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PlayStation Network down for a long count, what's up Sony? (update: down for 24+ hours!)
We've been hit by a big batch of dismayed tips from PlayStation gamers this morning, who are finding themselves unable to log in to the PlayStation Network (again). Sony's response has been to acknowledge there's a problem in the vaguest of terms -- "We're aware certain functions of PlayStation Network are down" -- and to promise an update on the situation as soon as it's available. Alas, that statement was issued over nine hours ago and there's still no word of either a rectification or an explanation for the outage. The error code provided by the console is, as you can see above, somewhat uninformative as well. So come on, Sony, what is going on with your Network? Update: PSN is acknowledging on its EU blog that the network outage may be a result of "the possibility of targeted behaviour by an outside party." Still no ETA for when services will be restored. Update 2: PSN is now reporting that the network may be offline for "a full day or two." Update 3: As of midday on Friday (US Eastern Time), an issue that began on Wednesday night is still being worked. Thanks, Farres! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Nintendo 3DS gets new friend code system, finds beauty in unification
Ever try to do multiplayer on a DS game? We're really sorry to hear that. It's a mess of lengthy friend codes that does more to discourage online play than enable it. That's going away with the 3DS. At Nintendo's 3DS press event in New York the company announced a new system where there's only a single code, assigned per-console and registered only once. You'll have a single group of friends and, when they pop online in a new game, you'll see them there. No need for multiple lists and, we hope, less of a need for Tylenol.
Eyes-on: Verizon LTE gaming and live TV on the Acer Iconia Tab (video)
We said we'd bring you an Verizon LTE speed test on the Acer Iconia Tab A500, but we can give you better than that -- here's a test of latency in cross-platform online multiplayer gaming and a FiOS app that streams live television. Hosting a game of Dungeon Defenders on an Alienware M11x laptop (also connected to LTE), Verizon joined the party with an Acer Iconia Tab, and a pair of the slates were able to go head-to-head in a peer-to-peer Asphalt 5 6 race over LTE as well. What's more, the carrier showed us an experimental version of its FiOS DVR Manager app, which streamed live television to the Iconia over LTE -- similar to what we saw on the iPad. Unlike the games, it was choppy and took some time to cache, but we'll have to see what it's like when (or if) it's finalized. Of course, if you had just clicked the play button on the above video instead of reading these words, you'd already know all that. %Gallery-113319%
Xbox Live Rewards loyalty program goes live in the US and UK
Spend an embarrassing amount of your life immersed in the Xbox Live universe? It's cool -- we all do. But now, you'll actually have a better reason to ignore whoever's yelling at you to disconnect. Microsoft has just launched its Xbox Live Rewards loyalty program after testing it out last year, but for now it's only available to US and UK-based gamers. As our compadres over at Joystiq mention, it's a lot like Club Nintendo, but instead of getting gear, you'll be awarded Microsoft Points for doing things you'd already be doing anyway. Gamers can look for a ten point boost for renewing a one-month membership, a 400 point increase for buying / renewing a family plan or 100 points for activating Netflix -- and that's just the start. Hit the source link to join up. It's free, you know.
Panasonic welcoming crash test consumers to the handheld gaming Jungle
In an interesting move for a major console launch, Panasonic is reaching outside of the fold and looking to some select US consumers to test out its upcoming Jungle gaming handheld. No details on the testing program were given, and it's not much in the way of news, but it's the most we've heard out of Panasonic since it announced the online gaming-centric handheld in October -- we still don't know when the Jungle will land or how much it will cost. At least Panasonic isn't short on self-assessment: "We know other companies out there have traditional hand- held gaming covered... We're doing something very different." You can't argue with that, we'll just have to wait and see if Panasonic can pull it off.
InstantAction dies in an instant, future of embedded gaming looks questionable
Well, that was brief. Just a few short months after InstantAction went public with its embedded browser-based gaming platform at GDC 2010, the Oregon-based startup has gone belly-up. If you missed out on what this here outfit was offering, you clearly aren't alone -- but for the historians in attendance, we'd invite you to revisit our hands-on for an overview of what was planned. Unfortunately, the company has yanked all of its Vimeo clips detailing the system's features, and its website now affirms that the service as a whole is "no longer available." We're hearing that it'll be selling the underlying Torque Game Engine (and presumably that fancy "chunking" tech that enabled games to be played in a browser with just a broadband connection), but based on the tepid response so far, we're guessing it won't fetch much. We definitely saw a bit of promise in the concept -- after all, browser-based games like Solipskier are all the rage in some circles -- but bona fide console / PC games simply don't fit that mold, or so it seems.
OnLive ditches monthly fees altogether, makes the world a freer place
OnLive's cloud gaming service has just become exponentially more appealing with one simple move: monthly fees for its use have been scrapped. Company CEO Steve Perlman has gleefully dished the good news, garnishing them with the explication that such was the plan all along -- though it couldn't be announced in advance as there was uncertainty about whether the economics of the nascent on-demand service would work out to support its fee-free operation. So now that the beans have been counted, Perlman and co have done the best thing possible by under-promising and over-delivering -- all an OnLive user will need to pay for now are PlayPasses, which offer you three- or five-day access to a game, or you can buy the game in full, which comes with a minimum three-year guarantee of support after its release on OnLive. Paying only for the content you want to use? Now that truly is a revolutionary idea. [Thanks, Kevin S.]
OnLive WiFi beta goes live for all members, your Ethernet cable sings a sad song
As any hardcore gamer would likely attest, we'd still recommend keeping whatever rig you're running OnLive on connected to the world wide web via a patch cable, but if you simply must cut and run, at least a cable-free setup is being officially supported now. From the onset, many OnLive beta users were using a bridge in order to stream their games over the air, but the company has been toiling in the labs to create an officially supported solution that better takes into account the uncertainties of wireless connections. According to Steve Perlman, OnLive's founder and CEO, the technology "handles many real-world WiFi scenarios including management of interference, congestion and drop-outs if you get out of range," and it'll even allow users to lose their connection entirely for up to five minutes without forgetting their place in the game. It's recommended that beta testers use wireless networks that can sustain at least 3Mbps, but feel free to press your luck and the service's boundaries in one fell swoop.
Americans prefer to email on the go, social network at home
We do like a pretty chart around here, and these latest ones from Nielsen are positively gorgeous. The internet stat-keeper has come out of a particularly hot and heavy research session with the conclusion that American online habits are a-changing. The unstoppable juggernaut that is social networking (23 percent) leads the way on computers, with online gaming (10 percent) now joining it in second place, and email ousted to an unhappy third (8 percent). The slack in electronic postage is being picked up by mobiles, however, with 42 percent of cellular internet time dedicated to exchanging messages the old fashioned way. Video streaming has shown double digit growth relative to last year, but remains a comparatively small part of what US interneters do. One thing we find humorous in the data is that 34 percent of all web time spent on computers is bundled into Nielsen's "Other" category -- any ideas on what people might be doing during that time?
Report: China to ban violent, sexual marketing of online games
China's Ministry of Culture is once again cracking down on the online game industry in an attempt to limit the amount of "unwholesome" content the sector produces. According to a report from China Daily, the nation's officials are prohibiting the use of sex, violence or gambling to market Chinese developers' online games. Like the other regulations under this initiative, these restrictions will be effective as of August 1. According to the government's report on sexually-charged advertising, hiring adult film stars to serve as spokespeople for online games is a surprisingly common practice in China. Over here, we get Mr. T and Ozzy Osbourne. That's a pretty fair trade-off, right?
China adding new restrictions on online games August 1
Though China's online game market continues to exponentially increase in value, the nation's Ministry of Culture plans on slapping another round of restrictive regulations on MMOs and other online titles on August 1. The new regulations are designed to protect minors from "unwholesome" content while playing online, while also introducing measures which will prevent them from succumbing to the sweet, sweet siren song of online gaming addiction. One major rule in the new regulations limits the purchase of in-game goods and services to virtual cash -- a regulation which seems to do away with the microtransaction business model altogether. Moreover, minors aren't permitted to conduct virtual transactions whatsoever. So, when you see that level 80 Mage that's still sporting his starting gear, don't be too confused -- he's probably just 14 years old.
