117w ago - Update: Some more legal doc updates have now surfaced, which include GeoHot's laywers response refuting Sony's claims (via Groklaw) that the "blickmaniac" PSN account belongs to him.

ArsTechnica is also reproting that GeoHot's PS3 SCEJ manuals remained sealed, that he couldn't have known of SCEA to set up a PSN account and that the PlayStation 3 serial numbers don't match.

Today many sites are reporting that Sony has allegedly found George Hotz's PSN account under the nickname of blickmanic which would subject him to their TOS, that the PS3 hacker is currently fleeing or vacationing in South America, and finally that GeoHot may have intentionally removed integral components of his impounded hard drives prior to delivery.

To quote from EscapistMagazine.com:...[/B]

119w ago - Today PS3 hacker Mathieulh reports finding a PlayStation 3 Firmware 3.56 exploit, although he states he has no plans to give any further details about it.

To quote from PSX-Scene (linked above): Well-known hacker Mathieu Hervais has reportedly found a bug that allows exploiting metldr, the bootloader and firmware version 3.56. Unfortunately, he refuses to release it.

Originally Posted by Mathieulh (via Twitter):

I hesitated a lot before tweeting about it, but a bug allows exploiting metldr, the bootloader and 3.56+. I don't intent to ever unveil it.

So much for "unhackable" PS3s though... I am not giving any further details about it. Sorry.

Actually the revocation list exploit doesn't allow you to exploit isoldr, you could however sign a revoke list if you had the revocation list keys and knew the sign fail, and use that to dump isoldr. Metldr does not load revocation lists.

This has been tested, how do you think I could release the lv2ldr and appldr keys ? (about 24hrs before Geohot showed up with metldr keys) This has been tested, how do you think I could release the lv2ldr and appldr keys ? (about 24hrs before Geohot showed up with metldr keys)

You can...

206w ago - According to the Entertainment Merchant's Association 2008 Annual Report, the Home Entertainment Industry holds survey results showing 87% of PS3 owners reported they watch Blu-ray movies on their console... essentially concluding that the PS3 saved Blu-ray.

The study also found the average gamer to be 33-years old with 24% that are older than 50.

To quote: The EMA feels Blu-ray was the losing format in 2006, but thanks to the PS3, it rebounded in 2007 to become the de facto winner. Their prediction is the PS3 will be "the main force behind Blu-ray disc sales until 2009, when standalone Blu-ray players are expected to outpace the sales volume of the PS3."

We think this report raises a number of questions:

Is the PS3 really the driving force behind Blu-ray? Or is Blu-ray the driving force behind the PS3? Did Sony take too much of a gamble with a new format and didn't invest enough into the games? If so, will that improve now that Blu-ray has won?

208w ago - It appears the idea of console exclusives is over with the recent announcement of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for PlayStation Portable.

The Nintendo DS version has been out on the market since March 17, 2009, plenty of time for the Grand Theft Auto fanatic to either purchase the game for the DS or go and buy a Nintendo DS just so it could be played.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is the third GTA title to release on the PlayStation Portable after GTA: Liberty City Stories and GTA: Vice City Stories. It makes sense on a business level for Sony to start pushing for more titles on the PlayStation Portable, and even more so the upcoming PSP Go.

Sony needs to properly support the PSP Go from launch. They cannot afford to release the new PSP and leave it on the market for a couple months before properly supporting it. This is primarily because of the PSP Go's lack of UMD drive.

Granted, gamers could use the PlayStation Store to download PSOne Classics or even some older PSP titles onto the PSP Go, but where will the money be at? The new downloadable titles. With Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars releasing around the same time, there is a title that will help sell the PSP Go for early...

212w ago - Tokyo-based market researcher Net-Asia has released some new findings in reference to Japanese gaming trends.

The poll noted that out of those surveyed with a PS3, 66 percent of them believed that the graphical prowess of the console was a reason to own it.

To quote: When asked why they owned their respective consoles, 81% of the PS3 owners responded that they bought it for the gamse, while only 52% of Wii owners got their system for the games.

66% of the PS3 owners also cited graphical prowess of the system as a reason to own it, with the Blu-ray player being another reason. 37% of the Wii owners snapped up the console up to be used as a health tool, with other reasons included increasing family communication and to try playing games in a new way.

So there ya have it, the average PS3 owner in Japan is a young graphics addict that tends to enjoy playing action games by themselves.

PS: The pic below is a last-minute Memorial Day 2009 tribute!