Hyperkin’s PS3 Remotext Combines QWERTY, Blu-ray Controls and D-Pad

When gamers sit down and I’ve been guilty of this myself, we sometimes tend to surround ourselves with a slew of gadgets to enrich our experience. A Dualshock 3 controller to game with, a bluetooth headset to talk with and a keyboard to chat online with. Sometimes, even that Blu-ray remote will sneak into that pile as well. Now, the folks at Hyperkin are looking to change this experience with the Hyperkin’s Remotext for PS3. This multifunction remote offers gamers two analog nubs with a near-complete set of gaming controls, a QWERTY keypad, and a slide-out Blu-ray remote panel. Though not bluetooth enabled, you will find a USB receiver in the box, as well as a pair of rechargeable AA batteries. We don’t have a price or release date to report but the guys at Hyperkin’s will be officially showcasing the hybrid remote at E3.

As always, hit the jump for the official press release. While there, what do you guys think about the remote? Do you like devices like this or prefer a more individual setup with separate keyboard and remote?

Sony Plans to Restore PSN Services ‘Fully’ by May 31st

Chances are that for those of you who are eager to jump on your PlayStation 3 and play some online games or hang out in PlayStation Home will  be able to do sometime this week. As we reported earlier, Sony is in the final stages of testing out the PSN network. Part of this will also be a new firmware that will be issued to all PS3 owners. Still, if the above does happen, it doesn’t mean that all services will be available.

Shigenori Yoshida, a Tokyo-based spokesman said that by May 31st, the company hopes to have full PSN and Qriocity services restored. At this point, it remains unclear as to what services might not be up and running but speculation can lead to such services as Qriocity, Folding@Home and PlayStation Store thought those remain our own personal guesses. Here is to hoping that Sony can indeed restore some PSN functionality this week but I would rather them take their time and do it right, as opposed to a rushed solution which could harm the company and the millions of users down the line again.

[Via Bloomberg]

A Personal Letter from Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer to PSN and Qriocity Users

As Sony continues to wrap up maintenance on PSN and Qriocity services, Sony President and CEO, Sir Howard Stringer has written an open letter to those who have been affected by this outage. Lets just remember that the real bad buys are the hackers and not Sony shall we?

The letter is after the jump.

Sony Nears Completion of Restoring PSN Services

Sony, via the PlayStation Blog has been feeding users updates on the status of the downed PSN (PlayStation Network) and Qriocity  nearly from the beginning of this saga. Now, the company has some good news to announce for those eager to start playing online and streaming music. Sony and the PlayStation team have entered the “final stages of internal testing of the new system” which will lead to the restoration of PSN and Qriocity services.

Hit the jump for their full statement.

Reminder, Even with PSN Down, Netflix and VUDU Still Work on your PS3

It goes without saying that the last two weeks have been a trying time for PlayStation fans and employees alike who we sometimes we forget are really taking the short end of the stick. Not only is their service down too, but they are getting the brunt of the frustration for an event that is not in their hands to control. I figured this was as good as anytime to point out like the previous article we ran that while PSN is down, your PlayStation 3 still has plenty to offer and entertain you with. Our previous article was mainly pointing out the PS3’s offline functionalities like Blu-ray movies, photos, and single player games. So what about those of you who want some more media via the web? Well I can indeed report that both Netflix and VUDU still function 100% without PSN. Though they will ask you to log into your PSN account, you can actually bypass that and enjoy the full offering from both services as they are not tied to PSN in any shape. All you need is a internet connection like before.

PS3 Deals: SOCOM 4 $47.99, Mortal Kombat $39.99, Portal 2 $34.99

With high schools and colleges starting to finish off their semester, I couldn’t think of a better time for Amazon to offer some great deals on PlayStation 3 games. Grab a title and enjoy or stock up for the normal Summer game drought.

SOCOM 4 – $47.99

Mortal Kombat – $39.99

Portal 2 – $34.99

Sony Drops Price of PS3 + Move Bundle to $349. Saves You $77 (expired)

If you’ve been eyeing yourself a PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Move, the following will be welcome news to you. Sony has dropped $50 off of the PS3 + Move bundle to bring it to $349. The bundle gets you the following:

• 320GB PS3 system
• Dualshock 3 wireless controller
• PlayStation Move motion controller
• PlayStation Eye camera
• Sports Champions game

Have to say, this is not a bad deal at all. Especially if you consider that the PS3 is ($299), Move Motion controller ($49), PlayStation Eye ($39) and Sports Champion ($39) which totals $426.