Nintendo 'not satisfied' with online efforts, but no big changes in store
Le sigh. For years now, Nintendo's online efforts have quite clearly lagged behind those of Sony and Microsoft, both of which have placed a priority on nailing online multiplayer and making it part of the draw for prospective buyers. Xbox LIVE is a entire universe of online goodies, and it's the exception rather than the rule to see a major title launch on the 360 sans online play; in many ways, Sony sings a similar tune. Nintendo, meanwhile, seems to keep online play on the back burner, occasionally throwing it in where it's easy enough to add but never really going out of its way to make sure the latest AAA title will allow Bobby and Jacky to play from across the street. During an investors meeting last week at E3, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata confessed that he's "not currently satisfied with the online efforts that we have made so far," and that the Big N is "working at ways to improve those." In an episode of corporate double-speak to end all corporate double-speak, he followed up with this gem: "On the other hand, I do not think that online functionality is something that we should be devoting resources to for every single product." Seriously, Iwata? You can't think of a single reason why the next installment of Balls of Fury could benefit from online support? For shame.
OnLive turns sentient, now beaming gaming goodness over the ether (update)
We were promised cloud gaming nirvana on June 17, and OnLive has indeed kept to its self-imposed schedule. The new service that allows you to play resource-hungry games via only your browser window has taken its first steps into the real (non-beta) world with an initial catalog of 23 games. It'll be free for the first year for those who showed faith early on and pre-registered, or $15 per month for new bandwagon riders. Do let us know your thoughts if you've gotten onboard at this nascent stage: does it play fantastically well, is it close to spectacular, or is it just a pedestrian effort aiming to capitalize on geeks' lust for unbound gaming? We have to know. [Thanks, Mike] Update: OnLive's site doesn't seem to have been updated to reflect the service going live (you can sign up, but can't just jump in and play). It might be, therefore, that OnLive is booting itself up in stages, with only the early birds getting the first bite.
InstantAction goes live with browser-based gaming model
Remember InstantAction? You know, that startup that debuted at GDC in an effort to take on OnLive and catch the world ablaze with browser-based embedded gaming? If you've forgotten the dirty-dirty on this here company, be sure and give our prior hands-on a look; once you're up to speed, you may be interested in knowing that the company's first weekend in business (in the consumer's eye, anyway) is this one you're living in right now. The new "direct-to-consumer online video game distribution service" has gone live with LucasArts' The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, enabling gamers to embed full titles into blogs, Facebook profiles and pretty much any other site that'll handle an HTML embed string. The magic involves a delicate mix of in-browser, thin-client, and progressive downloading technologies, and while this title may not float your boat, the concept could be gold for indie developers looking to reach directly to potential clients. Head on past the break for the full release, not to mention a play-by-play of how to try this thing out.
How gaming can make a better world
About ten days ago, an interesting video of a speech was aired on TED talk. For those of you who don't know what TED is, it is quite literally a meeting place of some of the world's greatest thinkers: economists, philosophers, doctors, environmentalists and so on. These are people who dedicate their lives to making the world a better place. So imagine my surprise when I was notified of a talk from someone who said that gaming fit into that ideal? Enter Jane McGonigal, game designer. She says that the video game-playing youth of today -- that's us, by the way -- have within us the power to save the world. I know, I know, sounds crazy, right? Well, put down that energy drink and listen in. Jane's mission is to "try to make it as easy to save the world in real life, as it is to save the world in online games." The basis of her theory lies in a few things: motivation, an investment of time and the need to be rewarded. Remember that time your guild downed Ragnoros? Or triumphantly came through to the end of ToC? Yogg-saron? How did you feel then? That's right, you felt satisfied.
