A video game console may seem like a reasonably inexpensive entertainment proposition at first glance, but it actually becomes a black hole of disposable income, gobbling up your funds to purchase accessories, memberships, extra controllers, downloadable content and games. [More]
video games
Sony To Hackers: 'I'll Get You, My Pretties'… In Legalese
By 2.17.11
Stepping up its war on hackers, Sony is talking tough to those who would break down the PlayStation 3 as though it were the Cleveland Cavaliers’ defense. [More]
Xperia Play Won't Play PSP Games You've Downloaded
By 2.15.11
If you thought you might pick up an Xperia Play next month, transfer any digital games you’ve downloaded onto your new new phone and ditch your PSP, you’ll have to change your plans. [More]
NFL, Electronic Arts Extend Madden Exclusivity Deal
By 2.15.11
If you like video games and football, you’d better like the Madden NFL series as well, because that’s the only franchise the league will allow to boast games that include authentic teams and players. [More]
Verizon Gets First Crack At 'PlayStation Phone'
By 2.14.11
Sony Ericsson officially unveiled the Xperia Play, the device the public has long dubbed the “PlayStation Phone.” [More]
Activision Blizzard Halts Guitar Hero Franchise, Will Lay Off 500
By 2.10.11
Gamers who buy the annual Guitar Hero releases will have some extra spending money this year, because publisher Activision Blizzard announced it will release no music games in 2011. [More]
8-Year-Old Girl Racks Up $1,400 Bill Playing "Smurfs Village" iPad Game
By 2.9.11
A 2nd-grader managed to rack up a $1,400 bill for her parents over break while playing the “Smurfs Village”, a Farmville-esque iPad game, reports the Washington Post. Like many of these app-based games, the game is free but you can purchase in-app upgrades, with real money, to speed your progress. In this case, you can get a “bucket of snowflakes” for $19 or a “wagon of smurfberries” for $99. Needless to say, her mother became quite blue in the face. [More]
Sony's "Kevin Butler" Retweets PS3 Jailbreak Code
By 2.9.11
“Kevin Butler” is the fictional Sony VP who is the face of its recent PlayStation ads, so of course he has a Twitter account. It looks like whoever is running the account hasn’t been reading the news much. When a Twitter user tweeted at him the code used to jailbreak PS3’s, the entity misinterpreted the series of letters and numbers and made a Battleship joke, retweeting the code in the process, reports Engadget. This is ironic because Sony has been cracking down with legal threats and attacks on anyone they can find disseminating the jailbreak information. I wonder if Kevin Butler will be getting one of these C&D’s… [More]
Sony Goes After People Who Spread PS3 Hack
By 2.8.11
First Sony went after alleged PS3 hackers who broke down the console’s firmware, opening it up to gamers to run pirated, copied and unlicensed games. Now it wants information on those who posted details of the hack online, even though they had no hand in its creation. [More]
Facebook Will Reveal Sony's PlayStation Phone Feb. 13
By 2.7.11
Sony really, really wants people to start playing its games on new handheld devices. After announcing a follow-up to the PSP and revealing it will make PlayStation games available on Android phones, it’s finally revealed that it’s going to unveil the long-rumored PlayStation Phone. [More]
FarmVille, CityVille Are Bigger Than Madden, Halo
By 2.4.11
Hardcore gamers my scoff at free-to-play Facebook games such as Zynga’s FarmVille and CityVille, but the social games have proven to be more popular and lucrative than most major video game titles, according to estimates from IGN. [More]
A Look Back At Sony's Miserable PSP Ad Campaigns
By 2.3.11
From time to time at Consumerist we like to take a look back at comically antiquated ads from the long-ago past, gawking at their abruptness and racial insensitivity. But thanks to the magic of Sony and its colossal failure in an attempt to be “edgy” and “viral” while marketing the PSP, we need only look back to 2004-2006 to bask in the glory of badvertising. [More]
PS3 Will Allow Players To Save Data On Cloud Servers
By 2.2.11
Sony has struggled to develop good reasons for players to subscribe to its premium PlayStation Plus service, but may have an ace up its sleeve to make Plus worthwhile. [More]
Sony Will Make Games For Android Phones, Sequelize PSP
By 1.28.11
Nintendo has a stranglehold on handheld gaming and Apple dominates mobile phone games, but Sony is fighting back hard on both fronts, releasing a flurry of pint-sized gaming announcements Thursday. [More]
Xbox Live Assigns Scarlet 'Cheater' Label To Autistic Boy (Updated)
By 1.27.11
UPDATE: The boy’s mother admitted that her son solicited help in racking up the achievements, meaning Xbox Live’s labeling of the boy as a cheater was correct. The original post follows; [More]
Politician Wants Warning Labels On Video Games
By 1.27.11
A congressman figures that if warning labels are good enough for your cigarettes and bug spray, they’re also suitable for your video games. [More]
Target Yanks Too-Good-To-Be-True PS3 Offer After I Try To Buy
By 1.24.11
Julie’s eyes probably bugged when she spotted the way-too-cheap PS3 deal she captured in the accompanying screenshot. She placed an order and checked out with a $50.02 charge after tax and shipping were added, but received a cancellation email the next day. [More]
GameStop Incorectly Tells Me They'll Accept My Accessories
By 1.20.11
Before Jim made a long walk through the snow to trade in his original Xbox accessories at GameStop, he made sure to place a phone call to make sure the store would accept his items. After getting the green light, then double-checking to make sure the woman at GameStop understood what he was asking about, he was turned down once he got to the store. [More]