[Via Sony]

Editorial: What PSN Outage?

If you are a PlayStation 3 user, you might noted that we have now entered the 3rd day of the PSN outage. For those not aware PSN (PlayStation Network) is Sony’s free service which allows users access to the PlayStation Store, PlayStation Home and to play online games. The official reasoning from Sony is:

An external intrusion on our system has affected our PlayStation Network and Qriocity services. In order to conduct a thorough investigation and to verify the smooth and secure operation of our network services going forward, we turned off PlayStation Network & Qriocity services on the evening of Wednesday, April 20th. Providing quality entertainment services to our customers and partners is our utmost priority. We are doing all we can to resolve this situation quickly, and we once again thank you for your patience. We will continue to update you promptly as we have additional information to share.

Now many of you fellow internets people have slowly begun freaking out, pointing out that you cant play games now. Although I get what you’re saying, I actually don’t. You see, the last two weeks, I’ve been working on beating the single player campaign of RUSE and once I’m done with that, I still have Gran Turismo 5, Killzone 3 and LittleBigPlanet 2 to name a few of the games I’ve yet to beat. Outside of those, plenty of games are not only worth repeating like Uncharted 2, but there is still many trophies to be collected as well (which yes, they will sync once PSN is backup). So I don’t know about you but all my single player games have been playing just fine, I was able to last night watch TRON: Legacy on Blu-ray via my PS3 just fine and yea, those music files on my PS3 still play as well. I know, I know, you can’t play your Call of Duty online but come on people, there is still plenty to experience and do on your PS3. It’s not like I’m asking you to go outside. So how about you guys and gals? What are you doing with the lack of PSN?

[Via PlayStation Blog]

Coachella 2011 PlayStation Loft Trailer

Coachella is the Woodstock festival of the 21st century. This three day out door concert which began in 1999 is a festival where music fans can find oldies like Duran Duran, get their rap on with Kanye, explore a tranced feeling with Paul Van Dyk and rock out with Arcade Fire. With 75,000 attendees last year and an expected 100,000 this year, it’s no surprise to see a company like Sony be attracted to a venue where the exact demograph they hope to capture will be there in abundance. During our three day visit, we had a chance to visit the Sony and PlayStation loft and experience why Sony was there and what they had to offer to the crowds, besides a tent with air. The following which was all filmed on a Sony Bloggie Touch, is a small sample trailer for you to see what the PlayStation loft experience was. Over the next several days, we will be putting together a more comprehensive video of both the PlayStation and Sony loft, which were at different locations with different offerings.

Will the PlayStation 3 Receive Google Chrome for its Future Web Browser?

PlayStation 3 users have been a lucky bunch from the beginning, being the only console on the market with a web browser. As it is, the browser is a functional one with full flash support , giving users access to sites like YouTube, Facebook,  IGN, and our very own (can’t help but plug ourselves in as well). From its inception, much like the PlayStation 3, Sony has done much to beef up the browser and make it a smoother and more powerful experience. Still, there is no denying that compared to your computer or even iPhone, the browsing experience is subpar. Especially if you have a laptop or iPad sitting around, there is no question that you will reach for that, over the PS3 web browser.

Now, it looks like things could change for the better for those of you need access to a better web browsing experience from their PS3. It’s really been a well document experience that the folks over at Sony and Google have become cosy over the last year. Sony has thrown its full support behind the Google TV initiative and offers an entire TV lineup based around the idea, and a separate Blu-ray Internet unit as well. Then, there is Sony Ericssons lineup of Android phone with Sony even hoping to reach the status as a top Android handset maker. It only makes sense for Google to give some love back to Sony and help beef up their product offerings and we’re sure that won’t mind the increased market share. Still, these are only hopes and wants and we don’t tend to report on those alone. Instead, the guys over at PS3 Life have discovered that within the recently updated webkit for the PlayStation 3 browser, lies the code from Google Chrome browser.

I’m going through ps3-webkit-support.diff because I’m bored. Looks like we’re getting Chrome Actually, since Geoff’s added a couple of files for ChromeClientPOSIX.

