During the downtime, users will be unable to access the following services:

• PlayStation Store on PS3, PSP, and Media Go.
• PlayStation Network Account Management.
• PlayStation Network Account Registration.
• PlayStation Home
• Music Unlimited & Video Unlimited services

Users already signed in on PSN before maintenance starts will still be able to continue gaming online although access to the features listed above will be restricted. Users already signed in before maintenance starts will have any unlocked Trophies updated unto their profiles once the scheduled maintenance is over.

[Playstation Blog]

There have been many famous tech and gadget battles over the years. From the “ancient” Betamax vs VHS to the one of the most recent and still ongoing battle between the major consoles Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii.

Usually with these kind of battles, there is a victor that becomes the standard/more popular option worldwide. Except in the case of the ongoing console wars. All 3 consoles are still very popular and with newer releases of these consoles on the horizon, the console war could go on for a few more years.

For a quick history lesson on the tech and gadget wars, see the infographic below [Click to enlarge].

[Mint Life | via Daily Infographic]

Sony has announced a Limited Edition gold Playstation 3 slim that will be available exclusively in Japan in March 2012.

The PS3 will be matte gold and will have the main character of the One Piece manga, Luffy, etched on it. The 320GB console bundle will also include a Dualshock 3 controller, the One Piece: Pirate Warriors game and a custom One Piece theme to match.

The console will be available on March 1st in Japan for ¥38,170 (about £316 or $490 US), and the game will also be available separately for ¥8,190 (about £67 or $105 US).

[Sony Japan | via The Verge]

The Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand expansion pack that has been available on the Playstation 3 for a week now and is now available for Xbox 360 and PC owners.

The expansion pack is free for any one that bought a Limited Edition of Battlefield 3. It will cost 1200 Microsoft points on the Xbox Live for anyone that didn’t purchase the limited edition of the game.

So what’s included in the Back to Karkand update?:

Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand is a huge expansion pack featuring four legendary Battlefield maps reimagined in the Frostbite 2 engine. Three new vehicles (the VSTOL fighter jet, Desert Buggy, and an APC), ten new weapons that you can bring back to the base game, and a new layer of persistence with our all-new Assignments make this a must-have for any Battlefield fan.

The four maps included in the expansion pack are Strike at Karkand, Wake Island, Sharqi Peninsula (video below) and Gulf of Oman. The update also includes a number of bug fixes that are detailed over at the Battlefield Blog.

If you’re unsure how to get the Back to Karkand expansion pack;

• How to go Back to Karkand on Xbox 360
• How to go Back to Karkand on PC
• How to go Back to Karkand on Playstation 3

[Battlefield Blog]

South Park writing duo, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, are working with Obsidian Entertainment (the Developers of Fallout:New Vegas) to create a role playing game based on South Park.

Development of the game is being overseen by the duo who are writing scripts and performing the dialogue. You will play as the new kid in South Park where “it’ll be up to you to make friends and defend the town from a wide range of threats. ” says GameInformer.

Very little is known about the game for now, but we do know it will be a “full-scale RPG” which will be available on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC. We also know that the game will be out some time next year.

More information on South Park: The Game will be available in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

[GameInformer]

The Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand expansion pack will be making its way to Playstation 3 consoles on Tuesday (December 6). This will give PS3 owners a chance to enjoy the DLC a week before their Xbox 360 counterparts.

Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand is a huge expansion pack featuring four legendary Battlefield maps reimagined in the Frostbite 2 engine. Three new vehicles (the VSTOL fighter jet, Desert Buggy, and an APC), ten new weapons that you can bring back to the base game, and a new layer of persistence with our all-new Assignments make this a must-have for any Battlefield fan.

The four maps included in the expansion pack are Strike at Karkand, Wake Island, Sharqi Peninsula and Gulf of Oman. Assignments and new Trophies (Achievements) are also included in the DLC. The Assignments allow you to unlock new Back to Karkand weapons by completing them. Eg. “20 kills with Light Machine Guns and two mortar kills.”

The Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand is free for those that purchased the Limited Edition of the game or $14.99(about £10).

It should also be noted that all future Battlefield 3 expansion will all be exclusive on the Playstation 3 a week early. Below are the list of the new Trophies that come with Back to Karkand:

Complete Warrior (Silver)
Get a kill with the following weapons in a single life: Rifle, Jet, Tank

Third Tour (Bronze)
Get a kill with the new APC, Desert Buggy, and STOVL fighter jet

Gunslinger (Bronze)
Get 10 kills with all B2K weapons

Like a Boss! (Silver)
Get a kill with the skid loader

Jaws (Bronze)
Take a swim in the pool at the Oman hotel

[BattlefieldBlog]

Battlefield 3‘s Back to Karkand DLC pack is only around the corner. We have already been teased with the Strike at Karkand gameplay trailer. DICE is however keeping our appetites wet and has offered us another trailer. This time its Gulf of Oman.

