Hong Kong International Airport installs PS3 game poles, delays more flights

Grrr… It’s not fair, is it? You’d think Hong Kong’s award-winning airport already has enough to keep travelers jolly (there’s free WiFi too), but as the old Chinese proverb goes: “Those who don’t move forward will only go backward.” As of this week, Hong Kong International Airport has 14 free-of-charge PlayStation 3 game poles that are preloaded with Final Fantasy XIII, Avatar, Uncharted 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, etc. Hey Sony, too bad you didn’t start from the top of the “world’s worst airports” list — passengers at London Heathrow would’ve been forever in your debt.

Hong Kong International Airport installs PS3 game poles, delays more flights originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Terminal Gamer  |  sourcePlayStation (Asia) Hong Kong  | Email this | Comments

PS3 finally properly hacked?

PS3 finally properly hacked? In a post titled “Hello hypervisor, I’m geohot,” hacker George Hotz (already known in the iPhone community) has made a strong claim: that he has cracked the PS3. The system has remained (mostly) uncompromised for over three years now, with a few exceptions here and there. But, this one pledges full read/write access to the entire system memory and complete control over the processor — all without a mod chip. Has he really done it, if so how, and what comes next? That all remains to be seen. This exploit supposedly “isn’t really patchable, but [Sony] can make implementations much harder,” meaning he isn’t tipping his hat until he’s ready, because once he does the never-ending firmware update war begins, and as we’ve seen on the PSP, Sony can really knock out those updates.

[Thanks, Deepak]

PS3 finally properly hacked? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 06:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceOn The Playstation 3  | Email this | Comments

Recent PS3 updates prompt more complaints of console failures

Well, we heard a raft of complaints of Blu-ray drive failures and other issues when Sony rolled out the 3.0 and 3.1 firmware updates for the PlayStation 3, and it looks like things may have taken another turn for the worse with the recent 3.10 and 3.15 updates. While it’s a bit early to call things widespread, some forums are once again starting to heat up with reports of various problems that mostly seem to have occurred after the 3.15 update rolled out last month — although some folks also seem to have had trouble with the earlier 3.10 update. As with last time, the issues being reported vary a bit, but the 60GB PS3 seems like it may be the most affected, with one completely unscientific poll on the official PlayStation forums finding that 27 users of the 60GB model had no issues after the 3.15 update, while 35 users had either some “bad” issues or a complete system failure (‘course those with no problems aren’t that likely to be seeking out threads about problems). So, anyone notice that their PS3 isn’t behaving like it should? Let us know in comments.

Recent PS3 updates prompt more complaints of console failures originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePlayStation Forums, Eurogamer  | Email this | Comments

Sony’s PS3 motion controller might be called Arc, or something far less bodacious

Remember that retooled controller that Sony seemed darn well inclined to bring to the masses with its PlayStation 3? Some might say that was the original Arc, but given that just about everyone laughed the design off and forced the company’s hand with the conventional SIXAXIS, there seems to be a distinct possibility that the suits are about to get their revenge. According to “a concrete source speaking under conditions of strict anonymity,” VG247 has it that Sony’s forthcoming PS3 motion controller will be labeled Arc when it hits retail shelves sometime “this year.” If you’ll recall, we knew that the device was called Gem (or was it Sphere?) during its internal production, but this is first time we’ve been notified of a proper name for those “on the outside.” ‘Course, only time (and high-ranking marketers) will tell whether the moniker will stick, but we find ourselves strangely attracted — who knows, maybe we’re just sympathetic.

Sony’s PS3 motion controller might be called Arc, or something far less bodacious originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceVG247  | Email this | Comments

NPD: Wii leads video game industry to ‘biggest sales month ever’

Well, what a difference a couple of months and a holiday season can make. Just after finding that the video game console market shrunk by a fifth in October, NPD is now back with a new report that finds that December was the video game industry’s “biggest sales month ever.” Specifically, the group found that console sales jumped 4% compared to last December, with the Nintendo Wii unsurprisingly leading the way with 3.81 million units moved (up from 2.15 million the previous year). That’s followed by the collective DS offerings at 3.31 million and, somewhat surprisingly, the PlayStation 3, which racked up sales of 1.36 million (its first time cracking the one million mark) compared to the Xbox 360’s 1.31 million. Of course, no one’s expecting sales to stay at quite that lofty level, but NPD says that the spike in December sales might well indicate that 2010 could be a recovery year.

