Report: PlayStation Store Back Online Next Week

 

The PlayStation Store might be accessible again as soon as Tuesday, according to a report published today.

Gaming blog Gamasutra says a memo sent from Sony to its game maker partners says May 24 is the date the online store for buying video games and video content will return, unless some problem arises in the meantime.

The letter, from PSN content manager Jack Osorno, reportedly included details of a new game-publishing schedule that would allow Sony to catch up on game releases that were bypassed while the network was offline for more than three weeks.

Sony previously had said only that it aimed to relaunch the store by May 31.

In a comment to gaming site Giant Bomb, Sony spokesman Patrick Seybold said, "We've not announced a specific date other than to say we expect to have the service fully restored by the end of the month. Anything other than that is purely speculative."

The return of the PlayStation Store will complete the relaunch of Sony's gaming network following a cyberattack last month. After more than 77 million PSN customers' personal data was compromised, Sony took the network, along with its Qriocity and Sony Online services, offline while it investigated and rebuilt its network security.

Related link
• PSN breach exposes records of millions (roundup)

The ability to sign in, change passwords, play games, and watch previously downloaded content returned on Saturday. Yesterday another vulnerability in Sony's security system was found that allowed anyone to change PSN users' passwords if they knew a user's e-mail address and date of birth, both part of the information stolen in the attack last month. Sony closed the loophole and took its PlayStation.com and Qriocity.com Web sites down for repair yesterday, though the game network remains accessible via the PlayStation 3 console and PlayStation Portable handheld device.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20064393-260.html#ixzz1NHsKj6uF

Anonymous: We Didn't Hack PlayStation Network

A letter purporting to represent the Anonymous hacking group claims the organization was not behind the PlayStation Network attack.

"If a legitimate and honest investigation...is conducted, Anonymous will not be found liable," reads the letter, which was posted to the Web yesterday. "While we are a distributed and decentralized group, our 'leadership' does not condone credit card theft."

The letter is a response to accusations on Sony's part that Anonymous is responsible for last month's massive assault on its customer data.

Earlier yesterday, Sony Computer Entertainment Chief Kazuo Hirai wrote in a letter to Congress that his company found a file named "Anonymous" on a Sony Online Entertainment server. However, Hirai stopped short of saying that he believes the hacker group stole customer data.

"When Sony Online Entertainment discovered this past Sunday afternoon that data from its servers had been stolen, it also discovered that the intruders had planted a file named 'Anonymous' on one of those servers, a file containing the statement with the words 'We are Legion,'" Hirai wrote.

Last month, Sony announced that the personal information of its 77 million PlayStation Network and Qriocity users was stolen in what it's now calling a "very carefully planned, very professional, highly sophisticated criminal cyberattack designed to steal personal and credit card information for illegal purposes." Though the company has said that it has found no incidences of identity theft or illegal purchases yet, the company's online services are still down. Sony Online Entertainment also went offline this week as the result of a cyberattack.

Anonymous did allegedly target Sony with a denial-of-service attack in early April in response to Sony's lawsuit against alleged PlayStation 3 hacker George Hotz. But it claims no involvement in the PlayStation Network hack.

Admittedly, trying to determine whether the letter actually represents Anonymous is difficult. As Anonymous points out, it's a "decentralized" group operating around the globe without any clear hierarchy. Whether a single letter posted to the Web can speak for the organization is nearly impossible to determine.

But there might be more than just Anonymous' apparent claims to help its case. As CNET's Elinor Mills pointed out yesterday in her report on Hirai's statement, Anonymous is typically long-winded when it leaves its stamp on a statement. In the past, the company has ended communications with "We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not Forgive. We do not Forget. Expect Us." As Sony pointed out, the file it found contained only "We are Legion."

Though Sony isn't quite ready to point any fingers directly, the company did say that Anonymous' denial-of-service attacks helped whomever was able to hack into the company's online services.

"Almost two weeks ago, one or more cybercriminals gained access to PlayStation Network servers at or around the same time that these servers were experiencing denial-of-service attacks," Hirai said. "The Sony Network Entertainment America team did not immediately detect the criminal intrusion for several possible reasons. That may have made it more difficult to detect this intrusion quickly--all perhaps by design.

"Whether those who participated in the denial-of-services attacks were conspirators or whether they were simply duped into providing cover for a very clever thief, we may never know," Hirai continued. "In any case, those who participated in the denial-of-service attacks should understand that--whether they knew it or not--they were aiding in a well planned, well executed, large-scale theft that left not only Sony a victim, but also Sony's many customers around the world."

Anonymous doesn't seem prepared to sympathize, and it ended its letter yesterday with a hint of its feelings about being cited in Sony's congressional statement.

