It appears that someone at Sony proper forgot to drink their morning coffee and accidentally threw the wrong switch, resulting in a handful of lucky insomniacs getting an early glimpse at the PS3's oft-delayed news-and-weather-service, Life with PlayStation. Sony's answer to the Wii's weather and news channels, which utilizes Google data to display real-time data, was originally expected to drop in July before being delayed on a pair of occasions, most recently earlier this month.
According to Sony, the application was posted for public download during testing "temporarily, by mistake," allowing pictures like the one above to be captured and posted online. As for when the app will get a proper release, Sony is only saying that an announcement will be made "shortly." For now, it seems that we'll have to go about getting our news and weather info the old fashioned way: by rolling our chairs over to the computer.
Remember when Sony said its news-and-weather-service, Life with PlayStation, would be coming in August (after initially saying it would be coming in July)? Well, calendar-equipped readers may have noticed that August has come and gone and the service is still not available. Not to fret, though, as a post on the official PlayStation blog promises that the team is just "pushing some paperwork" on the service and asks that anticipatory fans (both of you) should "hold tight just a bit longer."
The post also reveals that the free service will integrate with Folding@Home, so users can help Stanford researchers as they're scanning the headlines. Let's see CNN.com do that!
We can't exactly decide whether this freaky-looking Dwarf makes us want to play as a Death Knight more or not, but he does look freaky. This was just one of the hundreds of images and impressions coming out of the Wrath of the Lich King beta this week on Joystiq's sister site WoW Insider. Below are our top posts from the past week, and as you can see, there's lots and lots of Death Knight and Wrath beta news to be had.
Yes, motorcycles in Azeroth. One half of the octopus on a motorbike Druid form is complete! This and many other revelations came to us this week at WoW Insider as the Wrath of the Lich King beta opened up, and all kinds of Death Knight and Northrend news and information came falling out. Here's our most popular posts from the last seven days, with lots of new info about the reason you'll be playing WoW again this winter.
This picture above, if you believe YTMND, is basically how endgame raiding in World of Warcraft works. We especially like the AFK hunters, and all the DoTs all over the boss. For this and all other news and views (humorous or otherwise) from the World of Warcraft, count on Joystiq's sister site WoW Insider. Here's our most popular posts from the last seven days -- whether you're an overnuked 'lock or an LOL healer, we've got the inside story on everything in Azeroth.
Editorial judgment? Original content? What are those? Everyone who's anyone knows the hot new thing is letting readers vote on what counts as news on sites like Digg, StumbleUpon and N4G, the last of which got a cash infusion from mega-publisher Future U.S., it was announced today.
The publishing giant behind all three official U.S. gaming magazines spent an undisclosed sum to obtain an undisclosed minority share of the site. It might be a sound investment -- according to the press release, "N4G received 3.65 million visits in January 2008, with 17.8 million page views and nearly a million unique visitors." Not bad for a site that makes its readers do all the work.
Harnessing the power of former magazine editors and a well-respected newsman, GameTap quietly launched a "Read" section this week on their website. The section covers reviews, previews, news and features, created by known writers in the industry. This new section represents a clear progression and departure from our GameTap expectations.
The Read section is an obvious progression because we know that GameTap is looking to become an expansive television network-style site. With their subscription service, free service, video programming, and original gaming content coming along quite nicely, it only makes sense for them to start carrying news, previews and reviews.
The departure from our expectations is that we didn't imagine them bringing in veteran "name" writers like Curt Feldman, former news director at CNET Entertainment (Gamespot), and former editors from the deceased Official PlayStation Magazine (OPM). Furthermore, the writing on the site isn't even GameTap related, it's just normal gaming content that you'd find on a Gamespot or IGN (which GameTap also got writers from). We have no idea how many of these writers are full-time, but if many of them are, it seems GameTap is looking to become a full-blown gaming site and not just a virtual console for your PC and Mac.
The Christian Science Monitor along with the National Wildlife Federation reports that videogames are one of the reasons (along with cell phones, TV, and gas prices) national parks in North America have seen a sharp decline in attendance over the last few years. More kids are becoming couch potatoes and developing a "nature deficit disorder", and parks are suffering as a result. The NWF is launching programs around the country to fight the indooredness of these sun-deprived folk whose only interaction with trees is in World of Warcraft.
We love gaming, but we also love nature. While you can't do both at the same time (waterfall hikes with gaming gear in tow can get messy), we can't help but feel there's a deeper reason behind the decline. Maybe Nature just needs a better marketing team to jazz things up, make it more exciting? It's time for Nature 2.0.
Yesterday the geek-turned-hero who was shot tackling two robbers in a railway station was released from the hospital. Adam Mapleson was on his way home from work less than two weeks ago when he saw two men struggling with a security guard. When he stepped in to help, he was shot in the chest. Doctors listed him as "serious but stable" when we last reported on the situation, and some gaming forums compiled Get Well Soon cards in response. Now that Adam is all patched up and back in the wild, he can sit down for some well-deserved gaming time.
According to Jeux-France (who cite rumors that "appear credible"), Nintendo is planning to drop several bombs at the upcoming min-E3 in mid-July. Release dates for Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Mario Galaxy will be divulged, and the company will also unveil the next Mario Kart game for Wii. Also on the mystery roster is a vague hardware-related announcement that Jeux-France describes as a "large revelation". Could it be the Nintendo Revolution headset we've been waiting for?!
