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  They Knew For Six Days: The PlayStation Network Hack Timeline

  According to details from Sony themselves in a letter to congressional subcommittee, Sony was aware that data had been removed from their systems six days before warning customers that accounts had been compromised. All dates and times from Sony’s missive to Congress April 19, 2011. 4:15PM PDT – Sony Network Entertainment America (SNEA) network team…

  By Joel Johnson Published May 4, 2011
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  Show Toddlers What’s What and Take the 2011 Gawker Media Census and Win an iPad 2

  Kids age 2-5 have been watching, on average, almost 25 hours of television per week. And yet, last year’s Gawker Media Census revealed that only 35% of Kotaku readers play video games for 11-20 hours per week. Kind of embarrassing. They’re 2 years old, and they have more couch-sitting power than you? Answer some questions…

  Sponsored post Published May 4, 2011
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  Sony Explains Playstation Hack to Congress, Calls Anonymous “Cyberterrorists”

  The cyber attack that knocked the Playstation Network and Sony Online Entertainment offline for more than a week was a “very carefully planned, very professional, highly sophisticated criminal cyber attack designed to steal personal and credit card information,” according to a letter from Sony to members of Congress obtained by Kotaku today from government sources.…

  By Brian Crecente Published May 4, 2011
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  Accused Xbox Pedophile Indicted on 19 Sexual Abuse Charges

  Richard Kretovic, accused of sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy he met through Xbox Live, has been indicted on nine counts each of first-degree criminal sexual act and second-degree sexual abuse, plus one count of endangering the welfare of a child.

  By Mike Fahey Published May 4, 2011
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  How to Hack Your Kinect

  When the Kinect first launched last November, gamers were (to put it charitably) a bit skeptical. Here was a device with incredible technological potential, and the most impressive game that came out with it was a dance simulator. Since then, though, the software problem has been solved. Not by Microsoft, whose Kinect releases have been…

  Alex Castle - MaximumPC Published May 4, 2011
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  There’s One Furry Good Reason to Buy Sesame Street: Ready, Set, Grover

  You’re all grown up now; I get that. You’ve aged beyond the need for some silly Sesame Street themed game for the Nintendo Wii. I understand and accept your reluctance. It just means there’ll be more soft and fuzzy Grover Wii remote covers for me. Due out this summer for the Wii and DS, Sesame…

  By Mike Fahey Published May 4, 2011
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  Don’t Blame Sony, You Can’t Trust ANY Networks

  The hack attack that forced Sony to take the Playstation Network and Sony Online Entertainment offline and resulted in the theft of personal information from tens of millions of people around the world wasn’t really Sony’s fault, it was an inevitability, a security expert tells Kotaku Bruce Shneier, internationally renowned security technologist and author of…

  By Brian Crecente Published May 4, 2011
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  Welcome once again to Talk Amongst Yourselves, the place where we get together to talk about games. Thanks to Snake56 for the image. Wanna get your TAYpic on Kotaku? Submit your pic to #TAYpics (Read this thread for directions on how to do a TAYpic.)

  By Mike Epstein Published May 4, 2011
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  Watch The U.S. Government Discuss Sony’s Playstation Network Hack and Network Security

  Planned prior to hacker’s breach of the Playstation Network, a hearing just kicked off in the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade to discuss the threat of data theft. This is the hearing Sony declined to testify during. You can watch it live here right now.

  By Brian Crecente Published May 4, 2011
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  This Devilish Marriage of Pac-Man and Bejeweled is a Must Play

  As match three games go, Pac-Chomp is a doozie, especially for those among us who happen to love the aesthetics and memories of Pac-Man and his glowing ghost pals. In 99-cent iPhone game Pac-Chomp, players tap on the neon ghosts lined up in an eight-by-eight grid to get slide them into matching rows or columns…

  By Brian Crecente Published May 4, 2011
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  Damn Right, Ultraman with a Plastic Gun

  COLOR TIMER | OSAKA, JAPAN: Ultraman is packing heat—plastic heat. (Photo: Brian Ashcraft) These Are The People Hired To Hunt The PlayStation Network Hackers To catch those responsible for the attacks on the PlayStation Network, which has brought the service down for over a week and exposed the private details of millions, Sony has hired…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 4, 2011
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  Shit Game Snap Judgment

  Recently, some internet person picked up an unmarked Game Boy game at retailer Hard-Off for a mere ¥105 (US$1.29). It’s not actually unmarked, with the label scratched completely off. The cartridge’s back reads “unko” or “crap” in Japanese. Our brave shopper stuck the “crap” cartridge in his Game Boy Advance SP, flipped it on and…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 4, 2011
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  Report: British Children Are Getting Soft

  In the dark times, before the internet and video games, British children played outside. Now? They don’t! According to a British Triathlon and Tata Steel poll of 1,500 children aged six to 15, 10 percent could not ride a bicycle and 15 percent could not swim. More numbers, via the BBC: – 22 percent had…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 4, 2011
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  It Only Does Bullet Holes

  Tip: Turn the sound off. No, really. Do it. Unless you enjoy moronic slurs! Otherwise, witness what a Desert Eagle can do to a borked PlayStation 3. The U.S. Constitution gives its citizens the right to bear arms. That doesn’t necessarily mean everyone should

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 4, 2011
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  These Are the People Hired to Hunt the PlayStation Network Hackers

  To catch those responsible for the attacks on the PlayStation Network, which has brought the service down for over a week and exposed the private details of millions, Sony has hired not one but two teams of private investigators. And a third team of consultants, just for good measure. The first team is from Data…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 4, 2011
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  What People Love about Playing StarCraft II for Real

  Luke “Sacretis” Pierson has put together this great little 13-minute documentary on the competitive StarCraft II scene. It’s short, but given the lack of funds and scope, sweet.

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 4, 2011
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  This Game Boy has Been to Space. For Real.

  In 1993, Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr A. Serebrov blasted off for a trip to the Mir space station. Onboard his Soyuz rocket was this Game Boy, and it can now be yours. The handheld spent a whopping 196 days in space on the station, managing to orbit our blue ball of dirt over 3000 times. Joining…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 4, 2011
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  Muscles Are Awesome and So Is This Trailer

  Just watch. No, really. Just do it. Watch Reviews on the iTunes App Store aren’t so hot, and the game doesn’t appear to live up to this trailer. That’s okay! This trailer is great.

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 4, 2011
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  Linux (Unofficially) Returns to the PlayStation 3

  In many ways, it was Sony’s 2010 decision to remove Linux compatibility from the PlayStation 3 that sowed the seeds for the current PSN downtime and data attacks. So there’s poignancy to the news that this week Linux has returned to the system. A team of homebrew developers have released a custom piece of firmware…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 4, 2011
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  We Knew Samus Was a Girl, but Master Chief? Black Mage?

  This clip from The Game Station is pretty great. Once it’s wearing out its welcome taking the piss out of secret game gender reveals, it turns into a never-ending shampoo commercial and gets funny all over again.

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 4, 2011