Posts Tagged ‘Playstation’

Sony has been under the gun of late. But through all of the problems they have tried to rise above it all. With the continuing release of variants of the PlayStation 3 slim, Sony has begun to release more PS2 collections. This past E3 Metal Gear, Zone of Enders and Ico, Shadow of the Colossus PS2 Collections have been announced for the PS3. Everybody seemed well appeased. Not me. Sony has destroyed all backward compatibility for the PS3. Not unless you are fortunate to still have your original 60gb console if you know what I mean. My original system died just a few months ago. And I am stressed. Should I buy another PS2? I guess I should. But it’s like Sony just doesn’t care about the older games. Now they are putting collections together of PS3 games. Which I totally understand. With more people now purchasing PS3′s it would be in Sony’s best interest to compile older titles to reel in new gamers.

But what about us old school guys. I gave my PS2 to my kids. I just can’t take it back when I feel like playing a game from a prior generation. Yes a fairly good amount of games has been said to be coming HD to the PS3. There are still other titles that have not made the cut. Primarily the Ratchet and Clank series. That is a PlayStation exclusive and has not made the HD collection yet. Devil May Cry is rumored to on the HD list. But still only rumor. Final Fantasy X and XII. The Onimusha series. Which Capcom has plain ignored. Also Jak and Daxter.

There are times when you just feel like playing something old. The feeling of nostalgia creeps into your bones. And you begin to relive the glory days of the generation before this one. Or even further back. Some Ps1 titles are also lost in the matrix of games never to be heard from again. It does make you laugh that no one remembers some of these games. Maybe I’m just that weird guy who plays weird games. The companies are always looking for new IP’s to introduce into the market. Yet there are some titles that should long have been remade or brought to the PlayStation Network. At times I feel lost in this new generation. So much talk of the RPG genre being dead. First Person Shooter’s taking over the market. And some of the coolest franchised left to rot or changed to the point that you feel like hating them. I need a Breath of Fire game. If not a new one, then give us the PS1 titles. What happened to The Legend of Dragoon!?!? Does anyone out there remember Beyond The Beyond. It was the first memorable RPG for my PS1. All the fun is going out of gaming. Old games are now being treated like old people. Left to die in nursing homes while their children and grand children have all the fun. No one even comes to visit them anymore.

Is that what has happened to the video game industry?? It sure seems that way. It may be that I’m jumping the gun. Sony did say it would be awhile before the PS4 was brought to bare. They may intend to bring all the titles that we know and love to the PS3. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. And Hope!??!? I don’t know if I can. May The Force Be With Us All. Some Memories and Dreams are worth keeping alive…………………..

Since the PS3 hack gamers have been driven insane with paranoia, skepticism and thinking about going Xbox Live only.
I love my PlayStation greatly. And I am always one to give Sony a 1up on any other gaming company. Lately I haven’t been feeling the PS3 love. Even with all the information which seems very loose, I really don’t like how things are going. Many people may have signed up for Xbox Live. Or went to buy an Xbox 360.
If you can’t do either. Or in fact will not go to the darkside that is Microsoft. You can play a few cool games off line.
Going into the PS3 greatest hits. There are many games worth playing a few dozen times. Uncharted 2 and Resistance 2 single player modes. Final Fantasy 13. Darksiders. And Infamous. Nearly all the games that Sony has are playable offline. Also Resident Evil 5 and Dead Space 2 are always good to replay. All in all find a game to throw alot of time into, without even thinking of online. Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age 2 come to mind. If you missed some trophies for any off line game, now is the time to get that grind in for them.
As for myself it’s The Prince of Persia, Darksiders and Final Fantasy 13.
Hopefully all this can be fixed before E3. If not, every game with online play just may not be as well recieved as Sony would like. Regardless of how awesome the game is.
Until all is right again on the PSN. May The Force Be With Us.

