Happy New Year from PlayStation Home! On Thursday 5th January from 8AM GMT PlayStation Home will go offline for scheduled maintenance. When the maintenance is complete you can dive straight into the PlayStation Home January sale! Dozens of items are on offer at fantastic discounts with up to 50% off. Whether you’re looking for a new apartment, a cute companion, some funky furniture or a new outfit for your avatar, there’s plenty of choice for everyone! Just head over to the star in Home Square or check out the Shop category on the PS Home Navigator to browse the bargains before the end of January.

Also this week, PlayStation Home sees the release of the Red Bull House of Skate. This fantastic personal space includes breathtaking views, flatscreen TVs, a swanky hot tub and Red Bull Skateboarding – an adrenaline soaked game that you won’t find anywhere else. Rack up your high scores with flips and grinds in the skatepark and then make your way over to your very own Red Bull Vending Machine for some ice-cold refreshment.

Red Bull have also updated the Red Bull Air Race – adding new tracks, difficulty levels, pilots and planes. Take to the sky to compete on the Air Race leaderboards and complete the game’s challenges to receive exclusive PlayStation Home rewards. Make your way over there now and smoke on!

Red Bull Beach also sees some exciting updates to keep you off your feet. Now you can play Flugtag with your friends with teams of up to 4 players, creating your very own custom made craft and launching it into flight. Not only that, you’ll be rewarded for your skills with yet more exclusive Red Bull clothing and furniture items. Just make sure the wind doesn’t blow you over.

Last but not least, Red Bull Illume now features the very latest in cutting edge action adventure photography. While you’re there, you can pay a visit to the Red Bull MXT vehicle fully equipped with flat screens displaying the latest Red Bull videos and speakers pumping out some wicked beats. Once you’ve danced your heart out make your way over to the Red Bull Vending Machine where you’ll have to play to get your wings. You’ll see what we mean!

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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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On Thursday 15th December from 8AM BST PlayStation Home will be briefly offline for scheduled maintenance. Here is what to expect when PS Home reopens…

The festive seas on blasts into PlayStation Home this like a gale force wind, bringing games , quests,
rewards, and plenty of wonderful, wintry fun for all. Of course, no Christmas would be complete
without a special event, which is why we have called in favours with our friends Snowman, Snow Bear,
and some very special guests for what is sure to be the celebration of the year.

Your journey begins in the brand new snow-covered Pier Park, where a collection of quests will
unravel in the coming weeks and which will reward players with exclusive items and collectibles only
available from this limited-time event. Start by going to the Activity Board to start your first quest, then catch a boat from Pier Park to transport to this chilly locale where Snowman and Snow Bear will
provide clues that will lead you throughout a vast winter wonderland filled with tons of surprises.
Complete all the quests to unlock a variety of special rewards that will leave your inventory bulging
with awesome Yuletide mementos!

Curious about the PS Vita? Wondering how it will revo lutionis e the world of gaming? Well fear not if you are, because this week you will find a PS Vita hovering in Home Square which will allow you to sign up to Inside PS Vita and get all the latest inside information on this new console. You will also be rewarded for your curiousity with a pair of PS Vita Halos (his and hers) and a brand new PS Vita sofa. Be sure to hang on to your halos… You never know when they might come in handy!
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This Thursday, December 8th, we will release the latest update to the PlayStation Home client. PlayStation Home version 1.60 delivers a wealth of improvements and updates to the core client, not the least of which is a doubling of the item placement limit in personal spaces! Here’s a look at what’s coming to you as part of PlayStation Home v1.60:

Application of the patch
If you are upgrading from an old version of Home (1.40 or earlier) then when you attempt to apply the 1.60 patch please wait for the orange “hard drive activity” light to stop flashing on your PS3 before commencing the patching process.

New features

Furniture placement limit

• We have doubled the furniture placement limit in Personal Spaces and Clubhouses from 50 to 100 items.
• This has been a regularly requested change and we’re eager to see what new layouts you come up with!
• Standard and active furniture limits have been merged into the same system. Currently all actives take up 22 furniture slots in the new system. Thus you can now place a variety of different combinations:
• 100 standard furniture items or…
• 78 standard furniture items and 1 active or…
• 56 standard furniture items and 2 actives or…
• 34 standard furniture items and 3 actives or…
• 12 standard furniture items and 4 actives.

Improvements

Targeting in Personal Spaces

• Targeting in Personal Spaces has been improved.
• This means you shouldn’t accidentally target furniture items through floors or ceilings any more.
• Although we have made exceptions for wall hangings and lights as these tend to be placed quite high up.
• If you find any items of furniture in places you can’t reach then you can always remove them through the furniture browser and place them somewhere else.

Portables

• We have changed the way that companion portables work so they will automatically re-activate after you enter and leave a mini-game or relocate between spaces. No more having to put your companion away and take them out again when you do this!

Help system

• There is a more proactive help system to aid new users outside of their Harbour Studio Personal Space as they explore PlayStation®Home for the first time.

Arcade games

• Arcade games are no longer subject to the 3 minute inactivity timeout when placed as furniture in Personal Spaces or Clubhouses.

Changes

Menu Pad

We have removed the “Community” section of the Menu Pad. The information that used to be contained in here is now communicated via the message of the day pop-up at login and the new loading screens.

Of course, there are plenty more bug fixes and enhancements that are part of v1.60 as well which will help improve your day-to-day experience in the wide world of PlayStation Home.

Content Update

So, on to this week’s new content. Put on your Winter warmers – it’s PS Home’s 3rd anniversary and it’s snowing outside! Gnome Curling makes an appearance in Home Square which has been blanketed in a crisp white layer of lovely snow! Fear not, fans of the mind-boggling Cogs game – you can now find this puzzler taking up residence in the Indie Park.

Novus Prime is also celebrating its 1st anniversary so for a limited time Nebulon and Experience boosters will be absolutely FREE and many of the items in the Novus Prime stores will be on sale for 50% off! This celebration will be over before you know it, so report to the Novus Prime station on the double and join the fight!

Hide in plain sight with Konami’s new Urban Camo line. Grab your friends and change the look of your environment or sneak up on unsuspecting people!

Granny Lockwood’s been hard at work again, and this time she’s taken her inspiration from the chilly extremes of the planet, the North and South Poles! Pumpkin Pie the Polar Bear and Popsicle the Penguin can’t wait to play with you. They both love to do tricks – be patient and they’re sure to show you what they can do. Also, their cousins are exclusively available via the Gift Machine – look out for them – they’re only available for a limited time!

Midwinter Angel or Burning Desire? This Winter Medusa brings you the latest styles, perfect for relaxing on a frosty afternoon or heading out to a glitzy evening party.

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On Thursday 1st December from 8AM BST PlayStation Home will be briefly offline for scheduled maintenance. Here is what to expect after the update…

Covering the full range of emotions this week we have MadBlocker, the latest arcade cabinet to land in Home. This fast and frantic match-4 game may make you laugh or may make you cry but either way it never fails to please, get it now in Stuff or Indie Park!

It’s not Christmas without sales – even in PlayStation Home! nDreams are joining in the Christmas frenzy and dropping the price of many fantastic items. You can get up to 50% off items such as Thing in a Box, Funkster ’74 clothing bundles and the hugely popular Apartment UFO. nDreams wishes you all a very merry Christmas! The sale can be found at nDreams’ store and will run from 1st December 2011 until the 12th January 2012.
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