Amazon Video Now Available On PS3 (But Not iPad)

Amazon Instant Video streaming has landed on Sony’s PS3. And Tech of the Hub took the new service for a spin, finding it to be Amazon’s very best implementation, including the new “Recently Watched” and “Next Episode” tiles. Further, CNET’s John Falcone tweets this “cements the PS3 as the best all around home entertainment device.” While I’d probably give the … Read more

The Trojan Horses Have Been Activated

Dave threw the gauntlet down back in 2006(!) when he suggested the Xbox was a Trojan Horse, designed to be activated in the future as a central device in the connected living room. Today, that reality has, in many ways, come to pass. According to Microsoft exec Russ Axelrod, more than 20 million Xbox homes … Read more

Sony PS3 Lands NFL Streaming

Will you look at that. Not only is DirecTV taking NFL over-the-top for DirecTV subscribers and non-subscribers alike (as they did last year), they’re expanding their reach beyond mobile devices like the the iPad and will stream live football direct to the Sony PS3 in 2011. This is a massive deal given the NFL’s status … Read more

Sony Takes On Turtle Beach Wireless Headsets


With all of Sony’s recent security troubles, it’s easy to forget they produce quality consumer electronic gear. Which is probably why they’ve spilled the beans on their upcoming wireless PS3 headset. The $99 accessory, available in September, will beam game audio and provide in-game chat capabilities via a retractable mic. Unlike most PS3 gear, the headset doesn’t look to utilize the console’s integrated Bluetooth – shipping, instead, with a USB adapter to handle the wireless link. While Sony bills it as the “PS3 Wireless Stereo Headset” the cans feature virtual 7.1 surround sound. While it’s too early to comment on quality or comfort, they’ve got audio peripheral company Turtle Beach beat on price and style.

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PlayStation Network Still Down; Service Returning This Week

Since our last chat, Sony’s come clean. The PlayStation Network (PSN) outage, later classified as a response to an “external intrusion,” was a full on security breach — resulting in just about all our personal information taken:

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. While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, we cannot rule out the possibility.

With something like 70 million customers, the scale of the compromise is obviously quite large. Both governments and individuals alike have taken notice of what appears to be insufficient protection and a leisurely response by Sony. Reinforced by the two email messages I received from Sony about ten days after the breach, neither of which mentioned bringing law enforcement in to assist their investigation.

Well, it’s a new week… Sony’s finally reached out (to the FBI) for help and indicates that PSN will be be back online within a matter of days. Perhaps as early as tomorrow.

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PSN Down For The Count

As we creep closer to a week of PlayStation Network downtime, gamers are increasingly frustrated… and concerned. When will PSN be back online and is our credit card info safe? (Yes, I too have a PSN Wallet.) Unfortunately, Sony isn’t saying much of anything at all. From their latest blog post: I don’t have an … Read more

Sony PlayStation Network Still Down, No End In Sight

As the story goes, Sony voluntarily brought down the PlayStation Network last Wednesday in reaction to a security breach:

An external intrusion on our system has affected our PlayStation Network and Qriocity services. In order to conduct a thorough investigation and to verify the smooth and secure operation of our network services going forward, we turned off PlayStation Network & Qriocity services.

Unfortunately, no one knows when the PSN will be up once again and Sony’s not saying. In fact, their most recent blog update doesn’t provide much hope of a timely resolution:

We are working around the clock to bring [the PSN] back online. Our efforts to resolve this matter involve re-building our system to further strengthen our network infrastructure.

Wow, rebuilding the network on the fly? I wouldn’t be surprised if PSN is down a few more days…

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Sony Disables PlayStation Network After Security Breach

Sites and services go down all the time. Just ask Amazon. And all their customers. But they weren’t the only ones to suffer a massive outage this week, as Sony’s PlayStation Network (PSN) has been offline for several days now. After a long period of silence, Sony has finally provided some situational insight: An external … Read more