- Australian PSN Restoration Delayed

Australian PSN Restoration DelayedAustralian PSN Restoration Delayed

May 17, 2011| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 8:55 am

The Japanese government has not allowed PlayStation Network to be activated for Japanese gamers yet due to security concerns, and now an expert is advising Australia to follow suit.

Professor Bill Caelli told newspaper The Australian, “Why is it that in the IT industry enterprises certify themselves?” said Caelli, noting that PSN didn’t have the same restrictions, and added that the public has “no way of assessing the assurances given by the owners of the (PSN) system themselves”.

Reportedly, Australian privacy commissioner Timothy Pilgrim has been in contact with Sony, and has not judged yet whether Sony has given them enough information to restore PSN. His investigation will be an ongoing one as well, even after PSN is restored.

When it was discovered user information had been stolen during the PSN breach, the Australian federal government announced plans for a law forcing companies to disclose privacy breaches, although it was unclear when it might come into effect. Privacy minister Brendan O’Connor had stated:

“Sony isn’t alone. We’ve seen serious privacy-related incidents in recent months involving other large companies. All companies that collect customers’ personal information must ensure that the information is safe and secure from misuse.”

We’ll stay on this story as it develops.

PSN Service Restored (Partially)PSN Service Restored (Partially)

May 14, 2011| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 11:09 pm

CNet is reporting that partial service PlayStation Network has been restored, allowing gamers to play online and shop in the PSN Store. Nearly its entire portfolio of online games, game forums and Web sites will go back online but the company will also require players to reset their passwords.

Sony states:

As the result of a criminal cyber-attack on the company’s network, SOE shut down its game services in order for the company to undertake an investigation and incorporate rigorous enhancements to the overall security of the network infrastructure. SOE worked with several outside respected security firms during the course of implementing significant security measures that strengthen safeguards against unauthorized activity and provide customers with greater protection of their personal information.
SOE made enhancements to overall data security as well, including updating and adding advanced security technologies, additional software monitoring, performing new penetration and vulnerability testing, and increased levels of encryption.

“Our main priority is the safety and security of our customers’ personal information,” said Kazuo Hirai, Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation. “We are making consumer data protection a full-time, company-wide commitment, and have applied enhanced security technologies so that our customers can feel protected and confident about playing our games.”

Hirai added, “We are committed to delivering secure and entertaining games for players of all ages and thank each of our players for their patience and support during this difficult time.”

SOE will also be offering its customers a “Welcome Back” program that includes special game content and services to all registered Station Account holders. As part of this program, players will receive 30 days of additional game time plus one day for each day SOE’s services were down.

(more…)

50 Worst Voice Acting Clips Get a Face50 Worst Voice Acting Clips Get a Face

May 13, 2011| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 10:34 am

Some of the worst voice acting in videogame history can be bearable, when someone decides to supply a face for them.

Check out YouTube user HansJamesMusicAOk’s hilarious “face acting” on the sound clips from 50 of the worst voice acting in games.

PSN Outage Causes 200% Rise in PS3 Trade-InsPSN Outage Causes 200% Rise in PS3 Trade-Ins

May 13, 2011| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 12:57 am

The patience of PlayStation 3 owners is wearing thin as retailers are reporting a 200% increase in PlayStation 3 trade-ins, usually for Xbox 360 consoles, as well as sales slumps for PSN points cards and fewer multiplatform game sales for PS3.

“In the first week of downtime we did not really see any major change in sales or trades,” says one source, a store manager at a major UK retailer speaking on condition of anonymity. “However from the second week onwards we have seen an increase of over 200 per cent on PS3 consoles being traded in, split almost 50/50 between those trading for cash and those taking a 360 instead.”

Another UK source has reported that the independent retailer had seen a “massive increase” in the volume of PS3s traded in in recent weeks, and has pegged the biggest trade-in demographic as “the hardcore online shooter crowd”, who are logically the group most likely to defect when their online gaming is wiped.

(more…)

Sony: PSN Matchmaking “In a Few Days”Sony: PSN Matchmaking “In a Few Days”

May 11, 2011| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 9:58 am

While full PlayStation Network service is expected to return by May 31, Eurogamer is reporting that an internal Sony source is promising that online matchmaking will be up “in a few days”.

SCE corporate communications director Patrick Seybold would not confirm this, only stating:

“We’re working to get the network back on as soon as we can.”

An unnamed PlayStation Europe community manager has confirmed that Sony is prioritizing online play, and getting online matchmaking up as soon as possible.

According to a tweet from Musterbuster:

“Once again, 31st May is the date for FULL restoration of PSN services. Restoration is phased. Online gaming will return BEFORE May 31st.”

We’ll keep following the story as it happens. Soon, PS3 gamers will finally be able to hack enemies to pieces with Kratos online in Mortal Kombat.

