GamePro reports that Sony will be beaten but not outdone, and leaked images of its own PS3 also running Facebook, projecting a similar update on the way someday. It took the PS3 a year longer than the 360 to land Netflix streaming, so don't hold your breath.

The question remains as to how useful Facebook access will be, but like a Swiss Army knife, it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it, I guess.

The way I see it, Facebook is for sapping away tedious work hours, not valuable "Modern Warfare 2" moments. What do you think?

Facebook coming to PS3 soon; FB & Twitter on Xbox Tuesday [GamePro]

Kotaku spotted a snazzy deal in which you get Rock Band 1 and 2, a guitar and drums for $80, shipping included.

Granted, your friends who probably tired of the game after a few months probably would have sold you all their Rock Band gear for $50 just to get the closet space back, but it's never too late to get into a dated fad. Now, to track down that HyperColor shirt my parents wouldn't buy me in 1992.

Maybe The Best Rock Band Deal Yet [Kotaku]
(Photo: Ubiquitous Frame)

Sony has gone and announced yet another PS3 Slim is coming Nov. 3. This one costs $350 instead of $300 and is exactly the same other than its 250GB hard drive.

If you're still in the market for a new PS3, are the 90 extra gigabytes worth springing for $50 more? Or will you hold out a couple more months for Sony to release a $400 Slim with a terabyte hard drive?

NEW 250GB PlayStation 3 System Available November 3 [PlayStation.blog]

*For the low, low price of $129.99, the Geek Squad will come to your home... Do I even need to go on? After all, a visit from the honorable techno-soldiers alone is worth at least that much money. But there's even more. With the purchase of a PlayStation 3, the wizards will:

*Set up and install your PS3: This presumably involves taking it out of the box, plugging it into the wall — and here's where things get crazy — into your TV as well.

*Install the latest firmware updates: Gritty work indeed. To do this, the Geek Squadster will power on your controller, flick the "left" button on the directional pad several times, then click "x" to tell your PS3 to download the firmware.

*Set up & configure local user accounts with parental controls: More pushing of the "left" button, followed by more pressing of "x" under the parental controls prompt. This could take as long as 15 seconds. And time is money!

*Set up & configure online account: Typing in your name and e-mail when prompted. This is an especially valuable service to those who are illiterate and/or dyslexic.

So, so amazing. Kotaku's headline for its story on the matter was "This should be illegal. Seriously." Hell yeah, it should. This offer is so great, it's darn near criminal. Hurry up and take Best Buy up on this offer before they run out of Geeks!

Seriously. This Should Be Illegal [Kotaku]
(Photo: The Consumerist)

To stem off the return carnage, Best Buy is getting proactive by offering gamers a sweet deal to accept their new/old PS3 for what it is. According to an store memo attained by Kotaku, Best Buy will price match the old console and give customers a free game (Infamous, MLB 09 The Show or Killzone 2) if they keep their PS3 Fats.

Kotaku reports:

It's important to note that this isn't an advertised sale, it's an internal memo. So it may be up to the store manager's discretion how often to offer the deal. I'd also assume that this would only hold for Playstation 3's purchased within the past 30 days and with a valid receipt.

Are any of you recent PS3 buyers who will take Best Buy up on the deal? Or would you rather go for the Slim's larger hard drive and sleeker form factor? Those who are into the deal should get out there soon and buy a big-boned PS3 before the Slims hit shelves.

Best Buy Offering Free Games To Prevent PS3 Slim Trade-Ins [Kotaku]
(Photo: Vincent J. Brown)

Martin writes:

I sent my Playstation 3 in for service for the a second time in 6 months, and this time they stole my Assassin's Creed game. Their compromise: they offered what is basically a trade for another game of their choosing- as long as I showed them a receipt!

My PS3's Blu-ray drive failed within 4 months of my receiving it as a gift from my wife in December 2008. I sent it in for repair in April, and received it back in fairly short order. In June, my Blu-ray drive had a problem ejecting a disc completely. The next disc that went in, my Assassin's Creed game, stuck for good. Unfortunately, there was no way to get my game out of the drive, and there was no emergency disc eject procedure to be found in the manual or online.
I created a support ticket with Sony for this issue, clearly stating that my game was stuck in the drive, and that despite my efforts of using the button to eject and the system's software, it would not come out at all. The result was I had to send the unit to Sony again for another drive issue. I was having flashbacks of the "disc read error" days of the Sony Playstation 2.

