DCEmu Homebrew Emulation & Theme Park News
PS3 News
by Published on May 4th, 2011 09:42
Sony plans a phased restoration of the violated PlayStation Network this week....
PSN capabilities earmarked for revival are online gaming on PS3 and PSP, game verification, friends lists, chat and PlayStation Home.
Account management and password reset will at last be accessible, music-streaming service Qriocity reinstated and un-expired movie rentals downloadable.
"We will make further announcements on PSN restoration timings for the UK & Europe in due course," Sony told Eurogamer today.
Sony said at a Tokyo press conference this weekend that there will be Welcome Back gifts to compensate PS3 gamers for nearly two weeks of PSN outage.
A mandatory PS3 and PSP system update will also install new and improved security features. Think of them as a fatter, meaner bouncer.
Eroded Sony stock rose slightly as the world welcomed the news.
However, early this morning Sony confirmed the unfortunate development that more than 24.6 million Sony Online Entertainment accounts have also been compromised. Sony Online Entertainment makes and runs EverQuest II, Free Realms and DC Universe Online.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...turn-this-weekby Published on May 4th, 2011 09:28- Categories:
- PS3 News,
- Xbox 360 News
THQ has confirmed it will bring the currently Wii-only uDraw peripheral and its games to Xbox 360 and PS3.
"I am pleased to announce that we plan to bring exclusively designed uDraw GameTablets to Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PS3 platforms this holiday," said THQ president and CEO Brian Farrell in its Q4 2011 financial announcement today.
This will come as no surprise after Farrell previously admitted that the firm wasn't ruling out bringing the accessory to "other platforms".
No further details the PS3/360 versions of the tablet were announced, and the company only committed to a "holiday" 2011 release.
THQ also confirmed that it has shipped 1.7 million units of the uDraw GameTablet so far in fiscal 2011.
Wii art peripheral uDraw, which can be used in conjunction with titles such as Pictionary, and reportedly enjoyed a solid Christmas in the US.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...by Published on May 3rd, 2011 21:28- Categories:
- PS3 News,
- PC News,
- Xbox 360 News,
- DCEmu Reviews
XCM XFPS Commando for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 & PC
Manufacturer: XCM
Site: Buy from Play-Asia / Buy from Amazon
Price: $99.90
Overview : The XFPS Commando is designed for First Person Shooter games. Different from our previous XFPS adapter versions, this device is designed to be used with our own mouse and controller. It is compatible with Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. It features a wireless design, faster moves 180° across the scene, compatible with Xbox 360 headset, sensitivity adjustment, etc.
Features :
- Compatible with all versions of Xbox 360 and Xbox 360 Slim, PS3 and PS3 Slim, PC
- Compatible with Xbox 360 Wired Headset
- Compatible with the latest PS3 firmware
- Consist of 2 devices: XFPS mouse and controller.
- Instant Plug and Play (no need to connect to PC)
- Wireless design
- Ideal for use with all FPS titles
- Super high sensitivity precision and smoothness
- Move 180° across the scene faster
- Built-in auto-fire function
*You MUST use a wired Xbox 360 controller. XFPS Commando will NOT work with wireless Xbox 360 controller Play & Charge Kit.
Quality/Usability : The XFPS Commando mouse and controller each require a AA size battery. If the receiver does not have power for more than 1 minute or if no buttons on the mouse/controller were pressed for more than 3 minutes, the mouse and controller will enter into standby mode for saving power. It's suggested that if you're not using the XFPS Commando for a long period of time, please take out the batteries. On the mouse itself, there is a ON/OFF switch but the controller did not have one.
Using on PS3/PS3 Slim:
- Plug XFPS Commando receiver USB plug (1) into the PS3/PS3 Slim console and the receiver indicator (2) will light up and change colors between red-green-blue (in rotation).
- Switch on the power and press the START button. The indicator will light up.
- Press the XFPS Commando controller GUIDE button and the indicator is ON.
- Now the XFPS Commando will now be connected to the PS3/PS3 Slim console.
- To connect a PS3 controller to the XFPS Commando, connect PS3 controller with USB cable to XFPS Commando receiver USB port and the indicator will change to BLUE and will brighten. If pressing the PS Home button on PS3 controller, you can use the PS3 controller instead of the XFPS Commando (mouse and controller). If you want to change back to using the XFPS Commando, simply press the GUIDE on the XFPS Commando (controller) or unplug the PS3 controller and it will go back to the XFPS Commandos function.
Using on Xbox 360/Xbox 360 Slim:
- Plug XFPS Commando receiver USB plug into the Xbox 360/Xbox 360 Slim console and the receiver indicator will light up and change colors between red-green-blue (in rotation).
- Switch on the power and press the START button. The indicator (14) will light up.
- Press the XFPS Commando controller GUIDE button and the indicator is ON.
- To connect a Xbox 360 wired controller to the XFPS Commando, connect Xbox 360 wired controller to XFPS Commando receiver USB port, the indicator will change to GREEN and will brighten. Now the XFPS Commando is connected to the Xbox 360 /Xbox 360 Slim console.
- If pressing the GUIDE button, you can use the Xbox 360 wired controller instead of the XFPS Commando (mouse and controller). If you want to change back to using the XFPS Commando, simply press the GUIDE on the XFPS Commando (controller) or unplug the Xbox 360 wired controller and it will go back to the XFPS Commandos function. (Note: The XFPS Commando must be used with Xbox 360 wired controller. No Play & Charge Kit.)
- To use the PS3 controller, you have to use the Xbox 360 wired controller and follow the steps of 6-4 then unplug the Xbox 360 wired controller, the XFPS Commando takes the function, now plug in the PS3 controller , the XFPS commander receiver indicator turns GREEN and brighten, press the PS key on PS3 controller, you can use the PS3 instead of the XFPS Commando (mouse and controller),if you want to change back to the XFPS commando, simply press the GUIDE on the XFPS Commando (controller) or unplug the PS3 controller, it will go back to the XFPS Commandos function.
Note: When using the Xbox 360 wired controller, you must use Xbox 360 headset for Live playing.
Using on PC:
- Plug XFPS Commando receiver USB plug into the PC and the receiver indicator will light up and change colors between red-green-blue (in rotation).
- Switch on the power and press the START button. The indicator will light up.
- Press the XFPS Commando controller GUIDE button and the indicator is ON
- Now the XFPS Commando is now connected to the PC.
- When using the XFPS Commando on PC, the XFPS Commando receiver USB port function will be sealed off. You will not be able to connect a PS3 or Xbox 360 controller.
I must admit, I suck when it comes to FPS when using the analog sticks on a controller. Once I start shooting, I have poor control over my aim and spray bullets everywhere. However, I do better when it comes to aiming a physical device such as a gun or using a mouse to point and click (BTW, I don't play PC games). The movement of the mouse feels fairly smooth compared to recent attempts at a keyboard/mouse adapters. During my testing, I did not notice any dead zones. This is what we all look for as we don't want to play a game and the pointer jumps or skips and you're unable to kill your foe. The mouse is configurable. If the mouse movement is too slow or too fast, you can simply adjust the sensitivity of the mouse by holding the RC/R3 button and using the
or 
to increase or decrease sensitivity, respectively.
The fact that it is a 'plug and play' is a big plus. No keyboard/mouse setup is required neither is a computer needed. Commando is very straight forward...plug and play! However, a wired controller MUST be used. You can not use a Play and Charge Kit. You can use 3rd party controllers such as MadCatz, Hori, Gamestop branded controllers and many more. Just make sure to hold onto the receipt incase these controllers don't work. Officially licensed Microsoft Xbox 360 controllers work without a problem. I myself used a MadCatz controller that I bought off eBay for cheap just the use of activating any XCM adapters.
Two 180° buttons located where a scroll wheel would be on a normal mouse. Would be nice to have a horizontal mouse so gamers can scroll which direction they want to go 180°s. Is it faster than the controller? No. The speed is the same as if you were to turn using the joystick. Regardless whether there is one or two 180° buttons, the location is in a bad location. In order to reach the bottom 180° button, you have to take your hand/fingers off the mouse just to be able to press the button. What makes it worse is that the RC/R3 button is between both 180° buttons. Depending on the game, you may accidentally press the button and causing you to lose. For instance, in Call of Duty, RC/R3 is the melee button and just when you want to melee your opponent, you press the 180° button and you end up turning around. There goes your surprise attack. You also can not program any of the 180° buttons.
XFPS Commando has 8 Turbo/Rapid Fire switches. The speed of Turbo/Rapid Fire is 20 shots per second. Note: Turbo feature does not work on PC.
