Today’s PlayStation Store update looked pretty magnificent. There was the usual collection of new Rock Band and Guitar Hero III downloadable songs, some pointless-but-thanks-anyway Nascar ‘09 car skins, lots and lots of pretty wallpapers and a rather special PlayStation Home theme that, much like the one that launched on the Japanese store last week, gives those who download it the chance to participate in an brand new expanded beta of the application.
All looking fantastic then! Except I’m not talking about my own PlayStation Store. I’ve had to go and praise the one on the other side of the Atlantic in my constant battle to try and say something nice about Sony, and as you can probably tell, it’s not going very well.
Oh, and Qore’s out too, but that’s Qore and nobody cares. Jump time.
Yup, as usual, Europe’s getting the shaft. We’ve got that pleasant Secret Agent Clank demo, some videos, and, er, that’s it. We’ve actually, believe it or not, not even got that nice wee Home theme, or anything. As usual, we’ve got the sharp end of the stick to play with (and part of that metaphor is to be taken recently; Sony Europe seem to have poked their eyes out and gone blind, given their almost non-existent acknowledgement of the complaints of their consumer base).
Of course, we folks in Europe are being promised our own, special version of the Home beta. Unfortunately, not everybody even gets the chance to sign up. Whereas America and Japan both offer the cute little theme number (dead nice by the way, thanks SCEA) as a way of signing up to the beta, SCEE offers up no such potential entry ticket. Instead, “consumers who have been most active on PLAYSTATION Network and PLAYSTATION Store” are being handpicked by Sony’s European arm so that people who are regularly on their PS3s can contribute to the overall final version of Home just as often.
I’m sorry, but what? Let me get this straight: you’re allowing every old Joe Bloggs from Tokyo to Texas to at least have a go at getting into the expanded beta, but us Europeans are denied the privelege? Thank you once again Sony. As much fun as it is ripping into SCEE’s dreadful consumer treatment (I should really just ask for their manual on “How Not To Treat Your Fanbase” and print it out on here in full to save me the trouble) I’ve got to admit that it’s getting a little boring.
I really do sit, fingers crossed, every Thursday morning, in the hope that the week’s European Store update isn’t going to be awful. And even then, at about 7 in the evening, I sit with my fingers crossed again in the hope that the American store’s update wont be two, three, ten times as awesome as the Euro equivalent. Unfortunately, it usually is.
Oh well. At least I have something to complain about. The thing is, why do I keep doing so? Be warned, potentially tear-jerking (ie: not at all in any way) reflections follow on page two…
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28 responses so far ↓
1 NeonSkull // Aug 8, 2008 at 11:23 am
I totally agree that scee get the bum deal compared to the us and jpn, but i think the home beta entry has been done for a reason and I agree with it.
There is zero point in letting people into the beta that rarly use their system, user like that would spend 10 mins in home call it naff then never use it again.
The type of high usage user they are going for propbly have the ps3 as there main gaming system, have been waiting for home a long time and will want to get eveything they can from home. also choosing people that buy a lot from tha PS store will give them a good indication of how well the inhome store will perform.
Also I think i fill the criteria for home beta entry and support scee 100% until I fail to get into the new open beta in which case screw you sony and your european wing.
2 Kalroy // Aug 8, 2008 at 11:54 am
I think some of it might be legal not Home specifically, but how Europe gets treated in general. The EU helps by standardizing much of the rules, regulations and laws, but also screw things up and drag out the process with a bureaucracy that makes the Celestial Empire pale in comparison.
It would be nice (or totally scary) if they would standardize the game ratings system.
Kalroy
3 Yamster // Aug 8, 2008 at 12:21 pm
@Kalroy: It’s not ratings I have a problem with! It’s just Sony generally being not very good at dealing with Europe or some other term that makes a little more sense.
Generally, Sony doesn’t really seem to ‘do’ Europe, even after the PS3’s been out here for a year and a half, and it’s dead frustrating trying to figure out why.
4 Alan Harrison // Aug 8, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Just to a sure you that european users will get the same chance as US and Jp users to join home. The selection process works the same way in each region. The only thing thats different is that the European users dont have to register their interest. Some would say this is better then downloading a crappy theme, also they might say this is a fairer way to select people. At least with this method some random texan that doesn’t really spend any time on the PSN wont get into a eta unless he deserves it.
But you are right, we do get shafted.
5 Xbot // Aug 8, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Dissagre Sony needs to keep getting hate so they will continue to improve their products and services.
look at Qore i totally love that.