The coffin/shipping box for the PS3 arrived once again, and on the form I clearly marked that a disc was stuck in the drive (it has a checkbox for it), and that was why I was sending it in for repair. I shipped it out, it arrived at Sony's repair center, and it was shipped back. When I received it, the disc drive worked, but Assassin's Creed was nowhere to be found.

I contacted Sony support number listed on Service Receipt (1-800-345-7669) and spoke with a support person named Michael. Within 5 minutes, he checked the technician's notes and stated there was no disc in the drive when received. I asked:

If the system's problem is that it doesn't eject discs, and the symptom is a disc doesn't come out, then how can there not be a disc in the system? And if there's no disc, that means there's no disc ejecting problem- which means there was nothing to repair in the first place!

Logic didn't get me very far.

After running into what amounted to a dead end, I asked for Michael's supervisor, who connected me to Rachel after a 10 minute or so wait. Rachel contacted the technician's supervisor Carl, who told Rachel that the technician's notes were correct and there was no disc in the system. I then asked for Rachel's supervisor, who stated there wasn't any more that could be done. I mentioned I would be happy to post this on the Consumerist and file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and she said she could connect me to Carl.

I explained the illogical scenario I was in to Carl. Carl said he would start a full investigation to see if there was any foul play involved, and would call me the next week on Tuesday. Carl contacted me Tuesday, August 11th, 2009, and told me that while there is no evidence that there was a disc in the drive, but he offered that if I sent him the receipt for Assassin's Creed, he would send me a "First title game". Needless to say I did not jump at the offer.

I don't want to trade out games with Sony, I want the disc that was stuck in their broken drive back. If there was no disc in the drive, then what was the problem with the system that needed repair at all? This is my fulfilling my promise to Sony last week and submitting this to Consumerist, and a BBB complaint will follow as well. Carl said I could post about this and submit it to where ever I want, so here we are.

What you mean you don't save all your game receipts in case the disc gets stuck in the drive and Sony loses it?

Filing a BBB complaint isn't a terrible idea, although at this point it's really a case of "he said, she said." The friendly thing to do would have been to just replace your game. Sony, particularly their warranty repair department, isn't really known for being friendly. Good luck.

Joystiq on the horror (which has since been corrected):

As demonstrated by a user-captured video, the standard load time for WipEout HD is about eight seconds long. If an advertisement plays, the load time increases more than twofold: to nineteen seconds.

In-game ads for paid games are fine as long as they're organic and non-intrusive, but this one speed-jumped over the line.

UPDATE: Sony has corrected the problem and vowed not to let it happen again.

Double Fusion slows down WipEout HD with ads [Joystiq]
(Photo: jpghouse)

There was a big flareup for a while, and then it looked like VISA was going to replace it. That was a year ago. Reid just IM'd me to say VISA has so far denied his claim because he paid for a small part of it with Paypal and he can't get any repair center to put it in writing that the unit is definitely unrepairable. His next step is to try to escalate it up within VISA and see if he can appeal the denial. Reid says, "It just makes me so mad that the [recent] price drop (400$-600$) covers the price of the repair they wanted to charge me for."

PREVIOUSLY: Visa Extended Warranty Protection Replaces Infamous "Dusty Playstation"
ORIGINAL: Dust Voids PS3 Warranty (Photo: basykes)

Adrian writes:

It’s Sunday, so it is the one day I have to take care of my personal business, and relax. My PS3 crapped out on me a few days ago, and sadly, I cannot get anyone at Sony to fix the problem. The thing is, the PS3 was a gift to me for Christmas. The receipt is nowhere to be found (not by me, but by the person who bought it for me) all she has is a credit card statement. Instead of going to the store and demanding someone give us a receipt for the transaction, I decided to call Sony and see if they would take it under warranty because, for starters it was bought in December, and it was manufactured in July 2007. When I spoke with someone at Sony, I was basically told that they don’t go off of the manufacturing dates, but rather, on the date of purchase.

