PlayStation News Message Board older than one year ago

The retail giant throws its support behind the movement for classification reform.

Original programming could expand beyond PlayStation Network.

The company prepares to shut down its U.S. operations after some of its games underperform.

The company's marketing and PSN chief says it won't be long before PS3 outpaces Xbox 360 in global sales.

Artist's rendering of potential/probable title screen Alright, PS3 owners, get ready to join the nationwide craze that's been sweeping the ... umm ... nation. It's Tetris! According to Adam Grant, the PSP European Product Manager for SCEE, "EA is currently working on a PS3 version of Tetris that will take full advantage of the capabilities of the PS3 and provide the best experience. Look for this version to be available later this year." Though the puzzler is already on the Minis platform and therefore playable on PS3, it sounds like EA's thinking of a beefier, HD version of the game. Because you need that. For Tetris. [Thanks, pat_boy2008]

Sony is releasing a new limited edition PSP bundle in Japan created in collaboration with fashion brand Jill Stuart, which we had totally heard of before and didn't have to look up just now for this post. The Jill Stuart Sweet Limited Package includes the new Spring Blossom Pink PSP, a 4GB Memory Stick, and a cleaning cloth and carrying case (or "Limited Porch" as the website names it) by Jill Stuart. It will be released in Japan March 4 for ¥21,000 ($232). Attentive readers may notice that, like the Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker limited edition, this limited edition contains a PSP 3000 and not the newer PSP Go. In the same press release, Sony announced "Value Packs" for the PSP-3000, also containing 4GB Memory Sticks, cleaning cloths, and pouches, without the Jill Stuart Styling, for ¥19,800 ($219). Piano Black, Spring Blossom Pink, and Vibrant Blue systems will be available in that bundle.

The sequel's almost here, so we take a look back at Irrational's original.

We weren't absolutely smitten with the PSP Go when it launched last October, but according to Gamervision, Sony may be hoping for a second chance at a first impression. Citing unnamed sources, Gamervision suggests that a relaunch of the handheld is "imminent" and speculates that it will include a price drop. A price drop is definitely the place to start over (if the rumor is accurate), and some Kevin Butler spots would certainly help too. As for a new campaign slogan? We say stick with what's worked for the PS3: "It Only Does Everything*." *Y'know, the PSP-3000.

Editorial: Your favorite game system sucks. Mine's better.

Who's the biggest whore in the office?

Now this is how you kick off a decade.

Series 'The Tester' to follow 11 contestants competing for job as PlayStation game tester and feature actor and comedian Hal Sparks as judge.

We've already heard from Nintendo's Satoru Iwata on Apple's most recent handheld (spoilers: he doesn't care about it), but the Wall Street Journal recently asked Sony's John Koller how his company's reacting to the device. Rather than outright dismissing it like the Nintendo prez, though, he said he's looking to the iPad for boosted PSP sales. Seriously. "Apple's entrance into the portable gaming space has been a net positive for Sony ... when people want a deeper, richer console, they start playing on a PSP." In fairness, it's part of Koller's job to rep Sony in these situations, but it's not exactly impossible to argue with his logic in this case -- as the WSJ points out, sales of the PSP have "nearly tripled" since June 2007 (when the iPhone first launched). This would normally be the point where we point out other mitigating factors in year-over-year sales increases (say, games like God of War: Chains of Olympus and GTA: Chinatown Wars coming out, or a new console iteration being released), but we'll leave the comments section below to handle that.

If you missed our magical, live broadcast of Beyond, now's your chance to catch up.

Get cool things and help out charity!

Competition not exactly impressed with new device.

Finnish developer Pixolane expects to make its PS3 debut later this year with its first game, Rust Buccaneers. The PlayStation Network title is an arcade-style shooter featuring modern-day pirates. Just like pirates have done throughout history, though, players will raid cargo and passenger ships, and battle do-gooder patrol boats. The more ships you conquer, the higher your "infamy" becomes, and online leaderboards will keep track of the most notorious pirates on the high servers. Rust Buccaneers promises both single and multiplayer modes. Not much else is known about the game at the moment, but we'll let you know when more details sail across our pirate radar.

