PlayStation 3

Major Netflix Update on PS3 and Discless Feature Coming October

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 29, 2010 | 10 comments

Netflix became available on the PS3 in November 2009. This app allows users to stream over 17,000 movies and TV shows instantly on the PS3. Up until a few weeks ago I was using “the other company service” and I am so glad I made the switch to Netflix. A big issue I came across right away was the lack of a ‘search’ feature. Netflix had numerous categories of movies such as “Comedy”, “Drama”, “Independent” and a TV section and I would have to scroll through each title to find one that I wanted to view. This took time and it was hard to find a particular movie I wanted. Well on Tuesday, Netflix got an update on its streaming app. I thought it was great that this was a server side update and no download was required. Once you opened up the app, voila! updated features available. Netflix added a search feature which is integrated as a tab like the movie categories and your instant queue is. While in the search tab, a keyboard and numerical pad pop up on the left for you to look for any film or show you want. The search function acts in real time with results narrowing down as more letters are punched in.

Trying out the feature, I typed in “Bond” in the search bar. The results gave me a list of James Bond movies, including Casino Royale. Although most of the Bond films weren’t available to watch instantly (the movie title appears in gray if it’s not) the new update allows me to add anything on the list to mail-in queue. Another fantastic new feature is that the Netflix app will have a list of movies you can instantly watch that are similar to your search results. Amazing right?

I’m very happy with this update and right now it is only available on the PS3 console; not Wii’s or Xbox 360’s Netflix app. Sony’s Playstation 3 can easily be called the best device for Netflix streaming, although there is one small flaw, PS3 requires a disc for you to access the app. Announced last week, there will be a discless feature update coming for PS3 this October. I don’t find the disc to be a big deal but having the app always on the Playstation menu will be nice. This new update from Netflix really shows they are working with manufacturers to improve this service. Below is another example showing search results with both instant movies and ones you can add to your DVD queue.

Why the Playstation 3.41 Firmware Update is Important for Sony and You!

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 27, 2010 | 9 comments

Last night, Sony released a new firmware update for the PlayStation 3. The now-live 3.41 update adds store recommendations to PSN store. From Sony:

Firmware update 3.41 will add recommendations for games and videos on PlayStation Store. When you’re browsing through the details of a particular title, you’ll see a new “You May Like” section on the right-hand side. This section lists additional items based on the purchases of other PlayStation Network members who have purchased the item you’re currently looking at.

I’ve heard on several sites, including Sony’s own Playstation blog where this was announced that this is such a useless update: why doesn’t Sony work on (insert your own craving) instead of these types of updates? While from the user’s end it might not be a very exciting update, these types of update are critical to the PlayStation Store for a few reasons. If anybody remembers when the store launched with the PS3, it was basically an HTML site. The speeds were slow, there was no video network on it, and the layout was hard to find content with. Fast forward to today, and we now have the capability to rent, buy, and transfer our movies to a PSP. The store has a ton of avatars, dynamic backgrounds, content is usually easy to find under the new structure, and as of recent, we can even rate content. For a lot of these updates, rating content and getting recommendations is important for a few key reasons. First, these options allow the user to more easily purchase content because they have more power in their hand. They won’t be afraid to purchase content because they will have an idea about if it’s good or not. Also, as the network expands and new users come on board, they don’t have to just scroll through categories to find content; they can see what others have purchased and discover new titles.

Playstation Store, early on.

So yes, this helps people navigate more easily and find content, but to those who are onboard with the brand already: why is this important to you? The more robust, functional and used the Playstation Store becomes, the more developers want to bring content over to it. Traditionally, unless you had a big budget for your game, you would not be featured on the store and now, we have access to all sorts of small and indie games. The Minis are a great example. This gives the players access to content that we didn’t have before unless we were on a iPhone or other type of device, and gives those developers a new audience and powerful platform to create content for. The same is also true for the big developers like EA and Activision. The more compelling a platform is, as in the more users interact with, purchase and use their content, the more likely they are to listen to your needs and wants and just offer more content in the future. This also means that Sony can have a greater leveraging power so we do get Demos at the same time as Xbox Live or when DLC is released, the PlayStation does not get it on a 6-month delay.

Last but not least, we have to remember that Sony is not just fighting Microsoft and the Xbox Live platform. There is the App Store from Apple, the Android Market, the Windows Marketplace coming soon on the Windows 7 phones which will have Live incorporated into them, and Steam on the PC. The more successful the PlayStation Store is, the more Sony can then invest in other area’s of its platform, like the (insert feature) that you want.

