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PSA: No, that Xbox 360 system update doesn't contain the new Dash
After rubbing the sleep out of our eyes this morning and booting up the ol' Xbox 360, we were just as surprised as you were to see a serious looking system update. You know, the kind of system update that requires a special install window after rebooting the console? That one. As Major Nelson informs us, the update is little more than "general system maintenance," and "no new features" (his emphasis) will pop up after updating. Well, boogie to that! Perhaps in late November, then?
PSA: Portal 2's 'Peer Review' DLC now available, full game for half price on Steam
It may have missed it's planned "summer" launch window, but Portal 2's first, totally free DLC "Peer Review" is being made available to download today via Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and Valve's own Steam distribution service. As previously detailed, the content delivers a brand new co-op track for everybody's favorite anthropomorphic duo, and once again features everybody's favorite murderous robot. And hey, if for some crazy reason you don't already own Portal 2, we're not sure we can continue this relationship. But we've got a way you can get things fixed up: pick up the game on the cheap right now, for just $14.99 (that's 50 percent off, folks).
PSA: PSN temporarily down for maintenance this morning
We're sorry to say it, but you'll have to stop murdering Chimera online for a couple of hours later today, as Sony's PlayStation Network will be going down between 9 and 11AM PT due to "routine maintenance." Sony warned of the impending outage on Twitter and apologized to users. And yes, the Battlefield 3 beta should be good to go when PSN becomes available again later this afternoon. Cool your jets!
PSA: Four Swords Anniversary Edition out now worldwide
What, those 10 free NES games aren't tiding you over? Well Nintendo's got another present for you, 3DS owners, with today's free release of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition. Oh, and this one benefits you too, DSi owners. In addition to the multiplayer-only content, of which the game was exclusively composed on the Game Boy Advance, Four Swords on the 3DS comes with a brand new single-player section. Nintendo's weekly eShop update usually takes place on Thursdays in North America, so it's unclear whether the full update will arrive early today or if Four Swords will launch all by its lonesome (though the latter seems more likely as of now). As the game will only be available for a limited time (from today until Feb. 20, 2012), we can't help but wonder why you're not already downloading it. Get to it! It's free!%Gallery-135084%
PSA: PSN is down, Sony's 'working to resolve the issue' [update: it's back]
Nope, that guy didn't just rage quit on your Super Street Fighter IV match ... it's worse. PlayStation Network's down, we're sorry to say. It seems that Sony wasn't planning the outage, as a Twitter message from the company states that its "working to resolve the issue," without acknowledging what led to the sudden loss of service. Interestingly, the message is only directed at "some of you," rather than "everyone," so let us know if your service isn't experiencing any hiccups -- two of our US-based staff members were unable to connect as of this writing. Sony also notes that it'll keep folks updated via Twitter, so keep an eye out. Update: It appears to be back in operation, for us at least.%Poll-69219%
PSA: Free version of Tetris now available for Android devices
Are you sick of your wordsmith cousin Dwight constantly pulling out triple scores in Scrabble Free with nonsense like "Qi?" Do you also have a hardline stance against paying for Android games? EA wants to hook you up, announcing today that a free version of Tetris is launching on the Android Marketplace (the non-free version is $2.99). Fear not, anti-microtransactionite, as the game is free due to ads, not because you'll be charged $1 for the ability to use straight pieces. And hey, Dwight won't be able to laugh in your face anymore, so there's that ... unless he's also a Tetris master. Blast!
PSA: The Witcher 2 requires an NTFS-formatted HDD
If you're planning to spend the weekend with The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings -- in lieu of bracing for the impending hellfire, of course -- make sure you've got enough space on an NTFS-formatted hard drive to do it. Though the game's PC system requirements note you'll need "16GB of disc space," they don't mention you'll need that space to be on an NTFS drive. One Joystiq reader found out the hard way, telling us, "My only hard drive with any storage space left on it is FAT32, and has resisted attempts to reformat. I discovered this hidden system requirement after buying The Witcher 2, downloading it, and attempting to install it this morning." CD Projekt confirmed the situation to us this morning. Community manager Andrzej Kwiatkowski said, "Yes, we can confirm that The Witcher 2 on Windows systems only works on NTFS-formatted drives." Kwiatkowski further explained that the design is due to the limitations of the older FAT32 system. "FAT32 can't handle any file bigger than 4GB, and one of TW2's files has the size of 9GB." [Thanks, John]
PSA: Civilization 5 Viking and Explorer DLC packs now available
You spent the last week gathering up your chainmail shirt and a handy seax for battle, knowing full well that this week brought both Viking and Explorer downloadable content to Civilization V -- that's a given. But have you gotten your fancy exploring telescope oiled? Or your ship captain's wig powdered? Let's hope, as both DLC pieces are now available on Steam for $4.99 each or $7.49 together. And frankly, where would you be without your telescope at the ready? Lost, is where.
