Live blog from Sony press release with pictures

2:00 JST: It's begun -- following a little bit of Mozart, Sony has trotted out three solemn-looking executives.

2:02 JST: Kaz Hirai and follow bow deeply, giving apologies. They plan to discuss corporate strategy in five points.

2:05 JST: On April 20, JST, says Sony, they were first alerted to unauthorized access.

2:06 JST: The first experts brought in determined it was a highly skilled intruder, so Sony brought in a second security firm to determine what had happened.

2:06 JST: Then, they emailed customers and published warning information. So far, so good.

2:08 JST: Yeah, lots of information was potentially stolen. "No evidence that credit card numbers, expiration dates or billing addresses" were stolen, though, according to the livestream translation.

2:09 JST: They haven't confirmed any cases of credit card fraud so far, and will let us know when they have more information. Sounds like they just don't know yet.

2:10 JST: There's a diagram up -- attackers accessed a database using a tool of some sort. The Japanese translation here isn't technical enough to tell us what.

2:12 JST: Kaz says there will be new security measures to prevent this sort of hack in future. New data center, moved from San Diego to a new location with "more advanced security." Enhanced detection capabilities, automated software monitoring, enhanced levels of data encryption, enhanced everything. Additional firewalls. Sony's creating an Chief Information Security Officer to handle these preparations in future. Good to know.

2:14 JST: There will be an additional sign-on security measure of some sort, but Sony's also asking customers to be vigilant and check their credit card statements. Sounds like they're worried about fraud after all. They're asking customers to change all their passwords too, and change all passwords used on other websites that happen to be the same as the PSN ones.

Read more here http://www.thegamingpod.com/forum/showthread.php/284-Live-blog-from-Sony-press-release-with-pictures?p=734#post734

Press Release: Some PlayStation Network and Qriocity to be Available This Week

SOME PLAYSTATION®NETWORK AND QRIOCITY™ SERVICES TO BE AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
Phased Global Rollout of Services to Begin Regionally;
System Security Enhanced to Provide Greater Protection of Personal Information

Tokyo, May 1, 2011 – Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) and Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI, the company) announced they will shortly begin a phased restoration by region of PlayStation®Network and Qriocity™ services, beginning with gaming, music and video services to be turned on. The company also announced both a series of immediate steps to enhance security across the network and a new customer appreciation program to thank its customers for their patience and loyalty.


Read full post here http://www.thegamingpod.com/forum/showthread.php/283-Press-Release-Some-PlayStation-Network-and-Qriocity-to-be-Available-This-Week?p=733#post733

Sony holding press conference tomorrow

Sony Corp's No.2 Kazuo Hirai will brief media on Sunday about a huge security breach of its PlayStation Network, the first time an executive of the Japanese electronics giant will publicly address the case, which could prompt global legal actions.

Hirai, in line to succeed CEO Howard Stringer, will hold a news conference in Tokyo at 2:00 p.m. (1 a.m. EDT) on Sony's investigation of the case, its information management system and the schedule to resume services, the firm said in a news release on Saturday.

Sony warned on Tuesday that hackers had stolen names, addresses, and possibly credit card details from 77 million user accounts of its online video game network, which produces an estimated $500 million in annual revenues.

The disclosure of one of the biggest ever online data infiltrations came on Tuesday, a week after Sony shut down the network. Executives made no mention of the crisis hours earlier that day when they launched its first tablet computer.

The delay prompted anger among online users, although company said it was due to a forensic investigation.

Read more here http://www.thegamingpod.com/forum/showthread.php/278-Sony-holding-press-conference-tomorrow?p=719#post719

Hacked PSN accounts list picture

A forum member on N4G has posted an image which shows up to 4,036 PSN account details leaked. The image, below for viewing contains account handles, linked email addresses and passwords. Some sections are blacked out for obvious security reasons but if this proves to be true, this may only be the beginning of a barrage of leakages pertaining to accounts hacked. Supposedly, the user received the image on MSN and it is now available for viewing on the N4G forums.


Users should change their passwords immediately as nobody is sure how many accounts will experience unusual activity over the coming days and months.

Read this and more here TheGamingPod

Email recieved from Sony RE: PS3 hacked

Just checked my inbox and got this email off Sony sent out yesterday, have you guys got this email or something similar?

