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PlayStation Network scheduled for maintenance starting at 8AM (PST)
Today's public service announcement is brought to you by the letter "M." That would be "M" as in maintenance, which is what the PlayStation Network will be going through from 8AM (PST) to 11PM. The outage means that both the PlayStation Store and PlayStation Home might not be accessible while Sony does its maintenance magic. "B-b-but, I'm supposed to be credit farming Firebase White with my Mass Effect 3 buddies during that exact, same time," you say? Chill, buddy -- the maintenance won't affect online play so you can continue to abuse those hapless, chirping Geth. Folks who signed in to PSN within the last five days will still be able to access apps like Amazon Instant Video and Netflix as well. Hey, it could always be worse, you know.
Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft: three very different takes on portable gaming at GDC 2012
Tim Cook says the darnedest things. Why, just last week Apple's head honcho suggested that iPad users are ditching their home consoles in favor of Cupertino's favorite slate. Bold words, ones that can't be sitting well with the gaming industry's big three. Steady thy rifle, hardcore gamer, Cook has a point: the console wars have shifted irreversibly. Gone are the days of bickering over somewhat similar 16-bit consoles and their supposed lack of "blast-processing"; today's gaming armies wage war with wildly different artillery. In the pursuit of your mobile gaming dollar, Nintendo toed a traditional line with a new twist. Sony, on the other hand, seems to have bundled every input method it could get its mitts on into its next-generation portable. Microsoft, however, puts the "mobile" in mobile gaming, echoing Apple's own approach with an Xbox Live platform that eschews dedicated hardware to float across Windows Phone devices as a "feature."Take a step back, and suddenly it seems like the major players of consumer gaming aren't even driving on the same track. This war isn't about the "most powerful" console anymore; it's about creating the right experience for today's gamer. We ducked under the unspoken truce of last week's Game Developer Conference to get a bead on Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony's portable gaming strategies. Read on to see what they're doing to differentiate themselves from the competition.
PSA: PlayStation Network goes down (again) from 9AM ET, but it's for maintenance (again)
There's presumably still some kinks left to be resolved, as Sony's PSN is once more scheduled to snooze from 9AM EST through 3AM. Longer than last month's efforts, it'll affect the PlayStation Store, Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited services on PlayStation Home. However, you will be able to continue online gaming if you sign in ahead of the downtime. Frustrated gamers can seek the full explanation at the source below.
Sony schedules PSN maintenance today, wants you to know this time it's on purpose
Sony knows you're likely scarred for life after its many security snafus, so it's doing all it can to keep you in the loop in regards to its PSN. The network will be experiencing a temporary outage today to make room for "routine scheduled maintenance" starting at 11AM ET and ending at approximately midnight. As usual in these scenarios, you won't have access to any PlayStation services on your PS3 or PSP, including PlayStation Home and Sony's Music and Video Unlimited offerings. That said, if you were shootin' and slashin' fools before the downtime, you should have no hassle continuing with your current session -- though access to any of the aforementioned services is still out of the question. Desperate to know exactly when the PSN will be back up and running? Keep it locked on the Playstation Twitter feed to find out.
PSP Go to America: I'm not dead (yet)
It looks like proclamations of the PSP Go's demise may have been a bit premature. While it does appear that Japan and Europe are giving up on the downloadable content-only device, Sony of America told our good friends at Joystiq that the UMD-less PSP is still a "go" in North America. Production and sales will continue, presumably until we can get our greasy paws on the NGP this holiday season.
Sony 'continuing production of PSP Go' in America
Japan and Europe may be finished with the PSP Go, but SCEA says it's not done with the downloadable-only handheld device. Following up with Sony of America for clarification after recent events, we wanted to know if the company was still manufacturing and shipping the handheld. Today we were told: "We are continuing production of PSP Go for North America." Several weeks ago, Sony informed Joystiq, "We are going to continue to make shipments of PSP Go," after Amazon updated the PSP Go's product page to note the device was "discontinued by manufacturer."
Sony Japan: PSP Go shipments have ended
The PSP Go's life cycle, if it can be said to have had one, is coming to an end. Retailers and bloggers have recently started saying that shipments of the slide-out handheld have concluded, and now Sony itself has joined in. The Japanese Playstation.com site placed "shipment ended" notices on both the black and white PSP Go listings, along with several PSP-3000 color variants. According to the site, the only PSPs currently in production are PSP-3000s in black, white, silver, pink, blue, and red. If you want to pick up a PSP Go before supplies are PSP Gone, you can still get one at Amazon for ... $200 in white or $233 in black. It's dying as it lived: too expensive.
