PlayStation 3

Domino's Blu Tuesday!

by Jenni Petot | Jun 8, 2010 | 14 comments

Back again for another look at this week’s blu-ray releases. This week I’m very, very excited for Shutter Island. I’ll be the first to admit Leonardo DiCaprio is my favorite actor. This is not in any way an “Oh he’s so cute” reason, (although he’s not bad on the eyes) I believe he is a brilliant actor and continues to blow me away in all of his performances. Shutter Island is one of the best movies I’ve seen so far this year, and I can’t even get into how excited I am for Inception, it’s a slight obsession. Ok enough of Leo and back to blu-ray releases.

Two other movie releases that appeal to my taste are From Paris with Love and The Illusionist. I haven’t seen From Paris yet, but this is definitely a renter for me and I wanted to catch it in theaters. The Illusionist came out around the same time as The Prestige, both films about magic and illusion with a romance sub-plot and both were great. I will admit I loved The Prestige more, but the Illusionist was a very enjoyable film that will be on my blu-ray ‘to buy’ list.

Lastly, I must mention a blu-ray set that I forgot to include last week that will be added to my collection, Life. For fans of the incredibly beautiful, Planet Earth, Discovery channel did a similar 10 episode series on wild life around the world. The few episodes I’ve seen, I watch with my jaw open. It’s really amazing seeing what these animals do to survive and the beautiful shots that were captured. I should note that there are two versions of Life, one has narration by David Attenborough, and the other is narration by Oprah Winfrey. Numerous reviews say go with David’s version, it’s slightly more expensive but worth it from the more interesting commentary.

PS3s Heavy Rain becoming a Movie

by Jenni Petot | Jun 7, 2010 | 2 comments

The PS3 exclusive and highly rated game, Heavy Rain, is very close to getting a film deal. The rights are rumored to be sold to Unique Features which is a Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne company. They founded New Line Cinema back in 1967. I hope this will be a good game to film feature that is casted well since it is very character based game. The gameplay of Heavy Rain is very cinematic already with camera angles, music and action placement. For those of you that haven’t played the game, the story follows four protagonist that are involved with the mystery of the Origami Killer. It is a drama-thriller that I can very much picture as a movie if they make the story easy to follow because at times, it can be very confusing in the game.

PS3 Coming With HDMI Cable

by Jenni Petot | Jun 3, 2010 | 34 comments

I’m sure your reaction to this news is same as mine was….FINALLY. I personally can’t believe it’s taken 3 and a half years for Sony to ship new PS3s with an HDMI cable. My $600 PS3 system came with a lousy composite cable, the same connection I used for my Nintendo 64 over a decade ago. On the down side, it’s rumored that an HDMI cable won’t be bundled with the $300 120GB models, only the $350 250GB PS3. As seen in the photo below [Via PC World], the system will also come with LittleBigPlanet game of the year edition. I hope Sony will eventually include this cable for all models so new buyers of this system can open the box and easily enjoy HD gaming and Blu-rays.

Insomniac Games: Betrayal And Good Business

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 1, 2010 | 19 comments

As you may or may not have heard, long-time Playstation exclusive 2nd party developer Insomniac Games has announced that they are going multi-platform. Now, because they are 2nd party means that they had formed an alliance with Sony but were never owned by Sony and could pull away from the Playstation brand whenever they wished. Insomniac has been exclusive to the Playstation brand since the PS1. They continued this on the PS2 where they had huge success with their Ratchet & Clank series. Once on the PS3 though, the story was different. The first Resistance game they released was a launch title for the PS3 and had huge sales and is still in the top 10 most sold games for the PS3. Still, their followup games never caught on. They have since released 3 Ratchet & Clank games that have had sliding sales. While Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction sold 1.94 Million, Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time only pushed 1 million copies. Again, the first Resistance game had sold 3.69 Million while the far superior Resistance 2 (and I think one of the most underrated PS3 games) only managed 1.88 million.

