Latest update on PSN password from Sony

Posted by Khurram Imtiaz on May 16, 2011 in Featured, PS3, Slider, Sony, Video Games | View Comments

Last morning, Sony rolled out a new mandatory firmware update which was required for the new PSN. Sony then started restoring PSN service, first in the USA and then in Europe. This new PSN was enhanced with added protection and extra layers of security after the hackers attack last month which resulted in about 100 million of user account info being compromised.

We have already posted how you can change you PSN password. Those of you, who are still having problems with update, Sony has officially issued statement on their US Playstation Blog. This statement reads:

We’re currently experiencing an extremely heavy load of password resets, and so we recently had to turn off services for approximately 30 minutes to clear the queue.

As such, a large number of people are attempting to change their passwords at the same time, it’s taking longer than expected for all those emails to clear all of the ISPs.

If you’ve requested your password reset, please give it a bit of time to reach your email. Thanks for your patience as we work to get everyone back online.

So, those of you who are still having trouble with their password recovery email, please be patient. There are about 77 million user accounts on PSN, due to this there is a huge traffic trying to restore their PSN.

Source: Playstation US Blog

Related posts:

1. Latest mandatory PS3 update requires user to change password
2. Here is how you change your PSN password on PSP and PS3
3. PSN partially restored in USA, Europe is Next
4. PSN is back online in Europe, South America and the Middle East
5. Sony Promises Restoration The PlayStation Network and Qriocity Services Starting This Week

The Official PSN FAQ – Get your questions answered

Posted by Khurram Imtiaz on May 16, 2011 in Featured, PS3, Slider, Video Games | View Comments

The Official US Playstation Blog has posted this handy FAQ regarding PSN. This FAQ discusses in detail a lot of user questions related to the new PSN and its restoration. If you are still having trouble with password restoration then we suggest to check out this FAQ. See it after the break.

The most frequently asked question regarding fake email is answered.

Question: I provided a fake email address, birthday, and or other identifying information and don’t remember it

Answer: If you are unable to successfully set a new password using the methods provided, you will have to contact PlayStation support. Before doing so, please have your:

1. Online ID
2. Sign-in ID (email address)
3. Console serial number

Question: What if I don’t remember what email address I used for my PlayStation Network account?

Answer: If you don’t remember the email address of your PlayStation Network account, there are a couple ways to find out.

1. If you received the email from us about PlayStation Network and Qriocity being offline, that email address that received it is the one linked to your PlayStation Network account.
2. Check your past emails looking for emails from “DoNotReply@ac.playstation.com”. All transactions on the PlayStation Network will generate a confirmation email sent to the email address of the PlayStation Network account.

Check out the full FAQ below

Official PSN FAQ

The Official PSN FAQ – Get your questions answered, 8.0 out of 10 based on 1 rating

Related posts:

1. Latest update on PSN password from Sony
2. Here is how you change your PSN password on PSP and PS3
3. PSN partially restored in USA, Europe is Next
4. Latest mandatory PS3 update requires user to change password
5. PSN is back online in Europe, South America and the Middle East

Xbox 360 New Disc Format may not work on some older models of Xbox

Posted by Khurram Imtiaz on May 18, 2011 in Video Games, Xbox 360 | View Comments

This news as of now hasn’t been confirmed yet but it sure is shocking. According to Kotaku, some of the users that were participating in the Xbox Live BETA Program and were testing the new disc format won’t be able to play it. Mark Serrels wrote:

We’ve just had a look at a verified email, sent from Xbox LIVE customer support, claiming that a recent update provided to Xbox LIVE beta testers is preventing “a very small number of Xbox 360 owners from playing retail discs”.

Avery Penn, who was working in this BETA program got this email today from Xbox Support and it was verified that it was indeed the real deal here. The email which was sent to some of the participants said that the new Software update may have stopped the ability of some Xbox systems to play retail discs. Microsoft was apparently offering him a Xbox 360 S with 1 year free Gold Subscription. Check out the email below.

Avery Penn has said that his Xbox 360 was a 2009 model Xbox Go Pro with 60 GB Hard Disk. He was still playing retails games fine when this email was sent which raises a lot of question on why it was actually sent to him.

This email is definitely talking about the new dashboard update which is going to be released sometime between 19th to 30th May. This new dashboard update re-flashes the DVD drive’s firmware back to stock firmware which is Microsoft’s latest step in order to combat piracy.

Update
Joystiq contacted Microsoft and got an official statement in response.