This reminds us of Halo for some reason.

Very few games have been able to match the impact of the original Rez ... well, with the exception of Rez HD on Xbox Live Arcade; unsurprisingly, revamped visuals made for an even more psychedelic experience. Q Entertainment recently tweeted about a possible PSN port of the game, asking how much a PS3 version should cost. $15 seems to be the figure Q is working with, noting that "it would not be a huge profit" and "we're not big enough to do things for fun." Q Entertainment hasn't committed to making the port yet, stating "this is no indication that it's happening, but we're researching if its feasible." Already, there have been some complaints from PlayStation loyalists who reject the notion of paying full price for a two year delayed port. We're confident that you, Joystiq reader, will be able to help Q figure out exactly what to do: View Poll [Thanks, kassatsu! Via PSN Stores]

And it sounds pretty good.

Our buddy Leo LaPorte interviewed Jay Tannenbaum of Sling Media the other week on his Tech Guy Labs podcast live at CES, and reader Jason spotted a little bit of news that will be of interest to PS3 owners. The interview starts at about 33 minutes into episode 629, and in his chat with Leo at 33:35, Tannenbaum mentions that the Slingbox software allows you to stream DVR content to anywhere in the world, including "your phone, your laptop, and soon to even the PlayS -- uh, PS3." Leo responds the same way we would, with an incredulous, "Really?" And Tannenbaum answers in the affirmative. So, wow, there you go. Presumably, you'll still need a Slingbox to actually sling the media out to your console, and obviously there's no word yet of how the software would be delivered to the PS3 (on a disk like the Netflix app, or via a purchased program like the $30 iPhone app), but eventually you'll be able to watch your Slingbox media, even in 1080i, as Tannenbaum says later in the interview, on your PlayStation 3. Interested?

The week in Aussie news, reviews and opinions – in video form!

Look, we know how your mind works. One day, you were sitting around, thinking about how you could lay your hands on the God of War III demo. Then, all of a sudden, it hit you. You figured out how to game the system. "Easy," you thought, "I'll just order the District 9 Blu-ray from Netflix, grab the demo, and send the disc back. Bam, free demo." Alas, it looks like Netflix has seen through your paper-thin ploy, as tipster Caleb tells Joystiq that the demo isn't included with the Netflix version of the film. A quick look at the God of War community forums reveals the same story. Sorry to spoil things. Maybe your next evil plan will work out better.

Netflix may not have a home on the PS3's XMB, but that hasn't hindered Netflix's success on Sony's console. Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter told Industry Gamers that "the recent PS3 partnership is driving significant subscriber growth" to Netflix's subscription services. Netflix will likely benefit even further when the service becomes a standalone app on the OS. Pachter reiterated that the Netflix disc will no longer be necessary by the end of this year. "Netflix's exclusive relationship with Microsoft on the Xbox 360 will end in November (after two years), allowing the service to be accessed via the PS3 dashboard later this year." Twelve million members currently use Netflix, and the service is likely to expand even more once it transitions to the Wii. Sure, a smaller percentage of Wii owners are likely to be interested in the service, but with Wii's billion-strong user base, there's bound to be some traction.

Natsume continues milking the Harvest Moon franchise, with a new game coming to the PSP later this year. Hero of New Leaf promises to be "the biggest PSP Harvest Moon adventure yet." This time around, players must farm their hearts out in order to save Leaf Valley from the evil Funland Corporation. Multiple endings are promised -- we hope one of them involves your vegetables combining to form a mech that destroys Funland Corp. (That might be unlikely, though.) Harvest Moon: Hero of New Leaf will be available in April for $29.99.

Japan's Nikkei business daily (via Reuters) estimates Sony will announce an operating profit of about $1.1 billion for this past holiday quarter. This would be the first time the company has posted a profit in five quarters. The financial turnaround is thanks, in part, to the normally loss-heavy television division breaking even, the video game division seeing increased sales of the PlayStation 3, and a helluvalot of lost jobs and plant closings. Nikkei predicts that the video game group in particular will see its first operating profit in over a year during the quarter. Sony has declined to comment and plans to release the financial results on February 4. The good news should come in opposition to the report issued last year, when Sony predicted a rough future.

