Yesterday's PlayStation Store update was a crowded one, bringing forth a rather varied assortment of downloads for PlayStation 3 and PSP owners, including adhocParty.

A free download, adhocParty enables the offline-only adhoc multiplayer of select PSP games to be played online through a PlayStation 3 with all the PlayStation Network trimmings, such as voice and chat text. However, the PlayStation 3 must be connected to the internet through wire, as the system's wireless connection is utilized to transmit data between PlayStation 3 and PSP.

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Other new additions to the Store include PopCap's joyous ball-bouncer Peggle ($9.99), the Peggle Nights expansion ($4.99), PSOne Classics Resident Evil 2 and Legacy of Kain ($5.99 each), and demos of LittleBigPlanet PSP and PixelJunk Monsters PSP along with the usual smattering of downloadable content for Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

The PlayStation 3 will indeed be upgraded to better support stereoscopic three-dimensional visuals, maker Sony has confirmed.

"All PS3 units will be firmware upgradeable to 3D," the company declared in a recent investors meeting that detailed plans to "release 3D games in line with Sony's 3D strategy."

Sony plans to launch the PlayStation 3 update and other initiatives, like accelerating 3D theater growth, in its 2010 fiscal year, which runs April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011.

Additionally, Sony intends to return its game business to profitability by the end of the same fiscal year through the expansion of "hardware software/sales and enrichment of PlayStation Network services" coupled with "cost reduction... Read more

Joining the Xbox 360 and Nintendo DSi, the PlayStation 3 is the latest game console to integrate Facebook, as Sony has confirmed that the system's next firmware update--v3.10, due "soon"--will add support for the social networking site.

At this point, linking one's PlayStation Network and Facebook account allows three kinds of automatic Facebook updates--Trophies, PlayStation Store Purchases, Game Events--that can be toggled on or off. "This is just the beginning of our integration with Facebook and we are looking forward to adding new features," PlayStation Network operations director Eric Lempel explained on the PlayStation.Blog.

Other changes in the update include a revised look for both Photos and PSN Friends, with the latter stemming from feedback to the tweaks made in the v3.00 update.

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Sony has revealed that the PlayStation 3's "adhocParty" functionality will debut in North America later this month, allowing those that own both a PlayStation 3 and PSP to play portable games like Gran Turismo PSP and Monster Hunter Freedom online.

Supporting only certain titles, the adhocParty service essentially transforms the PlayStation 3 into an online access point, which then enables the ad hoc multiplayer of compatible PSP games to be played across the internet instead of locally.

Sony is billing adhocParty as a "new social gaming service," with Capcom North America and Europe's COO Mark Beaumont noting that "at last, Monster Hunter fans will be able to adventure together, regardless of where they are in North America."

Digger HD and Smash Cars developer Creat Studios has revealed that Mushoom Wars--the company's seventh PlayStation Network release this year--will arrive in the PlayStation Store tomorrow, Thursday, October 15, at the asking price of $9.99.

The downloadable PlayStation 3 title is billed as "an all-ages, fast-paced, real time strategy (RTS) game that brings arcade skirmish gameplay to the forefront" and is said to sport "simple, straight-forward controls." Alongside the 18 levels of... Read more

Capy's action-puzzle game Critter Crunch marks the only downloadable addition to the PlayStation Network this week. But it's definitely a good week for Fallout 3 fans, with the Mothership Zeta and Point Lookout DLC seeing release on the platform.

Check out the rest below:... Read more

Amazon.com today launched a new PlayStation Network store, allowing users to purchase downloadable PlayStation 3 and PSP content through the online retailer.

Offerings include full games and add-on content. However, not all of the items sold through the online PlayStation Store are available here, such as Rock Band tracks.

As with the section dedicated to downloadable Xbox 360 games, buyers will receive a download code via e-mail that can then be redeemed in the console's marketplace. That code is also stored on Amazon.com "so [customers] can retrieve it at any time."

Scarily determined to live up to the PlayStation 3's new "It Only Does Everything" slogan, Sony is touting the ability to order Papa John's pizza direct from the console, complete with a dedicated Papa John's button on the system's internet browser homepage.

"Hungry? Need something to eat?" asks a mass mailing to members of the PlayStation Network, explaining that at long last "you can jump over to your PlayStation 3 browser between epic battles and high-speed races to get a hot delicious pizza delivered to your door... all this while never having to leave the comfort of your PS3 system."

Sony's MMORPG EverQuest 2 infamously added the command /pizza to launch a browser window for Pizza Hut's online ordering. Allegiances have apparently shifted.

This addition might shake up the results of recent studies which found that gamers are not fat, but sad, and that casual gaming can help beat snack cravings.

Only one downloadable game graces the PlayStation Network store this week: TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled, the 3D remake of the fourth TMNT title. Demos for Katamari Forever and Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes round out the rest of the significant offerings. George Takei's celebrity appearance in PAIN is the clear highlight of the DLC section.

Click through for the full list:... Read more

The PS3 and PSP's online PlayStation Store download platform will be temporarily unavailable today due to scheduled maintenance, owner Sony has said.

The company also revealed that online multiplayer for PlayStation 3 games could be affected, as users "may encounter some difficulty while signing in to PSN."

The PlayStation Network maintenance was slated to kick off at 8am PDT / 11am EDT and "could last for several hours," Sony's Patrick Seybold wrote on the PlayStation.Blog.

Update: "The PlayStation Network is fully back online," Sony's official PlayStation Twitter account has declared. "Thank you for your patience!"

