Hasta La Gadget!

PS Vita‘s latest firmware update – 1.80 – may bring PSOne Classics with it, but it’s also secretly added a new “feature” that’s bound to make some Vita owners angry. PS Vita’s update to 1.80 locks memory cards to one PSN account, meaning that your days of using multiple PSN accounts on PS Vita are over. That is, unless you want to purchase a separate memory card for each of your accounts.

Of course, the problem with that is Sony‘s proprietary memory cards are pretty expensive, with a 4GB card costing around $20 at most places. Most PS Vita owners don’t use multiple PSN accounts on their Vitas, and in fairness, it’s already an ordeal to switch between PSN accounts on the handheld, but here’s the kicker: since Sony didn’t say anything about this lock down when 1.80 was released, a number of those who did use multiple PSN accounts are now locked out of some of their saves. That’s a pretty big problem, and it’s understandable why these gamers would be upset.

There is a way to transfer your saves, however, but it requires that you have multiple cards on hand. Folks on NeoGAF are pointing out that PS Vita owners can transfer their save data from one PSN account onto a PS3 and then move it to another memory card. It’s a hassle, but if you’re someone who frequently switches between regions when playing PS Vita, it’s a lot better than losing access to a portion of your content.

As for this move by Sony, it’s safe to say that it has a lot of gamers upset. Sony hasn’t made a statement on the outrage, and probably won’t, considering this stealth implementation. Sorry to say it, PS Vita gamers, but it looks Sony just took away your ability to switch between the different versions of the PlayStation Network. Were you someone who was using multiple PSN accounts on your PS Vita, or are you not affected by this particularly ugly bullet point of firmware update 1.80?

Latest PS Vita update locks memory cards to one PSN account is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Amazon Publishing is continuing to broaden its distribution channels, as the New York-based imprint has formed a partnership with Ingram Content Group that will make the company’s e-books available to competitors such as Apple, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. As you may be aware, there’s some uneasy tension between the rivals, as Barnes & Noble has previously removed Amazon’s print editions from its retail shelves in response to the company’s former e-book exclusivity in the Kindle Store. It remains unknown whether any of the competitors will indeed choose to sell Amazon’s content in electronic form. It’s also worth pointing out that because deal applies only to Amazon Publishing’s New York-based imprint, the company’s west coast division is excluded from the distribution deal. Regardless of how things shake out, it’s encouraging to see Amazon extend the olive branch — now let’s hope the competition reciprocates.

Amazon Publishing inks deal with Ingram, opens e-book distribution to rivals originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s not hard to see that offering high-quality games through the cloud has its pitfalls, not the least of which is getting customers to pay. Square Enix may have licked that last problem through its new Coreonline web gaming service. Players can still pony up for the full-priced games or even single levels if they want unfettered access, but the cleverness comes through Coreonline’s parking meter approach to ad-supported free play: the more ads you watch and the longer they run, the longer you’ll get to play without spending a single coin. As our colleagues at Joystiq found out, however, the current level of OS support is inconsistent. Windows gamers can use Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer to start playing, but their Mac-owning friends have to lean on Chrome for some games and can’t even consider running the marquee title, Hitman: Blood Money. Square Enix’s library of eligible games will start expanding in October; while there’s no guarantee the Final Fantasy series or many other dream games will make it to the roster, Coreonline’s approach might just be viable enough to spare us a few raids on the bargain bins.

Continue reading Square Enix Coreonline offers top-tier games on the web for free — if you feed the ad meter

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Square Enix Coreonline offers top-tier games on the web for free — if you feed the ad meter originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s almost a holiday weekend which means you should get the hell out of dodge. How about a camping trip? Don’t have the right equipment? This Black Diamond Bombshelter Tent will have you covered. Literally. From the elements. More »

Last we heard, Vimeo was the one being integrated into a couple of Microsoft’s photo and movie-making products, but now it’s the video giant announcing a service integration of its own. Of course, as you can see above, we’re talking about the recently announced Dropbox synthesis — which will allow Vimeo users to upload vid content straight from the cloud locker behemoth, as well as save all original files to their account. Furthermore, Vimeo’s also added new advanced uploading features that essentially allow uploads to be resumed, plus the ability to choose any frame and set it as a thumbnail — a nice addition to those soundtrack tools from earlier this year. You can give these a try yourself now; in the meantime, however, we recommend checking out Vimeo’s fresh feature-touting visuals after the break.

Continue reading Vimeo adds advanced uploading features, custom thumbnails and Dropbox integration

Filed under: Internet, Software

Vimeo adds advanced uploading features, custom thumbnails and Dropbox integration originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 19:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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