Last note: although the firmware is live, you won’t see the recommendations kick in until the end of this month, so in the next 4-5 days.

[Via Playstation Blog]

DC Universe Online Beta Registration has Started

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 21, 2010 | 26 comments

Domino here to talk about a game I’m very excited about- DC Universe Online. This game is only on PS3 and PC developed by Sony Online Entertainment. Yesterday the official website opened up registration to become a part of the beta but beta start date has not been confirmed.

DC comics has always had my favorite superheros and villains and to play a game where I enter the world of DC and play with all my favorite superheros excites me non the less. Jim Lee created the world for this game where you can play as a superhero or villain character that you create. For those of you not familiar with the game, it’s an online only multiplayer RPG action game that is fully story driven. I hope I’m chosen for this beta if not you (and I) can pick it up in stores November 2nd. Will you choose to save or conquer the DC Universe?

To register for the beta and check out more media go to the official DC Universe site.

Hulu Plus on the PS3 Video Walkthrough

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 17, 2010 | 74 comments

Although I’m a Playstation Plus member, I’ve only been able to download the Hulu Plus app but not use it since I’ve yet to be selected to participate in this beta like process for the time being. If you want to know about the Hulu Plus program overall, hit up our previous coverage of it. But if you already know about it and want to see in action, the guys at Joystiq got their hands on it and it’s beautifully simple.

[Via Joystiq]

Playstation 3 Sales Number Explained

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 16, 2010 | 11 comments

I wrote earlier today that the Playstation 3 has been on a roll as of late. With 11 months of growth, the PS3 has been outselling the Xbox 360 on a month to month basis, yet it doesn’t feel like it; it is still hard to run into people who own a Playstation 3. During a normal conversation you hear, “Alright man, I’m gonna jump on Live tonight” or “Lets play some Xbox”. Part of this is due to the cultural shift that I won’t get into, but Playstation lost that during the awful first two years it had. The other part comes in with the numbers:

Xbox 360 sits with a total of 40.77 million while the PS3 has 35.74 million. For just a difference of 5 million, it seems odd to feel this gap I spoke of, correct? As it turns out, it’s all how the numbers are broken down.

In Japan, the Xbox 360 sits at 1.34 million while the PS3 sits at 5.33 million. There is a big gap there.

In Europe, the Xbox 360 sits at 15.73 million while the PS3 sits slightly ahead at 16.19 million.

The big gap comes in the United States where the Xbox 360 sits at 23.7 million and the PS3 trials at 14.22 million.

That little state right there explains why in the US, the 360 still has a such a huge presence, even though there has been nothing going on with that console for almost 2 years now. So yes the PS3 is doing well, but in the United States, it still has a lot of work to do.

Sales numbers [Via VGChartz]

You Can Find A PS3 Slim On Shelves Again

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 16, 2010 | 18 comments

The Playstation 3 Slim, aka PS3 Slim, is finally back on shelves at a healthy rate. After experiencing an 11 month growth rate, Sony has been able to finally get production to meet demand and keep the PS3 on store shelves. This really seems like an odd thing, considering how far off we are into the product cycle. But to those watching the PS3 close, they will know that after the price cut during last year’s E3 event, the $299 units have been rocketing off shelves. Followed by huge hits like Uncharted 2, God of War 3, Heavy Rain and Final Fantasy XIII, the Playstation 3 momentum has been on a cycle high. PS3 sales over have been up 85 percent since June 2009 and 42 percent since January 2010.

“Video games are fueling new innovation for the entire consumer entertainment category and today’s numbers are a testament to the big impact we’ll play this holiday,” said Patrick Seybold, Sr. Director of Corporate Communications at SCEA.

“With a healthy flow of PS3s back in the channel, and eleven months of PS3’s consecutive growth behind us, we’re confident the PS3 will become the main entertainment hub for many new consumers this year and provide countless reasons to congregate in the living room.”

It seems like the consumer is really starting to warm up to the Playstation brand again, even though it doesn’t feel that way (more on that later). With a fantastic lineup coming later this year with big titles like Socom 4, Killzone 3, LittleBigPlanet 2 and Grand Turismo 5, which are all exclusive to the Playstation platform, Sony is betting that consumers will want to game with them while the Xbox 360 only has Gears of War 3 to offer. Also, Sony is betting big with its Playstation Move. Starting at just $49 vs. the Microsoft Kinnect at $150, this lower entry price will hopefully allow Sony to grow its install base even higher and wider as it draws new users in.

