Sony

PS3 Firmware 2.52 Released

Surprise! A new PlayStation 3 firmware has appeared on Network Update. According to the supplied changelog, the update improves on playback quality with certain PS3 titles and patches up an issue that occurred while using the on-screen keyboard, USB keyboard or Bluetooth keyboard in select titles. Nothing too exciting by our standards, but hey, fixes are always welcome.

Insomniac Games Studio Tour Kicks Off November 7

Live in the state of California? You’re in luck, as Insomniac Games is hosting a community day on November 7, inviting fans of ages 17 or older to tour its Los Angeles-based studio. Among other fun activities, you’ll have the opportunity to engage in competitive multiplayer sessions against the development team, as well as participate in a panel discussion regarding […]

PlayStation Store for PC Reopens, Media Manager 3.0 Software Released

With the long-awaited addition of a built-in native PSP Store in firmware 5.00, the PC-based PlayStation Store was temporarily shut down for renovation. We’re pleased to report that it is now back, complete with an interface uniform in style to the PS3 and PSP store. Browsing the revamped PC store now requires installation of the freely available Media Manager 3.0 […]

Update: LittleBigPlanet Servers Temporarily Taken Offline, Now Back

Update: The LittleBigPlanet servers are now up and running once again. Having trouble connecting to LittleBigPlanet? Rest assured, it’s not your internet connection, as the servers for the just-released title have been taken offline. According to a Media Molecule staffer, some folks were experiencing “glitching issues” online following the grand opening of LittleBigPlanet yesterday, which prompted the decision to shut […]

SCEI: Ad-hoc Party for PSP Delayed

Previously scheduled to roll out on October 30, Sony’s ad-hoc party service for the PSP has been delayed. The service allows owners of both a WiFi-capable PS3 and PSP to take specific ad-hoc only titles online — such as Monster Hunter 2nd G and Phantasy Star Portable. The delay was purely down to development reasons, according to the announcement made […]

Sony Scraps Plans To Release 4GB PSP-3000 Bundle

Over the past weekend, reports emerged that Amazon was axing pre-orders for the second PSP-3000 Entertainment Pack, which included a 4GB Memory Stick, along with a voucher code for the upcoming PSP port Everyday Shooter. This further led folks to speculate that Sony was issuing a recall on 3000 units, presumably to the supposed screen issue — which, as we […]

Video Capture Functionality May Be Coming To PSP

If you keep tabs on the latest firmware development efforts, then you may recall that Sony added an API-level control in a previous system software update to give developers the option of implementing video capture in PS3 titles. This same feature could be making its way to our beloved handheld in the future, as according to an Impress Watch interview […]

PSP Firmware 5.00 Musings, Hackers vs Sony

If the disappointment of 4.00 wasn’t enough for you, Sony has released their new firmware update 5.00. And surprise, surprise, it lacks any useful features for the older revisions of the PSP. However, some light has been shone on from the PSP-3000 with it sporting a newer, brighter, and glare-resistant screen. For those in the homebrew community, a new firmware […]

LittleBigPlanet Servers Are Up

Hooray! For all those who managed to snag a copy of LittleBigPlanet early, you’ll be pleased to know that the game’s online servers have been officially turned on. That means all promised online features, such as the ability to share user-created levels with friends, are now accessible. Numerous retailers in North America are receiving their shipments today, so be sure […]

PSP-3000 Review

With the introduction of the PSP nearly four years ago, Sony made its debut in the handheld gaming market with a bang: offering gamers, for the first time, PS2 quality graphics on a portable at an affordable price. The handheld quickly garnered mainstream appeal with its secondary function as a portable media device, able to playback a variety of music […]

PSN Game Approval Process Goes Global

Significant changes may be coming to PSN in the near future, particularly in the way games are currently released on the store. For approval on a worldwide release, titles previously had to be submitted to each local market — North America, Japan, and Europe. Now, according to a GameDaily piece on game development, Sony is globalizing this process, allowing publishers […]

Sony Ups PSP Sales Targets

Late last May, Sony set its fiscal 2008 worldwide sales target for PSP hardware at 15 million. In light of increased momentum in Japan, the company has since revised that forecast. Sony is now projecting an upwards of 16 million in total unit sales for the duration of this year’s fiscal period, which ends in March 2009. With an influx […]

PixelJunk Monsters Patch Detailed: Trophies, YouTube Recording

The long-awaited patch for PixelJunk Monsters and PixelJunk Monsters: Encore is due out in North America and European territories next week on October 30. It will extend the experience of both titles with the inclusion of PlayStation Trophies, YouTube video recording, custom soundtrack support, and new levels of difficulty (Casual and Hardcore mode). Additionally, minor and much-requested gameplay balance adjustments […]

Harrison: Sony Took The Right Decision In Delaying LittleBigPlanet

Former Sony now Atari exec Phil Harrison has been a staunch supporter of LittleBigPlanet ever since the early days of development. What are his thoughts on the recent delay due to religious Qur’an references? Sure, the setback has indeed agitated avid gamers, but Harrison believes that Sony took “absolutely the right decision.” So I think Sony took absolutely the right […]

Update: PSP Firmware 5.01 Out Now

Update: Firmware 5.01 for PSP is now available through Network Update. As usual, we have included a download link below for those who wish to install the update manually. Sony PlayStation Network director Eric Lempel has announced that PSP firmware 5.01 is due out for release shortly. As indicated by the version increment, this will be a minor update, addressing […]

Sony: PSP-3000 Interlacing-Like Scanlines Normal, No Plans To Fix

We broke word late last week that a number of PSP-3000 owners were noticing interlacing-like scanlines on the handheld’s enhanced screen. Now, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has responded to these reports and concerns over screen quality, noting that the “issue” folks are experiencing here is normal. The full statement can be found below: PSP-3000 has a new LCD device with […]

PSP-3000 Shifts Over 140K Units In Japan

The newly released PSP-3000 has already made its mark on Japan, shifting nearly 141,270 units in a total of four days, according to the latest Famitsu figures. By comparison, sales of the previous PSP-2000 model reached the 250K milestone in three days. All in all — not too shabby for a minimal redesign effort, which includes a questionably better screen. […]

OPM: Sony Considering Trophy Reward System

Your PlayStation Trophies may be worth more than just good ol’ fashioned bragging rights in the near feature, as Sony is reportedly pondering over the idea of launching a rewards system attached to trophies, according to the latest issue of OPM: We’ve heard that SCEA is mulling over some sort of Trophy reward system. We doubt it’ll be cash (or […]

Capcom Themed PSN Store Launching In November

Speaking in a recent interview with Edge Online, Capcom product manager John Diamonon revealed that a Capcom themed PSN store will open up in November. The store will sport the same basic layout as Sony’s, but with Capcom-specific assets and titles. Out of all of the third-party companies making use of the digital space, [Sony] recognizes Capcom is one of […]

LittleBigPlanet Begins Shipping October 27

Earlier this morning, word trickled out that references to the Islamic Qu’ran were found in the soundtrack for LittleBigPlanet. Since the topic of region is such a sensitive issue, Sony’s European branch issued a swift response, announcing that all copies currently at retail would be recalled and a new batch of game discs, with the offending material removed, would be […]