Playstation Network and Discussion Part Deux

[RoyalBoyle78]

Re: Playstation Network and Discussion Part Deux

I downloaded the Punisher: No Mercy ($9.99), I likie the game, it looks very promising for online use. Not getting the story mode though, I thought there was a nice single payer story mode, it seems like your playing online in story mode.

[CaptainZombie]

Re: Playstation Network and Discussion Part Deux

I downloaded the Punisher: No Mercy ($9.99), I likie the game, it looks very promising for online use. Not getting the story mode though, I thought there was a nice single payer story mode, it seems like your playing online in story mode.

It's using the UT3 engine, so its basically UT3 w/ Punisher.

[RoyalBoyle78]

Re: Playstation Network and Discussion Part Deux

It's using the UT3 engine, so its basically UT3 w/ Punisher.

yup, I did notice that...

[DTX3]

Re: Playstation Network and Discussion Part Deux

Is the Punisher demo available as well?

I believe it is.

[Admiral50]

Re: Playstation Network and Discussion Part Deux

The Punisher feels more like a cheap mod for UT.

Yeah, it's fun and worth the $10, but it feels 5 years old.

On the other hand, I'm still enjoying Everybody's Putter Golf and Crystal Defenders atm.

[pfunk880]

Re: Playstation Network and Discussion Part Deux

On the other hand, I'm still enjoying Everybody's Putter Golf and Crystal Defenders atm.

What's this "Everybody's Putter Golf" you speak of?

[Admiral50]

Re: Playstation Network and Discussion Part Deux

Got it from the HK store. A little mini golf or putt putt game from the Everybody's Golf engine. It's nothing special, but I just like mini golf

It's getting easy to buy games from other stores now with a few sites selling prepaid network cards online and actually emailing the codes to you.

[Flawless]

Re: Playstation Network and Discussion Part Deux

Sony's Eric Lempel On PS3 Updates, Firmware Rumors

There's a rumor circulating that Sony has something big planned for the PlayStation 3 this year, a firmware update on the order of Microsoft's New Xbox Experience. True or false?

Eric Lempel: We've released a bunch of firmware updates to date, and we'll continue to do that. We're aiming to release them quarterly, and sometimes there are a lot of great consumer features in them, and other times they're just updates to help things behind the scenes. I should say that a lot of times when we do these updates, there's a ton of stuff in them for our developers, and consumers don't see the benefits of those until they play some of those games that come out later on.

I think it's important to know, a lot of people wonder why we do these updates when it just says something about security enhancements or that playability of software will be better. Actually, behind the scenes, there are reams of documents sometimes with improvements for developers, where they can take advantage of a bunch of new tools, or new ways to allocate memory, or other ways to improve performance. So I'd start off by saying that.

You'll definitely see another firmware update this year, but it won't be like what the rumors say. We're working on some consumer features that consumers will definitely like, but it's nothing like what you're reading about, and at this time I don't want to confirm any of those features because they're not completely locked down yet. We're looking pretty good, and timing is a little rough, but just in terms of that rumor, it's not the case.

I've been reading through the reactions to your last PlayStation Blog post, the one about the 2.8 update, and noticed that a lot of the folks who reacted less positively to that particular update were doing so because they wanted more detail about what was in the update. Why the lack of disclosure there?

EL: Well basically in the updates that we do on the blog, it's really to tell consumers this is what you can do today with your PS3, or in the next few days when we release a firmware update. It isn't about diving into the tech and letting them know six months from now you're going to see a game that may have better effects in a certain area because we've put this in such and such update. That's not as digestible for the majority of consumers. It just won't work.

I mean, there are consumers interested in the tech, and they can probably deep dive in developer forums on that, but we usually don't release a lot of our developer info except to our licensed developers. It's kind of separating the consumer experience from the developer experience.

So, you know, that's why I'd love for them to understand that when we do these things, there's a lot of reason behind it, there's a lot of work that goes into it, a lot of testing, but they don't always get to see the benefits immediately. The blog is really to talk about here's what you can do with it, not here's what a developer you know and like might be able to pull off in the next six months.

Have you ever considered separating out the updates into nondependent components? To allow some features to come out or get patched faster than others?

EL: You know, we very much thought about that, and actually with 2.8 we implemented something that we didn't talk a lot about. We actually gave consumers the option to update. What I mean by that is, prior to 2.8 you had to update. So you'd turn on your PS3 and it would say, you know, if you want to go in the store, if you want to play an online game, or go into PlayStation Home, it would say there's an update available, please update before moving any further.

With 2.8 it was an option. Users didn't have to update when we released it, and actually weren't prompted to do so, because there wasn't any consumer-specific functionality. I'd say a majority of consumers out there who just wait to get hit by these updates didn't even know about it. They might still not know about it.

