PSN Conference Points.

I'm only going bring up the most important points here, just to make it quick.

There were only 10 Million CC accounts linked to PSN, and none of the
security data was comprised afterall.

PSN and Qriocity will be back this week (still expecting Wednesday,
May 4th at the earliest), while the PSN Store will be back later in
the month.

A firmware update is required that will force you to change passwords.

All PSN members get a free month of PS+ and Qriocity and a free game.

Stay tuned for more updates as they arrive.

Aussie Gamers, Rejoice.

http://the32bit.com/?p=788

Independent R18+ Rating?

It seems the fight for Austrailian gamers to play whatever they want
has gotten a little messy, as ACT Attorney-General, Simon Corbell has
announced that if the federal government doesn't reach an agreement,
then they will usher in the rating on their own.

The day prior, South Aus' Attorney-General, John Rau had announced
something similar, but with the added action of abolishing the current
MA15+ rating in that territory.

It seems to be getting heated towards the decision making in July as
the six probably feel more presure than ever before.

Original source credit goes to Gamasutra:

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/34400/Australian_Capital_Territory_Considering_Independently_Adopting_R18_Rating.php

PSN Hack Corrections 2.

http://the32bit.com/?p=706

http://the32bit.com/?p=710

http://www.youtube.com/user/PrimetimeBT

PSN Misconseptions 4.

We'still getting as much info as possible, plus an amazing discovery
elsewhere while we've been experiencing Sony's PR goof:

Confirmed: The server that had the CC data was not hacked, it was
infact the server that had all the other info. Names, addresses Etc.

While the PSN situation was going on, other hackers managed to get
into XBOX Live and re-enable all banned XBL accounts. It took MS
personnel over a half-hour to re-ban those accounts.

40 members of the hacker group, Anonymous have been arrested in
suspicion of involvement in the PSN hack.

Sony's stocks have dropped 5% since the shutdown and rebuilding.

Sony needs a better PR team, stat.

Stay tuned as PSN is expected to return by Wednesday, May 4th at the earliest.

PSN Hack Corrections.

http://the32bit.com/?p=643

http://the32bit.com/?p=671

http://www.youtube.com/user/PrimeTimeBT

Even MORE PSN Misconseptions.

Still working to bring you the most detail as possible:

As stated before, ALL PSN info is intact, that includes PSN wallet
funds as well.

Any claims of hackers having CVV info should not be heeded, as that
kind of data is not entered on PSN servers.

Patrick Seybold of Sony confirmed to the NYTimes that no CC data was
ever offered to Sony to purchase back, thus shutting down a good chunk
of rumors.

Out of the 77 Million PSN accounts, a good amount of them aren't even
made on either a PS3 or PSP, but rather a PC, and some of these
accounts are considered "dupe" accounts.

The PR group that should be fired are responsible for Sony's stocks to
drop immensely.

As before, stay tuned as PSN is expected to return by Wednesday, May
4th at the earliest.

More PSN Misconseptions.

We've gotten more corrections in Sony's PR blunder to the PSN debacle:

Patrick Seybold of Sony has confirmed that authorities had advised
against disclosure of details to the public during the forensic
studies as that would've hindered the investigation.

Although CC data was encrypted, other info was not, such as usernames
and passwords.

Sony is currently moving servers to a new location while rebilding the
PSN from the ground up.

Sony is currently pondering methods of compensation for PSN members.

Sony's PR morons should still be fired for causing such a huge media mess.

Once again, stay tuned as PSN is expected back by Wednesday, May 4th
at the earliest.

PSN Hack Misconceptions.

All week, Sony's PR has been bumbling about the whole hacking
situation which has led to sensationalism in news articles about the
whole debacle, but now, more information about the severity of it all
are coming to light:

Credit Card info was encrypted, and no CVV2 data was ever put on the PSN.

All PSN info is intact, including Trophies, Username, Personal Info,
etc., meaning the only thing you will have to reset when PSN is on
again is your Password.

Sony has been working with legal authorities since April 19th, and had
been doing Forensics Tests on the servers for 6 days before announcing
the extent of the damage.

Sony's PR people have been found completely incompetent and should be
terminated for such a horrible mismanagement of informing customers.

Stay tuned to find out more as PSN is expected to come back by
Wednesday, May 4th at the earliest.

