PSA on PSN Data Breach

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Your Info, For the World to See

So Sony admits that data has been taken from the PSN breach, including:

• Real Name
• User Name
• Password
• Address
• Phone Number

Other Possible Data Includes:

• E-mail
• Security Questions
• Credit Card info (but not your CCV)

This is a major breach of trust. And from the sounds of things it could affect all 75 million users.

It Never Should Have Happened

The problem is Sony relied on their leaf node security to protect users. In other words, they thought the PS3/other services were not hackable so no need to secure the inner data. This is huge. The PS3 hacks only worked because they failed to use proper security on the console, and now we find out they didn't encrypt the user data?

It is called AES-256. Same encryption the military uses. Can it be hacked? Sure; however, given all the computing power on the planet (which hackers don't have access to) and reasonably long salts, the sun will explode first.

What To Do

Unfortunately not much. Change your security questions, passwords, etc. Be wary of phishing. While the hackers did grab the data, be glad they did it in such a public way. Imagine if you will, instead of mucking up the works the hackers only took 1 or 2 accounts. They could have done this for months or years unnoticed.

On The Brighter Side

Look for PS3s at a deep discount on CraigsList this weekend. Sony will hopefully learn from this.

Microsoft should take note as well. Since consumers aren't told how their data is secured, Xbox Live could have the same thing happen. Be safe out there.

Oh and I should note, they finally have a plan to get the network up, but only expect part of it to be up within the next week.

Thinking Outside The Xbox: Microsoft's Dilemma

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Video games have come a long way since the days of Atari, Super Nintendo, and Sega Dreamcast. Every single aspect of the game experience has been enhanced incredibly with the ushering in of cutting-edge technology and epic artistic achievements. However, everything from the better visuals, to the improved realism and beyond has made the file size of games bigger and bigger! A trend is emerging that can be seen with games like Age of Conan. Being extremely large (between 32 and 50 gigabytes) is what helps these games take hi-definition gaming to the next level. The problem is games like this are well over Xbox 360’s DVD-9 gigabyte capacity. There are limited options for solving Microsoft Xbox 360’s file size dilemma, each with its own set of consequences.

There is no doubt that Microsoft’s Xbox 360 has been a part of this advancement. This system was the first home console to support Hi-Definition in their games and also the first to dramatically increase the quality of online connectivity in gaming. However, video games are advancing beyond what the Xbox 360 can handle. Steadily the average file size of a game is growing. Developers have found themselves challenged and limited due to a major design decision Microsoft made building the system. The decision was to use DVD’s as a game medium as the original Xbox and PS2 do. Microsoft in fact had been working to develop a new Hi-Definition Video Disc (a.k.a. HD-DVD) and it was set to go head on against Sony’s Blu Ray Digital Video Disc (a.k.a. BluRay DVD). When Robin Harris’ article “Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD: game over” was written major players Blockbuster, Netflix, and various others were deciding the fate of the so called ‘format wars’ and deciding Blu Ray was the future, not HD-DVD (Zdnet Blogs 2007). This could have been avoided if Microsoft included HD-DVD as the major format for the Xbox 360 both games and movies. We will never know for sure but instead we can look at moving forward and look at their options.

Perhaps the most plausible and most immediate solution that comes to my mind is the hard drive solution. In a blog post on his website, Ryan Brotherton expresses his frustrations with installing an incredibly large game by inserting multiple DVD discs into his PC and waiting for them to copy all of their files to his hard drive (RyanBrotherton.com 2008). Although this is not a very elegant solution, the Xbox 360 COULD possibly support these very same types of huge installs. Currently some games on the Xbox 360 use multiple discs that are played in progression, so you are only playing with one in at a time; however this limits the player to only playing in linear worlds. Installing multiple DVD’s worth of content onto a massive hard drive instead would dramatically increase the size of the world the player is in, therefore also opening up a much more engaging experience.

Another tangible solution to the file size dilemma facing this Next-Generation console is the use of Next-Generation DVD’s, either HD-DVD or Blu Ray. Many people have speculated that the Xbox 360 would obtain a Blu Ray license from Sony and get their own Blu Ray drive; however neither Sony nor Microsoft execs have confirmed this as anything other than a rumor (ShackNews.com 2008). It may never happen. So instead, let us analyze the other option on the table for the Xbox 360. So Microsoft invented HD-DVD, why not start putting 360 games on it? There is an add-on HD-DVD player for sale for the system but is it capable of supporting games? Chris Faylor’s review of the situation indicates that it currently does not (ShackNews.com 2008). However, there is no definitive proof currently available that it is or is not possible for Xbox 360 to play games on HD-DVD format.

My conclusion is that, Microsoft will probably never get Blu Ray. I believe that games will continue to grow in size. The option of using HD-DVD for gaming is unclear and I believe that this should be researched a lot more. The large install option proposes the challenge of getting gamers to buy MORE equipment for their Xbox 360, which makes me think it is an unwise path to follow. The best option for Microsoft right now is to try to revive HD-DVD, even if only to play video games on it.

Written by Jon Ireson 1/18/08


Works Cited

Harris, R. (2007, June 20). Blu Ray vs. HD-DVD: game over. Retrieved January 18, 2009, from: http://blogs.zdnet.com/storage/?p=149
Brotherton, R. (2009). Age of Conan - Size Matters. Retrieved January 18, 2009, from: http://www.ryanbrotherton.com/blog/archives/7
Faylor, C. (2008, January 9). Microsoft May Consider Blu Ray Add On Retrieved January 18, 2009, from: http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/50664

WTF - Suing Over Game Points

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So last week I ran across this article. Yes I know this is America, where in some cases the right to sue is considered more sacred then freedom, but seriously WTF?

