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The Smithsonian Has Picked the Games of Its Art of Video Games Exhibit
The Smithsonian American Art Museum revealed the winners of its public vote to decide what games will be featured in their exhibit, The Art of Video Games, today. The exhibit creates a visual history of the evolution of gaming from its humble beginnings through the present. The vote, which took place between February and April,…
By Mike Epstein Published May 5, 2011 -
You’re Not the Only Victim: Criminal Hackers May Also Suffer from PSN Breach
The massive breach of Sony’s PSN service has resulted in the possible theft of an unprecedented amount of sensitive information. The ramifications have been felt not only by consumers, but banks, credit card issuers, and other tributary industries. But here are some victims you probably haven’t considered: other hackers. According to the NYTimes blog Bits…
By Drew Cohen Published May 5, 2011 -
The Single Edit That Removed Tokyo From Motorstorm: Apocalypse
Despite being set in a fictional town along the U.S. west coast, Motorstorm: Apocalypse has been inexorably tied to Japan and the earthquakes there. That’s perhaps because of the delays triggered by the quakes in Japan and the game’s seismic-themed racing. But there aren’t any Japan references in the entire game… at least not anymore.…
By Brian Crecente Published May 4, 2011 -
Canada’s Privacy Czar Thinks Sony Should Pay
“I was disappointed that Sony did not proactively notify my office…It seems to me that it’s time to begin imposing fines – significant, attention-getting fines – on companies when poor privacy and security practices lead to breaches.” [The Vancouver Sun]
By Drew Cohen Published May 4, 2011 -
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 -
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 -
Sony: PlayStation Network Will Return This Week
PlayStation Network, down since April 20, will return this week, said Kazuo Hirai, the second-in-command for Sony Corp., at a news conference today in Tokyo. When PSN comes online, PS3 users will face a mandatory system software update that also requires them to change their account passwords before they can sign into the service. That…
By Owen Good Published May 1, 2011 -
Developer reveals gameplay, character creation for D&D Daggerdale
Dungeons & Dragons Daggerdale is a hack-and-slash action game coming out for Xbox, Playstation and PC in late May. This visit to the Forgotten Realms is the first time console players have been able to play a D&D videogame in several years. Atari Producer Michael Fahrny answered a few of our questions about designing a…
By Ed Grabianowski Published April 29, 2011 -
Credit Card Companies See No Sign of PSN Hack Fraud
Speaking to Bloomberg, spokesmen for Wells Fargo & Co., American Express Co. and MasterCard Inc. said they were monitoring cardholder accounts and hadn’t seen unauthorized activity relating to Sony. [Bloomberg]
By Brian Crecente Published April 28, 2011 -
Sony Comes Clean: PlayStation Network Hackers Have Stolen Personal Data
A security breach in the Playstation Network by still unidentified hackers resulted in stolen personal information, Sony confirmed today. Sony says while personal information was likely stolen they don’t believe credit card numbers were and that they hope to have the Playstation Network service back up within a week. The news comes more than nine…
By Brian Crecente Published April 26, 2011 -
Sony PlayStation Tablets’ Touchscreen D-Pad In Real Life
A virtual d-pad has worked better on tablets and phones than many have expected, but mostly for games designed with those limitations in mind. [Impress Watch] One thing hasn’t changed: Sony knows how to make pretty hardware. The slate-style tablet isn’t as thin as you’d think. Sony’s New PlayStation Tablet is a Sexy Beast Today…
By Joel Johnson Published April 26, 2011 -
Sony’s S2 PlayStation Tablet Looks Familiar
Sony’s S1 tablet looks like a beautiful piece of gear. We’re really digging the tapered, magazine-like edge to it. The S2, though? With the dual screens and touch interface? It looks like a fan mock-up of a 3DS Lite, albeit a very pretty one.
By Luke Plunkett Published April 26, 2011 -
Sony’s New PlayStation Tablet is a Sexy Beast
Today in Tokyo, Sony revealed that its latest PlayStation hardware, the 9.4 inch Sony S1. It’s the first tablet that is (officially) capable of playing PlayStation games, such as PlayStation 1 games or Sony-approved titles for mobile platforms. It is the first Sony tablet to carry the “PlayStation Certified” logo. The S1 is slated for…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 26, 2011 -
The Human Who Sleeps On PlayStation Magazines
Under Twitter user Bros’ mattress, there is a treasure trove of magazines – fifteen years of Dengeki PlayStation magazines to be exact. Bros started with the September 27, 1996 issue and hasn’t looked back. Bros has looked under the bed, though. In an age when paper is becoming increasingly meaningless, it’s comforting to note that…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 25, 2011 -
Digital Pioneer Who Established Sony Computer Entertainment Dies At 81
Norio Ohga, the former chairman of Sony who, in 1993, established Sony Computer Entertainment and paved the way for the PlayStation, died Saturday morning in Tokyo. He was 81. Ohga’s digital media vision had far reaching impact, not just for his company but for all electronics manufacturers. In video games, Sony and Nintendo had been…
By Owen Good Published April 23, 2011 -
It’s Time For Chrono Trigger To Become A PSone Classic
Looks like the enhanced PlayStation port of Square Enix’s seminal role-playing game Chrono Trigger is bound for the PlayStation 3 and PSP. The ESRB has just rated Chrono Trigger for those platforms, so expect the update of that JRPG favorite to show up as a PSone Classic on a PlayStation Store near you soon.
By Michael McWhertor Published April 22, 2011 -
How One Man Stopped Square-Enix From Letting Gamers Kill Yahweh
The attempt to include overt references to Judeo-Christian figures in the classic role-playing game Xenogears caused a few translators to quit — they feared a violent backlash — and prompted a change in the name of the game’s final boss, according to one of the people who brought the game to America. On this week’s…
By Drew Cohen Published April 22, 2011 -
Robbing A Convenience Store With A PlayStation Controller Is Doing It Wrong
A St. Petersburg, Florida man tried—and failed miserably—to rob a convenience store by subjecting the clerk to the business end of a PlayStation controller, reports Bay 9 News. His mistake? By performing said robbery in the presence of “a police officer who walked into the store in the middle of the robbery,” according to police.…
By Michael McWhertor Published April 19, 2011