Confirmed: The PSP Go is no more
The Sony PSP Go is today being reported to have "completed" its production and shipment in Japan, seemingly foreshadowing a worldwide discontinuation of sales. Such is the word from Impress Watch, which cites an official statement from Sony Computer Entertainment that promises support, firmware updates, and repairs for the PSP Go, but no further stock of the handheld. We doubt it'll be missed too much, what with its high price and inability to play UMD games, but if you're afraid this signals a similar demise for the PSP-3000, worry not. Sony has said it'll focus on shifting as many units of that classic device as possible until the NGP strides in and revolutionizes everything.
Report: Sony stops PSP Go production
A blog post translated by Andriasang says production of the PSP Go is over. This adds to mounting evidence that the final days of the PSP Go are upon us -- you know, if anyone actually buys the remaining stock. Eurogamer received a very awkward non-denial from Sony Europe when it followed up on the new information, and MCV notes there are no more PSP Go handhelds heading to UK retail. Amazon updated the PSP Go's product page several weeks ago, saying it had been "discontinued by manufacturer." When we contacted Sony of America for clarification, a representative stated, "We are going to continue to make shipments of PSPgo." We've contacted Sony again to find out if it has finished shipping those previously mentioned PSP Go units, and whether it plans to make more.
Sony said to have stopped PSP Go production, curiously fails to deny it
Oh, what tangled webs of non-denials we all weave. A Japanese blogger working for an official Sony retail partner has reported intel from the PlayStation maker that production of its PSP Go handheld has been halted. Moreover, the Sony Style Japan online store no longer lists the portable and searching for it provides no results. You can only access its product page via a direct link (provided below), but even that shows it as out of stock. So, what has Sony got to say on the matter to allay fears that its troubled console lives on? Well, demand for "current generation PSPs" will continue to be met, apparently, and the NGP is going be really, really awesome when it launches at the end of the year. Hey, if there's zero demand for the PSP Go and you produce zero PSP Go units, then you are technically matching supply to demand. Well played, Sony, well played.
PSP Go price bounces back to $200 (or: Another reason to avoid the PSP Go)
With the PSP-3000 getting $40 whacked off its sticker price as of late February, a PSP Go price drop seemed all but assured; however, after briefly appearing on Sony's official PSP site last week (though notably, not a single retailer's) that $150 PSP Go price has reverted back to the previous $200 listing. Was it an error on Sony's part? A premature website update (hence the lack of retailer followthrough)? It's impossible to say for sure, but we can say this: At a $70 premium over the PSP-3000, the less-capable PSP Go is harder than ever to recommend.
PSP Go price cut quietly slinks away, now priced at original $200 MSRP
When Sony hacked $50 from the PSP Go's price earlier this week, it didn't exactly trumpet the news, and now it's looking like a permanent $150 MSRP for the UMD-less handheld was too good to be true. Text across Sony's website has silently been changed to reflect a $199.99 price point for both colors of the sliding-screen system, and there seems to be no remaining evidence that Sony ever dropped the price at all. Still, we imagine it's only a matter of time before such a price cut becomes officially official, as the PSP-3000's the no-brainer choice if you're buying a PSP right now -- it's a full $70 cheaper than the less-capable Go. [Thanks, Phil F.]
Sony's PSP Go officially drops to $150
It may not be the first time you've been able to snag a PSP Go for $150, but you can now rest assured that you'll never pay anything more than that, as Sony has officially knocked another $50 off the handheld's list price. That follows a similar $50 price drop back in October (not to mention a $40 price cut to the regular PSP just last week), although that doesn't seem to have done a whole lot to boost sales of the download-only device. Will this new low, low price make a bigger difference? And, if not, how much lower can it go before a certain quad-core monster really makes its presence felt?
PSP Go listed for $150 MSRP on official site; not in effect at retail
Sony's official PSP website has been updated to reflect an apparent PSP Go price drop. "Now you can enjoy the sleek, totally-digital PSP Go system for $149.99 MSRP," reads the product description, "and the unsurpassed PSP-3000 system for $129.99 MSRP." The 3000 price cut was made official last week, but the would-be PSP Go discount is news to us. Apparently, it would be news to retailers too! As of publishing, outlets including Amazon, Best Buy and GameStop all have the hardware listed at $200 (the price put into effect last October). Given the phasing out of UMD (disc-based PSP games won't be backwards compatible with NGP), people might consider using the all-digital Go at a stepping stone at the new, reduced price. That is, if Sony ever decides to make the price cut happen. [Thanks, Jason F.]
