PlayStation

PlayStation Store Lands on Sony Tablet S. Game List and Prices Announced

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 19, 2011 | 3 comments

Sony has long recognized that in order for the PlayStation brand to expand, they would need to reach outside of the traditional PlayStation family, which currently includes the PlayStation 3, PSP, and will expand with the PS Vita in February 2012. The Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY is currently the only PlayStation Certified Android smartphone with PlayStation games available for it, though it still has no access to the PlayStation Store. The Sony Tablet S, however, is not only the first PlayStation Certified tablet, but is also the first to receive the PlayStation Store.

The PlayStation Store launches today on the Sony Tablet S in nine countries, including the US and Canada. 10 PlayStation One titles will kick off this event with Sony planning on adding more as time goes on. There have even been rumors of PlayStation 2 titles eventually making their way onto the store though I wouldn’t hold my breath on that. Each PS One title will cost $5.99, the list of which includes:

Cool Boarders
Destruction Derby
Hot Shots Golf 2
Jet Moto
Jet Moto 2
Jumping Flash!
MediEvil
Motor Toon Grand Prix
Rally Cross
Wild Arms

Installing the PS Store is easy. Sony Tablet S owners will receive a notification letting you know that the PS Store has opened and is available for download. From there, simply follow the on-screen directions to download the PS Store App and start downloading games for the Sony Tablet S.

Sony has always insisted that the PlayStation Store experience will not be limited to their smartphones and tablets and that other manufacturers are able to get in on the action as well. This entire initiative is based around expanding Sony’s reach with the PlayStation brand in hopes of drawing people back into their main devices like the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita while also setting their devices apart.

PS Vita Will Hit US and Europe on 2-22-12

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 18, 2011 | 0 comments

During the Web 2.0 summit, Jack Tretton, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America, announced that the highly-anticipated PlayStation Vita will arrive on February 22nd, 2012 for US, European, African, Middle Eastern, and Australian consumers. The PS Vita, successor to the PlayStation Portable (PSP), will be released later this year in Japan.

The PS Vita will be released in two variations, with the Wi-Fi model priced at $249 while the Wi-Fi+ 3G will set you at $299. The PS Vita will also feature a highly-wanted PS3 functionality, cross-game chat. Fans have an ever-growing list of AAA titles to look forward to like Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Resistance: Burning Skies, WipeOut 2048, LittleBigPlanet and Call of Duty, to name just a few.

The PS Vita looks to stand out from other portable gaming devices by also giving users access to a host of popular social applications like Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, and Skype by utilizing the PS Vita’s Wi-Fi/3G and GPS to keep you updated and active in your community of choice.

Update:

As our reader Wertyu_24 pointed out, the PS Vita will actually launch on February 22nd. Though we had the date right, originally our article had written January.

“Resistance 3” Met With Disappointing First-Month Sales

by Jan Hutchings | Oct 18, 2011 | 17 comments

According to an interview with Eurogamer, NPD Analyst Anita Frazier said that one of Sony’s bigger game releases this fall, Resistance 3 met with a disappointing first-month, selling only 180,000 copies in the United States.

This is quite surprising, and alarming, since high-profile first person shooters usually really well. In addition, Resistance 3 was the only FPS available within a two-week time frame before other shooters were released to the market.

In the same interview, Frazier also said that compared to Resistance 2’s 385,000 first-month sales, Resistance 3 barely sold half that amount. Keep in mind though that Resistance 2 went on to sell 3 million units worldwide.

But not everything is as bad as it sounds, according to the NPD reports, Resistance 3 was actually ranked 7th among the ten best-selling games in the United States. And that was in the same month as a Gears of War and Madden release.

Resistance 3 met with critical acclaim and high reviews, with many touting it as the best game in the franchise. It introduced a brand new character, a more intimate story, and revamped multiplayer. Here’s hoping the coming months bring about more sales for the damn fine sci-fi shooter.

“Devil May Cry” HD Collection Coming Next Year

by Jan Hutchings | Oct 18, 2011 | 1 comment

Earlier today, Capcom officially announced that they will be releasing a Devil May Cry HD Collection on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 next year. The collection will include the first three games in the series; Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 2, and Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening Special Edition.

