Sony has announced through the PlayStation Blog that the maintenance will be occurring on Thursday May 24 at 8am Pacific Time or 11am Eastern Time and will last throughout the day until 11pm Pacific Time or 2am Eastern Time. For those wondering how the outage affects those in the UK, downtime will begin at 4pm UK time and last until 8am the following morning.

During the outage, online gaming will be possible but only if you stay logged into PSN before the outage period begins. Otherwise you’ll be locked out from signing into the PSN, just like you will be using the PS Vita and PSP as well. The PlayStation Store will obviously be out of action as well, but Netflix and Amazon movies should be unaffected so that’s good news if you plan to watch some movies during the downtime.

Sony has insisted on the PS Blog that the maintenance needs to happen frequently in order to ensure that PS3 users get a ‘world class online entertainment experience’. Despite the maintenance periods though – do you feel you are getting this at the moment from Sony, or are the maintenance periods every single month not really good enough? At the end of the day, online gaming still remains a free service on PS3, so perhaps there’s no reason to complain.

Will Sony be bringing down PSN in June as well? More than likely. Give us your reaction to the latest outage. Just to reconfirm – your MW3 and BF3 online sessions are not affected.

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Polyphony Digital are a company well known for taking their time with games. Gran Turismo 5 owners had to wait four years between an announcement and a eventual release, but just like previous games in the franchise, the game delivered.

There’s a lot of expectation on Sony and Polyphony Digital to once again deliver a quality game for GT6, especially with the likes of Forza breathing down their necks with every new release. There’s also no word on what development stage the game is currently at, but Brian Dunn, Sony’s Associate Brand Manager has stated on his LinkedIn account that development is apparently already under way.

Earlier on we told you that another Sony employee had outed a PS Vita version of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, but the information on his account still remained public. Dunn on the other hand has swiftly moved to remove all evidence of the GT6 mention, but thanks to that magic tool known as Google Cache, you can still view it here.

We doubt that the game is so far ahead that Sony can make this a PS3 release though. A much more likely scenario is that Gran Turismo 6 could indeed be one of Sony’s launch titles for the PS4. If Polyphony Digital want another four years to get the game finished, then 2016 is obviously well in the realms of PS4 territory. What about E3 this year though, is it possible that Sony may now be forced to mention the game? If we were to really stretch things, we would say that some sort of ‘tech demo’ for GT6 may be shown from Sony soon, to let everyone know at least that a new game is coming.

If you’re a die-hard Gran Turismo nut, what are you hoping to see from the next game? Presuming that this is a next-gen title we’re looking at, do you think 2016 is a realistic launch window for the game, or do you need something similar in the mold of GT5: Prologue to keep you busy?

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After taking an eternity to come around it seems, we’ll finally be able to enjoy the Olympics in July and thanks to a new deal struck by the BBC and Sony, you’ll be able to watch hours of footage from all the different events from the comfort of your PS3 console.

As detailed on the official PS Blog, the deal doesn’t just cover the Olympics either. It turns out that you’ll be able to watch Forumla One as well as Wimbledon on your PS3 as well. The footage will be available in the form of the BBC Sports App and it’s going to be a free download this Summer.

There’s no mention of Euro 2012 in the statement though, so we’re guessing you won’t be able to watch live football matches direct from the app sadly. There also doesn’t appear to be any confirmation that the BBC will be providing live footage either. 2500 hours of London Olympics footage is some of the official wording, so it may just end up being a highlights package, which is still pretty decent for free.

We imagine this is exclusive to UK PS3 users for licensing reasons, but you can bet that US PS3 users and other consumers migrating would love to be able to view this as well. Hopefully the BBC will release more details on the Sports App soon, but it looks very promising. Let us know your thoughts on this, and if you would be willing to watch the Olympics and Wimbledon direct from your PS3.

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Pachter has apparently had the honor of visiting both Sony and Microsoft to see what they are conjuring up for this year’s E3 announcements. Despite the fact a non-disclosure agreement was probably signed, he couldn’t help but reveal during the latest episode of Bonus Round on Game Trailers, that a new unannounced PS Vita title is in the works.

The game in question even managed to get him rather excited and he referenced the game as being a ‘big’ title for the system. Could he be talking about a game that has been announced, but not shown we wonder? Call of Duty is the one title that PS Vita owners are dying to hear more about but that has obviously already been announced briefly last year.

