shows what appears to be the aftermath of a Star Destroyer going up against a Force user down on a planet. (The Star Destroyer loses.) It’s Force powers, TO THE MAX!!
7. Sorry about the Killzone 2 hyping, but I just think that, like the Halo 3 trailer, the Killzone 2 trailer jumped a bit too much to really get a good look at it, so here’s another gameplay segment over at IGN.
8. One thing Wii fans have been hoping for since Red Steel was shown is some sort of one to one directly controlled sword fighting game. IGN‘s interview with Shigeru Miyamoto suggests that something like that might already be in the works. In fact, it might be part of Mario & Sonic At the Olympic Games, coming out at the end of the year, in the form of a fencing game. There’s a couple links over there too with other points of interest from the interview, including the possibility that Twilight Princess will be the only Zelda game for the Wii and the possible return of Pikmin.
9. Coool. Want the music from the E307 Halo3 trailer? Here you go, courtesy of Marty O`Donnell and Bungie. There’s been some buzz on spotting new grenades and equipment and stuff from the trailer, but to that I just say, “Well, of course. They’ve never shown the single player before.” Yeah, not really into pulling trailers apart myself, but I do like to watch the fruits of someone else’s labors.
10. A video interview with Codemasters on Dirt, over at Gamespot UK, claims that the PS3 version will be the best version. Better graphics and 7.1 channel uncompressed sound. Is this 7.1 thing the future? Do I need a new receiver? Well, it’s certainly nice to see some good ports coming, like the upcoming port of Virtua Fighter 5 for 360 including better graphics and online play.
11. By the way, a demo of Dirt will be up before the game comes out for PS3 in September. Yay, demo!
12. New music for Rock Band every week? Single track, multiple tracks, and full albums? So says Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos (from Xbox 360 Fanboy). Sweeeeet, but I don’t want to get nickeled and dimed to death.
13. The Halo 3 edition, I’m sorry, Special Edition 360 is actually kinda cool. I guess it was just less than people were expecting when the “gray 360″ rumors first started. Here, it says that it’ll have a 20GB harddrive, but it’ll also have the HDMI port. Not bad.
14. Co-op in the Wii version of Geometry Wars.
15. A Ratchet & Clank demo coming to PSN! [unconfirmed by me, yet]

Well, that’s it from me for today. Work is letting out, so you can probably find your own news. Go, surf. I might see you later.

Anyone notice that the speaker holes are on the front now, instead of the bottom? Why weren’t those there in the first place? Geez…

Anyways, new details on the improved PSP, apparently called “PSP Slim & Lite,” have surfaced on the Threespeech blog. [UPDATE] Joystiq‘s gotten a hands-on. Their writer, Andrew Yoon, says it’s a big improvement and, “a significantly better system,” that shouldn’t be written off. Here’s the rundown:

1. In addition to “Piano Black,” “Ice Silver,” and “Ceramic White,” it seems that in the EU there’ll also be “Felicia Blue,” “Lavender Purple,” and “Rose Pink” in what is being called the “Blume Series.” Mmm, flowers.
2. Some of the peripherals that will be available include composite, S-video, and component output cables for the new video output capabilities that allow one to play UMD games and movies, as well as photos and video stored on the Memory Stick, on a TV.
3. A new feature that allows temporary storage of UMD game data on a Memory Stick is what allows the PSP S&L to load games faster. [UPDATE] The S&L also has more RAM!
4. The PSP S&L can be charged via USB from a PS3 or PC during data transfers. Nice.
5. [UPDATE] S&L is even glossier than the original and looks really nice. What I want to know, is it more scratch resistant? Coat that sucker with the stuff they use on Blu-ray discs!
6. [UPDATE] The IR port, which didn’t have any offical use, is gone. With it, the Wifi switch was moved to the top and the Memory Stick slot is now on the right side. The UMD drive is now latched shut making it more secure, even when you drop the system.
7. [UPDATE] The headphone jack is slightly different now, utilizing a new pin system that makes the video out possible. Games will be limited to component output only, but everything goes for videos, both UMD and not. How’s it look? Not bad, they say. UMD moves are in 480p, so that’s the same as DVD.
8. [UPDATE] The buttons are improved, with a more tactile feel. The analog nub? Unchanged.
9. [UPDATE] Battery life has been extended to eight to ten hours, from the original six to eight. Apparently the power management is just more efficient now.
10. If PSP Slim & Lite is what this new PSP is called, what’s the old one going to be? PSP Thick & Heavy?

Mentioned everywhere but this blog, the new PSP will come in “Piano Black” and come out in September for presumably the same price as the current PSP, $169.99. In additon, Sony will also be releasing two other packs: the Limited Edition Daxter Entertainment Pack, which includes a “Ice Silver” PSP, Daxter, Family Guy: Freakin` Sweet on UMD, and a 1 GB memory stick; and the Limited Edition Star Wars: Battlefront Entertainment Pack, which includes a “Ceramic White” PSP with an image of Darth Vader on the back, 1GB Memory Stick, and the PSP exclusive, Star Wars: Battlefront: Renegade Squadron. Both the special pack will retail for $199.99.

Was it the huge PSP redesign everyone wanted? No, but I do think video output sweetens the deal. A lot of people disliked the idea of being forced to buy a movie on a medium that they could only play on one device that only had a 4.3 in screen. Plus, if Sony ever gets that content store for PSP ready, being able to play that content on a TV would be really nice. PSP still isn’t going to beat the DS, well… ever, but judging from the fact that already I know two more people who want one now, I think the PSP will be just fine. Picture of the new PSP packs from the Playstation Blog.

Okay, now I have a video for the very interesting looking echochrome, and I can save the effort of coming up with a good way to describe it. Check it out in the PSStore Supplements page links to the top right. I believe this game is coming to PS3 and PSP, if I recall correctly. Way to go PS team Japan!

While I’m here, a quick E307 snack that I’m sure at least one person will appreciate.  Silent Hill 5 has been announced for PS3 and Xbox 360.  First screens at IGN.