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A guided tour through the PS4 user interface features
With today's launch of the PlayStation 4, the servers are currently getting crushed. If you're curious about what features the PlayStation Network will have when it's stable, here's Sony VP Eric Lempel to walk you through the user interface.
PlayStation Store revamp postponed in North America
The glossy revamp of Sony's PlayStation Store has been delayed in several territories, including the United States, Canada, Mexico and Brazil. Sony Network Entertainment VP Eric Lempel says "an exceptional experience with the new store" must be certain before a new launch date is announced, and that means adjusting the overhaul in response to inconvenient issues that have bothered customers elsewhere.The new storefront missed its launch date with the UK, but is already available in seemingly imperfect form in PAL territories like Turkey, Greece, Hungary and where can we get a panini right now?
PS3 firmware 3.61 goes live, change your password when PSN returns [update]
Sony has sent word that a new, mandatory PlayStation 3 firmware update (version 3.61) is now live. It is strongly recommended (by us, too!) that you change your password following the retrieval and installation of the firmware, and once PSN has been restored in your region. Update: An earlier version of this post erroneously stated that you could change your password immediately, but it's dependent on PlayStation Network being restored. You now have the ability to do so once the network is re-activated in your region. We apologise for the error. The announcement states that your password may be changed only through the PlayStation 3 on which your PSN account has been activated. If you have never downloaded any content on that pairing of account and system, an email will be sent to the address associated with your PSN ID. That message will contain instructions on how to enable your new password and sign back in to PSN. According to Sony's Network Entertainment VP, Eric Lempel, the update is meant to prepare users and their consoles "for when PlayStation Network is back online" -- the PSN is not operational yet. Still, we can feel some excitement brewing! We always start playing once the firmware update's done. Update 2: See? Following the update, a phased restoration will begin. Read more here.
Third parties not required to release PSP games on PlayStation Store
What do Undead Knights, Naruto Shippuden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising, NBA 2K10, Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes and Cars: Race O Rama have in common? All of these are PSP games released on UMD after the PSP Go's October 1 launch -- and all are currently without a digital equivalent. Owners of the Go system are unable to play these games because they simply aren't available on the PlayStation Store.Once again, Sony's hands-off approach to the PlayStation Network means third parties are responsible for getting their content on both UMD and the PlayStation Store. "It's up to individual third parties to decide if and when to publish their UMD releases on PSN. Most, if not all, are on board, as this is a revenue opportunity for them," we were told by Eric Lempel, SCEA's director of PlayStation Network operations. Namco, the one publisher that returned our request for comment, noted specifically that "there are currently no plans to release Akatsuki Rising on PSN right now," despite its October 6 release on UMD.We highly encourage Sony to make simultaneous digital releases of PSP games a requirement for publishers, not merely a suggestion. The company previously issued a mandate for PS3 games to include trophies in 2009 -- a similar policy must be enforced on the PSP. Without it, there's no guarantee that all future PSP games will ever be playable on the PSP Go.
Interview: SCEA's Eric Lempel on PSP minis, scrapped UMD conversion
In the second part of our interview with SCEA's Eric Lempel, we chatted about the simultaneous release of PSP Go and PSP minis. In addition to discussing the hands-off approach Sony is taking with the pricing of minis, we talked about the possibility of the minis program moving to PS3, and eventual Mac support for the PSP's MediaGo application.Joystiq: Are any Sony first-party studios working on PSP minis? Eric Lempel: Right now, to my knowledge, they're not. That could change, again, but right now, I don't believe any of the studios are working on minis.What determines the pricing of PSP minis?There are a couple of rules, or maybe there's just one rule. They have to come in at $9.99 or under.If someone wanted to release at $1.99, they could?Yes, absolutely.
Interview: SCEA's Eric Lempel on Amazon's PSN offerings
Yesterday, SCEA announced a partnership with Amazon.com to sell PSN codes through the online retailer. We chatted with Eric Lempel about the deal and how it came to fruition. Lempel revealed to us that the program had been in the works long before Amazon started selling XBLM codes, and said that Sony would be "looking into" offering direct access to the PlayStation Store on the web. Read on for more.Joystiq: Is Amazon.com an exclusive retail partner with Sony, or will we see this program expand to other retailers?Eric Lempel: Amazon offers a lot of great benefits, but we're definitely open to exploring other retailers in the channel. There's nothing exclusive about this. If it makes sense, and works for both sides, yeah, we'd definitely be open to exploring this with other retail partners.Which party was responsible for getting the project rolling? Was it Sony, or was it Amazon? We have a lot of meetings with [Amazon] on a regular basis, because they are one of our customers for all of the physical product. So, we're talking with them all the time. I've been in meetings with them for years, so I can't really say who brought this up but we've all been talking about this for a long time. And I will say we've been talking about this way before the Xbox integration as well, so it wasn't one of these, "Hey, we're doing this, do you guys want to do this as well?" We've thought about this, we've been talking about it. We've kind of had to get the right timing where all of us can do the implementation. We thought now would be a great time just in light of PSP Go being released and the surge of digital content that's become available over the last few months.
