Sega Saturn Classic, Burning Rangers, Coming to the Wii?

According to the current issue of Retro Gamer (www.retrogamer.net), Sega is thinking about a Burning Rangers sequel for the Wii. Sonic Team USA leader Takashi Iizuka dropped a possible clue:

"It's not my title, but I hear there's a lot of demand for a sequel, to bring out Burning Rangers on Wii so...we'll see."

Burning Rangers has developed quite a cult following considering it's rather mixed reviews. One has to wonder how much the sales of another Saturn classic on the Wii, NiGHTS, will effect the decision to make a sequel for Burning Rangers.

Sony Announces New PS3 and PSP Bundles Plus DUALSHOCK 3 Details

Sony Press Release:

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., February 26, 2008 – At its annual retail and publisher conference Destination PlayStation, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) announced details of upcoming PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) and PSP®(PlayStation®Portable) (PSP-2000) hardware bundles with two of the most highly anticipated 2008 titles. The company also announced the April 2008 availability of DUALSHOCK®3 wireless controller in North America.

To coincide with the much-anticipated North American launch of Metal Gear Solid®4: Guns of the Patriots in late Q2 2008, SCEA will introduce a PS3 bundle, which will include an 80GB PS3, the upcoming blockbuster Metal Gear Solid®4: Guns of the Patriots and a DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller for $499 (MSRP).

SCEA also announced the June 2008 availability of the limited-edition God of War® PSP Entertainment Pack for $199.99 (MSRP). The God of War Entertainment Pack will include a “Deep Red” PSP with God of War himself, Kratos, silk-screened on the back of the unit, a copy of the highly anticipated upcoming God of War: Chains of Olympus game for PSP, the hit comedy movie from Columbia Pictures, “Superbad™,” on UMD™ (Universal Media Disc), and a PLAYSTATION®Network voucher to download Syphon Filter®: Combat Ops from PLAYSTATION®Store. The stand-alone version of God of War: Chains of Olympus launches on March 4, 2008.

The odd thing about this press release is the PS3 bundle. It includes, what was previously thought to be discontinued, an 80GB unit. Is this the same 80 GB that Sony has been selling, or it a stripped-down version? As of now, we will have to assume it is the same. But, we shall see.

PS3 Best Blu-ray Player Available?

According to Mercurynews.com, Sony's Playstation 3 is the best Blu-ray player on the market. Why is that? Read the following quote,

"The numbers refer to Blu-ray "profiles." There are three Blu-ray profiles: 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0.

Profile 1.0 or "grace period" profile Blu-ray players simply play the movie and start around $399. They tend to be kind of slow and there have been some player and software compatibility issues, which are two reasons I don't recommend them, especially when there is a far superior alternative available for the same $399. All of the stand-alone players on the market now (save one) are Profile 1.0.

Profile 1.1 or "Bonus View" players play the movie and add a secondary video decoder for picture-in-picture special features. There is only one Profile 1.1 model available, a $499 Panasonic. More will be coming later this year, priced from $349 and up. The Sony PlayStation 3 supports Profile 1.1 now and is available for $399.

Profile 2.0 or "BD-Live" players will play the movie, support Bonus View and add an Internet connection for Web interactive content and firmware updates. The Profile 2.0 standard is not fully developed and is expected to launch sometime in 2008. The PlayStation 3 will support BD-Live via a firmware update when Profile 2.0 is launched.

The obvious message here is: if you want a Blu-ray player, get a PlayStation 3! It is the fastest, most reliable Blu-ray player available, can be updated to Profile 2.0, and is priced the same as an entry-level Profile 1.0 player."

This is certainly great news for Sony. You would think they would be advertising this as much as their games. If Nintendo can capitalize on the casual gamer, why shouldn't Sony do the same with movie enthusiasts? Start advertising the PS3 as a Blu-ray player in as many audio and visual magazines as possible. Once these people get on board, they might even decide to try a game or two.