I’m excited to announce the return of EyePet later this year and this time he’s got company. Be prepared for living rooms across the country to be turned upside-down, as not just one but two cheeky EyePets arrive on the scene. And they’re eager to be welcomed into your family!

Raise two on your own or together with a friend, let them hatch together or see first how you can handle one of the mischievous fur balls first – the choice is yours, but don’t forget that two EyePets born together may form a stronger bond with each other.

Being a pet owner comes with responsibilities and so each EyePet requires care and interaction. Use your PlayStation Move controller to nurture, train and play with your playmates to keep them happy and healthy.

Of course, creativity in play is also important. In the new EyePet, there’s a whole new world of customisable fun to be had: Need a new toy to keep your furry friend entertained or a new outfit for a special occasion? No problem! Head over to the Creativity Centre where you’ll be able to expand the world you and your EyePets live in as you use your PlayStation Move controller to create and customise your very own content.

Whatever you get up to, your efforts will be rewarded. Every moment spend nurturing, playing or completing challenges will earn you EyePet Tokens which can be spend in the in-game Pet Store to unlock exciting additional content!

And that’s not everything: After a day filled with playtime and caring for your furry friends, you can show off your pet’s adventures and achievements online or lean back and relax as you connect with other EyePet owners to swap tips and tricks on how to get the best out of your cheeky new family members.

Look out for EyePet™ & Friends, out later this year!

I hope you’re enjoying time spent with your EyePet. It’s been a few weeks since EyePets have been released in the wild and it’s been great to read all your feedback on the forum. The development team is always reading the threads so please keep posting!

We’ve got a cool surprise for you today. If your PS3 system is connected to the internet you’ll get the chance to download an update when you next play EyePet.

This update is free and is all about sharing your special video moments with other EyePet owners. It’s a great opportunity to be creative and show off! You can also view and rate videos made by other players. All of these options can be found in the ‘EyePet Online’ option on the Main Menu.

We’ve also fixed some of the problems reported on the forum. This includes the problem that some users have had with a grey box appearing instead of the professor when collecting a secret prize. We’ve made it easier to remove flowers in the garden so there’s less tapping required! Finally your EyePet will be able to hear you properly regardless of your PlayStation Eye microphone settings. You may notice some other small improvements here and there too!

Thanks for playing EyePet and we hope you enjoy the new video features!

I find the whole thing of creating a sense of magic using ‘invisible’ technology fascinating. Oh, and I’m calling mine Phil.

E3 Game Trailers

(To see more video, check out our Viddler page)

EyePet

Fat Princess

Gran Turismo PSP (mmMMMmm… shiny…)

Heavy Rain

MotorStorm Arctic Edge

Ratchet & Clank – A Crack In Time

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

James’ E3 Pictures

(To see more pictures, check out our Flickr stream)

EyePet uses the PlayStation Eye camera to bring a furry pet to life in your living room. You can play with him, feed him, dress him, stroke him and teach him, and his responsiveness is incredible. Waggle your fingers and he’ll run over to play; stroke him and he’ll nuzzle up to you and flip onto his back for you to tickle his tummy. And Doucet is right – while you’re always aware of the sophisticated technology bringing it to life, you don’t think about it because you’re completely lost in the illusion.

The game comes with a Magic Card, which you place on the floor once the PlayStation Eye is set up. It then becomes the control device for a variety of toys. For example, there’s a trampoline which you can move around by simply sliding the Magic Card across the floor, and each toy has an associated goal, such as gaining a certain number of trampoline bounces, to unlock further toys.

This sense of play and interaction is just one aspect of the game, and its goals and challenges come mainly through how you nurture your furry friend.

“The game’s goals come from the Pet Centre and there is a professor who visits you every day – I’m talking about in-game days as opposed to real ones – and issues challenges based on your pet’s development,” said Doucet.

One of the most striking of the game’s features is the way you can draw objects on a regular piece of paper and see them come to life for your EyePet to play with. I drew a wobbly set of wheels and tractor body and held it up to the camera, and my pet copied it and, when it came to life and I started moving it with the Wireless Controller, he started chasing it around.

“We encourage creative play through drawing and customisation,” added Doucet. “We find that kids will experiment with different designs and materials when drawing and find out that if you add more wheels to a car or change its material, for example, it will act differently. There are also lots of fur types and you can alter everything from colour, to patterns, to fur length, and add clothes. We’ve got classic play outfits such as pirates and firemen, and more realistic pet outfits.”

EyePet is a beautiful family game that has left a huge grin on my face. For anyone with young children it’s an enchanting way to play together and teach them how to look after a pet, and it’s also one of the most amazing uses of the PlayStation Eye technology I have seen.

Nicolas Doucet, producer of EyePet