Shortly after the release of Sony PS3's firmware update 2.40, reports of consoles conking out have circulated the internet and Sony finally had to temporarily pull out the update. What exactly happened? Sony just released an official statement concerning this issue, and while it doesn't give out the exact details, it's still good to know that Sony's working hard to iron the kinks out. More details in the full article.

Some of you may have already heard of the rumor about Sony releasing PlayStation 2 games as downloadable titles on the highly popular PlayStation Store. However, Sony representatives were quick to squash this particular rumor as Patrick Seybold recently released a statement explaining their stand on the matter. Find out more in our full article.

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) updated the PlayStation Blog a couple of days ago and informed everyone about the different video game demos that will be coming their way. Quite surprisingly, the demo for the PlayStation 3 version of Electronic Arts' SKATE was nowhere to be found.

Take note that the demo for the Xbox 360 build of the game didn't make its expected release date as well. According to SCEA Senior Manager for Public Relations Patrick Seybold, it wasn't their fault because EA submitted the demo late. Seybold explained:

I have to confirm this, but contrary to popular reports, I believe that the SKATE demo was just officially submitted to us for test last week. Its obvious that many of you want it, and we’ll do our best to get it up there as soon as we can. Hold tight.

The senior manager wasn't able to give a concrete release date for the demo but it should be up on the PlayStation Store even before we all know it. After all, the retail copies of SKATE PS3 should be available in a few days.

As some of the PlayStation 3 owners have noticed (and stated via comments), the move to firmware 1.92 is causing  connections problems. Based on what we've been picking up, issues include being unable to connect to the PS3's PlayStation Network, or the Warhawk servers. Incognito Games is reportedly also fixing the server bug on their side.

The good news is that it appears that Sony via PR  has also picked up wind of these issues, and is already moving to make a fix. That's the info Sony's Senior PR manager Patrick Seybold is announcing for the moment, although he states that more information should be available in the near future. Drop back again if we receive any more word on this matter.

On to fifth issue of QuickJump QuickPeek! Positive feedback has been strong and if there's one thing we love to do outside playing videogames, that's got to be making sure you guys are liking your stay here. So amidst the fanboyish shouts of "Avada Kevadra" and "Erecto Wand" (opps, wrong spell) from potter maniacs here at the office, we bring you the round-up of the things that shook the halls of the gaming industry this week.

PlayStation Portable
Welcome to our fifth issue! For this run, we have more news that prove how strong the PSP homebrew scene is. For starters, we have Sony CEO Jack Tretton signifying support for PSP homebrew. For those who missed this report, try pulling those raised eyebrows a little lower first.

OK, this "little" revelation was made on an IGN interview with Sony bigwigs Tretton, senior manager Patrick Seybold, and senior director Dave Karraker. When asked whether they have any plans of giving PSP homebrew some long-deserved love, here's what Mr. Tretton has to say: "We certainly see some of the stuff that has been done via homebrew, and it's incredibly creative. And I think we'd like to try and tap into that a little bit more".

Now ain't that a stunner? Not really. Sony's a company that thrives on creativity, so it's highly likely that they still know how to appreciate creative strokes of genius when they see it. However certain boundaries are part of entrepreneurial realities, so it's only natural for them to be protective of their own product. We'll keep an eye on how this will develop. Meanwhile...

The full issue awaits after the jump!

We've got another rumor alert for the PlayStation 3 owners, and it deals with our favorite topic - new firmwares. As guys over at the Blu-Ray and PlayStation Forums have been discussing, there's ongoing speculation that a PS3 from the recent E3 2007 was running on the yet-to-be-released firmware 1.90. Even more interesting is that this new firmware supposedly adds an option to select music while you're playing.

Given it's a rumor, we can't really verify if this is true, although it will be remembered that SCEA Senior PR Manager Patrick Seybold recently did state that we'll be getting more info very soon. Stick around for this week, and hope that Mr. Seybold makes good his statement.

Kudos goes to Dr. Egg for informing us of this rumor.

It is really a good thing that Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) decided to have an official blog. While we all know that most of the interviews coming from the site are canned, it's important for the PlayStation community to hear the updates from the officials themselves.

Speaking of which, one member of the PlayStation Blog under the online name "west" posted a question regarding the PlayStation 3's firmware. He was wondering when will the next update go live. SCEA PR Senior Manager Patrick Seybold picked up the question and answered, "Early next week, we'll have something on the firmware".

Aside from that, no more details were given. Any speculation as to what this "something" is? It should be remembered that PlayStation Magazine (PSM) France recently ran an article saying that the next firmware update will include rumble for PS2 video games.

Tell us what you think through the comments section below.

For some odd reason, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots wasn't on Konami's official announcement of lineup for E3. But Sony's PR senior manager Patrick Seybold said himself on the official PlayStation blog: "What would E3 be without a new Metal Gear Solid trailer?"

Along with those words is a promise that should get all MGS fans excited - a fresh MGS 4 trailer that we all expected to crash the party will also be available on the PlayStation Store soon after the press conference where it'll be showcased.

Here's what Seybold posted on the blog:

The latest Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer will be available exclusively for download on the PLAYSTATION Store shortly following our press conference tomorrow. From our friends over at Konami and Kojima Productions, I heard they were still putting the final touches on the trailer a mere five hours before it was hand carried today to Santa Monica for E3!!

Well, he's excited alright, and so are we. It's nice to hear that lord Hideo Kojima's team did some major cramming just to deliver what fans need. But then again, this isn't the first time when those guys had to rush for a major event as told by Kojima a few years back. Knowing him and his crew, we can expect even more surprises when E3 comes. We'll make sure to keep you posted.

Over at the official PlayStation Blog, SCEA PR Senior Manager Patrick Seybold posted an article concerning the PlayStation 3 price cut and the 80GB model that the whole video game industry has been talking about since the other day. He didn't say anything new but there's a good reason why we're telling you about it.

The picture above was attached to Seybold's recent article. Needless to say, there's something particularly different at this box shot of the console, namely the red light on the Home button. Those with more keen eyes noticed as well that the "Contents" section of the box has "more text" describing the SIXAXIS, possibly hinting at added features.

If this turns out to be true, we all know that the supposed added feature will be force feedback which fans have been asking for for some time now. However, it is also possible that fans are reading too much into this. For what it's worth, though, we here at QJ.NET also miss rumble so we have our fingers crossed as well.

 

Inspired by James Lipton from the show "Inside the Actors Studio", Sony's PR folks - PR senior manager Patrick Seybold specifically - are planning to carry out interviews with set questions to various game developers, as a way of celebrating the advent of this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). This will be called "Inside the Developers Studio".

Wanting to mimic the way Lipton gives out the same set of questions to each and every guest in his show, Seybold is thinking of doing the same thing to key people in the video game industry, doling out game development-related questions to see how they give insight to those queries. He'll then post them in the official PlayStation Blog.

Regular visitors to the PlayStation Blog will be seeing responses from a different developer, every day over the next two and a half weeks.