It’s nice to know that something substancial is being done to put the PSN back in running order. I for one love my PlayStation 3. I know all the craziness that has plagued our gaming life this past week or so. But hey, thats life. Yous buy eggs. Sometimes they break. It’s the circle of life and all that. I’m just glad the network system rebulid isn’t going to take all Summer. Here’s the lo down from PlayStation Blog…..And if you are feeling the itch to go Xbox Live, it’s a great idea. Although I wouldn’t throw my PS3 away so fast either.

SOME PLAYSTATION®NETWORK AND QRIOCITY™ SERVICES TO BE AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
Phased Global Rollout of Services to Begin Regionally;
System Security Enhanced to Provide Greater Protection of Personal Information

Tokyo, May 1, 2011 – Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) and Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI, the company) announced they will shortly begin a phased restoration by region of PlayStation®Network and Qriocity™ services, beginning with gaming, music and video services to be turned on. The company also announced both a series of immediate steps to enhance security across the network and a new customer appreciation program to thank its customers for their patience and loyalty.

Following a criminal cyber-attack on the company’s data-center located in San Diego, California, U.S.A., SNEI quickly turned off the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, engaged multiple expert information security firms over the course of several days and conducted an extensive audit of the system. Since then, the company has implemented a variety of new security measures to provide greater protection of personal information. SNEI and its third-party experts have conducted extensive tests to verify the security strength of the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services. With these measures in place, SCE and SNEI plan to start a phased rollout by region of the services shortly. The initial phase of the rollout will include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Restoration of Online game-play across the PlayStation®3 (PS3) and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) systems
  -This includes titles requiring online verification and downloaded games
• Access to Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity for PS3/PSP for existing subscribers
• Access to account management and password reset
• Access to download un-expired Movie Rentals on PS3, PSP and MediaGo
• PlayStation®Home
• Friends List
• Chat Functionality

Working closely with several outside security firms, the company has implemented significant security measures to further detect unauthorized activity and provide consumers with greater protection of their personal information. The company is also creating the position of Chief Information Security Officer, directly reporting to Shinji Hasejima, Chief Information Officer of Sony Corporation, to add a new position of expertise in and accountability for customer data protection and supplement existing information security personnel. The new security measures implemented include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Added automated software monitoring and configuration management to help defend against new attacks
• Enhanced levels of data protection and encryption
• Enhanced ability to detect software intrusions within the network, unauthorized access and unusual activity patterns
• Implementation of additional firewalls

The company also expedited an already planned move of the system to a new data center in a different location that has been under construction and development for several months. In addition, PS3 will have a forced system software update that will require all registered PlayStation Network users to change their account passwords before being able to sign into the service. As an added layer of security, that password can only be changed on the same PS3 in which that account was activated, or through validated email confirmation, a critical step to help further protect customer data.

The company is conducting a thorough and on-going investigation and working with law enforcement to track down and prosecute those responsible for the illegal intrusion.

“This criminal act against our network had a significant impact not only on our consumers, but our entire industry. These illegal attacks obviously highlight the widespread problem with cyber-security. We take the security of our consumers’ information very seriously and are committed to helping our consumers protect their personal data. In addition, the organization has worked around the clock to bring these services back online, and are doing so only after we had verified increased levels of security across our networks,” said Kazuo Hirai, Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation. “Our global audience of PlayStation Network and Qriocity consumers was disrupted. We have learned lessons along the way about the valued relationship with our consumers, and to that end, we will be launching a customer appreciation program for registered consumers as a way of expressing our gratitude for their loyalty during this network downtime, as we work even harder to restore and regain their trust in us and our services.”

Complimentary Offering and “Welcome Back” Appreciation Program
While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, the company is committed to helping its customers protect their personal data and will provide a complimentary offering to assist users in enrolling in identity theft protection services and/or similar programs. The implementation will be at a local level and further details will be made available shortly in each region.