The latest racer from Project Gotham Racer and Geometry Wars developer Bizarre Creations is due on North American store shelves November 3--a date that retailers have been listing for some time--publisher and studio owner Activision today. Said to make "racing 'fun' again," Blur sports 20-person online and four-player offline races on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, with users able to customize the game to provide anything from a power-up fueled Mario Kart-style bout to a more realistic experience.

The "biggest names in the comics world" will be downloadable through the PSP in December, Sony Computer Entertainment's Andrew House revealed today.

Comics powerhouse Marvel (Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wolverine, X-Men) is among the publishers on board, with hundreds of comics said to be available at launch, with further word on the various other publishers "to be announced soon."

"Content from other partners such as IDW Publishing, iVerse Media and others, as well as graphic novels for bite-sized entertainment on demand and on the go will be available," added Sony, with "more than 50 new [comic releases] every month" promised.

The company further teased that the Digital Reader functionality will eventually extend beyond comics. Nothing else was said, but digital books seem rather obvious.

It looks as if Brutal Legend may no longer win "most metal game of 2009" by default, as publisher Konami has announced that a downloadable game inspired by the antics of Metalocalypse's fictional metal band Dethklok is coming to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Titled Metalocalypse: Dethgame, the downloadable Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network release is due out this fall and will see players control roadie Klokateer as he is "unleashed on a heinous rampage against rabid mutant fans in brutal combat."

Frozen Codebase (Screwjumper, Zombie Wranglers) is developing the title, with show co-creator Brandon Small aiding in the production. "An optimal gaming... Read more

Retro/Grade, a rhythm-based shooter played in reverse, is to be released on the PlayStation Network, developer 24 Caret Games has announced on PlayStation.Blog.

Nominated for excellence in both audio and design at the 2009 Independent Games Festival, Retro/Grade sees an ace fighter pilot forced to re-enact his epic side-scrolling space battle in reverse to save the space/time continuum, all in time with retro beats.

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Neither a price nor release date has been revealed. A PC demo created for the IGF is available on FileShack, though a full PC release might not materialise. "Playstation 3 is the only platform we have decided on so far," 24 Caret co-founder Matt Gilgenbach has told us. "We are considering other platforms, but haven't made any decisions yet."

Citing "surprisingly strong support" of the downloadable demo for Holy Invasion of Privacy Badman! What Did I Do To Deserve This, publisher NIS today announced that the PSP action-strategy game will only be released as a PlayStation Store download.

Priced at $19.99 and slated to release July 17, the Acquire-developed title has players crafting a dungeon and an accompanying self-sustaining ecosystem of monsters that can fend off the pesky human heroes trying to capture the Overlord and restore peace.

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We haven't heard much of Zen Studio's PS3 downloadable shooter The Punisher: No Mercy since its head-exploding trailer, but we now know it's coming July 2 for $9.99.

Based upon Marvel Comics' vigilante, The Punisher boasts a singleplayer campaign with a whole host of Punisher characters and comic strip cut scenes by artist Mike Deodato, with multiplayer offerings of 8-player team and solo deathmatch modes.

Titan Studios' blood-letting, cake-scoffing downloadable PlayStation 3 game Fat Princess has been delayed until later in the summer, a Sony representative has said.

Fat Princess was due to arrive this month, leaving only next Thursday's weekly PlayStation Store update as a possible release date. "Fat Princess will have a global release date," wrote PlayStation Store Team member Mike Kebby on the European PlayStation.Blog "but I can confirm for you it will not be next week I'm afraid."

"The game is coming at some point this summer, but there is no confirmed release date at the moment," said Kebby. Until then, would-be feeders and fighters can get their fix with the charming Legend of the Fat Princess trailer and our impressions.

Now on Xbox Live Marketplace for Gold subscribers are demos of Blue Castles Games' arcade baseball game The Bigs 2 and EA Tiburon's more-serious NCAA Football 10.

The demo for The Bigs 2 offers 3 All Star innings and a taste of Home Run Derby Pinball while NCAA Football 10's demo recreates 2009's Gators vs. Sooners final.

PlayStation 3 sports fans should be able to enjoy the NCAA Football 10 demo later today, while The Bigs 2's demo is due to arrive on the PlayStation Network shortly.

The Bigs 2 is released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PS2 and PSP on July 7, then NCAA Football 10 arrives a week later on July 14 for Xbox 360, PS3, PS2 and PSP.

The last of the promised downloadable content packs for Volition's Saints Row 2 arrives on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 today, with the Xbox 360 download already available. Whereas the first two packs--"Ultor Exposed" and "Corporate Warfare"--delivered new missions and multiplayer maps at a premium price, today's "Unkut Pack" is a free offering that brings more clothing and tattoo options to in-game gangsters.

While the PlayStation 3 edition will be free to all, the Xbox 360 download is currently restricted to those that have a premium Xbox Live Gold membership. A list of the colorful new customization choices, courtesy the game's blog, follows below... Read more

The bulk of the second "SEGA Vintage Collection" arrived in the Xbox Live Arcade today, offering six classic SEGA games--Gunstar Heroes, Altered Beast, Shinobi, Comix Zone, Phantasy Star 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3--at 400 Microsoft Points ($5) a pop.

Each has been updated with support for high definition displays and leaderboards, with Gunstar Heroes, Altered Beast and Sonic 3 also getting online multiplayer.

Excluding Gunstar Heroes, the remaining five games can also be found on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 retail compilation Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, though the versions found in that bundle don't pack online multiplayer.

While most of the downloads are exclusive to Xbox 360, with Ultimate Genesis Collection reject Sonic & Knuckles due later in the summer, Gunstar Heroes will also be making its way to the PlayStation 3 through tomorrow's PlayStation Store update.