StarHawk Leaked.

http://playstation.systemlink.me/2011/04/starhawk-confirmed-first-details-leaked.html

Anonymous Troubles.

http://www.thegameheadz.com/home/addarticles/playstationnetworknews/ta
bid/500/vw/1/itemid/1183/psn-update-40-anonymous-members-in-federal-custody.aspx

Note: This has nothing to do with the 40 arrest warrants and 5 arrests after the wikileaks debacle, this is an update from Anonymous confirming 40 actual arrests in lieu of the PSN attacks.

http://www.platformnation.com/2011/04/27/anonymous-irc-chat-forcibly-closed/

Project Café Release Window.

Satoru Iwata announced today in an investor briefing that the next
Nintendo console would not come out til no earlier than April of 2012,
stating the release of the new platform was along the grounds of the
Wii's possible waning interest, which may or may not prove rumors of
the Wii's retirement correct.

Iwata also stated that they will have not any interest in or focus on
Stereoscopic 3D, perhaps that's only initially at the start of the
console's lifespan. This might not stop 3rd parties from implementing
it in their titles, however, as the machine spec-wise seems more than
capable to produce such advanced effects.

We'll all know more in the coming weeks to E3, so stay tuned.

Original source credit goes to Gamasutra:

http://gamasutra.com/view/news/34272/Iwata_Wii_Successor_Not_Coming_Before_April_2012_Stereoscopic_3D_Not_A_Focus.php

Hacker Gangs.

http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenberg/2011/03/18/ex-anonymous-hackers-plan-to-out-groups-members/

Too Much Confusion...

When it was found out that the PSN had been hacked, and that CC info may had been compromised, too many people were outraged when they should've been scrambling to their CC companies for info.

Sony had since updated and explained that they've been busy with forensics experts to analyze and assess how much damage was done, and even certain online banks are now saying not enough data was compromised to block CC's (though that shouldn't stop you from ever ensuring your safety by taking measures to protect yourself), but people are too upset at the moment, blaming Sony for their incompetence while a smaller group are doing much worse...

There's a small group of people that are not only blasting Sony for the whole ordeal, but at the same time PRAISING the very hackers that POSSIBLY have their account info. It's like their first attack on them and already they have Stockholm Syndrome, it's ridiculous of these people to pat the back of the persons that just STOLE FROM YOU!!! It's ludicrous.

People need to reassess their situations right now, because they should realize that Sony didn't just GIVE these hackers your info, hackers TOOK it, now you have to take action.

This may have changed internet security and online interaction forever...

Told You So...

Today, Sony has officially announced details on PSN being hacked, and
all the rumors are indeed true.

I made a point that was proven today: If you support a hacker that
promises you features and no harm done to you, then you are a
SUCKER!!! It's like trusting a serial killer to not kill you or
trusting a pedophile to not harm your child while he's babysitting.
People should KNOW BETTER!!!

Having been a 2-time ID theft victim myself, I learned the hard way.
I didn't just become homeless for no reason, you know...

Anyways, Sony has posted how you can save yourself from CC data theft
and other stuff, go and protect yourselves while you can, and
REMEMBER: There's NO honor among thieves.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/04/26/update-on-playstation-network-and-qriocity/

If Anyone Owes ME...

For the past four days, we've seen articles pop up saying Sony should
reimburse us gamers, when we should be looking at someone else for
reparations...

Right now, Sony is rebuilding the PSN from the ground up, and that may
take a long time, because if the rumors are true, the very first thing
that those hackers went for in their onslaught... was ALL OF OUR
ACCOUNT INFO!!!

If guys like Anonymous were REALLY helping the people, why go after
our secret info? This just hurts their cause and smears their
reputation even further, as they've changed gaming forever... for the
worse.

If anyone needs to give us reimbursements, it's those that started
this mess in the first place, all in the name of "freedom"... even
though they tried to take away our "freedom of privacy".

Hackers owe us a lot, now... the bills keep racking up.

This PS3 Browser Issue...

You know what happens when people mention the PS3's web browser?
Cringing would be an understatement, as riots could be exploding any
minute now.

That's because not only is the Netfront browser in the console out of
date, but Sony stupidly decided to cap it's RAM access at 40MB,
severely crippling or downright killing off access to sites like
http://www.the32bit.com/ or YouTube.

Sony needs to realise that people really need this browser to work
because physical access to a PC can sometimes be hindered.

