Online Gaming News

Xbox Live Class Action Being Investigated November 20 @ 8 PM source

eldavojohn writes "Were you negatively affected by the recent ban on Xbox Live for modifying hardware you own? Did you modify yours for homebrew or altering things you paid for and not to engage in piracy? Abington IP would like to hear from you and may be able to help. From that page: 'If you are an Xbox Live subscriber, had your modified Xbox console banned from Xbox Live, were not refunded a prorated sum for the time left on your subscription, or have experienced other problems as a result of being banned, and would like to participate in a class action against Microsoft, please submit your information below.' Someone is finally standing up for the legitimate hobbyists. Should Microsoft worry?"

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New York State Testing Emergency Alerts Over Gaming Networks November 19 @ 11 PM source

An anonymous reader writes "Gamers are used to confronting invading terrorists, nuclear attacks, and natural calamities—in virtual form. But those living in New York State could soon receive warnings about real emergencies through their favorite video console. State authorities are testing a plan that would see the Emergency Management Office issue alerts over online gaming networks in addition to regular channels."

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China tightens supervision of online games (AFP) November 19 @ 7 PM source

AFP - China has vowed to tighten supervision of its fast-growing online games market, saying some games contained content that was "harmful" to players.

US PS3 Sales Leap 70% in October (PC World) November 19 @ 6 PM source

PC World - After years of third-stringing it, Sony's beleaguered PS3 may finally be rallying, according to sales data cited on Sony's US PlayStation blog. The company's American division reports year-over-year October hardware sales lifted nearly 70 percent, and says its online PlayStation storefront clinched record revenues, with downloads up 60 percent over the same period last year.

Sony Plans PlayStation Expansion (PC World) November 19 @ 4 PM source

PC World - Sony is hoping to return its PlayStation business to profitability next year with the help of new hardware devices and expansion of its network-delivered services platform, it said Thursday.

China Wants Fewer Monsters, More 'culture' in Online Games (PC World) November 19 @ 2 PM source

PC World - Online games in China should move away from "lowbrow" content such as monster hunting, Chinese regulators said late Wednesday, highlighting the uncertain regulatory conditions faced by game operators in the country.

Singapore Takes Stake in China's Shanda Games (PC World) November 19 @ 8 AM source

PC World - The Government of Singapore Investment Corp. (GIC), a sovereign wealth fund, has taken a sizable stake in Shanda Games, an online gaming spin-off of China's Shanda Interactive Entertainment.

China wants content, values censored in online games (Reuters) November 19 @ 7 AM source

Reuters - China said it will tighten regulations in its rapidly growing online games sector, requiring game operators to enhance socialist values in their games and hire specialized staff to monitor content.

NetEase 3Q results miss estimates, shares fall (AP) November 19 @ 3 AM source

AP - Chinese online gaming company NetEase.com Inc. said Wednesday that its third-quarter profit rose on higher revenue from online games.

US Government Using PS3s To Break Encryption November 19 @ 12 AM source

Entropy98 writes "It seems that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Cyber Crimes Center, known as C3, has replaced its '$8,000 Tableau/Dell server combination' with more efficient and much cheaper $300 PS3s. Each PS3 is capable of 4 million passwords per second, and C3 currently has 20 PS3s with plans to buy 40 more. Naturally this is only being used to break encryption on computers seized with a warrant and suspected of harboring child pornography."

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