If you’re an angry gamer (and if so, I don’t really like you) then Sony’s CEO, Howard Stringer has some words for the angry, surprised, carefree, and others who have had their PlayStation Network access halted for almost a full month now. First of all, Stringer goes on to apologize in the letter seen in blockquote below, then afterwards in his PlayStation Blog post details the “Welcome Back” package which will apply to all PlayStation users and offers one free month of the PlayStation Plus service, as well as a refund for those already subscribing to PSN+. Also mentioned in the letter is the $1 million identity theft protection for users’ credit cards, but as Mr. Howard Stringer claims, there is no current evidence of any credit card information being stolen from users.

Howard Stringer’s apology to PSN users:

“I know some believe we should have notified our customers earlier than we did. It’s a fair question. As soon as we discovered the potential scope of the intrusion, we shut down the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services and hired some of the best technical experts in the field to determine what happened. I wish we could have gotten the answers we needed sooner, but forensic analysis is a complex, time-consuming process. Hackers, after all, do their best to cover their tracks, and it took some time for our experts to find those tracks and begin to identify what personal information had — or had not — been taken.

He later goes on to mention that the PlayStation Network should be up “in the coming days”.
Via: PS Blog

Good news everyone, and we have bad news everyone! No really. Due to the outstanding demand of all of the phones that HTC offers (namely the Droid Incredible, Nexus One) the stock of AMOLED screens is down to a point where the devices can’t be manufactured. Samsung produces those AMOLEDs, and they’re saving everything for the Galaxy S (which will be coming to the States as the Vibrant on T-Mobile and Captivate on AT&T). The Galaxy S requires Super AMOLEDs, so in this case Samsung will need all of its resources to produce the screens.

Thus, HTC will be switching many of its handsets to LCD variants. Whether or not they will be labeled as such remains to be seen, but it would be better for everyone if you knew that your next Android phone doesn’t have the AMOLED others have. The exact screens HTC will be installing will be Sony’s S-LCD (Super TFT LCD) which they claim uses less power, and higher resolutions, but with a lower contrast ratio.

On the flipside Samsung is shelling out 2 billion USD for a  plant which should open in July 2011. The new plant will produce AMOLEDs at 10-fold, so Samsung can almost make 30 million displays each month. Cool stuff are going around here, didn’t you know?

Source: SlashGear, Flickr Image

The Playstation Arc as some of you might have known it, is officially the Playstation Move and has been debuted at GDC 2010. Sony’s calling it “the next generation of motion gaming” because of its extreme amount of control and the ability to be precise, latency is about on par with the Dualshock 3. It uses the Playstation Eye to track the Move, and additionally Sony says that this precision will not only allow casual gamers to engage themselves with their games, but creates a “new experiences for core gamers”. There will also be a “subcontroller” which has an analog stick, so you can completely play your way through shooters and SOCOM 4 which will support it. (Yes, it’s a wireless Wii Nunchuck. I get it, okay?)

You’ll be able to move with the Move (sorry with the pun) in three ways: fork over the cash as a standalone, a bundle with a PS3, or a starter kit that’s “under $100″ and includes the Move, Playstation Eye, and a game. That’s all the pricing that’s known for now, but it’s pretty good so far. The release will be Fall 2010.

Promo vid after the break!

Playstation Move press shots

PLAYSTATION®MOVE MOTION CONTROLLER DELIVERS A WHOLE NEW ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCE TO PLAYSTATION®3
New PlayStation®Move Sub-Controller, Enabling Intuitive Navigation, to Accompany the Release of the Motion Controller This Fall and 36 Developers and Publishers to Support PlayStation®Move Platform
Tokyo, March 10, 2010 – Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) today announced that PlayStation®Move motion controller for PlayStation®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system launches worldwide this fall, offering a motion-based, high-definition gaming experience unlike anything on the market. Concurrently with its launch, SCE will also release PlayStation®Move sub-controller to be used along with the motion controller for intuitive navigation of in-game characters and objects. The PlayStation Move platform, including the motion controller, sub-controller, and PlayStation®Eye camera*1, together with a strong lineup of software titles, will deliver an innovative and highly immersive experience on the PS3 system.
The combination of the PS3 system and PlayStation Eye camera detects the precise movement, angle, and absolute position in 3D space of PlayStation Move motion controller, allowing users to intuitively play the game as if they themselves are within the game. PlayStation Move motion controller delivers unmatched accuracy through its advanced motion sensors, including a three-axis gyroscope, a three-axis accelerometer, and a terrestrial magnetic field sensor, as well as a color-changing sphere that is tracked by PlayStation Eye camera. Through PlayStation Move system, both fast and subtle motion can be detected, whether the user is swinging a tennis racket, or painting with a brush. With PlayStation Move motion controller, users can provide direct input through action buttons and an analog trigger, while receiving physical feedback from rumble functionality and visual feedback from the sphere’s ability to display a variety of different colors. Furthermore, PlayStation Eye camera can capture the player’s voice or image, enabling augmented reality experiences.
The newly announced PlayStation Move sub-controller is a one-handed controller, developed to further expand the game play options that PlayStation Move games can offer*2. PlayStation Move sub-controller features a sleek curved design that pairs with the motion controller and comes with an analog stick and directional buttons that allow users to easily control the game when moving characters or choosing a direction. Like all other Wireless Controllers for the PS3 system, it comes with a built in lithium-ion rechargeable battery as well as Bluetooth® technology, enabling the controller to transfer the input information wirelessly to the PS3 system without a cable. PlayStation Move motion controller and sub-controller will further broaden the gaming experience on the PS3 system for all genres, from games that use one motion controller to games that use both controllers.
The introduction of PlayStation Move controllers has been well received within the industry and now 36 third party developers and publishers*3 have decided to support PlayStation Move platform. In fiscal year 2010, SCE Worldwide Studios will also release more than 20 games that are either dedicated to or supported with the PlayStation Move platform.
SCE, with strong support from software developers and publishers, will deploy various measures to enhance the PlayStation Move software title line-up and vigorously promote the PS3 platform.

Source: NotebookReview

Wow. Last night what was only deemed a minor hiccup which escalated to a major error has now turned into a monster. Sony is advising 1st generation PlayStation 3 owners NOT to turn on their systems, because the clock bug would cause data loss. So while you’re trying to find ways on how to entertain yourself, feel free to read more posts from us throughout the day, because Sony doesn’t want you to use your PS3 for the next 24 hours. Don’t believe me? Here’s Sony:

We hope to resolve this problem within the next 24 hours. In the meantime, if you have a model other than the new slim PS3, we advise that you do not use your PS3 system, as doing so may result in errors in some functionality, such as recording obtained trophies, and not being able to restore certain data.

Ouch.

Source: Sony