General gaming news

[Brill Weave]

So. I was checking my email this morning and noticed emails from Sony. Apparently 50.00 dollars was added to my wallet and used to immediately pay for Playstation Plus. My password was then changed. I'm at work and can't check to see if I can log in and support doesn't open until 9am est. I'm fucking furious. Long story short, I'm guessing it was an auto-renewal from when we got the Welcome Back package but that doesn't explain the password change. If I have to cancel my card I'm going to be pissed.

[Rokku]

So. I was checking my email this morning and noticed emails from Sony. Apparently 50.00 dollars was added to my wallet and used to immediately pay for Playstation Plus. My password was then changed. I'm at work and can't check to see if I can log in and support doesn't open until 9am est. I'm fucking furious. Long story short, I'm guessing it was an auto-renewal from when we got the Welcome Back package but that doesn't explain the password change. If I have to cancel my card I'm going to be pissed.

Wouldn't have been the Welcome Back thing unless it's been renewing since your couple months wore out and you didn't notice. Hacking an account to buy a year's worth of PS+ is pretty odd though.

[Brill Weave]

I called Sony, they said there's nothing they can do until I'm at home and can look at the transaction page on the PS3 while I'm on the phone with them. I asked if they could see if the charge originated from my PS3 or was an automatic renewal, they stated they had no way of knowing that. I don't see how it could be an automatic renewal as like you said, the service was free for a few months then lapsed. Unless the billing cycle applies an automatic year expiration date regardless of the length of actual service? Either way I'm pretty fucking pissed off. The thing that is really throwing me off is the password change.

[Rokku]

I called Sony, they said there's nothing they can do until I'm at home and can look at the transaction page on the PS3 while I'm on the phone with them. I asked if they could see if the charge originated from my PS3 or was an automatic renewal, they stated they had no way of knowing that. I don't see how it could be an automatic renewal as like you said, the service was free for a few months then lapsed. Unless the billing cycle applies an automatic year expiration date regardless of the length of actual service? Either way I'm pretty fucking pissed off. The thing that is really throwing me off is the password change.

Nah, PS+ renews the second the subscription lapses, provided you have a card on the account. iirc, the free ones from Welcome Back were set to not auto-renew anyhow. If it lapses and isn't renewed, PS+ has to be manually re-added to the account.

[Kaisha]

Did the Welcome Back PS+ trial even set itself to renew? Thought it was turned off automatically for that. Anyways, that was months ago, so it wouldn't have been that anyways. Seems like someone is fucking with your account.

Anyways, I'm surprised they couldn't check if it was from that PS3 or not for you, seems like something that wouldn't be a problem for a lower-tier employee to be able to look at.


At any rate, Sony has a web interface to check what devices are associated with your account - http://www.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com/ca-en/

Problem is that registered PS3/PSPs are numerically ordered until you label them yourselves, and the transaction history on the site doesn't appear to be fully operational yet. In due time I hope as it's a decent manager otherwise.

Spoiler: show

Now if only I could buy shit off PSN though it.

[Brill Weave]

I called them back once I was at home. The PS Plus was set to auto renew even though the rep says that it wasn't programmed to set to auto renew. He said that they offer a no refund policy but they also will open a claim. He said the fact that there was a password change that I did not request should help me. So basically he acknowledged that it looks very fishy but can't promise anything. Either way I now have to wait a few days and then once the refund hits(or doesn't) I need to cancel my card just to be safe.

[Ratatapa]

Question for all the PS+ users in Canada.

Where did you buy yours?, PSN don't accept my Credit Card, and neither FutureShop Ebgames or Best Buy is selling any in stores (looking for playstation +)

[Kaisha]

Can't you just buy $50'ish in PSN cards, add that to your account wallet, then buy a PS+ subscription from there?

[Ratatapa]

That's a possibility indeed thanks didn't though of that

[Kaisha]

Looks like Quantic Dream hasn't been slacking off as far as R&D goes :
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...ic-dreams-kara
http://www.ign.com/videos/2012/03/07...s-kara-trailer
(can't find a Youtube of it atm) Here we go


Lip sync is still a little off though, but damn if that isn't a huge improved over Heavy Rain. Thought the whole thing was pre-rendered tbh. I guess they're taking their time getting expectations in check before pursuing their next interactive film.

[ArchDizzle]

Take my monies.

[6souls]

Following reports that Obsidian had to let go of roughly 30 employees yesterday, the online gaming press has unearthed more of the tough times going on at Obsidian right now. In response to a question about the developer’s financial situation, Fallout: New Vegas project director Chris Avellone Tweeted about the company’s deal with the game’s publisher, Bethesda.

According to Avellone, the game “was a straight payment, no royalties, only a bonus if we got an 85+ on Metacritic, which we didn’t.”

In fact, the game scored an 84. It missed the mark by one meta-point.