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NPD: Wii leads video game industry to ‘biggest sales month ever’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePC World  | Email this | Comments

Japan gets Torne PS3 DTV DVR adapter in May, all is right with the world

Japan gets Torne PS3 DTV DVR adapter in May, all is right with the world

When the PS3 was announced so many moons ago, one of the major functions that was touted about the thing would be its ability to record and process high-definition video. It’s taken quite some time to get there, with the oft-delayed PlayTV tuner finally hitting Europe in late 2008, though the rest of the world still got left out in the cold. Sony’s finally taking care of its home crew, announcing Torne, a DTV adapter for Japan that will enable recording of television and even video playback while surfing the web. The Torne will ship in March, priced ¥9980 ($110) on its own or ¥42,800 ($465) as part of yet another PS3 bundle. When will we in the US get a little tuner love? Probably never, at this rate.

Japan gets Torne PS3 DTV DVR adapter in May, all is right with the world originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 07:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Japanese  |  sourcePlayStation.com (Japan)  | Email this | Comments

Sony Qriocity on-demand movie service coming February 2010

Say hello to Qriocity, Sony’s first step toward building an Online Service to rival iTunes, Netflix and anything else that makes money by selling you downloadable content. Headed to your nearest XMB in February and getting a dedicated remote control button on Sony’s future TV sets, this service will allow you to stream movies in SD or HD, and Sony Insider reports that with a strong web connection you’ll be able to get a solid 720p output. A large roster of film publishers have been recruited, while Sony promises “hundreds” of films will be available at Qriocity’s launch. Come past the break to scope out the UI.

Continue reading Sony Qriocity on-demand movie service coming February 2010

Sony Qriocity on-demand movie service coming February 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 08:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSony Insider  | Email this | Comments

You Rock Guitar spotted at CES, we shred on video

Surely you remember the You Rock Guitar from earlier this week. How could you forget, right? Well here on the CES show floor, we had the opportunity to rock out (gently, of course) with the lightweight, multitouch Guitar Hero / Rock Band controller — which just so happens to be platform agnostic. It’s got a plethora of settings and buttons, but it can actually double as a semi-legitimate guitar when plugged into an amp. For a music game peripheral, it’s about as real as it gets, though it’s hard to say if you’re better off dropping 180 bones on this instead of a standard controller and a swanky new Squier. Don’t take our word for it, though — jump on past the break and mash play.

Continue reading You Rock Guitar spotted at CES, we shred on video

You Rock Guitar spotted at CES, we shred on video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Michael Jackson ‘This is It’ PS3 bundle makes it a better place for you and me

This is it! And by “it” we, of course, mean corporate synergy, as Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Computer Entertainment Japan reach across the cultural divide to bring America’s late King of Pop to the island of Japan in the form of a bundled Blu-ray and “Special Pack” PlayStation 3 SKU. But this bundle isn’t as off the wall as you may imagine. It won’t heal the world or rock with you, but if MJ fans wanna be startin’ somethin’ with the PS3, you really can’t beat it. Your ¥33,500 nabs you a Blu-ray of last year’s behind-the-scenes cash-in and a 120GB PS3 Slim in a “limited offer” package beginning January 27 – sorry, no choice of black or white. Oof, that last one was bad.

Continue reading Michael Jackson ‘This is It’ PS3 bundle makes it a better place for you and me

Michael Jackson ‘This is It’ PS3 bundle makes it a better place for you and me originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 03:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSCE Japan PR, Impress Watch  | Email this | Comments

N900 turned into PS3 controller courtesy of BlueMaemo emulator

Should you be the sort of person who doesn’t mind fiddling around with alpha level software, you’ll definitely want to know about the BlueMaemo Bluetooth emulator. Available via the Extras-Devel repository on your N900, this app allows the device to mimic other Bluetooth gadgets, such as keyboards, mice, and yes indeedy, gaming controllers. Its developer Valério Domingos humbly points out that the purpose of connecting up to a PS3 is purely for menu navigation and easier text input, though we’ve no doubt a few hardcore Nokia loyalists will try using this in an action game to prove the N900’s superiority. You may follow Valério and his ongoing refinement of the app in the Maemo.org link below, or you can jump past the break to see the full controller layout and an instructional video on how to hook things up — it’s in Italian, but you should be able to grasp what’s going on senza problemi.

[Thanks, shellshock]

Continue reading N900 turned into PS3 controller courtesy of BlueMaemo emulator

N900 turned into PS3 controller courtesy of BlueMaemo emulator originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Maemo Central  |  sourceMaemo Italia  | Email this | Comments