Author: Adam

Rumor: Details on PS3 Music Store

Rumor: Details on PS3 Music Store– A bold claim from playstationlifestyle.net.  Of course I want these rumours to be right though!  All’s Sony needs to do is: have a great selection of music, at the right price, in a store that is as gorgeous as the current PlayStation Store, and simplicity is key.  That is quite a tall order, but Sony would certainly reap the rewards if it got it right.

So many games, too little time

I suppose that this post has as much to do about money as it does about there being loads of games out there, but not having enough time to play them!  Anyhow, I might as well recount from the beginning.  I got my PS3 for Christmas 2007 and played on Assassin’s Creed.  A lot.  My brother and I then got some extra games as well to be playing through, such as Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, The Orange Box, Resistance: Fall of Man and Colin McRae: DiRT.  Quite enough to be getting through, don’t you think?

I think I had finished Assassin’s Creed (or there about) a few weeks after Christmas as I had to go back to Uni for exams in January.  Between January and Easter 2008 I got hooked on Uncharted and played it as much as I could each weekend I was back home… every 4 weeks!  I then finally completed it at Easter.  Over Easter I got stuck into Resistance, DiRT, and the Orange Box.  I’ve still yet to complete either DiRT or Resistance!  Anyhow, I decided to attack the Orange Box over Easter and over the following months got a fair amount of it completed.  I then came to the end of my journey with the last bit of Half-Life 2: Episode 2 to finish and Portal.  By mid-May The Orange Box was completed.

Don’t even mention Grand Theft Auto IV; I just haven’t had time to go on it or been particularly bothered with playing it.  It’s not going anywhere, so I’ll get back to it at some point.  Since being home for the Summer, Race Driver: GRID has been out and I love it.  I have still got way over 3/4 of the game left to finish!  Other times, I’ve fired up GRID and decided to play online for a good hour or two.  Recently released is Metal Gear Solid 4, but there’s no way I can afford it, let alone have time to play it!

Assassin's Creed

I suppose this little story of my PS3 game playing journey might be a bit boring, but I’ve been trying to describe the plight of a gamer more often than not, not being able to play any games!  As a student I don’t have that much money to start shelling out on £40 and £50 games, and my PS3 is left at home whilst I’m away at Uni.  I can however appreciate people who have full time jobs as both this year and last year during the Summer, I have worked 40 hour weeks and you don’t necessarily feel like gaming after a particularly rough day.

Really, this post has become a kind of message to all those kids with a 40-strong PS3 (or Xbox 360, why not?) games collection who play every night and complete one game a week.  Which is ridiculous.  So my message is, erm get your homework done(?!) and gaming will have to take a back-seat in your life in future, so enjoy it while it lasts.

If anyone is wondering what on earth has being going on in this post, then you are not alone.  I, myself am not really sure either.  I’ve kind of gone off-tangent and started to rant a bit, but I’ve covered everything I’ve wanted to say, so I’ll leave it at that.  Comments, as always are most welcome.

Meet the teams bringing BioShock to PS3 (plus new screens!)

Meet the teams bringing BioShock to PS3 (plus new screens!)– To be honest, even after seeing screenshots and various reviews of BioShock on the Xbox 360 and PC, I wasn’t really interested.  Now that it’s coming out on the PS3 I might get it.  Am I being lazy in this regard?  Yes, it’s fair to say.

Qore Announcement: the aftermath

As this latest, and very interesting announcement is quickly spreading out across the internet, it is time to take stock and see what everyone’s reaction is.

The controversy
At the crux of this matter, is that fact that Sony wants you to pay for Qore. However in Sony’s defence is the fact that there is some pretty tasty content on offer:

Qore will feature exclusive news, developer interviews, in-depth game previews and behind-the-scenes looks at PlayStation games and special access to game demos, special beta invitations, game add-ons and other downloadable game-related content.

However I feel that such content should probably be free if the PlayStation Network is to compete effectively against Xbox Live. With Qore charging for content, there is a danger that the PlayStation Network will be a two-tier system.

Reactions
I will now round up a sample of Qore-related news to gauge reaction to Sony’s decision.

The Sixth Axis- Paid PSN Subscriptions Arrive
Attention-grabbing headline, but not strictly true. The majority of content on the PlayStation Network such as trailers and demos are free to access, with the exception of full games which of course, require payment. Let’s not forget that online gaming remains free. It just depends on how exclusive Qore’s content really is, and whether it will choke the rest of the PlayStation Store.

Qore

PS3 Fanboy- Sony reveals Qore – an interactive gaming program for the PSN
The article remains quite neutral throughout this article and doesn’t specifically comment on the cost. However there is some disappointing news in store.

There’s no word on whether this will be released outside of America, but we have contacted Sony Europe to get an answer either way. [UPDATE] Our SCEE rep has sadly informed us that “Qore is an SCEA only initiative at this time”. How disappointing.

That’s quite a blow, especially considering that Qore would probably be ‘almost’ perfect for the UK as well. I’m guessing it has something to do with the UK being part of Europe and the issue of localisation. We speak English too! Such archaic business practices make you want to scream.

Wired- Qore: New PS3 Online Mag Charges You For Game Demos
This article goes into quite a lot of detail about everything! Quite objective, and tells it like it is. Not really much to say apart from it compares the PlayStation Network against Xbox Live, which is interesting. The opinion for pricing is definitely worth a read though.

My only question is whether the value-add over what Sony was already providing for free justifies the minimum $25/year cost for the information. Although wrapping it in the very pretty package of an interactive magazine does make it seem a lot less like Sony is backpedaling on their stance of a largely free online environment, they’d be silly to release any really good demos, trailers, or interviews in the free section of PS3’s network from here on out — not when any halfway decent piece of content is another potential carrot to get users to pay them $3.

To conclude
The price issue is important to many people, with some agreeing to pay the $3 a month, and others who won’t pay it. The fact that only SCEA is running Qore and that SCEE isn’t a part of it is interesting. The US (heavily capitalist) market puts up with a lot more ads and subscriptions than the rest of the world, so maybe the launch of Qore in the US is Sony testing the waters. Who knows? Qore may appear in Europe and elsewhere in a slightly different format. The big question, is what if the European Store gets the demos and trailers that the Americans have to pay for, for free?

Very interesting.

Introducing Qore: Taking you behind the curtain with PlayStation

Introducing Qore: Taking you behind the curtain with PlayStation– The concept is innovative, it’s hosted by Veronica Belmont, BUT it is not free.  What gives?  I feel Sony should have offered this free to PS3 users however I guess that all the exclusives that are promised might just about justify this.  It’ll be interesting to find out UK pricing and availability.