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"17:30: Welcome to our live blog of Sony&amp;#039;s gamescom 2009 conference. There are strong rumours that a slim version of the PS3 will be shown today, along with more details of the PSP Go launch and a possible release date for Gran Turismo 5. We&amp;#039;ll find out when the conference starts in just a few minutes&amp;#039; time. 17:36: Everyone is still being seated. The words &amp;#039;The game is just the start...&amp;#039; adorn the front stage. 17:42: It seems that the conference will start in five minutes. Time to put the kettle on. 17:49: And we begin. A video shows ModNation Racers, God Of War III, EyePet, PlayStation Home, PixelJunk Shooter and more. 17:51: Video comes to an end, and the president of SCEE Andrew House takes to the stage. He discusses how the company prides itself on change, and how gaming has moved into the living room. 17:56: Sales are now being discussed. PSP has sold 53 million machines worldwide. PS3 has sold 23.7 million - ten million of those in Europe alone. PSN members come in at 27 million, with 11 million in Europe. 17:58: Now House is talking about Home. 7.5 million downloads so far worldwide, and new spaces on the way. SingStar and Audi will be available before the end of the year. 18:02: PSN will be getting a new look. He said that an update that will speed up navigation will be arriving on September 1 (doesn&amp;#039;t say what firmware number). It will add channels such as the BBC iPlayer in the UK. 18:05: September will also see the arrival of PSN voucher cards, as seen in North America. Credit Card will no longer be the only way to pay for downloads. Also, VidZone will extend across Scandinavia. 18:06: House announces a video service for Europe, launching this November. Movies from Universal, Disney, Warner Bros and more (expect Harry Potter and Batman) will be available to rent and buy in both standard and high definition. No prices mentioned. Available in the UK, France, Spain and Germany this year. 18:10: Digital Reader for PSP has been announced, arriving in both the US and Europe in December. Comics will be a big selling point, with the likes of Marvel on board. Hundreds of new comics available each month. 18:13: Now onto the PSP. House says that Eye Of Judgement will be on the show floor. 18:13: New LocoRoco announced. Will also be on the show floor. 18:16: Details of new PSP marketplace. Smaller games will be called &amp;#039;Minis&amp;#039;, with the idea that first-time developers can easily make games on the service. Sounds like a cross between Xbox Indie Games and the iPhone App Store. 100MB size cap for games. 18:17: It will launch October 1 with the PSP Go. 15 games will be available from day one, with over 50 by the new year. EA working on Tetris for the service. 18:18: House reiterates ongoing PSP-3000 support, with three new colours - purple, pink and light blue. Hannah Montana bundle that was announced at E3 mentioned once more. 18:21: Those that register a PSP Go between October 1 and October 10 will get Gran Turismo PSP for free. Wow. 18:22: Now moving onto the PS3. EyePet will be out this year, with the EyeToy for \u00A339.99. 18:26: David Cage comes on stage to present Heavy Rain. He explains that four characters will be playable, one of which is Shelby, a private detective, and another is Ethan, an architect who lost his son - he has a chance to save his other son, with only four days to do so. 18:32: No motion controller stuff today - just a video. It shows how it becomes a sword, a shield and a torch. Looks very impressive. Will be shown at Tokyo Game Show next month. 18:35: Kaz Hirai takes to the stage. He announces... the PS3 Slim. 18:36: Quick rundown of the facts: it&amp;#039;ll be 33% smaller, 36% lighter. Will come in a matte finish. Consumes less power, and will cost $299 - nothing about a UK price. 18:36: Normal PS3s will also have the same price tag, effective immediately. PS3 Slim comes out during the first week of September. Hirai leaves the stage. 18:39: And we&amp;#039;re done. Join us for Microsoft&amp;#039;s Conference at 9am tomorrow! Pleased with the announcements? Add a comment in the space below! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/gamescom/news/a172210/live-blog-gamescom-2009-sony-conference/>