If you want to do a custom setting for the Xbox 360, you will need to connect a Xbox 360 wired controller to the XFPS Commando receiver and switch the DEFAULT/SET button to SET. For instance, you want to set the "A" button on Xbox 360 wired controller to the "B/●" button on the mouse of XFPS Commando. First, press the "P" program switch, the program indicator changes to RED and will brighten. Now press the "A" button on the Xbox 360 wired controller and wait until the Receiver Program indicator flashes, then press the "B/●" key on the mouse. The "Program LED indicator" will stop blinking. Your programming is completed. All programming will be saved on the XFPS Commando even if the device is disconnected and turned off. There is no need to reprogram your custom configurations on the next usage. *Custom configurations do not work on PC.
To clear/reset your custom configurations, press the "P" program switch, the program indicator changes to RED and will brighten. Now press the mouse "B/●" key and the function on "B/●" key is now set back to default. To erase all programmed configurations on your XFPS Commando, simply press the "P" button for 3 seconds until the Receiver Program indicator stops blinking.
There are only a couple of buttons that are not programmable:
- Mouse: Mouse movement (Up, Down, Left, Right), 180° buttons
- Commando Controller: Guide/
button and directional buttons.
Lots of Xbox 360 gamers who purchased any of XCM's prior XFPS line that uses mouse and keyboard, have been wanting to use wired headsets and there is only one other product that allowed you to (XCM XFPS Live). With the XFPS Commando, since the Xbox 360 controller is connected to the receiver, you are able to use a wired headset. Your comments and suggestions has been answered!
Of all the XCM products we have reviewed, this may have disappointed me. The quality of the plastic and its construction felt cheap. It doesn't mean it will fall apart or break. It just felt cheap in the hands. The d-pad and buttons on the left hand controller felt mushy. The d-pad didn't have that normal feel found on the PS3 controller. For the suggested retail price of the product, I would have liked to see a bit more quality in the plastic. So as long it works, that's all it matters...I guess.
But what I do like is the fact that the XFPS Commando is upgradeable. You can download the latest updates from XCM here (Windows only). With the latest update 1.2, you are able to use the left analog stick on the Commando controller to function as a Sixaxis by using the analog stick only as Sixaxis controller (Mode 1), analog stick as Sixaxis controller and XY tilt function (front, back, left, right - Mode 2), or analog stick only as XY tilt function (Mode 3). Personally, when it comes to emulating Sixaxis controls, I prefer not to use it as I feel its a gimmick. Note: This works ONLY on games that support Sixaxis controls.
Conclusion : Overall, the XCM XFPS Commando is a "modern" version of a mouse and keyboard. You still have the mouse for aiming and such but the nunchuk now replaces what you would normally do on a keyboard. While the XFPS Commando has a cheap plastic construction feel, the product is still sturdy. The ability to reprogram buttons is a plus as everyone has their own preferred setup and configuration. The multiple 180° buttons is unnecessary and the location is a bad choice and you also can not reprogram the 180° buttons. The wired headset support for the Xbox 360 is a nice addition as not everyone owns a wireless headset or want to go out and purchase one. If there is any updates to the XFPS Commando, it is upgradeable. Unfortunately, the price may deter some potential buyers as it is a bit high.
Images via commentsby Published on May 3rd, 2011 10:10
As the security crisis which racks Sony grows ever more serious, the corporation has been firefighting on many fronts to contain the potential damage.
Firstly, Sony has vigorously denied reports that hackers have attempted to sell the stolen information back to the company.
"To my knowledge there is no truth to this report of a list, or that Sony was offered an opportunity to purchase the list," said Patrick Seybold, senior director of corporate communications & social media on the official PlayStation Blog.
But Sony's woes do not end with the consolation of its customers, governments have also been making their unhappiness apparent.
Following the initial involvement of U.S. senator Richard Blumenthal, a House of Representatives subcommittee has also sent a letter to Sony asking for information about the attack.
The letter is addressed to Sony chairman Kazuo Hirai and asks 13 questions regarding when Sony first discovered evidence of the attack, who was responsible, and what steps it is taking to mitigate the effects of the breach.
The UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has also already indicated it is to quiz Sony over the breach, but it is not yet clear if other government agencies will also become involved.
In Australia the scandal has inspired the federal government to announce plans for a law forcing companies to disclose privacy breaches. Newspaper WA Today reports that 1,560,791 Australian accounts were affected as a result of the Sony attack, with 280,000 credit card details compromised.
Although there is no indication of when the law might come into use, the Australian government has also questioned Sony over their actions and security, with privacy minister Brendan O'Connor commenting that he is, "very concerned" over the data loss.
"Sony isn't alone. We've seen serious privacy-related incidents in recent months involving other large companies," said O'Connor. "All companies that collect customers' personal information must ensure that the information is safe and secure from misuse."
