Sony is threatening the nuclear option to deal with Playstation 3 hacking.
In a statement on the Playstation Blog, Sony says consumers should immediately remove all unauthorized or pirated software from their consoles. Otherwise, they’ll be permanently banned from the Playstation Network and from Qriocity services.
Sony hadn’t previously wielded the banhammer against jailbroken PS3s, but now the gloves have come off. I’m already seeing some reports of bans on PS3 hacker blogs.
As incredible as this rumor seems, I can’t resist: According to a “very reliable source,” Dutch website PS3-Sense reports that Sony will fight Playstation 3 piracy with serial codes.
That’s right, an old-school combination of letters and numbers. Players who buy new PS3 games will reportedly have to dig up a unique code — from where is not totally clear, but presumably a slip of paper inside the game box — and dial it in to verify that the copy is legit. Each code, the rumor says, will be valid for up to five authorizations.
So much for getting that $39.99 PS3: “Target recently became aware of mismatched price and product information on Target.com and Amazon.com, which resulted in the PlayStation 3 Move Advanced Shooter Grip and the discontinued Sony PS3 Hardware System being displayed incorrectly on both sites,” Target spokesperson Morgan Murray has told us. “Unfortunately we are unable to offer either of these items at this time and we are cancelling guests’ orders without any charge to their account. We sincerely regret this inconvenience.”
Another Playstation story to take eyes off the current hacking unpleasantness, perhaps?
Sony announced that Mass Effect 2 will be downloadable through its Playstation Network on January 18, the same day that it goes to brick-and-mortar retailers. I’m not aware of any previous big-budget PS3 games that launched as downloads day-and-date with their retail counterparts.
Mind you, Mass Effect 2 isn’t a brand new game — last year, it launched exclusively for the Xbox 360 and Windows — but it’s a darned good one, and a sign that publishers are getting cozier with the idea of full game downloads.
After four years of solid security, Sony’s Playstation 3 hacking defenses have fallen, and all the company can do now is try to snuff the hackers themselves.
Sony has filed a restraining order (and filed a lawsuit — see update below) against three named hackers — including George Hotz of iPhone jailbreak fame — along with two pseudonyms and numerous John and Jane Does, all of whom were involved in the latest jailbreak for PS3 firmware 3.55. It’s not a proper lawsuit yet, but Sony’s trying to get all information related to the PS3 jailbreak removed from the Web.
Microsoft and Sony are in the midst of a video feature war on their respective game consoles. The Xbox 360 was first to get Netflix streaming. The Playstation 3 followed, and now includes access to Hulu Plus as well. Sony got into live sports with baseball and hockey. Microsoft tacked on ESPN3. The Xbox 360 got streaming video on demand from the Zune Marketplace, and now, Vudu is doing the same for the PS3.
On November 23, Vudu will be available as a free app from the Playstation Network. The service has over 4,000 HD movies for rent or purchase, streamed instantly, including its own HDX format for 1080p video. The PS3 app will support Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound, and owners of the Playstation Move motion controller can use it as a pointer for Vudu’s interface. Rentals on Vudu cost between $1 (for some standard-def movies) and $6, and purchases cost $5 to $25.
Gradually, live sports are coming to set-top boxes and game consoles. The latest is the National Hockey League, whose Gamecenter Live service for out-of-market games is now available on Playstation 3 and Roku.
The app is free for Roku users and costs $10 on the PS3, but it’s free to subscribers of Playstation Plus, Sony’s premium online service. The actual Gamecenter subscription costs $21 per month or $169 per year. (Weird. The NHL regular season ends in April and playoffs run into June, which is seven months from now. Unless I’m missing something, not sure why you’d pay a higher price for the entire year at once.)
NHL Gamecenter Live follows MLB.TV, which went to Roku and the PS3 earlier this year. Both sports streams are also available through Boxee and in web browsers.
Sony’s getting creative with its Playstation 3 bundles, adding a 320 GB console for $350.
That’s $50 less than a console with the same size hard drive and the Playstation Move starter kit, which includes the camera, the motion controller wand and Sports Champions. It’s $50 more than Sony’s basic PS3 with 160 GB hard drive.
I’ve read the opinion that the $350 price point shows Sony’s willingness to subsidize the Playstation Move. On its own, the Move starter kit costs $100, so in essence, Sony is cutting the Move price in half when bundled with a $400 console. I think of it in a different, admittedly unsubstantiated way: Sony’s putting out the sans Move bundle mainly to lure people towards its new motion controller.
Compared to the Xbox 360, the Playstation 3’s Netflix app was a lesser version for one simple reason: To watch streaming video, you had to get up from your comfy couch and put in a disc.
On Monday, October 18, Sony will get the upper hand. Not only will Netflix for Playstation 3 go disc-free, it will also add Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound, subtitles and, for a small number of videos, 1080i streaming. The Xbox 360 doesn’t yet offer these features, and the Wii, which still requires a disc for Netflix streaming, runs only in 480p.
A recent Playstation 3 firmware update has blocked knock-off Playstation 3 controllers, but not without taking down a few legitimate third-party controllers from Mad Catz.
The Mad Catz controllers that no longer work with the Playstation 3’s latest firmware are the 2008 Wireless PS3 GamePad, 2008 Wired PS3 GamePad and PS3 Wireless MicroCon. Mad Catz will replace the controllers if they’re within the standard warranty of five years, GamesIndustry.biz reports, so anyone who acts before 2012 should be fine.
Why Sony is cracking down on counterfeit Playstation 3 controllers now is unclear. Sony’s official line is that fake controllers have been spotted in the market, and they’re prone to igniting or exploding.
