Did PSN Error 8001050F Get Your PS3?

Last night a number of PlayStation 3 owners were hit with PSN error 8001050F. Sony has determined that the problem only hits users of older PS3 models and that users with the newer “slim” hardware appear to be unaffected. Luckily, I spent most of Sunday on my Xbox 360 playing Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgement. In the middle of my session I received this message from a developer friend:

Don’t turn your PS3 on — like at all. Seems to be a leap-year firmware bug that corrupts your profile and stops you from using PSN or any PSN purchases. Many offline games won’t start either and it may be wiping Trophies.

Last time I checked, 2010 wasn’t a leap year, so I’m not sure what he meant by that. Then again, he’s way more technical than I am so it might be code speak. What I do know is that several users have reported that their PS3 consoles have — for some unknown reason — reset the date to 12/31/99, which appears to be wreaking havoc with other data.

Scanning my Facebook and Twitter friends, it appears that a lot of my buddies were hit by 8001050F. As of this writing, the support thread on Sony’s forums is 38 pages long. As much as I want to get more Heavy Rain trophies, I’m not even going to look at my PS3 until Sony issues an “all clear” statement.

Any of you get hit by this (seemingly) nasty bug?

Sunday Housekeeping: Help…Needed?

– If you read RPad.tv through Firefox or Internet Explorer and you don’t mind installing a toolbar, please let me know. The site’s ranking has been slipping and I need your help to bring it back up. If you’d like to help out, please shoot me an email at raymond {at} rpad.tv. I’d super appreciate your assistance!

– N8R helped me out with two great interviews: an interview with EEDAR’s Jesse Divnich and an interview with BioWare’s Dr. Greg Zeschcuk. Please check ’em out if you have a chance. The one with Jesse is probably the best PadCast I’ve posted so far.

– After a dip in traffic due to DICE travels, last week was pretty good. I’m schedule to go to GDC next week, but I should be able to post regular updates. Speaking of GDC, if there are any panels you’re interested in, please let me know. I’ll try to hit them up on your behalf and write about them.

– The Amazon links were the best they’ve been since December! A couple of people bought Heavy Rain through my links, while a special someone bought toilet paper, plastic bags, and batteries to support the site. Every little bit helps, so thank you very much!!! I know it’s a pain, but please try to use my links if you buy anything from Amazon.

Blast From the Past: Marc Saltzman and I Talk E3 2007

My friend just sent me this video I did for Comcast’s Game Invasion at E3 2007. It’s funny watching it through the old retroscope. Nintendo just introduced Wii Fit and my co-host, the amazing Marc Saltzman, thought it was neat, but nothing extraordinary. I was mostly indifferent to it. Neither of us had any idea that it would become one of the most popular videogame products in the industry’s history. Ha!

*sigh* I miss having a video crew.

Anyway, check out the video and let me know what you think of our E3 2007 press conference analysis.

Reminder: Interactive Achievement Awards Highlights on IFC

Here’s a reminder that the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences’ Interactive Achievements Awards will be on IFC tonight at 10PM ET/9PM CT. Check it out if you have a chance or set your DVR to record it. Sadly, it’s not the entire program and a lot of Jay Mohr’s excellent roasting will be cut, but 30 minutes of this fine awards show is better than nothing, right?

Gatorade Gives Tiger Woods the Boot

Gatorade is the latest company to sever its ties with golfer/videogame icon/sex addict Tiger Woods. According to ESPN, a Gatorade spokesperson said:

We no longer see a role for Tiger in our marketing efforts and have ended our relationship. We wish him all the best.

AT&T and Accenture have already ended their respective relationships with Woods. Electronic Arts and Nike have indicated that they’re supporting the troubled sex addict.

Any guesses on the next sponsor that will bail on Woods? Could you picture any other athlete on EA’s golf game?

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CDMA Google Nexus One Clears the FCC, Headed to Verizon

Consumer electronics nerds that love the Android 2.1-powered Google Nexus One but aren’t high on T-Mobile have some good news — a CDMA version of the Nexus One has cleared the FCC! When the phone launched, Google said that Verizon would be getting the Nexus One in Spring 2010. It looks like that release date will be met.

Now that the Nexus One will be available on America’s largest mobile network, are any of you interested in picking it up?

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Pokemon Jirachi Giveaway at GameStop Starts Tomorrow

GameStop is kicking off a great Pokemon giveaway that starts tomorrow, February 27, and runs until March 13. Gamers that bring their Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum cartridges to a participating GameStop can download the legendary Pokemon Jirachi!

In addition to getting a limited-edition Pokemon, players can also use this Jirachi to unlock a hidden path in the Pokewalker accessory that comes with the upcoming Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver. The route is called Night Sky’s Edge and it can only be accessed through this promotion. (Those Pokemon people are so clever with their promotions.)

If you’re serious about Pokemon, don’t forget to soft reset your game until you get a Jirachi with an optimal nature. Please excuse me as I have to email my Pokemon best friend Peter to see if wants to go to GameStop tomorrow.

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Coffee Talk #95: What Videogame Character Do You Want to Be?

Is there a videogame character you wish you were more like? It sounds like a silly question, but there are loads of videogame characters that have laudable traits. It’s not hard to find a character that’s heroic, clever, wise, witty, or caring. If you’re more devil than angel, it’s easy to find characters that are devious, diabolical, and cruel.

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Americans getting into curling to be contrary, the latest snow storm on the east coast, or Palm taking a beating, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Is there a videogame character you wish you were more like? It sounds like a silly question,  but there are loads of videogame characters that have laudable traits. It’s not hard to find a character that’s heroic, clever, wise, witty, or caring. If you’re more devil than angel, it’s easy to find characters that are devious, diabolical, and cruel.

As for me, I’m going to go with Pokemon’s Ash Ketchum. I’m certain that I’m being influenced by GameStop’s upcoming Pokemon Jirachi promotion, but I think he’s a great pick. He’s kind, caring, and determined. I also miss viewing the world through innocent eyes. Ash accomplishes his goals as a Pokemon trainer while still being a good person and seeing things with child-like wonder. Maybe I’m just feeling tired and jaded this week, but I want to be more like Ash.

So play this game with me (please). I’d love to know what videogame character you’d like to be more like. I’m just hoping none of you pick Kratos.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I swear it was Monday yesterday. Ha! Funny how that goes…. Anyway, I’ve watched two sets of endings for Heavy Rain and I’m not sure that I care to see the others just yet. Instead, I’m going to spend the weekend trophy hunting, replaying different chapters of the game so that I can rack up rewards on my secondary PSN account (as a few of you know, it’s sorely lacking). Some of the trophies are a snap to get, so I should be able to snag a whole bunch in two days.

When I need a break from Heavy Rain, I’ll be going to my old standby: Civilization Revolution for iPhone. I can’t believe how many hours I’ve gotten out of the game. I’m pretty sure it’s the best gaming value of my life (and I bought it on sale for $2.99!).

As always, I want to know what you’re playing this weekend. Share your weekend playlist with your fellow RPadholics.