News

PlayStation Store update for Jan 8th 2009

The first PlayStation Store update for 2009 is now live, though its quite a small one for both the European and US Stores. Europe has a new playable demo, a bunch of new game add-on content and some new videos. As for the US, Qore Episode 8 is now available for purchase and two new full games are out: Cuboid and Mahjong Tales. The US Store also has game add-on content for various titles. Check out the complete list below.

European Addtions:

Playable Demos
- Lord of the Rings: Conquest Demo
Game Add-on Content
- Tom Clancy’s EndWar Faction Elite Pack (£3.19)
- Guitar Hero World
  - Various Tracks – £1.59
  - Regga Pack
  - Country Pack – £4.39
  - European Track Pack 2 – £4.39
- Naruto Ultimate Ninja / Storm Pack 4
- Rock Band Content
  - Various Tracks – £0.99
Videos
- Brain Challenge Trailer
- Good to Be Bad (LOTR: Conquest) Trailer
- PS Store Exclusive – Tekken 6 Trailer

US Additions:

Qore Episode 8 ($2.99)
Downloadable Games
- Cuboid ($9.99)
- Mahjong Tales: Ancient Wisdom ($9.99)
Game Add-on Content
- NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja STORM Pack 6
- Tom Clancy’s EndWar Faction Elite Pack ($3.75)
- WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 Roster Update ($4.99)
- Guitar Hero World Tour
- Rock Band
  - "Hymn 43" – Jethro Tull ($1.99)
  - "Space Truckin’? – Deep Purple ($1.99)
  - "Funk #49" – James Gang ($1.99)
  - "Take Back the City? – Snow Patrol ($1.99)
- Rock Revolution
  - "Cemetery Gates? ($1.50)
  - "Mouth For War? ($1.50)
  - "This Love? ($1.50)
  - "5 Minutes Alone? ($1.50)
  - "I’m Broken" ($1.50)
  - Pantera Pack Track Pack ($5.50)

EA announces support for PlayStation Home

EA has announced that it will be supporting PlayStation Home and will begin with the EA SPORTS Complex, which is currently in development. “We’re proud to support the PlayStation Home Beta with a very robust offering from EA SPORTS,” said Peter Moore, president of EA SPORTS. EA worked closely together with Sony Computer Entertainment to ensure that the EA SPORTS Complex space within PlayStation Home would be a compelling experience for all EA SPORTS fans, with a space designed for both casual and hardcore gamers. EA is also working with Sony Computer Entertainment on further label support of PlayStation Home Beta, and will announce plans in the near future.

Peter Moore, president of EA SPORTS:

“As part of our continued commitment to the connected experience and the digitization of our business, the EA SPORTS Complex is a rich new online environment that presents a compelling and immersive social gaming experience for the global sports audience.”

Video:

CES ’09: PlayStation Games in 3D

3D technology something that the games industry is lacking, but this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, Sony demonstrated 3D gaming on the PlayStation 3. "Don’t get caught up with specs,"said a Sony representative. "We’re not going to talk about specifications. This is just a look at what 3D could look like if Sony decided to move in this direction." Sony showed off Wipeout HD and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue running in true 3D, but didn’t give information away on how the 3D effects were achieved or if they would work on existing television sets.

In order to view the 3D effects, black glasses needs to be warn – which could put off some people. As a proof of concept, this is certainly something we will be keeping out eye on. Expect more information on 3D gaming from Sony in the next few days.

[Via: ars technica]

Qore Episode 8 out today

The January issue of Qore will be available later today after the US PlayStation Store update. Episode 8 begins with a trip to Amsterdam for a inside look at one of this year’s most anticipated titles: Killzone 2. Veronica Belmont heads to Paris to bring us information on Heavy Rain as well as trying out a mo-cap suit. In Seattle, Monolith share the tricks used to create spooky sounds in FEAR 2. Episode 8 also features Street Fighter II HD and exclusive content for subscribers.