We are bringing back three popular combat vehicles from Battlefield 2 into the Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand expansion pack: The STOVL fighter jet, desert buggy, and one of the APC’s. In this gameplay trailer from the Gulf of Oman map, you can also get a first glimpse of a classified fourth vehicle bound to strike fear into the very hearts of the enemy. Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand is out December 2011 at no extra charge if you own a copy of the Battlefield 3: Limited Edition, or available the same date at $14.99/1200 Microsoft Points.

If you grabbed a Limited Edition version of the game, the DLC will be free. It gets even better if you own the game on the Playstation 3. It will be released on the PS3 before Xbox 360.

Big, open, vehicular warfare maps like these is what makes Battlefield great and different from its main competitor. With bugs that plagued the game since launch now fixed, Battlefield 3 fans can get some serious gaming done during the holidays.

Our neighbours from across the pond will be able to get their hands on a copy of Battlefield 3 today. 2 days before our Australian counterparts and 3 days before those of us in Europe. Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 gamers can jump online straight away. PC gamers can see the checklist below to make sure they meet the minimum requirements to play the game, even before purchasing.

1) Create an Origin account, if you haven’t already. You can do so here. If you have an EA account then you already have an Origin account! Make sure you know your account name and password.
2) Download the Origin client. You will need to have the latest version (8.3.1) of the Origin client running on your PC in order to play Battlefield 3. To make sure you’re up-to-date, we recommend clicking here to get the latest version up and running on your system.
3) Double-check to make sure you have the latest graphics card drivers. Visit the drivers section at AMD or Nvidia, depending on what your manufacturer of choice is.
4) Pre-load Battlefield 3. If you purchased Battlefield 3 through Origin (or any other digital retailer that is offering BF3 and supports pre-load as an option), the game is currently available for pre-load. This means the game will be downloaded and installed already when it goes live. The game will unlock at specific times in each region, and you will not be able to play it before the unlock-time in your region.

5) Check your PC specs. Minimum and recommended specs below:

Minimum System Requirements
OS: WINDOWS VISTA (SERVICE PACK 2) 32-BIT
PROCESSOR: 2 GHZ DUAL CORE (CORE 2 DUO 2.4 GHZ OR ATHLON X2 2.7 GHZ)
MEMORY: 2 GB
HARD DRIVE: 20 GB
GRAPHICS CARD (AMD): DIRECTX 10.1 COMPATIBLE WITH 512 MB RAM (ATI RADEON 3000, 4000, 5000 OR 6000 SERIES, WITH ATI RADEON 3870 OR HIGHER PERFORMANCE)
GRAPHICS CARD (NVIDIA): DIRECTX 10.0 COMPATIBLE WITH 512 MB RAM (NVIDIA GEFORCE 8, 9, 200, 300, 400 OR 500 SERIES WITH NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800 GT OR HIGHER PERFORMANCE)
SOUND CARD: DIRECTX COMPATIBLE
KEYBOARD AND MOUSE
DVD ROM DRIVE

Recommended System Requirements
OS: WINDOWS 7 64-BIT
PROCESSOR: QUAD-CORE CPU
MEMORY: 4 GB
HARD DRIVE: 20 GB
GRAPHICS CARD: DIRECTX 11 COMPATIBLE WITH 1024 MB RAM (NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 560 OR ATI RADEON 6950)
SOUND CARD: DIRECTX COMPATIBLE
KEYBOARD AND MOUSE
DVD ROM DRIVE

The beta for Battlefield 3 is out today on Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. The early access beta testers would have received an email from Microsoft two days ago, detailing how the beta could be obtained earlier on their respective consoles. The beta is available until October 10th. So head over to your gaming devices and start downloading the beta.

PlayStation 3 (U.S.)
From storefront, click on View All By Title
Click on B
Click on Battlefield 3
Locate the Battlefield 3 Beta

PlayStation 3 (Europe)
From storefront, click on Demos
Click on A-C
Locate the Battlefield 3 Open Beta

Xbox 360
The Battlefield 3 Open Beta will be visible in the Xbox Live Marketplace under Demos, or you can go to Xbox.com via this link and add the Open Beta to your Xbox 360download queue automatically.

PC
If you have already installed our new download service Origin, go to the section “Free games”, where the Battlefield 3 Open Beta will appear for download. You can also head to this product page via the web. If you have not installed Origin yet (PC Gamers), it will ask you to do so before proceeding with the download of the Open Beta itself.

It’s so close! Battlefield 3 will be jumping out on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC in just over a week’s time. And for those that purchase the Limited Edition of Medal of Honor will be able to get their hands on the beta 2 days earlier (September 27th).