PlayStation Network Message Board older than one year ago

Developer Sucker Punch is giving Infamous 2 beta testers and early access mission designers more time with the game's beta. Why? Because the PlayStation Network is still offline, naturally, making it really difficult to beta test. Sucker Punch says on Facebook that the extension period is still TBD. We'll know after PSN returns. More »

#itonlydoesoffline It has been almost a week since Playstation Network went offline because of an external intrusion. More »

#debunked No arrests have been made connected to the Playstation outage, Kotaku has confirmed, despite a story making the rounds that claims FBI and others have issues warrants and made arrests. More »

As Sony's forced PlayStation Network and Qriocity outages continue, stretching into what is officially Day 6, the company issued a very un-update to would-be users this morning: "Unfortunately, I don't have an update or timeframe to share at this point in time," said corp. comm. director Patrick Seybold on the PlayStation Blog. "As we previously noted, this is a time intensive process and we're working to get them back online quickly."

Speaking to PCWorld, SCEJ spokesperson Satoshi Fukuoka clarified that a "thorough investigation" was ongoing into what the company has characterized as an "external intrusion" into its system, which prompted the service suspensions. More troubling than any frustration caused by downtime over this past weekend, however, is the continued uncertainty about the extent of the attack. According to Fukuoka, Sony had yet to determine if users' personal information or credit card numbers had been accessed by the apparent hackers. If that's found to be the case, he assured, Sony would promptly inform those potentially affected.

On Saturday, Seybold noted that "additional security" would be put in place before the services relaunch, calling this "re-building" effort both "time-consuming" and "necessary."

#ps3 Sony has not yet determined if the personal information or credit card numbers of users on the still-down Playstation Network have been stolen, according to a Sony spokesman. More »

#comingattractions Holiday weekends in the U.S. typically foreshadow light weeks in game releases and the coming seven days is no different. Darkspore, for PC, is the top drop on Tuesday. There also is some DLC coming for Shift Unleashed and Outland, a downloadable title for PSN and XBLA. More »

#poweroutrage The PlayStation Network has been down for a solid two days. We don't know when it will end. All we know, in its third day, is that Sony says an "external intrusion" is responsible for the outage. All multiplayer gaming is conked. Some downloadable titles are completely unplayable. (Those good old title updates are still being served, though.) Does Sony owe anyone anything for the inconvenience? More »

You might have guessed this already, but it's no simple error that's keeping the PSN down over the last few days, forcing us into productive activities (like writing this) instead of multiplayer Spelunker HD. Sony finally came forward on the PlayStation Blog and admitted that " An external intrusion on our system has affected our PlayStation Network and Qriocity services." Sony turned off PSN and Qriocity services on Wednesday to investigate this "intrusion" further.

If this is the work of "Anonymous" members, they failed to read their own nebulous organization's press release -- Anonymous supposedly backed off from PSN attacks in early April. It's entirely possible, however, the latest hackers are members of no group other than the loose worldwide confederation of jerks.

#rumor An online survey indicates that EA Sports has plans to offer a paid subscription that, among other features, would deliver some paid downloadable content for free and make full versions of upcoming games available for download before their release date. More »

If you live in Europe and have access to a PS3 or PSP, then it's time for you to do a little bit of spring cleaning. Of ... um, your wallet. Your wallet is just filthy with money -- why not clean it up by dropping some notes on the dozens of games discounted for the PSN's Spring Offers sale?

There are only a few downloadable goodies mixed in with this week's European PSN update, including Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes and Rush N' Attack -- but plenty of special offers. Whether you're rocking a PS3 or PSP (or both!), Sony's discounted dozens of titles as part of its Spring Offers promotion. Check them all out below!

Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)

It's now possible to access Music Unlimited Powered by Qriocity anywhere you can get a Wi-Fi signal. The PSP can now use the streaming music service, which offers "more than seven million songs" to paying users, with two tiers of playlist customization.