SCEA: Developers responsible for keeping PSP minis prices competitive
PSP minis are supposed to introduce bite-sized iPhone-esque games to Sony's handheld. While minis feature small file sizes and reduced functionality, they certainly don't carry smaller price tags. The first batch of minis have all been priced between $4.99 and $9.99, making them no cheaper than the average PlayStation Network exclusive. Which sounds like the better deal for $9.99? Yet another version of Tetris ... or the 3D online multiplayer shooter Syphon Filter: Combat Ops?Even worse, many of these minis are priced higher than their iPhone counterparts. While Hero of Sparta costs $1.99 on iPhone, it costs $5.99 on PSP. Fieldrunners costs $2.99 on iPhone, but $6.99 on PSP. We chatted with SCEA's Eric Lempel to talk about the lack of apparent value in the minis program. He explained that Sony has no hand in determining the prices of minis. "As far as pricing goes, the publisher of the title sets the pricing," he explained. When quizzed if publishers were allowed to create a $1.99 game on PSP, he told us: "Yes, absolutely."Lempel agrees that publishers must seriously think about the kind of prices they're setting on the Store, to ensure their content offers the same value as other PSP titles. "I think they have to carefully look at that, carefully price their content. Minis was intended to be something a little different and we wanted to see a lot of different types of content through minis. If it's not priced correctly, consumers may be turned off at the proposition and say 'I'd rather just go for this kind of stuff instead of minis.'"
Sony to maintain 'pricing parity' for downloadable PSP games
Is it wrong to expect a downloadable game to be priced lower than its boxed retail equivalent? The cost of sending information through the intertubes seems much cheaper than packaging a plastic disc and shipping it halfway across the world. Yet somehow, WipEout Pulse costs $5 more on the PlayStation Store than on Amazon.com. This isn't an isolated case, though. Capcom Classics Collection Remixed is also $5 cheaper to buy at retail than as a download. Hot Shots Golf Open Tee 2 is $6 cheaper at Best Buy than via PSN.While the PlayStation Store is simply offering games at normal retail price, many retailers engage in price wars to gain the loyalty (and dollars) of consumers. Unfortunately, owners of the digital-only PSP Go will never be able to benefit from actual retail pricing, as SCEA's Eric Lempel told Destructoid that "we have pricing parity right now, and it is part of our strategy."In Japan, PSN downloads have been customarily slightly cheaper than retail equivalents. Unfortunately, Lempel isn't open to the idea. "We'd like to keep it that way, keep a level playing field, and again, there's not that much more to say on that topic." We'll see if Sony changes its tune should consumers end up not paying $250 for a system that only plays what they see as overpriced games.
74 percent of PS3 owners have watched a Blu-ray, but how many have watched two?
Sony may be working to expand the perception of the PS3 as a media powerhouse with half-hearted bundles and new advertising campaigns, but according to SCEA Director of PlayStation Network Operations Eric Lempel, it's already doing quite well in that department. He indicates that 74 percent of all PS3 users have "spent some time" watching Blu-ray movies, with barely a quarter left shunning the machine's high-def creds. Of course, the real question for Sony's sake is how many have gone ahead and purchased some of those fancy discs, a stat that Lempel doesn't share, but regardless we have to think it's time for Sony to stop putting tedious advertisements for Blu-ray players at the beginning of its Blu-ray discs -- we've already got one, you see? It's very nice![Via Joystiq]
74% of you have watched a Blu-ray movie
Yes, the "17 Again" Blu-ray promotes that it is "Packed with Zac!" We don't make this stuff up. Did you hear? "It Only Does Everything." In addition to playing games, PS3 can perform a number of multimedia functions, many which will be highlighted in upcoming marketing materials. Central to PS3 is Blu-ray, Sony's proprietary HD movie format. Just as PlayStation 2 introduced the masses to DVDs, Sony planned to make PS3 the Trojan horse for this new disc format -- and it appears to be working.SCEA's Eric Lempel spoke with Variety's Video Business, and he said that a significant majority of PS3 owners have tested its Blu-ray capability. "Right now, 74% of the users who have PS3s have spent time watching Blu-ray movies," he said. However, while PS3's key demographic of 20-something year old males may be allured by the 1080p boobs and explosions, Lempel says that PS3 can expand its audience through the PlayStation Network."Ever since we've introduced services like the video download service, we're getting more of the household on the PlayStation Network. Some of the top rentals and sales on the video side have been content that probably doesn't appeal exactly to that 28-year-old male. It's more those movies that are geared toward women," Lempel added. Perhaps that explains the success of the Zac Efron vehicle "17 Again" on the PlayStation Store versus the Blu-ray -- although who wouldn't want to see Efron's dreamy eyes in 1080p?[Via Kotaku]
PS3 Firmware 3.00 features in development pre-NXE
"What's New" isn't really that new at all. In a conversation with Joystiq, SCEA network director Eric Lempel revealed that the feature has been in development for quite a long time, before Microsoft first revealed the NXE last year. According to Lempel, Sony "didn't want to do a big update," akin to Microsoft's total makeover. Why? "People like the XMB." The Information Board, introduced in firmware 2.00, was always meant to serve as a placeholder for the "What's New" feature, Lempel admitted. This evolution of the PS3 operating system will make it clear to PS3 owners "what the latest and greatest is" on the PlayStation Store -- and yes, the system will continue to evolve over future iterations. One missing feature that might appear later on? The ability to see all DLC for a specific title, something NXE currently provides. Firmware 3.00 will be available to download on September 1st and, while the PS3 Slim will debut shortly afterwords, it will not come preloaded on the hardware. Instead, new PS3 Slim owners will download a day-one upgrade to 3.00.
