MAG, Zipper Interactive's upcoming 256-player online shooter for the PS3, entered its fourth beta phase yesterday, according to a post on the official Playstation Blog. More than "6000 changes" were made over the previous beta.

A couple of the changes stand out from the rest. "Proximity chat," lets players overhear the voice communications of opposing team members as they draw closer, or provide foes with a few choice words down the barrel of a gun.

Another big change involves Shadow War Bonuses. "Depending on which Private Military Contractors (PMC's) are leading in the number of contracts owned, the entire PMC team will earn different bonuses based on gametype. Leading in Sabotage adds experience points, leading in Acquisition increases leadership aura distance, and leading in Domination decreases tactical strike cooldown time."

Other fixes in Beta 4 include an improved ranking system, skill tree, and... Read more

In advance of today's PlayStation Store update, Sony has reminded everyone that those with an annual subscription to its online PlayStation 3 video magazine Qore are guaranteed access to the upcoming beta test for Zipper's 256-player shooter MAG.

The beta is slated to kick off September 17, with the full game due January 26, 2010.

Anyone aged 18 or older that has plunked down the $25 for an annual Qore subscription (or renewed said subscription for $20) on or before September 17 will be e-mailed a voucher code for participation, going by a post on the official PlayStation.Blog.

While Qore isn't the only way to gaining access to the MAG beta--e-mails soliciting beta applications went out to some earlier this year, and Sony has already started giving away codes in contests--an annual subscription is thus far the only guaranteed method.

Zipper Interactive's 256-player online shooter MAG will launch on January 26, 2010, according to Sony.

Sony is promising more information on the PlayStation 3 exclusive's public beta "soon." For now, the publisher has released a new trailer:

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

Zipper's 256-player multiplayer shooter MAG sounds like a recipe for chaos, but the developer is stressing that the eight-man squads and overall command system will provide a level of manageable cohesion.

MAG hits the PlayStation 3 this fall.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

Did you play through all of Metal Gear Solid 4 and still not really know what a PMC was? Well, you're going to be confused again with MAG, so here's a new trailer from Zipper explaining the acronym in relation to the massive multiplayer shooter.

MAG, the game that aims to support 256 players in team-based online matches, arrives on the PS3 sometime this fall.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

The next developer diary for MAG, Zipper's Massive Action Game that supports up to 256 players online, provides a pretty general overview of the experience.

While the PlayStation 3-exclusive title is not quite the first FPS to feature unscripted helicopter and building explosions, as the developers claim, it will certainly be the first to do it with 256 players. And that's certainly a lot of players.

MAG will arrive on the PS3 sometime this fall.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

With Zipper's 256-player PlayStation 3 exclusive MAG (once known as Massive Action Game) slated for fall, publisher Sony is kicking its marketing campaign into high gear.

Case in point, the first video developer diary (below) just surfaced over on the European PlayStation.Blog, examining various elements of the forthcoming shooter MMO, such as the "shadow war" that private military contractors are fighting over ...contracts.

MAG is "basically trying to take the first-person genre and put it on steroids and take it to the next level," Zipper lead game designer Andy Beaudoin explains in the clip.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

Here now, the first HD gameplay footage of Zipper Interactive's 256-player online multiplayer shooter, MAG: Massive Action Game.

MAG is set to hit the PS3 before the end of March 2010.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

New screenshots of Zipper's 256-player PlayStation 3 multiplayer title MAG (Massive Action Game) have emerged our of publisher Sony, providing a glimpse of the various battlefields players will encounter in the next title from the SOCOM veterans. As far as a release date, all we know for sure is that MAG is slated to hit within Sony's current fiscal year, which ends of March 31, 2010.

Last week, Sony said that Killzone 2 would usher in "an unprecedented year" of PlayStation 3 exclusives, including God of War III, MAG, and Heavy Rain.

Now, though, Sony has clarified that statement. In a press release issued today, the company said that its numerous "groundbreaking exclusives," including MAG and God of War III, will arrive within the fiscal year, which doesn't conclude until March 2010.

In other words, God of War III and MAG may not arrive until March 31, 2010, at the very latest, which is when Sony's next fiscal year ends. Furthermore, God of War III and MAG were the only listed games that didn't have a firm 2009 release before last week.

It's also worth noting that all past God of War console games have launched in March, at least in North America, with international releases coming a few weeks or months later.

As for the rest the "groundbreaking exclusives" listed in today's release, Killzone 2, inFamous, MLB 09: The Show, and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves made the cut, all of which have been previously confirmed for 2009. And while Sony made no mention of Heavy Rain today, the publisher has previously listed it as a late 2009 release.

Tucked away within a Sony press release trumpeting next week's arrival of Guerrilla Games' Killzone 2 was word that two other anticipated PlayStation 3 exclusives, SCE Santa Monica's God of War III and Zipper's MAG, are both slated to arrive this year.

Before today, neither game had been given a firm release window. MAG is a 256-player online shooter, in which players assemble into groups of 8 to duke it out in a persistent world. God of War III, meanwhile, is the latest entry in the beloved beat 'em up series.

"[Killzone 2] ushers in an unprecedented year of titles to hit the PlayStation platform throughout the year including the blockbuster exclusives Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, inFamous, MAG, Heavy Rain, God of War III and MLB 09 The Show," states the release.

According to blog TheBitbag, a new PlayStation Underground survey indicates that Sony is exploring the possibility of charging a monthly subscription for the upcoming PlayStation 3 massively multiplayer title MAG: Massive Action Game.

Announced at E3, MAG: Massive Action Game promises 256-player combat within a persistent world. The game is being developed by SOCOM veteran Zipper Interactive.

The survey, reportedly titled "Short Survey. Big New Game," asked "at least 15 questions related to payment plans for the game."

Sony has refused to comment on Bigbag's unverified report.

The first in-game screenshot of the 256-player, PlayStation 3-exclusive MAG has appeared on Sony's PlayStation.Blog, offering an early—albeit low-resolution—look at the shooter MMO.

Developed by SOCOM veterans Zipper Interactive, MAG—or Massive Action Game—was announced at last week's E3 2008 during Sony's press conference. The game is said to bring colossal battles to a single persistent world, with the 256 players per battle broken into 8-player squads.

No release date has yet been specified for MAG, though Sony has confirmed that the game won't be coming in the 2008 calendar year.

A new PS3 action MMO is in development by SOCOM creators Zipper Interactive.

• MAG, or Massive Action Game.
• 256 players per battle.
• 1 persistent world.
• Only real players.
• Broken into 8-player squads.
• Character growth based on performance and actions.
• Vehicles.
• Cover system.

"It's not remotely possible anywhere else," SCEA CEO Jack Tretton teased. "There's nothing like it on the market today."

MAG will not arrive on PlayStation 3 this year, but a more specific estimate was not provided.