Naturally the full source of His changes are in that. Diff file also. From what I can tell, the only posix platform refers to the PS3 in webkit, It does not show up at all in the mainline source code (Unix versions are under Their Typically widget library like Qt or gtk). There’s a lot of Functions That Are not Implemented, but they’re Mainly Ones That involvement windowing That You Would not expect to be supported on the PS3.

Might this not mean much since I do not see the cool stuff from Chrome theses sources, like bookmark syncing, but it’s a freaking huge project., And only covers what the diff Needed to be changed so it works on the PS3. Might it not just get Chrome branding visible to the user, but I think if he’s calling it chrome client, we can expect good things for the future.

Those looking to see just what’s inside of this webkit can click here and dig a little deeper for themselves. Many times, companies place codes within their SDK that never come to fruition, due to cost or other initiatives taking precedent. However, the idea of a new web browser is too big of a feature for Sony to simply be testing the idea in just a closed environment and with previous rumors on this subject matter, we cant help but think that it’s only a matter time before the PlayStation 3 receives the Chrome web browser.

Do you currently use the PS3’s web browser and if not. how come? Also, what do you think about a beefed up web browsing experience on the PS3? Would you go back to using it if Chrome did indeed come to the PS3?

[Via PS3 Life]

PlayStation Move Goes Linux Multi Gestured, Controls Facebook and More

Though we failed to report on it, in early March, Sony announced a new initiative called Move.me which is an server application that promises to let researchers, hobbyists and others use the Move as a controller for a PC. Currently in closed beta and set to be released into the wild by Summer, Move.me hopes to capture the enthusiast crowd’s imagination by giving them access to PlayStation Move’s source code with little guidance. Instead Sony and PlayStation want users to hack away at the motion based controller till their hearts desire. Now Jacob Pennock is one of the first to report back in with his findings. Using the PlayStation Move, he is able to navigate around in his desktop, navigate through Facebook and create gesture based shortcuts to launch movies, Pandora and more. What’s more impressive is that Jacob only received access to the currently closed SDK last Thursday. It should be noted that Jacob will share is findings with the rest of the closed beta community of Move.me till the program goes out of private beta, in which case he and the rest of the community will be able to publish their codes for the web, and anybody wishing to give it a go will be able to have access to the SDK  from Sony.

“We want to see what innovative applications programmers can create using the PS Move controller, the PS3™ system, the PlayStation®Eye camera, and a PC,” Sony said in its Move.Me site.

For all those interested, some of the key areas that Sony would like you to focus on is:

• Games and tools that support kids’ physical fitness and nutrition
• Kid-friendly programming interfaces for computer/technology classes or individual learning
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation
• Sports physiology or fitness training
• Music and the creative arts

Hit the jump for one more video.

[Via JacobPennock]

Our Site Editor, Allegra, Unboxes LittleBigPlanet 2: Collectors Edition (Video)

I know we were late to the party when it came to getting our hands on LittleBigPlanet 2, but we really wanted the Collector’s Edition and I was under strict orders that I wasn’t allowed to play the new game till our site editor, Allegra, had arrived back in Los Angeles. Because she was able to spend a week here, we finally got the opportunity to not only play LBP2 but also do an unboxing.

PS3 Firmware 3.6 Video Overview with Cloud Game Saving

Sony recently released PlayStation 3 firmware 3.6 which enabled users to set a controller auto-off timing of their choice and more importantly, gave PlayStation Plus users access to save game files to the cloud. In todays video, we go over the features, show you how to use them and answer your questions.

Kevin Butler Helps You Talk Trash, #SHAFT

Sony has released a series of new ads, featuring the now iconic and brand representing, Kevin Butler. This time, KB is here to promote the PlayStation 3 exclusive MLB The Show 2011, and help gamers talk a little trash while playing. Think you have what it takes to SHAFT with the pros?

PlayStation Move Continues to be Sold Out at GameStop

It’s been almost 8 months since the PlayStation Move was introduced to the market and it’s been almost 8 months of sold out inventory. Designed to cater to both the casual and hardcore gamer with titles like Resident Evil 5, Killzone 3 and the upcoming SOCOM 4, the PlayStation Move was an effort on Sony’s part to extend the reach of the PlayStation 3 platform while giving gamers one more way to interact with their content. Having experiencing the sellout first hand as it took my own family over a month to get me two PlayStation Move Controller and Navigation Sticks for Christmas and after 3 weeks of waiting for my PlayStation Move Sharp Shooter, I’m still empty handed, I believe it when GameStop announced today that they are having a hard time keeping these units on the shelves.