"We do not forgive, even if others forgive our enemies for those things for which we are attacked," it wrote. "We do not forget, even if others fail to remember. We are legion, and will remain so no matter how many of our participants are raided by armed agents of a broken system. We are Anonymous. Expect us."

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20060033-17.html#ixzz1LUr9YexO

Wait And Buy Portal 2 On May 1, 2011, At Kmart

I know you want to have fun with science, but just wait. Seriously, be patient and wait. I know that Portal 2 is all spiffy and new, and those ads you’ve been seeing on buses and TV are awesome, but you will regret it if you go out and buy the game before May 1, 2011. That’s because it’s going to be on sale at Kmart for almost half off next week. See? Patience will pay off.

That’s especially true since Kmart’s Portal 2 deal takes almost 50% off the price. Go somewhere else before Saturday and you’ll pay $59.99 for it. Wait, and you’ll only pay $34.99. It’s practically a steal. Especially if you grab the PS3 version, which includes Steam codes for a free copy of the Windows and Mac version. The KmartGamer twitter just made this announcement, so you’ll know before everyone else grabs their Sunday papers. The tweet doesn’t state if it applies to all versions, but I’m sure the PS3 and Xbox 360 ones will be covered.

In case you by some miracle haven’t heard, Portal 2 is one of the most anticipated games of the summer. It’s a FPS/puzzle game where players help a research subject named Chell escape from a laboratory and evil robots. The evil robots are also quite funny, by the way. There’s also a multiplayer campaign mode and it is the first game where PS3 gamers can play with Windows and Mac gamers.

Well, I guess I have plans for Sunday morning now. Anyone else going to take advantage of this deal?

Read [KmartGamer] Site [Portal 2

 

 

Source: http://www.gamertell.com/gaming/comment/wait-and-buy-portal-2-on-may-1-2011-at-kmart-34.99-sale/

Major Retailers Cut Price Of Wii To $169.99

Although Nintendo hasn't made it official, the Wii's price has been cut to $169.99.

Several major retailers, including GameStop, Best Buy, Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, Target, and others are now selling the console at the reduced price. At those locations, customers can choose between the Wii White or Black bundle, which includes the console, a Wii MotionPlus Remote, the Wii nunchuk, Wii Sports, and Wii Sports Resort. The bundle was previously available for $199.99.

The price drop is especially notable, since Nintendo has yet to confirm that it has officially dropped the price of its Wii console. The company also did not immediately respond to CNET's request for confirmation that the Wii has officially gotten a $30 price drop.

In either case, a cheaper Wii isn't all that surprising. Just last week, Engadget cited sources who said Nintendo was planning to cut the Wii's price to $150 by May 15. Nintendo declined to comment to CNET at the time.

Nintendo's Wii was stuck at its former $200 price tag since 2009 when the company cut the price of its console from $250. Since then, critics have been calling on Nintendo to slash the price of its Wii, citing slumping demand for its console. In 2008, the company sold over 10 million Wii console units in the U.S. In 2009, it nearly hit the 10 million mark. Last year, however, its sales dropped to 7 million units.

Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata brought up the idea of a price cut back in October in an interview with the Associated Press. He said at the time that he had ruled it out in the "near future" but stopped short of saying that Nintendo wouldn't eventually cut the Wii's price.

"Of course, we cannot say [a Wii price cut] will never happen," Iwata said at the time.

If the Wii's price stays at $169.99, it might not be long before Microsoft and Sony follow suit with price cuts for their Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, respectively. In a research note to investors in February, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter said that 2011 would be the year of the price cut in gaming.

"After maintaining console prices at historically high points throughout 2010, all three console manufacturers appear to us to be poised for price cuts in 2011," he said at the time.

Look for more on that front in June at the E3 gaming expo.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20055218-17.html#ixzz1Jzb5FOoW

Analyst: Nintendo 3DS Sales Hit 500,000 In March

Nintendo's 3DS led the gaming market in hardware sales last month, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter said in a note to investors today.

Pachter said he believes that Nintendo sold 500,000 3DS units in March, besting the Xbox 360 and Wii, with 480,000 and 410,000 unit sales, respectively. The analyst estimates that PlayStation 3 March sales hit 380,000 units.

Actual sales figures will be announced later this week by research firm NPD.

If Nintendo only sold 410,000 Wii units, its sales would be down 26 percent year over year. Microsoft's unit sales, on the other hand, would be up 42 percent compared with March 2010, while Sony's hardware sales would be up by 21 percent.

