Xbox Live, NAT, and You

I've always been a network geek.  I've always heard of people with issues with NAT and Xbox Live and thought "They just must not know what they're doing" and dismissed it as an 1D10T error.

Until now.

Now that I'm in a job that requires me to understand Live and NAT, it seriously makes me wonder about the forethought put into the creation of the Live service.  They admittedly do some really cool stuff to get around some of the NAT problems, but I can't help but think that it's actually over-engineered.

What follows will be a HIGHLY technical article.  While I'm going to make every effort to make this as accessible as possible to Joe Everyman, it is without a doubt still very technical.  If you're not curious about the technical nature of Live, have no understanding of networking and don't care, or otherwise don't feel the need to know what's under the hood of your 360, you can click off now, as this article isn't for you.  It will, without a doubt, put you to sleep.

I'll give the uninterested people a few minutes to disperse.

Still with me?

Good.

Here comes more than you'll probably ever want to know about Xbox Live and NATs.

Let's begin with basics for the uninitiated few that did stick around.  All devices connected to the internet get an IP (Internet Protocol) address.  That address cannot be used by any other device.  Years ago, when precious few IP addresses were available (we're actually out of IPv4 addresses now!) smart people long ago established NAT (Network Address Translation) as a way to share a single address to multiple devices.  A NAT router is the piece of magic that allows all of your devices at home to harmoniously use the single IP address that nearly every ISP (Internet Service Provider) gives you.  Most people will refer to this as a Linksys or Cisco router, but many manufacturers (D-Link, Belkin, Netgear, to name a few) make these devices.  Some are better than others, but they all serve the same basic purpose.  To everyone but gamers, these devices for the most part magically work and no thought should ever really be given to them.  But in our case, we care greatly about their capabilities.

How Xbox Live works

There are five ports that Xbox Live uses:

TCP 80, 443, 3074
UDP 88, 3074

The critical port of the bunch though, is that UDP 3074 guy.  You see, not only do the servers operated by Microsoft care about him, but every other Xbox on the planet does as well.  Yes friends, Xbox Live is a peer-to-peer service as well as a client-server service.  This fact is until recently where I was blissfully ignorant.  I thought, "That's simple, just allow the ports through your firewall and you're done."  Not so fast slick.  Not only does the 360 phone home to Live and expect to carry on a conversation, but other 360s will want to talk to you as well.  This is the part where NAT becomes a pain in the neck for many people.

How NAT works

First off, there are three types of NAT:  Open (Full Cone), Moderate (Restricted Cone), and Strict (Symmetric).  For your Xbox to work at its best, you want to have an Open NAT.  Let's look at a little detail of what each of these types means in the real world.

To start with, all NAT types contain a state table.  This is the computer's way of knowing what traffic coming in from the outside world is supposed to go to what address in the private, translated world.  The table however, will be different depending on the NAT type.  The second thing that should be kept in mind is that by default in all NAT types, a client on the inside must initiate traffic before an entry is created in the state table.  Until that happens, no traffic from the outside can be forwarded to the inside.  In all the examples that follow, assume the following:

Your own internal IP address is 192.168.1.10
The IP you've received from your ISP is 10.1.1.10
The IP of the Xbox Live service is 172.16.1.36
The IP "Remote Live Player A" received from their ISP is 10.2.2.20
The internal IP address of "Remote Live Player A" is 192.168.2.20
The IP "Remote Live Player B" received from their ISP is 10.3.3.30
The internal IP address of "Remote Live Player B" is 192.168.3.30

Open NAT:

Open NAT is the simplest form of NAT.  It only cares about the internal client's information, and could care less about where the traffic from the outside world is coming from.  An Open NAT's state table might look something like this:

192.168.1.10:3074 <-> 10.1.1.10:5000

This is the device saying "Hey, anything that comes in from the outside world to port 5000, it should go to 192.168.1.10 on port 3074."

Moderate NAT:

Moderate NAT goes a step further in that it not only cares about the translation of your internal address to a public one, but it will only allow that translation to work specifically with a given remote port.  A Moderate NAT's state table might look something like this:

192.168.1.10:3074 <-> 10.1.1.10:5000 <-> [Any IP]:10000

This is the device saying "Hey, anything that comes in from the outside world going to port 5000 AND is from source port 10000, it should go to 192.168.1.10 on port 3074."

