Sony Corporation announced that it will regroup SCE, according to plan, SCE PlayStation Network business will be off after regrouped and incorporated into the Sony Corporation. The regroup plan will be effected on April 1, 2010.

It is reported that the regroup plan will change SCE to a new name of SNEP, and create new SCE by SNEP company. New SCE will be primarily responsible for game console development, distribution business and so on while SNEP Corporation for PlayStation Network-related brands and services, planning, development, operation and other undertakings. At last, SNEP corporation will be incorporated into Sony Corporation.

In short, the old SCE will be off PlayStation Network related businesses and become a new SCE corporation while PlayStation Network related businesses into Sony corporation.

Industry analysis, the cause of Sony separate PlayStation Network from SCE is to build a company cover a unified network services, not just for the game host. Such as the Sony Ericsson mobile Aino can log in PlayStation Network directly. Now I believe that there would be more Sony products support PlayStation Network.

The joints of PS3 need to be soldered

Geohot released the file can crack PS3 after the third day he said he has cracked PS3. Geohot confirmed that file can already cracked PS3 but players can not use this file for there is no home-made software to support. People may not suspect for Geohot for he has releases PS3 crack file within three days.

Geohot said that 2.4.2 firmware has been running successfully in old PS3 while has not experiented in other PS3 version. Other PS3 verison shoule be able to use in theory but PS3 slim.

The crack approach is not easy for ordinary people, editors suggest that do not try, because not only compile PS3 crack files but also disassemble PS3 console and connect PS3 solder joints in the motherboard at the real time. So PS3 crack is no sense for ordinary players.
The release of PS3 crack file has a great significance, I believe there will be a large number of emerging-related cracking program, home-made software and so on.

Sony said PlayStation 3 (PS3) motion controller will come out this year, this also means a new challenges to rival Nintendo Wii’s popular game console. PlayStation 3 (PS3) motion controller comes with bulit-in camera in the host, can track people’s movements, so that do simulation the characters on the screen, no matter game characters hands are swords, tennis rackets, baseball bat or a gun.

Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kazuo Hirai pledged to release stick with this new PlayStation 3 (PS3) motion controller “an exciting and varied series of” game. PlayStation 3 (PS3) motion controller will appear in this fall in Japan, North America, Europe and other markets for sale.
Sony showed a prototype of PlayStation 3 (PS3) motion controller last year, shaped like a lollipop, and similarities to Nintendo hand-held joystick.

Nintendo launched Wii with motion-sensing joystick in 2006, can simulate a variety of actions, and the sales performance of Microsoft’s Xbox game console and Sony gradually fell behind.

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan (SCEJ) has announced that it will be scheduled for release 250GB hard drive PS3 console (CECH-2000B) limited version on February 18, 2010, the color is the same as before with Charcoal Black, and price is 34,980 yen.

According to Sony offical, the maximum difference between new 250GB hard drive PS3 console (CECH-2000B) and 120GB  hard drive PS3 console(CECH-2000A) is the hard disk from original 120GB upgrade to 250GB in one breath, color or function are exactly the same as 120GB  hard drive PS3 console(CECH-2000A). 250GB hard drive PS3 console (CECH-2000B) is attached with a wireless joystick “DualShock 3”, power cord, AV cable as well as a USB cable.

Models: PSP 1000
Phenomenon: There is no reflection while booting, no current
Analysis and processing: No-voltage when starting , if this aircraft has entered the water, observe carefully, found there is mold in the boot board, cleaning, if no change, you may found a hole, and use line to link up, plus electricity, the boot-line normal, boot, it’s OK now! The machine which over the water, will apear above phenomenon after the shutdown, because the boot line has had a 2V5 voltage and never liquidate watermarks in time.

Models: PSP 1000
Phenomenon: There is no reflection while booting, and no current.
Analysis and processing: It is normal that Power line voltage (2V5), boot voltage probably change, testing I / O clock 32.768MHZ, I / O power supply (2V5) is normal, analysis crystal may bad or sealing-off. Heating repair welding or replace , boot, current is 0.16A, everything is normal. The crystal is relatively small, it is easier sealed off or damaged by force or get water.

Models: PSP 2006
Symptoms: Boot all operating normally, there are two fixed flowers on the middle of left screen
Analysis and processing: You must have met these problem before, it just fine for replanting the LCD driver IC or CPU.

Models: PSP 2006
Symptoms: You can watch movies, listen to MP3 but can not play the game (the PSP become death when entering the game)
Analysis and processing: It maybe a CPU solder point threw off, you need to repair welding and replanting CPU.