But it's Nintendo's feat in the portable space that might be most impressive. The 3DS, which allows users to play 3D games without the need for special glasses, hit store shelves March 27 in the U.S. That gave it just five days to trump other gaming devices that were sitting on store shelves for the entire month.

Even better news for Nintendo, the company told CNET in a statement last month that the portable's launch-day sales figures in the U.S. were higher than any other mobile-gaming device it has ever launched, including the venerable Game Boy and DS.

Of course, the fact that the Nintendo 3DS sold well in March isn't all that surprising. When the device launched in Japan in February, reports out of that country said it sold out in its first weekend of availability.

The 3DS also contributed to stronger industry-wide hardware sales last month. According to estimates from Pachter, sales were up 6 percent in March for a total of 2.275 million units sold across all devices. However, he said that software sales were down 8 percent last month to $805 million.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20052749-17.html#ixzz1JFIkxWFV

Nintendo 3DS Has Wow Factor--And Warning (Video)

Just when I thought 3D was a faded, "Avatar"-spawned fad, it starts popping up everywhere: TVs, smartphones, and now toys. I'm clearly not the target demographic for Nintendo's soon-to-be-released 3DS gaming device, but I can tell it's going to be a runaway hit with the kids. It's got the wow factor, the fun factor, and the pure novelty that combine to makes something buzz-worthy. But the part I wasn't expecting was Nintendo's serious warnings all over the device, packaging, and Web site cautioning that children aged 6 and under should use the 3DS only in its conventional, 2D mode. That's because, Nintendo has said, 3D viewing could potentially disrupt the developing eyesight of the younger set.

Concerned about the warning, we interviewed Dr. Andrew Iwach, an ophthalmologist in downtown San Francisco. As director of the Glaucoma Research Center, Iwach has done extensive research on the effects of 3D on kids' eyes. He told us the data on watching a 3D screen is inconclusive but that it doesn't point to any negative long-term side effects. He does caution, though, that moderation is always key when gaming.

That certainly proved true when my CNET colleague Donald Bell and I were playing around with the new gadget, which is set to hit stores March 27. Some of the features are seriously dizzying and nausea-inducing! (In fact, Nintendo's warnings have included advice to adults to take a break after 30 minutes of 3D play.) Among the more head-spinning features, for instance, are the augmented-reality games that read special 3D cards with the 3DS' cameras and then turn the surface of the cards into a playing field that interacts with you and the device. That's a great example of some of the seriously innovative tech behind the 3DS' wow factor. And again, I'm not the target audience for the Nintendo 3DS. But I have to say, whether we're talking about little kids or even adults, it sure is a good thing you can turn the 3D capabilities on and off.

Source w/ Video: http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-20047253-235.html#ixzz1Hvewcqbf

3DS Demand 'Very Strong,' GameStop Says

Demand for the Nintendo 3DS will be quite high, video game retailer GameStop predicts.

"We are seeing very strong demand for the 3DS," GameStop President Tony Bartel said during an earnings call yesterday, according to a transcript posted on SeekingAlpha. "We've been working very closely with Nintendo to maintain our reservations, to keep them open, and Nintendo has been very good with providing us with additional supply of 3DS so that we can keep our reservations open."

The Nintendo 3DS is launching Sunday for $249.(Credit: Nintendo)

Even so, Bartel said it's been a battle. Demand for the upcoming portable has been so significant that the company has been forced to work "every day with Nintendo to ensure that we have sufficient product."

The clock is ticking on getting that supply. The Nintendo 3DS, which enables people to play 3D titles without the need for special glasses, is launching on Sunday for $249. According to Nintendo, the device will launch with 18 games. Another 12 titles will hit store shelves in the next couple months.

Demand for the 3DS hasn't only been high in the U.S. The platform launched in Japan last month and promptly sold out in its first weekend of availability. Whether that will happen in the States remains to be seen, but for now, Bartel is confident his company will "have sufficient product at launch."

Speaking of the launch, both GameStop and Nintendo plan to hold special events to welcome the new portable to the U.S.

Nintendo said today that it will be host a launch event starting Saturday night and carrying over into Sunday morning at the Union Square Best Buy in New York City. The company is planning "live entertainment, branded giveaway items, and hands-on demonstrations of the new system." Leading up to the event, Nintendo will be offering demos to customers.

GameStop's launch event will be far more widespread. The company said today that it will open over 800 stores around the U.S. at 12:01 a.m. local time on Sunday to let gamers get their hands on the device as soon as possible. Another 2,400 stores will be open earlier than usual at 9 a.m.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20047072-17.html#ixzz1HdI5YS5m

EA: NFL Lockout Or Not, Madden Must Go On

Madden NFL 12 is scheduled to launch this August. And not even the National Football League labor dispute will stop it.