Playstation Beats Everybody to Hulu

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 15, 2010 | 66 comments

The folks over at Sony have done it. The Playstation 3 tends to be the last one to the party with things like Netflix (and its still not built in, requires a disk) and a nice Store front (should have seen the PSN Store on launch). But Sony has finally one under its belt for firsts. Beating other platforms like the Xbox 360 which gets Hulu in 2011, Sony has launched Hulu Plus as of today.

Currently, Hulu Plus is only available to Playstation Plus members. Those who are members can log into the PSN Store and download the Hulu App (28mb). Once you’ve downloaded and installed the app, you can request to enter the trial period. If selected, you will be faced with the normal Hulu Plus membership of $9.99 a month and can have access to all of that content.

A few things to note on this. Currently, this is just for Playstation Plus members but once the feature fully rolls out and gets ironed out, all Playstation 3 users can download the app for free. With that, Hulu requires a $9.99 fee per month and not Sony. Also, some object that they can access Hulu from their computers for free. This is indeed true but consider a few things. First, chances are that your computer does not go up to a 60-inch, nor is it hooked up to surround sound as many PS3s are. Also, Hulu used to work on the Playstation 3, but the company blocked the PS3. So all platforms like the PS3, Xbox360, iPad and iPhone will have to be part of the Hulu Plus membership to have its service work.

[Via Playstation Blog]

Playstation Plus Content Revealed For Month 1 & 2

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 25, 2010 | 3 comments

If you’re wondering what the Playstation Plus is all about, we gave you a nice breakdown feature by feature to let you know what you have to gain from this new service from Sony. Now, here are all the goodies you will be getting:

Month 1: June 29th – August 3rd

Intro offer: Qore (LittleBigPlanet for Europe)
PSN PS3: Wipeout HD
minis: Field Runners, Age of Zombies
PSone: Destruction Derby
Full Game Trial: Shatter, Savage Moon
Discounts: LBP God of War Pack – 50%, LBP: LocoRoco costume pack – 50%, Gravity Crash – 20%, Fat Princess DLC – 20%
Premium Game Element: KillZone 2: Steel & Titanium DLC
Push demo: ModNation Racers, Heavy Rain
Themes: LBP Theme, SCEE produced: PlayStation “Game Is Just The Start” Dynamic Theme
2 x Fat Princess Premium Avatars

Month 2: August 4th – September 1st

PSN PS3: Zen Pinball
minis: Blast-Off, Alien Zombie Death
PSone: Medievil
Full Game Trial: Inferno Pool, Mushroom Wars
Discounts: Zen Pinball Earth Defence Table – 20%, Warhawk Triple Combo Pack – 50%, Super Stardust HD – 20%, WipeOutHD Fury – 20%
Premium Game Elements: Motorstorm Pacific Rift: Adrenaline Pack
Push Demo: Flower, Pixel Junk Shooter
Themes: “SCEE produced: PlayStation + Dynamic Theme (in production), Heavy Rain Crime Scene Theme
2 x Heavy Rain Avatars (Bird and Butterfly)

Playstation Plus: Full Details

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 24, 2010 | 11 comments

I’ll be giving my thoughts on PSN Plus later on, but I can tell you that indeed I will be getting this new service from Sony when it launches in the US and Europe on June 29th. Because the internet seems to go nuts and lose sight of what’s really going on, I will have to point out that all the remaining services you enjoy on your Playstation 3 and PSP will continue to be free. So online gaming, access to the Playstation Store, firmware updates etc. will all continue to be free. So what does Playstation Plus give you? Lots of content. Lots and lots of content. So what are these?

Games
Discounts
Exclusive items on PlayStation Store
Full Game Trial
Automatic Downloads

Hit the jump for full details and breakdown of every feature.

Sony Designs New Surround Sound Bar Around PS3

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 24, 2010 | 8 comments

Available this fall for $199, the Sony CECH-ZVS1 is a new Surround Sound Bar with a built in subwoofer , designed “to enjoy immersive audio on the PlayStation®3 system, including upcoming games supporting PlayStation®Move motion controllers, Blu-ray movies, as well as stereoscopic 3D content”. The idea is to give anybody, while also targeting PS3 owners, the capability to enjoy better sound while watching movies and playing games with a stylish and simple setup. For the price, this is especially of great appeal to the younger generation (again, those who own a PS3 and their own place and setup) but don’t have the room or money for a full blown surround sound setup. I have to say, I’m looking to get a Sony 52″ EX700 for my bedroom and this might not be a bad solution, pending the quality of the sound vs the EX700 speakers. Can’t wait until fall to find out.