Now, far be it from me to say one thing or another about how video game deals are made, but one Twitter user sums it up pretty well in response to Avellone: “Jesus, it sounds like you guys got a terrible deal.”

Over on Kotaku, there are even more details coming out about the recent troubles at Obsidian. The post cites sources familiar with Obsidian’s cancelled project, mentioned during yesterday’s reports of layoffs. Apparently the project, codenamed “North Carolina,” was set to be published by Microsoft, which canned the game after it was already in progress for seven months, necessitating the staff cuts.

The post also cites another source, claiming that “Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart choked up while addressing the company during a meeting yesterday afternoon. While he normally projects loudly, the source said, he was chillingly quiet while informing staff that North Carolina had been cancelled.”

It seems clear now that the one-two punch of making a game and getting no royalties and then having a game cancelled while it’s already seven months into production would certainly be enough to force the company into emergency mode. Let’s hope Obsidian manages to pull itself out of this tough spot—and doesn’t make any deals based on Metacritic scores again.

http://www.insidegamingdaily.com/201...bles-revealed/
http://www.insidegamingdaily.com/201...entertainment/
http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-...lout-new-vegas
http://kotaku.com/5893427/rumor-obsi...d-by-microsoft

[BadKarma]

Microsoft Points to bite the bullet. THANK YOU GOD

[Salodin]

Oh shit, link?

[TacoTaru]

The Next PlayStation is Called Orbis, Sources Say. Here are the Details.
While the official reveal of Sony's next home console could still be months away, if not longer, Kotaku has today learned some important details concerning the PlayStation 3's successor.

For one, the console's name—or at least its codename/working title—is apparently Orbis. And it's being planned for release in time for the 2013 holiday season.

The details in this story come from a reliable source who is not authorized to talk publicly about next-gen hardware but has shared correct information with us before. What they're telling us in specifics matches much of what we've heard and reported in generalities in recent weeks.

A Sony spokesperson declined to comment about these details, citing the company's policy not to comment on "rumors or speculation."

WHAT'S IN A NAME

Orbis. Say it out loud. Sounds a little like the word "four", doesn't it? Only it doesn't make the next PlayStation sound like a bad horror movie sequel.

It's also a name loaded with meaning. The word "Orbis" itself, from Latin, means circle, or ring, or even orbit. Not terribly helpful. Combine it with the name of Sony's new handheld system, though, and you have the common term Orbis Vita (or, in strict Latin, Orbis Vitae). Which means "The circle of life". Could the Vita be playing a very important role in the development and use of the next PlayStation home console? Maybe!

Such symbolism also suggests that rather than being a codename, like most companies employ when still developing a console (think NGP, or Durango), this might actually be the machine's final name. We don't know that, though, so keep an open mind about things.

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17hu...g/original.jpg
Type in Vita.SCEdevnet.com and you arrive at Sony's portal for Vita developers. Same with NGP.SCEdevnet.com, referencing the former codename for the Vita. The PS4 version of that address gets you nowhere. PS3 does, as does Orbis.SCEDev.net, though not to any Orbis-specific portions of the site.

THE NEXT PLAYSTATION, AT A GLANCE

-Is called, or at least carries the working codename, "Orbis".
-Is scheduled for a Holiday 2013 release.
-Won't be backwards compatible with PS3 games.
-Will lock new games to a PSN account as an anti-used games measure.
-New games can be bought either on Blu-Ray or downloaded.
-Current specs are an AMD x64 CPU and AMD Southern Islands GPU

CURRENT SPECS

Our main source supplied some basic specs for the console, but as the future is always in motion, bear in mind these could easily change between now and the Orbis' retail release. Still, if you'd like to know what developers are being told to plan for now, here you go.

AMD x64 CPU
AMD Southern Islands GPU
The former, that's largely something we've heard before, but the latter is interesting. That's the name given to many of AMD's 2012 roster of high-end PC cards. The PS4's GPU in particular, we're told, will be capable of displaying Orbis games at a resolution of up to 4096x2160, which is far in excess of the needs of most current HDTV sets. It'll also be capable of playing 3D games in 1080p (the PS3 could only safely manage 3D at 720p).

NEXT YEAR

Our main source tell us that "select developers" have been receiving dev kits for the new console since the beginning of this year. Revised and improved versions of these kits were sent out around GDC, while more finalised beta units will be shipped to developers towards the end of 2012.

That should hopefully give developers plenty of time to have launch games ready for the Orbis' retail release, which will be in time for the 2013 holiday season. If you can remember the PS3 launch—it's OK if you can't, it was a while ago—that too was in time for the holiday shopping season (November 2006 for Japan and North America).

SO LONG, PS3 GAMES

Remember how the PlayStation 3 swiftly dropped the ability to play PS2 games? Well, our main source tell us the Orbis won't even bother, and that Sony has no plans to offer backwards compatibility for its existing catalogue of PS3 games.