Sony announced this morning that the PSP app is now available in "UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia and New Zealand." Today is also the planned release date for the US. If you'd like to try Qriocity, Sony is offering 30-day trials to PSN members here.

This week's PSN update delivers Final Fantasy 4: The Complete Collection for PSP. The $30 bundle includes Final Fantasy 4 and The After Years sequel.

For those on a total nostalgia kick, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for PS3 has been discounted, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is now available.

Speed on past the break for all this week's DLC.
Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list:
(Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)

So, there's not a ton of new stuff for the PS3 this week -- other than the PSN debut of Fancy Pants Adventures, of course -- though PSP owners are in for a sweet pair of treats: Final Fantasy IV: Complete Collection and Patapon 3. Of course, fans of not paying a lot of money for things (which, really, should be just about everyone) can still capitalize on all the "Spring Offers" for both platforms. Check out the full list of new content after the jump!


Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)

Announced during GDC, version 1.5 of the PlayStation Home client will go live tomorrow morning, April 20. The update not only introduces engine enhancements designed to aid developers in making full high-performance games for the platform, but a number of interface tweaks as well.

Sony is launching a new Sodium themed private space along with the update, although Lockwood Publishing's futuristic racer utilizing the Home 1.5 framework, Sodium Two, is still in closed beta. You can find a complete list of the UI and functionality updates being introduced at the source link below.

#playstationnetwork This week's North American PlayStation Store update seems to have a little something for everyone—as long as they're a PlayStation 3 or PSP owner, of course. From all-female fighting game Arcana Heart 3 to Fancy Pants Adventures to plenty of classic games, there's probably something fun for you here. More »

#northamerica Well this is certainly an exciting week for PlayStation 3 owners. Not only is tasty puzzle-RPG Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes finally here in high-definition, new add-ons for Bulletstorm, Killzone 3, and Super Stardust HD have also flooded the North American PlayStation Store. More »

#sonyvsgeohot Ars Technica reports that sources within Sony's hosting provider belittled Anonymous' cyber-attack as "medium strength," and something that only "annoyed our network engineers." The hosting service's plan is to wait out Anonymous until the attackers get bored. More »

Taking to the US and EU PlayStation Forums en masse, PlayStation 3 users continue to report connectivity issues with PlayStation Network today. Starting with the declaration of attack by hacker group "Anonymous" earlier this week, PSN has been experiencing sporadic issues over the past few days -- Sony characterized the outages as "intermittent" earlier this week, and promised that "engineers are working to restore and maintain the services." As of the time of publishing, we have been unable to connect to PSN today through several staff accounts.

According to a Sony EU forum moderator, a trio of error codes could be showing up for affected users (80710092, 80710D36 and 8071053D), though little else is offered in way of information. "We are currently looking into this and I will update the thread as more information becomes available," the post notes.

Additionally, PlayStation Lifestyle reports that a splinter group of Anonymous -- identified as "SonyRecon" -- is apparently going after specific Sony executives, seeking to reveal "names, phone numbers, pictures, home addresses, email, internet protocol address, family members and other data." CEO Sir Howard Stringer is said to be one of the group's targets, among others.

As previously detailed, Anonymous launched the attacks on Sony earlier this week as a sign of solidarity with hackers George "GeoHot" Hotz and Alexander "Graf_Chokolo" Egorenkov, both of whom are currently in litigation with Sony.

#playstationnetwork What new treasures await PlayStation 3 and PSP owners this week on the North American PlayStation Store? One Red Faction spin-off, a game called StarDrone, a multiplayer demo for SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs and cheap-cheap Angry Birds. More »

The amorphous hacking collective "Anonymous" is now fighting a war on two fronts -- while one battle continues to rage over WikiLeaks, a new battle one with Sony. As of yesterday, Anonymous is focusing efforts on both PlayStation Network and PlayStation's official website, bringing both down at various points. Sony's PlayStation blog noted the issue yesterday, stating that some folks were "experiencing intermittent service" and saying Sony was "working on finding a solution."