This of course brings me to Insomniac’s decision to move to a 3rd party, multi-platform release. As the numbers have shown, the guys over at Insomniac have been hurting. This doesn’t make any of their games a flop in any form, but from such a AAA developer, it’s not the numbers I’m sure they had hoped for. So if we look at this as a pure business deal, it makes perfect sense. Cater to 35 million PS3 users or cater to PS3 and Xbox 360 (39 million) users? The decision is a simple one and my business side couldn’t agree more with their decision and wish this fantastic developer the best. But then the fan inside of me is the person who feels betrayed. This is the same company who has made their life on the Playstation. Insomniac wouldn’t be who they are if Sony didn’t give their space and say, just make fantastic games and here are all the resources you need. So it’s with that side of me that I don’t see them in the same eye and I’ll be the first to admit it: that’s my fanboy side.

But the question that really needs to be begged here is: is this Sony’s fault? Insomniac was pushing out a new AAA title per year for Sony (something that is very hard to actually accomplish), but as we see, the sales weren’t there. There is of course two causes for that. A lot of those games were published during the high price time of the PS3. With launch prices of $599, we’re only reaching the one year milestone of the $299 PS3. So this alone meant that the install base of the PS3 was not huge during the prior years. But maybe more damming then the price was the marketing or lack there of marketing for the Playstation. As many Sony fans will tell you, Sony has had zero presence on television. While Microsoft would blast ads left and right for Gears and Halo, I saw maybe one Resistance ad on TV, and ads for the Playstation were nonexistent. Again, it’s only really been in the last year that Sony has done a great job with the Kevin Butler ads, (I still wished that they aired more of them but it’s far better than years prior). But even with all of this in mind, the Playstation now has a healthy number of users and yet, it doesn’t move games like the 360 does and part of this is due to the more mature crowd. When a big 360 title comes out, it’s sure to sell over 1 million the first week, but with the Playstation, if it does 500k, it’s doing big. Some might point to the extra 4 million 360 users out there but the numbers don’t add up to those extra 4 million consuming so much more. I believe this has more to do with the younger 360 gamers being hardcore gamers who need to have something on day 1 and have had a 2 month pre-order where the PS3 users are more casual and older. This means that although they will buy, they don’t need to own it on day one and have other things in their lives besides gaming.

So in the end, what is to blame for Insomniac’s departure as a PS3 exclusive developer? The lack of sales? The failure of Sony to promote or the Playstation fans? Maybe all 3, and maybe that’s just the tide as long time Microsoft exclusive partner Bungie (creator of the Halo series) is now a 3rd party developer and will have their next game on both consoles as well. Regardless of the reason, I wish the guys over at Insomniac the best.

Sony's 30 Best Playstation Network Games

by Jenni Petot | May 29, 2010 | 58 comments

I found a great article from GamePro listing the top 30 games for the Playstation Network. I’ve purchased some on the list but this reminded me of the great titles that I want to purchase and play. Two games that didn’t make the list that I think are worthy are: PAIN and PixelJunk Racer. PAIN is a very comedic game where you literally launch a character in the air and as he falls try to create the most destruction and damage to him; check it out and get a good laugh. PixelJunk has four fantastic games exclusively on the PSN and all but PixelJunk Racer were included on the list so don’t forget about racer!

I’ve spotlighted three PSN exclusive games on the list I’ve really really enjoyed

Echochrome: M.C. Escher is my favorite artist and I can’t help but to think of him during this puzzle game. Echochrome consists of over 56 levels with simple looking puzzles that get increasingly difficult as you guide your player through them. It’s all about point of view, angles and connecting walk paths for your player. You can also challenge friends by creating your own levels.

The Last Guy: This game has a simple concept of guiding survivors of a monster-apocalypse through large cities to safety. Bigger and bigger groups come your way in need of saving keep up the challenge and I love the birds eye view the game is played in. This game is fun, addicting with fun music. Check out the demo that’s available on the PSN.

Pixel Junk Monsters: This was one of the first PSN games I bought and I remember numerous late night session playing it. I love this game. The concept is your basic tower defense protecting home base from waves of monsters. As you move throughout the map levels get harder with more waves and stronger monsters. What’s great is the variety of defense towers you have, some to be unlocked, and the ability to power them up by ‘dancing’ in them. It’s such a great game that I recommend you buy, I don’t think you’ll be dissapointed. Also, there’s an “encore” expansion pack that adds another 15 levels if you feel you’ve outplayed the game and the levels are very hard.