"Fans of Madden NFL will not have their seasons interrupted, regardless of when the labor issues are resolved," Rob Semsey, EA Sports' director of public relations, told CNET in an interview today. "We plan to release Madden NFL 12 in August as always."

Don't worry. Madden will be launching this year.(Credit: Electronic Arts)

Madden NFL 12 will be the 23rd release in the famed franchise. Since its launch in 1989, more than 90 million Madden units have shipped worldwide.

Unlike in previous seasons, Madden fans need reassurance this year.

Earlier this month, the collective-bargaining agreement between the NFL Players Association and the league expired as the sides failed to reach a suitable resolution that would extend their relationship. If the sides don't come to an agreement in the next several months, the 2011-2012 season won't be played. It's a real enough possibility that last month, Sports Business Daily reported that the NFL modified its deal with EA in the event no season is played.

According to that report, the NFL "significantly" reduced EA's "contractual obligation" to help the game developer. Jacksonville Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver said at the time that the move was designed to "give our partner some relief in the short term, but gain something on the back end." That deal also reportedly extended EA's relationship with the NFL past its original 2012 end date.

EA hasn't said how its bottom line would be affected if there isn't an NFL season this year. However, last week, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter told The Hollywood Reporter that Madden sales rely heavily on an NFL season. And if the players decide to not show for work this year, it could "cost Madden around 50 percent of sales."

It's a possibility even EA has hedged its bets on. The company said during an earnings call with investors last month that it's planning for the worst--"no season."

Even if there is no season, this year's Madden gamers won't find generic team names or players. Semsey told CNET that "Madden NFL 12 will include all 32 NFL teams and more than 1,700 NFL players."

As with previous seasons, one of those players will be on the box this year. Starting today and extending through April 27, Madden fans can go to ESPN to vote on who they think should be this year's cover athlete.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was the Madden NFL 11 cover athlete

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20045434-17.html#ixzz1HG4eu6Ld

Amazon Running 99-Cent Kindle Game Special

Amazon is discounting several Kindle games to 99 cents until March 27.

(Credit: Amazon)

Not too long ago, I wrote about the rise of the 99-cent e-book. Now Amazon's pushing 99-cent Kindle games as part of a special sale.

Amazon lists 12 games as part of the sale and they're climbing the Kindle best seller's list fast. As David Cassel, the editor at the Me and My Kindle blog, points out, "Six of the 10 best-selling items in the Kindle store are now games." Mind you, some of these are merely discounted from $1.99 to 99 cents. But oh what a difference a dollar makes.

Here's the full list of specially discounted games. The offer ends March 27.

• Scrabble
• Chess
• Sudoku Unbound
• Solitaire
• Mahjong Solitaire
• Texas Hold 'Em
• New York Times Crossword Puzzles (two sets of "easy" and two sets of "challenging" puzzles)
• Hangman for Kids
• Triple Town

Any of you playing games on your Kindle? Any favorites? Let us know.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20044006-1.html#ixzz1GyP6jLB6

After Guitar Hero Exit, Rocksmith To Take The Stage

Music games might be down, but they aren't out just yet.

Ubisoft's forthcoming game Rocksmith will enable players to use real guitars with the game. (Credit: Elfi Chester)

Game developer Ubisoft is planning to release a new guitar game, called Rocksmith, later this year. In a statement today, Ubisoft's senior vice president of marketing, Tony Key, said that the new title will prove to be "the most authentic and addicting music game ever created."

Ubisoft hopes to achieve that lofty goal by putting a real guitar in the hands of gamers, rather than the plastic guitars with buttons used in Rock Band or Guitar Hero. The title will launch with a "sizable library of music" from major rock bands, including the Rolling Stones and Nirvana. The Hollywood Reporter was first to write about the news earlier today.

Ubisoft's decision to launch a game in a category that has been on the decline recently is a curious one.

As Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter pointed out in a research note to investors in January, the industry is undergoing a "virtual disintegration of interest in the music category." Sales in that market hit an all-time high of $1.7 billion in 2008, according to Pachter, but then fell to $900 million in 2009. Sales in the music category were under $300 million in 2010.

"Over the period from 2005 to 2008, video game software sales grew by 81 percent, with the music genre accounting for one third of the gain," Pachter wrote to investors. "From 2008 through 2010, software sales declined by 14.9 percent, and the music genre accounted for over 80 percent of the decline."

Activision was keen to that decline. Last month, the company announced that it had discontinued the Guitar Hero franchise. It cited "continued declines in the music genre," and explained that its decision was based on its desire to "focus on the greatest opportunities."

