PS3 news and tidbits thread

[Puni/Void]

Downside is that if the shipment is worth more than about £17 then norwegian customs slap the norwegian 25% tax on it. Plus a £7 customs fee.

Tell me about it. Bought some stuff from AmigaKit (great shop!), which got caught in the customs. My items did suddenly get a whole lot more expensive.

[Harrison]

That's bad regarding the Norwegian customs. At least in the UK we can normally get away with anything under £40 and normally they only really take notice of things coming from the US. I've had many parcels over the years from places such as Canada and Kong Kong and never had to pay customs anything. Also when buying things from the US privately the sellers put gift on the paperwork and it always goes through fine.

[Teho]

Yeah, I know of the 'gift'-trick and have gotten many small retailers - Vesalia for example - to do that. But the bigger more established places like amazon won't do it, at least not anymore.

Actually, increasing the value a shipment can be while being tax-free was one of the promises the current government made during the last election campaign. They promised it'd be increased from kr200,- (about £17) to kr1000,- (about £90). Unfortunately it is also one of the many promises they haven't kept.

One thing though, I don't know if this is just Norway or if it's some international deal, but importing literature is always tax-free. Or the limit is way higher at least. So I order just about all english literature - be it graphic novels, comics or books - from amazon.co.uk. Far cheaper than having a local retailer aquire it for me, as amazon still deducts the EU tax before charging the credit card. So that's the main bulk of my orders from there, as most books easily end up under a third of the local cost.

And most year-old PC games and some older console games will be under that £17 limit so alot of my purchases of those are made there too. So it's not all bad.

[Harrison]

I'm not sure about literature. Will have to check that.

[Sharingan]

Call of Duty 4 = highly recommended.

Reviews for the game on all three platforms have been highly positive, and my own opinion mirrors that of the critics. The campaign mode is one heck of a rollercoaster ride - a bit short, but sweet! Haven't even tried Online yet, but from what I've heard, it should be a blast.

Anyone else got it yet? Wouldn't mind going Online for some team fragging!


Oh, I bought a HDTV finally. It's a 40 inch Sony Full HD. I thought my Samsung 22 inch monitor offered a sharp image, but this one blows it out of the water.

[Demon Cleaner]

I read some CoD4 reviews, and it really seems that the game is amazing.

[Sharingan]

Yeah, it definitely is. Screenshots don't do it justice ... seeing it moving on the big screen is something else. The lighting, animation, texture work and effects are amazingly well done. And it's all in 60 fps, with only some stuttering every once in a while when the action gets too hectic.

While Resistance is brilliant in its own right, I think CoD4 edges it out in sheer intensity. Some of the set pieces in CoD will leave your jaw hanging open, and the shootouts are chaotic and thrilling.

One minor complaint in the single player campaign is that the A.I. of your fellow squad members is, perhaps, a bit TOO smart. There are parts of the game where you're basically just following them around while they clean up rooms left and right. In other words, they're a bit overpowered. I don't even think they CAN die ... and I've tried blowing them up with grenades more than once! Still, I prefer that to teammates who are useless and die like flies.

[Sharingan]

Firmware 2.01 out now. Get it while it's hot.

[Sharingan]

Just finished the first playthrough of Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction and what can I say ... it's worth every penny. What a blast it's been, from start to finish. Fun storyline, great one-liners, weird characters, surprising variety in gameplay, brilliant weapons, crazy gadgets, gobsmackingly good visuals/sounds and a zillion and one things to unlock.

Watching this game on a big HDTV is like an orgy of visual delight - if this is the promise of things to come on the PS3, we're looking at a very interesting future for the platform indeed.

Go on, do yourself a favour and give this game a try!

[toomanymikes]

NOT HAPPY!
I just downloaded Firmware 2.1 for my PS3: Lo and Behold! The SACD multichannel over optical function has been removed - it now just plays in 2 channel stereo! SWINES!!!!!
Heres a copy of the email I sent Sony on this:
Hi

When I updated my PS3 to firmware 2.0 it was able to play SACD over the optical connection in multi channel stereo. I updated the firmware again and this feature has been removed. I am very unimpressed as I have bought various SACD's as the PS3 was able to play them.

Can you explain to me why this feature has been removed as it was very popular based upon forum posts on the net? Will it be coming back in the next firmware update?

The cynical may think this is a ploy to make people buy HDMI 1.3a compatible amps, it certainly seems funny that the Sony STR-DA5300ES is released that can take a HDMI1.3a input and this feature is pulled, just in time for Christmas! Your response is appreciated.

PS3 ID: Toomanymikes

I will keep you posted on what they have to say for themselves!