Just in time for tomorrow's DLC update, Uncharted 2 is receiving another title update. Patch 1.04 only addresses one issue, but it's a crucial one. Players affected by a rare "error syncing player data" issue will be able to connect online after downloading this patch. Unfortunately, the fix comes at a huge price: all multiplayer stats will be wiped for those affected by this glitch. "This is going to happen ONLY to the accounts who couldn't connect because of the "error syncing player data" message. Everyone else who has been able to connect and play normally will be entirely unaffected," Naughty Dog's Arne Myer told the community. For those that have yet to see the error message, the patch will come as just a minor step to take before jumping online. However, there are a select few that will lose a great deal of time and effort. "This was not an easy decision for us to make. Over time it became clear to us that there was absolutely no other option remaining to eliminate this issue for all affected." "If there was an alternative that didn't require rolling back the affected accounts, we would have implemented that in a second." Hopefully, you weren't unlucky enough to be stricken by such an unfortunate situation.

What's ahead for the PS3 and PSP this year? Only everything.

Relentless Software's episodic PSN murder whodunit, Blue Toad Murder Files, continues next month. Best of all, it'll be available for the low price of free. Episode 3 will release in Europe on February 25th and will be free for one month. The free DLC will require Episode 1 to be installed which -- as you've deduced if your detective skills are sharp enough -- isn't free. Episodes 1 and 2 are currently available together for £9.99 (€12.99). The remaining three episodes (4-6) of the Blue Toad Murder Files will then release on April 8th in a bundle for £9.99 (€12.99). Unfortunately for the rest of us, an American release has yet to be announced. Too bad, because this charming Professor Layton-esque game is a perfect family-friendly addition to the PSN.

Update: Reader Kevin K shared this link from Eurogamer's resident egghead, Richard Leadbetter of DigitalFoundry, who notes that "it remains unclear what the ramifications of the hack actually are" and that "right now there has been no "hello world" homebrew code executed that typically demonstrates that the hacker actually has full control over the system." Read the entire piece for a fascinating look into the challenge of hacking the PS3 and the safeguards put in place on Sony's black box. You may also want to read this BBC interview with Mr. Hotz, in which he says, "I can now do whatever I want with the system. It's like I've got an awesome new power - I'm just not sure how to wield it." He also tells the BBC that he "would publish details of the console's 'root key'"; however, DigitalFoundry writes, "Once the root key is available, it's essentially game over for the system's security for all-time, but it's here that some of the claims being made for the hack don't really add up. PSP has been compromised on many levels again and again, but its root key apparently remains unknown." Original post: It has begun. With iPhone hacker George Hotz (the kids call him GeoHot) releasing his PlayStation 3 exploit to the world today, he's kicked off what's sure to be a non-stop game of cat-and-mouse between the global hacking community and the Japanese consumer electronics giant. "This is the coveted PS3 exploit," Hotz writes on his blog, linking to the exploit while noting that it "gives full memory access and therefore ring 0 access from OtherOS." Okay, we really only understood that first part but we're sure "full memory access" is synonymous with "bad news" for Sony's engineers. When first revealing his progress last Friday, Hotz wrote, "I have read/write access to the entire system memory, and HV level access to the processor. In other words, I have hacked the PS3." Of course, we've seen this very same game played out on the PSP front with a constant stream of firmware updates designed to patch up the portable's porous security and, yes, even add some new features now and again. With the PS3 already the victim of an onerous amount of updates, we worry the hack may result in a glut of mandatory security patches. But who knows what wonders (no, we don't count the inevitable piracy amongst those wonders) this hack holds for PS3 owners - since the hack "is known to work with version 2.4.2 only" we suspect most people reading this won't even be able to tinker. Caveat emptor! [Via Engadget]