But Rocksmith will find at least one competitor in the market. In response to the news of Guitar Hero's death, Harmonix, the developer behind Rock Band, posted on its site forum last month that its music title isn't going away.

"The music genre is one that calls for constant reinvention, and Harmonix is continuing to welcome and embrace that call," Harmonix developer John Drake said. "In short, the beat of Rock Band marches on. We're continuing to invest in the franchise and the brand that we have built and will do our best to serve all loyal band game fans."

Rocksmith will launch on theXbox 360,PlayStation 3, and PC in the second half of this year.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20043339-17.html?tag=mncol;title

10 Million A Magic Number For Microsoft's Kinect

(Credit: Josh Lowensohn/CNET)

Microsoft announced today that it has sold 10 million Kinect sensors since the Xbox 360 accessory launched in November. In addition, Microsoft reported that over 10 million Kinect games have been sold. The global sales figures, according to a company spokeswoman, were tallied through the end of February.

Since its launch, Kinect--which allows gamers to control on-screen action with only the movement of their bodies rather than a controller--has surpassed expectations. Microsoft initially expected to sell 5 million Kinect units through 2010. At the Consumer Electronics Show in January, however, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer revealed that the company actually sold 8 million units through the end of the year.

Microsoft's Kinect retails for $149.99. It's also available in two Xbox 360 bundles, which cost $299.99 or $399.99, depending on the game console's storage.

The Kinect's success has easily overshadowed Sony's motion-gaming peripheral, PlayStation Move, which launched in September. Analysts have estimated that Sony sold about 3 million PlayStation Move units through 2010. Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter said in a research note earlier this week that he believes Move "has not generated significant sales" so far this year.

It's a similar story for the Nintendo's Wii. Although that console still leads the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in overall sales, Pachter said he is seeing "sagging demand" for the Wii that he believes will "continue at least through March."

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20041213-17.html#ixzz1G9HQ5ZwY

Sony: NGP's Graphics Won't Match PS3's

The NGP won't have the same graphical ability as the PS3.

(Credit: Sony Computer Entertainment)

All this talk of Sony's Next Generation Portable gaming device having graphical quality on the same level as the PlayStation 3 is overblown, Sony says.

In a talk at the Game Developers Conference yesterday, David Coombes, platform research manager at Sony Computer Entertainment America, made it clear that the company's upcoming NGP will offer much better graphics than those of the current PlayStation Portable, but won't come close to matching the graphics of Sony's home console.

"Some people in the press have said, 'Wow, this thing could be as powerful as a PS3,'" Coombes said, according to a report in Kotaku. "Well, it's not going to run at 2GHz, because the battery would last five minutes...and it would probably set fire to your pants."

The NGP's graphical abilities will be "halfway" between those of Sony's PlayStation Portable and the PlayStation 3, Sony engineers said, according to Kotaku.

Though it might not live up to the high expectations some gamers have had, the NGP looks to be quite appealing on paper. It includes a 5-inch OLED display, which Sony says quadruples the resolution of the current-generation PSPs. In addition, the device comes with dual analog sticks and lets users connect to the Web via Wi-Fi or 3G. The platform will be capable of playing "PSP titles, minis, PS one classics, video, and comics from the PlayStation Store," Sony revealed on its blog after the NGP was announced.

The NGP is being looked at by some as a potential savior for Sony's ailing mobile business.

Last week, the company announced that it was dropping the price of its PSP to $129.99, down from $169.99. It was the latest attempt on Sony's part to try to jump-start sales for a platform that, according to Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter's estimates, sold just 80,000 units in the U.S. last month, down 20 percent year-over-year.

In August, the last month NPD reported hardware sales figures, Sony sold just 79,400 PSP units. It was able to tally unit sales of 140,300 in August 2009.

When the NGP launches, it will also need to overcome an entrenched competitor in the Nintendo 3DS. That device, which will launch in the U.S. on March 27 for $249, lets users play 3D titles without the need for special glasses. By the end of March, Nintendo expects to sell 4 million 3DS units--1.5 million in Japan, where it launched this past weekend, and the rest elsewhere around the world.

Sony hasn't offered up any sales targets for the NGP. But it should be providing many more details on the device over the next few months, as the gadget's late 2011 release date inches closer.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20038815-17.html#ixzz1FxH7eHzh

EA Aims To Dominate Shooters Once Again

Activision's Call of Duty franchise rules first-person shooters, but Electronic Arts isn't ready to give up on that market quite yet.

EA's Frank Gibeau (Credit: Electronic Arts)

Frank Gibeau, president of EA Games Label, says his company's upcoming first-person shooter Battlefield 3 will help the studio regain some of its lost appeal and get it closer to matching the Call of Duty juggernaut.