“We have struggled to stay in stock on the Sony Move controllers; there’s a tremendous amount of demand for that,” said GameStop’s Tony Bartel. “Provided we can get more into stock, we should see some strong growth there as well.”

[Via IndustryGamers]

Sony Would Like Developers to Consider PlayStation Move and 3D Support

Sony has been on the forefront of cutting edge with the PlayStation 3, creating a device that, unlike previous PlayStation units and other consoles on the market, can be expanded upon and offer new features that even those who bought the PlayStation during its launch can enjoy. Over the last 9 months, the PlayStation 3 has been updated via software to allow for 3D games and movies. Shortly after that, Sony also released the PlayStation Move, which continues to be the most advanced and precise motion sensor gaming attachment on the market. In order to show consumers and other developers the capability of these new technologies, Sony has taken it upon itself to offer these advacements in some of the hottest games of 2010 and 2011. Titles such as Gran Turismo 5, LittleBigPlanet 2, Killzone 3, MotorStorm Apocalypse and the upcoming Uncharted 3, Socom 4 and Infamous 2, will all support native 3D. Current titles on the market such as LittleBigPlanet 2, Killzone 3 and again the upcoming Socom 4 and soon to be released Move Heroes game, featuring some of PlayStation most well known characters, like Jak & Dexter, Ratchet and Clank, and Sly, will support PlayStation Move on top of native 3D.

Now, Sony wants developers outside of the Sony family to leverage these PlayStation 3 features and incorporate them into their games to offer a more unique and rich environment for the players.

“Whenever we come out with new technology, whether it’s Move or 3D, there is always the request that goes out to the [development] teams that says, ‘Hey it would be great if you could implement it.’ We know that adds to the layer of not only the marketing message we have access to but it also adds to the availability of different Sony channels that we can broadcast our message out to,”

Sony has gone on record and states that in no way or shape is it requiring developers to offer these. Instead, it wants them to look at games like Killzone 3 which has been said to be one of the best looking games ever created on the PlayStation 3 which also offers the most native and natural Move experience while still implementing 3D. The point here is that developers can add these features to their game without worrying about tapping out the PlayStation 3 or the need to sacrifice quality.

Hit the jump for a full list of PlayStation Move and 3D-supported games.

Sony Puts Country Before Profits, Cancels MotorStorm Apocalypse for Japan

By now, we have all have seen the countless images and videos on CNN and other places from the recent natural disasters that took place in Japan. With cities destroyed and the country’s spirits and energies going towards their people and the much needed recovery that is taking place as each day passes, it’s nice to see a company set aside its profits and instead focus on the people. In an alternative universe where a 8.9 earthquake and tsunami had not rocked the country of Japan, this week Sony’s PlayStation division would be releasing MotorStorm Apocalypse for the PlayStation 3. This genre-defining racing game has always been centered around all forms of jaw-dropping environments where the player can race, crash and taunt away the opponents in all forms of manors. Prior to this installment, the series had raced into the deserts and tropical landscapes for the game’s backdrop. For MotorStorm Apocalypse, the developers wanted to instead focus on an old abandoned city where the environment itself played like an opponent. With falling buildings and destroyed streets, the game was a spectacle to look at and play through, if you had not recently been exposed to a trauma of the same magnitude. Sony instead believes that the game will hit too close to home and will not be appropriate for the people of Japan and through an email issued out to the press, has stated that the game will be postponed (indefinitely) for Japan. From a capitalistic standpoint, this might not be a good move. After all, millions are/were spent on making this game, let alone localizing it for Japan, but from a humanity standpoint, it’s nice to see a company forgo profits and instead focus on the people.

Sony NGP to Release on November 11th in Europe?