Hit the jump to find out more on the upcoming Devil May Cry HD Collection.

Optional PlayStation 3 System Software Update 3.73 Now Live

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 17, 2011 | 16 comments

Sony has just released a minor and optional PlayStation 3 system software update 3.73 for the masses. This update is geared towards addressing “stability during use of certain PS3 format software.” No other detail is known about this new firmware or exactly which software titles are improved by this new update. More on this as we find out and if you’ve seen any additional changes, let us know in the comments section.

PlayStation Move Ships 8.3 Million Units

by Jan Hutchings | Oct 16, 2011 | 10 comments

At a recent SCEA GDC Online 2011 presentation, Gabe Ahn, a developer support engineer for Sony Computer Entertainment America, stated that to date, Sony has shipped 8.3 million units of the PlayStation Move worldwide. And that almost 7 PS Move games have been shipped to North America.

Compared to the very casual-gamer -friendly Kinect (although it’s changing some), the PlayStation Move has seen a diverse set of games released specifically for/compatible with it. From AAA titles like SOCOM 4, Killzone 3, and LittleBigPlanet 2, to smaller, more niche titles like Eyepet and The Fight: Lights Out, the PlayStation Move offers something for everyone, no matter their choice of play style.

Hit the jump to read more on SCEA’s presentation on the PS Move.

Final Fantasy XIV Finally Gets A PS3 Release Date

by Jan Hutchings | Oct 14, 2011 | 5 comments

Square-Enix has finally announced a Holiday 2012 release for the Massively Multiplayer Online game Final Fantasy XIV. The company was forced to put the PC version on an indefinite free-trial phase just a few months after it’s release due to customer complaints and poor review scores.

According to the Final Fantasy XIV producer Naoki Yoshida, the PS3 version, which will hit sometime between October and December 2012 will have coincide with Square-Enix’s plans for a second free-trial period that will end on an unspecified date.

This Final Fantasy XIV Online Version 2.0 will come with many reworked game maps, new clients and servers, and (on the PC) the implementation of a subscription-based billing system akin to what it had when it first released. No plans for subscriptions have been announced for the PS3 version as of yet.

Stay Tuned for more information as they arrive.

[Via EpicBattleAxe]

“PAYDAY: The Heist” Preview

by Jan Hutchings | Oct 13, 2011 | 21 comments

Sony and Overkill’s upcoming PAYDAY: The Heist has finally been given a release date: October 18th, 2011. The co-operative heist game has been touted as one of the most anticipated PlayStation Network exclusive games of the year, and it’s finally coming later this month.

Hit the jump for the full preview and release date of the co-op first person shooter, available only on the PSN.

Sony Detects And Deals With Small PSN Breach

by Jan Hutchings | Oct 11, 2011 | 1 comment

According to a blog post by Philip Reitinger, Chief Information Security Officer for Sony, the company detected an entity attempting to match a number of compromised user accounts and passwords taken from a different source.

“PlayStation Network and Sony Online Entertainment (“Networks”) services to test a massive set of sign-in IDs and passwords against our network database. These attempts appear to include a large amount of data obtained from one or more compromised lists from other companies, sites or other sources. In this case, given that the data tested against our network consisted of sign-in ID-password pairs, and that the overwhelming majority of the pairs resulted in failed matching attempts, it is likely the data came from another source and not from our Networks. We have taken steps to mitigate the activity.”

Reitinger has said that about 0.1% of PSN, SEN and SOE users have been affected by this attack (roughly 93,000 accounts globally), in which their sign-in information (PSN ID and password) were successfully matched by the attacker.

Sony has said that they have detected and dealt with the attack and are reviewing the affected accounts for unauthorized access. On a good note, the company has also stated that any accounts that were attacked have been temporarily closed off; also, credit cards associated with the accounts have not been compromised.

“Please note, if you have a credit card associated with your account, your credit card number is not at risk. We will work with any users whom we confirm have had unauthorized purchases made to restore amounts in the PSN/SEN or SOE wallet.”

