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Mortal Kombat waives 'Kombat Pass' until PlayStation Store returns
The PlayStation 3 version of Mortal Kombat is seeing the end of an irksome TECHNICALITY: the "Kombat Pass," a token that is required for online play but cannot be redeemed while the PlayStation Store is offline, is being temporarily waived. Up until now, the pool of online combatants was limited to those who hastily activated their passes right before the PSN fell into a coma in late April. Writing on Mortal Kombat's official Facebook page, NetherRealm Studios confirmed that the game's online component should now be unlocked for all players, though it'll be cordoned off as soon as Sony re-opens the PlayStation Store (possibly by next week). The Kombat Pass code is included with all new copies of Mortal Kombat, and can be purchased separately for $9.99 once a free trial period expires. If you own a used copy of NetherRealm's well-received revamp, you now have an entire weekend to gauge the value of pulverizing pelvises over the internet.
PlayStation Store expected back online next Tuesday
Sony has notified its developer and publisher partners that the PlayStation Store is scheduled to relaunch next Tuesday, May 24, according to a memo obtained by Gamasutra. In the message, PSN content manager Jack Osorno details plans to update the Store twice weekly -- on Tuesdays and Fridays -- for two weeks in order to speed up the release of content that's been delayed due to the outage. Next Tuesday's update will include content originally scheduled to be released on April 26, while an update on Friday the 27th will bring releases previously planned for May 3. Updates on May 31 and June 3 will comprise the remaining content intended to be published throughout the rest of May. By the regularly scheduled June 7 update, the Store is expected to be up to date. "If there are concerns, we are willing to consider adjusting the release date of your content on this schedule," Osorno notes. "Adjustments will be made on a case by case basis." (The memo does not address any other kind of adjustment that might be made to appease concerns.) While the launch date for the "Customer Appreciation Program" wasn't noted (this was a memo to devs and pubs, remember?), the choice of two free games is expected to be made available "shortly after PlayStation Store is restored," for a limited time, according to an announcement earlier this week. [Image source: PlayStation.com]
Sony reportedly tells developers PlayStation Store will return May 24th
We wouldn't recommend setting aside time to enjoy your "Welcome Back" package just yet, but it looks like we now have our first solid indication of when the PlayStation Store will finally return to PlayStation 3 and PSP users. According to a memo reportedly sent by Sony to its publishing partners and obtained by Gamasutra, the store is set to return on Tuesday, May 24th -- assuming there aren't any more unforeseen hiccups, that is. That will also, of course, bring with it a backlog of new games and other content that should have been released by now, although those will apparently be released in stages over the following weeks, rather than all at once.
Multiple PlayStation Store updates coming each week until caught up
If you've been keeping score, we've missed out on three regularly scheduled PlayStation Store updates since the service went down last month, preventing users from downloading items like the already long-delayed PSN RTS Under Siege. There's a lot of content to get caught up on -- and to get us there, the storefront will receive updates "multiple times per week once commerce functionality is restored," according to the latest PlayStation Blog FAQ. "We will update the PlayStation.Blog with information on timing of the Store restoration," adds the FAQ, "as well as the full list of new content as each publish occurs." If you're the type who likes to spend exorbitant sums of money on each batch of PSN additions, you might want to steel yourself for the oncoming deluge.
