psn

As you may be aware, Sony's PlayStation Network is down in the dumps. To make matters worse, there is no clear timetable as to when the service will be back online, which is causing great frustration in the gamer community. The timing couldn't be any worse as the weekend approaches.

This isn't the first time a wide-ranging issue has affected the PlayStation 3. An error that completely stopped many versions of the console from functioning around this time last year tested the patience of many, only to be resolved a day later. This time, the error is further-reaching and potentially more disastrous for a company that is already being criticized to the nines.

As the hours and days roll by and gamers are unable to connect to the PlayStation Network, voices tend to get louder. A quick peek on Twitter reveals anger from all over the globe. Gera Rodriguez (@gerarz) tweeted, "Nada como estar de vacaciones con playstation network caido #Psn #epicfail," which loosely means his time off is less enjoyable without being able to play his PS3. And epic fail.

Another user, Eimear McClenaghan (@_Eimear) wrote, "Playstation network isn't working. #wtf somebody come fix it pls." Drew Jones (@drewjones24) simply stated his mood, with "Playstation network is pissin me off." Other tyranty tweets can be found by simply scanning the search string "PlayStation Network" on Twitter.

Sony has yet to get back to us specifically about how it'll reimburse PSN Plus members for the outage. What do you think, if anything, the company should do to compensate for gamers' trouble? Vote in our poll at left. … Read more

Note: We've been informed by the ESRB that download-only games have been getting ratings for some time, this news just changes the way these titles are assigned actual ratings. We've edited the post to reflect the correct story.

Starting today the ESRB will let publishers automate the ratings process for titles available on storefronts like Xbox Live Arcade, Nintendo Wii Shop, DSi Shop, and the PlayStation Network Store.

Publishers will be able to complete an online submission form that consists of multiple questions related to a game's content--a completely different process than traditional disc-based console games.

The … Read more

MTV Networks has announced the forming of 345 Games, an internal division of the company that will develop titles based on original Comedy Central and Spike TV properties.

345 Games' first two titles will debut this summer, first in July with Spike TV's "Deadliest Warrior: Legends" and then in August with "Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon." Both titles will hit the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade marketplaces for $10 each.

The company has already seen success with last year's "Deadliest Warrior: The Game," a digital-only title that has amassed nearly 400,000 downloads.

345 Games hopes to tap the talent behind some of the network's most popular shows and has had the Ugly Americans creator's pen the script for the upcoming game.

It's no secret that both Comedy Central and Spike TV's demographics are heavily comprised of gamers; Spike TV has hosted the Video Game Awards for the previous eight years. … Read more

Sackboys in LittleBigPlanet 2 and Audis in Gran Turismo 5 will have to stay in single-player mode for a bit: Sony's PlayStation Network is getting some downtime--for a whopping 11 hours.

Sony said it planned to start conducting "routine maintenance" on the online network starting at 16:00 GMT today (8 a.m. PT). The maintenance will shut down all online activity globally across PS3 consoles, barring players from signing on to their PSN accounts.

While Sony isn't commenting on the details of the maintenance, some will probably speculate that hacking issues are involved. In a battle against piracy and hacking on the PlayStation 3, Sony has recently taken legal action against hacker George "Geohot" Hotz and prompted a request to seize IP addresses from Google. But maybe we're just getting some fixes or cool updates. … Read more

Tune in to this week's episode of preGame for a First Look at the high-end PlayStation Move accessory gun, the SharpShooter! But first, we're debuting four brand-new trailers for a variety of games hitting consoles soon. Be sure to check out the latest videos for Battlefield 3, Alice: Madness Returns, Rochard, and Shadows of the Damned.

Speculation that Microsoft is working on a successor to the Xbox 360 gained momentum today as a job listing on the company's site may point to future hardware. Is the Xbox 720 (or whatever it'll be called) imminent?

Next we'… Read more

Ever since the slow decline of the PSP platform began, we've wondered where exactly Sony would go next with its handheld-gaming platform. Despite Marcus Rivers and a handful of admittedly good titles, the PSP has been too expensive for its own good, while the iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android phones have become increasingly good and cheap gaming alternatives.

Nintendo answered back with 3D technology on the 3DS, but it has always seemed like the PSP could take its strong downloadable-game library onto a phone-like device with good results. We even predicted that as a longshot at this year's … Read more

Today on preGame we heroically emerge from the summer's gaming drought death-grip with two major titles. Join us as we host live demos of Madden 11 and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.

Football is right around the corner and CNET editor Scott Stein joins us today to play a full quarter of Madden 11 between the New York Jets and New York Giants. We'll discuss major changes to the game, and what we think of Gameflow, the new mode that speeds up play-calling.

Though the Tomb Raider franchise has had a healthy dosage of sequels over … Read more

Google has been very candid about its struggles in China. Now a new post from Google gives us more insight into how this battle between the search giant and China continues to unfold.

Earlier this year, Google refused to continue blocking search results that were mandated by the Chinese government so the government threatened to shut them down completely in China. Google circumvented this by routing all Chinese traffic through servers in Hong Kong.

We all knew that was a temporary solution. Now China is threatening not to renew Google's Internet content provider license if the company continues to … Read more

E3 is finished, wacky motion controllers and all, but the summer is just starting. In a few months, the holiday season will begin--and with it, companies will release an avalanche of games. While E3 presents a heck of a lot of glitz, promises, and hype, a handful of games always manage to emerge that excite us and give us hope for the gaming year ahead.

Could we have done with a lot fewer sequels? Most definitely. Do we wish Microsoft and Sony hadn't spent so much time hawking motion technology at the show? Undoubtedly. But we still found ourselves … Read more