Models: PSP 2000
Symptoms: Current is normal when startup, boot-free images, automatic shutdown in several moments
Analysis and processing: This is a typical software failures, mostly is the users mistakenly deleted some files or formatted F0/F1 in upgradeing or adjusting settings. Don’t  Panic, do not operate blindly, finding a good PSP2006, it must be a small one, to backup of its NAND file, then back up your NAND (this step is very important, do not forget, or else your PSP can only be used as MP4), to re-partition your PSP with the tools, put the whole NAND to your repair, make V3 to 371M33-2, now you may see images but can not support playing games. It will tell you that the game region code error, this is SONY’s NAND lock then you should use that NAND backup, and then to back up your NAND where ID is written to your PSP. Note: It is ID, not all, or else will be beaten back to the original line, exhausted your PSP to the original time of purchase. Remember, back up your new NAND , if there is a problem, brush back! If you are a player, it is best to let seller to help you.

Model: PSP 1005
Failure phenomenon: start slow, drive back and forth constantly moving
Analysis and processing: From the phenomenon of view, CD-ROM driver IC should be no problems, failure from the former class that is CXD2056, this machine may be drop to the floor, due to relatively large size of the IC by a strong vibration, there would be part of the solder joints off, remove the IC, found that on some pads from the PCB board, repair welding, re-planting IC in BGA, solder back, boot, CD-ROM, normal maintenance and found that the machine which has dropped to the floor, with the largest IC pads are easy to throw off opened, there was a very small number of the power management IC throw off (just as PSP1000; PSP2000)

In Japanese game sales statistics, the sale of PSP, PS3 and Wii between October 12, 2009 ~ October 18 basically go hand in hand , the gap between the three is very small, sales are basically steadily kept at 30,000. At the same time, Nintendo’s NDSi is the top in the Media Create weekly ranking remains unshakable.  

For Sony, the one good news is that after the price cut, PS3 Slim help them once again ahead of  rival.

Turbine today announced the third expansion for its MMO, Lord of the Rings Online. At their booth in Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, Jeffrey Steefel, LOTRO’s executive producer walked me through the new area and new features being introduced in “Siege of Mirkwood”, set for release sometime this fall.

Following last year’s retail expansion Mines of Moria, Siege of Mirkwood will complete Volume II of the storyline in the Lord of the Rings Online universe. In the new expansion, players will band together eastward towards the perilous forest of Mirkwood.

“2009 has been a year of unprecedented growth for The Lord of the Rings Online and the launch of Siege of Mirkwood will end the year with a bang,” said the game’s executive producer Jeffrey Steefel in a press release.

Mirkwood will be a digital download-only expansion, and includes new features such as an increased level cap (from 60 to 65) and a new region that includes Dol Guldur, the fortress of the Ringwraiths. In addition to new skills, traits and quests, there will be
a new “Skirmish” system where players can train and customize soldiers that they can take with them into battle in repeatable, randomized instances.The developers also promise “major enhancements,” such as “improved responsiveness” in the game’s combat.

Update: An earlier version of this story said the expansion was free. Turbine has issued clarification on the game’s forums regarding the pricing details saying that the expansion is actually “paid.” Siege of Mirkwood will have a base price of $19.99.

About Lord of the Rings Online

The game’s milieu is based on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. However, Turbine does not have rights to any other works in Tolkien’s legendarium, such as The Silmarillion or The Children of Hurin.

Much of the gameplay is typical of the MMO format: The player controls a character avatar which can be moved around the game world and interacts with other players, non-player (computer-controlled) characters (or “NPCs”) and other entities in the virtual
world. Camera angles can be switched between first-person and third-person options.

Players’ characters are improved by gaining “levels”. A character’s level increases after it earns a set amount of experience points through the player versus environment (or “PvE”) combat and storyline adventures. Characters’ abilities are improved by
increasing in level, but character skills must be purchased from specified NPCs after gaining a new level.

The main storyline (also known as the “Epic Quest Line”) is presented as a series of “Books”, which consist of series of quests called “Chapters”. There were initially eight Books when the game was released, with new books added with each free content update.

Tolkien’s Middle-earth as represented in The Lord of the Rings Online implements magic in a different manner than other MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft. There are only five “wizards” in the fictional world, none of which are player-controlled. Instead, there are active skills which require “power” (the equivalent of magic points). Some skills behave like magic (like healing or throwing a burning ember at an enemy), but are based on “lore”. In addition, objects and artifacts are used to create effects similar to magic.

Other features include a fast travel system and a detailed quest log with tracker and history.