The company will also rollout the PlayStation Network and Qriocity “Welcome Back” program, to be offered worldwide, which will be tailored to specific markets to provide our consumers with a selection of service options and premium content as an expression of the company’s appreciation for their patience, support and continued loyalty.

Central components of the “Welcome Back” program will include:

• Each territory will be offering selected PlayStation entertainment content for free download. Specific details of this content will be announced in each region soon.
• All existing PlayStation Network customers will be provided with 30 days free membership in the PlayStation Plus premium service. Current members of PlayStation Plus will receive 30 days free service.
• Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity subscribers (in countries where the service is available) will receive 30 days free service.

Additional “Welcome Back” entertainment and service offerings will be rolled out over the coming weeks as the company returns the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services to the quality standard users have grown to enjoy and strive to exceed those exceptions.

SNEI will continue to reinforce and verify security for transactions before resuming the PlayStation®Store and other Qriocity operations, scheduled for this month.

I really am a bit pissed off. And can not even find the words to express my displeassure. Don’t you just loved being violated for no reason whatsoever!?!?!? Here’s the truth FINALLY from Sony. Taken from PlayStation.Blog.

Valued PlayStation Network/Qriocity Customer:
We have discovered that between April 17 and April 19, 2011, certain PlayStation Network and Qriocity service user account information was compromised in connection with an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network. In response to this intrusion, we have:

1. Temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services;
2. Engaged an outside, recognized security firm to conduct a full and complete investigation into what happened; and
3. Quickly taken steps to enhance security and strengthen our network infrastructure by re-building our system to provide you with greater protection of your personal information.

We greatly appreciate your patience, understanding and goodwill as we do whatever it takes to resolve these issues as quickly and efficiently as practicable.

Although we are still investigating the details of this incident, we believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state, zip), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login, and handle/PSN online ID. It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip), and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained. If you have authorized a sub-account for your dependent, the same data with respect to your dependent may have been obtained. While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, we cannot rule out the possibility. If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, out of an abundance of caution we are advising you that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may have been obtained.

For your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone, and postal mail scams that ask for personal or sensitive information. Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking. When the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services are fully restored, we strongly recommend that you log on and change your password. Additionally, if you use your PlayStation Network or Qriocity user name or password for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them, as well.

To protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss, we encourage you to remain vigilant, to review your account statements and to monitor your credit reports. We are providing the following information for those who wish to consider it:

U.S. residents are entitled under U.S. law to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll-free (877) 322-8228.

We have also provided names and contact information for the three major U.S. credit bureaus below. At no charge, U.S. residents can have these credit bureaus place a “fraud alert” on your file that alerts creditors to take additional steps to verify your identity prior to granting credit in your name. This service can make it more difficult for someone to get credit in your name. Note, however, that because it tells creditors to follow certain procedures to protect you, it also may delay your ability to obtain credit while the agency verifies your identity. As soon as one credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the others are notified to place fraud alerts on your file. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, or should you have any questions regarding your credit report, please contact any one of the agencies listed below.

Experian: 888-397-3742; www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
Equifax: 800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
TransUnion: 800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

You may wish to visit the web site of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or reach the FTC at 1-877-382-4357 or 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580 for further information about how to protect yourself from identity theft. Your state Attorney General may also have advice on preventing identity theft, and you should report instances of known or suspected identity theft to law enforcement, your State Attorney General, and the FTC. For North Carolina residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; telephone (877) 566-7226; or www.ncdoj.gov. For Maryland residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; telephone: (888) 743-0023; or www.oag.state.md.us.

We thank you for your patience as we complete our investigation of this incident, and we regret any inconvenience. Our teams are working around the clock on this, and services will be restored as soon as possible. Sony takes information protection very seriously and will continue to work to ensure that additional measures are taken to protect personally identifiable information. Providing quality and secure entertainment services to our customers is our utmost priority. Please contact us at 1-800-345-7669 should you have any additional questions.

Sincerely,
Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment