This weeks PlayStation Video Store update adds 10 new television programs and over 10 new movies to the US PlayStation Store. New television includes Prison Break (S4), Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (S1) and The O.C. (S4), and new movies include Kung Fu Hustle, Mad Max, Ocean’s Twelve and The Godfather (all three movies). As for this weeks top 20 downloads, The Love Guru is number one, followed by 88 Minutes in second place and The Forbidden Kingdom in third.
Over this past few days, we have notices some strange bugs on our PlayStation 3 which relate to the PlayStation Network. The network has been quite slow over the past few days with downloads taking longer than normal, but this could be due to the release of Burnout Paradise and WipEout HD. However, we have some screenshots below that show some of the bugs we’ve encountered online. These include duplicate names on the friends list, friends list visible when signed out of the network and errors when viewing profile information.
Duplicate Friends:
The below screenshot shows the user “hersi020″ three times on the list, which is clearly a bug. The question is whether this a bug related to the PlayStation Firmware version or the network itself.
Online Profile Errors:
The screenshot below is a common occurrence when viewing someone’s profile information. We’ve noticed this error several times over the past month or so. The trophy information also takes far too long to load but this problem is likely to be addressed in a future firmware update.
Offline Friends List:
The strangest bug we’ve noticed so far is the ability to see your friends list when not being signed into the network. Normally, if you are logged in, the first user on the list (under the Message Box) will have a diamond on the side of the avatar indicating the current logged in user. However, when we signed out of the network, our friends list was still visible but our username had disappeared indicating that we had signed off.
When you first boot the PlayStation 3, the [Friends] menu only displays the [Message Box] option. We have not been able to replicate this problem after first encountering it. The two images below show the “before” and “after” shots. Note that the duplicate name problem is also present in both these photos.
If anyone has encountered similar problems, or anything completely different, post it below in the comments section. We are curious to know how many bugs exist and how widespread the problem is.
SOCOM: Confrontation has been patched once again. If you are taking part in the beta, simply boot up the game and wait for the update prompt. The patch addresses several bugs as well as change some aspects based on user feedback. The bug fixes include improved statistics for the team, improvements in load times for late joiners and improved game stability. Game improvements include better accuracy on the first shot, better tiebreaker rules and new HUD animation to indicate reloading. You can find a full list of changes below.
Bug fixes:
Fixed an issue which was causing an abnormally large number of simultaneous kills.
Optimized the Armory so that selecting weapons, attachments and general menu navigation are much faster.
Fixed another issue where you could get stuck in spectator cam when late joining a game.
Fixed an issue where occasionally late joiners would have very low framerate and crash when exiting a game.
Fixed an issue where occasionally late joiners would have no audio.
Statistics improvements. Statistics are now being tracked at the team level and not the player level. This will ensure stats are tracked for dropped and late joining players.
Further improved load times for late joiners.
Fixed several stability issues.
Changes based on user feedback:
Added new burst firing accuracy tuning when moving. You are now more accurate for the initial burst while moving but accuracy deteriorates as you continue to fire more shots.
Scopes are now accurate.
The select screen scoreboard is now exited by pressing the select button.
Improved tiebreaker rules.
New HUD animation to indicate when you are reloading.
Crosshairs now turn grey when your magazine is empty.
Existing issues in patch v1.4:
The select screen scoreboard, round complete and game complete screens appear blank.
Infrequently, some users loose controller functionality for a couple of seconds.
With the release of WipEout HD today, many gamers are busy playing the game and earning those shiny trophies. Unfortunately, there are problems present in the game that causes the PlayStation 3 to freeze occasionally. So far, the problem seems to be affecting only selected users but the problem is definitely wide spread. We have also experienced crashes with our copy of the game, but found that signing out of the PlayStation Network helps the game run better – but you won’t be able to play online.
Another theory is that if you have a large number of friends, then this also causes the game to crash. If you are experiencing different problems, please use the comment section below to describe them to other users. If you have a solution, please share that too.
Some users can play the game online while are unable to. There are many users on the Official European Forums complaining about similar issues with the game. It seems that WipEout HD has made a mess of things similar to when GTA IV was released earlier this year. So far there has been no official announcement from Sony but we speculate that it won’t be long now before a statement is released.
If you haven’t purchased the game yet you may want to hold off until the problem has been resolved. It is likely that a firmware update or patch for the game will be released within the next few days. If you don’t mind playing offline then go ahead and download the game – it’s great fun and there are lots of trophies to unlock.
This weeks PlayStation Store update is a good one, with the release of several new games including WipEout HD and Burnout Paradise on both stores. The US has received a big update consisting of three new playable demos, four full games and a ton of new game add-on content and videos. Europe, on the otherhand, as received a smaller update with three new demos, three new games, two new PSP games and a bunch of new add-on content, videos and themes.
European Additions:
Playable Demos
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames demo
Beijing 2008 demo
Mega Man 9 demo
Full Games
WipEout HD (£11.99)
Mega Man 9 (£6.99)
Burnout Paradise (£24.99)
PSP Games
Burnout Legends (£14.99)
Burnout Dominator (£17.99)
Game Add-on Content
Buzz: Video Games Quiz (£3.49)
High Stakes Poker: Add-on #2
Rock Band Tracks (10x singles at £0.69 each, 1x pack at £1.69)
Videos
PES 2009 trailer
Valkyria Chronicles trailer
Ferrari Challenge trailer
Pure launch trailer
Pain Amusement Park trailer (x2)
MGS trailer
Themes
Bioshock theme
Fallout 3 theme
US Additions:
Playable Demos
NBA 09 The Inside Demo
NBA Live 09 Demo
Mega Man 9 Trial
Full Games
WipEout HD ($19.99)
Burnout Paradise ($29.99)
GEON Emotions ($9.99)
Mega Man 9 (9.99)
Game Add-on Content
Buzz! Quiz TV Question Packs:
National Geographic ($7.99)
Videogames ($5.99)
Sci-Fi ($5.99)
Soul Calibur IV Customization Equipment ($1.99)
Rock Band
“Limelight (Original Version)” ? Rush ($1.99)
“Tom Sawyer (Original Version)” ? Rush ($1.99)
“Red Barchetta” ? Rush ($1.99)
“The Camera Eye” ? Rush ($1.99)
“Vital Signs” ? Rush ($1.99)
“Witch Hunt” ? Rush ($1.99)
“YYZ” ? Rush ($1.99)
“Moving Pictures (Album)” ? Rush ($10.99) This pack includes “Tom Sawyer (Original Version),” “Red Barchetta,” “YYZ,”
“Limelight (Original Version),” “The Camera Eye,” “Witch Hunt,” and “Vital Signs” by Rush.
“Bandage” ? Hot Hot Heat ($1.99)
“Love Spreads” ? Stone Roses ($1.99)
“She Sells Sanctuary ? The Cult ($1.99)
“Shoot the Runner ? Kasabian ($1.99)
“Sorrow” ? Bad Religion ($1.99)
“You’re No Rock n’ Roll Fun” ? Sleater Kinney ($1.99)
Videos
PAIN Amusement Park-New Characters Video
Resistance 2 Shattered History Trailer
Brothers in Arms: Hell’ Highway Eyes Only Network Trailer
Burnout Paradise Bikes Network Trailer
Dead Space Animated Comic Issue #5 Network Trailer
According to a forum post on the US PlayStation Forum, Home Manager "TedTheDog" has suggested that PlayStation Firmware 2.50 will be released sometime in October to deal with some problems experienced in PlayStation Home. TedTheDog has also suggested that Home v1.0 will also be released around the same time, though it is not know if it will be available to the public as well.
The forum post reads as follows:
"I wont go into the technicalities, admittedly because I simply didnt understand them although they did try to explain it to me, but we are waiting for a system software update to thePS3 to deal with this.
2.5 is what we’re waiting for and "October" is what I’ve heard, later October is my guess.
This should tackle the PS3 freezes and the Network Error problems. Then Home 1.0 will be upon us too and you can read into that what you will."
Until an official announcement from Sony, this should all be considered as a rumor. We will bring you more news as it becomes available.
The weekend is here, and with it comes this weeks PlayStation Video Store update. New this week is content for seven television series and 18 new movies. New TV includes Burn Notice (S2), Crime 360 and Robot Chicken and new movies include The Love Guru, Ocean’s Eleven and What Happens in Vegas. As for this weeks top 20 downloads, The Forbidden Kingdom is number one, followed by Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, which stays in second place for the second week running and Vantage Point coming in third. See the complete list of new content below.
PlayTV is a PlayStation 3 accessory that turns the console into a personal video recorder (or PVR). Retailing for £69 (approx ?85), the device features twin tuners allowing you to record a program while watching another. The device uses free over-the-air TV frequencies to bring TV to the PS3. For us in the UK, we get over 90 different channels; over 40 of which are actual TV channels while the rest are radio and interactive channels. The device is currently available only in Europe (selected countries only).
The PlayTV device weights less than 100g and is roughly 14cm x 7cm x 4cm. It is powered using the PS3′s USB port so no external power device is needed. PlayTV is available in the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and France, with other countries to be announced soon. It is unlikely the device will make it to North America any time soon as digital over-the-air TV is hard to come by. If anything, North America may get a similar device in 2009.
Installation is easy – simply pop in the DVD and follow the instructions. Some installation is required to copy the PlayTV program to the PlayStation 3; during the installation a short tutorial video is played to help with the waiting. The installation only takes a few minutes to complete, after which a [TV] icon will appear between the [Video] and [Game] XMB icons. When you launch the program for the first time, you are taken through the setup process. Once the setup wizard has searched for available channels you are ready to go. The entire process takes around 10 minutes (the channel search time will depend on your region). You can use a indoor aerial but for best performance, a outdoor one should be used. We were able to pick up all available channels using an indoor aerial.
There are seven options on the PlayTV main menu: Live TV, Library, Schedule, Settings, Manual, Find and Record, and Guide; each of which are self explanatory. With the two built-in tuners in the device you are able to record from one channel while watching another, unfortunately you cannot record from two different channels at once. You are also able to pause Live TV and rewind or forward within the buffer zone. Depending on your settings, PlayTV can buffer when paused or all the time offering you more control on how you pause and rewind TV. Obviously, you cannot forward past the buffer zone.
You can schedule programs to record using the TV Guide or by pressing the SELECT button on the Wireless Controller or Blu-Ray Remote. Unfortunately, the recorded programs can only be played back using PlayTV – you cannot access the video files from the [Video] menu on the XMB. This is because the video files are encrypted and stored in the [Game Data Utility] menu under [Game]. You can see a list of all the programs scheduled to be recorded on the Schedule. The TV Guide give you an estimate on how much disk space a program will take up if recorded.
If you are away when a program is scheduled to record, the PlayStation 3 will turn itself on. If you are playing a game, the PS3 will also record in the background if you have enabled background recording. During background recording, however, quality of the game and recording may suffer. Background record can be enabled (or disabled) from the Settings menu. You cannot background record when playing PS2 games, and if a recording is in progress you cannot turn off the PS3 unless you cancel the recording.
You can playback and manage any recorded content from the Library. You can use the onscreen menu or the Blu-Ray remote to rewind, pause or forward the video as needed. The library also keeps a record of what channel the program was recorded from. PlayTV is only compatible with SDTV signals but the quality of recording is great. Depending on your signal, the playback of recorded content as well as Live TV is as smooth as using a normal TV set.
PlayTV is compatible with Remote Play so you can use your PSP to watch Live TV or playback content from your library. You can access all the features of PlayTV on the PSP so you can schedule programs, check the guide, watch Live TV or library content and even manage your library from anywhere around the world. Forgot to record your favorite show? As long as you have a PSP and access to a Wi-Fi Hot Spot, you can record or watch your program from anywhere. Of course, the quality of playback won’t be as good as accessing PlayTV through a direct Wi-Fi connection.
Using PlayTV and Remote Play via a private Wi-Fi connection, the quality if playback is near UMD quality. There is no noticeable lag but this depends on the signal quality and the speed of your Wi-Fi connection. Due to copyright issues, you cannot transfer video files to your PSP, which is a big disappointment. It would have been great if you could copy any recorded TV to the PSP to watch on your commute to work. Hopefully Sony decides to enable this feature as originally announced.
PlayTV is a well developed piece of kit. It is the perfect accessory for anyone who doesn’t already a PVR or digital TV service. The quality is great and works well with the PS3. There are only two major problems with the device: firstly, you must start a separate program in order to watch TV with adds to the loading times; and secondly, you cannot transfer files to an external device or the PSP. There is an software update option in the settings menu so hopefully Sony addresses these two issues in the future.
It’s official – LittleBigPlanet has gone ‘gold’, meaning that development on the game has finished. The game will be available to purchase in North America on October 21st, followed by Europe, Australia and New Zealand on October 22nd, and UK and Ireland on October 24th. Japan can expect the game week commencing October 27th. Although development on the game is now complete, Media Molecule won’t be resting anytime soon – the team will now start to work on downloadable content.
The game will feature over 50 levels out of the box which can be enjoyed in single player mode or in multiplayer mode with up to four players. For a limited time after launch, a free spaceman costume for Sackboy will be available for download as well as a rare ‘Week One’ Sackboy t-shirt. Can’t wait for the game to come out? Check out the trailers on the PlayStation Store and download the XMB theme too.
PlayTV is now available to purchase in Europe. The PlayStation 3 accessory allows you to watch Live TV as well as record shows directly to the PS3 hard drive. The device is now available to purchase in Europe (selected countries only, including UK, France, Italy and Germany), and allows you to watch free over-the-air TV, like the Freeview service in the UK. The device is available for £69 and contains twin tuners (allows you to watch one channel while recording another). You also have the ability to record TV while playing games.
Features:
Watch, pause and record live television on your PS3
Record one channel while watching another or playing a PS3 game
See what’s on, now and next, with the easy to use Programme Guide
Watch TV on your PSP when you?re out and about (via Remote Play)
The PlayStation 3 even turns itself on to record a scheduled program and then shuts down after wards. Users in the UK will be able to access over 40 channels while France will be able to view over 20. Unfortunately, the device does not support HD TV. For more information on the device, visit the PlayTV Official Website.