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-question-sony
...by Published on May 3rd, 2011 10:08- Categories:
- PSP News,
- PS3 News,
- PS2 News,
- Nintendo DS News,
- Nintendo 3DS News,
- Nintendo Wii News,
- PC News,
- Xbox 360 News
There were no new entries in the UK multiformat top 20 last week, as Valve's Portal 2 remains the number one selling game in the country, followed by Warner's Mortal Kombat.
Although the double bank holiday meant only three normal working days for the week ending April 30th there were new releases to be had - most notably Sega's Thor move tie-in and the heavily advertised Virtua Tennis 4.
In the end though neither title appeared in the new top 20, with Virtua Tennis 4 debuting only at number 23.
Given the unusual nature of the week the 51 per cent fall in sales for Portal 2 and 42 per cent drop for Mortal Kombat cannot be directly compared to the previous week, but the drops are more than other lower-placed titles.
Codemasters' Operation Flashpoint: Red River saw only a 21 per cent decrease in sales at number four, despite a mixed critical reception.
It was denied the number three spot though by Zumba Fitness, which also saw a decline in sales of 21 per cent. The title was boosted by the delayed release of the PlayStation 3 version though, which accounted for 10 per cent of this week's sales.
According to Chart-Track the Xbox 360 version accounted for 10 per cent and the Wii version 81 per cent.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...lead-uk-charts ...by Published on May 3rd, 2011 10:01- Categories:
- PS3 News
Company denies claims of hacker's black market dealings; Says passwords were protected
PlayStation Network operator Sony has dismissed claims that hackers who obtained user information from its servers have been trying to sell the data on the black market.
"We want to state this again given the increase in speculation about credit card information being used fraudulently," SCEA's senior director of corporate communications and social media Patrick Seybold stated.
"One report indicated that a group tried to sell millions of credit card numbers back to Sony. To my knowledge there is no truth to this report of a list, or that Sony was offered an opportunity to purchase the list."
Seybold also addressed the issue of encryption, assuring users that a certain level of security was applied to their PSN password details.
"While the passwords that were stored were not 'encrypted', they were transformed using a cryptographic hash function," he added.
"There is a difference between these two types of security measures which is why we said the passwords had not been encrypted. But I want to be very clear that the passwords were not stored in our database in cleartext form."
The hope is that some PSN operations will be restored in the next day or two, with a complete return still a little way off.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/44135/Sony...e-not-for-sale
...by Published on May 3rd, 2011 09:59- Categories:
- PS3 News
And the nightmare continues. Following up fromthis morning's server outages, Sony Online Entertainment has confirmed that the information of 24.6 million SOE user accounts could have been stolen.
"Personal information from approximately 24.6 million SOE accounts may have been stolen, as well as certain information from an outdated database from 2007," says an SOE announcement.
It adds: "The information from the outdated database that may have been stolen includes approximately 12,700 non-U.S. credit or debit card numbers and expiration dates (but not credit card security codes), and about 10,700 direct debit records of certain customers in Austria, Germany, Netherlands and Spain.
Account details leaked include name, address, e-mail address, birthdate, gender, phone number, login name and hashed password. However, from the 10,700 Austria, Germany, Netherlands and Spain accounts stolen, hackers could have also accessed their bank account number, customer name, account name and customer address.
"Upon discovery of this additional information, the company promptly shut down all servers related to SOE services while continuing to review and upgrade all of its online security systems in the face of these unprecedented cyber-attacks," said SOE.
It says emails will be sent to all whose details may have been stolen, and users will receive compensation in the form of play time for the server outages.
"SOE will grant customers 30 days of additional time on their subscriptions, in addition to compensating them one day for each day the system is down," it said. It is also in the process of outlining a "make good" plan for its PS3 MMOs (DC Universe Online and Free Realms).
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...by Published on May 2nd, 2011 23:32- Categories:
- PS3 News
via Computer and Video Games
Sony has moved to debunk reports that a list of millions of credit card numbers acquired via last week's PSN breach was offered for sale.
He also clears speculation that PSN passwords were stored completely unprotected on Sony's servers. "While the passwords that were stored were not 'encrypted,' they were transformed using a cryptographic hash function," said Seybold.
Sony's Patrick Seybold said via the PS Blog: "We want to state this again given the increase in speculation about credit card information being used fraudulently.
"One report indicated that a group tried to sell millions of credit card numbers back to Sony. To my knowledge there is no truth to this report of a list, or that Sony was offered an opportunity to purchase the list," he said.
