SONY just announced release dates for the long-awaited PlayTV add-on for the PS3 and Go!View video service for the PSP. PlayTV will allow the PS3’s hard drive to record TV shows thanks to it’s dual TV tuners. The included software has a 7-day programming guide, and recorded programs can be viewed remotely over Wi-Fi or transferred to the PSP.

SONY’s Go!View video service for the PSP will be subscription-based or on a pay-per-view system. Users can download TV content to their PSP from a dedicated website.

When we heard news that Sony and Konami where launching a Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 in Japan we of course wanted one but new that this was probably one of those cool, Japan-only things that we would never actually see here in the U.S. But, as it turns out Sony is going to be launching this gun metal colored PS3 console in the United States.

Unfortunately it sounds like this release will be a very limited edition in the U.S., so we probably still won’t get our hands on one but at least now there’s a better chance. The MGS4 PS3 along with its matching DualShock 3 controller has a U.S. launch date of June 12 and will come bundled with the game and the standard 80GB PS3.

Just in case of the off chance that you hadn’t been gaming all last night, that 2.20 firmware update for the PS3 is now available. Along with some minor changes and tweaks the big news for this update is the BD-Live interactive content for Blu-ray 2.0. It looks like most of the updates revolve around media and web. Unfortunately there does not appear to be any sign of the portable copy to get Blu-ray movies on your PSP that we heard rumors of, or at least not in this version.

Thanks for the heads up, Josh.

It looks like Sony’s next firmware update for the PS3 might include even more than the BD-Live interactive content on Blu-ray discs and the loss of the max file size for some video media. According to PCWorld the 2.20 firmware upgraded for the PS3 will also bring the ability to transfer Blu-ray movies from discs on the PS3 to the Playstation Portable.

This would be a nice feature for Sony to add sounds like it would be not unlike the Digital Copy we saw from FOX movies for iTunes. Instead of taking the time to convert each film into a special version for the PSP, some Blu-ray discs would have a “portable copy” of the movie that can be transferred to the PSP.

Kotaku has gotten their hands on some real pictures of the new PS3 coming to Japan along with the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4 launch. The PS3 is steel colored which seems like an appropriate choice given the game that it will come bundled with in June. The console will have “Metal Gear Solid 4 Limited Edition” written on the case with the new color and comes packaged with the game and a matching steel DualShock 3 controller pictured after the jump.

Anyone that has been shopping for a Blu-ray player since the HD format war is finally over will want to give the PS3 a serious look. Not only is the PS3 one of the cheaper Blu-ray players, but it is one of the few that can be upgraded via software updates to support new features. Plus you get to play some sweet games as well.

Sony announced today that the coming version 2.20 software update scheduled for release late in March will add support for Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0 or BD-LIVE. The update will allow users to get new interactive content available on some Blu-ray titles.

Now that the U.S. might be getting the white model of the PS3 the folks in Japan always need to have something a little more and have added a Satin Silver Playstation 3 model to the lineup. This makes a total of 3 colors available in the original black, white and now the most recent silver.

This model is also the 40GB version with the lack of PS2 game playing capabilities, card reader and fewer USB ports, but nevertheless seems to be helping out sales for Sony. The satin silver model will retail for ¥39,980 (about $374 USD). Sony will also release to Japan a matching DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller (not included) which will be in the same satin silver color. Sony has the controller retailing at 5,500 yen (about $52 USD).

Here’s another cheap Chinese knock-off that fell off the back of the truck recently. I thought the PX-3600 was bad…These ripoff consoles are just getting stranger and stranger. This one may look like a PS3, but that’s where the similarities end.

First, it’s tiny and comes in clamshell packaging. You don’t even plug it into a television, and it’s got a little screen that pops out of the side. Yes, just like all of the other knock-offs, this one has the personality of a wet fart trapped in a paper bag. Check out a video review after the jump.

