The long-promised PlayStation Home beta expansion is rolling out soon. How soon? Sony announced today that users who download a Home branded PS3 theme from the PS Store will be automatically entered in for possible participation in the ongoing beta program. Straight from Home director Jack Buser:

Later today, the PLAYSTATION Store will be updated with a PlayStation Home theme. By downloading the theme, users are submitting an application to join the PlayStation Home Beta test community. We will be using a variety of criteria including activity on the PLAYSTATION Network to determine eligibility for the Beta community.

Existing Home beta users worry not, as your accounts will transfer over to the extended beta period. Keep in mind that this all applies to North American folks only. Over in Euro-land, SCEE will be targeting the most active users on PSN.

Want into the PlayStation Home Closed Beta test? Here’s How to Apply [PS Blog]

The SOCOM team today announced that the public Confrontation beta test, briefly mentioned back in June, will go live on September 1. There’s going to be two ways to get in on the action.

Firstly, if you pre-order the game at GameStop — online or at retail, you’ll be able to access the beta on day one. Additionally, you can share your beta access code with up to two friends.

Another ticket into the beta will be given to Qore viewers. Subscribers of the service and those who purchase the June issue will be able to download the SOCOM: Confrontation public beta from within Qore on September 8 through the 30th. Keep in mind that all of the above information applies to North American residents only. Sony plans to announce public beta details for other regions at a later date.

Public Beta info… no really! [SOCOM]

Ubisoft has announced that the original Driver will be making its way onto the European PlayStation Store next week, August 14. Developed by Ubisoft Reflections, the game follows Tanner, an undercover cop who has been given the task of infiltrating a shady crime syndicate using his mad driving skills.

Driver puts you in the driving shoes of Tanner, an undercover cop tasked with infiltrating an illegal syndicate through his impressive driving skills in a variety of cities across the globe.

Europe-only for now, unless Ubi has plans to throw this up on the U.S. store next week as well. As with most PSOne classics, it’ll be priced at €4.99.

Namco Bandai today announced that first week sales of its Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 fighter Soulcalibur IV have totaled two million units worldwide.

An impressive figure, that’s for certain. But then again, with the winning combination of landmark figures from Star Wars franchise and female characters with enormous boobs, how could this not sell well? And of course, doesn’t hurt that it’s a good game either.

With sales like this, we have little doubt that Namco is already planning a fifth installment in the series.

Following word of a delay into October, the SOCOM team confirmed today that Confrontation will simultaneously debut on the PlayStation Network and retail shelves come October 14.

The retail package will be available in two flavors, one with the license PS3 Bluetooth headset peripheral included and one without. Specific details and pricing on each can be found after the jump. more »

Capcom is determined to deliver an authentic retro experience with Mega Man 9. Maybe even overly so. Speaking in a recent interview, series producer Hironobu Takeshita shed light on the challenges of creating an 8-bit title in a world where full HD visuals are all the rage, revealing that MM9 will in fact include many of the same “bugs” all of us veterans remember from the NES originals. Screen flickering, sprite limits, it’ll all be there.

Yeah, there were some things, like you couldn’t have more than three enemies on the screen at once, so we had to make sure that that’s how it stayed in our game. In the part with the dragon with the flame, [there should be] flickering, and whatnot.

Now that’s pretty neat. Though if you’re annoyed by these intentional bugs, don’t fret, as Capcom is including settings in the game’s option menu to disable them.

He Is 8-Bit: Capcom’s Hironobu Takeshita Speaks [Gamasutra]

Publisher Activision has sent word that Guitar Hero III owners will receive yet another round of downloadable offerings later this week with the release of the three-song “Intercope Track Pack.” The pack will feature recordings from Flyleaf, goth band AFI, and a Nick Zinner remix of Marilyn Manson’s 2007 single “Putting Holes In Happiness.”

Short of pricing, deets on each of the three tracks can be found after the jump. A release is scheduled for August 7 on both the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace. more »

According to a page on Sony Europe’s official website (which mysteriously was deleted while typing this), the 1.5 patch for Incognito’s popular aerial combat title Warhawk will be released on August 27.

The patch is said to bring forth trophy support with over 50 trophies based on overall performance, as well as unlocked modes, weapons, and vehicles. Ten of the trophies, which deal with Warhawk’s rank, medal and badge system, will be awarded retroactively. That’s not all — in addition to a number of new aircraft paint schemes and insignias, the patch will also add support for custom music tracks. Not bad, not bad at all. Quite a substantial update if you ask us.

The spoils of Warhawk [SCEE]

In an interview with Gamasutra, Valve Software vice president Doug Lombardi (pictured, left) revealed that the company would be “happy to have that conversation,” speaking in reference to potential acquisition offers.

Lombardi was quick to mention, however, that “the company’s doing pretty well, and we’re really happy with what we’re doing.” In other words, a Valve buyout likely isn’t going to happen anytime soon, but very well could in the future given the right offer.

Valve’s Lombardi Talks Potential Acquisitions, EA’s ‘Boogeyman’ [Gamasutra]

There’s no denying that Electronic Arts has pushed out quite a bit of licensed shovelware over the years, from Catwoman to mediocre installments in the 007 franchise. Company CEO John Riccitiello wants folks to forget all that, as he believes the “new” EA no longer participates in exploiting licensed properties with poor, low-quality games.

I don’t actually believe EA is in the business of exploiting other people’s licenses with bad quality games. We’ve been there. Most of our competitors are there or have been there. That’s not what we do. We’re not really after that market.

Have to agree. Under Riccitiello’s leadership, EA has without a doubt changed since last year, not only in managing licenses, but also the way they have gone about acquiring other studios, such as BioWare. The future certainly looks bright.

EA Vows To Not Make ‘Crappy’ Licensed Games, Pushes Original Content [MTV]