Lag-free Wii on PSP episode II: Mario Kart strikes back
It looks like our favorite PSP Fanboy, Obiwan222222, is up to his old tricks once again, and his latest video shows that he has finally eliminated the lag problem that plagued his first attempt to play Wii on a PSP four years ago. Using a Wii emulator on a PC, some custom firmware, and a program called PSPDisplay, he has managed to stream video and sound to his PSP Go in real time. He also mapped the Wii controls (Wiimote waving excluded, we presume) to the handheld to complete the full Wii-on-PSP gameplaying experience. To see the slick mod in action, check the video after the break.
PSP Go hacked to play UMDs, slightly increase its desirability (video)
For Sony, the homebrew community is both enemy and friend -- at the same time hackers are exploiting the living daylights out of the PlayStation 3, they're making the experimental PSP Go moderately interesting again. Here it is running UMD disc images directly from flash storage, letting it play games like Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, formerly off-limits since it was released on a physical disc. Sure, we've seen it play Sega CD games before, but this looks like the real deal -- working, user-installable ISO loaders for PSP Go backups and homebrew. Not to mention the skull-and-crossbones-clad elephant in the room. Perhaps these aren't exactly Sony's friends, on second thought.
PSP Go hacked to load game ISOs
Good news! There's now a way to run UMD-only games on a PSP Go. The bad news: it's an unofficial exploit. Coders "Virtuous Flame" and "Coldbird" have released a "Homebrew Enabler" for PSP firmware 6.31 and 6.35. Using that, "Liquidzigong" was able to get the Prometheus ISO Loader program running on the disc-free handheld, allowing copied UMD disc images to be saved and run on the system. After the break, you can see a demonstration of the hack, in which a user loads up Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep -- a high-profile title never released on PSN. While we can't speak on the legality of using this method to back up your UMD games and play them on a Go (and then on the go), we can confidently condemn the use of this exploit to play games that aren't yours.
PSP Go '3-Game Digital Pack' going for $150 'while supplies last'
Taking to the US PlayStation blog, Sony director of hardware marketing John Koller revealed the PSP Go "3-Game Digital Pack" -- a $150 PSP Go bundle that includes three full (downloadable) games being sold at "retailers nationwide." In addition to a $50 savings from the recently lowered PSP Go asking price, it packs in LittleBigPlanet, SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3, and Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. Interested parties should head to their nearest brick-and-mortar ASAP, as the bundle is only available in "limited quantities," and "at most retailers" the deals are "one day events and are while supplies last." If digital games aren't your style, the PS blog also revealed Sam's Club's 160GB PS3 Slim bundle -- the console itself, a copy of ModNation Racers, an extra black Dualshock 3, a Blu-ray remote control, and a copy of (the adorable) How to Train Your Dragon for $399.
PSP Go on sale for $150 at Best Buy this weekend
Are you ready for the first shot across the bow from the season of Black Friday? This Friday and Saturday only, Best Buy will mark down the price of the PSP Go to a far more reasonable $150. Keep in mind, though -- it's limited to one per customer. Don't get carried away, guys. PSP Go -- $149.99, down from $199.99
The PlayStation Phone: new photos, more details!
We've gotten our hands on some more images of the PlayStation Phone, and gleaned a few more juicy details about the handset. Firstly, as you can see in the photos, the model in question does indeed seem to be codenamed "Zeus" (as we reported on the 27th). Furthermore, the handset pictured is running Android 2.2, though apparently there are multiple devices out there with different versions on board (including at least one packed with Android 3.0). Based on what we know, there's little chance the phone will launch with Froyo -- but it's clear these have been worked on for some time with various versions of the OS. The device appears to have an 8GB microSD card slotted, and at least 512MB of internal storage (though we're hoping it's the 1GB we've heard would be present). As you can see from the pictures in the gallery below, the device isn't exactly thin -- we surmise that the handset is around 17mm thick, or slightly thicker than HTC's Touch Pro 2 (and funnily enough, about the same as the PSPgo). From a design standpoint, the device seems to have more in common with BlackBerry handsets than previous Sony Ericsson phones; that smoky chrome bezel which surrounds the device is definitely giving us Torch flashbacks. As always, we're hard at work digging up more info on the phone (and potentially more images), but for now, just sit tight and enjoy the exclusive photos in the gallery below. %Gallery-106270% %Gallery-106052% %Gallery-106050%