If you’re in the 93,000 people whose accounts were compromised, Sony is requiring secure password resets and will send you an email with the instructions on how to do it soon. For everyone else, let this be a reminder that you shouldn’t be using the same sign-in and passwords on multiple online services or sites. Since online fraud is a serious threat, it’s better to be safe and use different sign-in information whenever we can.

PlayStation Store Update (10-11-11)

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 11, 2011 | 22 comments

This week’s PlayStation Store update is live and ready for your consuming pleasures. In addition, the Gran Turismo 5 Spec 2.0 update is now live which includes a bevy of updates, including cockpit view for all standard cars, 2011 NASCAR cars, better load times, additional functionality and control for online multiplayer, and compatibility for the Logitech G25/G27 racing wheels. Some noteworthy updates content added to the store include:

Resistance 3 – Survival Pack ($3.99)
LittleBigPlanet 2 Add on Costumes ($0.99 – $2.99 each)
inFAMOUS Festival of Blood Dynamic Theme (free w/ pre order)
NBA Jam: On Fire Edition Demo
Video Unlimited – Preview App (Now available for none PlayStation+ members as well) – free

After the jump, you can view this week’s entire PlayStation Store update.

Sony Says Consumers Not Yet Ready To Switch To All Digital Content Gaming

by Jan Hutchings | Oct 10, 2011 | 2 comments

The Blu-Ray is one of the PlayStation 3’s main selling point. And, as gamers, there’s something about going to the store and purchasing that physical media (disc) that gives us a sense of ownership.

With all this hulabaloo about the switch to digital content delivery and even cloud gaming, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida has finally talked about what the company thinks about the trend, and if an all-digital console is possible, in an interview with Edge.

Hit the jump for the rest of the article.

Sony PlayStation Bluetooth Headset Overview (video)

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 9, 2011 | 22 comments

If multiplayer gaming is important to you, then this article should put a smile on your face. Introduced in early 2011, the second generation Sony PlayStation Bluetooth Headset was a much-improved followup to the original Bluetooth headset from Sony. This 2nd generation headset took all that was great about the original and improved it with better sound quality, weight and battery lifetime. Compatible with all PlayStation 3 titles and any mobile handset, we walked away quite pleased with our new Bluetooth headset. In our video overview, we show you all there is to know about this followup accessory from Sony.

SEGA Releasing Yakuza: Dead Souls To The West

by Jan Hutchings | Oct 9, 2011 | 27 comments

Sega announced earlier this week that they will be releasing the highly-anticipated Yakuza: Dead Souls in North America. Formerly called Yakuza: Of the End, the game finally got SEGA’s go-ahead for localization.

In case you didn’t know, SEGA’s Yakuza series (known as Ryu Ga Gotoku in Japan) is big in its native country.

How big, might you ask? Huge. As in, it has it’s own live-action film, huge. As in, companies want their products placed in the game, huge.

Yet for some reason or another, the franchise can never seem to get out of its niche genre here in North America. Maybe it’s the Japanese setting, or maybe the game is just interesting to those who like Japanese culture? Whatever the reason is, I think it’s about to change when SEGA finally releases Yakuza: Dead Souls to the west.

Hit the jump to find out more about Yakuza: Dead Souls including a brand new gameplay demo from the Japanese version.

Namco Announces Two Tekken Hybrid Limited Edition Bundles

by Jan Hutchings | Oct 8, 2011 | 20 comments

Earlier this week, Namco Bandai announced two limited edition bundles for their upcoming Tekken Hybrid Blu-Ray for the PlayStation 3.

Not only do players get a movie, an HD remaster of Tekken Tag Tournament, and the prologue to TTTournament 2, the limited edition bundle also nets them a soundtrack, a cool artbook, and some unannounced PlayStation Network downloadable goodies that will definitely add to the already feature-filled package.

Hit the jump to find out more about this and Namco Bandai’s exlcusive online-only bundle.

Sony Announces New PlayStation Bluetooth Remote

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 7, 2011 | 26 comments

Sony has announced a new PlayStation Bluetooth Blu-ray remote for the PlayStation 3. The new remote which is nearly identical to the previous model will have some new added functionalities like controlling your television and receiver with browsing and controlling Netflix. No word yet on all the exact details but Sony is expecting out the new vacation in late October.