PS3 news

[KnightWing]

All in all, I don't access the features of the PSN enough to really need all that. But it's nice that the option's there for people who want it.

I might buy a year's subscription just once, if I somehow inexplicably find myself with an extra $50 that I don't know what to do with. (which is highly unlikely)

[JackFetch]

It's useless as long as you can still play games online for free. The same people that pay for Qore will get it, but nobody else.

[KnightWing]

It's useless as long as you can still play games online for free. The same people that pay for Qore will get it, but nobody else.

Well, the stuff with the PSN games is nice. I mean, free games? Sweet. Discounts of PSN games? Sweet.

But yeah, for people like me who rarely play PSN games, I'll probably skip it.

[JackFetch]

You lose the games if you cancel the service so they aren't really free.

[SuaveStar]

You lose the games if you cancel the service so they aren't really free.

That's a bit shit. When I finally can afford a PS3, I'll go for the free service then.

[KnightWing]

No... you don't lose all the games. You get some of the little ones permanently. You do lose the bigger ones, though.

[MaxPower]

Do many people download and play PSN games? I gave it a go a week ago and 90% of them just seem to be demos of full games, mostly scaled down to the point where the 500MB+ download almost pissed you off. I was all set to download the Super Street Fighter II Turbo game but it was $22 bucks here in Oz, which I just thought was a bit too much.

What's other peoples experiences been like?

[KnightWing]

I basically just stick to the PSN games that get good reviews, and ignore the rest. Scott Pilgrim is my latest favorite.

^The same applies for the Xbox Live Arcade.^

[MaxPower]

Anyone cleaned their PS3 themselves or have you sent it away? I think the dust is finally starting to cause some issues with overheating.

[KnightWing]

Which model do you have? The older one or the newer one? I have the new one, and I've never had any issues.

[JackFetch]

The following titles are now PS3 Greatest Hits, priced at $29.99 USD.

* God of War III

* Heavy Rain

* ModNation Racers

* UFC Undisputed 2010

* Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - Game of the Year Edition

You now have no excuse for not playing these games.

[Guest]

I'm currently using the "system still costs a ton" excuse.

[JackFetch]

I'm currently using the "system still costs a ton" excuse.

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I thought for some reason Sony would be up to date with their pricing to match everyone else, but they still sell it like it's two different devices.

It does everything......so we charge you appropriately

[Guest]

This'll probably be the year I break down and get a used one. I've been wanting to play MGS4 for almost four years now.

[JackFetch]

This'll probably be the year I break down and get a used one. I've been wanting to play MGS4 for almost four years now.

Make sure you get a slim one. The old ones get laser issues like mine did.

[SuaveStar]

The following titles are now PS3 Greatest Hits, priced at $29.99 USD.

* God of War III

* Heavy Rain

* ModNation Racers

* UFC Undisputed 2010

* Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - Game of the Year Edition

You now have no excuse for not playing these games.

I just bought the console, and postal rent my games, and found GO3 dull.

[MaxPower]

Are there any PS3 exclusives coming out this year that people rate as must plays?

[KnightWing]

Uncharted 3, for one.

[Guest]

Ico/Shadow HD Collection

Last Guardian

Journey

Those alone are guaranteeing that I get a PS3 this year.

[MaxPower]

Forgot about Uncharted 3. Lock that one in for me.

[JackFetch]

Sony's Playstation Network was brought down by hackers. Good thing their service is (mostly)free or they'd be in some deep shit. Can you imagine if Xbox Live went down for 3 days?

[JackFetch]

We sincerely regret that PlayStation Network and Qriocity services have been suspended, and we are working around the clock to bring them both back online. Our efforts to resolve this matter involve re-building our system to further strengthen our network infrastructure. Though this task is time-consuming, we decided it was worth the time necessary to provide the system with additional security.