The address it was sent from was news@emails.eu.playstation.com

Follow this link to read the full email http://www.thegamingpod.com/forum/showthread.php/275-Email-recieved-from-Sony?p=696#post696

Need for Speed The Run confirmed

Today EA confirmed the rumor surrounding this title and tells us what is so special about this game of illicit high stakes racing.

The Run is the next installment of the Need for Speed series brought to you by EA's Black Box Studio. It is being built using Frostbite 2, the same engine that's behind the imense looking Battlefield 3, so we can expect some amazing visuals and effects.

What else can we expect from this installment? Well The Run brings story mode back to the Need for Speed franchise, telling a continent-crossing tale that will have the game's protagonist (you) running from the cops as well as some shadier traffic enforcement organizations that'll do much more that toss a tire spike in front of your ride.

For the more competitive racer amongst you, The Run also sees the return of Need for Speed Hot Pursuit's Autolog, upgraded to provide a more enticing social gaming experience than ever before.

"This is the year that Need for Speed goes to the next level," said Jason DeLong, Executive Producer at EA. "We think that Need for Speed The Run is going to surprise people with its intense, thrilling story and big action feel. But the game would be nothing without hot cars and crazy-fast chases. So that is what we're delivering — explosive racing that will have players flirting with disaster at 200-miles an hour."

Need for Speed The Run will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Wii, and 3DS on November 1225 in North America, November 17 in Europe.

First FIFA 12 Details Surface, New 'Impact Zones'

The first details of FIFA 12 have been released, after Official PlayStation Magazine in France got to speak to the developers working on the title.

Along with general balancing tweaks, the game will feature a few details. One such addition is 'Impact Zone', which will allow players to make contact with each other in various ways. Now, how players interact will be properly formulated. They also talked about the 'AI Vision Game', which will make passing more realistic. If you try to complete a pass where the player is within visible range, it is more likely to complete. It also means that if you try blind passes, like passes to someone behind you, they will be less accurate.

EA Sports will also be amending the injury system. You will now be able to get injured without any contact from the opposition. If you use players too much in a match, they will get tired and become injury prone.

Rumor: PSN Database containing 2.2 Million Credit Cards Numbers for Sale

Rumor has it that the PSN database that was stolen from Sony has now hit underground forums and is for sale. The database contains 2.2 million Credit Card Numbers with the much-needed CVV2 code. Some underground “financial” trading forums make note of the database for sale.

The database was also offered to Sony to buy back but Sony didn’t wanted to pay money to get back what belonged to them. Thiefs don’t buy things back from other thiefs, that is not how it works. Criminals go after you if you steal something from them.

Rumors are also that a very big part of the German database is stolen, which makes some people point to Graf because he is also German. Personally I think Graf has problems enough already and has nothing to with it, but maybe someone wants to make some money to pay for the “criminal” 1.000.000 euro claim

Read more about this here http://www.thegamingpod.com/forum/showthread.php/271-Rumor-PSN-Database-containing-2.2-Million-Credit-Cards-Numbers-for-Sale?p=688#post688

Hulu Plus Will Be Free On Xbox 360 For A Week

The Hulu Plus service launches on the Xbox 360 tomorrow, enabling people to stream episodes and clips of popular TV shows—or at least a subset of the ones that are available through your computer—through an Xbox 360 and onto a TV. Usually, this will cost you both the price of an Xbox Live Gold account and an $8/month Hulu Plus subscription. But, according to Microsoft, the service will be free to all Xbox Live users, silver or gold, Hulu subscribers or not, from April 29-May 6, thanks to a sponsorship from Jack Link's Beef Jerky.

Royal Wedding Game (With Zombies in it)

It's a Royal Wedding Game (With Zombies in it)A real game based on the Royal Wedding would be boring as all hell. You'd be managing sliders based on protocol and a receding hairline. A game based on the Royal Wedding when it's under attack by zombies, now that's more like it.

Class 3 Outbreak is a simple web game that lets people model the effect a horde of zombies would have on the civilian population of a real-world location (it uses Google Maps data). To commemorate the upcoming Royal nuptials, the game has added a "Wills & Kate" map, complete with wedding march and Westminster Abbey.

