Author: Sean Patterson

Though the announcement of PlayStation 4 launch titles is just around the corner, PlayStation 3 owners still have a lot to look forward to this year. Namely, huge titles such as God of War: Ascension and The Last of Us.

Sony knows, however, that not every fan of God of War is also a fan of Naughty Dog‘s (the developer of The Last of Us) Uncharted series. So, much like how the demo for Ascension was bundled into the Blu-Ray copies of the Total Recall remake, Naughty Dog today announced that copies of Ascension will come with access to a demo of The Last of Us.

Luckily for gamers, it doesn’t appear that Ascension will be the stinker that Total Recall was. Their peek at The Last of Us will come with a fully playable prequel to God of War.

The demo won’t be on-disc, though, and it also won’t be downloadable immediately when Ascension launches on March 12. Instead, gamers will find a The Last of Us listing on the main menu. Following it will lead to instructions on how to access the demo when it finally arrives.

For God of War fans who haven’t heard of The Last of Us, the game will follow the characters Joel and Ellie as they brave the ruins of civilization following some sort of pandemic. The game wowed crowds at last year’s Sony E3 presentation with its portrayal of brutal and realistic violence.

T-mobile announced today that it intends to ease further into business-to-business (B2B) services with some new service offerings.

T-Mobile Office Connect is the mobile carrier’s communications solution for businesses. It will integrate T-Mobile’s 4G network to enable “desk phone features on mobile devices. The carrier claims that employees will then only need one number and voicemail box to manage all of their business contacts, and that desk phone to mobile transfers will be smooth. The service will also allow customers to route international calls through “the least expensive option” and bills long-distance calls at business rates.

T-Mobile is pricing Office Connect at $9.95 per month per line, which includes hardware, software licenses, and installation costs.

“Today, mobile devices are critical extensions of an organization’s business infrastructure,” said Frank Sickinger, T-Mobile’s SVP of B2B. “Therefore, making and protecting strategic mobile investments are more pivotal than ever before. Our new unified communications and equipment financing solutions demonstrate T-Mobile’s commitment, as the ‘Un-Carrier’, to challenge the status quo for our B2B customers.”

T-Mobile also announced its Mobile Device Payment Solution (MDPS), a service designed to allow business to finance the cost of devices over time. The carrier claims the service has “competitive rates” and can be offered at no interest with the proper credit approval. Qualified Corporate Liable (CL) businesses will be able to reserve capital and finance upfront costs through third-party lender CFS.

BMW and Toyota today announced that the car companies have teamed up to develop a new fuel-cell system and the future of lithium battery technology. The companies signed binding agreements to collaborate on several projects meant to usher in future vehicle technology.

“[Toyota] and the BMW Group share the same strategic vision of future sustainable mobility,” said Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the board at BMW. “In light of the technological changes ahead, the entire automotive industry faces tremendous challenges, which we also regard as an opportunity. This collaboration is an important building block in keeping both companies on a successful course in the future.”

A new fuel-cell system will be jointly developed by the companies, which includes a hydrogen tank, motor, and battery. The project is slated to be completed in 2020, and codes and standards for the hydrogen infrastructure will also be developed.

BMW and Toyota will also jointly develop lightweight technologies for vehicle bodies. The research will include reinforced composites, which could be included in another joint venture: a mid-size sports car. A feasibility study on the jointly designed car is due by the end of 2013, and the companies will combine their technology and engineering know-how to “maximise customer satisfaction.

Perhaps the most far-reaching collaboration the companies will undertake is the development of lithium-air battery technology. Such batteries would have energy densities far greater than current lithium-ion batteries.

“It is just over a year since we signed our collaborative MoU [memorandum of understanding), and with each day as our relationship strengthens, we feel acutely that we are making steadfast progress,” said Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota. “Now, we are entering the phase that promises the fruit. While placing importance on what we learn from the joint development, we will work hard together in reaching our common goal of making ever-better cars.”

Everyone in the gaming world is waiting to see what wild new experiences Rockstar will bring with the launch of Grand Theft Auto V. While waiting for that game, however, Rockstar is hoping that fans of the GTA series will be looking to ease back into the sandbox gameplay with a nostalgic trip through the older games in the series.

Just last year, the publisher released Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. It also released Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for the PlayStation Network.

Though there hasn’t been an announcement that San Andreas is on the way to mobile platforms, Rockstar today did reveal that Vice City is coming to the PlayStation Network next week. Gamers will soon be able to take on the role of Tommy Vercetti via their PlayStation 3 (and presumably Vita) consoles. The game takes place in a Miami-inspired city and features 80s themes and music. The game’s story also loosely follows that of the movie Scarface.

Vice City will launch part of the PlayStation 2 Classics collection next week, on January 29 (January 30 in Europe). Unfortunately, the price of the game won’t be as inexpensive as its $5 price on mobile platforms. Vice City in the PlayStation Store will sell for $10/€10/£8.

Rockstar also teased that “more classic Rockstar titles” will be coming to the PSN “in the weeks and months ahead.”