"It's what we've been trying to do in the EA Games Label over the last couple years--get our mojo back in terms of quality and great IPs," Gibeau said, referencing intellectual property in an article posted today by U.K. games site IndustryGamers. "For me, this is a great example of investments we've been making in technology, team culture and getting the talent in place to make world-beating games."

Overcoming Call of Duty's success in the first-person-shooter market won't be easy. In 2009, Activision released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which quickly became the biggest entertainment launch in history. Last year, it followed it up with Call of Duty: Black Ops, which not only beat Modern Warfare 2 sales figures but set a new record for revenue, hitting $650 million worldwide in five days and over $1 billion in just six weeks.

Gibeau shifted his attention to Medal of Honor, the first-person shooter EA released last year that was easily overshadowed by Black Ops. He said that Medal of Honor was once "the dominant brand and created the shooter category, frankly, for consoles." And although last year's release didn't overcome Black Ops, he believes the time has come to regain some of EA's past glory.

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick wouldn't necessarily see it that way. Last year, Kotick took some shots at EA in an interview with Edge Magazine, saying that the company "has been struggling for a really long time." Kotick said EA has trouble "getting really talented people," which "translates into less-than-great games."

Competitive opinions aside, EA is ready for a fight--even if Activision and Kotick don't see EA and its upcoming Battlefield 3 title as a true competitor.

"We're here to compete," Gibeau told IndustryGamers. "Everyone loves a heavyweight battle."

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20038194-17.html#ixzz1FTsFDRsh

Sony Dropping PSP Price To $129

Sony has substantially cut the price of its PlayStation Portable.

Starting Sunday, consumers can get their hands on the portable-gaming device for $129.99--the same price as the Nintendo DS Lite. The PSP currently sells for $169.99.

In addition, Sony has added 13 titles, including Assassin's Creed Bloodlines and Dissidia Final Fantasy, to its "Greatest Hits" and "Favorites" lines of games. Titles in the Greatest Hits list will retail for $19.99, while titles in the Favorites line will go for $9.99.

Sony has shipped 23 million PSP units to the U.S. and 67.8 million units worldwide since the device launched in 2005. North American customers have a catalog of 590 games, the company said today.

The decision to drop the price may result from Sony's diminishing sales of the device over the past year. Sales in the U.S. have been easily overshadowed by Nintendo's DS, the leader in the mobile-gaming space.

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter reported last week that he believes Sony sold just 80,000 PSP units in the U.S. last month, down 20 percent from January 2010. Last August, the final month in which market researcher NPD publicly reported hardware sales figures, Sony sold just 79,400 PSP units. It had sold 140,300 PSP units in August 2009.

The PSP has also let down video game retailer GameStop. Bob McKenzie, the retailer's senior vice president of merchandising and marketing, said late last year that the number of titles released for the PSP in 2010 was a "disappointment."

In an attempt to change its luck in the mobile market, Sony unveiled the Next Generation Portable in January. The device is a follow-up to the PSP and includes dual thumbsticks, 3G connectivity, a touch screen, and two cameras. It also comes with an improved display over that of the current PSP. Sony said at the time that the platform would feature PlayStation 3-like graphical capability.

The new device is scheduled to launch at year's end.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20036377-17.html#ixzz1FI0pyQ3P

Geohot Starts Blog, Raises Cash For Legal Fees

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(Credit: CNET)

George Hotz, better known by his hacker name "Geohot," started a blog over the weekend to fire shots at Sony and raise cash for his legal bout with the company.

Hotz launched his new blog on Friday with a flurry of posts outlining his stance against Sony. His first post, entitled "This is war," claims that Sony Computer Entertainment America "has declared war on hackers." He followed that up with three "facts" that he believes, everyone should know about him.

"I have never pirated a PlayStation 3 game in my life, nor helped or encouraged people to do so," he wrote. "I have never played PlayStation online, nevermind cheated, nor helped or encouraged peopled to do so. I have never hacked anything that I did not own or without consent of the owner."

Those statements are integral to Hotz's case with Sony. Last month, Sony requested a restraining order against Hotz for releasing a jailbreak for firmware version 3.55 that allowed people to run homebrew applications on the console. Sony said that the move violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Computer Fraud Abuse Act. The company also asserted that Hotz's actions would allow gamers to run pirated copies of games on the hardware.

For his part, Hotz has said from the beginning that the PlayStation 3 should be no different than a mobile phone, which is a closed system, like the game console, and is explicitly allowed to be jailbroken under DMCA regulations. Game consoles are not mentioned in the DMCA, which seemingly paved the way for Sony to take aim at Hotz.