Want to see the full list? Hit the jump for the list of the 30 games (and their prices!) that made the cut. [Via GamePro]

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Sony Launching $70 Premium PSN At E3?

by Jenni Petot | May 20, 2010 | 95 comments

I bought my PS3 on launch date not only because I’m a huge fan of Sony, but because it includes a Blu-ray player, great exclusive games, and bluetooth controllers. Still, a big selling point for me was also the free Playstation Network. The PSN is the online hub for downloadable content, games and the ability to play multiplayer online (which I do a lot of).

There has been rumors for a while that Sony will start to charge for online play like Xbox does which is very disappointing. Although nothing is official, this rumor isn’t bad.

Word is on June 15th at E3, Sony will unveil their new premium features for the PSN which will cost approximately $70. The good news is that no one will be forced to upgrade (like we are with firmware) leaving online play and all the current features still free. YES. I’m sure happy about that. Right now it’s unknown what the premium features are but sources have mentioned two. A free PSN game per month and possible music streaming. If rumors are true we will find out officially from Sony at E3.

I think this is a great move from Sony that will excite players and give them the option of a paid or non-paid PSN. Would you go premium?

Editorial: My PS3 Facebook Dream

by Sohrab Osati | May 19, 2010 | 5 comments

I have to admit, I’m kind of a Facebook whore. I have it on all my devices. See our Sony Dash review. I have it on my iPhone and iPad and I enabled it on day one when Sony allowed for it on the PS3. However, I think the experience has left a lot to be desired for. The good news is not only that I have a game plan here, but it’s something that’s fairly easy to implement.

So first, lets start off with what I like about Facebook on these devices. I like how if you currently gain trophies, it posts them on your Facebook feed. It’s nice to show what you gained and it tells your friends what your playing. I also like it when you purchase something, it again posts it to your wall. How else would people know how many different adorable Sack Boys and Girls I have! But beyond that, there is not a whole lot more.

The idea of Facebook is to be in touch with people and let them know what you’re doing/thinking. If we pause for a minute, PSN sort of does this as well. You can see people’s statuses by going on your friends list, what game they are playing and a little blurb on top of their name. The problem is that currently there is no convenient way of changing that, so for most people, it stays the same. The first implementation that I would do is, when you change your “blurb” on PSN, it updates that to your Facebook. “So-and-so thinks MAG is awesome”. To really go the extra mile, let’s give users the capability to update your Facebook from your PSN, but also, if you update your Facebook status from your Mac/iPhone etc., it should also update your PSN. I think that single move will give PSN a sense of fluidity and “currentness”, for lack of a better word. It’s much more up to date on what you’re doing and is now much more socially integrated into your life. This seems like a very possible and easy setup on Sony’s part that will give PSN a very social pulse and put it out there more.

Other things I would like to see, though they are a little more out there, are to be able to upload pictures and videos to your Facebook. Currently, some games allow you to to take screen shots or record videos and put them on YouTube. Why not Facebook as well? The key for all of this is two-sided for Sony. It first gets people to interact with your content which is always good. “Oh hey, awesome kill in Uncharted, I should go back and play that and try that too”. Also, it’s free advertisement for them. So if you’re listening to this, Sony, and would like some more ideas, I’d love to give them to you. Contact Us?

Sony Removes Linux from PS3. Cry Me A River. Air Force Edition!

by Sohrab Osati | May 18, 2010 | 12 comments

Hah. Ok, so remember that article we wrote about the fact that it really wasnt a big deal that Sony had removed the Linux feature from the PS3? I still stand by it for the average consumer, but there seems to be a little side effect to all of this. A long time ago, we wrote about how the Air Force had purchased 300 PS3’s for internal use and they went on to actually purchase a few thousand more. Now, with the most recent software update, Sony has of course removed the Linux functionality of the PS3. If anybody has used a PS3, you will know that once a new update is out, you are not allowed online until you complete the update. However, you can use all of the current features and options (minus again, anything to do with online). So does this move somehow screw the Air Force over? Some sites say yes. I’m not too sure about this. It seemed like the Air Force was really interested in a cheap Super Computer replacement which is what the Cell Processor inside of the PS3 is. With Linux and some networking, many have turned the PS3 into a computing machine and I’m not really sure these would have ever been units that connected to online.

Update:

The Air Force has confirmed that they do not upgrade the firmware on the units so it dosent really matter in the short term but.

