Sony introducing monthly 'Qore' episodes to US PSN on June 5

by Ludwig Kietzmann on Jun 3rd 2008 6:20AM

Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced an exclusive development agreement with Future US, Inc., publisher of PlayStation: The Official Magazine, to introduce Qore, "a highly interactive, monthly original program that covers the world inside PlayStation," to the PlayStation 3 on June 5. The "interactive online magazine" term that was first trademarked by Sony a few weeks ago seems to be a fitting description of the program slash show, which will provide subscribers with a monthly dose of "exclusive multimedia news, developer interviews, in-depth game previews and behind-the-scene looks at the hottest PLAYSTATION games," as well as special game demos, betas, add-ons and other interactive tidbits.

Now, you'll have noted the word, "subscribers," in the previous paragraph. The first episode of Qore will be available on the PlayStation Store for the "introductory price" of $2.99, with annual subscriptions (providing 13 episodes) costing $24.99. For a limited time, annual subscribers will also receive a free copy of David Jaffe's Calling All Cars.

Sony labels Qore as "truly interactive," stating that members will be able to access and view the content as they wish, with multiple windows, picture-in-picture and other features altering the presentation. Oh, and it's hosted by our favorite high school detective and vampire slayer, Veronica Belmont. See for yourself in a preview video after the break.

The first episode of Qore will feature "exclusive and never-before released content" on several upcoming PS3 games, including SOCOM:US. Navy SEALs Confrontation, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Secret Agent Clank, Soul Calibur 4 and Afro Samurai. It will also include a SOCOM: Confrontation theme, art galleries and an invitation to the shooter's upcoming beta.

Update: A SCEE rep has told PS3 Fanboy that Qore "is an SCEA only initiative at this time."

Tags: BreakingNews, Future, PlayStation-Store, PS3, PSN, Qore, SCEA, Sony, Sony-Computer-Entertainment-America

Reader Comments (61)

Pass. I'll just wait for their "exclusive" news to hit Joystiq.

No way in HELL. I'm certainly not gonna pay to watch a company brag about itself and it's products, that's just ridicules.

Not even a Final Fantasy XIII demo would sway me to subscribe. Waste of money, waste of time. Period. There are loads of FREE sites around the web that give far better Game Video content.

"as well as special game demos, betas, add-ons and other interactive tidbits." for 24.99

Smells lihe Xbox Live Gold?

@Anonim:

Paying for demos and trailers? Xbox Live offers that for free!

I think Qore is Sony's way to pussyfoot around the subject of charging for their online service. Sony doesn't have the balls to come out and directly say, "Hey, PS3 fans, we may have to charge for our online service to pay the bills."

I have no problem with Sony asking a fee for their online service, but stop with the song and dance, and just ask it already.

Sounds alot like all the stuff I thought was going to be inside HOME?

Why do the letters X, Q and Z make something technology related sound so much better?

Anyhoo, if I had a PS3, I might have something constructive to say about this, but I don't, so all I can offer is "looks a bit like Inside Xbox mixed with the Nintendo Channel mixed with the Internet in general + a cost"

QuZ they're Xtreme!

That was painful to type, I hope you know.

Anyway, yeah-- this seems like a poor attempt to change "get advertised at" to "pay to get advertised at". I give it six months before Veronica gets replaced by someone less expensive, then another three months before the service goes "free but advertiser-supported", then maybe six months before it gets pulled altogether.

By that point, Home should still only be a year or so out, so there won't be much of a gap. (*rimshot*)

I'd have to hear feedback from others before I subscribed. while 24.99 ain't really a LOT of money it's still enough to miss if the content ain't worth it.

This will be a little better than having to get a magazine shipped out at the end of the month. I will have to get this. I can not pass on the exclusive content. And SOCOM Beta!

Wow Sony, now I can pay for what I get online for free? That's brilliant, where do I sign up?

"now I can pay for what I get online for free?"

yah! talk about Sony copying Microsoft...

Anyway, I don't like it, it seems that subscribers will have access to beta's, when it should be free...and if some people are tempted and actually give in to this, they might keep it going :(

Okay, 1 blogger sign up and just post everything on youtube for the rest of us. K? K.