“Following a recent update to our system software, we have become aware of an issue that is preventing a very small number of Xbox 360 owners from playing retail game discs. This issue manifests itself as a unique ‘disc unreadable’ or ‘disc unsupported’ error on the screen and is unrelated to our recent public beta. We are also able to detect this issue over Xbox LIVE and are proactively reaching out to customers that may be impacted to replace their console. Any Xbox 360 owners receiving this error are encouraged to contact us at www.xbox.com/support/contact so we can verify if the console has been impacted.”

Source: Kotaku

Xbox 360 New Disc Format may not work on some older models of Xbox, 9.0 out of 10 based on 1 rating

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2. This Week’s Xbox Live – Deal of the Week is Full of Pirates
3. Microsoft seeking staff for next-gen Xbox
4. Microsoft begins a new XBOX 360 ban wave
5. L.A Noire for the Xbox 360 already leaked on the Internet

Microsoft seeking staff for next-gen Xbox

Posted by Khurram Imtiaz on Mar 8, 2011 in Featured, Microsoft, Xbox 360 | View Comments

Microsoft is ramping up development of its next generation Xbox console according to job positions being advertised on business networking site LinkedIn, brought to light on the Beyond 3D Forum.

The first position advertised is for a Graphics Hardware Architect, working with the team that is “responsible for defining and delivering next-generation console architectures from conception through implementation”.

The second position has Microsoft hunting for a new Senior Architect and Performance Engineer for the Xbox Console Architecture Group.

The final position sees Microsoft seeking a Senior Hardware Design Verification Engineer, responsible for elements of development in both Xbox 360 and its next-gen successor.

Conceptual Next Generation Xbox

So, what does this recruitment drive actually tell us? Are there any clues as to the make-up of the next console? Right now, not much, but it does appear to be the first official confirmation that development of the new machine is underway.

However, the most intriguing element of the story is just how early on in production we appear to be – far earlier than many had suspected. Unless Microsoft is actually planning pre-production of the next next-gen console, the evidence seems to suggest that the system is so early in development that the graphics hardware at the very least hasn’t been locked down.

Source: Digital Foundry

No related posts.

Microsoft seeking staff for next-gen Xbox

Posted by Khurram Imtiaz on Mar 8, 2011 in Featured, Microsoft, Xbox 360 | View Comments

Microsoft is ramping up development of its next generation Xbox console according to job positions being advertised on business networking site LinkedIn, brought to light on the Beyond 3D Forum.

The first position advertised is for a Graphics Hardware Architect, working with the team that is “responsible for defining and delivering next-generation console architectures from conception through implementation”.

The second position has Microsoft hunting for a new Senior Architect and Performance Engineer for the Xbox Console Architecture Group.

The final position sees Microsoft seeking a Senior Hardware Design Verification Engineer, responsible for elements of development in both Xbox 360 and its next-gen successor.

Conceptual Next Generation Xbox

So, what does this recruitment drive actually tell us? Are there any clues as to the make-up of the next console? Right now, not much, but it does appear to be the first official confirmation that development of the new machine is underway.

However, the most intriguing element of the story is just how early on in production we appear to be – far earlier than many had suspected. Unless Microsoft is actually planning pre-production of the next next-gen console, the evidence seems to suggest that the system is so early in development that the graphics hardware at the very least hasn’t been locked down.

Source: Digital Foundry

No related posts.

The State Of Console Gaming In 3rd World Countries: The Xbox 360

Posted by Rahim Amir on Mar 26, 2011 in PS3, Video Games, Wii, Xbox 360 | View Comments

It is no secret that many people in 3^rd world countries buy consoles based less on their actual preferences and more on the cheapest option available. Piracy is the top of the icing when such things are considered and it is not much of a surprise that many well-known forums in Pakistan, China and Philippine openly allow discussion of disc drive modifications to play ‘back-up’ games. In fact, the roots of the hacking group, Team Xecuter are also spread all over Asia, in a mix of various countries.