Modern Warfare 2 map update leaves Xbox Live in a world of hurt
We've held off as long as possible, but the tips just keep flooding in -- Xbox Live has a problem, and evidently it's a rather noticeable one. Word on the street has it that a new Modern Warfare 2 map update has made a number of Xbox Live features unusable, including online MW2 gameplay. We're also hearing that the Xbox Live Marketplace is off-and-on, and even Microsoft admits that quite a few other things are acting quirky. The good news is that a fix is on the way, so we'd suggest grabbing that lunch you've been denying yourself and trying again later. Hey, aren't you supposed to be working right now, anyway? P.S. - Let us know if you're running into any issues in comments below, cool? Update: Things seem to be working their way back to normal. Phew. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
InstantAction streams full games to any web browser, gives indie developers a business model (video)
Look out, OnLive -- you've got company. InstantAction is having their coming out party at GDC, and we stopped by for a lengthy chat about the technology, its future and the hopes / dreams of the company. Put simply (or as simply as possible), IA has developed a browser-based plug-in that allows full games to be played on any web browser so long as said browser is on a machine capable of handling the game. In other words, you'll still need a beast of a machine to play games like Crysis, but the fact that you can play them on a web browser opens up a new world of possibilities for casual gamers and independent developers. You'll also be notified before your download starts if your machine and / or OS can handle things, with recommendations given on what it would take to make your system capable. Oh, and speaking of operating systems -- games will only be played back if they're supported on a given OS, so you won't be able to play a Windows only title within a browser on OS X or Linux. Rather than taking the typical streaming approach, these guys are highlighting "chunking." In essence, a fraction of the game's total file size has to be downloaded locally onto your machine, and once that occurs, you can begin playing. As an example, we were playing The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition -- which is the sole title announced for the platform so far, though Assassin's Creed was demoed -- within minutes, and since you're curious, that's a 2.5GB game, and we were on a connection that wasn't much faster than a typical broadband line. More after the break... %Gallery-88068%
Xbox Live termination ends in a consolation goodie bag for Halo 2 owners
As Microsoft prepares to pull the plug on online gaming for the original Xbox, it's decided to act benevolently toward the undoubtedly grief-stricken Halo 2 loyalists and has rewarded them all with some consolation prizes. A free three-month Xbox Live membership awaits, accompanied by 400 MS points and a place on the Halo: Reach beta, should you wish to accept it. For a console that's nearly a decade old, it's understandable that online gaming support would've had to end at some point, so you might as well just transfer all your energies into being a good guinea pig / tester for Microsoft's latest cash cow. Steve would just love it if you did.
OnLive Beta gets a preview, lukewarm approval
We've now pretty much reached saturation point with OnLive demos, so it's good to finally see an independent set of eyes poring over the service and giving us the lowdown on the actual user experience. Whether you call it on demand, streamed, or cloud gaming, the concept is remarkably simple -- OnLive pumps games via a web browser onto your machine and gives you the full gaming experience without the need for all that pretty, but expensive hardware. PC Perspective's Ryan Shrout "found" a login to the Beta program and has put together a very thorough comparison between OnLive and playing the games locally on the same computer. His conclusion is that latency issues at present make an FPS like Unreal Tournament unplayable, but slower input games like Burnout Paradise or Mass Effect give pleasingly close renditions of the real thing. We encourage you to hit the source link to see side-by-side video comparisons and more in-depth analysis. Update: We had a feeling this one would be kinda controversial and sure enough OnLive and Pc Per have gotten into a bit of a sparring match. Steve Perlman has noted the paramount importance of latency in a blog post, subtly hinting that Ryan was too far out to have a valid experience, while Ryan has responded that he'd be happy to test it on servers local to him if OnLive were up for it, and again reiterated his purpose was to stimulate discussion more than it was to give a definitive judgment on what is still a Beta service.
Analyst: China's online game revenues to reach $11 billion by 2012
According to a report recently published by typographically-challenged research firm Analysys, revenues from China's online gaming industry will reach 73.1 billion yuan ($10.7 billion) within three years. If you're one of those people who have a hard time telling whether numbers are large, let us assure you that this one is very large indeed. As a point of reference, the entire U.S. gaming industry pulled in $11.7 billion in revenues last year. The report expects online gaming revenues for the nation to reach $3.8 billion this year -- however, it also estimates MMO market penetration to only be at 27 percent, a number it expects will increase as internet access becomes more readily available to Chinese citizens. Of course, all the internet access in the world won't bolster online gaming revenues if all the good ones keep getting shut down for no reason whatsoever.