This introduces our first wrinkle in how Xbox Live works in cooperation with a NAT.  As you see in our examples, most NAT routers will take the port you're talking on, and use a completely random different port to talk to the outside world on.  Because of this, we can't know what port a conversation will come in from when another 360 tries to talk to us.  So when the following happens, we have a problem:

192.168.1.10:3074 <-> 10.1.1.10:5000 <-> 10.2.2.20:10000 <-> 192.168.2.20:3074 = YAY!
192.168.1.10:3074 X-X 10.1.1.10:5000 <-> 10.3.3.30:12000 <-> 192.168.3.30:3074 = FAIL!

Remote Live Player A is able to talk with no issue because the connection is established and the 360 is aware of Player A.  However, Remote Live Player B is a sad panda, because the NAT router is expecting all traffic to come in from port 10000 instead of 12000.

Strict NAT:

Strict NAT goes even further, and specifically restricts source port AND IP.  A Strict NAT state table might look something like this:

192.168.1.10:3074 <-> 10.1.1.10:5000 <-> 10.2.2.20:10000
192.168.1.10:3074 <-> 10.1.1.10:6000 <-> 10.3.3.30:12000

This is the device saying "Hey, anything that comes in from the outside world going to port 5000 AND is from address 10.2.2.20 AND is coming from port 10000, it should go to 192.168.1.10 on port 3074.  Also, anything that comes in from the outside world to port 6000 AND is from address 10.3.3.30 and is coming from port 12000, that also should go to 192.168.1.30 on port 3074"

Here is where it really gets fun.  Here the NAT router, despite the fact that the communication is being made from the same port by the local client, creates another public facing port for the communication.  This is vastly more secure on the part of the NAT router, and for everyday life, preferable.  However, it's the Xbox Live service breaking equivalent of dumping Thermite into a steel furnace.  It's broken and NOBODY gets to use it!

NAT Hole Punching:

However, Microsoft employs some pretty smart people, and they foresaw this.  Even with an Open NAT type, the remote 360 needs a way to know which port to communicate with your 360.  So when you sign into Live it records the port you're talking to it on.  In the case of an Open NAT, this is pretty much the end of the story, because when you are matched with another player, their 360 is told what port to talk to you on, and everything works:

You: Hey Live, I'm signing in!
192.168.1.10:3074 <-> 10.1.1.10:5000 <-> 172.16.1.36:3074
Live: Thanks User, I see you're on port 5000... I'll remember that for later.

Player A: Hey Live, I'm signing in!
192.168.2.20:3074 <-> 10.2.2.20:10000 <-> 172.16.1.36:3074
Live: Thanks Player A, I see you're on port 10000... I'll remember that for later.

You and Player A then get matched in a game...
Live: Hey User, you're going to be matched with Player A.  Talk to him on port 10000.

192.168.1.10:3074 <-> 10.1.1.10:5000 <-> 10.2.2.20:10000 <-> 192.168.2.20:3074

Gaming bliss is achieved.

In a Moderate NAT situation, we've got a problem.  Since our NAT routers have determined a source port at random ahead of time, AND our router cares about the port traffic arriving to it is coming from, AND we can't change the port of other devices talking to us, we've got to employ some trickery to make things work.  Let's look at the same conversation above and why it fails when the user's 360 attempts to talk to Remote Live Player A.  We've got the same conversation, but I'm going to show you the NAT state table that is created in addition to the network conversation:

You: Hey Live, I'm signing in!

User's network conversation:
192.168.1.10:3074 <-> 10.1.1.10:5000 <-> 172.16.1.36:3074
User's NAT state table:
192.168.1.10:3074 <-> 10.1.1.10:5000 <-> [Any IP]:3074

Live: Thanks User, I see you're on port 5000... I'll remember that for later.

Player A: Hey Live, I'm signing in!

Player A's network conversation:
192.168.2.20:3074 <-> 10.2.2.20:10000 <-> 172.16.1.36:3074
Player A's NAT state table:
192.168.2.20:3074 <-> 10.2.2.20:10000 <-> [Any IP]:3074

Live: Thanks Player A, I see you're on port 10000... I'll remember that for later.

You and Player A then get matched in a game...
Live: Hey User, you're going to be matched with Player A.  Talk to him on port 10000.

Failed network conversation between User and Player A:
192.168.1.10:3074 <-> 10.1.1.10:5000 <-> 10.2.2.20:10000 X-X 192.168.2.20:3074

Player A's NAT Router: Uh, some guy out there is trying to talk to me on port 10000 from port 5000... I don't have an entry for that.  GO AWAY!

