On Thursday 22nd December from 8AM BST PlayStation Home will go offline for scheduled maintenance. Here is what to expect when PS Home reopens…

The darkness has been lifted from Aurora! Peace and beauty have finally been restored. Along with the return of daylight, Aurora is currently passing above a large mountain range.

Hopefully the islands will remain high enough to avoid any collisions!

There is now a new island holding a fantastic single and multiplayer game called ‘Espionage 9′, along with another island containing the addictive ‘Los Penguini Brothers’ mini game.

We also have a new Teller of Tales story about the discovery of the islands which will be coming very shortly. Also, as well as new rewards for level 95 and a very special level 100 reward, we’re giving everyone not one but two free items to celebrate the launch of Aurora 1.4. One will be given on entering the space, and the other will arrive with the new Teller of Tales story. So what are you waiting for? Come and explore the wonders of Aurora now!
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Warheads -

The time has come to say “thank you and good night!” As of Tuesday, January 3rd, the lights will go down on the Starhawk Private Beta. It’s been a wild, wild ride and we want to thank ALL the participants that took time out of their schedule to help us test Starhawk. We’ve learned an enormous amount and have applied much of it already. We’ve still got a long way to go but the leg up this info has provided us is incredibly valuable. The Private Beta was our first step to try out the game in the wild and it’s been simply awesome. And because of this success, we’ve decided to keep the Private Beta live through the holiday break. After all, what would ringing in 2012 be without a little Starhawk beatdown session?!!

So what’s next? Why, the Public Beta, of course! In the next few weeks we’ll be announcing the dates for this important step. Many more players will be allowed access, including the UNCHARTED 3 owners who received a Public Beta voucher when they purchased the game! Look for more information and specifics on the PlayStation.Blog very soon.

It only takes a quick web search to find a TON of Starhawk info out there about the Beta. We’ve been really happy with the commentary/opinions and will taking all of the feedback seriously. Here is a convenient sampling of what’s out there: IGN, Kotaku, VG247, GameSpot, Major League Gaming, Pixel Nation, Dual Shockers, PS Nation, and Starhawk Radio—just to name a few.

We’d like to wish everyone happy holidays from LightBox Interactive and Sony Santa Monica. We hope that you enjoy your vacation time. Feel free to spend it waxing noobs in the Beta over holiday break!

“It’s closing time…one last call…”

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Hello Gran Turismo fans,

Last week we confirmed a whole host of new content coming your way for Gran Turismo 5 and I can confirm that it’s all now ready and available for your gaming pleasure.

First on the menu and published on PlayStation Store earlier today is DLC Pack 2, featuring four brand new rides including new Scirocco, Golf , Mini and GTR models.

Also available this week is Functionality Update 2.02 which went live yesterday. The update features a host of GT community inspired game improvements and the rather lovely Christmas bonus of a free Toyota 86 GT ’12 DLC vehicle (pictured at the top of this post).

So there you are lots of great new content to keep you going over the festive period, we hope you enjoy it (both the content and the festive period!).

Full details of Functionality Update 2.02 and DLC Pack 2 can be found on gran-turismo.com now.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

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PlayStation Store (via PS3, PSP and Media Go)

Hello fellow gamers and welcome to another edition of the PSN Store ‘Heads-Up’ blog post.

It’s my favourite time of the year, it’s CHRISTMAS!!…. almost. Where we have time to spend with our loved ones and celebrate goodwill to all. Or if you’re anything like me, you get a lot more free time to play some games and earn some trophies. So to help with festive boredom we have some awesome games for you this week.

First off I should mention that we had a late submission and now Jurassic Park: The game is available from the store if you have not seen it there already. We also have the highly requested Dungeon Defenders where you and four friends can try and stop the horde of enemies taking over the dungeons.

I am also excited to see that Oddworlds: Stranger’s Wrath HD in on the store today; this is one not to miss. As well as the HD remakes of ICO and Shadow of the Colossus, two of my favourite games from back in the day.

And to ‘wrap up’ (see what I did there?) we have The King of Fighters XIII demo available on the store today.

So that’s it for another week and for 2011. All that is left to say is have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year on and all. Hopefully will see some of you online.

BYE!!!
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With party season well under way and barely a day of your calendar free for the last minute Christmas shopping, we the good elves at Sony Entertainment Network have prepared a special treat to ease you through the busy festive season.

For 60 days, we are giving you the chance to experience our Music Unlimited Premium package, with access to millions songs on demand, no irritating ads and the flexibility to use across your PS3, PSP, Home Computer, and Android mobile phone. So, whether you are in a shop queue a mile long or entertaining friends with some pre-Christmas drinks, you can experience Music Unlimited, anytime, anywhere.

At the moment, we’re loving David Guetta’s new album ‘Nothing but the Beat’ which is full of dance floor fillers guaranteed to get a reaction from your party crowd. Or alternatively, if you prefer to lose yourself in your headphones, all the latest releases, from Florence + The Machine to Rihanna are available for you.

Terms and conditions apply.

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