Release dates for Smash Bros. and Mario Galaxy are a no-brainer, and even our grandmother could tell you that Nintendo is working on another Mario Kart game. But with the company's other major franchises already dominating the scene, is it too early to show off another big gun?
Nintendo announced today the free online gaming service Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection has reached more than 5 million unique DS owners worldwide. Nearly 65 games support online multiplayer through the service, accumulating over 200 million gameplay sessions since its launch in late 2005. Not surprisingly, the five most popular games are all from Nintendo: Animal Crossing: Wild World, Mario Kart DS, Metroid Prime: Hunters, and Pokemon Diamond and Pearl.
Barely nine months ago the service hit 2 million, showing an impressive growth in a short amount of time. For comparison, Xbox Live has just over 6 million subscribers, including paid members. Even though we feel the multiplayer gaming support for Wi-Fi Connection is a bit thin, a lot of gamers love them some online pokemans.
24-year old Adam Mapleson is an IT consultant, a fan of heavy metal music, an avid video gamer, and a hero. At a rail station just yesterday, Adam came to the aid of a terrified female security guard being robbed by two armed thugs. As he went to tackle the assailants, he was shot in the chest, close-range. According to a witness, blood was "all over the floor and all over the wall" as Adam lay on the ground calling for help.
The robbers managed to escape, but Adam's heroism ensured no one else was injured, including the intended victim. Adam is still in the hospital listed as "serious but stable". Here's to a speedy recovery for an all-around hero and fellow gamer.
Anti-video game pundits, here is your proof that video games are the violent tools of the devil. After playing outside on the trampoline, UK resident Brian McConnell left his three-year old alone to play Wii Tennis while he fetched the boy a drink. While in the kitchen, Brian heard two loud bangs. He returned to find Adam using the controller to smash the 42-inch plasma TV screen. Needless to say, Adam won't be touching a video game console for a very long time, and his father will be keeping an eagle-eye on the boy from this day forward. Not even a beefed-up wrist strap could have saved this poor TV.
Images of the maps made by the Clements High School student have found their way to the internet. If there are small children in the room, cover their delicate eyes. Might want to close the blinds, sweep the room for bugs, and unplug your webcam, too ... just to be safe.
The blood! The horror! The ... wait. Actually, they don't look half bad. Makes their school look rather appealing, wouldn't you agree? The "Let Freedom Ring for All People" banner is a nice touch, as well. Call us crazy, but we don't see what's so "terroristic" about these creations.
Tired of wasting time reading the news when you could be playing games? Wait, don't leave! OK, fine, go. We understand we can't compete with the games we cover. But at least promise us you'll go play a game like Newsbreaker so you can keep up with the headlines as you get your game on.
At first glance, Newsbreaker seems to be just the latest in a line of extremely generic Breakout clones, this time in the form of an MSNBC advergame. What's makes the game special is what is quite possibly the first recorded use of live news headlines as powerups. That's right, headlines pulled from MSNBC feeds slowly fall from some busted bricks, and catching 25 of them gets you an extra life. What's more, each caught headline is saved so you can read the full story once you're done playing.
We feel this combination of games and news is a good first step to combating the growing media illiteracy epidemic, but why stop there? How about giving Achievement Points for reading the newspaper every morning? Hiding secret codes for today's hottest games in the nightly news broadcast? Offering Gamestop gift certificates for listening to NPR? The game industry could single-handedly save the news business!
Hands-on with the newly-unveiled Diablo 3 Wizard class!
Bungie (finally) gives us details on Halo 3: Recon!
Hands-on with the New Xbox Experience, launching November 19!
We're live at the Tokyo Game Show 2008, yatta!
Hide your wallets! New games this month: October Edition
Listen to the Joystiq podcast (because your ears can't read)
Posts with tag news
Editorial judgment? Original content? What are those? Everyone who's anyone knows the hot new thing is letting readers vote on what counts as news on sites like Digg, StumbleUpon and N4G, the last of which got a cash infusion from mega-publisher Future U.S., it was announced today.
Harnessing the power of former magazine editors and a well-respected newsman, GameTap quietly launched a "Read" section this week on their website. The section covers reviews, previews, news and features, created by known writers in the industry. This new section represents a clear progression and departure from our GameTap expectations. 
Yesterday the geek-turned-hero who was shot tackling two robbers in a railway station was released from the hospital. Adam Mapleson was on his way home from work less than two weeks ago when he saw two men struggling with a security guard. When he stepped in to help, he was shot in the chest. Doctors listed him as "serious but stable" when we last reported on the situation, and some gaming forums compiled Get Well Soon cards in response. Now that Adam is all patched up and back in the wild, he can sit down for some well-deserved gaming time.
Nintendo announced today the free online gaming service Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection has reached more than 5 million unique DS owners worldwide. Nearly 65 games support online multiplayer through the service, accumulating over 200 million gameplay sessions since its launch in late 2005. Not surprisingly, the five most popular games are all from Nintendo: Animal Crossing: Wild World, Mario Kart DS, Metroid Prime: Hunters, and Pokemon Diamond and Pearl.
24-year old Adam Mapleson is an IT consultant, a fan of heavy metal music, an avid video gamer, and a hero. At a rail station just yesterday, Adam came to the aid of a terrified female security guard being robbed by two armed thugs. As he went to tackle the assailants, he was shot in the chest, close-range. According to a witness, blood was "all over the floor and all over the wall" as Adam lay on the ground calling for help.