Blizzard Offering Free Trial of Auction House AppBlizzard Offering Free Trial of Auction House App

May 7, 2011| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 12:00 am

There are many World of Warcraft players who basically play half their game in the auction house. I personally know of a gamer who has made thousands of gold pieces buying and selling there (*cough* Derrick). The only problem these people have is that they only have so many hours in the day to log in to World of Warcraft to run auction house sessions.

Their problems are over (or just beginning, depending on your point of view.)

Blizzard has announced that they’re giving a free trial of their new Auction House app that allows you to check in on Auction Houses remotely from your iOS device. As the ad states, it’ll allow you to “buy, sell, chat – anytime, anywhere”, which is a very scary thought for WoW widows. (Unless, of course, those significant others are also WoW gamers.)

Another app allows remote guild chatting, which is nice when you want to be in contact with your guild 24 hours a day, too.

The app will charge $2.99 a month after the free trial. Check both apps out here.

(Thanks, RPS.)

Expert: Sony Negligent In PSN SecurityExpert: Sony Negligent In PSN Security

May 6, 2011| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 12:22 am

An expert has given testimony to the US House of Representatives Subcomittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade during its commencement on hearings on the “unauthorized intrusion” on Sony’s PlayStation Network and Qrocity service, stating Sony knew that their security software was dated and lacked any sort of firewall against hacking.

Cybersecurity expert Dr. Gene Spafford’s testimony stated that security experts discovered discussions on forums that talked about how the PSN’s security was lacking. The threads revealed that the network was using old versions of the Apache Web server software, which “was unpatched and had no firewall installed.”

Worse, two to three months before the attack, the vulnerability was reported “in an open forum monitored by Sony employees,” but the company took no action to rectify the situation. If the testimony is accurate, Sony could be slapped with a serious criminal negligence charge.

The Sony intrusion alone compromised 100 million accounts both on the PSN and its Qriocity service, according to Spafford. He also cited the total cost of the breach to Sony, credit card companies, and other outfits, at $21 billion. Thieves in credit-card theft forums actually complained that the PSN breach was so great that it was depressing the price of such information by a “factor of five or 10” on the black market.

Spafford didn’t reserve his accusations for Sony, either. He stated that law enforcement is ill-equipped to handle cyberterrorism and cyberthieft. Additionally, most companies are not equipped with enough security measures because “investing in security measures affects the bottom line. They don’t understand the risks involved by not investing in security. … So when they are hit, they pass that cost along to their customers, and to the rest of society.” In other words, a classic case of being penny wise and pound foolish.

Spafford’s proposed solution to future security is to limit the amount of data kept by companies such as Sony and to “age the data” so it expires after a certain time.

C-Span posted the video of the testimony here.

(Thanks, GameSpot.)

Nintendo Slashes Wii to $149.99Nintendo Slashes Wii to $149.99

May 5, 2011| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 12:00 pm

Nintendo has announced that the Wii will receive a price drop from $199.99 to $149.99, in effect on May 15, while a new Wii bundle for $199.99 will feature a colored Wii, Mario Kart Wii and a Wii Wheel accessory of matching color.

Nintendo is also launching its own version of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 bestselling line with its “Select” value line retailing at $19.99 each. The first games to be released under the budget line includes The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing: City Folk, and Mario Super Sluggers.

The PSN FiascoThe PSN Fiasco

April 30, 2011| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 7:57 pm

It’s now the US government’s turn to question Sony about its online security, which follows the UK government’s scrutiny into the company’s affairs.

In a letter addressed to PlayStation executive deputy Kaz Hirai, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade has prepared a list of questions related to the intrusion; the list can be downloaded from the New York Times here. The letter asks several questions that Sony has not disclosed to the public, such as:

How many PSN users had a credit card on file
Why Sony cannot determine if credit card was stolen.
What are Sony’s plans towards increasing its security in the future.

The Subcommittee’s press release states:

“Given the amount and nature of personal information known to have been taken, the potential harm that could be caused if credit card information was also taken would be quite significant. The Subcommittee on Manufacturing, and Trade has a longstanding interest in consumer privacy, identity theft, and industry efforts to address threats posed by unauthorized access to consumers’ personal information resulting from a data breach.”

The Subcommittee is requiring a reply by no later than May 6, as part of a privacy driven effort “to protect consumer information.”

Meanwhile, Kaz Hirai will be holding a press conference tomorrow from Sony Japan, to address the PlayStation Network hacking crisis.

(more…)

Wii HD Image Surfaces?Wii HD Image Surfaces?

April 22, 2011| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 4:06 pm

Gamertag has posted what they claim is a flyer sent to developers advertising the “Project Cafe” (the alleged placeholder name for the next-gen Nintendo console) SDK, with some interesting claims:

Project Café is simply the most developed friendly SDK the industry has ever seen. Deliver unparalleled next generation performance at current generation cos…it doesn’t get any easier than this.

Easy portability from PC, Xbox 360.

Anytime live update past release.

Integrated M-Live framework.

Let us know if you think this is real, and if so, what you think about the console.