Damn it, Sony’s done it again – releasing the coolest stuff only to it’s Japanese customers at home. Today they announced two new products that should turn hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of gamers green with envy. The first is a Japan-exclusive Michael Jackson-themed PS3 bundle. People hoping to cash in on the passing of the King of Pop are releasing the “movie” ‘This is It’ on Blu-ray and Sony has decided to moonwalk along with them to the money. The Playstation 3 Slim bundle costs ¥33,500 and includes a 120 GB hard drive, one controller, and the Blu-ray of MJ’s salvaged concert rehearsal footage.

Why only Japan, Sony? Don’t you know we love Captain Eo over here too?

The second slap comes with the announcement that Japan is getting a “Spring Blossom Pink” PSP 3000. Sure, three years ago there was a co-branded P!nk (as in the slutty popstar) PSP bundle and the more recent release of a “Lilac” PSP with a Hannah Montana game, but we need more options for accessorizing our gaming systems with our outfits. Unfortunately, for now it looks like only Japanese gaming fashion-istas can pick up the Spring Blossom Pink handheld for ¥16,800 ($183).

I’ve spent the past week experimenting, tweaking, cursing and crashing in my attempts to run a solid PlayStation 2 emulator on the PC. I come to you after my brutal journey with the fruits of my labor, hopefully making your imminent adventure far more enjoyable and infinitely less frustrating.

Why would anyone want to emulate PlayStation 2 games on the PC?

Simple: PS2 games look better than they have ever looked. They look better than the original PlayStation 2 and they look better than the PlayStation 3’s built-in emulator, available only earlier models. Why do PS2 games look better with PC emulation? Because you can use the power of your video card to render games at super-high resolutions. For instance, I’m currently playing Final Fantasy XII at 1920 x 1080 with x2 Anti-Alias at a steady 60-frames-per-second! It looks freaking sweet.

Here is a little proof. The first image shows Final Fantasy XII as it looks running at its native resolution while the second image is enhanced emulation. Note the crispness of the emulation shots, while the standard PS2 version is full of jaggies and pixelation.

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Native Resolution

Emulation

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Remember when the Playstation 3 launched and Sony execs tripped all over themselves to say things like consumers were confused over all the SKUs of Xbox 360s, only to introduce a fleet of new PS3 SKUs? Remember when Sony execs criticized Microsoft for having two different models for Xbox Live in Silver and Gold? Funny how things change.

Kaz Hirai of Sony has officially confirmed that 2010 will bring a paid subscription to the Playstation 3.

Gamespot:

During the presentation, which emphasized Sony’s plans to make its game business profitable in the next fiscal year, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai confirmed the plans. “We will be building upon our current free [PSN] service offering with premium content and services to start the subscription model,” he told attendees.

Perhaps to assuage PS3 owners’ fears that they would soon have to pay to play online, Hirai issued a subsequent statement indicating the present level of service would remain gratis.

“SCE will further increase sales by offering users new entertainment through the combination of hardware, software, peripheral, and PlayStation Network,” Hirai said in a statement given to British outlets, such as CVG. “Especially in the online area, we are studying the possibility of introducing a subscription model, offering premium content and services, in addition to the current free services.” (Emphasis added.)

As of press time, US Sony reps had not offered Hirai’s statement or further clarification about its subscription plans for the PlayStation Network. Luckily, though, the “current free services” currently offered on PSN include online play, Facebook integration, and Netflix video streaming. On Xbox Live, both of those features are only accessible at the Gold membership level, which costs at least $50 per year.

Yesterday the highly anticipated Battlefield 1943 finally arrived on both the Xbox 360 and the PS3, via their Xbox Live and the Playstation Network services, and the buzz from the gaming community is that its a hit – when you can play it. A real bargain costing only $15 on either system (there is a limited-play demo you can try for free), the game is already so popular that its servers have been overwhelmed and many gamers are having problems connecting for online play. For those who do manage to get into a game, competition can be fierce, especially for inexperienced players forced to battle it out with longtime fans of the series who are most likely familiar with maps being re-used from the previous title. Thankfully, GameAlmighty has posted an extensive strategy guide that covers everything from the vehicles and classes to the tactics and maps and should do a good job of helping to level the playing field. You can find it here.