The PlayStation Network will be undergoing some scheduled maintenance tomorrow, lasting for a hour and a half. As usual, no information on the maintenance was divulged, except that it would take place between 4:00pm and 5:30pm GMT on February 16th 2010. During the downtime you will not be able to sign into any PSN services (account management, PlayStation Store, forums etc).
Future and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe have today announced the launch of FirstPlay – Europe’s answer to Qore and the first HD interactive show for gamers, exclusive to the PlayStation 3 and available to those living in Europe. Like Qore, FirstPlay aims to bring gamers HD reviews of previews of the latest games and content, including exclusive PSN downloads. FirstPlay will have it’s own unique menu system and interface – different to that of Qore.
The latest PlayStation Network numbers have been revealed by SCEA CEO Jack Tretton. The PlayStation Network experienced huge growth last year, marking its best revenue month in December. “A 155% increase in sales from the previous year,” according to Tretton. The service now has over 40 million registered users. In early January 2009, the number of registered users was only 17 million.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves will be getting a influx of new DLC soon, and it’s all themed around Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. The new DLC content will include multiplayer maps, skins, PlayStation Network Trophies, and medals. All of which are on their way to Nathan Drake’s latest adventure on Feb 25th, 2010.
There has been a steady stream of Dynamic Themes from Sony and developers since the functionality was added in Firmware 3.00. Flower is the latest game to get its own dynamic theme. To celebrate Flower turning one year young, and all the success the game has enjoyed since its release, the developers have put together a beautiful and serene dynamic theme, complete with day and night cycles.
Remember the photos of the sex scene we published last night? Well, this time a video has surfaced showing the exact same sex scene. Once again, we remind you that this video is not safe for work (contains nudity) and contains spoilers to the game. Only proceed with watching the video if you are over 18 and don’t mind spoiling the story for yourself.
Sony has had a great 2009, with gamers buying 15% more PS3 games than 2008. The PS3 was also the only console in the U.S. to see double-digit growth in sales this past quarter. December also marked the best sales month in the platform’s history, breaking one million hardware units and 7.3 million software units. January has seen a 36% sales increase on compared to last January.
Get ready for the weekend with some new content from the PlayStation Video Store. This week, several new movies are available, including Couples Retreat, The Stepfather and the latest in the Saw franchise, Saw VI. Sony has also signed a deal with Sports Illustrated. This week, two brand new segments are also available on the video store: Sports Illustrated – Making of Swimsuit 2010, and Sports Illustrated – On Location with 2010 Swimsuit Models.
This week on the PSP Store, four new Minis titles make they way to Europe with two new downloadable games. Four new demos are also available to download from the European Store, including the SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 demo. Finally, new LittleBigPlanet Valentines Day DLC is available to purchase.
It’s been almost a year since Sony last released a video of God of War III for the world to see. Last night, a new video was released showing the high action of the game and snippets of several of the big moments in the game. Everything is pulled straight from the game – there is no trickery, etc. Everything is running in “real time.” There are no “cinematic” sequences here, meaning this is all gameplay.