"We are currently investigating, including the possibility of targeted behavior of an outside party, "Sony senior director of corporate communications and social media Patrick Seybold told us this morning. "If this is indeed caused by such act, we want to once again thank our customers who have borne the brunt of the attack through interrupted service. Our engineers are working to restore and maintain the services, and we appreciate our customers' continued support."

A manifesto declaring the group's intentions was also posted, which not only declares loyalty to George "Geohot" Hotz and Alexander "Graf_Chokolo" Egorenkov, but also states intentions to "attack your [Sony's] private property because we disagree with your actions." While the group acknowledges this is "wrong," the idea is to mimic what it believes Sony to have done -- restricted the actions of folks trying to use an object they own.

Ars Technica reports that the group is also encouraging people to show up at Sony stores on April 16 and complain. Nothing quite says "stick it to the man" like complaining to retail employees.

[Thanks, Aaron]

#playstationnetwork There's plenty of nostalgia on tap in this week's North American PlayStation Store update with Moon Diver, the new game from the designer of Strider, plus a new Rush'N Attack game, a fresh Back to the Future episode and one very old Sonic the Hedgehog game. More »

#ps3 Sony's plans to reward its most devoted video game-loving customers with the PlayStation Rewards program appear to have changed. According to an e-mail sent to participants in the PlayStation Rewards beta, the customer loyalty program won't launch next month as planned. More »

#snea PlayStation Network members may have seen a message from Sony Computer Entertainment America in their e-mail inboxes recently, a warning that their account and the funds in their PSN wallet are about to be taken over by SNEA (Sony Network Entertainment America). Panic? No! More »

#playstationnetwork Big things are happening on the North American PlayStation Store this week with the downloadable release of DC Universe Online and Dissidia Duodecim Final Fantasy, new PSN games Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime and Swarm, and another PlayStation classic, Legend of Mana. Whew! More »

Sackboy is grabbing his trusty Trapper Keeper and heading to Avalon Elementary next semester. The LittleBigPlanet 2 "Teacher Pack" is currently being developed by Media Molecule and it's said to be packed with "demonstrations of National Curriculum, based in game levels that other teachers have made." The pack will feature PlayStation Move functionality, SCEE senior VP Ray Maguire told MCV.

"The pack will be a really useful way of starting to track and develop interest and involvement in games-based learning," Maguire noted. He also added that SCEE is aiming for a release "by the start of the summer term in May." In other news, schools in the UK have a summer term starting in May. We're so, so sorry, you guys.

After getting the special House Party promotion treatment on XBLA, Ubisoft is taking a Pey'j from Microsoft's book and working with Sony to promote the forthcoming release of Beyond Good & Evil HD on PSN. In addition to the game itself, all PSN members "who pick up the game within the first two weeks" will snag two free avatars (of Jade or Pey'j, seen above) for their PSN cards.

Of course, knowing when those two weeks will be, exactly, could be an issue -- Ubisoft has only given the game a "May" launch window. We'll let you know if we hear something more specific, but for now there's a new trailer embedded after the break.

#ps3 Please, take your time making your way to the PlayStation Store, my North American brethren. I have downloads of the Mortal Kombat demo and Slam Bolt Scrappers that need completing. What else might the PlayStation 3 or PSP owner be interested in this week? More »

The Jackass guys are back for their wildest round of mischief and mayhem yet! Check out Jackass 3 in theatrical or unrated version, loaded with all the outrageous footage not shown in theaters. Also, be sure to cash in on Jackass Sale before 3/14, with uncensored, unbelievable and totally explicit stunts from the idiots you’ve come to know and love from a safe and sanitary distance!

Other great movie titles also arrive in store this week: The heart-pounding action-drama The Next Three Days stars Russell Crowe as John Brennan who will stop at nothing to protect his family and break his wrongfully convicted wife out of jail. Next, catch WWE Superstar Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque in this leading role debut in The Chaperone, where he plays a former getaway-driver who wants to start a new life and patch things up with his teenage daughter. Last but not least, check out The Inside Job, this year’s Academy Award winner for Best Documentary, the first film to provide a comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008 which caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression.