Fair enough I would think, but if the playstation was manufactured less than a year ago, it would be hard to lie about it’s validity of the warranty anyways. No matter how I went at this, the rep couldn’t help me. Basically he said, no receipt, $150. I am outraged that Sony won’t make themselves responsible on an item which is CLEARLY less than a year old. Their own label on the PS3 clearly shows that it was made in July 2007, 3 months shy of the year mark. Why would they even place that label on there, if it wasn’t any good to them? I’m just angry that a receipt would still be needed, even though I can clearly prove that it should STILL be under warranty.

I tried arguing with the guy telling him I would switch to a Wii, or an Xbox 360, and he just laughed and said, “their support isn’t much better.” I told him I would tell all my friends about Sony and not to buy a Ps3, and he simply said, “that’s totally up to you, but we are gaining momentum right now with customers.” Basically, he was a jerk, my PS3 is shit, and nobody seems to want to help me. That is where you come in. Perhaps someone higher up will see the absurdness in this.

Adrian, we think you're probably expecting a little too much of Sony. They're simply not equipped to deal with this situation logically, and CSRs aren't allowed to make decisions that require independent thought.

Therefore, our advice to you would be to call the friend that gave you the PS3 and ask her to contact her credit card company and see if they'll repair or replace your PS3 under their extended warranty protection. This process should be fairly painless compared with the task you've set for yourself— convincing a huge multinational corporation to think like a rational human being.

Good luck.

The other night I tried booting up my PS3 and got an error message that said "The hard drive is corrupted and needs to be formatted. Press X to format." Grrr. I knew that formatting would erase all of my saved data, but I went ahead and pushed X. And waited. And waited.

The PS3 went to a status bar that said "Formatting..." but stayed at 0% and never did anything. I couldn't get to the cross-media bar, couldn't get it to load a disc - nothing. I turned off the machine, let it sit until the next evening and tried again with the same result: hard disk corrupt, needs formatting, formatting freezes.

I searched Sony's website for a solution to this problem, but couldn't find anything, so I called their customer service number. Unfortunately, the wait time was too long, so I hung up and sent them an email explaining in detail what my problem was. I got this response:

—-—-—-—--
Hello Dustin,

Thank you for writing us.

We apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced. We would like to recommend the
following PlayStation Knowledge Center article(s) that may help resolve the problem:

- Troubleshoot HDD Problems on the PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system:
http://playstation.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/playstation.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=441
In addition, if you have not already done so, perform the following recommendations which may also
correct the problem.

- Restore Default Settings
From the XMB(TM) menu, go to [Settings] > [System Settings] > [Restore Default Settings]. Once you
select Restore Default Settings, you will see a list of settings that will be restored. Scroll
through them and press the X button to restore the settings. After the operation is complete, you
will see the initial setup screen that appeared the first time you turned on the PLAYSTATION(R)3
computer entertainment system. You will need to go through the initial setup process before you can
use the PLAYSTATION 3.

- Install the Latest Firmware Update
To check what version of the System Software is currently installed on your PLAYSTATION 3, from the
XMB menu go to [Settings] > [System Settings] > [System Information]. The system will display the
System Software version number. You can visit the following link to determine whether you have the
latest version installed.
http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3/About/SystemUpdate

- Check your Environment
Make sure to allow adequate ventilation to flow from the PLAYSTATION 3's vents (i.e., avoid
obstructing the vents with long/shaggy carpet, inadequate airflow from cramped entertainment cabinet
setups, etc.). Make sure to also keep the PLAYSTATION 3 away from excessive dust, smoke, steam,
extreme temperatures, humidity, or direct sunlight. Full details on Safety Precautions and Use and
Handling can be found in the PLAYSTATION 3 Instruction Manual.
http://www.us.playstation.com/Support/PS3/Manuals

- Click on the link below to search the PlayStation Knowledge Center for new and existing content.
http://playstation.custhelp.com

If you have followed these steps and would still like to speak to us, please call our Consumer
Services Department at (800) 345-7669. Our representatives are available to assist you, Monday
through Saturday 6:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., and Sunday 7:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Pacific Standard Time.