PSN outage costing Capcom 'hundreds of thousands, if not millions,' exec says
A Capcom-Unity forum user received a surprisingly frank response from senior VP Christian "Sven" Svensson when he asked the executive, "Do you have anything to say about the ordeal going down with hackers messing with [Sony] and stealing information from their servers?" Does he ever! Svensson, who said he was "frustrated and upset" by last month's breach and subsequent outage, offered a two-fold response, first addressing the question from his consumer perspective. "I also play games online on PS3, which I can't do ... and likely my personal information is also compromised," he lamented. "Secondly I like to buy things in the PlayStation [Store] and that I can't do right now" -- not to mention play Capcom's pair of DRM-protected PSN games offline. While the gamer in Svensson seems to have a surefire back-up plan (his post signature notes he's currently playing Portal 2 on PC), his corporate officer side has less wiggle room to weather the outage. "On a related note, as an executive responsible for running a business, the resulting outage obviously costing us hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars in revenue that were planned for within our budget," he added. "These are funds we rely on to bring new games to market for our fans." Svensson made no mention of any specific delays, cancellations or business restructuring that might result from the revenue shortfall, nor did he suggest how Capcom might look to recoup the lost revenue. His response also avoided any critique of Sony's handling of the situation, and instead stayed on topic: "CAPCOM- How do you feel about the SONY Hackers?" asks the thread's title. "In short, the hackers appear to be trying to 'punish' Sony for some perceived injustice, and they've been effective in that I suppose," Svensson concluded. "But they're also punishing millions of other consumers and businesses which makes it impossible to be sympathetic to their 'cause.'" [Pictured: Capcom PSN Storefront; source: Capcom-Unity]
PSN Breach: What it means for you, and for Sony
It's been nearly one week since the PlayStation Network servers were taken down due to an "external intrusion," and nearly one day since we learned PSN users' personal information was stolen during said intrusion. We're still not quite sure of the full scope of the security breach, but the latest update from Sony paints a fairly upsetting picture: Gamers' personal (and, possibly, financial) data has been exposed on a scale more massive than the gaming industry has ever seen. To help get a grasp on the situation, we spoke with consumer advocates and tech industry figures about what gamers can expect in the aftermath of this security breach. For instance: What financial or legal repercussions might Sony be facing in the coming months? And what can PSN users do to protect themselves from potential identity theft?
Final Fantasy 6 coming to PSN in Japan April 20
We're at the end of our wit-rope, you guys. We're not sure how much more of these injustices we can suffer -- we thought that, with the North American PSN release of Vagrant Story and Xenogears, we were on track to catch up to the Japanese PSN's RPG offerings. However, Square Enix's Shinji Hashimoto revealed on Twitter yesterday that Japan would be receiving the PSOne remake of Final Fantasy VI on the PSN's Game Archives platform on April 20. For those keeping score, that means the only pre-PS2 Final Fantasy title missing from the platform will be Final Fantasy IV -- though, considering it got its own PSOne remake in 1997, it's really only a matter of time before it shows up. And once it does, you'll be able to hear our anguished cries across the globe.
DC Universe Online will be available digitally on PS3
You know, Supes, Bats and ... Lanterns make it look so difficult to constantly keep the forces of evil at bay -- in all actuality, you can do so from the safety and comfort of your own home thanks to DC Universe Online. And once the MMO is available to download directly through the PlayStation Store, you'll be able to do so without leaving the safety and comfort of your musty, sunken-seated, curiously damp recliner. (Hey, buddy? That thing is disgusting.) PlayStation Blog announced the title's forthcoming digital availability. No release date was revealed, but the downloadable version will retain the tangible version's $59.99 price tag. Sounds like a reasonable price to pay for a level of safety and comfort that will almost certainly lend itself to the development of bedsores.
Castle Crashers, Dead Nation and more discounted for PSN Spring Fever
PlayStation Network users recently had the opportunity to vote on their favorite of the platform's offerings as part of the PSN Gamers' Choice Awards -- the winners of which would be up for a 30 percent discount (50 percent for PlayStation Plus members). The winners were recently revealed: Best PS3 Downloadable Game -- Castle Crashers (Sale price $10.49, Plus price $7.50) Best PSP Downloadable Game -- God of War: Ghost of Sparta (Sale price $27.99, Plus price $20.00) Best PS3/PSP mini -- Age of Zombies (Sale price $3.49, Plus price $2.50) Best PlayStation Network Exclusive Game -- Dead Nation (Sale price $10.49, Plus price $7.50) The offers go into effect today to kick off the PSN Spring Fever promotion, and will be available until March 14. Other games will be marked down in the following weeks as the promotion continues -- we'll make sure to let you know when another price gets unceremoniously slashed!