He reiterates previous advice for users not to respond to any requests for personal information or PSN details as Sony will not request them, and advises you change any passwords for unrelated services that are the same or similar to the password you used for PSN.
"There is a difference between these two types of security measures which is why we said the passwords had not been encrypted. But I want to be very clear that the passwords were not stored in our database in cleartext form," he added.
DC Universe Online developer, Sony Online Entertainment, has today shut down its servers over concerns of a possible intrusion.
Sony says PSN will go live "this week". ...by Published on May 2nd, 2011 21:44
News via http://psx-scene.com/forums/f6/psn-h...ide-job-85869/
Just days before PSN was "hacked," Sony fired over 200 employees in their online division.
In Sony massive corporation style thinking, once March 31th, 2011 rolls around they decide to get rid of any "dead-weight", in this case, employees they think are "useless" or no longer needed so they can close off the "year-end books" with various "claimed losts" to save corporation taxes, just like any big massive corporation thinks, only for themselves and their "bottom line", not for the little human beings slaving away everyday for their profits.
Like all layoffs that are hard to swallow, this case was a big one, one 1/3 of the staff that worked in the ONLINE division, in all over 200 employees were given their sad "pink slip" 2 week notice, which means they had to work right up until the very dates that Sony had to shutdown the PSN network!
Even tho Sony rented servers from AT&T data center, being the "unmanaged" type, any Sony employee in the SOE dept. would be able to gain access showing their "photo id" badge to do maintenance work on the servers, if they needed more then just "whitelisted" remote server access from their office.
Today, Sony again announce that all the user account "passwords" were "hashed" on their blog, but any key online employee that was layoff could very well have easy access to the needed cryptographic hash function information in regard to any encryption that might have been used on the servers, including CC access for billing and accounting.
Quote:
Sony Online Entertainment Slashes Hundreds of Jobs, Shutters Three Studios
8:57 PM 3/31/2011 by John Gaudiosi
Sony Online Entertainment has closed three of its game studios and laid off 205 workers as part of a massive restructuring.
All possible steps are being taken to ensure team members affected by the transition are treated with appropriate concern."
"SOE will transition development efforts for the Denver and Tucson studios' suite of products to its San Diego headquarters in order to better position SOE to remain a global leader in online gaming and deliver on its promise of creating entertaining games for players of all ages and servicing the 20 million players that visited SOE servers in just the past year," the company said.
Quote:
Sony Online Cuts Staff By a Third
April 15, 2011, 12:08:32 PM By Rick DeMott
Sony Online Entertainment has laid off a third of its staff, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The move means 205 employees will lose their jobs and the company will shut down offices in Denver, Tucson and Seattle.
Quote:
Wikipedia History Timeline on SOE
On March 31, 2011, SOE has confirmed that "it will eliminate 205 positions and close its Denver, Seattle and Tucson studios." Production of The Agency has also been discontinued.
On April 27, 2011, Sony, the parent company of SOE, released statements regarding an intrusion, on or about April 18th, into the PlayStation Network, and the potential theft of up to 77 Million subscribers personal data. Sony maintains that PSN and SOE are hosted and run on completely separate subsystems and that the PlayStation Network intrusion had no major affect on SOE's online services.
On May 2, 2011, SOE completely interrupted their online services. Over the previous month several intrusions of PSN have caused the developers to post messages of concern and apology, but also assurances the SOE servers and systems were not compromised. This most recent development has shut the service down entirely with the message: "We have had to take the SOE service down temporarily. In the course of our investigation into the intrusion into our systems we have discovered an issue that warrants enough concern for us to take the service down effective immediately. We will provide an update later today (Monday)."
Even tho some of these employees were in working in remote offices, they could have easy had whitelisted server access to the San Diego HQ to do their daily work, it just seems very strange that suddenly both networks go down after a massive layoff of KEY ONLINE SONY EMPLOYEES when they have to work knowing it is their last days on the job being a lowly paid slave to evil corporation.
Dear Sony, you need to look inside your own organization!...by Published on May 2nd, 2011 00:24
The LA Times is reporting that Sony has revealed that 10 million credit card accounts may have been exposed two weeks ago when a hacker broke into the company's computers in San Diego and stole data from 77 million PlayStation Network accounts. Sony said it will provide credit card protection services for the 10 million customers whose data were compromised. Sony last week said it had encrypted credit card data, but not other account information, including names, addresses, email addresses and birth dates.http://games.slashdot.org/story/11/0...e-Been-Exposed ...- Search DCEmu
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