PlayStation Store brings great discounts and freebies to you bargain hunters! First, it’s one of the largest parties of the year in New Orleans, so celebrate all the party movies of the past in Deal of the Week – Party Gras, with movies like Van Wilder, Almost Famous, My Best Friend’s Girl, plus many more. Next, get a free download of Ghost Rider courtesy of Toyota Highlander. Also, as a part of our effort to highlight Anime on the video service, PlayStation Store is offering the following anime episodes for FREE, some starting this week:

Fullmetal Alchemist Brother (3/8 – 3/21)
Afro Samurai (3/8 – 3/21)
FLCL (3/15 – 3/28)
Trigun (3/15 – 3/28)
Death Note (3/15 – 3/22)
Kekkaishi (3/15 – 3/22)
Naruto Shippuden (3/15 – 3/22)
Vampire Knight (3/15 – 3/22)
InuYasha (3/15 – 3/22)
Bleach (3/15 – 3/22)

Check out the newly arrived movies and TV episodes:

Just In TV

US Store: Jackass 3, Jackass 3 Unrated, The Next Three Days, 127 Hours, Inside Job, Michael Jordan To the Max, The Chaperone, Fathers of the Sport, Cool It, Love & Other Drugs, All Star Superman, The Bleeding, and much more!

Canada Store: Jackass 3, , Jackass 3 Unrated, Inside Job, Fathers of the Sport, 127 Hours, The Next Three Days, Faster, Megamind, Piranha 3D, All Star Superman, Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D, Exposure: Sports Illustrated 2011, and much more!

New Release Movies

US Store: Campus PD Season 3, Traffic Light Season 1, 100 Ways to Die Season 4, White Collar Season 2, Southland Season 3, MTVS’s Skins Season 1, Mr. Sunshine Season 1, Stargate Universe Season 2, House Season 7, Top Gear Season 16, Family Guy Season 9, and much more!

Canada Store: Luther Season 1, Burn Notice Season 2, Breakout Kings Season 1, Bleach Season 13, Traffic Light Season 1, American Chopper: Senior Vs. Junior Season 1, Mr. Sunshine Season 1, The Event Season 1, The Ultimate Fighter Season 12, Black Butler Season 1, and much more!

3 times the laughs. 3 times the stupid. 3 times the pain. Check out the hysterical trailer for Jackass 3 below, now available for US and Canada users!

Top TV Downloads

US:

Smallville | Season 10 – Scion Supernatural | Season 6 – …And Then There Were None WWE: Royal Rumble 2011 | Season 1 -40-Man Royal Rumble Match Young Justice | Season 1 – Downtime Archer | Season 2 - Tragical History Smallville | Season 10 – Fortune Family Guy | Season 9 -German Guy Jersey Shore | Season Back to the Shore – A Cheesy Situation Tosh.0 | Season 3 – Tosh.0 308 Supernatural | Season 6 – The French Mistake

Canada:

Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin – The Untold Story | Season Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin – The Untold Story – Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin – The Untold Story The Walking Dead | Season 1 – Days Gone Bye STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS | Season 3 – Counter Attack The Walking Dead | Season 1 – Guts STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS | Season 3 – The Citadel Family Guy | Season 8 – The Splendid Source The Walking Dead | Season 1 – Tell It To The Frogs Family Guy | Season 8 – Road to Multi-verse Astonishing X-Men | Season 1 – Gifted, Episode 1 The Walking Dead | Season 1 – Vatos

Top Movie Downloads

US:

Faster Due Date 127 Hours Love and Other Drugs Unstoppable Burlesque Megamind Life As We Know It Alien vs. Ninja Paranormal Activity 2

Canada:

127 Hours Due Date Faster Love and Other Drugs Burlesque Unstoppable The Social Network RED Life As We Know It Megamind

#impressions Okabu isn't meant to be an "issues" game. It isn't meant to teach you that we should care for our environment, that pollution could one day kill us. More »