If you have further questions regarding this message and are replying back via email, please refer
to your email case number:5782785.

Sophie
Multimedia Representative
Sony Computer Entertainment America
Consumer Services Department
—-—-—-—-—-—--

Apparently they didn't read my email, because their "solutions" all involved a PS3 that booted to the main menu and the cross-media bar. They didn't address my problem, nor did they offer any helpful solution. So I sent them back this email:

"I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but your response to my email was inadequate and unthoughtful.

If you look at my email, you will see that I am getting an error message when I turn the machine on. I can't do any of the things listed in your knowledge center, because I can't access the cross-media bar. I can't even get my PS3 to boot up! For some reason, it freezes up when trying to format.

I will give your customer service center a call. Please know that most of us who have purchased a PS3 are familiar with technology and know how to search for an answer on a company's website. I wouldn't have written to you without first trying every solution I could find online.

Sending a form letter in answer to a detailed email is condescending.

Dustin"

And this was their response:
—-—-—-—-
Hello Dustin,

We apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced. We would like to recommend the
following PlayStation Knowledge Center article(s) that may help resolve the problem....

Sigh. Guess it's back to the hold queue for you, Dustin.

Thank you for contacting us regarding our Warranty policy as it pertains to the condition of your PLAYSTATION 3 console.

After consultation with legal counsel, SCEA has determined that the photographs of your console as returned to our service center are neither confidential nor private. Consequently, we may lawfully release these photographs to you. Because the photographs are not confidential, we may also release them to media who inquire about your recent internet postings concerning the console.

Regards,

Cindie Smith
Sr. Manager Technical Support, eService & Security
Sony Computer Entertainment America
Consumer Services Department

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PREVIOUSLY: Sony CSR: What? No! Dust Doesn't Void Your PS3 Warranty!
Dust Voids PS3 Warranty

Ive: I'm calling just to pretty much clarify the PS3's warranty, if there's any clause in the warranty that makes it so that if the PS3 is too dusty that the warranty is void.

CSR: No.

Ive: No?

CSR: No. The only way that it, um, voided is if it was neglected, um, abused, dropped or anything like, modificated like if you opened it up, modification, if you didn't have your receipt, um, any power failures like mother nature or anything like that then that actually does void the warranty. Other than that any defective PS3s or anything like that is still, um, still under the warranty.

Notice how Ive uses Ron Burley's trick to stay out of trouble for recording the call. If Sony wants this to end well, they should reach out to Ive, apologize, and offer to repair his dusty PS3 for free.

PREVIOUSLY: Dust Voids PS3 Warranty
(Photo: lunarworks)

I have kept my 60gb PS3 in Its entertainment center since its purchase. It is known within the PS3 community that the thing is a HUGE dust magnet. I took good care of it, I have about 10 Blu-ray discs (did NOT come free with my PS3), 5 games, 5 controllers, 2 42" Bravia LCD's 1 50" Bravia 3lcd Rear projection TV, A Vaio desktop, Vaio laptop, I've even got a psp and location free TV. One day I turn it on and put in a disc and it doesn't show up, then it wont eject, finally I get it to eject and I try a blu-ray, nothing, CDs, nothing.

I call Customer support who originally tell me that they can do anything because I don't have the original sales receipt, (it was a GIFT!!!), I stayed on the phone for hours explaining to them that I don't have thee receipt as it was a gift from my parents. Finally I got a rep who said that it was strange that earlier reps hadn't let me go through with the exchange as if it was a gift it was policy not to require a receipt. He sent me a box, I boxed up my console and sent it in.

5 days later I have no updates on the PS3, I call in to check on it, The first rep I speak to says that it was received without a receipt, and was delayed but he was going to note that it was a gift and get the replacement sent out to me.

6 hours later I get a call from Neil saying that unfortunately they have opened the case and taken pictures of the inside and outside of the case and that it was too dirty to be eligible for replacement. I paused for a good 8 seconds, because my PS3 had not moved from the entertainment center that it sat in more than 8 months I had wiped it off before sending it out, THE WHOLE POINT of the PS3 Is that it is part of your entertainment center! I Told him that was crazy and that it was a known problem that the PS3 collected mass loads of dust. That their product hasn't even been out for 1 year and he's telling me I'm out of warranty because there is too much dust in it!? I told him that someone needed to double check because I really took care of my PS3 and there was no way it was so dirty that they wouldn't replace it. He said he would and he would find out about getting pictures.

