Applause for PlayStation at gamescom 2011

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe brought the big guns of entertainment to gamescom 2011 for PS3 and PS Vita.

In its media briefing on 16 August 2011, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe unleashed a world of innovation and entertainment at the lavish Gurzenich Köln, in the centre of Cologne, Germany.

Kicked off by a dynamic video showing off the exciting titles such as Batman: Arkham City, Resistance 3 and Journey, SCEE president Andrew House took to the stage to start our discovery on the now, the new and the next of PlayStation.

"Today PlayStation is stronger than ever, as an innovator and entertainment provider," stated House. The PlayStation family is growing stronger thanks to the arrival of PlayStation Vita in 2012 and this innovative journey is only going to become even better.

With House soon to become President and Group CEO Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., it was appropriate that he handed over to the next president and chief executive officer of SCEE, Jim Ryan. And with all eyes on PS Vita, Ryan promised the constantly evolving system would deliver extraordinary gaming experiences thanks to its amazing array of features.

"PlayStation is about games and PS Vita is a state of the art portable device with games at its heart," smiled the next president and chief executive officer of SCEE. The awaiting audience showed visible excitement as a demonstration of first person shooter Resistance: Burning Skies displayed the benefits of having dual analog sticks, with touch controls to use certain weapons. It's a true portable shooter, with no compromises.

A presentation of creative platformer LittleBigPlanet on PS Vita also drew appreciation from the attendees thanks to its showcase of how easy it is to build levels and creatures in the game using the system's front and rear camera to capture images of the world around us.

Sticking with the use of such brilliant features, beat 'em up Reality Fighters demonstrated the PS Vita cameras in an hilariously different way - by capturing the images of both House and Ryan to have them duke it out to the backdrop of a fighting arena. The hammer wielding House took the Reality Fighters title, and the game proved another hit ready to step into the ring of gaming experiences found on PS Vita.

Surprising the showgoers was the unveiling of Escape Plan, a rather different type of PS Vita game. Controlling Laarg and Lil, Escape Plan challenges you to help this hapless duo find their way out of a fortress of deathtraps. Darkly humorous, Escape Plan was greeted with a very positive response by the gathered journalists seeing it for the first time.

Third party support for PS Vita wasn't slacking either, with a large selection of titles in the pipeline, including a colossal six games to come from Ubisoft, such as a new Assassin's Creed with a fresh storyline and characters.

Even with PS Vita shining, PSP wasn't left out of the spotlight. Over 71 million units have found their way into homes worldwide, and Ryan revealed a new model, the PSP E-1000, to introduce even more people to its pocket sized delights. At a wallet friendly AUD$139.95RRP and backed by the budget PSP Essentials range, this announcement gathered one of the biggest gasps and cheers from the audience. As Ryan said: "Portable gaming has never been so accessible - and our commitment to the handheld market has never been stronger."

PlayStation 3 grabbed a piece of the action as well, with the PlayStation Move motion controller going from strength to strength. Over 8.8 millions units of PS Move have been sold worldwide, and that's only set to continue as games such as EA SPORTS FIFA 13, Resistance 3 and the LittleBigPlanet 2 Move pack engage players everywhere.

A surprise for PS Move fans was also in store with the announcement of Move Fitness, offering exercise and fun personal training with the motion controller, and DanceStar Party, an arrival accompanied by British dance group Diversity. The dynamic crew tore up the stage with a fresh set that started with PS Move motion controllers in-hand before launching into an explosive routine.

With the breathless display of dancing over, it was left to Ryan to stun us with a few last announcements. Downloadable from PlayStation Store in late 2011, inFamous 2: Festival of Blood on PS3 brings you back to the tragic city of New Marais where vampires have taken over. The superpowered Cole McGrath only has one day to save his people and himself from the deadly vampires' bite.

With all this great value excitement, it was fitting that Andrew House closed off the conference with the announcement that PS3 would receive a price drop to AUD$349.95RRP (160GB) and AUD$449.95RRP (320GB) - effective from 22nd August 2011. "The best quality entertainment experience, and an accessible price," stated House - and it seemed after a staggering show of great entertainment, no one at the conference would fail to agree.

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