Again though, we have some smart people at Microsoft, so for Moderate NAT users, we have this instead:

You and Player A then get matched in a game...
Live: Hey User, you're going to be matched with Player A.  Talk to him on port 10000.  By the way, he's not an Open NAT type so before we can start playing, you need to speak to him first before the game begins.
Live: Hey Player A, you're going to be matched with User.  Talk to him on port 5000.  By the way, he's not an Open NAT type so before we can start playing, you need to speak to him first before the game begins.

User sends a packet to Player A:
192.168.1.10:3074 -> 10.1.1.10:5000 -> 10.2.2.20:10000

User's new NAT state table:
192.168.1.10:3074 <-> 10.1.1.10:5000 <-> [Any IP]:3074
192.168.1.10:3074 <-> 10.1.1.10:5000 <-> [Any IP]:10000

Player A sends a packet to User:
192.168.2.20:3074 -> 10.2.2.20:10000 -> 10.1.1.10:5000

Player A's new NAT state table:
192.168.2.20:3074 <-> 10.2.2.20:10000 <-> [Any IP]:3074
192.168.2.20:3074 <-> 10.2.2.20:10000 <-> [Any IP]:5000

Network conversation between User and Player A:
192.168.1.10:3074 <-> 10.1.1.10:5000 <-> 10.2.2.20:10000 <-> 192.168.2.20:3074

Again, we have gaming bliss.

So far, we have ways around different NAT types.  The problem comes when we get to the Strict type.  Since every connection out from a Strict NAT results in a new public facing port being used, Xbox Live can't use the same tactic of hole punching since we have no way of knowing what port will be used as the public facing port.  The whole process breaks down then when trying to hole punch:

You: Hey Live, I'm signing in!

User's network conversation:
192.168.1.10:3074 <-> 10.1.1.10:5000 <-> 172.16.1.36:3074
User's NAT state table:
192.168.1.10:3074 <-> 10.1.1.10:5000 <-> 172.16.1.36:3074

Live: Thanks User, I see you're on port 5000... I'll remember that for later.

Player A: Hey Live, I'm signing in!

Player A's network conversation:
192.168.2.20:3074 <-> 10.2.2.20:10000 <-> 172.16.1.36:3074
Player A's NAT state table:
192.168.2.20:3074 <-> 10.2.2.20:10000 <-> 172.16.1.36:3074

Live: Thanks Player A, I see you're on port 10000... I'll remember that for later.

You and Player A then get matched in a game...
Live: Hey User, you're going to be matched with Player A.  Talk to him on port 10000.  By the way, he's not an Open NAT type so before we can start playing, you need to speak to him first before the game begins.
Live: Hey Player A, you're going to be matched with User.  Talk to him on port 5000.  By the way, he's not an Open NAT type so before we can start playing, you need to speak to him first before the game begins.

User sends a packet to Player A:
192.168.1.10:3074 -> 10.1.1.10:6000 -> 10.2.2.20:10000

User's new NAT state table:
192.168.1.10:3074 <-> 10.1.1.10:5000 <-> 172.16.1.36:3074
192.168.1.10:3074 <-> 10.1.1.10:6000 <-> 10.2.2.20:10000

Player A sends a packet to User:
192.168.2.20:3074 -> 10.2.2.20:12000 -> 10.1.1.10:5000

Player A's new NAT state table:
192.168.2.20:3074 <-> 10.2.2.20:10000 <-> 172.16.1.36:3074
192.168.2.20:3074 <-> 10.2.2.20:12000 <-> 10.1.1.10:5000

Failed Network conversation between User and Player A:
192.168.1.10:3074 -> 10.1.1.10:6000 -X 10.2.2.20:10000
10.1.1.10:5000 X- 10.2.2.20:12000 <-> 192.168.2.20:3074

Player A's NAT Router:  Uh, some guy out there is trying to talk to me on port 10000 from 10.1.1.10 port 6000... I don't have an entry for that.  GO AWAY!

User's NAT Router: Uh, some guy out there is trying to talk to me on port 5000 from 10.2.2.20 port 12000... I don't have an entry for that.  GO AWAY! 