At least there ARE people that try to make it better, like Daniel B:

http://danielb.info/ps3/bookmarklet.aspx

And those that make YT on the PS3 work:

http://www.ps3youtube.com/

To these heroes, I thank you so much. KUDOS!!!

My Outlandish PSN Hack Theory.

This, like all the others going around, is entirely speculation. But,
like all the others going around, I hope this makes the most sense...
vanity's a b****. T_T

It all started when Japan was hit with the earthquake that "shook the
world" in a sense, and caused so much damage, even Sony admitted they
took a bad hit:

http://playstationlifestyle.net/2011/04/18/sony-japan-prepping-for-possible-shut-down/

Perhaps this damage extended to SCEI's HQ, where the main PSN servers
are at. This might have been the exploit the hackers have been
waiting for, to hit them hard:

http://n4g.com/news/750207/psn-hackers-attacked-admin-dev-accounts-services-returning-in-a-day-or-two-scee-source-claims/com

Now, due to this attack, SCE has decided to rebuild the PSN security
from the ground up:

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

http://community.eu.playstation.com/t5/PlayStation-Network/PSN-Outage-UPDATE-Sunday-24th-April-2011/m-p/12758774?WT.mc_id=TSO_EN_106

We suffer now..

Anonymous Stike Again...

Congratulations, Anonymous, you have succeeded in angering and
upsetting almost 40 Million people who own a PS3 (or PSP as well, for
that matter...). Your excuses have only made the situation worse for
those whom you have called "collateral damage", as if it's a real
war...

What's worse is that all these claims about controlled restrictions will
now come into fruition because of you. Because of you, new laws will
put more limits than ever before, and because of this, the new enemy
that we, the people, want to face... are YOU!!!

Another thing, I know that people that read this will want to deny me
of my freedoms, which is sad considering these are my opinions and
views as a victim, and should be allowed as much right as any other person.

You guys should actually start helping people after this debacle, or
does this article prove me right about you all along?...

http://e-mpire.com/content/1269-The-Many-Lies-of-Anonymous

Sony's PSP Go Mistakes.

With the coming demise of the PSP Go, people keep assuming that the
price and lack of UMD-to-Digital transfer was what killed the
handheld, but I believe it was more minute and subtle decision flaws
that did it in.

Mistake No. 1 was to debut the device at E3, where there were hardcore
gamers present, leading to mistake No. 2, aiming for the iPOD crowd
but directly addressing said hardcore gamers, who were expecting
something more serious for the PSP line-uo. No. 3 was keeping it in
close ties to the rest of PSP products, especially with the omission
of the ability to transfer UMD games to digital format. The last
mistake was not marketing it enough as a novelty item for casuals,
whom of which it would've been better suited for.

If Sony would've avoided those four mistakes, then this blog post
wouldn't be happening, IMO.

Has SNE Failed?

As of this writing, the PSN is undergoing drastic maintenance
worldwide, is this because Anonymous have struck again, or is
something more internal?...

Ever since PSN switched from SCE Inc. to SNE Inc. (at least in the
U.S., it has...), the quality of connecting to PSN has dropped
drastically, leading up to this current maintenance.

I believe Sony has failed to pick the new hands to leave PSN to that
are capable enough. I believe it's a huge mistake on Sony's part,
that needs to be rectified ASAP!

Poor Oz...

A couple of friends of mine in Australia are still mad about their country's censorship, and rightfully so.  The new Mortal Kombat was banned with the apparent belief that if caught importing the game from other countries, would get you a major fine.  Now, after careful examining of the legal guideline, it has been discovered that you only get fined for selling the imported game on Australian grounds/land.

Although it seems to be safe to import the game, it still doesn't change the incompetence in Australian game rating system, where this game is still banned while a Nintendo Wii game by Ubisoft called We Dare, which contains STRONG sexual content, yet is made for children, is allowed.

My friends won't be satisfied till Mortal Kombat is legalized, and we, as gamers, should keep our fingers crossed for the R18+ rating to be passed, thus allowing all Aussie gamers to experience SO MANY game that they missed out on the outright.

Hollywood Needs to Wake Up! Part 2.

Now, there seems to be a change to the formulaic trends set before, as Mortal Kombat: Legacy seems to be having quite the success, as the creators seem to want to be more honest and outright about taking portions of the games and putting them in more alternate/realistic situations, thus allowing the fans to appreciate the honesty and accepting the series for what it is.