Customers of Episode 8 will be able to download the Killzone 2 XMB Theme and get exclusive access to the FEAR 2 demo (which will be live mid-January). Episode 8 will be available to purchase for $2.99 or you can get an annual subscription for $24.99.

PSP-3000 compatible exploit found

Homebrew may be a step closer on the third generation PSP Models (PSP-3000), thanks to a new exploit discovered last week in the game GripShift. The exploit is confirmed to work on the PSP-1000, PSP-2000 and PSP-3000 and on all firmware versions from 1.52 to 5.02. The exploit will allow you to run homebrew games that do not require kernel access – as a result, a downgrader is not yet possible but be sure to keep a look out for new developments.

A SDK has also been released for the exploit so you can run your own code using the exploit. You can download the Hello World demo and SDK below.

[GripShift Hello World Demo]
[Sparta SDK for GripShift]

PlayStation Store update for Dec 24th 2008

Enjoy a early Christmas present today with this week’s PlayStation Store update. The European and US PlayStation Stores have been updated with new content for you to enjoy over the holiday period. The Metal Gear Solid costumes for LittleBigPlanet are now available to download from both stores as well as a few new playable demos. There is also game add-on content for several games including Rock Band, Guitar Hero, Shaun White Snowboarding and more. Check out the complete list below.

European Additions:

Playable Demos
- WipEout HD
- Metal Gear Online
- Sonic Unleashed
Game Add-on Content
- LittleBigPlanet
  - Metal Gear Solid costume kit (£4.79/?5.99)
  - Metal Gear Solid level kit (£4.79/?5.99)
  - Metal Gear Solid "Raiden" costume (£1.59/?1.99)
  - Metal Gear Solid "Screaming Mantis" costume (£1.59/?1.99)
  - Metal Gear Solid "Meryl" costume (£1.59/?1.99)
  - Metal Gear Solid "Solid Snake" costume (£1.59/?1.99)
- Shaun White Snowboarding "Glamour" pack (£3.99/?4.99)
- Buzz! Quiz TV "National Geographic: Undersea" pack (£6.29/?7.99)
- Everybody’s Golf: World Tour "Mainichi Issho Lobby Character Headwear" (free)
- Everybody’s Golf: World Tour "Toro" character pack (free)
- Rock Band
  - Foo Fighters Pack 1 (£2.49/?3.99)
  - "DOA" – Foo Fighters (£0.99/?1.49)
  - "This is a Call" – Foo Fighters (£0.99/?1.49)
  - "Times Like These" – Foo Fighters (£0.99/?1.49)
  - Rockin’ the Holidays 2008 Pack (£1.69/?2.29)
  - "Blue Christmas" – The Pretenders (£0.59/?0.79)
  - "Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You" – Billy Squier(£0.59/?0.79)
  - "Hanukkah Blessings" – Barenaked Ladies (£0.59/?0.79)
- Guitar Hero World Tour
  - "Because of You" by Nickelback (£4.39/?5.49)
  - "Light It Up" by Rev Theory (£1.59/?1.99)
  - "Use Me" by Hinder (£1.59/?1.99)
  - Hard Rock Track Pack (£1.59/?1.99)
Videos
- 2x Mirror’s Edge trailers
- MotorStorm Pacific Rift "Water Zone" trailer
- Shoot! episode 6 — "The Dreaming"

US Additions:

PULSE 12/23 Edition
Playable Demos
- The Lord of the Rings: Conquest Demo
Downloadable Games
- LUMINES Supernova ($14.99)
Game Add-on Content
- BUZZ! Quiz TV National Geographic: Undersea ($7.99)
- High Velocity Bowling: Patches Pack One
- High Velocity Bowling: Gutter Bird Ball
- Hot Shots Golf New Character Toro
- LittleBigPlanet
  - Solid Snake Costume ($1.99)
  - Meryl Silverburgh Costume ($1.99)
  - Screaming Mantis Costume ($1.99)
  - Raiden Costume ($1.99)
  - Metal Gear Solid Costume Kit($5.99)
  - Metal Gear Solid Level Kit ($5.99)
- PAIN: Ao No Kutsu Character ($0.99)
- Disgaea 3
  - Adell DLC ($1.99)
  - Disgaea 2 Character Pack ($4.99)
  - Nekomata DLC ($0.99)
  - Rozalin DLC ($1.99)
- LUMINES Supernova Holiday Pack
- Guitar Hero World Tour
  - "Because of You" by Nickelback ($1.99)
  - "Light It Up" by Rev Theory ($1.99)
  - "Use Me" by Hinder ($1.99)
  - Hard Rock Track Pack ($5.49)
  - Reggae Rock Track Pack
- Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2
  - In the Air Tonight ($1.49)
  - Time Of The Season ($1.49)
  - Too Little Too Late ($1.49)
- Rock Band
  - "DOA" – Foo Fighters ($1.99)
  - "This is a Call" – Foo Fighters ($1.99)
  - "Times Like These" – Foo Fighters ($1.99)
  - Foo Fighters Pack 1 ($5.49)
  - "Blue Christmas" – The Pretenders ($0.99)
  - "Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You" – Billy Squier($0.99)
  - "Hanukkah Blessings" – Barenaked Ladies ($0.99)
  - Rockin? the Holidays 2008 Pack ($2.99)
- Shaun White Snowboarding Glamour Pack – Regular Edition ($4.99)
- Shaun White Snowboarding Glamour Pack – Target Edition ($4.99)
PS3 Themes
- Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice Disgaea 2 Character Theme ($0.99)
- The Dark Knight: Batman Theme ($1.99)
- The Dark Knight: Harvey Dent Theme ($1.99)
- The Dark Knight: Joker Theme ($1.99)
- Resident Evil: Degeneration Theme
- University of Virginia ($1.99)
- School Girls ($1.49)
- Digital Blast ($1.49)
- Bikini Photo Shoot ($1.99)
- Alpine Winters ($1.49)
PS3 Wallpaper

Savage Moon Wallpaper 1
Savage Moon Wallpaper 2

PlayStation Home patch 1.04 out now

The new PlayStation Home patch is now available to download, but it’s not what we expected. The patch is primarily to solve connection issues some gamers are experiencing when trying to connect to the PlayStation Home servers. As a result, voice chat has been disabled to take some load of the servers. Until the service is enabled again, you will have to use text chat or "phone friend" to communicate. Abigail Murphy, PR Manager for PlayStation Network, recommends using the Wireless Keypad for PLAYSTATION 3 or any USB or Bluetooth-enabled keyboard.

Once the chat service is back online, the PlayStation.Blog will be updated with the latest information. Until then, why not download the new patch and try connecting to the servers to see if you can get online.

PlayStation Store update for Dec 18th 2008

This weeks PlayStation Store update is in and it’s not a big one for Europe, but the US sure have plenty of new content to enjoy over the holiday period. There are two new downloadable games available to purchase from both stores, including Crash Commando. There is new add-on content for LittleBigPlanet, Rock Band, Guitar Hero: World Tour, Everybody’s Golf and Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm on both stores. The US also has the Metal Gear Solid 4 Online Demo, while the European Store has some new videos, wallpaper and themes for you to enjoy. Check out the complete list below.

European Additions:

Downloadable Games
- Crash Commando (£7.99)
  Soldner-X Himmelssturmer (£7.99)
Game Add-on Content
- LittleBigPlanet
  - "Festive Goodies" level kit (£2.39)
    "Santa Hat and Beard" costume
- Rock Band
  - Brad Paisley – "Mud on the Tires" (£0.99)
  - Brooks & Dunn – "Hillbilly Deluxe" (£0.99)
  - Dierks Bentley – "Free & Easy (Down the Road I Go)" (£0.99)
  - Dixie Chicks – "Sin Wagon" (£0.99)
  - Miranda Lambert – "Gunpowder & Lead" (£0.99)
- Guitar Hero: World Tour
  - Eagles Track Pack (£4.39)
    - Frail Grasp On The Big Picture (£1.59)
    - Life In The Fast Lane (£1.59)
    - One Of These Nights (£1.59)
- Everybody’s Golf: World Tour "Pirate Plus Four" costume pack (£3.19)
- Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm "Storm Pack 3"
Videos
- Prince of Persia Developer Diary 4
- Shoot! episode 5 – "8.3 minutes"
Themes and Wallpapers
- Savage Moon theme
- 6x Loco Roco 2 wallpapers
- 2x Soldner-X wallpapers
- Brothers In Arms Hell’s Highway wallpaper

US Additions:

Playable Demos
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Online Network Demo
Downloadable Games
- Crash Commando ($9.99)
- Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rainslick Precipice Of Darkness: Episode 2 ($14.99)
Game Add-on Content
- LittleBigPlanet
  - Santa Hat & Beard
  - Festive Pack ($2.99)
- High Velocity Bowling
  - Darryl ($0.99)
  - Gage ($0.99)
  - Beatrice Holiday Costume
  - Carl Holiday Costume
- Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds Costume Pack #3 ($2.99)
- Guitar Hero World Tour
  - Frail Grasp on the Big Picture by The Eagles ($1.99)
  - Life in the Fast Lane by The Eagles ($1.99)
  - One of These Nights by The Eagles ($1.99)
  - The Eagles Track Pack ($5.49) – Downloadable Track Pack for Guitar Hero World Tour featuring Life In the Fast Lane , One of these Nights and Frail Grasp on the Big Picture by The Eagles.
- Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2
  - Holiday ($1.49)
  - I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing ($1.49)
  - Lips of an Angel ($1.49)
  - Stand by Me ($1.49)
  - What is Love? ($1.49)
- NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja STORM Pack 5
- Rock Band
  - Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go) – Dierks Bentley ($1.99)
  - Gunpowder & Lead – Miranda Lambert ($1.99)
  - Hillbilly Deluxe – Brooks & Dunn ($1.99)
  - Mud on the Tires – Brad Paisley ($1.99)
  - Sin Wagon – Dixie Chicks ($1.99)
  - Going Country Pack 01 ($8.49) – Build your Rock Band library by purchasing this song game track pack: Going Country Pack 01. This pack includes: Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go) by Dierks Bentley, Gunpowder & Lead by Miranda Lambert, Hillbilly Deluxe by Brooks & Dunn, Mud on the Tires by Brad Paisley, and Sin Wagon by Dixie Chicks.
- Rock Revolution
  - My Only Shining Star ($1.49)
  - Death Real ($1.49)
  - Chimera ($1.49)
  - Progressive Baby ($1.49)
  - Model DD 8? ($1.49)
  - No Pain, No Gain ($1.49)
  - She’s the Bug ($1.49)
  - Bemani Pack Track Pack ($5.49)

PlayStation Home getting patched today

It looks like Tueday’s PlayStation Network downtime was to solve the PlayStation Home connection issues some users have been experiencing since the Open Beta launched last week. SCEE Home Community Manager “TedTheDog” has announced that a patch for the problem will be released on Thursday. The connection error (also known C-931 error) will hopefully be resolved with this patch.

If you haven’t been able to get on to PlayStation Home yet, the wait is almost over. Boot up PlayStation Home and you will be prompted to download the update once it is available.

PlayStation Network down for maintenance

Parts of the PlayStation Network were down today for some regular scheduled maintence work. Sony did not mention which areas would be down and no advanced notice of the work was given to gamers. Sony also did not mention what would change during the period of downtime so don’t be surprised if nothing has changed. You can find any updates about the maintenance over at the PlayStation.Blog.

Users are specualting the update has something to do with the PlayStation Home problems, though Sony has failed to comment. If an update for PlayStation Home is in the works, you can expect a update message the next time you boot up Home. We will post any further news here – keep an eye out.

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