The next day I got a call from the same guy, Saying he couldn't get pictures, and there was no way they could replace the console unless I paid 150$ out-of-warranty replacement fee. I dais I needed to speak to his supervisor and it took him a while but he eventually transferred me to yet another person who just told me from the pictures they saw of the outside of the PS3, the memory ports and the USB ports, that there was dust inside of these ports, and that there was no way they would replace such a dusty console.

I then asked for HER supervisor, who was a very rude woman named Daria Woo Ext # 55682. She basically told me if I wanted the pictures of the PS3 That they were property of SCEA, And that I would have to SUBPOENA the pictures! I told her that this was ridiculous! That in order to take the same pictures that they did I would have to open my case, and void my warranty! I asked her if I could record what she was saying and she immediately snapped a NO, And asked for what purpose, I told her it was so I could educate the entire world on the ethics of the PS3 repair center. She told me my only options were to have the PS3 sent back, pay 150$ for a replacement, or leave it there for 10 days until it gets sent back. I told her to leave it because I was going to write a few emails so that this situation could actually get resolved. She told me any email I wrote or number I called would get me transferred to her department and that she would not help. I asked her exactly what part of the warranty stated that if a unit is too dusty it cannot be replaced.

She told me that it was under "acts of god, customer abuse" section when I had clearly told her that it sat in my entertainment center acting as a blu-ray playing, folding@home computing, media center and that obviously the amount of dust inside the console is caused by a design flaw and not my quite dust-less room.

I don't get it! Sony is including Folding@home with their consoles, The auto-start feature makes it so its running almost all the time, OF COURSE ITS GOING TO BE FILLED WITH DUST! A few reps said that the reason they couldn't replace it was because it looked as if it had about 2 years worth of dust in it rather than 8 months..... The console hasn't even been out a year so obviously that is less than a years worth of dust.

I love the PS3, I'm a Sony fanboy, I have a copy of Heavenly Sword Un-Played because I'm waiting for the replacement to come back, For them to say they wont replace it because it is such a damn dust magnet is absolutely ridiculous. IM NOT paying 150$ for someone to use an air compressor to dust off my PS3 re-test it and send it back. MAYBE Sony should let their customers know that excessive dust voids the warranty, so that people can start selling air filter set's for it, and air-sealed boxes for the PS3 to sit in.

(Photo: lunarworks)

Well, not really. They sold out within minutes. But even if you are lucky enough to be in line to get one? You'd better pray no one in line shares your last name.

For example, consider this: Gamestop has limited PS3 preorders to one per household. Hey, that's fair enough: you don't want one guy buying all of them. But by household, they mean anyone in your family... and they certainly don't care if you all live in different houses, with your own families, spaced out miles away.

Bad news for John Smith of Big City, USA.

GameStop, where PS3 fans get the Shaft [Site] (Thanks, Jeff!)

According to Kotaku, employees at Electronics Boutique, a popular game store, are only going to be receiving 5 or 6 PlayStation 3 video game consoles per store when it comes out in November. Who cares, right? Except...

When I asked them about Playstation 3s, the manager on duty told me that every store in the chain is getting about four or five each, which means they aren't getting any. I asked him to explain and he said, while literally rubbing his hands together, "They're letting employees buy PS3s, so there won't be any left." I asked if they have to stand in line and he said no, the second we open we'll just buy them up. He did say that they can only buy one each, but I'm guessing most stories have at least five employees smart enough to know how to use Ebay.

In other words, Electronics Boutique's policy is to allow their employees to buy up the entire stock of consoles, then sell them on eBay. Given that a PS3 will cost $600 when it is released and no one is going to be able to buy them (massive shortages are expected, even without employees ganking all the consoles) this means that Electronics Boutique is giving its employees open license to gouge their own customers on eBay, where a PS3 will likely go for a couple thousand. Nice one, EB.

EB Employee: We're Buying All Our PS3s [Kotaku]