I don't know why Sony expects us to pay for their lies now.

And if that's the Qore host: she's not hot enough.

BLASPHEMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Agreed.

Apparently she's supposed to be a famous blogger or something about video games. I checked out her site for 10 minutes and I really don't understand how she is e-famous. Her writing style is crap.

I know by saying this I'm probably queuing up a group of people that will pick apart this post's writing style.

well i think Veronica Belmont is hot. more of a girl next door look to me, like someone who might actually play video games. anyone who reads Joystiq should know who she is, seeing as how she gets completely whored out at every games conference doing EVERY interview posted at this site lol. i think she does it from Mahola.com or something like that.

Fantastic idea, but it's a tad bit pricey per episode. Either way, Sony is definitely innovating in some way here and I'm glad to see it. Text magazines are boring :P

It's an electronic magazine people, if you don't like it don't subscribe to it. Do you honestly have to nitpick Sony to death just because you own something different?

"Do you honestly have to nitpick Sony to death just because you own something different?"

You are obviously new to the 'stiq, Hi im Pojo!

j/k, but I certainly agree

No I don't like it.

"watch what you want, when you want, how you want"
I want to watch it on my iPhone for the mega convenience. Chances slim to none.

Also you have to pay for the service and they also throw adverts at you? No. Same for you Xbox.

iPhone: yesterday's technology all prettied up for today's yuppy. ;)

As for the online web magazine, I'll have to hear the reviews first before signing up - sounds interesting but I stopped reading paper magazines thanks to Joystiq, Kotaku and the other million other gaming sites out there.

How strange that yesterdays tech gave me a 16gb iPod with possibly the best touch interface in a handheld thing evaarrr with the fastest web browser I've used on a handheld and a 3D chip equal in power to a PSP.

Little late for my reply but you think the Edge network is the fastest web browsing available? EV-DO is where things were at LAST year and that is much quicker than Edge. Yes, I know you can hook up to a wifi connection also but try using that while you are driving down an expressway.

Don't get me wrong, Apple puts together a pretty package and they refine the hell out of every interface to the point where you want to renounce your religion so that you can worship Mr. Jobs but the technology they use is not cutting edge. It's geared for the average consumer and the technology they use has been in other smartphones for over 4 years. Like I said, Apple just prettied it up and marketed it extremely well.

How much is a live subscription again? serious question not trying to start anything. Because as a ps3 owner i think this is kind of cool as long as the content each month is worth it i would get this.

Ok after checking it's $50. So if sony finally get's there act together with the in game xmb + um qore. the psn seems like it's a good deal at $25.

Actually...the seemingly "little known FACT" is that XBOX LIVE is actually FREE! FREE PEOPLE! IT IS FREE! The ONLY thing you pay for is to do online gaming. All the video featurettes that you desire on XBOX LIVE are all...wait for it...FREE!

Let me break it down. XBOX LIVE Gold account = $50. XBOX LIVE Silver account = FREE!!!

/rant

.......

why would you bother having xbox live if you can't play online? if it's that big a deal you might as well get a ps3 since the entire PSN is free.

Why does anyone pay more then $40 for a 13 month live subscription?

Shop around people.

To be fair, I'm all for magazine-like services like this. It's not something I would peruse on a weekly basis but I might look through it occasionally. That's one advantage to the Nintendo Channel and Inside Xbox. It doesn't hurt to look through one or the other since its free anyway. But to make a conscience decision to pay for the same type of thing found on the other systems is a little harder sell in my book. I'm interested in seeing how this goes, but I can't imagine "Very Well, Thank You!" anywhere in that result.

Honestly, though? I still pine for the days of Coconut Monkey in PC Gamer. Bring me the games I cannot win!

This is just an electronic magazine right? No different than picking one up at your local rag store but cheaper, faster, interactive and with demos (like on a demo disc people?)...

If you subscribe to PS specific magazines then I see this as a good alternative.

So...subscription to OPM $18 that I can drop and pick this up for $25.