Over the past month, both sides had been fighting in courts over whether Hotz was wrong for releasing the jailbreak. After some jabs back and forth, a U.S. District Court ruled in Sony's favor, granting a temporary restraining order and forcing Hotz to remove all mention of his jailbreak from the Web.

But as Hotz pointed out on his blog, the cost of battling with Sony in court is high. As a result, he has asked people to help fund his defense.

"Sony has five lawyers, I have two," Hotz wrote on his Web site, announcing the donation drive. "I'd like to level the playing field, and really get some hard hitters in there. I have already racked up over $10,000 in legal bills; donate whatever you feel like."

Those efforts to raise cash have apparetnly gone well. Hotz announced yesterday on his blog that he closed the "first round of donations." He said that "things are looking up money-wise" and he expects to be able to hire more attorneys for his case.

Though now apparently flush with cash, Hotz doesn't seem quite ready to roll over to Sony just yet. In a series of questions and answers on his Web site, Hotz said that he believes "Sony is lame." And he made it clear that he thinks Sony's decision to target him is a case of the company suing "the wrong guy."

"I am an advocate against mass piracy, do not distribute anyone's copyrighted work but my own, and am even pro DRM in a sense," Hotz wrote. "For example, I believe Apple has every right to lock down their iPhone in the factory as much as they want, but once it's paid for and mine, I have the right to unlock it, smash it, jailbreak it, look at it, and hack on it."

Sony did not immediately return a request for comment.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20034680-17.html#ixzz1Ej9Bykem

IBM's Watson Bores As 'Jeopardy' Big Shot Sherlock

Watching IBM's Watson supercomputer make its debut tonight on "Jeopardy," one thought dominated: why, oh, why did they make him sound like Hal's diffident nephew?

This was the future freaks' big chance to make themselves acceptable to the human race. This was national television.

Watson had been created by human beings who pride themselves in their ability to teach a machine, rather than a child, to be as smart as they are. So why did they not think about giving Watson a little character? A shock of long, green hair, perhaps. Oversize purple ears would have been a plus.

At the worst, a voice resembling Morgan Freeman with a lisp would have been welcome.

Instead, this technological Trojan Horse presented himself to a nationwide audience with all the presence of boiled soot.

To be fair, it wasn't even Watson before the cameras. It was an avatar created to represent him, as his vast bulk and din wouldn't have made this a TV event for the aged, never mind the ages.

I understand that many scientists will have felt entirely giddy at the idea that a computer could compete against two "Jeopardy" superstars: a nice man from Seattle and an equally nice man who used to live in Pennsylvania but is now is hoping to be a TV star in LA.

But if this is the future, some might wish to google details of that elegant euthanasia clinic in Switzerland.

Watson performed very well. If, by performance, you mean getting quite a lot of "Jeopardy" conundrums correct.

Watson in rehearsals. He's the one in the middle.

(Credit: Caroline McCarthy/CNET)

Former "Jeopardy" champion Ken Jennings, the man with a preacher's side parting and the remnants of Conan's ginger hair, stood transfixed as Watson beat him to question after question, answer after answer.

However, this is a best of three. And Jennings and fellow humanoid competitor Brad Rutter allowed the machine to strut its stuff. They knew he had to falter. This machine had never seen the bright lights before.

Perhaps sweating backstage while his avatar faced the orchestra, Watson suddenly managed to repeat one of Jennings' wrong answers.

"No, Ken said that," explained Alex Trebek, the professorial host of "Jeopardy."

If Watson had wanted to endear himself to the world, his programmers might have given him a line like: "Silly, me. I'm just a stupid ole' piece of metal."

Instead, he stood there like a nerd who's been looking for the local chess club and has stumbled into the Playboy mansion.

This first show was a little stunted, as Trebek spent considerable minutes explaining to the audience why the less familiar contestant was less expressive than some but more expensive than all.

It was a fine ad for the forthcoming IBM empire, though those with eyes for these things would have been more warmed by the footage of IBM's engineers preparing for Watson's big day. Most of them had PCs, but one was definitely stroking a Mac.

Watson's dilemma, which became increasingly clear as the show went on, was that he has to have a certain level of probability before pressing his button. Machines don't guess. That would be far too blessedly human.

The mean-spirited (i.e. excessively human) might have rejoiced on one particular exchange.

The contestants were asked to find the question to: "From the Latin for end, this is where trains can also originate."

Watson, still impassive, but allegedly 97 percent confident (his confidence levels were shown on screen when the clues were given), replied: "What is finis?" He should have considered terminus.

