We will just have to wait and see if this really occurs in full this week. Numerous broken promises and shotty fixes have lead them to the darkside of stretching the truth.

"Tokyo, May 31, 2011 – Sony Corporation and Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) announced today that Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI, the company) will fully restore all PlayStation®Network services in the Americas, Europe/PAL territories and Asia, excluding Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea by the end of this week. The company will also resume Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity™ for PlayStation®3 (PS3®), PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), VAIO and other PCs. Details for Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea as well as the remaining services on Qriocity will be announced as they become available.

The company implemented considerable security enhancements to the network infrastructure, as well as conducted testing of the payment process and commerce functions. The first phase of PlayStation Network and Qriocity restoration began on May 15 in the Americas and Europe/PAL territories, followed by Japan and Asian countries and regions on May 28, when the company brought partial services back online. With this partial restoration users were able to access to some of the services such as online game play, account management, friend lists and chat functionality were restored. The full restoration of PlayStation Network as well as part of services to become available on Qriocity will include:

• Full functionality on PlayStation®Store
• In-game commerce
• Ability to redeem vouchers and codes
• Full functionality on Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity for PS3, PSP, VAIO and
other PCs
• Full functionality on Media Go

Customers will be able to purchase and download games and video content from the PlayStation®Store on PS3 or PSP. In addition, consumers will have full access to Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity through PS3, PSP, VAIO and other PC’s. Service restoration of Video on Demand powered by Qriocity™ and Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity for a variety of network-enabled Sony devices will be announced later.

“We have been conducting additional testing and further security verification of our commerce functions in order to bring the PlayStation Network completely back online so that our fans can again enjoy the first class entertainment experience they have come to love,” said Kazuo Hirai, Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation. “We appreciate the patience and support shown during this time.”

The company will be offering customers a “Welcome Back” package of services and premium content to all registered PlayStation Network* and Qriocity account services. The details of this program will continue to be detailed regionally.

* Only available for those countries with access to PlayStation®Store."

Full Story: http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/05/30/full-psn-services-including-playstation-store-return-this-week/

Gamestop is offering a pre-order deal, as they usually do with all big games. Modern Warefare 3 is no different. Rumors say they are offering a two sided poster. One side has a normal MW design, the other side reportedly has the TIME Magazine art. This is a must have for any enthusiast.

Leaked poster back art:

Microsoft has confirmed reports that some Xbox 360 consoles are not compatible with its new Xbox 360 firmware upgrade, and advised those affected to get in touch. “Following a recent update to our system software, we have become aware of an issue that is preventing a very small number of Xbox 360 owners from playing retail game discs,” Microsoft said.

“This issue manifests itself a as a unique ‘disc unreadable’ or ‘disc unsupported’ error on the screen. We are also able to detect this issue over Xbox Live and are proactively reaching out to customers that may be impacted to replace their console.”

The console manufacturer urged those having problems to get in touch at www.xbox.com/support/contact “so we can verify if the console has been impacted”.

Microsoft will replace borked machines with a brand new Xbox 360 S with 250GB hard drive.

The new firmware is thought to prepare the Xbox 360 for use with the new XGD3 disc standard, which adds 1GB of useable data to 360 DVDs.
Digital Foundry this morning reported that the firmware combats pirated software.

SOURCE: http://www.gamehelper.net/2011/05/news-how-to-get-your-replacement-xbox-360/?utm_source=GameHelper.net&utm_medium=twitter

Since the notorious hacking of the Playstation gaming network, several things have occured, including the hacking of Sony Entertainment. The company has literally been brought to its knees saying that it is closed PSN indefinitely. Here is the latest from their official blog:

"As you may know, we’ve begun the process of restoring the service through internal testing of the new system. We’re still working to confirm the security of the network infrastructure, as well as working with a variety of outside entities to confirm with them of the security of the system. Verifying the system security is vital for the process of restoration. Additional comprehensive system checks and testing are still required, and we must complete that process before bringing the systems online.

As you’ve heard us say, our utmost priorities are the security of the network and ensuring your data is safe. We won’t restore the services until we can test the system’s strength in these respects.

When we held the press conference in Japan last week, based on what we knew, we expected to have the services online within a week. We were unaware of the extent of the attack on Sony Online Entertainment servers, and we are taking this opportunity to conduct further testing of the incredibly complex system. We know many of you are wanting to play games online, chat with your friends and enjoy all of the services PlayStation Network and Qriocity services have to offer, and trust me when I say we’re doing everything we can to make it happen. We will update you with more information as soon as we have it. We apologize for the delay and inconvenience of this network outage."

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/05/06/service-restoration-update/

In the meantime, hello Xbox Live.

Epic Games Executive Producer, Rod Fergusson, hosts this exclusive walkthrough video for the Gears 3 beta.
Do I need to say more? I am ready to go.

I just found out today that the leak we all heard about last week from GAME site is true. Of course, the flyer announcing this has since been removed. Activision and Microsoft will be dropping the $15.00 expansion pack May 3 for 360, PS3 and PC. This is the best kind of accidental leak ever. Below is the flyer that "accidentally" popped up on the site.

From here it looks like the new maps are as follows: Zoo, Hotel, Convoy, Stockpile, Co-op Zombie Mode.

Thank you GAME. I knew I loved Australians for some reason.

Unboxing video courtesy of Playstation below.

I have been playing SOCOM over numerous years utilizing several gaming consoles, including PSP. I was thrilled to hear about the newest edition, SOCOM 4 Navy SEALs, for one reason, Playstation Move sharp shooter controller. Instead of sitting with your DualShock 3, you will be immersed into a land with a handheld gun. Movement, real time point and shoot FPS (first person shooter) are the name of the game now.

The newest SOCOM is offering a packaged deal with the Playstation Move included with many other gaming goodies. You can pick yours up on April 19 for $149.99 (MSRP). Beyond the sticker shock, you will actually save money in the long run by purchasing this deal now. If you purchase individually, your pockets will be empty for a long time. The wave of the future is leading towards Playstation Move whether you want to jump on board or not. 

Click the photo to see what special offers are at Amazon.

That's right. It seems like a long wait since the official release of the demo, but Sony finally put it in the Demo Store. Start practicing now, I'm sure I will see you in battle soon enough.

The official release date for Mortal Kombat is April 19, 2011 (tomorrow). But it is not too late to take advantage of some deals. If you want something special, only 20,000 copies of The Kollector's Edition will be available, via Destructoid. Amazon has some free offers if you pre-order from them. Available for Playstaion 3 and Xbox 360.

Click the photo below to see the pre-order deals and pricing from Amazon.com.

Are you a MineCraft addict? If so, you will be pleased to learn the newest update (1.5)  has all the seasonal elements. New to this update will be rain, snow and lightening. Yes, worlds have snow on the ground, but now it falls too! How will these new elements come into play? Rain can put out fire and water crops. Personally, I see this helping out when you want to flood an area of zombies before you go mining for diamonds.

Want in on the ground floor with these MineCraft decisions? You can hang out with Notch, a developer, on his Twitter page:
http://twitter.com/notch

You can also join the conversation at the MineCraft Forums here:
http://www.minecraftforum.net/

Buy MineCraft for one low price and get endless enjoyment and possibilities!
http://www.minecraft.net/

Check out this video footage brought to you by ChippyGaming.

"Minecraft is a game about placing blocks to build anything you can imagine. At night monsters come out, make sure to build a shelter before that happens." Source:  MineCraft.net