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'Cyberpunk 2077' gets more crash fixes before heading back to the PS Store
Patch 1.23 for Cyberpunk 2077 will improve the game's stability by preventing numerous crash fixes.
Sony adds mobile billing option to PlayStation Store, SEN
In addition to credit cards, pre-paid giftcards and PayPal, the PlayStation Store and Sony Entertainment Network now support a "mobile billing" option for buying Hatsune Miku DLC, episodes of Teen Wolf, Music Unlimited subscriptions and whatever else the kids are into these days. When adding funds to your virtual wallet through either the PS3's PlayStation Store or SEN's Account Management site, selecting the "Use Mobile" option will initiate the procedure. After receiving and confirming a text message (standard carrier rates apply, natch), the amount added to your wallet will either be tacked onto your phone bill, or deducted from your pre-paid phone account if that's how your plan swings. We're still holding out for a poultry-based bartering system. How many chickens do you think Battlefield 4 DLC is going to cost?
PlayStation Store update hitting PAL regions on October 17th, North America on October 23rd
If you feel the current design of the PlayStation Store leaves a lot to be desired, then you'll probably be glad to hear it's being totally revamped. A new UI should do a better job of pushing fresh content at you, and its appearance will be consistent regardless of whether you're outputting in standard or high def. Searching has been improved to handle abbreviations and misspellings, and a dynamic list of suggestions will try to work out what you're looking for as you type. Also, Vita and PSP content will be separated, new filters will be available and content hubs will offer everything linked to a certain title, à la the Xbox 360 Marketplace. Sound good? Well, there's not long to wait – it'll be launching in PAL regions (Europe, Asia, Australia and others) on October 17th, while North Americans will receive it almost a week later, on October 23rd.
PSN Tuesday: Dishonored, Sherlock Holmes, Retro City Rampage, tons more
Today's PS Store dump includes a barrage of full games as part of Sony's Day 1 Digital promotion and its ongoing indie focus. For full games, we have Dishonored, Birds of Steel, Devil May Cry HD Collection and The Testament of Sherlock Holmes.PSN gets Retro City Rampage, The Walking Dead Episode Four: Around Every Corner, Derrick the Deathfin, Machinarium, Worms Revolution and more. Retro City Rampage is also hitting Vita, alongside Dr. Who: The Eternity Clock, Spy Hunter and Sunflowers.Vita is getting three new PSOne Classics, Romance of the Three Kingdoms 4, Destrega and Saiyuki: Journey West. There's also a free demo for this week's big release (that isn't Dishonored), XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and the Mechromancer DLC for Borderlands 2. Check out the complete lineup here.
PSA: Retro City Rampage takes on PC, PS3 and Vita today
Retro City Rampage, Vblank Entertainment's insanely in-depth 8-bit parody of classic open-world action tropes, is out now for PC, PS3 and Vita. We mentioned this was happening yesterday with the game's lovely launch trailer, which we've refrained from embedding above to give you more time to just go out and buy Retro City Rampage already.Retro City Rampage is available for PC via Steam, GOG and its official site, and is on PS3 and Vita through PSN and the PS Store, regularly priced at $15. It's 10 percent off on Steam through October 16 ($13.50). Go get some.
Sony shuts down PSP Comic Store after October 30th, leaves most of us in the lurch for now
PSP Comic Store, we hardly knew ye. No really, we hardly knew ye -- which is probably why Sony is warning PSP owners that its comic book portal is shutting down after October 30th. Come Hallowe'en, we'll lose the option to download the necessary app or buy additional titles. Any currently owned comics will be available to download again until mid-January, but readers will be on their own to preserve existing libraries after that. Outside of Japan, that creates significant problems for literary PlayStation fans: while PS Vita owners in Sony's home country will get a Manga store and reader in October, there's no equivalent crutch for other countries (or any PSP owners) at this stage. The console maker is non-committal and says there's nothing it can discuss "at the moment," which to us is a hint that we shouldn't plan our reading hours around a PSP or PS Vita in the near future. [Thanks, Sooraj]
Sony suspends PlayStation Store for PS3 in Korea, blames new law about selling to minors
Sony has been caught unawares by a legal change in South Korea, which prevents under-18s from being asked for their names or ages for the purpose of account authentication. No sooner had the company announced a half-price sale at its PS Store and then it was forced to pull the whole thing down in order re-work the interface and make it compliant. It's expecting to reopen it sometime "this year," but in the meantime the Store is strangely still accessible to PSP and Vita users of any age, while multiplayer and other PSN functions will continue to run on PS3. There must be a lawyer somewhere for whom this all makes complete sense, and hopefully they work for Facebook.