For those who haven't read the article, it breaks down like this. Guy buys Microsoft points for downloading games/media. Guy uses points but has extra left over. Guy cries fowl over the extra points which number too few to buy anything else.

I'm sorry, has this person been living in a cave? Or more likely, is he just trying to get a quick buck? Take the average video arcade for example. You put a dollar in and you get 4 tokens. Those tokens aren't worth jack outside of the arcade. You won't get your money back. So you try to maximize your enjoyment with the tokens you have. Demanding your money back for unused tokens will likely get you laughed out of the arcade.

Similar systems are in place everywhere. For example gift cards, if this guy actually gets Microsoft to pay, why shouldn't he go after Visa for left over money on gift cards?

And before you say, well it is Microsoft, they have plenty of money, think about it for a minute. If all the consoles have to re-engineer their stores (because this is standard across the consoles) then the money for the developers has to come from somewhere. That likely means an increase in prices for downloadable games. I've always believed the price on downloadable games is too high, as there's no media, manual, or shipping costs, but this gives companies the justification to raise prices.

Once again, this is just funding lawyers in order to get something from a big company. It is fraud, and it should not be tolerated. Gift certificates and other systems just like this have existed my whole life, I don't have trouble reading and understanding the fine print. Downloadable games on consoles is in it's infancy and lawsuits such as this will hurt all gamers.

WTF - XBox360 Hard Drive Upgrade

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In a time where hard drives are a commodity and storage space on the next generation consoles is limited, Microsoft has figured out how to cash in. Let's say you have a cheaper 20 GB Xbox 360 and you want 120 GB, be prepared to shell out $149.99. To put that in perspective, as of today for your desktop computer that would be 1.5 Terabytes (Seagate Barracuda ST315005N1A1AS-RK 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Retail, 3 year warranty) or for your laptop/PS3 you get 500 Gigabytes (Seagate Momentus ST905003N3A1AS-RK 7200 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive -Retail, 5 year warranty) with 20 bucks to spare for dinner.

Why is Microsoft's hard drive less than half the size for the same price? Because they can. And god help any gamer who doesn't want to pay.

If they catch you using a non-Microsoft approved hard drive, well you're banned from XBox Live, Microsoft's online gaming network. They do this because to even support a bigger hard drive you have to mod your XBox360. Since it is modded, according to Microsoft you're obviously trying to pirate games. Rather than making it easy for gamers to upgrade the storage space, like on the PS3, the XBox360 isn't upgrade friendly. WTF!

Yellow Light Of Doom vs Red Ring Of Death

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So, when the PS3 has a problem, you'll see the Yellow Light Of Doom. Similarly when the XBox360 has a problem you'll see the Red Ring Of Death. As for the Wii, I haven't heard what it does when it fails.

Both Microsoft and Sony have had problems with their next generation consoles. I keep seeing posts saying that every 60 GB PS3 has been put in for repair. The XBox360 isn't much better as I've had a co-worker go through 3 XBox360's due to the Red Ring Of Death.

So here's my anecdotal evidence. I have a 60 GB backwards compatible 1st generation PS3. I have 2 co-workers with the same model. None of them have shown the YLOD. I also have a 2nd gen 40 gig PS3, which performs like a champ. I've personally logged hundreds if not thousands of hours running my 60 GB PS3. While I've had online friends experience the YLOD, no reports from my co-workers.

On the other hand, the XBox360 hasn't been so lucky. Multiple co-workers have reported the RROD. As I said earlier, one co-worker has experienced this multiple times.

Furthermore, it is obvious that Sony has done something about the failing PS3s. While not 100% effective, the redesign seems to have quelled the uprising caused by failures.

The XBox360 on the other hand, shows no redesign. It may have happened and I'm not aware of it, but it seems like they would want to change the form factor as well to better address heat issues.

I don't know, it seems to me, while Microsoft has made strides to correct their design flaws externally (offering a repair program), Sony went and addressed the root cause (re-designing the hardware to prevent issues in the first place).

As for those with a broken disc reader on their PS3, it does suck that Sony isn't offering a repair program like Microsoft. And for anyone in that situation, I really feel for ya.

Adult Themes in Gaming Today

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So, while not everyone who reads this is from the USA, we all feel the influence of American society. I'm talking about sexual themes in games. Companies like Nintendo and Sony will all out kill games that don't conform to their acceptable view of the world, but it seems the envelope is growing.

What you have to understand about he US is, seeing a women's nipple is considered more harmful to a kid than watching someone killed. Don't believe me? For those in the US, how many times have you seen a nipple during prime time? How many times have you seen someone killed?

Violence is considered OK, while sex is not. But now it seems, for Sony/Microsoft at least, violence is a way to slip things past. Take for example Conan on the PS3, it was the first game to actually show bare breasts in HD (at least on a major console). Now let's look at the next few games, Bayonetta, Dante's Inferno and Heavy Rain. All include violence, all include nudity (or partial nudity).

Is this a bad trend? In my opinion, no. The US is far too sensitive about nudity, which is a big part of art. Some of the most famous and influential art is of the nude figure. And when you talk about art, video games are the new medium.

Still, count the number of M rated games and compare that with the number of AO games (for sexuality) and you'll see there's a long way to go.