PS3 Firmware 3.21 removes Linux support
Sony is releasing the 3.21 PS3 firmware on April 1 and it's no April fools joke: PS3 owners will lose support for Linux and the 'OtherOS' install. The PS3 3.21 firmware does nothing else-no added features, game support-it just removes functionality. Sony is citing 'security concerns' but we all know that is a codeword for piracy.SCEA's Patrick Seybold explains that the removal of said functionality is necessary "due to security concerns ... [and] will help ensure that PS3 owners will continue to have access to the broad range of gaming and entertainment content from SCE and its content partners on a more secure system." I call bullshit on this one, Sony is out to squash the OtherOS exploit before it can be used for piracy.
If you wish to keep your Yellow Dog, or any other Linux install going on your older PS3 you will have to opt out of the 3.21 firmware update. The downside is that you lose the ability to play back DRM protected video stored on a media server OR play any future PS3 titles that require the 3.21 (or higher) firmware. PS3 owners who opt out of the 3.21 firmware update also can't sign into the PlayStation Network, which means no more online play or chat.
This reminds me of the constant battle that Sony has been fighting with home brew/piracy on the PSP. It seems that they update the firmware every other day to try and they still are unable to prevent people from using the PSP how they want. It's sad to see Sony start down this path with the PS3 and removing a feature because it MAY lead to home brew or piracy. Why not let patch the exploit in a way that still allows the OtherOS?
If you are looking for how to install Linux on your PS3 before the firmware update, check out Popular Mechanics.
GameCrush: Girl Gamers for Desperate Nerds
The Internet never ceases to amaze me, with all the weird services and startups that try to capitalize on lonely and desperate male gamers. I have been seeing ads for GameCrush all over and curiosity got the better of me and I went to see what the hubbub was. Well, it turns out that Gamecrush is focused on getting lonely videogame nerds to pay to have lovely girl gamers play with you-no, not like Geek2Geek, but VIDEOGAMES.
The Gamecrush service costs $6.60 for 500 'credits' that can be used to play a game online with a GIRL or have a video chat. A game session usually lasts from 6 to 10 minutes and leaves enough GameCrush credits for the gamer to tip his PlayDate. GameCrush will also have social tools that allow PlayDates to post profiles complete with picture galleries, video clips, blogs and text chat. PlayDates can make up to $30 or more per hour while having fun playing online games. After a game session is completed, Players rate their gaming experience, and top-rated PlayDates are rewarded with enhanced site promotion and additional benefits.
GameCrush says that the cost of their service equates to something along the lines of buying a girl a drink. Now, you could argue if it is a real girl behind your 'PlayDate', but I suppose the video chat part would sort that out quick. Who knows if this will take off, but I have seen desperate gaming nerds pay for weirder things. That and their public beta was overwhelmed in minutes hints at high demand. How embarrassing would it be to have your 'PlayDate' kick your ass? Hint: Very funny, unless you are into that kind of thing.
If you want to read the GameCrush PR, you can do so here, but try to keep your sanity in check.
So, what's your thoughts on this new 'service' for gamers?
PlayStation Move Shovelware: Slider
No, it's not the awesome adaptation of Sliders, but the first PlaySation Move enabled game to come out from Sony's Japan Studios. Slider is also a good example of upcoming shovelware for the PS3 Move. Face it, the Wii is plagued by games with uninspired motion controls and now the Playstation 3 will get it's share of those games.
Joystiq has a hands on review of PS3 Slider and the game does seem to have charm; the game revolves around the concept of escaping from the Japanese mafia by using office furniture. While the concept is certainly zany enough to work, the downfall of PS3 Slider is the poor implementation of motion controls.
Waggling the controller moves the character forward, but to jump or duck you thrust the controller upward/downward. So moving forward, up and down use nearly identical motions; making for imprecise controls and frustrating game play. Just like Red Steel for the Wii (you had so much promise!). Joystiq failed to find the game enjoyable and correctly deduced that a casual gamer wouldn't be able to pick it up and play easily. This game probably could have used the SIXAXIS controller instead and been a much better game.
It's sad to see another avenue for poor (and gimmicky) motion controls used in another console. Good motion control makes a game more immersive in a way that normal controls cannot. Hopefully more First Party games for the PS3 get decent motion controls. Not to mention the amount of shovelware games that will be ported from the Wii to the PlayStation 3. Shovelware is never fun and makes for a poor purchase; worse, it's hard to tell how poorly a game has implemented motion controls until you purchase/rent the game. Thankfully there is always GameFly.
Why the PS3 Move is exactly like the Wii Remote
Sony just unveiled their new motion based control scheme dubbed "PS3 Move". While Nintendo's Wiimote and the PS3 Move motion controller have different hardware, they are the exactly the same to the average person. Deep down inside the PS3 Move is just another Wiimote in theory. Both controllers share the same idea, but are executed in different ways. PS3 Move: mimic, gimmick or something new?
- Initial games will be tech demos showcasing control schemes
- They both use light to track where the controller is at.
- Both the PS3 Move and the Wiimote have a secondary controller with a control stick (and both come separate
- Extra Controllers for the PS3 Move and Wiimote are expensive.
- PS3 fanboys call the new control scheme "gimmicky". Wait, that was just the Wiimote.
OK, while the fine details may not be the same for the PS3 Move and Nintendo's Wiimote; the basic premise is exactly the same. Both controllers give players a new way to control future games and-in the case of the PS3-some older games like Little Big Planet. The PS3 Move handles the motion control differently than the Wiimote though. The PS3 Motion uses a LED lit ball coupled by the PS3 Eye toy to track it. The Wiimote uses a passive IR light in the sensor bar and the receiver is in the Wiimote and if you paid for it, the Motion Plus adapter for true 1:1 control.
The problem with the PS3 Move is that it is a add on and add ons have a terrible adoption rate for consoles. Couple that with how expensive the PS3 Move is going to be: for the "full" experience, each person will need two PlayStation Move controllers AND a sub controller (which doesn't support motion gaming at all). Oh but wait, how many Moves does the PlayStation support? Sony told Gizmodo that the PS3 only supports-at most-FOUR Move controllers at once: or two PS3 Move controllers and two sub-controllers. So, for that full multiplayer epxeriance you are looking at just one PlayStation Eye, but two Moves and a sub-controller per player. Using Giz's napkin math, that comes out to about $290 bucks to get the full experience. So we have expensive hardware, limited multiplayer experience and the potential for low adoption rates; sounds like a recipe for disaster.
The PS3 Move motion controller does have better tracking and better motion sensing (think of it having the Wii Motion Plus adapter built in). Both the PS3 Move and the Wiimote are exactly the same idea and close in hardware. It comes down to the execution of that idea, and the PS3 Move is going to have issues moving forward. I look forward to see how the diehard PS3 and Nintendo fans clamor about how one control scheme is better than the other.
Until I can get my hands on it, I'd have to label the PS3 Move as a mimic of the Wiimote. Mainly because for regular buyers there is no way you can explain that this is different than Wii Remote controllers.