While you can't control the humans or zombies directly, you can "manage" the game via a series of settings, so if you'd save the day or see the future King of England consumed by the undead, it's got you covered either way.

http://www.class3outbreak.com/maps/2493/zombies-at-royal-wedding-2011/games/1 << link to game

Thanks to Kokatu for the info

Chat log of people behind the PS3 hack

Want to know the inner-workings and mindset behind PSN’s latest downtime fiasco? Well look no farther! Read up on the Chat Logs for the initial hack with CFW and PSN that eventually lead to our current demise. Chat posted in it’s entirety after the jump. Check the forum here to read it all.

http://www.thegamingpod.com/forum/showthread.php/257-Chat-log-of-people-behind-the-PS3-hack?p=643#post643

Non Hackable PS3 ( News )

Today, a FCC filing by Sony revealed a new version of the Sony PlayStation 3 with the model numbers CECH-3001A/B. This appears to be a new generation of the PlayStation 3, given that the original PS3 and PS3 Slim were part of the CECH 2xxx series.



FCC filings reveal little about the device, other than the label location picture, above. Test reports do confirm the presence of Bluetooth and WiFi, as well as a hard disk drive.



The CECH-3001 PS3 model number has appeared online as early as December 2010. However, Sony has not provided any information about the new device, nor do we know how it will differ from older PS3 models.



This one is still developing. We’ll provide updates as we learn more.

Sony admits your data was hacked

here is a direct paste from the official blog

Thank you for your patience while we work to resolve the current outage of PlayStation Network & Qriocity services. We are currently working to send a similar message to the one below via email to all of our registered account holders regarding a compromise of personal information as a result of an illegal intrusion on our systems. These malicious actions have also had an impact on your ability to enjoy the services provided by PlayStation Network and Qriocity including online gaming and online access to music, movies, sports and TV shows. We have a clear path to have PlayStation Network and Qriocity systems back online, and expect to restore some services within a week.

We’re working day and night to ensure it is done as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience and feedback.

Valued PlayStation Network/Qriocity Customer:
We have discovered that between April 17 and April 19, 2011, certain PlayStation Network and Qriocity service user account information was compromised in connection with an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network. In response to this intrusion, we have:

1. Temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services;
2. Engaged an outside, recognized security firm to conduct a full and complete investigation into what happened; and
3. Quickly taken steps to enhance security and strengthen our network infrastructure by re-building our system to provide you with greater protection of your personal information.

We greatly appreciate your patience, understanding and goodwill as we do whatever it takes to resolve these issues as quickly and efficiently as practicable.

Although we are still investigating the details of this incident, 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. If you have authorized a sub-account for your dependent, the same data with respect to your dependent may have been obtained. While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, we cannot rule out the possibility. If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, out of an abundance of caution we are advising you that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may have been obtained.

For your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone, and postal mail scams that ask for personal or sensitive information. Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking. When the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services are fully restored, we strongly recommend that you log on and change your password. Additionally, if you use your PlayStation Network or Qriocity user name or password for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them, as well.

Call of Duty Black Ops Escalation - Call of the Dead

Possible Hitman 5 Absolution Screenshots leaked

Tore Blystad, a game developer working at IO interactive has tweeted some in-game screens and renders from an unannounced project from the studio. It wouldn’t be wrong to think that these might be from the next Hitman title, which is set to be announced this E3.

The pictures posted by him, consist of a environment piece, which he terms as being photo-realistic, a piece which he says might end up being part of an cutscene and the final one, is an environment setpiece in production.

The images look absolutely stunning and carry some solid detail. The quality of the pictures and the high production values involved, leads us to belief that they are indeed from the yet to be announced Hitman title from IO interactive.

Square Enix recently trademarked a domain name, Hitman: Absolution, which also suggest that this is the case, and IO had run an ARG in the hitman forums earlier in the year, which confirmed that the next Hitman title is in development and is set to be announced at E3 this year, in Los Angeles.

3DS could be a Project Cafe controller

According to Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo have been looking into the idea of using the 3DS as a controller for the new Nintendo console codename Project Cafe.

Recent rumours have suggested that a screen-enabled controller will be one option for some games, while the machine will also support "Wii Remote-style controllers" for others.

Unsurprisingly, it seems the 3DS is one of the possible candidates for controlling the Wii 2 (rumoured project name 'Project Café'), according to legendary Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, who mentioned the next Nintendo console in passing during a 3DS presentation in Paris this weekend.

According to Miyamoto, Nintendo has been exploring the possibilities of connectivity between its latest handheld and the firm's 'future home console'. As you might expect, he left Nintendo's exploits mostly to your imagination, but did say that one possibility was for the 3DS to be used as a controller for the machine.