SO LONG, USED GAMES

BACK IN DECEMBER... A post left on Pastebin back in December also referred to the PlayStation 4 as Orbis, calling it a codename in the same vein as Microsoft's Durango. The system specs in that post differ significantly from what Kotaku has heard, and the lack of a hard drive by default goes against the idea of downloading full games to the system.

The Pastebin post also mentions that big name developers like EA were disappointed by an Orbis much less powerful than Microsoft's next machine, so there's a chance that it's the story of an earlier prototype that didn't make the grade. We've reached out to EA for comment.

Just like the next Xbox/Durango, we've heard from multiple sources that the Orbis will likewise have some kind of anti-used games measures built into the console. Here's how our main source says it's currently shaping up: new games for the system will be available one of two ways, either on a Blu-Ray disc or as a PSN download (yes, even full retail titles). If you buy the disc, it must be locked to a single PSN account, after which you can play the game, save the whole thing to your HDD, or peg it as "downloaded" in your account history and be free to download it at a later date.

Don't think you can simply buy the disc and stay offline, though; like many PC games these days, you'll need to have a PSN account and be online to even get the thing started.

If you then decide to trade that disc in, the pre-owned customer picking it up will be limited in what they can do. While our sources were unclear on how exactly the pre-owned customer side of things would work, it's believed used games will be limited to a trial mode or some other form of content restriction, with consumers having to pay a fee to unlock/register the full game.

This would allow used games to continue to be sold at outlets such as GameStop, while also appeasing major publishers who would no longer have to implement their own haphazard approaches to "online passes".

—-

That's all we've got for you at the moment. Remember, none of this information is confirmed, and even the information that is locked down in March 2012 may change before the console's eventual release. This is just what we've been told Sony is working on and planning for as of today. That being the case, how do you think it's shaping up?

http://kotaku.com/5896996/the-next-p...re-the-details

[Kaisha]

Regardless of that being a rumor or not, I honestly can't see the next Playstation console having BC with PS3 just because there's no way they'll be using a cell processor again, and that'd be a messy thing to try and translate given how low-level some of the games went to milk the hardware.

Will say though, I'd be completely fine with that if it supports PS3 controllers on PS3 like the PS2 did PSone. More-so if they release a mean of flashing your Dualshock's firmware so you can make it boot up and pair to a particular console via holding a button while hitting the PS button or something.

[Insanecyclone]

Unsticked since there isn't much bitching anymore and its turned into more of a help section/random next gen console news.

[6souls]

So Bethesda tweeted an image today with the caption "Tomorrow."

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7200/7...76ffe268_o.jpg

https://twitter.com/#!/Bethblog/stat...05149365653507

Someone over at Neogaf went ahead and tweaked the colors to reveal more about the image.



So far the most popular rumor is a Skyrim DLC with Fallout 4 being a close second.

[6souls]

The next entry in EA's annual Need for Speed franchise will be a sequel to 2005 game Need for Speed: Most Wanted, according to leak-prone South African retailer BTGames.

No release date or launch platforms are mentioned on the Need For Speed Most Wanted 2 product page. But you can pre-order it, if you like.

Criterion, maker of Burnout and the fabulous Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, is expected to be the developer behind the next released Need for Speed game. Is it this one - Most Wanted 2?

http://images.eurogamer.net/2012/art.../3/nfs.jpg.jpg

Criterion was spotted hiring for an open world racer project last summer.

Eurogamer's then editor Kristan Reed wrote our Need for Speed: Most Wanted review, scoring an impressive, series-back-on-track, 8/10.

BTGames' may want to repair its bucket, having also leaked Dead Space 3 today.

BTGames was correct when it leaked Jak & Daxter HD Collection ahead of Sony's official announcement.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...ed-by-retailer
http://www.btgames.co.za/po/POinfo.asp?A13070
http://btgames.co.za/po/poinfo.asp?C13063

[6souls]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7113/7...b7011bca63.jpg

No matter what your fast-clickin-gettin-mad-on-the-Internet game of choice is, listen up. Not only will the MLG Spring Championships (finally) add a League of Legends tournament, but also have a playable build of the StarCraft II: The Heart of the Swarm beta on hand for attendees. The Spring Championship takes place in Anaheim, CA from June 8 – 10.

The LoL tourney will consist of eight invited teams plus an open twelve slots for teams that sign up online. Odds are more than twelve teams are going to want in the tourney, so I’m not sure how they’re going to narrow the running down before the Spring Championship. Online qualifiers maybe? No details on casting talent yet either, but MLG tends to get the good’uns. The LoL tourney has a total prize pool of $40,000.

On the StarCraft tick, demo stations will be set up for attendees to play Heart of the Swarm, a setup I assume will be similar to the last Blizzcon. It’s a great opportunity to wait in line for a long time to play around with units that you’re unfamiliar with and then lose to a guy who makes nothing but stalkers… but I’m not bitter or anything.

http://www.insidegamingdaily.com/201...-championship/
http://store.majorleaguegaming.com/p...g-championship