Sony Computer Entertainment announced Wednesday that they will be releasing a full QWERTY keyboard attachment for Sixaxis and Dualshock 3 wireless PlayStation 3 controllers for the holiday season.

Sony promises the keyboard will come out in late November in North America and by the end of the year worldwide.

We’ve expected this for some time now as Sony moves to social interaction in both its games and its PlayStation Home social network.

The keyboard attaches onto a controller, works standalone via Bluetooth or can be plugged into the PS3 via USB.

It also features a useful touchpad button that acts as a slider, moving around while performing tasks like web browsing.

One of the major titles this keyboard will be useful for is the highly anticipated LittleBigPlanet coming out at the end of the year.

Specifications:

Product Name: Wireless Keypad
Product Code: CECHZK1JP (For Japanese market)
Weight : Approx 60g
Voltage: DC 3.7V
Operating Temperature:
5 degrees C ~ 35 degrees C
Built-in Bluetooth(R) Ver.2.0
Keypad Layout: QWERTY layout
Battery: Built-in Rechargeable Lithium-Ion
Battery Capacity: 610mAh

Nyko beat Sony to the punch in the US with a Wireless Sixaxis controller that also supports rumble.

The controller has metal on the top and plastic for the rest of the body. The Metal is touted as a way to keep your hands less sweaty, and cooler. The bad thing about the metal is when you first pick up the
controller, it feels cold. The metal is fine once you’ve had it in your hand for a while.

The battery life on the Nyko is great. The Controller comes with a USB cable for charging and a 2xAA battery holder in case you forget to charge the controller. Remember, the PS3 can’t charge the zero when the it’s turned off.

One serious issue with the Zero is that it uses a USB adapter to communicate with the PS3. It is wireless, but it still requires a dongle. The dongle — like most wireless devices — needs to be synced with the controller. Unlike the Sony wireless controllers the controller sync information can not be stored on the PS3 itself. This means that sometimes, when it loses connection, you have to walk over to the PS3 and press the sync button on the dongle. Most of the time though, it only takes a press on center button of the controller to reconnect them. The USB dongle also means that the Zero is unable to turn the PS3 on, since there is no power to the USB ports when the PS3 is turned off.

The controller is heavier than the Sony SixAxis, or the Dual Shock PS2 controller. Though the weight isn’t uncomfortably heavy. The added weight it expected, as the Zero has metal as part of the body, a battery, and motors for rumble.

The vibration works just as you would expect. Many games, even older ones, come with support for rumble already. It’s like a new dimension on your old games. The Zero doesn’t shake as much as the Dual Shock
did, but that is likely to conserve the battery life of the controller.

The controller uses a color-coded number to identify itself and back-lit bottons. Those would be helpful for somepeople if they actually look at the buttons. I think we’re past that at this stage of our gaming development.

The best thing about the SixAxis controll in the Zero is that there really isn’t much to say about it. It simply just works. It feels and reacts just as the original PS3 controller. Despite the need for a dongle, it works great. If you need an extra controller or want to do some vibrating, give the Zero a try.

4 out of 5 stars 

In a not-so-surprising move, God of War 3 will be developed for the Playstation 3. This comes on the heels of GoW 2′s amazing successes earlier in the year on the PS2, which has propelled the action series to the top of the Sony gaming world.

God of War 2 is considered by many to be the best Playstation 2 game ever, and it is reasonable to think that the third installment looks even better on paper — 1080p, sixaxis, digital audio, etc.

But Sony is going forward on God of War 3 without two of the top names behind the success of God of War 2.

Cory Barlog, who directed God of War 2, is out and no longer works for Sony Computer Entertainment America’s Santa Monica division. “We are grateful for his work and creative vision for the critically acclaimed God of War franchise,” SCEA said in a statement.

Also seemingly missing from the equation will be David Jaffe, who was the creative director of the God of War Series. The industry vet also has the Twisted Metal Playstation franchise on his resume, according to his blog. Jaffe went independent. His new studio, Eat Sleep Play, is working on a PSP port of Twisted Metal, Gamespot reported recently.

With the loss of Jaffe and the big-mouthed yet highly talented Barlog, suddenly the success of God of War 3 goes from a sure thing to a potential question mark.