Doing so would be nothing new for Nintendo, which has done just such a mechanic before with the Game Boy Advance and GameCube. Specifically, a four-player game called Legend of Zelda: Four Swords included an option for players to use the GBA as controller, with main gameplay taking place on the TV while any players who entered a house or cave would revert to gameplay on the GBA screen.

Coca-Cola Offering Free Xbox LIVE Subscriptions

The Coca-Cola brand has long had strong ties with the videogames industry, in recent years most notably with that of Electronic Arts and Microsoft. In a new promotional activity with the latter, Coca-Cola is now offering free Xbox LIVE subscriptions through their Coke Zone programme.

The Coke Zone programme is a rewards scheme similar to any other, with consumers of Coca-Cola products begin given a unique code with each purchase which they can then enterElectronic Theatre Image into the Coke Zone via SMS, the Coke Zone mobile apps or directly online. For each code they enter, the consumer will earn points allowing them to enter competitions and receive discount codes, and in the most extreme cases, purchase items directly from the Coke Zone website with their hard earned points total.

The latest videogame related addition to the Coke Zone rewards selection is a three month subscription card for Xbox LIVE. Available for 200 Points, it will require a fairly regular consumer of Coca-Cola to be eligible to receive the three month subscription card for Xbox LIVE.

Sega unveils Phantasy Star Online 2

Sega has finally released the first screens and details regarding the long awaited sequel to fan favorite Phantasy Star Online, and already the game is looking to be light years ahead of Sega’s other attempts to reboot the franchise.

The original Phantasy Star Online has a legendary reputation among core gamers: On the Dreamcast, it introduced online, Diablo style action-RPGs to consoles, and garnered a dedicated legion of fans who logged hundreds of hours on PSO’s servers, hooked by the game’s infamously addictive gameplay. I myself logged at least a hundred hours on the original PSO, then proceeded to log another several hundred hours onto the expanded Gamecube and PC versions that were released after Sega went multiplatform. I personally regard PSO as one of the best games ever made, I know many others who feel the same way.

Still, despite the reverence for the game, reaction to Sega’s attempts to recapture PSO’s magic has been lukewarm at best: Both Phantasy Star Universe (and it’s PSP exansions, PS Portable 1 and 2,) as well as the DS exclusive Phantasy Star Zero were decent games on their own, but they all lacked the impeccable balance, thoughtful design, and addictive gameplay of their predecessor, and both failed to attract both the fan devotion and critical acclaim that Phantasy Star Online recieved. The game’s developer, Sonic Team, was once one of gaming’s most reputable development houses, but after a series of departures by key staff (including Yuji Naka, the creator of Sonic the Hedgehog and producer of the original PSO,) the developer has struggled to regain their former stature and the quality of their game’s has declined.



Sega is hoping to right those wrongs by finally delivering a true sequel to PSO, and the first screens certainly do look promising: The art style is more in line with the original game’s classic anime designs, rather than the garish, tacky characters of PS Universe or the moe lolicon bait of PS Zero; likewise, the gameplay seems to expand upon the basics established by PSO, but adds in new elements like a third-person shooter inspired control scheme for ranged weapons as well as a melee combo system that seems to be based around air juggles. It’s all looking very, very promising at the moment, and as a hardcore fan of the original game who was disappointed with both Phantasy Star Universe and Zero, I’m hoping Sega will finally manage to get it right this time. Sonic Team managed to turn things around with the Sonic franchise with the surprisingly great Sonic Colors, so I’m cautiously optimistic that they’ll be able to turn things around for Phantasy Star as well.

No release date was announced for Phantasy Star Online 2 at this time, and as of this moment, the game remains a PC exclusive, but credible rumors say the game will be console bound at some point.

Call of duty world at war - Online mods V2 GPD

Full post here http://www.thegamingpod.com/forum/showthread.php/200-Call-of-duty-world-at-war-Online-mods-V2-GPD?p=559#post559

- This GPD and patch no longer has the developer coding in the GPD.

- Text in 4-5 different area's LB being the most popular/biggest area to add text.

- Other area's to have text - LB,RB,D-pad up, Back button(Also activates no clip) Start
button (Also activates god mode)

- Even when your not host you can have text showing on the screen using LB RB AND D-PAD UP only.

- All weapons/ammo as you want pressing down to activate this. ( INCLUDES DEFAULT COMES AFTER THE WEAPON BAR ) This works when your host and when your not.

- XP Lobby if you get host 1,000 xp per kill 4,000.