PSA: Notion Ink Adam can be unbricked, and here's the 80MB fix
There were tears of joy at the Notion Ink Adam launch, but also tears of shame, as owners of the long-awaited Pixel Qi tablet who downloaded the very first OTA update had their slate brutally bricked. Thankfully, the Notion Ink team appears to have issued a speedy fix, as you can download the ROM directly from the company's website and flash it the comfort of your own home. Assuming you've got a Windows or Linux PC handy, it's only an 80MB download away, and you'll find file links and a detailed set of instructions right after the break. We'll also note that this gives the hacker community an intriguing opportunity to peek through the Adam's code -- if you find anything interesting, be sure to let us know!
AT&T releases dramatic anti-texting while driving documentary
We're not sure how many more times it must be said, but seriously people -- stop texting on your cellphone while operating a gigantic vehicle at high speeds. If you're not already convinced that driving a car and trying to tap out a message on a tiny keyboard (or heaven forbid, no keyboard at all) is a poor match, perhaps the short documentary AT&T has just released will convince you otherwise. The carrier is launching a campaign geared towards teens over the holidays leading up to New Year's Eve in the hopes that the youth of the world will be slightly less sure of their invincibility -- at least where car driving and text messaging is concerned. Sure, the video (located after the break) borders on sentimentality at times, but we'll take a little heavy-handedness over the injury or death of human beings simply because someone couldn't wait to tell someone else that they'd be there soon. Trust us, your friends aren't that worried about punctuality.
Aion players: Watch your e-mails for scams
Keeping your password for your favorite game safe is always a top priority. No one wants to have their accounts hacked or have their passwords lost to someone who's willing to sell all of their items for gold, kinah, or what have you. So today, as a friendly public service announcement, we here at Massively would like to remind you to make sure you double and triple check any correspondence that looks like it comes from NCsoft or your favorite game company. Today we've received an e-mail telling us that our Aion account password had been changed, and if it wasn't us that we needed to go to the NCsoft master account site and change it back. We can guarantee you that the link provided was not for NCsoft's account management, but a phishing scam. While the scam letter was pretty obvious, always be wary of e-mails you don't anticipate. If you think there's something wrong, don't click any links in the e-mail -- instead go to your account management website directly to check on your account.
Public Service Announcement: clean up your drones!
Any player who has leveled a character in Tabula Rasa past level 25 is likely intimately familiar with the dregs of the Arieki planet -- the Mires. For those not in the know, the Mires is a hotly contested area of the volcanic planet, with much of its geographical area patrolled by roving gangs of Bane. As a rather curious, though likely completely unforeseen side effect of these enemy packs is that the Mires is far and away the laggiest area of any MMO in recent memory. Lag is hardly anything new, especially for a genre as tethered to the online experience as the massively multiplayer, but for a zone to be so singularly laggy is particularly rare. And this after it was claimed a month ago by the devs that the Mires was free from performance issues. Hmm...Evidently, the lag in the Mires is a well-known issue and is actually attributed to an over-abundance of shield drones in the area. Shield drones are small flying robots that hover around groups of Bane and cast a protective yellow bubble around all those who stay within its radius, shielding those inside from most damage. A typical strategy when faced with large groups of Bane and their accompanying drones is to first target the shield drones with EMP weapons to lower the groups defenses, before moving on to assault the larger force. What has happened is that the AFS NPCs who engage these groups of Bane as part of Tabula Rasa's unique persistent warfare, lack the skills or know-how to take out these shield drones. The consequence? The Mires is absolutely covered in small groups of shield drones with nobody to protect but themselves. These wandering shield drones are responsible for the two second lag between when you hit the trigger and when that sonic missile leaves your launcher. Bah humbug.As if we didn't have it bad enough already, I've seen many players blast through dozens of groups of Thrax and Kael, only to leave half a dozen shield drones in their wake. And we wonder why there's lag! So I'm putting out a call to everybody who finds themselves questing in the Mires: clean up your after yourselves, you lazy gits soldiers! Shoot down those drones.
PSA: The TSA is not down with Nike+iPod
So you picked up the latest kicks from Nike -- you know the ones that work with the iPod Nano -- and, even though you don't run, you wanted to check out the high-tech angle (and why not, with only $20 separating you and the Nike+iPod sports kit?) But then on your way to grandma's for Thanksgiving, you got more than you bargained for going through security at the airport. The TSA is going to have a few questions for you when some odd shape shows up on the X-Ray of your new sneaks, so expect to spend the next 30 minutes explaining whats in your shoe. After all, who knows what they think they'll find in your shoes: if it's bad enough to make every traveler take theirs off, it's bad enough to hold you on the side till the coast is clear. So do yourself a favor and leave the sensitive accelerometer at home or in your carry on -- and unlike us, you may want to shave off that scraggly beard and sport a t-shirt that doesn't say "Shü Bomba" on it.
