It is always a nice surprise to log into your PS3 and see that there is a new update for your machine. I was unaware that a new firmware update was coming to the PS3, but it seems that the 3.10 update has been in the works for a little while now. So far, I do not see much change in the interface, save that I can change the background of my display card that others will see in their friends list. Also, it now tiles up pictures, according to the notes, but I had no pictures on the system to see if this was true.
Another item that I cannot verify is Facebook integration. I have read on several other sites that there is some basic Facebook integration, but I could not find it anywhere.
If you want the latest firmware, just head to the System Update selection under the Settings section of the XMB. It is a small update, and took about 15 minutes max to download and install.
Last week the PS Blog mentioned that Adhoc Party was finally coming to the USA, and IGN notes they’ve gotten a press release that says this Thursday the 19th is the big day for its release. This is very welcome news, and Capcom immediately blurted out a very hastily written email right after Friday’s announcement that couldn’t contain their excitement at never having to add online modes to their PSP games:
Did you hear the news? Sony’s Ad-hoc Party feature for the PSP is coming to North America this month! This awesome new service allows you to play Monster Hunter Freedom Unite ONLINE by enabling your PSP to play through your PS3. This is HUGE news for Monster Hunter fans as now they can play MHFU with their Monster Hunter buddies around the country! The new feature also allows you to use text or voice chat to communicate with friends, which is critical for coordinating those 4 player hunts and taking out those tougher Monsters.
Granted that Adhoc Party will actually bring lots and lots of OLD PSP games online, going back literally years with no patching needed, but it’s also letting developers off the hook to a certain extent. Keep in mind that your PS3 will have to be dedicated to this to work — no DVD, Blu-ray or Netflix use by someone else in your household while you’re online with the PSP — and that you need a hard-line ethernet connection to it so the PSP can talk to it via the built-in Wi-Fi chipset. It’s a great deal for existing PS3 owners at zero dollars and zero cents and no ongoing online service fee.
All of that said, the technical triumphs of things like the two excellent Syphon Filter PSP games from the Sony Bend Studio that included not just online play for a first-person shooter but also had voice chat proved years ago that it could be done, and done well, without having to fall back to another service. Yes, this is just like having Xbox Live to fall back on if you think about it, and yes, this might help boost sales, but there are side benefits to running your own servers.
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GAME> The Beatles: Rock Band (2009)
SYSTEM> Sony PlayStation3
SOURCE> Email from GameStop, October 2009
Sssh! This code was a GameStop exclusive! Don’t tell anybody!

We all saw the announcement a week or so ago that mentioned Netflix Instant Streaming coming to PS3 sometime in November. Well that time seems to be tomorrow, as I just received an email from Netflix stating that my Instant Streaming disc will be arriving tomorrow (November 6th).
Anyone else receive their announcement email yet? And are you surprised with how quickly this announcement went from press conference to reality. I mean, it is Sony, not Apple.

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Ok here’s the thing: I don’t care about the huge military-themed, cross-platform shooter coming to the PS3 this month. It’ll get its spot of ink below, don’t worry, but I’m highlighting the three exclusive franchises returning to PlayStation platforms this month first.
The God of War Collection lands on November 17th as a new experiment: a reissue of two PlayStation 2 games in high definition on a single Blu-ray PlayStation 3 disc. The remastering of the top-selling God Of War and God Of War II includes the addition of Trophy support. Sales of this collection will be watched closely – it takes quite a bit of work to remaster games like this, but if it sells well we might see other Sony PS2 franchises reappear like this on the PS3. I’m a huge fan of the franchise, partly because of the brutally satisfying gameplay, partly because of the mostly-consistent mythological backdrop, so this is a must-buy for me. Of note: this is a $40 game.
The PlayStation Portable gets the PS3’s most recognizable mascot this month with its very own version of LittleBigPlanet. While you’ll be able to make and share your own levels in LBP on the PSP, you’re going to be playing them alone since multiplayer didn’t make it into this game. I’m being cheeky by mentioning this would be a $40 game as well since PSP games tend to debut at this price.
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Bayonetta has been high on my radar since I got a chance to play it at E3 this year, and it was a bit irritating when it was pushed back to January 2010 here in the states. I mean, the game takes the action of a Devil May Cry title, but mixes in a very provocative female hero, while throwing some rather unique creatures at the player. All of that said, the Japanese market will receive Bayonetta a couple months ahead of the US, and a demo has been dropped on the PSN store in Japan. So being a good PS3 citizen, I setup a Japanese account, and proceeded to download the demo for two reasons. One was to get my hands on this fast and furious action that the game delivers, but also, to see if the PS3 version is as horrendous as reports have detailed.
With the podcast down one man this week, we decided to hit up the community for some topics. However, one of those comments from one Jordan Snyder, drew Fourhman out from the House of Mouse to call in and retort. To say it is epic is selling it short.
We also took the time to sit discuss some of the recent hulabaloo on the web surrounding the complaints over the recent scores that Uncharted 2 has received from some media outlets. Yes, you read that right, people have been complaining about 9.3, 9.4 and 4.5 out of 5 scores. We just found it interesting that a game that has reviewed so well, is still getting complaints over the review scores being so low.
The podcast music is provided by Revolution Void and they can be found at www.revolutionvoid.com. The podcast is mixed as always by our favorite DJ, Stephen “stop clearing your throat already, Joe” Munn.
Download the podcast from here or subscribe to the podcast using one of the services below: Also make sure to review us on iTunes.
The NPD numbers covering September (five weeks from August 30th to October 6th to be exact) are out, and the PlayStation 3 price cut to $299 seems to have worked. Microsoft cut their console down to size as well, of course, and even Nintendo decided to take a dip in the profitability of their console with their drop to $199, boosting everyone’s numbers, but the PS3 outsold everything except for the DS.
The DS didn’t exactly blow its doors off, though. The DS sold 524k, the PS3 sold 491k, the Wii sold 462k, the Xbox 360 sold 352k, and the PSP (pre-Go, remember) chugged along at 191K. In last place, limping along, is the PS2 with 142k units sold. The 360’s number is nothing to sneeze at, but it looks like that PS3 price cut showed that consumers still really did want a PlayStation 3 after all this time. Does Microsoft consider that along with having sold a full 110,000 units less than the Wii this time a problem?
September was also notable for stopping a long slide of months where game sales were down significantly from the previous year. This is no small feat, even if this month just meant staying on par with 2008. New consoles on the market could have been a big part of that and if the holidays are good to those new console owners it could very well be a very happy holiday for all three console makers after all.
Seen at Gamespot.