6 cell989 // Aug 8, 2008 at 4:30 pm
@XBOT
to a certain extent yeah you are right, the more you brag on them the better they get with quality, but at the same time they do deserve for us to give them credit.
7 Foresthillking // Aug 8, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Very true we europeans get threaten.
8 Foresthillking // Aug 8, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Im gonna buy an Xbox 360 with Fable 2 collectors edition.
9 Foresthillking // Aug 8, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Im pissed with Sony and all their games(movies).
10 Foresthillking // Aug 8, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Xbox 360 fanboys can I join the white(good) side?
11 Foresthillking // Aug 8, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Heavy Rain haha what a joke all good graphics with no substance looks boring as hell whos the gameplay?Heavy blame.Imnot impressed.Oh wait I was impressed with one thing about heavy rain.When I saw the tech demo I thought OMG ps2 animations and retardet as hell.If I want to see real people I go outsid.I dont need this piece of crap called Heavy rain aka crying in the rain.
12 Foresthillking // Aug 8, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Am I annoying anyone yet? People always say I annoy them. Even my parents. They say I never shut up. Oh well, i have a LOT of good friends on the Xbox 360 that I talk to every day. When they’re on. Sometimes I think they ignore me. Why would they ignore me? Am I annoying?
13 Salty Rat // Aug 8, 2008 at 5:45 pm
I agree 10000%. Im from Australia and we get the same content as Europe. Its a complete farce how even the simplest content is denied to us. Even content that is completely free and has no legal ramifications, like the themes etc. Not to mention the entire interface is different, with content organized more intuitively on the American PSN and each icon in the US having a small banner underneath with a 1-2 word description of its type (theme, wallpaper, demo, etc), as compared to a completely nondescript little thumbnail and having to manually select every damn icon on the screen just to see what it is…
These sort of things are nobrainers. Sony just doesn’t seem to care because Microsoft gives PAL regions the shaft with XBL too, with none of the same video downloadable content (luckily games, demos, etc are more standard between regions). In Microsoft’s case the shaft isn’t nearby as large though…
14 Yamster // Aug 8, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Foresthillking, for the sake of all of us, learn how to pour all your thoughts into one comment.
15 Foresthillking // Aug 8, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Fable 2 or Fallout 3 with extra content?I choose Fallout 3 for Xbox 360!
16 Foresthillking // Aug 8, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Bye Sony you retards.Japanese consoles will fail like japanese manga kiddie games.
17 boffin92 / Eight Ball // Aug 8, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Tis me, the one who posted your article on the EU forums and made the sig, and once again, nicely said, shall pop a link to it in teh forums.
18 NoneOfYourBusiness // Aug 8, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Foresthillking seems to be a classic troll, doesn’t even bring anything new to the mix….meh.
Anywho, Yamster, you do know why this is happening right? It is revenge for the British Empire’s influence in the far east. Sony bided thier time since the colonization and then BAM…you get SCEE. You see, we in america are going to get screwed when the middle east becomes the main video game console creators. But that will NEVER happen.
19 NoneOfYourBusiness // Aug 8, 2008 at 10:12 pm
/sarcastic /not-ish
20 Foresthillking // Aug 8, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Thank Noneofpourbuisness for the compliments.
21 Foresthillking // Aug 8, 2008 at 10:26 pm
thank you.
22 Ratchet8clank // Aug 9, 2008 at 12:43 am
or instead of complaining you could just move to North America
23 Yamster // Aug 9, 2008 at 6:13 am
Yes, and THAT’s sensible.
24 Olly // Aug 9, 2008 at 10:41 am
I highly agree, after making an extra US account so I can download all of the special stuff from the XBLM, living with crappy Euroupe stuff is a nightmare!
Not only that, things are more expensive on the Euro store also, e.g:
US XBLM Film Store: I am ledgend 480 ms points.
UK XBLM Film Shop: I am ledgend 600 ms points.
25 ps3 // Aug 10, 2008 at 10:12 am
lol sarcastic gamer fails again they got no links or anything else were they got the info from, you should giive up sarcastic gamer and just admit that we win oover the 360 all the time
26 Habadasher // Aug 10, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Gotta say after just getting the red ring for the first time Sony rants are very comforting
27 Foresthillking // Aug 10, 2008 at 6:52 pm
You ps3 owners wun anyhing?Where are the good games?
28 Yamster // Aug 12, 2008 at 12:05 pm
@PS3: I AM a PS3 owner, you know. I’ve owned one since day one, and I don’t own a 360.
I need to make this more clear to people..or encourage THEM to look up their info before making an uninformed statement.
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