Sony reels off a few release dates and unveils Mirror’s Edge for PS3 among the highlights at PlayStation Day in London’s docklands this afternoon.

Without further ado here are the headlines from this afternoon’s ‘PlayStation Day’ conference:

Killzone 2 is scheduled for February 2009. Resistance 2 is “six months away from retail” which we cleverly figured out to be round about October 2008. R2 has a new Dynamic Objective system for multiplayer skirmishes, in which every squad is rewarded for teamwork while competing ‘toe-to-toe’ with a rival squad. My Resistance.net is being revamped to resemble something closer to FaceBook.

Little Big Planet is also due in October. It boasts significant user generated content (UGC) such as mini-games and new levels. UGC was also highlighted as huge for BUZZ!: Quiz TV, the next generation of Buzz for PS3 that allows users to devise their own quizzes and upload them onto PSN where they can be shared for free.

Since Metal Gear Solid 4 is being touted as a PlayStation 3 exclusive, there will be a special MGS4 PS3 bundle for Europe to coincide with the game’s release on 12 June.

MotorStorm Pacific Rift enjoyed quite a lengthy time in the spotlight. Creative Director Paul Hollywood talked the assembled press through new features such as 20 vehicles in the race, allowing for up to 16 players online. In response to much whinging from MotorStorm fans there’s also a four-player split-screen option. One new vehicle, the Monster Truck, has significant impact on gameplay – it can squash smaller cars! The other large vehicles can trample foliage on the new Island venue, based on Hawaii apparently. So expect to find volcanoes, jungle and fast flowing rivers as obstacles… kind of like grown up Mario Kart then.

The games software highlight was undoubtedly Mirror’s Edge, from DICE studio in Stockholm. It resembled Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed in that the hero engaged in free running across rooftops. However the setting is modern day, the hero is female and everything is viewed from a first person perspective. It looked great, and you can see this for yourself when the trailer becomes available via PSN from Thursday.

Sales success of Gran Turismo Prologue was only to be expected, 1.5 million across PAL territories. Sony and Nissan have collaborated on a new venture called GT Academy, available from 23 May via PSN, which tests drivers to see if they’d be good enough to race for Nissan. If you can prove that you are, one lucky winner will be chosen to go and train with the Nissan team for real and compete in a real race in January 2009. In related news Polyphony Digital, the creators of GT, has designed the onboard computer interface for Nissans’ newest GTR.

Last of the big PS3 specific announcements was Play TV, which launches in September for 99 Euro. It’s intended to make the most of PSP/PS3 connectivity. Remote Play allows you to watch recorded programs stored on the PS3 hard drive. This is not to be confused with the Sony / SKY project GO! View, which is video on demand exclusively for PSP – a broad cross-section of SKY programmes can be downloaded onto the PC then saved across onto PSP for viewing at any time. GO! View launches 5 June and will be a subscription service.

Numbers then (yes, you have our permission to go and so something more interesting). There are currently 12 million PSPs sold through in Europe, 48million PS2s, and five million PS3s. According to Sony the PS3 has reached this milestone in roughly the same time as it took PS2, despite being more expensive. The success is attributed to appeal across broader demographics and cultures than Xbox 360. The punch line is that PS3 has now outsold Xbox 360 across Europe despite launching 16 months later. Sony says that PS3 has been outselling Xbox 360 since October 2007 across Europe.

PlayStation Network (PSN) currently has 3.2 million ‘registrants’, and these people have so far downloaded over 57 million ‘items’ from the PlayStation Store. Sony didn't attempt to draw comparison with Xbox LIVE, but has every right to boast of its admirable share of online progress.

Finally, Blu-ray. PS3 is directly responsible for the success of the format. No surprises there, eh. The Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones sci-fi romp Men in Black will be the first BD-LIVE enabled disc to be released outside of the US on 16 June. BD-LIVE only recently launched in the US; the service that allows for additional content to be downloaded via the internet. This content has the potential to be far richer than standard extras contained on most DVDs (or HD-DVDs RIP). Men in Black will boast a goofy trivia game. Other titles further down the line, such as The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, will allow for a Water Horse virtual pet etc.

Basically a lot of flag waving from Sony and probably deserved considering the amount of flak the company has received from the press. Perhaps a few journos will be eating humble pie alongside miniature sausage rolls and quiche in the PlayStation Day party that will continue into the night.

Here’s the full list of everything on show at the event, just to make you jealous:

Music
Guitar Hero 3
SingStar PS3 Vol. 2
SingStar Summer Party
Dancing Stage Supernova 2
Movement

Film and Art
Blu-ray / BD Live - SPHE
Lego Batman
Wall-E
Kung Fu Panda
Ghostbusters
Siren: Blood Curse
Photo Application
Movement
Sponsorships - FWIC Video

Travel
Go! Explore
PlayTV - PSP
Buzz!: The Master Quiz
Everybody's Golf 2
Secret Agent Clank
Echochrome
Crisis Core
Space Invaders Extreme

Sports
MotorStorm Pacific Rift
Everybody's Golf: World Tour
GT5 Prologue
Euro 2008
Beijing Olympics
High Velocity Bowling
WipEout HD

Friends and Family
Buzz!: Quiz TV
Buzz!: Master Quiz
EyeToy: Pom Pom Party
EyeToy: Heroes
PlayTV
Echochrome
Go! Messenger / Skype
Buzz! Junior Jungle Party
Elefunk
PixelJunk Eden
PlayStation Network
Folding@Home

Creation
LittleBigPlanet
My SingStar Online
PlayStation Eye

Intense Action
Killzone 2
Mirror's Edge
Super Stardust HD Team

Clan
Resistance 2
SOCOM Confrontation
Haze
Warhawk Operation: Broken Mirror

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PlayStation Home

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