On the other end of the spectrum is obviously what I mentioned earlier with the Uncharted movie. Which still hammers in the point that these false-intentioned individuals that publicly believe the fans to NOT know they want in these kinds of films need to be taken off these projects immediately.

You would think that SONY, of all companies, would be making better judgement calls on such a project, but this just proves the point that better communication between the creators of the gaming I.P. and the film adapters should be MANDATORY!

Rant over...

Hollywood Needs to Wake Up! Part 1.

When David O'Russell called Uncharted 2 a "Real Time Strategy" game that's about "Family", and aural gunshot was was fired at every fan of this franchise of video games... followed by the sky turning black.

Ever since Super Mario Bros., hardcore fans of their favorite gaming I.P.'s have been devastated by the garbage churned out by those wanting to make a quick buck, and the false claims of actually playing these enough to see what details they need. It hurts us--the actual fans, as we really wanted to see our favorite characters and components fully realised on the silver screen.

So far, only the fans themselves have accomplished what seems impossible to Hollywood at the moment, with great non-profit flicks like Metal Gear Solid: Philanthropy and the spectacular 3 minute short, Street Fighter: Legacy, which might get the creators a T.V. deal in the future.

To be continued...

Words Still Hurt???

Apparently, this generation of video gaming adults never learned the old adage: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me", as the word "Fanboy" turns these people inside-out.

Never have I seen such arguments break out on the internet over one person calling another a "Fanboy", whether that person owns a PS3, 360, Wii, PC, any combination, or WHATEVER! I'm talking about people in their 20's, 30's, and EVEN THEIR FOURTIES!!!

I saddens me to see how the pen truly IS mightier than the sword, in such INAPPROPRIATE situations. It's JUST WORDS!!! (gaming related, that is) Just move on and continue with what you prefer, your stances should remain your own, no matter who thinks otherwise.

Dice, You're Next!

After the debacle that was Crytek's claims about the PS3 version of Crysis 2 being superior blowing up in everyone's faces, it has made me think: Why must Third Parties lie about knowing how to handle the PS3? It's always the same rhetoric, about using the PS3 to the max, and in the end, doesn't even look good as Uncharted 1 from 2007.

BF3's Dice is the next developer with such claims as using 4D (Defferred) Rendering and Shading on all the SPE's along with Morphological Anti Aliasing (MLAA) on, basically going the Guerrilla Games/Killzone Route, but can THEY, a Third Party bring that same quality to a PS3 version of a Multi-plat?

Obviously, the PC version is the superior version, but the comparison will be the console versions, and more specifically, the PS3 version. It's about time PS3 owners stop taking in empty promises and start demanding results. It's now up to Dice to stop spraying it, and start bringing it, and that goes for ALL Third Parties in the future.

We're watching you Dice, like a hawk.

My Views on "Project $10"... Part 2.

There are people in the world that need to live and love to play video games, but when you start paying as much for a portion of one game as you would pay for a FULL game elsewhere, then there is a problem that needs to be addressed.

$15 for an online portion of a single video game should be considered a MAJOR NO-NO for our industry, yet here they are, at our local used game shops, looking at us with a dark grin that intimidates us as consumers.

My only solution to this: If we really have to help developers out, then should have to pay NO MORE than $2-$3 tops, that way the developers make money, and we keep ours.

We, the consumers, should not only speak with our wallets, but also our hearts, if we're to keep this industry moving forward. Everyone must communicate together if we're to get things done.

I hope these words are heeded, for the greatest evil to occur is when good men do nothing.

Thanks everyone, this is yewles1, The Homeless Gamer, signing out.

My Views on " Project $10"... Part 1.

As someone who's lost money--enough to be at the complete bottom of the food chain--I know what it feels like to be desperate for funds to live on, but SOMETIMES, I've got to realize I'm not the only one in these shoes...

EA, Sony and other companies have felt that they should stop the bleeding of their finances at the hands the used game market by getting a cut of that revenue, but it has shown to be too steep.

When you buy a game used, and that game has online components, you are needed to pay for a voucher pass to be able to play the online portion. The PROBLEM is that these passes cost as high as F-I-F-T-E-E-N D-O-L-L-A-R-S!!! $15, PLUS TAX DEPENDING WHERE YOU'RE AT!!!

Now I'm all for developers making money so they can create more games, but $15 for a "portion" of a game? That's the price of a full game on PSN, XBL, Steam etc., there ARE other peoples ' mouths to feed, you know...

To be continued...