Hasta La Gadget!

The PlayStation 4’s new DualShock 4 controller can be charged even while the PlayStation 4 is turned off. The PlayStation 4’s new Eye motion camera has a tilt sensor so it can tell players when its facing the wrong direction or if it’s fallen off your TV stand. The PlayStation 4’s Blu-ray disc drive is three times as fast as the PlayStation 3’s. In case it weren’t clear, Sony’s PlayStation 4 panel at this week’s Game Developers Conference wasn’t chock full of major revelations, but it did provide plenty of interesting little details about the PlayStation 4 and its various hardware companions.

For instance, the console’s “True Name” social functionality isn’t automatic — you have to opt-in to who will see your real name versus your PlayStation Network ID. That is, unless you find a friend through Facebook or another social network where your real name is already your main ID; in that instance, the console defaults to displaying your actual name. That’s not the only change coming to your friends list, either, as the standing 100 friends cap is being raised to an unknown amount.

Additionally, the Gaikai-powered Remote Play functionality between the Vita and PS4 is said to be “much better,” according to Sony senior staff engineer Chris Norden. Not only can it display your PS4 games in the Vita’s native resolution (960×544), but it can be activated at any given time rather than having to be preset. And unlike Remote Play on PS3, with PS4 the game being pushed to the Vita is mirrored on your television screen. None of this stuff is what we’d call red hot, but we’re hungry for PS4 details and this is what Sony’s delivering. Here’s hoping the company’s more forthcoming at E3.

Filed under: Gaming, HD, Sony

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We know playing online multiplayer or being able to shop on your favorite video game console’s marketplace is something we all like to do on a regular basis, but there comes a time in every game console’s life where it just needs to unwind and have some time to itself in order to get itself ready for days, weeks and months of regular service.

Today, Sony’s PSN will be taken down for a good chunk of the day starting at 11:00 a.m. ET to 10:00 p.m. ET for a scheduled maintenance, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be able to enjoy some Black Ops II multiplayer if you were hoping for some post-work shenanigans. Sony says if you’ve connected to the PlayStation Network within the past few days, you shouldn’t experience an outage, that is, unless you do experience an outage, then you’ll be out of luck for the rest of the day like the rest of us.

On days like this, it’s best to think of alternatives, like playing single-player games. If you absolutely need to play some kind of multiplayer game today, might we suggest a good board game?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Mass Effect 3: Citadel DLC Highlighted In New Trailer, Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag Headed For PS4,

With all of the attention Sony is receiving today for its upcoming press event where the world expects them to unveil the PlayStation 4, the company must be on cloud nine. It looks as though they’re apparently feeling very generous too as they have been sending messages to PSN “loyal customers” that include an attachment of a $10 voucher to be used for PlayStation Network purchases.

The letter sent out to loyal customers, myself included, says “Thank you for being a loyal customer and fan of PlayStation Network. As a token of our appreciation, we’ve sent you $10.00 to spend on the PlayStation Store.”

No word has come directly from Sony as to what people they consider “loyal customers” and what part of the world these messages are being sent to, although we have a feeling it’s restricted to North American PSN users. Either way, if you haven’t checked your PSN’s received messages folder, you should do so as soon as you can as the offer expires on March 5th.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Diablo 3 Will Be Arriving On the PS3/PS4, Sony PlayStation 4 Announced,

Sony announced it would start accepting PayPal as a form of payment for its Sony Entertainment Network, or PSN for those of you who, like us, have yet to adopt the name change. The only downside we saw was the inability to add or edit your PayPal information directly through your PlayStation 3 or PS Vita, instead, users would have to go online to edit their PayPal information through the Sony Entertainment Network site.

Adopting PayPal as a payment option wasn’t the only bit of news Sony has prepared for this week as they announced today they have launched an online portal called the Sony Entertainment Network Online Store. In case you couldn’t tell by its mouthful of a name, you’ll now be able to do a bit of that online shopping to queue up downloads on your PS3 or PS Vita.

The online store offers everything you can expect from the PSN store on your PS3 and PS Vita. You’ll be able to browse the store’s games, videos and TV selection, which will certainly help the next time there’s an update and you absolutely don’t want to forget to queue up a demo, game or film.

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A UK government agency has slapped Sony’s wrist with a £250,000 ($400,000) penalty for not doing enough to protect the personal information of its customers. The fine specifically concerns the large-scale PSN hack in April 2011, which the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) says “could have been prevented.” The agency’s head, David Smith, said that the security measures Sony had in place “were simply not good enough.” He added that Sony trades on its technical know-how, and had access to the necessary expertise to protect itself from criminal attacks:

“There’s no disguising that this is a business that should have known better.”

Though the size of the fine might seem piddling for an outfit like Sony, the ICO considers it to be a “substantial” punishment, reflecting the fact that this case is “one of the most serious” that has ever been reported to it. Check out David Smith’s statement and best angry teacher face in the video after the break.

Update: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe emailed us to say that it plans to appeal the decision. The company also agrees with the ICO’s findings that although it was the victim of a focused criminal attack, it was unlikely that personal data accessed was used for “fraudulent purposes”.

Filed under: Gaming, Internet, Sony

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Source: ICO