Sony Public Relations Manager Alex Armour has officially confirmed that Gran Turismo 5 for PS3 will be released on November 24, 2010.

The date is locked in: Gran Turismo 5 will go on sale throughout North America on Wednesday, November 24th.

That means you’ll be experiencing over 1,000 cars, including karts and select NASCAR cars, scores of tracks, the all-new Course Maker, a dynamic weather system, a robust online community, and everything else Gran Turismo 5 has to offer in less than two weeks.

Along with confirming the November 24th date, Kazunori Yamauchi, President of Polyphony Digital Inc. had this to say:

Gran Turismo 5 is an ambitious project, with challenges and complexities which have made it our version of the Apollo Space Program! When we created the original Gran Turismo back in 1997, we wanted to set a completely new precedent for the racing genre. With the technological leap onto PlayStation 3, our objective with Gran Turismo 5 was to create another great revolution which would not only satisfy our own high expectations, but would meet or even exceed the anticipation of the fans. Satisfying the loyal Gran Turismo followers is at the heart of all of our efforts, which is why it was such a difficult decision to delay the release of the game, and one which we did not take lightly. I can only apologize to everyone for making you wait so long, and I hope that when you try out the wealth of driving experiences available in Gran Turismo 5, you will not be disappointed.

Don’t forget to pre-order Gran Turismo 5 if you haven’t already to ensure your copy day one and receive a voucher for one of five free downloadable cars with a custom Stealth Model skin and a $10 Video Game credit at Amazon.com.

Source: PlayStation Blog

For more information and downloads, click here!

PS Downgrade brought to you by the original PS Jailbreak team is now open for business. The wait is over and we now support all past, current and future firmwares. Buy a PS Downgrade + PS Jailbreak Combo from our worlwide resellers to join in on the Homebrew scene today. All dealers should contact us for new pricing schedules, as well as marketing material. We have just completed a new batch of product ready to ship immediately. Please beware PS Downgrade only installs on original PS Jailbreak devices. There are numerous inferior clones and copycats out on the market claiming to be compatable with our support. This is FALSE!!! Buy original from a trusted reseller or risk beeing stuck with a paperweight.

Specifications:

The wait is finally over! New users above 3.41 fw its time to join in on the fun. Thanks to PS Downgrade, PS Jailbreak is now available for all 44 million users.

PS Downgrade is a software add on that connects with your existing PS Jailbreak device. In 1 minute or less you can downgrade your consoles firmware to any previous firmware.

Simple to install; just plug PS Jailbreak into your pc and follow the gui to install PS Downgrade. Works with all past, present and future firmwares!

Turn back your console to 3.41 to jailbreak with the worlds original PS Jailbreak, or even go as far back as 3.12 to enjoy Other OS (yes LINUX is back). Completely safe to use, and does not void your warranty. PS Downgrade is completely undetecable by manufacturer, there is no history or log of your downgrade.

Please note: PS Downgrade is ONLY compatible with original PS Jailbreak, no clones or inferior USB dongles.

It’s interesting to note, that the downgrade can only be used once. According to the source, “1 time downgrade, cannot downgrade more then once, or to a lower firmware after you choose which firmware”.

The video below is from an official reseller but here is the kicker...they are charging $40 for the downgrade PLUS the cost of the PS Jailbreak dongle. It seems to be confirmed by other resellers that the PS Downgrade is NOT free and that you'll have to fork over $40 to downgrade. Below are the prices pulled from http://www.ps-downgrade.com/checkout.htm

• PS Jailbreak + PS Downgrade $125.00
• PS Jailbreak $100.00
• PS Downgrade (Requires a PS Jailbreak) $40.00

Suggested Retail Pricing

• 1PC 40.00$ USD
• 2PC 38.00$ USD
• 5PC 35.00$ USD
• 10PC 33.00$ USD
• 50PC 30.00$ USD
• 100PC 27.00$ USD

PS Jailbreak team has said that they worked really hard on this and to prevent others from cloning or hacking their own products. What do you think? You think it can be done? This is great news for the PS3 Scene, but I would of loved to see a 3.50 jailbreak.

Source: PS Downgrade via PSGroove

For more information and downloads, click here!

xoeo has hacked his way back onto PlayStation Network (PSN). The modified payload for 3.15 and 3.41, re-enables PSN access…for now. The hex files can be flashed to the PS3YES or any other device equipped with the AT90USB162 at 16MHz and AT90USB1287 at 8MHz. Other builds will follow when people start to compile it for their boards or to help others.

Be careful though, Sony will likely be all over this and will be fixing it quickly. However, they may even detect that you’re using a hacked PS3 which puts you at risk of getting banned.

Download files and source can be found in source link.

Source: A9VG (Chinese)

For more information and downloads, click here!

P3Go G-Switch Power ON/OFF Slim
Manufacturer: G-Team
Site: Buy from VolumeRates / Buy from LighTake / Buy from PriceAngels
Price: $4.18-$5.99


P3Go GT-Break USB microSD SDHC: (Review coming soon)
Site: Buy from LighTake / Buy from PriceAngels
Price: $24.00-26.00 (dongle and switch)

Overview : Prevent wear and tear from constantly plugging and unplugging power cable on the back of your PS3 Slim.

Features for G-Switch :

• Supports only PS3 Slim from any region. (USA, JAP, PAL and KOREA)
• One time installation – Plug & Play and forget.
• Allows you to recycle power on your PS3 Slim without the need of unplugging the cable from the back of your console.
• Made out of high resistance polymer which is fireproof and has been built to last.

Quality/Usability : In order to jailbreak your console, the PlayStation 3 console needs to be cold booted. That means you'll either have to turn the switch off and on, on the back of a fat PS3 or unplug and plug the power cord on the PS3 Slim. PS3 fat users got it easy but for Slim owners, it can be a hassle especially if your PS3 is in an entertainment center or in a spot that is hard to reach.

G-Team has found a solution for all you PS3 Slim owners. They have released a switch that plugs in-between the PS3 Slim console and power cord thus giving you a dedicated ON/OFF switch without the need of constantly unplugging the power cord. However, the G-Switch actually comes included with their P3Go GT-Break USB Jailbreak dongle but not everyone needs the dongle, so some retailers are selling just the switch alone.

The G-Switch is a simple plug and play solution. Simply unplug the power cord from the PS3 Slim (this would be the last time you'll need to do this unless you're packing up your PS3). Insert the G-Switch into the back of your PS3 Slim and than attach the power cord to the G-Switch. The G-Switch is now in-between the cord and console. Now, rather than unplugging the power cord from the console, just flip the switch. To get power, just flip the switch to the ON position.

The G-Switch worked as it should however, upon opening it up, the soldering job didn't look like it was done by machines at the manufacturing plant but by a worker instead. The switch worked as it should as I have constantly flipped the switch on and off but the soldering job wasn't as clean. Maybe they needed to include it with the dongles or maybe their manufacturing plant wasn't capable or soldering the switch due to design?

Conclusion : Overall, the P3Go G-Switch Power ON/OFF Slim is a much needed accessory for anyone jailbreaking their console. The quality of the switch is very good but the soldering job could have been better and cleaner. Than again, what average user will go ahead and open up a product to see the inside? So as long it works and doesn't break, that's all that matters, right? The price is very affordable and online retailers offer FREE shipping for those who already have their preferred jailbreak device but is looking for a ON/OFF switch.

Images via comments

For more information and downloads, click here!