SCEA's Lempel says Sony isn't playing "catch up" with Xbox Live
Sony's been out there touting its PlayStation Network user numbers for some time now, but it looks like it's now ratcheting up the rhetoric when it comes to the actual user experience as well. Taking the lead on that front is Sony Computer Entertainment America's director of PlayStation Network Operations, Eric Lempel, who recently told Industry Gamers that Sony doesn't think "there's a lot of 'catch up' [with XBL] anymore," adding that, "in some cases, I think we've got more, and we've got some other things they don't have." Of course, he further goes on to point out that PSN is and has always been free, and he cites PlayStation Home as just one thing that distinguishes PSN from Xbox Live, adding that he doesn't "see a lot of things they're doing that we're not.". Your move, Microsoft.[Via Edge Online]
XMB battery meter glitch 'definitely being corrected'
PSN's Eric Lempel is doing the interview rounds, talking up the PlayStation Network and how far it has come over the last few years. Obviously, people tend to be more interested in the service's future and what's coming in future firmware updates. Lempel remained tight-lipped, but let slip a few interesting nuggets of info -- such as the fact that he's as angry as consumers about the XMB battery life meter bug. You know, the way the battery meter covers the clock when you press the PS button in-game. Annoying, right? That's "definitely being corrected," so you can check that one off your list. Lempel also said that he feels PSN is no longer playing catch-up with Xbox Live: "I don't think there's a lot of 'catch up' [with XBL] anymore. In some cases, I think we've got more, and we've got some other things they don't have." He confirms that in-game voice chat is in the works. No release date, but they're working on it. Lastly, Lempel expects that "PSN would be great" for the upcoming motion controllers. Hopefully, more support than the PlayStation Eye's meager offerings. Source -- Eric Lempel interview @ Industry GamersSource -- Eric Lempel interview @ PC World [Thanks, Bryan]
Sony's Lempel: 'You're not going to see trophies on the PSP'
With Sony's Trophy system coming up on its one-year anniversary this month, we were eager to learn how Sony could enhance the service, leveraging the PlayStation brand and distancing itself from the Xbox 360's Achievements system. So, during E3 last week, we asked Eric Lempel – Director of PlayStation Network Operations – when Trophies would make their way to the PSP, newly invigorated by the PSP Go announcement. Lempel said, bluntly, "You're not going to see Trophies on the PSP." Now, before you curse his name, hear him out, okay? Lempel explains that "there are a few reasons" you won't see Trophies on PSP and, chief amongst them is "keeping it secure." See ... the PSP has been hacked. A lot. Like, a lot a lot. Lempel says that "if people can artificially inflate their rankings and amounts of Trophies" via the PSP on a shared PlayStation-wide Trophy system then it "kills the whole [Trophy] system," PS3 included. So "keeping it secure, keeping it fair" is the best solution – but that means no Trophies on PSP.And, since the PSP has that same promised 10-year life cycle (as evidenced most recently by the PSP Go) it'll be some time before we get an entirely new (and ostensibly secure) PSP platform upon which a functioning Trophy system might be grafted. See you in 2015!
Firmware v5.02 out soon
Here's another minor update to look out for soon -- though unless you find yourself having problems, you probably can go without this one. Firmware v5.02 doesn't do much except the fact that it "improves system software stability during use of some features, including the PlayStation Store." According to the Director of PlayStation Network Operations, Eric Lempel, the new update will be "available shortly."
