LittleBigPlanet
Infamous*
Wipeout HD/Fury
Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty
Dead Nation*
Archive for May, 2011
“Dear PlayStation®Network user:
As you may have heard, PlayStation®Network was suspended worldwide on 20 April 2011 following a criminal cyber attack on our servers. We’re pleased to say that we have now started restoring some PlayStation Network services. Over the coming days, more services will be back up and running and you should keep an eye on eu.playstation.com/psnlatest and PlayStation.Blog at blog.eu.playstation.com for the very latest developments.
Before you start using PlayStation Network again…
In restoring PSN, we have introduced a safety measure which means you will need to update your PlayStation Network account password before you can start using PSN again.
If you’ve got a Playstation®3, you can do this by updating to system software version 3.61 and then signing in to PlayStation Network from the XMB (XrossMediaBar) Menu. Find out more at eu.playstation.com/ps3psn. Otherwise, you can change your password by visiting https://store.playstation.com/login.gvm on your PC. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes and if you’d lke more help you can follow the step by step guide at eu.playstation.com/psppsn.
Free games on us…
To thank you for your patience whilst PSN has been unavailable, we’ll be rolling out a Welcome Back programme for all PSN users shortly; this will include free games to download and a month’s free subsciption to PlayStation®Plus (or a free month for existing members). Once available, we’ll publish a full list of Welcome Back offers in your country at eu.playstation.com/welcomeback.
Again, we would like to thank you for your patience and support whilst our teams worldwide work to get PSN back up and running. Remember, for the very latest updates, you should visit eu.playstation.com/psnlatest, PlayStation.Blog at blog.eu.playstation.com and follow us on twitter.com/PlayStationEU.
We look forward to seeing you online soon,
The PlayStation Network team”
Taken from news.bbc.co.uk – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13309581
Sony to compensate as Anonymous denies involvement
More than a million users have been affected by the security breachContinue reading the main story
Related Stories
Online vigilante group Anonymous has denied being behind an attack that led to the theft of personal data from more than 100 million PlayStation users.
“Let’s be clear, we are legion, but it wasn’t us. You are incompetent Sony,” Anonymous wrote on its blog.
Sony CEO has apologised for the situation and offered those affected potential compensation.
Earlier this week, the company sent a letter to the US Congress accusing the group of being involved in the attack.
But Anonymous says it has been framed by online thieves to throw law enforcement off track.
In a recent letter to the members of the House Commerce Committee, involved in an inquiry into the breach, Sony blamed the internet vigilantes for indirectly allowing the hack to happen.
“Sony has been the victim of a very carefully planned, very professional, highly sophisticated criminal cyber attack,” said the letter, signed by Sony America boss Kazuo Hirai.
Mr Hirai added that Sony found a file planted on its network labelled “Anonymous” and bearing the group’s slogan, “We are legion”.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
Whoever broke into Sony’s servers… clearly wanted Anonymous to be blamed for the most significant digital theft in history”
Anonymous’ statement
But the group, which made headlines in December 2010 after it used software freely available over the internet to temporarily bring down the sites of MasterCard and Visa, states that its members are not credit card thieves.
“Whoever broke into Sony’s servers to steal the credit card info and left a document blaming Anonymous clearly wanted Anonymous to be blamed for the most significant digital theft in history,” the group’s statement reads.
According to Sony, the group targeted the company and facilitated the hacking in retaliation for the electronics giant bringing a hacker to court in San Francisco.
Also, Sony says, the massive data theft coincided with the electronics giant fighting a denial-of-service attack (DDoS) from Anonymous.
Kazuo Hirai, Sony America boss, said the company found a file on its network labelled “Anonymous”Denial-of-service attacks take servers down by overwhelming them with traffic.
But Anonymous denies all responsibility for allowing access to online gamers’ data that possibly includes credit card information of millions of people.
“No one who is actually associated with our movement would do something that would prompt a massive law enforcement response,” the statement reads.
“On the other hand, a group of standard online thieves would have every reason to frame Anonymous in order to put law enforcement off the track.”