Soul Sacrifice is another game that can be ruled out now that it has been made official, so we’re getting excited just thinking of the possibilities of a new ‘big’ PS Vita game. We would love to see a massive RPG announced for the Vita, something along the lines of Final Fantasy or a Monster Hunter game. If we were really thinking outside of the box, what about a PS Vita port of the PS All-Stars Battle Royale that has just been announced for the PS3? That would be incredible.

Sony will obviously be delivering plenty of new Vita information on June 4th, but if they have a new unannounced title to show off – what genre of game would you like to see?

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For some reason, Sony has really struggled in this department. Navigating to simple websites on the PS3 such as Facebook remains a chore and it is an area that many users wish Sony spent a bit more time improving.

With that said, their efforts to improve the browser may be forced, as we’re hearing that Microsoft may be planning to finally bring a web browser to the Xbox 360. Not only that, but it could be compatible with the Kinect camera, meaning that Xbox 360 users can navigate through websites using voice and hand gestures only.

According to a Polygon insider, the Xbox 360 browser could end up being a modified version of Internet Explorer 9. Moans and groans aside, if it carries the same look as the Metro style UI dashboard, you can bet that Xbox 360 users will be all over it in a flash and we’re willing to bet that it will offer a better experience than that seen on the PS3 at the moment.

Don’t forget that the Xbox 360 now has Bing Search, so extending that functionality with an web browser is obviously a very logical progression for the system. It also comes on the back of rumors suggesting that the next-generation Xbox may feature a biometrics controller so it is certainly looking good for Xbox 360 owners in the years to come.

Sony on the other hand will need to step it up if Microsoft are indeed planning this step. Navigating through websites using a brightly colored wand isn’t an option, obviously, so perhaps Sony needs to give their web browser an entire UI makeover, adding various menu and website shortcuts to make the experience as simple as possible.

It’s highly unlikely that we’ll see Adobe Flash working on the PS3 to an extent that it matches desktop performance, but Sony could find ways around this – i.e HTML5. At the moment they seem to have given up on their web browser as if to say ‘ there it is, that’s all you’re getting’, but if Microsoft bring out a superior browser you can bet that it will give Sony a wake up call that they badly need.

What is your opinion on the state of the web browser on the PS3? Do you think an Xbox 360 browser would force Sony to improve or do you think they are just holding off for next-gen now?

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If you really enjoy your live gaming events, there is no worse feeling that having to deal with a major announcement via a live blog. Nothing beats a live announcement right there on stage and we’re pleased to see that Sony will be opening up their E3 2012 event to the masses.

To show how eager they are, they have even started a countdown site now, on their official E3 portal here. Just to remind you once again, the show kicks off at 6PM PT, or 9PM Eastern Time – so 2AM for those of you tuning in from the UK. Just to point out that link above to the countdown is where the live stream will be shown, so it is probably a good idea to bookmark it in advance so you are prepared for when the event is just about to start.

For those wondering, you’ll also be able to watch the live stream directly from your PS3 browser as well. In previous years, you would have to watch E3 from the virtual Home space, but that isn’t the case this year. We would still recommend using your computer though, especially if the stream happens to go down half way through – plus the PS3 browser isn’t exactly up to the standards of Firefox, Chrome or Safari is it?

So there we have it, a nice confirmation of a live stream in advance – just what we hoped to hear. Let us know what you are expecting to see at the event, bearing in mind that it is highly unlikely that we won’t see any next generation hardware. Perhaps no expectations this year is a good thing?

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One of these games is undoubtedly the highly anticipated Metal Gear Solid HD Collection which is set to release at the end of June. The game will include full versions of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and it is the latter which we have some gameplay to show you.

Konami has generously provided an preview walkthrough of what you can expect to see when the Metal Gear Collection lands and we have to say that it looks like Konami has done a good job of not only bringing a PS3 game to the Vita, but enhancing it as well.

They emphasise that the team isn’t cutting corners with the collection just because it’s on a portable machine. All the original cutscenes are included with the game, while we finally get to see some of the unique touchscreen features that Konami has implemented into the collection as well. One example is being able to zoom into cutscenes at free will – it’s not overly amazing, but a very nice touch nevertheless.

Enjoy almost 10 minutes of unedited gameplay courtesy of Konami’s Kevin Vlaming below. Are you still planning to pick this up, or are you confused that the original Metal Gear Solid game isn’t included in this? It should at least come with a PSN download voucher if they couldn’t include it on the PS Vita card.