In Ghostbusters speak, we have a crossing of the streams.  We made our connections out, but because our source port changed, we aren't listening on the ports that the conversation is occurring on.  As a result, those with Strict NAT types are pretty well up the creek when being matched.  They have to rely on being matched with ONLY Open NAT types.  Only an Open NAT will work with a Strict, because they don't care where the conversation is coming from, just as long as it's on the right port.  Since Live can inform the Strict user of this, the Strict user initiates the connection to the Open user, and there is no problem.  But since the local port randomization occurs, even a Moderate user cannot talk with a Strict user since they will be unable to know what port to talk to the Strict user on.

Oh no, that's terrible, how do you fix it?

Well, there's a couple ways to fix this for a home user.  Newer NAT routers, the ones above that I mentioned are "better than others" contain a technology called Universal Plug and Play, or UPnP for short.  UPnP, without giving you the highly technical explanation above, realizes what's happened here, and ensures that the traffic reaches the proper destination without any user intervention.  This is by far the easiest method to fix this.  It will also enable you to have more than one 360 using Live at a time in your household.  It is also security stupidity as well.  Allowing a device to create firewall rules simply by virtue of being behind the firewall is pretty foolish, and this is why nearly no enterprise firewall supports this behavior.

However, it can be fixed on some other NAT routers as well.  They key is that UDP 3074 guy once again.  Since this is the ONLY port that some random 360 will talk to you on, you can use this information to your advantage.  One way of fixing this on a non-UPnP enabled router is to add the 360 to the DMZ, if the router has one.  This will cause most NAT routers to forward any traffic not destined for a valid NAT state table entry to the DMZ.  However, this isn't always the case.  If your router behaves somewhat differently than some, and uses the local source port as the public facing source port, your easy solution here is to redirect UDP 3074 to the 360.  This has the unfortunate side effect that only one 360 will be working AT ALL in your household, should you happen to have more than one.

That seems reasonable, what's your problem then?

Well, my problem, as a network admin is that beyond being an administrative nightmare to assign a reserved DHCP address and set up port redirecting from an external address to that reserved internal address for every 360 on my network, I simply don't have that many public IP addresses available.  If I did, I wouldn't be using NAT, and I wouldn't be making this post.  Now granted, my need to support Xbox Live as a service on my network is one that isn't terribly pervasive, but it is certainly one that Microsoft should care about.  I'm sure that colleges, some small ISPs, even some home users with several 360s likely run into this problem quite frequently.  With my specific network setup, I can make a single 360 absolutely sing without much effort.  The problem is getting *all* of them in harmony.  I can't fathom why when knowing that the NAT problem exists, and knowing that they require all users to fork over their $60 (only suckers pay full price for Live, by the way) each year, that all traffic isn't handled by either the Live servers, or a required dedicated server owned by the developer of the game.  Granted that IPv6 should fix this problem, but we are some time off before it is widely implemented, and currently I'm unaware of any gaming device at all that even supports it.

So for now, we're stuck with NAT.  But now you know what's going on if your 360 is complaining about a Strict or Moderate NAT type, and what you potentially can do about it!

Veteran Gamer Gets an Astro A40 Headset

Uncharted 3 Beta Code Giveaway

So I've got two Uncharted 3 Beta keys to give away!  It's a Twitter contest, and I'll give away one this morning and one in the afternoon.  Simply follow @VeteranGamer on Twitter and direct message the answer to the question before anyone else to win.  The first question is already up.  Good luck!

Project Cafe Becomes Wii U.

After months of speculation, the new console from Nintendo has been revealed to be the Wii U.  Showcasing the ability to use the controller as a new way to extend the game with its 6.1 inch display was a theme throughout the press conference.  Unfortunately, with a 6.1 inch display and a large border to hold onto, this thing is absolutely gigantic looking in a normal person's hands.  The scale reminds me if you shrunk the screen of an iPad a bit and added some physical buttons to each side.  Interesting as well was the noticeable absence of the actual console.  Apart from some looks from a distance in some of the trailers, it was completely MIA.  What little there was to see resembled the existing Wii, although this could very well just be a prop made for the video.  The only thing we heard about the console itself is that it would be backward compatible with the original Wii and its peripherals, and that it would be an HD console.

Back to the controller though.  Unlike the console, the specs on the controller were laid out pretty nicely.  It's the first Nintendo controller ever to have a standard dual analog layout.  This is coupled with 8 input buttons, featuring four face buttons, two triggers, and two bumpers.  It also has a front and rear facing camera, and of course, the ginormous 6.1 inch touch screen in the center.  It was not revealed if this was a multitouch capable screen, and I would venture to say that it likely isn't since it wasn't mentioned.  Is the Wii U Controller Plus in our future?