XFPS has created a nifty little gadget that allows you to connect a USB or PS2 keyboard and mouse to your Playstation 3. The question is, will it be PlayStation 3 authorized only, or are we finally going to be able to use any keyboard and mouse on those integrated USB ports as long as the game supports it?

A company representative said that you will be able to play games such as Unreal Tournament 2007 with the keyboard and the mouse, which might mean the end of auto-aiming that is now have on Playstation 2. More details are sure to come. We will try to get more info on this one for you.

According to some leaked information from a Best Buy employee, the retailer sent out an internal memo that the 80GB Playstation 3 is scheduled to be “going closeout”, which basically means they will sell what’s on shelves and not stock anymore. The internal communication states that this is expected to take place as soon as January 28.

It’s been apparent that the 80GB model of the PS3 hasn’t had the selling power of the smaller and cheaper models, but since the removal of the 60GB models this leaves the shelves with nothing that is backwards compatible with PS2 games. It also limits consumers to the scaled down PS3 without the memory card reader and fewer USB ports.

The Playstation 3 ended 2007 with a strong December selling just under 800,000 units during the month and looks to trying to keep on with momentum this year by releasing the white PS3 that we saw launch last October in Japan. It came with a 40GB hard drive, white DualShock controllers and like the other 40GB models it lacked the memory card reader, backwards compatibility and had only two USB ports. This white model headed for the US appears to be the same. The information along with photos was released by the FCC and shows it was originally submitted last October with a request to keep it under wraps for a while.

Nyko adds yet another nice accessory to their arsenal, this time for the PS3. They sport an amazing look. The zero controller is completely wireless and has full six-direction tilt functionality and vibration support. It’s compatible with all PS3 software and control formats, and is powered by an included NiMH rechargeable battery with 25 hours of wireless gameplay.

Just plug the included charging cable into the PS3s USB port and play and charge the controller at the same time or use the included AA battery pack.

We knew some upgrades were coming for both these devices and today both the PSP 3.80 firmware and the PS3 2.10 firmware upgrades are available for download.

We haven’t seen the PSP 3.80 version available online yet but it is available through the Network Upgrade menu option directly on the PSP bringing streaming internet radio directly to the handheld device. In fact, I’m listening to the ShoutCast player on my PSP while writing this. You’ll need an Wi-Fi internet connection of course, and after installing the update there is a new menu option in the network settings for Internet Radio. Selecting it brings you to an “About” page that shows two different but similar players available for download to your Memory Stick, one from ShoutCast and the other from IceCast, each having 50 genres to choose from once downloaded.

The marketing research firm NPD has turned in their analysis of what the top video game titles and consoles were last month and the news is very good for the industry as a whole. Leading the top in sales of new software was Activision’s “Call of Duty 4″ for the Microsoft Xbox 360 which sold an impressive 1.57 million copies. Nintendo’s “Super Mario Galaxy” came in second place and if you combine the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 sales for “Assassin’s Creed” it would actually take the silver medal. Not coincidentally Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed” has emerged as the best-selling new IP for games in recent years.

Nintendo’s handheld DS gaming device sold an amazing 1.53 million units in November which was enough to give it the top of the chart for hardware sales. In second place was Nintendo’s Wii gaming console with 981,000 Wiis sold followed by Microsoft’s Xbox 360 in third spot with 770,000 units finding homes. Sony moved 577,000 PlayStation Portable to give it fourth place and the price drop in the PS3 convinced 466,000 consumers to go out and buy one of the consoles last month.

Nyko yesterday gave PlayStation 3 owners a reason to cheer in regards to keep their controllers charged and organized. The new Charge Base 2 is priced at around $30.

The Nyko Charge Base 2 is designed to “rapidly” charge two PS3 controllers at the same time via an AC outlet. It sports visual charge indicators and a stylishly appealing, smaller form factor then a previous model. Nyko said it also has a new contact point dongle system for making charging easier.