“We will have to continue to use the systems we already have in hand,” the lab told Ars, but “this will make it difficult to replace systems that break or fail. The refurbished PS3s also have the problem that when they come back from Sony, they have the firmware (gameOS) and it will not allow Other OS, which seems wrong. We are aware of class-action lawsuits against Sony for taking away this option on systems that use to have it.”

The result was the 500 TeraFLOPS Heterogeneous Cluster powered by PS3s but connected to subcluster heads of dual-quad Xeons with multiple GPGPUs.

Editorial: Sony Wont Let Me Buy Another PS3

by Sohrab Osati | May 17, 2010 | 2 comments

The title might be a tad misleading, but follow me on this and you might agree as well. I’ve been in the Playstation family since launch. I remember getting my original Playstation, back when they came in large cases, similar to what you have now, not the CD case layout most Playstation users remember. I got my PS2 on launch date. I got myy PSP-1000 and PSPgo on launch date. For my PS3, I waited in line for a day and got screwed out of getting one, so the next day on eBay, I spent $1,500 for the 60GB. Yea, I was one of those people…Since then, my PS3 has seen a few upgrades: a 320GB drive and currently a 500GB drive. A big reason for this is that I have a lot of media and a lot of games as well when I look back. I look at my PS3 as my entertainment hub. So when guests come over, my Movies, Photos, and Games sections each have folders with categories. Under the Games section, there is a PS3 Demo (with around 50 games) and PS3 Games (with around 25 games), PSP Games, and PSP Demo section. There is a section for all the Qore episodes. Same idea in the Video section. Game Trailers, Movie Trailers, The Tester, Random etc etc. A tad OCD yes but it makes it nice for when people come over.

This brings me to why I cannot own a second PS3. I love the PS3 slim. Yes, I wish I could get the Memory Card, Extra USB and Backwards compatibility back but it is what it is. I’m ok with that. The reason I cannot get one is because of saved games. I would love to stick a PS3 slim in my bedroom and, when I don’t feel like being in the living room, be able to play my games. As I mentioned, I have nearly 25 downloadable games and another 20 Blu-ray based games. But if I want to play a game from where I left off, I would then have to remember which unit has the most current saved game, boot it up, copy paste the file on a flash drive and then erase and paste on the new machine and play. In short, it’s not going to happen. This is when I truly hope for the idea of a more premium PSN network coming. Keep what’s currently free, well, free, because frankly, for most, that’s more then enough. But for those of us who want a little more functionality like that, I’m willing to pay. Having said that, this is a very tricky territory. Either it has to cost less then Xbox Live and have the same features when you combine Free and Paid PSN or it needs to cost the same or more, but offer features not found on Live. This is a must because Sony has been saying as of late that they are in the same park as Live and for the most part, I agree. But if they come out, offer exactly the same features as Live for the same price, then it becomes sticky in terms of PR. So Sony, please let me buy another PS3, I want to give you my money, I really do. It’s just currently entirely inconvenient because, before, during the PS and PS2 era, everything went on a memory card and that was easy enough to grab between machines.

Editorial: PS3 Back Up Takes Forever

by Sohrab Osati | May 12, 2010 | 21 comments

Holy sweet mother. Ive backed up my PS3 before but not in a long time. I have the original 60GB unit which ive upgraded to a 120GB then, 320GB and currently, I have a 500GB hard drive in there. I have about 300GB worth of content on my PS3 but lately, my PS3 will bootup and tell me that the correct disc count not be found. So I believe the drive that I have in there is dying. I finally got around to grabbing a 750GB WD drive to back up to. (keep in mind, most new drives on shelves come with the NTSF format and the PS3 only talks to Fat32, so you will need to reformat your drive). But now that its backing up, its quoting me 48 hours….

If anybody has seen quotes on computers, you know that they can be off. Computer will say about a minute to transfer a file and 10 seconds later its done. Having said that, I started the back up last night around 7pm and its currently 4:35pm and I still have another 20 hours to go. I hope my PS3 dosent explode?

