Diablo III PS3 preorders get XP-buffed Infernal Helm

Gamers who preorder Diablo III for PlayStation 3 will receive the exclusive Infernal Helm (below right), which grants users an XP boost, Blizzard Entertainment announced today.

"Wearable at level 1, the Infernal Helm confers a +EXP bonus to help you whip your new PlayStation characters into tip-top shape," Blizzard said in a statement. "Plus, it looks sweet as hell (pun intended) on all five mortal heroes of Sanctuary--Witch Doctor, Barbarian, Demon Hunter, Wizard, and Monk."

Currently, Diablo III for PS3 is scheduled to launch sometime in 2013, with the Infernal Helm becoming available on launch day. The item will apply to all PS3 characters, but will not transfer to any characters from the PC version of the game.

Diablo III was announced for the PS3 and PS4 during Sony's major media event in February and was playable at PAX East in March. Diablo III for consoles features a new interface and control scheme, allowing players to directly control their character.

The console version allows for offline play, while the PC and Mac iterations mandates that players be connected to Blizzard's Battle.net service, even when playing single-player.