PlayStation 3 hacker ‘GeoHot’ flees country

By Molly McHugh Published March 23, 2011

According to new court documents Sony has filed, infamous PS3 hacker George “Geohot” Hotz has fled the country. As we recently reported, Sony was granted access to Hotz’s PayPal records and through this data was able to determine that the alleged PS3 jailbreaker is hunkering down in South America.

The document states that “Hotz is now in South America, an excuse for why he will not immediately provide components of his hard drives as requested… Hotz’s attempts to dodge this Court’s authority raise very serious questions.” Investigators from the Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (SCEA) also claim in the report that they’ve determined Hotz did indeed remove “integral components of his impounded hard drives prior to delivery them to a third party,” and goes on to assert that he should be tried under California state law.

The SCEA also alleges that Hotz lied about his PSN account. He has maintained he hadn’t registered an account, meaning he hadn’t signed his name to certain agreements in the fine print – which includes entering “a binding agreement with SCEA” that if infringed upon means Sony can take the guilty party “in a court within San Mateo County, California.” And apparently “In March 2010, Hotz signed up for a PlayStation Network (‘PSN’) Account using a new PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system.”

By all accounts, it appears that GeoHot is in trouble. Hiding in South America doesn’t speak to his cause, either.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…

Gaming

The Last of Us Part I should launch on PlayStation Plus Premium

Ellie looking concerned.

The Last of Us Part I is one of the most notable PlayStation 5 games to launch this fall. It’s also one of the year’s most controversial titles.
Despite the acclaim associated with The Last of Us series, there is heated debate surrounding the remake’s $70 price tag, which is more than the original release and The Last of Us Remastered cost at release -- even though it's lacking the multiplayer mode that came with both. This situation turned what should be a certified slam dunk for Sony into a divisive release, and Sony could fix it with one key change: making The Last of Us Part I a day-one title on PlayStation Plus Extra or Premium.
This isn’t because The Last of Us Part I isn’t worth $70. In fact, its improved visuals and the vast amount of new accessibility features clearly warrant the price tag in the eyes of some. That said, even defenders of the heightened price can recognize the controversy arising from charging more than ever for a remake of a twice-released game. The Last of Us Part I is in a rough situation, and being a PS Plus game would ease some of those concerns.
Why being on PS Plus would work
As The Last of Us is one of Sony's most popular modern franchises and has a TV show on the way, it's understandable why Sony and developer Naughty Dog eagerly want a modernized version of The Last of Us Part I on store shelves at full price. Still, those who've already bought the game twice and aren't impressed by the visual and accessibility overhaul don't seem as compelled to pick up the game for the third time. Sony would remove this significant roadblock plaguing The Last of Us Part I by putting the game on a subscription service.
The Last of Us Part I Rebuilt for PS5 - Features and Gameplay Trailer | PS5 Games
There are plenty of examples showing why this would be a wise idea. The Age of Empire series' Definitive Edition games showed how well remakes work on subscription services. Several years after their original release, many players are still actively engaged with the first three Age of Empire games. While interested players can still purchase the remakes individually, putting those games on Game Pass for PC on day one ensured that the community didn't have to pay full price for a game they were already playing daily. Instead, they could just get the remake through their subscription and continue.
The Last of Us Part I is in a similar situation, even with the multiplayer content removed. This demonstrates why a subscription service release could lessen some of the negative stigmas around the game. The successful Stray, which was included in PS Plus at launch, shows that day one PlayStation Plus games can still generate plenty of positive buzz. The game's subscription service availability ensured that the conversation stayed on the game's cute cats, not the fact that it was a $30 game that only lasted about five hours.
Sony has recognized the power PS Plus can have on embattled games before. Destruction All-Stars was originally a $70 PS5 launch title, but ultimately launched as a PlayStation Plus game that was free to subscribers. Although The Last of Us Part I seems like it’ll be a better game than Destruction All-Stars, a day one game makes even more sense on PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra now than it did on PS Plus in February 2021.

Despite all of those factors, Jim Ryan made it clear that he does not want AAA PlayStation Studios games on PlayStation Plus Premium or Extra on day one during an interview with Games Industry.
“We feel like we are in a good virtuous cycle with the studios where the investment delivers success, which enables yet more investment, which delivers yet more success,” Ryan said. “We like that cycle and we think our gamers like that cycle … We feel if we were to do that with the games that we make at PlayStation Studios, that virtuous cycle will be broken. The level of investment that we need to make in our studios would not be possible, and we think the knock-on effect on the quality of the games that we make would not be something that gamers want."
His argument makes sense from a business standpoint, but data from Microsoft shows that people play more games (and games they might not have played initially) when they are available on a subscription service. Even if it seems unfair to judge, many people weigh the amount of new, entertaining content a game offers to its price tag. Sony's can't truly say whether The Last of Us Part I is worth $70, but it can shift the discussion in its favor with an act of goodwill.
The Last of Us Part I will be released for PS5 on September 2, 2022.

