Why is Sony so shady?

This is something that has bothered me periodically over the last couple of years. I admit I liked the PS2 but I kind of thought Sony lost the mission plan when the PS3 launched. They seemed to go the opposite direction of the PS2 and it left me perplexed. I mean the PS1 and PS2 literally dominated the market, the consoles were inexpensive, offered fun games, even if the graphics weren't the best. With the PS2 you got introduced to online through the add on they sold, and while it wasn't the best online system around it served it's purpose.

So even though I owned a Original Xbox, Gamecube and PS2, I did most of my gaming on the PS2. Now however I often ponder what Sony is thinking, they knock Nintendo for using motion controls and then release almost an exact copy of them themselves.

They refuse to release numbers when it comes to sales, and when they do release numbers they always release "Shipped" numbers instead of "Sold" numbers.

Even when they release numbers for their PSN accounts they aren't exactly accurate. Anyone who believes Sony has 75 unique users on PS3 is crazy. Correct me if I am wrong, but I am pretty certain they are counting every account ever made on PS2, PS3 and PSP. Also I don't know a single person who doesn't have at least three PSN's. I personally have ten, seven American, one Japanese, One European and one Canadian. I got ten different PSN emails to ten different Email accounts I used to set those all up.

If everyone had two accounts, which is definitely underestimating things, then that means there is probably around 15-20 million unique accounts on PS3. I am not sure why I am the only one who realized this.

As a person who plays mostly XBL, I can safely say XBL has more unique players on Halo Reach per month then PSN has on all it's games combined. So why is Sony so shady with giving actual numbers of unique users? I understand 75 million probably sounds impressive, but you'd have to be pretty thick headed to believe those are all unique users.

Another shady detail is lack of reporting NPD numbers, never a good sign, especially if your an investor with the company. Yet Sony never reports sales domestically.

The other thing that burns my biscuits is what in the world does Sony consider a PS "Move" sale? Each wand? Navigation controller? PS EYE? Bundles? What is the actual attach rate? I believe if Sony is saying they sold 8 million Move's that the actual attach rate is around 3-4 million, maybe less if you take into account people buying another wand and Nav controller. Bottom line is there is no freaking way to track any of it accurately.

It's the same thing with actual Move games, most titles that use Move would sell well without Move support. So how do they track who buys the games to use with Move?

This latest PSN business just helped confirm my thoughts of Sony being one of the shadiest companies around. Waiting almost a full week to disclose that people's personal information was stolen including credit Card numbers.....it's really unacceptable.

I understand no company is 100% honest but it seems to me that Sony is taking their shady level to a place I don't like to go. It borders on illegal, your not allowed to fool investors to raise stocks and keeping quiet as to not cause stock to plummet is just as illegal.

I know I will get called fanboy and that's fine, but honestly trust is a huge thing with me, How many of you will trust Sony by keeping your credit card info on your PSN accounts now? I guess not many.

So you may try to act like nothing has changed, but things have indeed changed. This might even be the catalyst that Sony needs to start a pay to play service for everyone. I already suspected that Sony would do that next generation, but might start early to recoup all the money they are losing by being hacked and the inevitable law suits to follow.

Game of the Day: Bubble Town

bubble town game of the dayOne shot from the chute and you'll be hooked. Bubble Town is the arcade-style puzzle game that will test your wits, not just your reflexes. Match three Borbs of the same color to knock them off. Collect the various power ups to gain an edge with special bonus abilities. But don't take too long; if the Borbs reach the Danger Zone, it'll be game over!

Join the unforgettable cast of characters for an adventure of bubble-popping proportions, just watch out for that Danger Zone. Choose to play with your Borbs grouped up in a ball or straight up. Either way, the addictive gameplay will give you hours of fun.

Click here to play Bubble Town!
bubble town game of the day     bubble town game of the day
Pro Tips:

    * Bank shots! These are crucial to your Bubble Town success. If you're trying to line up a bank shot, wait for a moment. A little cursor will appear to assist your aim making it easy to hit those two wall bank shots.
    * Look for big drops. If you see a bunch of Borbs being held up by a couple of the same color, hitting that shot should be your top priority.


Click here to play Bubble Town!

What do you think of Bubble Town?

Game of the Day: Sudoku X

sudoku x game of the daySudoku X is a challenging rendition of the classic puzzle game. It's everything you're used to in Sudoku, but with one mine-bending twist. The object of Sudoku is to completely fill the grid with numbers. You aren't allowed to repeat the same number in any row, column, or 3 by 3 box. In Sudoku X you also aren't allowed to repeat a number in either of the purple diagonals running from corner to corner.

If you manage to finish today's puzzle, try attempting some of the other ones by clicking through the archive at the top!

Click here to play Sudoku X!
sudoku x game of the day     sudoku x game of the day
Were you able to complete today's puzzle?

Game of the Day: Bomboozle 2

Match like-colored blobs together in groups of three or more to frantically collect oodles of points. If match you match five or more blobs, you'll receive a bomb to unleash carnage on a massive scale. But if you only match 3, a pesky skull will drop into play that can only be destroyed by one of those devastating bombs. Run out of possible moves though, and the fun's all over.

As you progress, you discover new blobs that make Bomboozle 2 even trickier. Fortunately, as you keep bursting blob chains, you'll fill up your power up meters located at the bottom of the boards. As you'll soon discover, these can be invaluable in a tight spot. So be sure to flip, rearrange, and explode your way out of trouble. There are a bunch of different ways to play Bomboozle, so choose a mode and have fun!

Click here to play Bomboozle 2!
bomboozle 2 game of the day     bomboozle 2 game of the day
Pro Tips:

    * Sure the bomb explosions are awesome, but don't over use them. If you ever see a combo of 4 or more, make that your next move rather than a bomb.
    * Try to save your bombs for when they are all within range of each other. That way when you do detonate a bomb, it will set off a chain reaction and clear the board.
    * Like bombs, don't use your power ups (located at the bottom of the board) too often. Save them up for when you really need them. For example, if you have a ton of skulls at the bottom of the board and a couple treasure chests at the top, that would be a great time to use the board flip power up.


Click here to play Bomboozle 2!

What do you think of Bomboozle 2? Were you able to clear the whole board?