We thank you for your patience to date and ask for a little more while we move towards completion of this project. We will continue to give you updates as they become available.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/04/23/latest-update-for-psnqriocity-services/

It's so flawed that they have to rebuild the entire service. That's not good. I can't wait to hear what really caused it.

[JackFetch]

Some speculate that piracy is the reason for it going down. There was a way to get on the dev network and give a fake credit card to download games.

http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/gx6o4/im_a_moderator_over_at_psxscenecom_the_real/

[JackFetch]

Six days after a security breach of its PlayStation Network, Sony said Tuesday that the incursion was much worse than expected and hackers had obtained personal information on 70 million subscribers.

The company, in a blog entry posted Tuesday afternoon, added it is still unsure if the intruder also obtained credit card data for members who have that on file with the service, which provides online functionality for the PlayStation 3.

"Although we are still investigating the details of this incident, we believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state, zip), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login, and handle/PSN online ID," wrote Patrick Seybold, senior director of corporate communications for Sony Computer Entertainment America. "It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address … and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained. … While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, we cannot rule out the possibility."

Sony says the attack has led it to begin rebuilding the system. It expects to restore some services within a week.

The company is urging subscribers to be on alert for identity theft attempts as well as email, telephone and postal scams. (Users can contact the three major U.S. credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — and have their accounts put in "high alert" status for no charge.) It is also advising them to change their password when service is ultimately restored.

Analysts say they don't believe investors will punish the company substantially, given that this was an external attack and not the result of an internal error.

"Any time you have a break of fidelity like that, it's an issue," said Mike Hickey of Janco Partners. "It's pretty clear that someone has taken an illegal action to make a point. So do I hold Sony to blame for that? No. But should Sony have better security to protect their subscribers personal information? Probably."

So far, no hacker group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The rogue group known as Anonymous, which has famously launched attacks on both Gene Simmons and Hustler Magazine, was initially suspected, after it vowed in early April to target Sony after the company's legal action against a hacker who dismantled the PS3's security.

The group managed to disrupt the service with a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack earlier this month. (Anonymous attackers, using software known as “Low Orbit Ion Cannons,” repeatedly pinged the company's servers. When done simultaneously by enough users, this can bring the site down — usually quickly and without warning.)

However, Anonymous denies responsibility for this incident, saying on its site, "While it could be the case that other Anons have acted by themselves, AnonOps was not related to this incident and does not take responsibility for whatever has happened."

While consumers impacted by the hack are Sony's first priority, the continued outage of the PlayStation Network is also impacting its developer partners (both internal and external).

The company released "SOCOM 4," a multiplayer focused action game that is traditionally one of its biggest franchises, last week. Additionally, the eagerly anticipated "Portal 2," which comes with a co-operative mode, also hit store shelves last week — with an integration of Valve's Steam online service into the PlayStation Network being touted as one of the chief reasons to opt for the PS3 version of the game, rather than the Xbox 360 version.

The company has reportedly vowed to help some of the game makers who are seeing their revenues dry up.

"Sony will be helping us retain key focus (PSN store promotion) for a few extra weeks as they understand how something like this can affect a small dev studio like ours," said Paddy Murphy, CEO of Open Emotion told IGN.

The outage and data breach could give Microsoft [MSFT 26.19 0.58 (+2.26%) ] an advantage in the online gaming space, as its Xbox Live service has never suffered such a compromise. Unlike Microsoft, which requires a $60 annual subscription fee for access to most features of its Xbox Live service, Sony does not charge most users for access to the PlayStation Network. (A PlayStation Plus program is available, giving early access to demos, priority invitations to game beta tests and discounts on products in its online store.)

http://www.cnbc.com/id/42769019

[MaxPower]

First reported credit card fraud from the hack has come through. Could be one of the biggest PR disasters for a very long time. Not sure how Sony is going to be able to rebuild the good will. I've had a friend have their identity stolen and it's not a pleasant experience at all. If it happens to anyone as a result of this, get ready for a lot of vitriol headed Sony's way.