Eric Lempel talks more about 2.40 and PSN's 'leap forward'
Surely most of you have downloaded firmware version 2.40 and have been avidly collecting trophies on Super Stardust HD like us. But why did it take so long to get this stuff? Why are some things still missing? Eric Lempel spoke with Next-Gen on just that and we'll summarize the answers to those questions, since you've probably heard enough about what 2.40 does.To start, Lempel says "some of the [features of 2.40] people have been requesting for some time, some of them are a bit newer. We have a roadmap and there were a lot of other things on the roadmap that we had to deliver prior to these features." They won't release features until they are completely ready and have developer support and interest behind them -- this may be implying that it's difficult to get developers on board for custom soundtracks (the ability is already on the PS3 and it's up to developers to support it). Cross-game invites are also on this 'roadmap' for the future.He promised gamers that the PlayStation Network will remain free, stating that it's "nice for consumers who want to try out the online experience, those who may be new to it and may not be ready to commit to spending dollars, and that's a really good message for us. Being free also gives them the opportunity to spend the money that they may have spent on a subscription on online items or online games instead." He also says that he'd like to see more games on the PS Store -- like PS One titles. Whether or not these things will come in the next few months is anyone's guess ... but for now, we're pretty happy with the direction the PS3 is taking.
The PS3 Trophy sound and other 2.40 FAQs answered
With the help of PSN director of operations, Eric Lampel, PlayStation.Blog has compiled a Firmware v2.40 FAQ, answering many of our most common questions. In most cases, with "No." Voice messaging? No. In-game web browsing? Negative. In-game display settings? Nope. In-game shopping? Uh-uh. In-game music streaming? Pfft. Cross-game invites? Sorry. Well, okay, what about Trophies -- will they make a funky little noise when unlocked (like Achievements!)? Of course not ... er, wait a minute: "I got an email from Eric asking me to update this post; there *will* be a sound effect when a user unlocks a trophy. You'll be hearing it soon enough. Hopefully a lot."%Gallery-26426%[Via PS3 Fanboy] Check out more information about Firmware 2.40's features, including the Trophy system and video of the in-game XMB in action.
Watch as all your PS3 dreams come true in this 2.40 video
See the guy in the video above? That's Eric Lempel and he's about to show off the number one requested feature for the PlayStation 3; in-game XMB. This feature is only half of what we can expect in firmware 2.40, which is due out "soon." Watch as Eric effortlessly receives and responds to messages whilst playing a game, swaps immediately from GT5:P to PixelJunk Monsters, switches in some background music from the PS3's HDD and ... searches on google.There's more to come in another video later today, which will show off the trophy system. Not only that, but keep your eyes peeled right here for more detailed, exclusive info on what's to come.
"A lot of new PS3 features to come," says Eric Lempel
In a recent interview with Next-Gen.biz, Eric Lempel - Director of PlayStation Network Operations - gives a few hints regarding the expansion of the PlayStation Network this year. A lot of the things he discusses specifically we've already heard about, but it's the stuff he doesn't say which intrigues us the most. The interview includes mentions of an upcoming digital distribution method for providing PS3 owners with TV shows and films. Lempel also talks about some "very exciting programs planned to recognize our consumers gaming skills and loyalty in new ways that go well beyond a single score." Sounds good to us. This should arrive when Home finally launches. When is that? We haven't a clue, but Lempel says it's now coming along very nicely, as opposed to the disappointment it apparently was late last year. We're looking forward to seeing more of these "features in different stages of development that users will be very excited about." 2008 should be an interesting year for the PlayStation Network.
Eric Lempel talks about in-game XMB, download speeds, more
Eric Lempel, director of operations for the PSN, answered questions about the Network. Here's what he had to say. As we've heard before, in-game messaging and other XMB features are on the way, though no timeline has been announced officially. The developers, not Sony, are in charge of whether or not a demo is released on the PSN. Especially for smaller downloadable titles, the group behind those games might not have the manpower to release a demo as well as the full game. It's their discretion, but Sony absolutely encourages them all to toss a demo up. Speaking of demos, download times for some of the demos can be atrocious, even on fast connections. This is probably due to so many people trying to get it at once, putting a strain on Sony's server, implies Lempel. They're working on some solutions.A final note was added about the PSN consistently getting content later than the competition. Lempel denied this, saying "as it relates to Network content I hear the exact opposite from developers ... While the process may seem as simple as a developer sending us a piece of content and the PlayStation Network department posting it for download, this isn't the case." They've got an efficient system, he says, and the Quality Assurance process is very important to them. If there's any lag between the PS3's and the 360's posting of certain items, over time we're sure the difference will diminish and eventually disappear. Microsoft knows what they're doing -- Live isn't new. Sony is still trying to really wrap their minds around this and they've caught up pretty well.
