Error: 8001050F Takes Down PlayStation Network [Playstation]

Something is happening in PlayStation Network land this evening, and it isn’t good. Known cryptically as Error: 8001050F, all we know right now is it won’t allow users to log into their accounts or play online.

According to one user over at the official PlayStation boards, the error does not prevent him from using the Internet via his PS3, but logins have become nigh impossible. Several other users chimed in after that comment to report identical problems.

Who amongst the Gizmodo population can’t access PSN right now to play MAG or any of the other online games at your disposal? And, if so, what the heck are you doing instead?

For more info, hit the links or visit Kotaku for more. [IGN Boards, PlayStation Boards - Thanks, Janesh]

Natal Marketing Effort Targeting Women’s Magazines [Project Natal]

You know those women’s magazines like Glamour and Cosmopolitan that promise BIG SEX NEWS every single month? Well, if a report’s to be believed, they’re going to be delivering BIG NATAL NEWS as the product nears release.

MCV reports that Microsoft’s ramping up marketing plans for Natal that go after Nintendo’s top-of-mind awareness in nontraditional games niches. Celebrity endorsements will be a factor of a campaign that targets “the parenting press, toy retailers and publications which primarily cater for non-gamers.”

That would include Vogue and all those magazines with hot unattainable women you pretend not to notice when you’re buying Hot Pockets at the Safeway. MCV said Microsoft invited “an elite selection of media” and other non-games firms to a VIP showcase to talk about Natal. Presumably, these were the types of magazines invited. I can’t wait until Glamour starts telling us about that secret thing Milo wishes we would do, but is too afraid to ask.

Microsoft Turns to Celebs for Natal [MCVUK]

Sweepstakes Dates Brink for Sept. 7 [Dated]

A sweepstakes promotion by GameStop and Bethesda Softworks says the upcoming FPS Brink will be available Sept. 7. The promo also shows some box art for the game but it’s unlikely that’s the final version.

Yesterday afternoon the Bethesda Blog posted a link to the Brink GameStop sweeps, which is pretty sweet on its own. (55-inch LED TV, 5.1 surround sound home entertainment system, your choice of PS3 or 360.) The page also says “Available 9.7.2010.” Given that the rules state that Bethesda is the sponsor of the sweepstakes, it stands to reason someone there had approval of this marketing material, so it’s not like GameStop jumped the gun or erroneously plugged in an availability date, as is sometimes the case. The preorder page also lists Brink for Sept. 7. Sounds good to me.

Brink Sweepstakes has Game Down for September 7 [VG247]

Blur Xbox 360 Beta Begins Monday [Beta]

Plenty of Fileplanet subscribers tipped us to a solicitation that went out overnight, inviting them to “exclusive access into a highly classified Xbox 360 beta event!” beginning March 1. Those who have signed up tell us it is for Blur.

This barely qualifies as a rumor. Earlier this month Activision CEO Mike Griffith announced the Blur multiplayer beta would begin in March, but didn’t specify a date.

While keys for the beta are limited, getting access to it seems simple enough. You have to be an Xbox Live Gold member and a hold a Fileplanet subscription, which begins at $6.95 a month. You must also take two surveys, one pre- and one post-beta, and pinky-swear to actively participate in the beta.

The last information we have is that Blur is due out in the spring, which is just around the corner. Anyway, that link below is a big ole free ad for Fileplanet, but it’s where you can go to get an account and sign up if you are that into Blur.

Fileplanet Exclusive Xbox 360 Beta Event [Fileplanet]

Breakdancing Is No Match For Project Natal’s Sensors [Natal]

It’s possible that you’ve been reading reports of Microsoft’s body-capturing Project Natal with some skepticism, wondering, “how well can this cockamamie setup possibly work?” Well, going by this video of it perfectly tracking a guy breakdancing, pretty damn well.

As best we can guess, Natal will be making its way to Xboxes sometime this fall. That means we’ve still got a good deal of waiting ahead of us, so every once in a while it’s nice to have a reminder of why we’re so excited. February’s reminder: this video of Natal perfectly tracking a dude dancing during the requisite playground ball demo game.

The video isn’t as much of a slam dunk on the lag factor. At some points it looks like there’s a definite delay between the dancer’s movements and those of his avatar on screen, and at other times the lag seems imperceptible. It’s hard to say for sure. But as for the motion capture itself, even in low light situations, it appears to be undeniably smooth. [Project Natal Games - Thanks, Jordan!]

Sweepstakes Dates Brink for Sept. 7 [Dated]

A sweepstakes promotion by GameStop and Bethesda Softworks says the upcoming FPS Brink will be available Sept. 7. The promo also shows some box art for the game but it’s unlikely that’s the final version.

Yesterday afternoon the Bethesda Blog posted a link to the Brink GameStop sweeps, which is pretty sweet on its own. (55-inch LED TV, 5.1 surround sound home entertainment system, your choice of PS3 or 360.) The page also says “Available 9.7.2010.” Given that the rules state that Bethesda is the sponsor of the sweepstakes, it stands to reason someone there had approval of this marketing material, so it’s not like GameStop jumped the gun or erroneously plugged in an availability date, as is sometimes the case. The preorder page also lists Brink for Sept. 7. Sounds good to me.

Brink Sweepstakes has Game Down for September 7 [VG247]

Gothic Lolita Shooter Sequel Dated For Xbox 360 [It's A Date]

The Xbox 360 port of Cave’s arcade shooter DeathSmiles II has been dated today at a Microsoft-hosted “Shooting Festa” event in Tokyo.