Apologies and compensation
Meanwhile, Sony’s CEO Sir Howard Stringer has apologised for the first time to all those affected by the security breach.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
To date, there is no confirmed evidence any credit card or personal information has been misused”
Sir Howard Stringer Sony’s CEO
In a blog post on the PlayStation website, he wrote the company was working on heightening security measures to “protect your information better than ever”.
He also offered compensation to US PlayStation Network and Qriocity users – a year-long free enrolment in an identity protection programme.
The programme includes a $1m identity theft insurance policy for each user, should they become victims of any future cyber-attacks.
In a bid to reassure Sony’s costumers and regain their trust, Mr Stringer added that “to date, there is no confirmed evidence any credit card or personal information has been misused, and we continue to monitor the situation closely.”
Many PlayStation Network users have been upset about the company taking two days after discovering the theft before contacting law enforcement and almost a week to inform the people affected by the breach, after it was first discovered on 20 April.
Targeting Viacom
Anonymous has issued a warning to ViacomAfter publishing its statement regarding Sony, Anonymous also issued a warning to entertainment giant Viacom.
The group said that because of Viacom, “thousands of people have undergone the unfortunate experience of receiving falsely-claimed copyright infringements”.
Viacom is known for taking action for removing content from the web-video sharing site YouTube and later suing the site in a high-profile copyright infringement case.
“Anonymous demands from Viacom a public press release to admit and apologise for the fraud and crimes that they have committed,” the group wrote.
“Anonymous also demands that Viacom allows everyone thoughout the internet full rights to be able to express themselves.
“Lastly, we, the citizens of the world, demand that Viacom stops their attempts to gather personally identifying information such as IPs, which are of no relevance to them.”
____________________________________
Although how this will go to helping the UK based customer, it is currently unknown.
Late 2009: George Hotz, a hacker also known as “geohot” online, announces his intention to “jailbreak” the PlayStation 3. He aims to circumvent copyright controls to allow the console to run unauthorised software.
March 2010: Sony angers some PlayStation 3 owners by removing an option on the PlayStation 3 to install another operating system. The move gives the quest to jailbreak the console greater impetus.
2 January 2011: George Hotz publishes codes online that allow any PlayStation 3 owner to jailbreak their machine.
11 January: Sony sues George Hotz and asks for a restraining order to stop him distributing his jailbreaking software to more PlayStation owners. It claims he has “enable[d] use or playing of illegal copies of PlayStation 3 video games on the PS3 system”.
14 January: George Hotz denies his work supports piracy, saying: “I made a specific effort while I was working on this to try and enable home-brewing without enabling things I don’t support, like piracy.”
2 April: Anonymous, the online activist collective, begins Operation: Sony, a series of denial of service attacks on Sony websites that it says are in defence of free speech.
11 April: Sony announces the case has been settled out of court and that George Hotz has agreed to take down his website.
13 April: Anonymous says it will intensify its attacks and calls for a day of protest on 16 April. “In the eyes of the law, the case is closed, for Anonymous it is just beginning… prepare for the biggest attack you have ever witnessed, Anonymous style,” it says in a video message.
16 April: Hackers break in to Sony Online Entertainment, the firms PC gaming service and steal 25 million users’ personal details. Around 23,400 European users’ credit card or direct debit details may also have been taken.
17 April: Hackers break in to the PlayStation Network and steal 77 million users’ personal details.
19 April: Sony detects the PlayStation Network breach.
20 April: Sony shuts down the PlayStation Network, publicly citing technical problems.
26 April: Sony publicly discloses the PlayStation Network breach and says it has called in the FBI.
1 May: Investigators discover the breach of Sony Online Entertainment and Sony shuts it down. Separately, Japanese Sony executives bow in apology for the PlayStation Network breach.
2 May: Sony publicly discloses the Sony Online Entertainment breach.
4 May: Kazuo Hirai, Sony’s chairman, tells a US Congressional committee that the hackers left a calling card implicating Anonymous. Investigators found a file named “Anonymous” with the motto “We are Legion. He also says the collectives denial of service attacks made it easier for the hackers to breach security.
“Security teams were working very hard to defend against denial of service attacks, and that may have made it more difficult to detect this intrusion quickly – all perhaps by design,” Mr Hirai says.