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Obviously, it is going to be pretty iritating for those who already have the black model and like the look of Sony’s new color. Personally speaking, I have a white PS3 and a white PSP so this would have been a perfect addition to the collection – with a black 3G Vita though, there isn’t really any desire to own two systems.

For those that are interested and that should be a lot of you, you’ll be able to import one from Japan since it will go on sale on June 28th – right after Sony has wrapped up their E3 2012 proceedings. The price is the same as the standard versions, so expect to pay ¥29,980 (3G) or ¥24,980 (WiFi) if importing is definitely a viable route for you.

Aside from the lovely new color, Sony has also announced a few white accessories which will launch alongside their new version. A white pair of headphones will be available for ¥2,800, while the bundled cloth and carry case will be available in white as well.

Unfortunately and probably unsurprising to a lot of you, there’s no information at the moment on when the white version will be releasing in the US and Europe. We’re hoping that Sony will announce this directly at their E3 press conference, as it would be a travesty if this stayed exclusive to Japan.

Take a look at the white Vita below in an official trailer and let us know your thoughts on it. Are any of you prepared to sell your black model in order to raise funds for an expensive import? It is very tempting from our point of view and you just know that these are going to turn up on Ebay for crazy amounts in July.

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Going back to launch, you could argue that the PS Vita had a better launch lineup than even the PS3. First party games such as Uncharted Golden Abyss, combined with top third-party releases such as Rayman Origins, Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3, FIFA and Virtua Tennis 4 ensured that players had a great selection of varied genres to keep them busy in the few months to come.

That was then though and four months to later we have hardly seen anything to get excited about. The Vita version of Mortal Kombat has just arrived though so that should keep Vita owners satisfied for a while longer before Sony’s crucial E3 event takes place next month when we’re expected to see much more titles announced.

Resistance Burning Skies is also looking promising for Vita owners, so hopefully Sony will make an effort to have at least one AAA title releasing every month for the system. The lack of game releases for the PS Vita certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed though, as even Nintendo’s legendary Shigeru Miyamoto has decided to chime in with his own thoughts.

In a recent interview with Edge, he said that while the system is good in terms of hardware potential, he feels that Sony are yet to find the right balance with software, as there isn’t enough quality games out for the Vita yet. We have a feeling that not many people are going to disagree with his comment, and Sony are obviously well aware that they need to do better if they are going to be successful with their new portable.

While we’re still content playing the likes of Rayman Origins, we would still like to see a YouTube app sometime soon. Skype was a nice addition, but new and frequent apps are definitely needed in our opinion. If you have a Vita at the moment, either WiFi or 3G, let us know what apps and games you would like to see. Do you agree with Nintendo, that Sony hasn’t found the ‘right balance’ yet?

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It goes without saying, but if you are a Super Smash Bros fan on the Nintendo Wii, then you are obviously going to love this new effort from SuperBot. The PS3 had been crying out for a similar game to Nintendo’s and it looks like you will finally get your wish later on this year when it hits towards the end of 2012 – great news since a 2013 release would have been perfectly acceptable.

So the big question on everyone’s minds is – what characters are in the game? SuperBot are unsuprisingly saving their roster reveals until a later date, most likely to be E3, but they have revealed an initial batch of characters that will be featured. SweetTooth is included, Parappa the Rapper, Radec from Killzone, Fat Princess from Fat Princess, Sly Cooper and the God of War himself Kratos.

SuperBot has confirmed that there will also be support for third-party characters as well, so that perhaps paves the way for characters who originally started off on PlayStation games, before heading over to other platforms. We’re talking about guys like Solid Snake, Dante and the numerous Final Fantasy heroes like Cloud and Squall.

The possibilities are endless and we’re very excited to see the further character reveals. We’re guessing that Nathan Drake is a near certainty to be included, but what about Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon – those guys were carrying the PS1 back in the day. If we were to wish for some more adventurous characters to be added, we would like to see Earthworm Jim and Toejam & Earl – they would be a perfect fit for this style of game.

We have the official trailer for you to check out now, as well as brand new footage from four of the stages that have been announced – Sandover Village, Metropolis, Hades and Dreamscape. Don’t forget to comment on our ongoing PS3 character wishlist article here – some of your suggestions so far have been great.

Are you really excited about this game and its never-ending potential? If you could choose one third-party character to be included, who would it be and why?

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