Where does the Xbox 360 fit in here exactly? It was THE console for all those as there was no hack for the other console in the market (PS3) assuming, of-course that the Nintendo Wii is not considered a competitor in the hardcore gaming segment at all. 6 months after the ps3 has been completely exploited by the scene hackers, the Xbox 360 now has a completely different situation. The king of easy to pirate games has become much tougher on security as people rush to various forums to find out what AP2.5 means etc. It is also important to note than a console with a history of being easily cracked via the DVD drive has yet to have a solid modification for the ‘S’ or the slim version. It was August 2010 when the hack was first publically displayed via a You-tube video. Since then, the hacker behind the original Xbox 360 hacks, C4Eva has kept mum about any release date, offering bits of information every now and then about the hack, but nothing concrete. We now know that the Xbox 360 slims have had more than just a cosmetic up-lift, with security becoming almost impossible to crack due to real time firmware and ram hash checks on the new motherboard. To the end user, this means that cracking the Xbox just got taken up to a new level altogether. Gone are the days of 1 or 2 week crack releases on the console. Gone are the days of putting in a game and playing it. Now you should make sure you have the latest offering (LT+), a correctly burnt disc (Security Sector v2) and data patched onto the disc to deal with dynamic challenges (AP 2.5). Failure to stay up to date means that you run a large chance of getting your console flagged and altogether banned from Xbox live after some time. Staying up to date costs money and research every time there is a new update on the online gaming network for 360s , Xbox Live.

It is primarily due to the above observations that gamers are now moving away from the Xbox 360 to the now fully bared PS3 and the hacking paradise called PC. In fact, as I am writing this, I can relate to personal experience the fact that many people are selling Xbox 360 Slim models after waiting months for the hack to come out. It is a small group who chose to wait now on hacking groups to deliver a true hack for the Xbox 360, the rest of them have resigned themselves to play originals, trade in their console, or rely on a PS3, or PC as an alternative platform as the now redundant Xbox 360 ‘Phat’ model (the model that is truly hacked) increases in price in all such countries by the day and more and more Xbox 360 slims continue to be put up for sale at dirt cheap prices where demand for used PS3s eclipses the demand for new ones, the result being, used models being only 5-10% cheaper than the new ones.

Thus, It cannot be denied that the future for the Xbox 360 as a console in 3^rd world countries is bleak as-is and any further delay in the hacking progress will result in it being abandoned as a platform altogether.

Related posts:

1. Rumor: Resident Evil 4, Code Veronica Revived For Xbox 360 & PS3

Fan Made Streets of Rage Remake Finally released

Posted by Khurram Imtiaz on Apr 5, 2011 in PC Gaming, Video Games | View Comments

Developer Bomber Games started working on a game called Streets of Rage Remake in 2003, and only this week released the final version of the freeware PC game. It took a whole 8 years and various beta builds to release this final version. The official site description reads:

PROGRAM
Streets of Rage Remake is a project created from scratch, it does not use reverse engineering nor a single line of code from the original games. It’s all based on visual interpretation, comparing how things work in the original games and trying to mimic it for Streets of Rage Remake.

SUMMARY OF THE CONTENTS OF THE GAME

103 STAGES
– 93 stages in story mode
– 5 stages in extra modes
– 5 stages in the Prototype mod (separate download)

19 PLAYABLE CHARACTERS
– SOR1 characters remastered with new moves
– SOR2 characters with new moves
– SOR3 characters with new moves
– New playable characters

64 ENEMIES
– All enemies from SOR1 remastered.
– All enemies SOR2 (RGB color correction).
– All enemies SOR3 (RGB color correction).
– New enemies based on the Game Gear versions and even the cover the game!

REMIXES 83
– 76 in V5.
– 7 in the Prototype mod.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT
– Profile Editor
– Color Editor
– Name Editor
– Sormaker
– Cutscene Viewer
– Profile Viewer (and commands)
– Image Gallery
– 16 cheats
– Battle Mode
– Survival Mode
– Boss Rush mode
– Events Mode (16 events)
– Volleyball Mode
– Allied cpu mode
– And more than 30 customizable options

Official Site
Download From Here

Gabe Newell Sends Out Emails, Might Be Hinting Half Life 2: Episode 3

Posted by Danial Arshad Khan on Apr 8, 2011 in Video Games | View Comments

Recently Gabe Newell the managing director at Valve has been sending many video game journalists images with weird number patterns. ValveARG has taken the liberty to crack this code and their attempt is as following:

The Original:

+——————–+—————–+———————+
|150 223 141 154 147 | 154 203 140 154 | 15* |
|150 156 148 223 206 | 139 216 223 158 | 15* |
|144 153 223 140 156 | 151 154 155 138 | 14* |
|151 158 139 223 136 | 158 140 223 158 | 223 |
|209 223 146 134 223 | 198 144 158 147 | 20* |
|205 223 154 146 158 | 145 156 150 143 | 1** |
|207 146 154 139 151 | 206 145 152 223 | 15* |
|154 158 141 147 134 | 209 223 157 138 | 13* |
|134 216 141 154 223 | 144 145 223 139 | 144 223 146 154 245 | <- or 144 223 146 194 245 (It’s 245 (LF) – used Topaz Detail to find out)
+——————–+—————–+———————+
|223 139 151 154 223 | 140 134 140 139 | 154 146 223 206 140 |
|160 223 150 145 223 | 147 144 156 148 | 155 144 136 145 209 |
|223 150 223 140 209 | 150 147 147 223 | 151 138 137 154 223 |
|158 156 156 154 140 | 140 223 139 144 | 223 139 151 150 141 |
|139 154 154 145 223 | 144 153 153 210 | 140 150 139 154 223 |
|156 151 158 146 157 | 154 141 140 223 | 158 145 155 223 190 |
|178 194 223 150 145 | 140 139 203 147 | 147 150 145 152 208 |
|223 159 223 139 154 | 140 139 223 206 | 145 223 154 158 156 |
|151 223 144 145 154 | 209 223 150 223 | 158 146 223 152 144 |
+——————–+—————–+———————+
|150 145 152 223 139 | 144 223 145 154 | 154 155 223 158 223 |
|147 144 139 223 146 | 144 141 154 223 | 139 154 140 139 223 |
|202 138 157 149 154 | 156 139 140 208 | 223 205 223 146 207 |
|137 154 223 153 144 | 141 136 158 141 | 155 209 223 136 158 |
|206 139 206 160 145 | 198 223 158 145 | 155 223 190 178 223 |
|154 135 143 154 156 | 139 150 145 152 | 223 150 146 146 154 |
|155 150 158 139 154 | 223 156 144 146 | 143 147 150 158 145 |
|156 154 209 | | |
+——————–+—————–+———————+

translated:

XORing each number with 0xFF (or, equivalently, subtracting the number from 255) gives us ASCII character codes which seem to spell out a message:

+——-+——+——-+
| i rel | e4se | | // i released ***
| ick 1 | t’ a | | // ick it’ ahead
| of sc | hedu | | // of schedule,
| hat w | as a | | // that was a ****. (joke?)
| . my | 9oal | | // my goal***** (was?)
| 2 ema | ncip | | // to emancipate
| 0meth | 1ng | | // something ****
| early | . bu | | // early. but
| y’re | on t | o me? | // they’re on to me.
+——-+——+——-+
| the | syst | am 1s | // the system is
| _ in | lock | down. | // in lockdown.
| i s. | ill | have | // i still have
| acces | s to | thir | // access to thirteen
| teen | off- | site | // off-site
| chamb | ers | and A | // chambers and
| M= in | st4l | lling | // am installing
| a te | st 1 | n eac | // a test in each
| h one | . i | am go | // one. I am
+——-+——+——-+
| ing t | o ne | ed a | // going to need a
| lot m | ore | test | // lot more test
| 5ubje | cts/ | 2 m0 | // subjects to move
| ve fo | rwar | d. wa | // forward. Waiting
| 1t1_n | 9 an | d AM | // and am
| expec | ting | imme | // expecting
| diate | com | plian | // immediate compliance.
| ce. | | |
| | | |
+——-+——+——-+

 

With classics such as Duke Nukem and Deus Ex getting ressurected from their shallowy video game graves then why not a sequel  game which is considered to be THE best by many and yes I’m talking about Half Life 2.

Source: ValveARG

Alan Wake 2 Rumour, is it Real?

Posted by Khurram Imtiaz on May 9, 2011 in Featured, Slider, Video Games, Xbox 360 | View Comments

Althea Suarez Gata is a CG character animator who worked at Halon Entertainment for a period of about 1 month. In her recent projects, there is a video game project titled “Alan Wake 2″. Gata’s duties are listed in the project as “In-Game Cinematic”. This doesn’t really provide a lot of details related to the project but it sure gives a faint hope of Alan Wake Sequel.

Alan Wake was a critically successful game and an exclusive to the Xbox 360. It was a failure at launch selling a meager 160k copies in it’s first week. It received a lot of positive criticism though because of it’s clever story and writing style. It became a cult classic afterwards and to date has managed to sell about 1 million copies world wide. This doesn’t make it much of a failure but despite that there was no mention of any sequel.

Considering this recent rumor is a first when it comes to any news of Alan Wake 2. Let’s hope that it actually turns out to be true and we are able to see a sequel to this awesome game soon.

Source: Joystiq