This was only the beginning. Tomorrow is Double and Finis Jeopardy. Wednesday, there's more. Even now, Watson is tied with Rutter on $5,000 and $3,000 ahead of the mesmerizing Jennings.

Can this possibly end well?

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20031932-71.html#ixzz1EAMqdhgI

Sony Ships 150 Millionth PlayStation 2

Sony's PlayStation 2--yes, 2--has reached a milestone.

The company announced today that it had shipped 150 million units of the console as of January 31. That's since its launch in Japan in March 2000.

The PlayStation 2's longevity has been nothing short of astounding. Nearly 11 years after launch, the PlayStation 2 is still available for purchase for $99.99. The console trails far behind the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, and Sony's PlayStation 3 in total sales each month these days, but it still has a strong presence in the Middle East, South America, and other areas around the world.

Part of the success of the PlayStation 2 has been due to the immense support third-party developers brought to the console. According to Sony, there are currently more than 10,800 titles developed for the PlayStation 2. Through the end of 2010, over 1.52 billion PlayStation 2 software units had been sold.

Keeping the PlayStation 2 relevant for more than a decade has always been Sony's plan with the console.

"We at PlayStation have never subscribed to the concept that a console should last only five years," Patrick Seybold, senior director of corporate communications for Sony Computer Entertainment, said in an interview with CNET last year. "Both the original PlayStation and PlayStation 2 had life cycles of more than 10 years, and PlayStation 3 will as well.

"The 10-year life cycle is a commitment we've made with every PlayStaiton consumer to date, and it's part of our philosophy that we provide hardware that will stand the test of time providing that fun experience you get from day one for the next decade," he continued.

Whether the PlayStation 3 will be able to stand the test of time the way remains to be seen. Whereas the PlayStation 2 dominated console sales, the PlayStation 3 has not. The PS3 has consistently trailed behind the Xbox 360 and Wii in the U.S.

However, the PlayStation 3 isn't exactly running out of steam. For its fiscal year that ends March 31, Sony expects to have sold 15 million PlayStation 3 units. It sold 13 million units during its previous fiscal year.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20031759-17.html#ixzz1DyhAABzJ

Sony Mistakenly Retweets PS3 Jailbreak Code

Whoops.

Kevin Butler, Sony's fictional spokesman and vice president of several fake departments who appears frequently in PlayStation 3 commercials, retweeted the console's jailbreak code last night after apparently believing that it was a reference to the board game, "Battleship."

"Lemme guess, you sank my battleship?" read the tweet on @TheKevinButler. It was followed by the complete code, which had been tweeted to Sony's account by user @exiva. The user, whose name is Travis La Marr, according to his Twitter page, followed the code with a message to Sony: "come at me."

After realizing its mistake, Sony removed the tweet from Kevin Butler's Twitter feed. The company did not mention its error and instead went back to cracking jokes about the PlayStation 3, as it normally does in that Twitter account. However, people did capture screenshots before Sony removed the tweet.

Sony's mistake is all the more glaring, considering the company is so sensitive about the jailbreaking that continues on its PlayStation 3.

Last month, Sony requested a restraining order against famed hacker George Hotz, also known as Geohot, for creating a jailbreak that allows people to run custom packages on the PlayStation 3. Sony alleged that the jailbreak violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and asked a court to stop Hotz from making anything related to his hack available on the Web.

Hotz took issue with Sony's claim that his jailbreak violated DMCA, asserting that his solution was a jailbreak for a closed system, just like any jailbreak for mobile phones, which are explicitly allowed by DMCA.

After some jousting between Hotz's and Sony's attorneys, a U.S. District Court granted Sony a temporary restraining order. Hotz has since removed all mentions of the jailbreak from his site.

But if Sony really wants to stop the jailbreaking, it should probably stop tweeting the code itself.



Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20031148-17.html#ixzz1Db1mX5i9

Black Ops Nabs Xbox Live's Top Spot Of 2010

Call of Duty: Black Ops has broken sales records and been lauded by reviewers since debuting in November. Now, Microsoft has named it Xbox Live's top title of 2010.

Call of Duty: Black Ops is aiming high.
(Credit: Activision)

According to data compiled by Xbox Live's director of programming, Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, Black Ops beat out the likes of Halo: Reach, Red Dead: Redemption, and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 to secure the top spot.

Nelson formed the list by compiling the number of unique users logged in each game's first seven days. This strays from the lists posted in 2008 and 2009, which displayed a full year's worth of data.

Nelson defended his methodology by saying, "I did the first seven days since that is a way to normalize the data and give all games a fair chance."


Source: http://www.news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20030567-1.html