The weekend is over, let the next-gen console wars begin! Nintendo rolled out its Wii on Sunday, selling out allotments in numerous occasions, but the craze was nearly not as bad as Friday when people got mugged, stabbed or even shot at while waiting in line for a PS3. While a mere 400,000 units were shipped to stores across North America, USAToday claims Sony will airlift up to 600,000 more units by the end of the year, though it hasn't announced where and when.

SCEA announced the launch of its next generation PlayStation 3 entertainment system, for sale ($499-$599) throughout North America. In addition to the PS3 hardware, a software line up of more than 20 first- and third-party titles will be available at retailers nationwide.

Sony Computer Entertainment America and Ziff Davis Game Group announced today the companies have mutually agreed to discontinue production on the Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (OPM) in North America, January 2007 being its final issue.

Sony Europe today announced that they've sold 40 million PlayStation 2 units in Europe and PAL territories, surpassing the PS1's 39 million mark. PlayStation 2 has over 2,000 titles available throughout Europe, with another 50 due for release in time for Christmas. In the previous month, over 100,000 units were sold per week, according to SCEE President David Reeves.

PS2 in time for the year-end peak-selling season. The new model is in stores now for a suggested retail price (SRP) of $129.99/$139.99 CND while supplies last.

Sony issued financial results for its July-September quarter which revealed that net profit dropped 94 & (from 28.5 to 1.7 billion yen) compared to same period the previous year. Main reason are the major setback due to the massive 9.6 million Sony laptop battery recall, a big investment in the upcoming PS3 console, resulting in yet another $366 million loss, and less than expected PSP sales.

Playlogic announced that its in-house studio extended its first-party development agreement with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited (SCEE) from earlier this year. One of the two in-house teams will continue to work on an undisclosed project.

Hong Kong gaming retailer Lik-Sang.com announced that it is forced to close down due to multiple lawsuits brought against it by Sony who claims Lik-Sang infringes its trade marks, copyright and registered design rights by selling PSPs from Asia to European customers.

SCEA today announced its debut game titles and unveiled the online strategy for its PS3 system. More than 20 first- and third-party titles will be available, with most titles expected to retail under $60.

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

• Ape Escape Racer [PSP] - Screens
• Chotto Shot [PSP] - Screens
• Everybody's Golf 5 [PS3] - Screens & Trailer
• Everybody's Golf Course [PSP] - Screens
• The Eye of Judgment [PS3] - Screens
• Fl0w [PS3] - Screens
• Formula One: Championship Edition [PS3] - Screens & Trailer
• Gran Turismo HD [PS3] - Screens
• Heavenly Sword [PS3] - Screens
• Jeanna d'Arc [PSP] - Screens
• Kingdom of Paradise 2 [PSP] - Screens
• Lair [PS3] - Screens & Trailer
• Monster Kingdom: Unkown Realms [PS3] - Screens
• Motorstorm [PS3] - Screens & Trailer
• Parappa The Rapper [PSP] - Screens
• Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters [PSP] - Screens
• Resistance: Fall of Man [PS3] - Screens & Trailer
• Talkman Lesson [PSP] - Screens
• WarHawk [PS3] - Screens
• White Knight Story [PS3] - Screens & Trailer

Many people were looking forward to Ken Kutaragi's keynote speech to fill in the many blanks, and with only 2 months to go until launch, give details. Unfortunately most of the speech was filled with technical details on GPS, GMS, shopping, banking, networking, and so forth. A few noteworthy things, demos will cost $1, you will be able to download 16bit games (MegaDrive Genesis, and PC Engine TurboGrafx) over the network, and share them with friends. During a short Q&A it was revealed that the 20gig version will now also feature HDMI, and will receive a price reduction (from 535 to $430) in Japan, as a result of consumer complaints about the high price.

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)