Sony celebrates PS3 success at GDC, 41 million sold worldwide
It's tough to get solid numbers out of Sony for hardware sales, usually they're cloaked behind a vague "shipped" figure, but at GDC this week the company gave us one rather impressive number: 41 million. That's the number of PS3 consoles the company says it has sold worldwide, and over 80 percent are sucking down data from ye olde internet. Confirming the moneymaking trend we heard about last month, in 2010 the PlayStation store saw a 60 percent boost in traffic and a 70 percent boost in revenue from a total of 70 million PSN accounts. Let's see... 70 million PSN user accounts, 41 million PS3 consoles, 80 percent of which are online -- that means almost everyone has one account for gaming and a second for griefing. Sounds about right.
Crysis 2 multiplayer demo also coming to PS3
Looks like Crytek's planning to pull a nanomechanically-engineered hat trick with its multiplayer demo for Crysis 2 -- it's out already on 360, it's coming to PC on March 1, and according to the game's latest official trailer (posted after the jump), the demo is "coming soon" to the PS3 as well. We've contacted EA to get a more specific timeframe for the demo's arrival. For now, check out the video after the jump to see exactly how the game looks on Sony's home console. Actually, you could just go read the back-and-forth in these YouTube comments between PS3 and 360 fanboys -- it's just as entertaining as the trailer itself.
PSA: Dragon Age 2, Lego Star Wars 3 demos available today
Like shady peddlers of exotic, habit-forming narcotics, the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store are offering users a free taste of two products before they launch at retail. Fans of gigantic RPGs, honorable knights and ancient dragons should turn their eyes towards the demo for -- what else? -- Dragon Age 2. Fans of gigantic AT-ATs, Jedi Knights and ancient Qui-Gons would be better suited for the Lego Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars demo. (Note: Qui-Gon Jinn probably isn't in this game. We just needed the symmetry.) The demos are available now on XBLM, and will arrive on the PlayStation Store later today, following the weekly PSN update. The demo for Dragon Age 2 will also make its way to PC sometime today -- we'll let you know when it shows up.
Xenogears mechs its way to PSOne Classics this week
Just when we were about to give up on Square Enix, melting all our intricate Final Fantasy figurines in protest of the company's lack of offerings on the North American PSN, we receive a ray of hope. PlayStation Blog has announced that Xenogears -- which has been available on the Japanese PSN since June 2008 -- will arrive on the U.S. PlayStation Store with its next update this coming Tuesday. We'll still need a few more PSOne RPGs to come our way before we stop being so totally mad at Square Enix -- but if memory serves, Xenogears is something of a lengthy affair. Maybe it'll be enough to distract us from our unbridled rage for a month or two.
PSA: PlayStation Network content must be re-purchased on Xperia Play
The Xperia Play will be pre-loaded with an unknown "legendary" PS1 title (psst! -- it's Crash Bandicoot), along with a smattering of launch content -- but it won't be loaded with all that PlayStation Network content you've purchased. Speaking with GameSpot UK, Sony Ericsson UK managing director Nathan Vautier confirmed, "[Xperia Play owners] will have to repurchase the games, so it's not totally integrated." Beyond the Android Marketplace, Xperia Play owners will purchase content through the PlayStation Store; access to said store will come via Sony's PlayStation Suite, launching "later this year." Unfortunately, it seems that content you've already purchased -- say, PS1 titles that will also be available for purchase on Xperia Play -- must be repurchased for use on the handheld. We can't say we're super surprised. Or mad, even, really. Just disappointed.