4 May: A press release purporting to come from Anonymous denies credit card theft but does not directly deny hacking Sony’s systems or stealing personal data.
“We are trying to fight criminal activities by corporations and governments, not steal credit cards,” it says.
A great price for this game.
http://www.shopto.net/PS3/VIDEO GAMES/PS3KI04-Killzone 3.htm
It is currently £25.95 on Amazon at the moment Killzone 3 – Move Compatible (PS3)
Killzone 3 brings you back into the action where Killzone 2 left off, with Visari, the vicious Helghast dictator, lying dead at the feet of Special Forces soldiers Sev and Rico. The battle may have been won but the war is far from over. Visaris death has left behind a world of political scheming, infighting and outright murder. Meanwhile his parting gift, a nuclear bomb detonated in Phyruss, the Helghan Capital, has decimated the ISA invasion force. With no re-enforcements and supplies quickly running out, you must now fight against ruthless Helghast war machine alone.
Huge environments throughout the game, including nuclear wastelands, alien jungles, and arctic vistas. Levels are up to 10 times the size of those in Killzone 2
Fully enhanced game engine, with new optimized data streaming systems that will load texture and music content seamlesslyNew brutal melee system with a number of varied attacks
Control an arsenal of advanced weaponry, such as the Wasp missile launcher, in addition to trusty classics like the M82-G assault rifle
Face off against new breeds of fearsome Helghast enemies that wield a variety of new weapons and abilities
Vehicle gameplay is greatly increased, with players able to do battle from Intruders, using jet packs, and accessing a number of land-based vehicle options
Killzone 3 will support full stereoscopic 3D gameplay compatibility
Overall improved accessibility including better controls as well as much more varied Artificial Intelligence
Yesterday I picked up DJ Hero 2 which came with a free copy of DJ Hero. This is my review of the first DJ Hero game.
After breaking out the deck from the box I realised the game was a lot more involved than I thought it would. I didn’t realise that the fader would be used OR that the turntable actually rotates.
I managed the first couple of ‘levels’ which had me mixing some great tunes together. I don’t have the skills that I had on Guitar Heros III Warriors of Rock so I’m not getting the 5 stars I managed on the early levels of that game. But I am enjoying the mixing and the tracks.
A downside to the game is that it just doesn’t feel as involved as the Guitar Hero game. Whether this is because being a DJ just doesn’t feel the same as being a ROCK guitarist. I think that as a two-player ‘battle’ type game it would probably be more involved and enjoyable, where-as I played through the GH3 game from start to finish and enjoyed every bit of it.
The Controller/Turntable feels well made and has a small ‘playstation’ basic controller hidden under a flap. This helps to go through the menus/options of the game but you can use the scratch buttons and crossfader to also navigate. In your hand the turntable feels just a little too loose so during scratches the buttons can sometimes get away from your fingers – It may just be my stupid skillz letting me down.
Like GH3, the controller connects wirelessly via a USB dongle. I still don’t know why Sony don’t release the Bluetooth details to allow all these periferals to work via Bluetooth. I have recently bought a stand which adds 3 extra USB sockets but I still have lots of stuff plugged in – USB Hard drive, PSEye Camera, Charging Station for Controllers,etc so I would really appreciate this form of wireless being taken up by the games manufacturers….but I think Sony want to protect their system as much as possible.
I got it for free with my copy of DJ Hero 2, that also came with some DeadMau5 downloadable content AND apparently a free t-shirt All for ……. £30 brand new from HMV
Treat yourself to it, if only to enjoy the remixes. Although I must say I got very bored of the Queen vs. Daft Punk mix that is used for the training levels!
Another PS3 Purchase today. This time from Argos.
Pissed off with having only 2 USB sockets on your PS3 AND you want to have it verticle? Then get down to Argos and for £4.99 you can get this.
And this is it in place….
You gain 3 USB sockets (1 on the front of the PS3, 2 on the front of the Stand and, more importantly, 2 on the back! – 5 in total) and there is a switch on the front which turns on the tacky/cool Blue lighting which glows underneath the PS3.
Total Cost was £4.99 from Argos! Bargain!
PS3 Things 