To a degree, games like Monster Hunter Portable and Valhalla Knights already somewhat overlap into the circle of MMO games. What with Wi-Fi, Remote Play, and other functions for interconnectivity, seeing the PSP (whether via the PS3 or not) as a tool for grinding your characters on-the-go isn't all that hard to imagine. John Smedley of SOE thinks that it is quite possible to move into that direction. He already mentioned Free Realms, SOE's upcoming MMO for the PS3 and PC - could that be the start?

Reader AvatarKasier has tipped us off to a new batch of downloadable content now available for both the PS3 and PC PlayStation Stores. Aside from game trailers, one DLC that might grab your interest is part 1 of Sony's E3 Press Conference video. The rest of the PSN update list is available over in the full article.

We're down to the last leg of our 25 excellent PSP games at a bargain price series and we're bringing you a variety of titles. We've included a turn-based tactical strategy title, a rhythm strategy title, a dose of portable Grand Theft Auto, some undead head-swapping, and some good old cute golf. Interested? Check out the full article.

It seems that Sony Online Entertainment might soon belong to Zapak Digital Entertainment. The price for this acquisition: US$ 300 million. According to some sources, this deal has been in the works for some time now and is being finalized.

UPDATE: John Smedley, SOE's CEO,  has released a statement on this issue. He pointed out that Sony Online Entertainment has never been on sale and talks with Zapak Entertainment about selling the company never happened. Learn more about the supposed deal after the jump!

Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), the San Diego chapter of the United States Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program , and a host of other local companies have recently joined forces for the sake of distributing toys to needy children during this year's Holiday Toy Drive charity event. As with any charity drive, help is always appreciated.

Want to help? Find out how after the jump!

It seems that Sony's patenting spree is still not yet over. We just learned today that Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) has just recently re-filed Blasto with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to protect its trademark.

For those not familiar with this, Blasto is actually a title for the PlayStation 1. When released back in 1998, the game wasn't warmly received by players because the general experience was that Blasto was "frustratingly difficult".

It featured a macho alien-fighting captain that was voiced by Phil Hartman. Despite the re-filing, there's only a little information available for the new Blasto.

The patent just said that this is going to be a "real-time game for others over global and local area computer networks". This looks to be a sure entry for the PlayStation 3's PlayStation Network. But seeing Sony's current move with its divisions, we are not discounting the possibilities of the potential game hitting the PSP. It might even be on the Windows PC platform for MMORPG with Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), though this last possibility seems most unlikely.

At any rate, we'll keep you informed when we find out more about it. Keep checking QJ for the latest updates on this and other important news.

 

We were recently able to talk to Nick Beliaeff, the Exec Director of Development for Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), who graciously made time to answer a few questions for us. He let us in on some of the company's plans varied plans - from PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable titles to the advent of MMO 2.0.

Without further ado, here's QJ.NET's interview with Nick Beliaeff.

QJ: How do you approach game development on the different platforms that you make games for? What are the big differences between, say, making a PSN title and making a PSP or PC title? Particularly from a budgetary, gameplay, and target audience perspective?

Beliaeff: For us, I think one of the key tenets we try and follow would be is the title platform appropriate and does it leverage our core competencies? For a PSP title, does it involve short play sessions, does it support WiFi and infrastructure modes, and will it load fast off of an UMD?

For PSN, is it something that is a palatable download with a broadband connection, does it help validate the PS3 purchase, and is it online multiplayer? For PC, we are pretty established and tend to focus on will it be a kick ass, large subscriber base game a few years from now? PSN and PSP title for us are relatively quick. MMOs take a long time to build properly :)

Click the Full Article link for the rest of the interview!

Sony Online Entertainment has announced that its site www.station.com has been revamped to better serve MMO, console, mobile and handheld gaming fans everywhere with more downloadable content and better functionality.

By logging on to the Station home page, you can create an account for free and gain access to free games and trials of live games on the website. In addition, the Station Pass Games have also been declared free. Titles such as Infantry Online, Cosmic Rift and Tanarus are all just a click away.    

Sony Online Entertainment's SVP for Global sales and Marketing comments "as SOE continues to grow its business and acquire a wider variety of titles, it was only appropriate that the Station.com website be redesigned to offer a more user-friendly and immersive experience to our diverse player base."

The site also has forums and community boards where people can interact. In addition, the latest contents of the PlayStation  Store will be there for those who love their gaming in consoles or handhelds.

According to a recently published interview by Gamasutra with Sony Online Entertainment producer Todd Carson, the puzzler on wheels title GripShift and Cash Guns Chaos would probably be the only titles originally conceptualized for the PSP to be released on the PlayStation 3. Quoting Carson, he said, "Not at this time."

 

Sidhe Interactive's GripShift was officially announced as an original intellectual property that first came out on Sony's handheld, the PlayStation Portable system. But as soon as Sony Online Entertainment had the opportunity to deliver a downloadable game to the next-gen console over the PlayStation Network, they released a souped up version of the game with a lower price point.

But it probably isn't a case of favoring one console over another. Sony's Cash Guns Chaos was released on the PlayStation 3, although it was first conceptualized for mobile gamers on the PSP handheld. SOE figured that if they were putting a lot of work into the game, they could feature a better version of Cash Guns Chaos over to the PlayStation 3 first. Carson expounds:

You buy games on the PSP because it’s a mobile device, you want to take it on the run. The two consoles really are two separate entities - and while people might have both and buy [GripShift] on both, we didn’t see them necessarily as competing with each other.

The other thing that actually helped influence our decision [to focus on the PS3 first] for Cash Guns Chaos is that you really need to play the game with two analog sticks. While the PSP has one analog stick, we had set up controls where you had to use the X, circle, square and triangle key to control which direction your character was shooting.

Sony Online Entertainment's High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition is slated for a summer release over the PlayStation Network, and SOE hopes to provide more games that take advantage of the feature set of SIXAXIS.

Finally, after over a year since its announcement, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) will now be demo'ing its new e-distribution service Station Launcher. This will allow consumers to download MMO games to their PC units and eventually, the Station Launcher will be used to download movies and other content for the PlayStation Portable (PSP).

Aside from downloading games, the Station Launcher also allows MMO players to communicate with their friends using the launcher itself. Players will be able to tell where those friends are now and which games they are playing now. Likewise, SOE Creative Director Nathan Pearce added that integration with AIM, ICQ, and Xfire are also being planned.

The official also talked freely on how the Station Launcher will allow consumers to download movies and music and store them locally. According to him, content from other film and music studios will also be available through the service. What will happen is that users will buy the rights to a content and then it will be attached to their Station account.

Quite interestingly, Pearce noted that one of their short-term plans for the service involves the PSP. He explained, "We have a version of Launcher where it recognizes when you plug in your PSP into the PC. You can download a movie straight from the internet through the Launcher straight to your PSP without it ever having touched your PC."

Take note that it is SOE's plan to allow consumers to watch the content wherever they log into their Station account. "It's not just one device or limited devices, it's wherever you are you can watch it," added Pearce. Aside from the above mentioned, other plans for the Station Launcher include making the service work with Sony's LocationFree Player and bring over TV shows.

As for release dates, Pearce commented, "the time frame for what I demonstrated over here, which is just games and friends, is late summer. Movies and music is sometime after that. It is going to be a pretty big endeavor, so I don’t have a release date for it, but it is going to be a good time after summer."