Hit the jump for the official press release.

PSN: Warhawk Expansion "Fallen Star" For $1.99

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 22, 2010 | 0 comments

If you have never played Warhawk on the Playstation 3, you have been missing out on a gem of a game. I cannot express how much fun this game is and how much it has grown from its start. It is now boasting the mighty Warhawks, Tanks, Jeeps, Dropships, APC Units, Jetpacks and more. Best of all, all these units can run around the same time in a lag free multiplayer that still to me stands as the best.

In honor of the 4th of July, Sony will be having a tournament from July 1st till July 5th and for those who want to practice a little bit or just dont have the latest expansion, Sony is dropping the price for the Fallen Star Expansion to $1.99 starting today. Thats 75% off! If you’re game, let me know. PSN: Fusion_Id.

[Via Playstation Blog]

Playstation Home 1.36 Fix

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 17, 2010 | 10 comments

I went to log into my Playstation Home account today to visit E3, but I noticed that there is a 1.36 update. With every attempt to run the update, my PS3 would restart itself. A little bit of research has led me to the following fix: if your PS3 restarts every time you attempt the update, next time you click on home, before pushing the X button to confirm the update, wait for the yellow light to stop flashing on your PS3 (this is indicating that the hard drive is in use). Once the yellow light has gone off, go ahead and click the X button to confirm and from there, it should take you a minute to finish the update.

Also as I noted, I will be visiting E3 via Playstation Home. Sony has created the entire E3 Sony floor virtually for Home users. There, you can watch the videos, check out exclusive content and win prizes as well as other surprises Sony has in mind for its Playstation Home users. So go ahead and fire up Home!

Cool PS3 Dock + Controller Charger

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 17, 2010 | 23 comments

This isn’t as much as a direct Sony product (we’re Sony centered and not Playstation or specific device centered here) but this little dock has to be seen. Designed to work with the PS3 and the PS3 Slim, this rotating dock allows you to kick up your PS3 and swivel it around. But here comes the best part, rotate the TwistDock and you can dock 2 PS3 controllers. From there, the TwistDock is powered via a wall charger so your controller will charge even when your PS3 is off. Not enough? How about the fact that the TwistDock also comes with a 6 port USB hub? This means your PS3 can continue to look clean and sexy and you can plug all the equipment you want to your PS3. This is especially great for the PS3 Slim and its lack of 2 USB ports, compared to the 4 of the original PS3. There’s no price on this unit yet, but it should be out by September.

[Via Vogel]

Gamers Log: inFamous Beat. Final Fantasy XIII Time!

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 12, 2010 | 3 comments

As I’ve written in the past, I recently started inFamous and what a ride it has been. I cannot stress how much fun this game is and the quality of it is wonderful. To start off, I’m a big story guy. I like playing games for their story and boy does inFamous deliver. Especially the ending; that’s all I’ll say on that matter. Now let it be said that I’m not really a fan of the GTA series or the open world concept yet here I was with inFamous, completely pulled in and it made sense. The city was alive and the story and its missions beautifully revolved around it. Plus, the city really had a grand size while not getting too annoying in that respect. Also, I have to mention that the enemies were great and fun to beat up on. However, and I’m not sure if this is a positive or not, but I never once felt too powerful. I’m not sure if the enemies got stronger over time as well to keep the balance or what, but I can confirm that I attained all of Cole’s powers a while before the ending and I still died plenty of times at enemies’ hands. Another blessing from the developers was the fact that the trophies were fun to get and not ludicrous. If anybody has played Brutal Legend or Killzone 2, you will feel my pain.

I must say that during my time with inFamous, I had an amazing amount of fun and would love the guys at Sucker Punch to make a Spider-man game because that’s all I could think about during many of the building climbing that I did within the game. With inFamous knocked out, I’m now moving on to Final Fantasy XIII. I’m both excited and scared for this because I’m a huge RPG nerd and own every Final Fantasy game, including FF1 for Nintendo. But I’ll be the first to admit that Square has dropped the ball this generation. Before, I picked up Xenogears because it said Square on the box. I had never heard of the game and its now currently my favorite game of all time. But this generation, Square seems so focused with trying to appeal to Western gamers that I think it’s losing itself. Plus, this is their first true next gen game and we are in the 4th year! But onwards I march with FF13. After that, I believe it will be God of War collection and God of War 3 time. And yes, I somehow did miss GoW 1&2 on the PS2.

Playstation 4 Teaser Trailer

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 11, 2010 | 15 comments

I already know what this is so let’s have some fun with it. What do you guys think?