Gaming

How to cancel PlayStation Plus

A person holds up a PS5 controller.

Sony's PlayStation Plus subscription service has evolved over the years, initially beginning as a way to get new games each month, then giving access to online multiplayer. Now, the service has built upon both of those features, functioning like Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and offering a lengthy catalog of games for a monthly fee. It still gives you new games each month and enables online play just as before, but now, the PS Now pillar has been folded into PS Plus to make things more streamlined.
But what if you no longer want to be a member?

Gaming

Everything announced at PlayStation’s June 2022 State of Play

Spider-Man from Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered.

Sony held its second announcement-packed State of Play of the year. PlayStation has had a fun year thus far with games like Horizon Forbidden West, Gran Turismo 7, and MLB The Show 22, but will now highlight what games are coming to PS5 in the back half of 2022, as well as what we can expect from the upcoming PlayStation VR2 headset.
When announcing the June 2 State of Play on PlayStation Blog, Sony teased that this showcase would contain "some exciting reveals from our third-party partners, plus a sneak peek at several games in development for PlayStation VR2," and it later confirmed Horizon Call of the Mountain was going to be at the show. The showcase itself certainly lived up to that promise as it contained some major third-party titles, cool-looking VR games, and even a surprise PC port. This is everything that was announced during the June 2 State of Play showcase.
Check out our Summer Gaming Marathon Hub
State of Play | June 2, 2022 [ENGLISH]
Resident Evil 4 is getting a remake
Resident Evil 4 - State of Play June 2022 Announcement Trailer | PS5 Games
To kick off the show, Sony and Capcom revealed a Resident Evil 4 remake. It's a fully modernized recreation of the classic survival horror game in the style of the remakes that Resident Evil 1, 2, and 3 got. It will be released on March 24, 2023, and will get PSVR 2 support.
Horizon Call of the Mountain impresses with gameplay showcase
Horizon Franchise - State of Play June 2022 Trailers | PS5, PS4 & PS VR2 Games
We got a new look at Horizon Call of the Mountain. This VR Horizon spinoff is created by Firesprite, a developer Sony acquired last year. This trailer showed a bit of VR climbing, platforming, and combat gameplay and got to see just how visually impressive PlayStation VR games can be.
Marvel's Spider-Man is coming to PC
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered – State of Play June 2022 Announce Trailer I PC Games
While it wasn't one of the leaked Sony PC ports, Insomniac Games and Marvel confirmed that Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered would come to PC on August 12, 2022. A PlayStation Blog post then confirmed that Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales will also come to PC in Fall 2022. Prepare for some super cool mods!
Stray will kill you with cuteness on July 19
Stray - State of Play June 2022 Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games
During this State of Play, we got another look at Annapurna Interactive's post-apocalyptic cat game Stray. It confirmed that the game will be released on July 19 and revealed that the game will be free for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium members on day one.
Street Fighter 6 leaves an impact
Street Fighter 6 - State of Play June 2022 Real-Time Commentary Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games
We got our first look at Street Fighter 6's story and gameplay in a new trailer. It confirms new and returning characters alike, shows some exploration gameplay elements, and confirms a 2023 release on PS5 and PS4.
Final Fantasy XVI Finally reemerged
Final Fantasy XVI - State of Play June 2022 Dominance Trailer | PS5 Games
To cap off the State of Play, we finally got a second look at Final Fantasy XVI for PS5. It gives us a closer look at the game's visceral action gameplay, which is still full of RPG elements, as well as teasing its grand narrative, summons, and setpieces. It also confirms that Final Fantasy XVI will launch in Summer 2023.
Everything else

Resident Evil Village is getting VR support with PlayStation VR2.
The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners: Retribution is coming to PlayStation VR2.
No Man's Sky is getting PlayStation VR2 support.
Horizon Forbidden West got a new update that lets players reset skills, transmog armor, and replay the game with New Game+
The Callisto Protocol got a gameplay trailer and December 2, 2022 release date.
OlliOlli World developers Roll7 announced a rollerblading combat game called Rollerdrome. It launches August 16.
Anime-inspired action game Eternights got a trailer confirming an early 2023 launch.
Tunic is coming to PlayStation consoles on September 27.
Seasons got a new trailer and fall 2022 release window.