What about universal chat, by which I mean voice chat outside games. You can currently chat with other gamers from within an online game, but not when you drop out.

EL: Yeah, definitely, we realize that a lot of people want that. It's one of the most requested features, and it is something we're looking into. It's a very complex feature, but we are looking into it.

How about the battery-life-of-controller glitch, where it cuts off the system time when you tap the PS button? I keep seeing that pop up, but it's like this weird fifty-fifty thing, where fifty percent are angry about it, and other fifty percent are angry at the people who're angry about it.

EL: You know, I'll tell you, I personally don't like that either, and it's something that's definitely being corrected. You can put me in the angry camp.

[pfunk880]

Re: Playstation Network and Discussion Part Deux

I'm always interested to hear behind-the-scenes type stuff like that.

[jmood88]

Re: Playstation Network and Discussion Part Deux

What's stupid is that most people aren't asking for detailed technical things, just for a better explanation of what's in the update.

[pfunk880]

Re: Playstation Network and Discussion Part Deux

What's stupid is that most people aren't asking for detailed technical things, just for a better explanation of what's in the update.

That's just it, though. A better explanation of what's in the update would just involve technical things. From what I gather, the updates really don't do much from a consumer standpoint, so there's really nothing to tell us without getting technical.

Instead of saying that the updates improve the playback of PlayStation format software, or whatever the exact wording is, they should just say in the update description that it is providing more tools to developers. I think that would help clear up the ambiguity somewhat.

[Flawless]

Re: Playstation Network and Discussion Part Deux

PlayStation Store Update


Downloadable Games

• Buzz Jr. Robo Jam ($4.99)
• Battlefield: 1943 (Limited Time Offer: Bundled with Theme) ($14.99)

PSone Classics PS3 / PSP

• Spec Ops: Stealth Patrol ($5.99)
• XS Junior League Soccer ($5.99)

Game Demos

• Battlefield 1943 Demo
• Ghostbusters Demo

Add-on Game Content

• MotorStorm Pacific Rift Adrenaline Expansion ($9.99)
• Cross Edge New Costume Set 2 ($3.99)
• Cross Edge Additional Dungeon 3 (free)
• Cross Edge Fresh Heart Pack (free)
• Cross Edge Power Up Pack + (free)
• Cross Edge Stone SP Synth Pack (free)
• Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires Additional Music Set 1 (free)
• Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires Artemis Armor Set (women) (free)
• Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires Kempo Armor Set (men) (free)
• Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires Queen Armor Set (women) (free)
• Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires Royal Armor Set (men) (free)
• Midnight Club Los Angeles South Central Ultimate Content Pack ($12.50)
• Skate 2 Maloof Money Cup Pack ($2.99)

Guitar Hero World Tour

• “I Am The Arsonist” by Silverstein ($1.99)
• “Bomb The World” by The Sleeping ($1.99)
• “NJ Legion Iced Tea” by A Day To Remember ($1.99)
• Victory Track Pack ($5.49)

Rock Band

• “21 Guns”— Green Day ($1.99)
• “East Jesus Nowhere”— Green Day ($1.99)
• “Know Your Enemy”— Green Day ($1.99)
• Green Day Pack 01 ($5.49)
• “Black Magic”— Slayer ($1.99)
• “Conquer All”— Behemoth ($1.99)
• “Disposable Teens”— Marilyn Manson ($1.99)
• “Embedded”— Job for a Cowboy ($1.99)
• “Empire of the Gun”— God Forbid ($1.99)
• “Hammer Smashed Face”— Cannibal Corpse ($1.99)
• “This Is Exile”— Whitechapel ($1.99)
• “What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse”— Black Dahlia Murder ($1.99)
• Mayhem Tour 2009 Pack 01 ($13.49)

Game Videos (free)

• MAG Dev Diary 1
• MAG Dev Diary 2
• PAIN: Museum Trailer
• Battlefield: 1943 Guadalcanal Trailer
• The King of Fighters XII Trailer
• Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Tutorial Video 2
• Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Tutorial Video 3
• Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Tutorial Video 4

Wallpaper (free)

• Battlefield 1943 Wallpaper 1
• Battlefield 1943 Wallpaper 2

[42]

Re: Playstation Network and Discussion Part Deux

Still no Fallout 3 DLC.

[DTX3]

Re: Playstation Network and Discussion Part Deux

Anyone buying Battlefield? I heard it's MP only.

[Blzer]

Re: Playstation Network and Discussion Part Deux

Downloaded the Battlefield demo. It was only one map and only multiplayer (though I think the game is as well). It was fun, but it was a 30 minute trial version so I've already went past the expiration. I don't feel like shelling out $15 for it, though. I already have too many games to play as it is.

But it definitely made me want to play SOCOM again and makes me very eager for MW2.