The NGP is a hot tech topic. Announced a little over two months ago, the PSP successor, previously dubbed as the PSP2 and currently codenamed the NGP which is an internal codename and not the products actual name was met with great reactions from all over. The latest handheld from Sony packs some of the most state of the art technology in any device with many components of it not yet released into the market, like a quad core CPU and graphics card. Originally Sony’s Kaz Hirai had indicated that the NGP would launch during the 2011 Holiday season. We now know, thanks to clarification from SCEA Jack Tetton that Sony is looking to launch the NGP in at least one territory in 2011 with others to follow through. Part of this is the limitation in resources which make building large quantities of a unit like this extremely hard.

it’s very difficult to have the quantities to be able to launch on a worldwide basis on the same date” and that “our goal is get at least one territory out by the end of holiday 2011”.

When it comes to product launches, Sony users are no doubt accustomed to Japan, Sony’s home territory to receive a product with Europe and US to follow a few months after. This is especially true in the PlayStation division where all unites, including the PSone, PS2, PS3 and PSP launched in Japan and were eventually followed with a US release date. With such a track record, many assumed that the NGP would fall in line and Japan would receive the product sometime during the 2011 Holiday with Europe and US receiving shipments in the Spring. Now an online leak is pointing towards Europe receiving the honors and being the first territory to receive the NGP. This should partially come to as no surprise as Europe is one of Sony’s strong holds where the company sold over 9 million Sony Ericsson Android devices and the PlayStation 3 has continued to stay ahead of the Xbox 360. Still, this early on, it’s hard to take any leaks seriously as I’m sure final configuration and logistics of the NGP are still being sorted out.

[Via MCVUK]

LG Loses Against Sony. PS3 Shipment Begin to Flow to Europe

Remember the earlier scare that Sony went through where all PS3 shipments were ordered to be halted into Europe, thanks to a Sony vs. LG patent war? Well after the initial judge ruled on LG’s favor, the over all ruling has now come in favor of Sony Electronics. The more then 300,00 PlayStation 3 units that are currently sitting at customs are set to start flowing to inventory channels. Considering how fast this was resolved, we doubt retailers saw much of a dip in their inventory as most companies have 2-3 weeks worth of supplies for any given product. The judge has also ordered LG to pay 130k ($181k) Euros to Sony for costs incurred during the hearing and an additional 200k ($278k) Euros for everyday that shipments of the PS3 are not returned to Sony.

[Via GamersMint]

Official PlayStation App Version 1.05 Goes Live for Many Countries

The official PlayStation App is set to get an update and be bumped to version 1.05 with version 1.1 being already in the works. This new update adds plenty of new countries and languages to the iOS (iPod Touch, iPhone) and Android App. The PlayStation App launched in early January giving users features such as:

• Check out your PlayStation Network trophies and keep up to date with your friends’ games and online status.
• Discover all the latest games, news and hardware for your PlayStation 3, PSP and PlayStation 2.
• Read all the announcements on the European PlayStation.Blog.
• Share your favourite products or news with your friends on Facebook, Twitter or via e-mail.

Hit the jump to see a full detail list of the added countries.

PS3 Firmware 3.6, Brings Cloud Storage, Online Game Saving

When the PSN (PlayStation Network) entered it’s usual scheduled maintenance time, no one would have guessed that Sony was taking down the service to beef up the PS3 offering for PlayStation Plus users and giving them one of the holly grail features that people have been wanting, saving games to the cloud.

When PS3 firmware 3.6 goes live tomorrow, PlayStation Plus users will be able to back up game save data to the cloud. This new feature not only will ensure that your files are saved off location, in case your hard drive were to go south, but users will be able to access these files from any other PS3, simply by logging into their PSN account.

The new online storage feature allows gamers to store up to 150MB of game save data and a maximum of 1000 data files per PSN account.

Saves games to the cloud will happen automatically for PlayStation Plus users and while most games current available will work with this online storage method, all future games are required to have cloud saving compatibility. I’ve been a long time PlayStation Plus users, having written a piece why I  believe every PlayStation 3 user should have PlayStation Plus. Now, I can finally get another PS3. I’ve long wanted a secondary PlayStation 3, leaving the current one in the living room while having a machine in the bedroom as well. But the idea that I cannot continue my career in Gran Turismo 5 or the levels I’ve completed in LittleBigPlanet 2 always held me back and copying saved files back and forth from each machine via a USB drive seemed too tedious and bound for disaster. With Cloud Storage, I’m well on my way towards ordering another PlayStation 3. Press release after the jump.