Foursquare PS Vita app hits US PlayStation Store, gives you another reason to consider 3G
Good news for all you socially connected (and hip) regulars of local retail establishments -- who have PS Vitas, of course. Sony's just announced that the free Foursquare app has officially landed at the PlayStation Store (US), and it can be yours for a paltry 4.5MBs of space on your precious proprietary memory card. The app works over WiFi, however, the fine print advises that users may want to use 3G for the best results to help alongside the Vita's GPS. Notably, the rear touchpad and cameras are listed as being compatible with the app, as well. We've poked around the app for a few minutes, and it does feel peppy compared to what we experienced with Facebook (while it was available, anyway) -- the only oddity that's arisen lies with the map functionality, which opens a Google Maps page within the Vita's browser rather than its Maps app. Now that we can watch Netflix over WiFi, and view our Flickr albums along with Tweeting and "Checking In" between our ModNation racing tours, how's about finally letting us get our Skype on? (P.S. We'd really like Facebook back in the store, too!)
PSP games get ESRB rating for PlayStation certified devices, coming soon to Sony phones and tablets?
It looks like Sony's been reading our daily email missives, bemoaning the state of its PlayStation certified gaming selection. The message appears to be getting through, with several PSP titles getting spotted over at the Entertainment Software Rating Board with PlayStation certification. Ahead of any official fanfare, there's no big hitters here just yet, but titles like Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and Daxter are likely to be more resonant with gamers than the pitiful offering we've seen so far from its PS Store app. Alongside Syphon Filter and Daxter, PS3 port Fl0w and Pinball Heroes were also spotted getting their contents okayed by the ESRB. Unsurprisingly, there's no detail here on release dates or technical requirements -- something that we reckon could be important, given the technical gap between the Xperia Play and the dual-cored innards of Sony's tablets. It's also worth noting that Pinball Heroes is already available on the Tablet P. Sorry Sony, but we'd still trade all of what's been leaked here for a portable version of the original Metal Gear Solid -- without hesitation.
Atari: Daggerdale to miss May 31 PSN launch, game may fall into publishing queue [update]
Atari addressed fans waiting for the PS3 version of Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale today, announcing on Twitter that the game would miss its planned May 31 launch on the platform. The reason stated, however, is far more interesting than the news of a delay -- according to Atari, it "looks like Playstation Network is not gonna be ready for #Daggerdale release on 5/31." Despite an internal memo from Sony stating that the PS Store would be up as early as this past Tuesday (which clearly didn't happen), and statements from the company that "all services" would be restored by the end of May, it seems (at least for this publisher) that the PS Store may remain offline longer than expected. The tweet also says to "Stay tuned for more details today." We've reached out to both Sony and Atari for comment, but had yet to hear back as of publishing. Update: The PlayStation Store's revival might not miss its targeted launch date after all. An Atari representative responded to us, explaining, "Our recent tweet was not intended to speak to Sony's service coming back online or being delayed, but to inform our fans that we expect Daggerdale to be placed in PSN's publishing queue behind other titles that were meant to launch during the service outage and that it might not hit the May 31 date."
PS3 firmware 3.15 to add PSP Mini support, simplified console migration
Didn't the PS3 just get a firmware update? Something about posting all your hard-earned trophies onto your Facebook page? Yes, that sounds right. If you thought that was a big deal, wait 'til you get a load of this: According to the European PlayStation blog, yet another firmware update is imminent. And this one is pretty sweet -- seems that not only will console owners now be able to play PSP Minis, but if you've already bought a Mini for your portable and wish to play it on your PS3, you'll be able to download it to your console for free. Also included in the 3.15 update is a simplified utility for transferring data from one PS3 to another. Pretty great, right? Gamers, be sure to hit the source link for the deets.
Capcom dates promised PSP UMD Legacy titles
Last Friday, a blog entry at Capcom Unity (that was mysteriously pulled) revealed the names and dates for a number of "UMD Legacy" titles for re-release on the PlayStation Store: October 8: Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Dark Tower October 15: Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max October 22: Capcom Puzzle World October 29: Maverick Hunter X November 5: Megaman Powered Up This list completes the lineup of un-UMD'd games promised three months ago (and tosses in Capcom Puzzle World for good measure). While Capcom has neglected to price any of these titles, previously released Legacy games are currently $19.99 each on the PlayStation Store. Unsure of the veracity of the pulled info, we confirmed with Capcom's Chris Kramer, who told us that the "titles are correct and the dates should be fairly accurate," though he did admit that it's "hard to pin down digital release dates almost until they happen." Still unaccounted for? Those PS1 old-timers you've been waiting forever to buy again: Dino Crisis, Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3.