DeathSmiles II will be released on the Xbox 360 on May 27 in Japan, complete with a limited edition version. The port will run at a 16:9 aspect ratio and feature seven stages, two of which are new stages. The playable characters are Follett and Rosa from the arcade version. The HD game also allows players to select levels.

At the Shooting Festa, Cave’s Guwange was on display as well.

Also in Cave console game news, developer 5pb mentioned that Microsoft staff was working at full capacity to pinpoint the cause of the bugs in DoDonPachi Dai Ou Jou Black Label and that the company would like players to wait a little longer for the patch. 5pb also is working on an original shooting game. Hopefully not a buggy one!

xbox360シューティングフェスタ情報メモ [Negative Room]

Collector’s Item Obliterates Record for Rare Game Sale [Expensive Ass Gamer]

There is a new Holy Grail of Rare Video Games, and it is Stadium Events. The auction on a factory-sealed NTSC version closed just minutes ago, and it was sold for $41,300, almost double the old record.

Three days into the bidding the high offer had already eclipsed the record price ever paid for a rare game – $20,100 for a Nintendo Campus Challenge cartridge sold last fall by Denver entrepreneur J.J. Hendricks, who earlier in 2009 also paid $17,500 for a gold Nintendo World Championships cart.

“I was pretty amazed at the price,” Hendricks told Kotaku. “This Stadium Events auction destroys the previous record and I think is a surprise to everyone in game collecting community. I just wish there was such a thing as a sealed Nintendo World Championships Gold.”

Hendricks said he did not bid on the sealed Stadium Events box. “I thought about it briefly but the bidding quickly went beyond what I was willing to pay,” he said. “I’m not that into sealed game collecting.”

Bidding surged in the final 18 hours of the Stadium Events auction, nearly doubling the price from $22,500 to its final amount. Much of that was attributable to a single user bidding it up unopposed 35 times in a 10-minute span early this morning – from $22,700 to $39,800 – before leaving the auction. In all, more than 100 bids were placed on the item.

Hendricks thinks that the price paid for this Stadium Events, plus the $13,105 paid for an unsealed, used version sold two weeks ago by a woman in Haw River, N.C., has “caused a huge spike in interest in game collecting.” Hendricks said that traffic to his site, VideoGamePriceCharts.com, where he’s compiled an updated list of the most expensive used NES games ever sold. has seen a corresponding surge. “It almost doubled the week after the first Stadium Events auction,” Hendricks said.

The NTSC version of Stadium Events is believed to be one of the rarest games ever; fewer than 20 copies of the game, only one of them factory-sealed, were known to have existed before last week’s auction began. Its rarity is owed to the fact the rights to it and its dedicated controller, what later became the Nintendo Power Pad, changed hands to Nintendo soon after its limited 1987 release in North America.

Hendricks’ World Championships Cart was one of 26 prizes given out during a 1990 promotion by Nintendo Power magazine. The Campus Challenge cart is the only original copy in the world known to exist.

Interestingly, Hendricks points out that another copy of Stadium Events – apparently factory sealed in its listing photo, but not described as such in the headline – is currently selling for far less. The latest bid on this version was $7,300 with a little less than three days remaining.

This Week’s Gaming Stories You Cannot Miss [Roundups]

I remember the good old days, when 2 or 3 guns was all a man needed.

The Secret Armory Of General Knoxx Opens This Week
MORE GUNSSSSS!!!!

Kotaku-Tan, The T-Shirt For The Kotaku Fan
Nice work by Meatbun.

Super Mario Galaxy 2: Yoshi’s Back…and He Brought a Drill!
I like that Yoshi. He’s a good guy.

Heavy Rain Explores Player Depression With Freezes And Glitches
I had one crash during Heavy Rain, but two of my characters died because the SIXAXIS motion controls are so horrid.

The Stalling Of An Anti-Bush Video Game
This is exactly why I don’t vote except when I do.

Don’t Worry, DSi XL Fits In My Rear Left Pocket
Thank. God.

Kirsten Dunst Is Your Magical Nerd Princess
I’m not sure what this has to do with gaming, but it was on Kotaku and I found it appropriately strange, so there.

Resident Evil 5: Lost In Nightmares Micro-Review: Less Fighting, More Frightening
I played a lot of RE5, but I still preferred the earlier, fixed camera games in the series.

Warner Buys Batman: Arkham Asylum Devs
Smart move.

Hands-On, Sword Out With Red Steel 2
Finally, we’re getting some decent swordplay on the Wii.

Rock Band Weekly Gets Disturbed, Adds Silversun Pickups & More [Rock Band]

Next week’s batch of Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and LEGO Rock Band downloadable tracks leads with mood rockers Disturbed, who bring more of The Sickness to Harmonix and MTV Games’ music game.

A three pack of Disturbed tracks will come to various Rock Band games (but not the family friendly LEGO spin-off), with tracks by The Mother Hips, Silversun Pickups and TRUSTcompany joining them. The following new tracks adding to the 1,100 song strong Rock Band line up will be available on Xbox 360 and Wii on March 2 and PlayStation 3 on March 4.

Tracks marked with a “+” will be available in LEGO form.

• Disturbed – “Meaning of Life”
• Disturbed – “The Game”
• Disturbed – “Voices”
• The Mother Hips – “Third Floor Story”
• The Mother Hips – “White Falcon Fuzz” + (Europe only)
• Silversun Pickups – “Panic Switch”
• Silversun Pickups – “Sort Of” +
• TRUSTcompany – “Downfall” +

Pricing? Oh yes. Each track is $1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU, 160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360 or 200 Wii Points for Wii. The Disturbed pack is $5.49, £2.49 UK, €3.99 EU or 440 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360.