'Filmy' PS3 app lets you view and organize video captured by Sony cams
We should clarify -- the new PS3 app lets you view and organize video from your Sony-branded digital camera, not the footage captured by the Sony cams hidden throughout your home. As you know, those are designed to detect the arrival of new, exciting games and then send notice of a new firmware update just as you're putting in the disc. There's no need for a disc when accessing "Filmy," the sounds-like-a-cute-mascot video app that becomes available on the PlayStation Store today. Once downloaded and installed, it allows viewing of AVCHD-encoded video from any USB-connected Sony camera that supports the format. Videos can be searched quickly and organized into digests based on camera metadata (such as "Face Detection") or geographical tagging, if the camera has a GPS. If you've been anywhere remote and/or remotely interesting, you'll be able to find those clips marked on a fancy representation of our space-faring orb. There's a free version of Filmy that allows full feature operation for fifteen minutes, but the less curtailed version will run you $5. You could probably earn that back by turning your camera on the bedroom, recording a spooky message written on a fogged-up mirror and then selling the whole thing to a Hollywood studio as "Abnormal Happenings."
Sony explains the discrepancy in PS1 content between regions
Few things in this world make us angrier than the blatant inequality between the PSOne Classics catalog in the various territories said catalog is available. Sure, each region has titles which the others don't -- we're still waiting on, like, a billion Square Enix games -- but it still hurts our heart, you know? Sony's Ross McGrath recently popped into PlayStation.Blog to explain how easy it is for these games to get hung up, whether it's due to an expired license, PAL-to-NTSC compatibility or the existence of game-wrecking bugs. McGrath added, "In some cases the original publisher of the game in the US is not the same publisher as in Europe, so publishing rights need to be secured," which some publishers aren't willing to invest in. Doesn't sound like there's much Sony can do about those -- however, the PSOne Classics emulator is constantly being updated, which should help a few of the platform's buggier titles become eligible for some trans-continental voyages. Related note: The amount of money we would give Sony for a downloadable version of Vagrant Story has reached $80. That's where we're at.
PlayStation Store coming to Android
So, how are you going to get those PSOne games onto your PlayStation Suite-equipped Android phone this year? Why, through the good old PlayStation Store, of course! Sony revealed that a version of its download shop will be available for Android alongside PlayStation Suite.
NGP 'LiveArea' UI to support Trophies, PSN friends and messaging
LiveArea is NGP's "game-oriented communication platform," according to Sony. In other words, it's the device's (touch-controlled!) user interface -- apparently replacing the XMB -- featuring access to the PlayStation Store, Trophies, PSN friends, messaging, the browser, and other applications. Each game will have some form of LiveArea presence, too, apparently keeping you up to date on news and even its other players (in case you bore of simply playing the game). Additionally, LiveArea will include the "Near" feature that tracks your location over time and creates a map of where you've been. (That's not creepy at all!) Read more about it here.
Exclusive: Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (PlayStation Phone) preview
Oh yes. After all the unbearable teasing since we unveiled the first ever photos of the PlayStation Phone, we've finally managed to get hold of the real deal for an in-depth preview. Honestly, we couldn't wait any longer with this thing floating around in China; we'd otherwise have to wait until MWC, where we expect the phone to be launched as the "Xperia Play" (and we shall refer to this name henceforth). Before you pop the cork for us, do bear in mind that what we're seeing here is subject to changes, so don't be alarmed by any missing features or exposed cables in our preview. When you're ready, head right past the break to find out what Sony Ericsson's cooking up. %Gallery-115003%
Killzone 3 single-player demo packed into PSN update on Feb. 15
By the time the Killzone 3 single-player demo pops up on the PlayStation Store, many millions of Helghan and Human alike will have fallen in the game's open multiplayer beta. According to the US PlayStation blog, a slice from the middle of the game's single-player campaign ("Icy Incursion") will arrive in demo form on February 15; PlayStation Plus members nab it one week earlier on February 8. Meanwhile, Europeans will get the demo on Feb. 9 and 16, respectively. You'll be ready for the yellow-eyed hordes by then, right? Also of note: the demo will arrive in 3D and 2D-only iterations as separate downloads, both equipped with Move functionality but only allowing for split-screen co-op in the 2D version. We're going to take it one step further by grabbing an all-syrup Killzone 3 Slurpee from 7-Eleven, downloading the 3D demo, and playing it while losing our minds.