Here's the new EA Sports section of the PS Store
Click image to deke into our gallery Like Capcom before it, EA Sports now has its own dedicated section of the PlayStation Store. It's not changing the game, but simply following the same format as the Capcom section (with custom background and list of wares). Check out some more screens in our gallery below:%Gallery-74440%
Sony announces 'snackable' 100MB Minis for PSN Store
Over in beautiful Cologne, Germany, Sony has just confirmed what we've suspected for months now. Exclusive to the PSN Store, loyal Sony gamers will soon have access to a new segment of titles, ones that'll be available anytime and anywhere that there's an internet connection. The 100MB (or less) selections -- which are being officially called Minis -- are designed to take advantage of the "smaller development cost on the PSP," and if all goes well, we'll see 15 games (such as Tetris, Hero of Sparta, MiniGore and Fieldrunners) launching on October 1st. There's been no mention yet of how expensive these "snackable" apps / games will be, but we're holding Sony to its promise of 50 by the end of 2009.Update: Press release after the break.
Asian PSN releases for the week of 1/26 - 2/1
This past week's Asian PSN update was, to put it simply, a rather delicious surprise. For starters, Square Enix finally decided to shed its apathy towards PSN and shoved both recently revealed Final Fantasy XIII and FFVII: Advent Children Complete trailers onto the PlayStation Store. It'll be nice to watch those two trailers again, especially in full 1080p this time. In addition to those videos, there's also a new (and final) Yakuza 3 trailer as well as a debut trailer for the PSP "new vibe RPG" Yuusha 30. Click the links below to follow-through directly to full update content for either PS3 or PSP, and Japan or Hong Kong/Singapore regions. PS3 - Japan | PSP - Japan | PS3 - HK/Singapore | PSP - HK/Singapore
Underachievement: EA selling 'unlock everything' DLC for Skate 2
It won't instill gamers with the same red-faced anger as EA's fizzled plan to offer for-pay weapons in Battlefield: Bad Company; instead, the newly released "Time is Money Pack" for Skate 2 will simply make those who buy it feel varying degrees of guilt, regret and perhaps even fear. That's because, for 400 ($5) on XBLM or $4.99 on the PlayStation Store, owners of the game can literally pay their way past the effort it would take to unlock everything in the game. The "everything" in question includes "all locations, skaters and gear that can be earned by playing through Skate 2's career and online modes," according to the DLC's description. So, basically, you're paying for access to content that's already in the game. Or, to put it another way, you're paying five bucks for a cheat code. A downloadable code, if you will. Next thing you know, people will be paying for good grades and -- who knows -- even Senate seats. Oh, wait ... [Via X3F]
Join Konami's GTI Club+ today on PSN
Click to enlarge screen, cars Konami has announced today's release of GTI Club+, an HD update on PSN of the little-known arcade racer from 1996. The game is focused on teeny-tiny sports cars (Mini Coopers, Volkswagen Golfs, etc.) racing through a single, open-world French locale and features online play for up to eight players.Developed by Sumo Digital (the UK-based studio behind the home ports of OutRun2), the game boasts such staggering innovations as "utilizing the DualShock 3 wireless controller to create vibrations when cars race over bumps in the road." Ahem. It does make use of the PlayStation Eye camera to snap shots of players at "crucial racing moments," much like the Crash Cam in Burnout Paradise. GTI Club+ will be available today alongside the rest of this evening's new PlayStation Store content for an unspecified price (no, seriously, the press release doesn't mention a price and Konami's PR agency doesn't know) $9.99.%Gallery-42307%
First White Knight Chronicles DLC to hit Jan. 15
Level-5's J-RPG White Knight Chronicles has been out in Japan for little under a month now. While some have perhaps already finished the main story, it doesn't mean that the adventure is over just yet. DLC for WKC will appear on the Japanese PS Store on January 15 (tomorrow) and will add new costumes and a whole new quest for online multiplayer.Those who own the game and plan to download the DLC will find that they'll have to meet certain in-game requirements before triggering the new mission. It'll only appear for those who have a guild rank of 7 or above, and it is recommended that players be at least level 36. We wonder how frequent Level-5 plans to release these packs, as we're certain that there will be more. Also -- since it was not mentioned in the source article -- is Level-5 charging for this content? We'll probably find that out when the update hits the store tomorrow. Anyway, hopefully we'll see this additional content come our way when the game voyages to North America.
Castlevania Chronicles will appear on the PS Store today
As the ESRB predicted, Castlevania Chronicles will make its debut on the US PSN later today. Wired got word that the PlayStation uno remake of the 1993 Sharp X68000 title will come in the form of a PS Store download. The remake features improved graphics, remixed music, level redesigns as well as a rendered introduction and ending. At one point, this rare game would have fetched a rather fabulous price on eBay, but now gamers won't have to pay big bucks to join in on the Dracula hunting fun -- instead, the price of admission will be a recession-friendly $5.99.Way better than Castlevania Judgement, we'll give you that.%Gallery-39688%
PSA: 'Parts' of PSN down for maintenance this morning
The official PlayStation blog is reporting that "parts of the PlayStation Network" will be down this morning for regularly scheduled maintenance. Here at Joystiq HQ, we can't seem to log in to the Store, and some of us are reporting newly found issues connecting to Home, but the friends list and messaging seem to be working just fine. We'll keep an eye on things and let you know when everything's back up and running.