Sounds fine to me.

Exactly, tell that to the retards above you though.

*cheaper

(applies to me where a sub to OPM is $30/year) Qore is more expensive for yanks.

Reminds me of PlayStation Underground CD Magazine. This could be good if it has the production value of UG.

So what exactly makes paying for Live so EVIL now? This is all stuff that comes with Live right now (if you're a gold member).

your kidding me, right?

Qore is completely optional, where as with M$, no $50/year, no online MP

"So what exactly makes paying for Live so EVIL now?"

Live was never evil, but in this case you're comparing apples to oranges. Though Pojo whipped out the tired M(Dollar Sign), he's right: The magazine is optional and not a core part of the service.

Now the "beta access" that the subscription provides is a little closer to the mark, but that's also access to beta products...not demos, which Microsoft thinks is somehow worth more to provide to Gold members first.

Despite the PSN's flawed beginnings, for my infrequent online use (I game with friends mostly on the PC), it's ideal over paying $50. As long as the core multiplayer services remain free, they can try and temp me with as many "bonus" things like this they want. I'd prefer that model over a flat fee for services that are core to the platform.

Do xbox360 owners actually think that the PSN doesnt have weekly trailers and review content added currently. Actually you get free rein on PSN, no need to be a "Gold" member. This is offering something completely different,
#1 its exclusive content
#2 its a new "interactive" user interface
#3 access to closed beta's
#4 its HD

again, this isnt going to replace the weekly content available in the PSN store. Its for people who subscribe to playstation magazines and want something more immediate. I think its a great idea, we will see if it works. I'll buy one episode if it is good I may or may not subscribe.

But really, just because its not on the console you own, doesn't make it stupid, its actually pretty innovative.

I have all three consoles, and I can say that the 360 has alot more in terms of trailers, demos and sneak peaks... Also, it's easier to download demos on the 360. No installation, just like a video game console.

It's not innovative; it's Playstation Underground again, without the demos and stuff they already offer, and not mailed to you on CD. I wouldn't have a problem being charged for it if this were 1997, if paper magazines were the go to source for video game news and previews.

I own all three, and this is still stupid because I have internet access.

"Also, it's easier to download demos on the 360. No installation, just like a video game console. "

Grr, getting tired of hearing this. The "install" on the PS3 is most likely just unpacking the compressed game file. When you want to get rid of a demo, you delete it, there's no uninstall process.

The 360 does the same thing but it just unpacks it automatically at the end of the download. MS is not going to send an uncompressed file across the network.

@Kodros

What ever the 360 does, it does it way more efficiently then the ps3 because the instant anything is done downloading you can play it. No installing what so ever.

L I V E

backwards spells...

E V I L

duh

this sounds decent (especailly the SOCOM Beta stuff)

I will be the joystiq guinea pig on this one. I am enough of a sucker to plunk down $25 for this. I will report my findings on Friday

HardQore baby, that's fucking HardQore! I love it!! Take my dollahs, I don't need 'em!

I'll give the first episode a shot, to see if it's any good.

So... Basically this is a Podcast, but you have to pay for it...

Yeah, I think that fairly sums it up. Now what would be cool, but I doubt the subscription would provide, is genuinely new information and automatic access to any early beta programs. That would give it a leg up on your average podcast, and it might well be worth the money.

But the cynical part of me suspects it will just be information I can get from other timely podcasts combined with access to a beta on a low visibility game.

Think I'll just stick to the stiq, then.

Try telling that to the sDF!

But yea I don't pay for Podcasts. The moment Ricky Gervais started charging for them I stopped listening. Why would I pay for something I can get for free by visiting Kotaku or Joystiq?
They're better still because they're not littered with 10/10 ratings for their 1st party titles (that counts for all "official" mags).

Some of you talk as if your forced to subscribe to this. The issues area available on a per month basis also. Ill probably download the first issue and if I like it Ill subscribe.

It's like a standard magazine, you can either subscribe it and pay less or buy each mag every month and pay more.

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Sony introducing monthly 'Qore' episodes to US PSN on June 5

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