New Sony Vaio P Acts As PS3 Keyboard

by Sohrab Osati | May 11, 2010 | 10 comments

So we were teased about the new Vaio P and before, we had mentioned that Sony was looking to add Remote Play connectivity to it’s Vaio series as well. The first of this we saw was in recently yesterday announced Sony Vaio P which feature the Remote Play function. Now comes some news out of Japan that these units can act as a bluetooth keyboard for PS3 users. I’m not gonna lie, I don’t think this is what anybody envisioned as the Remote Play functionality and I don’t mean this in a good way. I’m sure more functionality will trickle out but this is one of those things where we wished Sony didn’t use it’s engineering cash to develop. This would be a much better function on their upcoming Experia series. Why? Well I have my iPhone on me all the time and so it’s convenient for me to use it on my AppleTV. But if my MacBook hooked up to it as well, I would never use it because I would need to have a bulky (granted the Vaio P is very small) computer next to me, just so I can type in some stuff…Come on Sony, either wow us with something useful or don’t bother and spend the cash elsewhere. We say it for you.

LittleBigPlanet 2 Debut Trailer

by Sohrab Osati | May 10, 2010 | 4 comments

I have two recommendations: A. When you click on the video, change it to the HD setting. B. Close your web browser for the rest of the day because you will find nothing better on the web.

Rumor: PS3 To Gain Background Update Downloads

by Sohrab Osati | May 5, 2010 | 24 comments

So this is completely a rumor and we all know how those work, especially with the PS3. Otherwise, we would have cross game voice chat and would be paying for PSN and all sorts of crazy things. But the guys over at TheSixthAxis are reporting that with the next rounds of updates, the PS3 might be able to scan your game library, see what games need updates and download them for you. This would be such a fantastic feature. Nothing beats being excited about a game (for example, I only play LittleBigPlanet because that’s my and my girlfriend’s game and we only get to play it when shes visiting from school in Hawaii) and nothing takes the excitement out more than when you need to sit for 10 minutes and do updates before playing. Also, I have a huge library of PS3 games; somewhere in the neighborhood of 50+. I would love to know that I have the most recent update for any game I have and if I feel like playing Warhawk, I can just jump into it. But as I said, don’t hold your breath.

[Via TheSixthAxis]

Sony Offering Protection Plans for PS3 and PSP

by Jenni Petot | May 4, 2010 | 26 comments

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) announced this week that they will now be offering extended warranties for the PS3 and PSP. The catch? You must still be in the one year manufacturer warranty period to purchase an extended protection plan. This is great news and exciting for new Sony gaming console owners but a bit disappointing for early adapters like myself. I personally camped out for two nights back in 2006 to pre-order my 60GB Playstation 3, and although I can’t get this protection plan, it’s been three and a half years later and my system still works like new. *Knock on wood*

For owners of the PS3, here are the two options for an extension plan. For the price of a new game, you can protect your PS3 system for a few years. I think it’s a very reasonable price.

PS3 warranty extension for 1 year (49.99)
PS3 warranty extension for 2 years (59.99)

For PSP owners the following options are available, and respectively, they are less expensive than the PS3 plans.

PSP 1 year extension plan (29.99)
PSP 2 year extension plan (39.99)
PSP extension + accidental damage coverage for 1 and 2 years are 39.99 or 49.99

Having my system for over 3 years with no issues shows me how reliable these black beauties are. I am very glad to hear that Sony is confident in their products and how reliable they are to now offer the protection plans for Playstation. Now I’m going to do just that: play.

If you are eligible to purchase the extended protection plan, call Sony at 1-866-716-7669.

Sony Removes Linux From PS3. Cry Me A River

by Sohrab Osati | May 4, 2010 | 43 comments

“Ok. Does believing you’re the last sane man on the planet make you crazy? ‘Cause if it does, maybe I am.” (Name that movie, folks) But sites like Gizmodo, Engadget and others are all up in arms with pitchforks, blasting Sony for removing the Linux feature from the fat PS3s. Now, as a practice, I understand why people are upset. You bought your unit with the understanding that it would give you the option to install Linux and now Sony has taken away that feature. So as principle, yes it sucks. Having said that, I installed Yellow Dog Linux on my PS3 as well and it was cool. After twice jumping into it, I never did again and once I upgraded to a 320GB drive and now, my current 500GB, I didn’t even bother. Why? Because it was too slow. Linux couldn’t access all the power of the PS3 and booting in and out was a pain and a half. Once in there, woohoo, I can go on AIM or write a paper? Come on. Plus, who do you honestly know that has Linux on their PS3? Really, ask all of your friends out there, and most will probably look at you like you’re crazy. So does it suck? Um, sure. But is it really a big deal? No. So, I think everybody needs to calm down a tad over this.