Sony has launched a new version of the PlayStation 3 in North America, this time in "Classic White." The new console bundle will also have a matching white controller, a 500GB hard drive, the console's largest ever; and a year-long membership to PlayStation Plus, including access to a downloadable collection of PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita games.
Sony brought out a late PlayStation 3 holiday bundle on Tuesday to catch Black Friday buyers next week. The new bundle ties a 160GB PS3 to both 2D and 3D versions of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 on Blu-ray. A coupon in the box gives access to downloadable versions of the two earliest movies in the series, Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets.
A post on the PlayStation Network blog describes a new application called "Video Unlimited - preview." The app will be available from the Media section of the PlayStation store. The app provides previews for over 40,000 items in the PSN library. It gives users an extremely flexible search tool, allowing searches by title, actor, director, category, studio, and more. When an item is selected, the app gives the usual synopsis in the middle of the screen, and suggestions for other viewing in a sidebar on the right side.
Sony spokesman Shigenori Yoshida said Monday in Tokyo that the ongoing PlayStation Network outage wouldn't be resolved until May 31. While basic service didn't have a timetable for coming back, it wasn't expected to impact a more definitive plan to have everything back by the end of the month, he told Bloomberg. PSN is due to come back with a new security model and will require a password change along with new PS3 and possibly PSP firmware.
Rumors of PS3 cloud saved games came true with an update from Sony. The 3.60 firmware update will give PlayStation Plus owners the option of backing up saved games to PSN, letting them switch systems without losing progress. As much as 150MB or 1,000 files will sit online.
PS3 owners could soon get an online based saved game sync system through PlayStation Plus. An apparent leak of a Sony developer update late Friday has suggested Sony will give the premium subscribers the option of storing games on a server. Similar to Valve's Steam, the Kotaku-described Online Saving approach would tie the saves to the player's account and could bring them back after switching to a new console or if the hard drive dies.
Sony announced on Tuesday that PlayStation Plus subscribers will have a 25 percent discount on the PlayStation Protection Plan. The extended service plan for the PS3 and portable PSP lengthens the devices' standard one-year warranty by one or two years. They also eliminate shipping and most of the other secondary costs associated with getting the consoles fixed.
Sony gave some PS3 owners a reward this afternoon as it pushed out the preview version of Hulu Plus on the game console. PlayStation Plus subscribers can download the app and, with an invite, can watch TV shows through the $10 monthly service. The initial version will support the entire library and HD video.
Hulu has allayed fears that it would require PlayStation Plus to use Hulu Plus on the PS3. A gamer asking the TV streaming service was told that Hulu Plus only needs the yearly Sony subscription to work during the preview phase. When the full Hulu Plus is available, customers will only pay the $10 per month attached to the service itself.
