SCEA today announced that, starting Sept. 13, the PSP Entertainment Pack, will include a PSP system along with off-road racing game ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails, the "Lords of Dogtown" UMD movie, and a Sony 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo, all for $249.99.

Sony has released a new v2.81 update for its PSP firmware, available in Japan, Europe and North America, adding the ability to download video and images through RSS, AAC support with the .3gp extension, and various other tweaks. A new World Tour Soccer 06 demo is now also available for download. Support for the playback of content stored in [MUSIC], [PICTURE] and [VIDEO] folders at the root level of Memory Stick Duo media.

Check out the following new screens from Sony's Games Convention 2006 lineup:

• Genji 2 [PS3] - Screens
• WarHawk [PS3] - Screens
• The Eye of Judgment [PS3] - Screens
• Everybody's Golf 5 [PS3] - Screens

A Yankee Group study predicts that eventhough Microsoft is off to a fast start, launching the Xbox 360 nearly 12 months before the PlayStation 3, by the time third-generation consoles reach market maturity in 2011, the PS3 will once again be the market leader.

Sony Online Entertainment today announced that it has acquired key assets of independent online trading card game developer Worlds Apart Productions. Key employees of Worlds Apart will form the core of the new SOE-Denver, integrating into SOE's worldwide group of studios.

Sony Online Entertainment today announced a licensing agreement with Epic Games to use their Unreal Engine 3 for the development of next-generation console and PC-based games. SOE will utilize this technology for a number of future projects, including the DC Comics-based game currently under development at SOE-Austin.

Avistar Communications today announced that it has entered into an agreement to license CPI's patent portfolio to Sony. Under the license agreement, CPI granted Sony a license for the field of video-conferencing, covering Sony's video conference apparatus as well as other products including video-enabled PC and PlayStation products.

Sony plans to make new 1GB and 2GB Memory Stick Duo Entertainment Packs available that will be bundled with an installer DVD, allowing you to install it on a PC, use an unlock code and transfer one of four Sony movies optimized for PSP playback from the DVD to the Memory Stick media.

Strategic market research firm DFC Intelligence has released a new report talking a look at next gen consoles, in particular the impact of the PS3 on Sony's dominant position. With a price range at least $200 dollars higher than its competitors, DFC concludes that Sony may very well fall from first to last position if things do not go their way, also stating it has not seen anything to justify the price difference.

Sony Computer Entertainment revealed today it had been ordered to pay an additional 27.9 billion yen ($243 million) in taxes related to transactions between its game unit and a U.S. subsidiary, and overseas transactions in its CD and DVD-making operations. SCEI said it would fight the order, but that either way it would not have a large impact on its group earnings.

In the month of May, SCEA continued to lead the videogame industry with PlayStation 2 and the PSP ranking as the top selling hardware and portable platforms in the U.S. according to data released by the NPD Group.

Sony has released yet another new update for its PSP firmware, bringing it to v2.71 for the Japanese, North American and European PSP editions. The new update adds a few small tweaks, like the ability to download demos (LocoRoco and Kazou, a sudoku game) directly onto your Memory Stick Duo through the PSP browser, as well as Location Free player and Portable TV support, allowing you to watch news and follow the World Cup action on the go.

According to ABI Research, Sony's console pricing strategy is fraught with risk, and may ultimately jeopardize its market leadership position. Sony is placing a serious bet that its inclusion of a Blu-ray drive in the PlayStation 3 will entice consumers to pay a premium price for the new console, despite lower cost alternatives from both Nintendo and Microsoft.

Check out the following new screens from Sony's E3 2006 lineup:

• ATV Offroad Fury 4 (PS2)
• ATV Offroad Fury Pro (PSP)
• The Eye of Judgment (PS3)
• Formula One '06 (PS3)
• Gangs of London (PSP)
• Genji 2 (PS3)
• God of War II (PS2)
• Gran Turismo HD (PS3)
• Heavenly Sword (PS3)
• Killzone: Liberation (PSP)
• LocoRoco (PSP)
• Motorstorm (PS3)
• NBA '07 (PSP/PS2)
• Rachet & Clank: Size Matters (PSP)
• Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3)
• SingStar (PS3)
• SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Combined Assault (PS2)
• SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 2 (PSP)
• Warhawk (PS3)
• World Tour Soccer (PSP)

Sony Computer Entertainment America announced its line up of new titles due out this year for PSP and PS2, including nine new PSP titles and five new PS2 products, such as new SOCOM titles, God of War II, NBA 07, ATV, and plenty more ...

Tomorrow Sony will roll out a new firmware update for the PSP, which will give user access various browser enhancements such as Flash compatibility, and the ability to save audio content from RSS channels to a Memory Stick. More importantly the new update will allow PSP user to freely download demos off the internet, previously only available at PlayStation Spots, starting with the debut of a LocoRoco demo. Needless to say the new firmware will also plug holes in its overall security.

SCEA today announced that it has made its PS2 more affordable than ever throughout North America. Effective immediately, consumers can purchase the PS2 for a suggested retail price (SRP) of $129.99. SCEA expects this latest price move to fuel consumer demand even further.

Sony Online Entertainment and Planetwide Games announced today that a web version of Planetwide's Comic Book Creator is under development for subscribers of SOE's Station Players service.

After more than a decade, Sony has finally decided to pull the plug on manufacturing the original PlayStation console. With the PS2 still in full swing and its successor due later this year, Sony revealed at the GDC that it's time to close the curtain on its 100 million unit selling PSOne. People still interested in buying this dinosaur do not have to worry; there are still plenty of units in circulation, which are being sold all over the world.

Quazal announced today that they have been approved for SCEI's Tools and Middleware program for PlayStation 3, and that versions are ready for evaluation by interested PS3 game title developers.

Playlogic today announced that its in-house studio, Playlogic Game Factory, signed a first-party development agreement with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Currently Playlogic has 11 games on 16 platforms under development, and one of the two in-house teams will develop the yet undisclosed project.

SCEI not only released PS3 news, but also gave an update on what it has in store for the PSP. New peripherals, features and services will be rolling out in the coming year, read more for details ...

At its PlayStation business briefing in Tokyo Sony's Ken Kutaragi confirmed that the PlayStation 3 is coming in November 2006, plans for a worldwide launch with an initial availability of 6 million units, and an additional million units each month thereafter. Taking aim at Microsoft's Xbox Live, Sony plans for a similar online service (including lobby, voicechat etc.) with the basic formula being free. All PS2 and PSOne titles will be compatible and playable in HD. A price estimate for the console, or its titles, was not disclosed.

Last week US District Judge Claudia Wilken threw out Sony's appeal of a 2005 ruling that ordered it to pay Immersion $90 mill. due to patent infringement allegedly incorporated into Sony's controller, including its Dual Shock. This decision hits hard as the upcoming PlayStation 3 also features said technology in its controllers. A spokesperson said it had already appealed to a US Court of Appeals and procedures there are under way, denying out-of-court settlement talks are being held.

Is this where it all starts? The past few days rumors have been abound, initiated by Koei's President Kiyoshi Komatsu, but today Sony has confirmed that on March 15th, at 3PM Tokyo time, it will kick off PS Business Briefing. Open to the press and industry specialist, this conference may very well be the first actual showcasing of Sony's PlayStation 3, and additional rumors even mention a major PS2 announcement, including a possible price drop. We'll have more details when the conference starts...