13w ago - Following up on yesterday's PlayStation 4 / PS4 announcement and PlayStation 4 / PS4 trailer videos, today Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida confirmed that PlayStation 4 / PS4 won't block the use of second-hand (used) games.

To quote from Eurogamer (linked above): "Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida has told Eurogamer that PlayStation 4 will not block the use of second-hand games, contrary to various reports, speculation and even a Sony patent unearthed last month.

I sat down with Yoshida a few hours after the PS4 reveal tonight and one of the first things I asked was whether used games would be blocked.

"Do you want us to do that?" he asked.

No, I said. I think, if you buy something on a disc, that you have a kind of moral contract with the person you've bought it from that you retain some of that value and you can pass it on.

Do you agree, I asked?

"Yes. That's the general expectation by consumers," said Yoshida. "They purchase physical form, they want to use it everywhere, right? So that's...

20w ago - Previously it was rumored that Sony was planning to combat PS3 piracy with Blu-ray disc serial keys, and today gofreak uncovered a patent (PDF File) which may suppress second-hand game sales on PS4 as well.

Below are the details, to quote: So I believe this is interesting in light of a prior rumor about Sony limiting second hand game sales on PS4. Sony has been working on new technology for limiting used game sales, and has applied for a patent. The patent was filed 09/12/2012 by SCEJ.

Perhaps this work is where the rumor came from. Or perhaps it independently corroborates the rumor. Anyway, here's some of the relevant detail:

"According to the present embodiment, realized is the electronic content processing system that reliably restricts the use of electronic content dealt in the second-hand markets. As a result, the dealing of electronic content in the second-hand markets is suppressed, which in turn supports the redistribution of part of proceeds from sales of the electronic content to the developers. Though in the following description a game application...

36w ago - DC Universe Online Executive Producer Larry Liberty has shared details today on Hand of Fate - the new DC Universe Online PS3 DLC featuring heroic and villainous episodes.

To quote: Tomorrow, DC Universe Online's latest DLC pack, Hand of Fate, will go live. Hand of Fate is our fifth DLC pack, and it will be unlike anything we've offered to date. We're incredibly excited for you to check it out.

We have designed this DLC to get you and your friends fighting again in DCUO's open world. We want you back out there, battling in the DC Universe's most storied locations - Gotham City and Metropolis.

With the massive open world areas in the game, we felt it was time that we enriched these areas in unexpected ways to give you a deeper gameplay experience as you encounter the world and other players.

The content is high-fidelity, but serial in nature - our high-end players will definitely enjoy this. We have new group missions we call Operations, as well as more than 60 unique side missions.

Additionally, we have added the Utility Belt Attachments feature. This is a fun upgrade that will give you more flexibility in combat by allowing you to use more than just a single trinket or consumable item in your loadout, and will also give you more freedom to use some...

142w ago - Perpetual FX Creative VP of Production Chris Curra has announced today alongside a video trailer that Top Hand Rodeo Tour is coming to PS3 via PSN and PlayStation Move.

To quote: Hey guys, Chris here from Perpetual FX. We're really excited to finally announce what we've
been working on exclusively for PSN: Top Hand Rodeo Tour!

We are creating something no one has ever seen before, as there has been no rodeo game that will compare visually and from a gameplay standpoint.

With Top Hand Rodeo Tour, we really wanted to bring the full experience of professional rodeo to anyone and everyone asrealistically as possible. That's why we chose to work with the PlayStation Move motion controller.

Here's a sneak peak of what it will take for you to become the top hand. Check it out!





Everything in the game you play, see and hear was created from scratch and designed from the ground up for a completely fresh take on the modern face of rodeo. We have a ton planned for the game, including a variety of white-knuckle events like calf roping and team roping. We also are currently working on never-before-seen barrel and mounted shooting mechanics and track configurations, all...

187w ago - Today Siliconera (linked above) uncovered a patent for what appears to be a new PS3 Hand Held Game Controller from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. of Tokyo, Japan.

Some pictures of it from the USPTO Listing are below, and to quote from the patent's description:

The ornamental design for a hand held game controller, as shown and described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hand held game controller;

FIG. 2 is a front view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a rear view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a right side view thereof;

FIG. 5 is a left right side view thereof;

FIG. 6 is a top view thereof; and,

FIG. 7 is a bottom view thereof.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the hand held game controller, as used by a user.

The broken lines showing of a hand in FIG. 8 and all other environmental features are for illustrative purpose only and form no part of the claimed design.