It was shown in a few unique ways that certainly gives developers some things to think about.  It's main thrust was that in much the same way the DS line of handhelds allowed you to have one thing on the main screen and another on the lower screen, this allowed you to do the same.  From using an interesting AR technique in pointing the flat side toward the screen and using the rear camera to display a piece of the big screen on the controller, to actually laying the controller on the floor to show your lie for a golf shot and swinging with the Wii Remote.  Another big feature showcased was the ability to play the game on either the big screen or the controller itself via the system's streaming capability.  The first shot in the demo reel showed a kid stopping his game so his dad could watch a baseball game while he picked the controller back up and played some Mario.  There was a lot to digest in the conference that I'm sure someone would find interesting that I missed, but I hope I hit the high points.

The big thing that Nintendo fans get to take away is the myriad of hardcore titles announced for the system.  Darksiders II, Tekken, Batman Arkham City, Metro Last Light, Ninja Gaiden 3, Assassin's Creed Revelations, and more were announced to be in development for the console.  In addition, John Riccitello, CEO of Electronic Arts took the stage and pondered what it would be like to play Madden, Battlefield 3, and many other EA games on the console and confirmed EA's support of it.  It appears that Nintendo finally has the third party support it has lacked since the Super Nintendo days.

For all the positive things and all the announcements made, many question still linger.  What does the console actually look like?  How much storage will it have?  How will it connect to the Internet?  How will you link up with friends?  Surely all of this couldn't be mentioned today, but at least some things related to the console itself could have been announced.  In true Nintendo secretive fashion, I suppose we'll have to wait for another day to learn about the console.

Nintendo E3 Press Conference Liveblog

Alright Nintendo, Microsoft didn't have a lot, and Sony laid down the gauntlet.  Suck me in like you always do with a new console!

12:06pm - Starting off with a Zelda montage with music played by a live orchestra...
12:10pm - The trailer was for Zelda 25th Anniversary.  Shigeru Miyamoto comes to the stage.
12:12pm - Having the orchestra play some of the classic music cues from Zelda games... received item, found secret, and fairy's fountain.
12:15pm - Launching a game for each of their hardware platforms for the 25th anniversary.  First to be released is Link's Awakening from the Gameboy Color Virtual Console on the 3DS.  This will be followed by the Ocarina of Time remake next week.
12:16pm - On DSi, the Legend of Zelda - The Four Swords, will be a free download for DSi owners.  Lastly, Skyward Sword will be launched for Wii this holiday season.
12:18pm - There will be a Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony concert held in each region around the world.  Specific dates will follow at a later time.  In addition, two music CDs will be released.  The Ocarina of Time 3D soundtrack will be released to those that are the first to register their copy of the game with Club Nintendo.  Also, the other CD will be recordings from the symphony events to be released alongside Skyward Sword.
12:20pm - Miyamoto introduces some key team members that have worked on Zelda over the years.
12:22pm - Satoru Iwata now takes the stage.
12:24pm - Paraphrasing: We intend to create a platform for casual and hardcore gamers.
12:25pm - And he's a big tease and says the details will be coming later in the presentation.
12:26pm - Confirms that new console will be for next year, but introduces games coming this year in a following trailer.
12:27pm - The Regginator is on stage!
12:28pm - "We hear you.  You want what you've always wanted, but you also want something new."
12:29pm - Announcing new titles coming for 3DS.  First up, Mariokart for 3DS.  Looks a lot like Mariokart.
12:30pm - Kart customization looks to make a real appearance for the first time.  It will be ready this holiday season.
12:31pm - Number two is Starfox for 3DS, but, pretty sure that was already announced.  New feature is with group play, the pictures instead of the pics of Slippy and company, it will be video of your opponent.  Releases in September.
12:32pm - Super Mario 3D up next.  Think Super Mario 64 meets Super Mario Bros. 3 and you've got a pretty good description of what this game is.  Released before the year is out.
12:34pm - Kid Icarus Uprising shows now.
12:35pm - Unlike the previous 2D side-scroller, this appears to be a 3rd person shooter/brawler with a multiplayer mode.  There also looks to be an AR game teased at the very end as well.  No details on this, and it will be released "later this year".
12:37pm - Lastly, Luigi's Mansion 2 is being shown.  Much like the first despite Reggie's claims, just on the 3DS.
12:39pm - Sizzle reel of third party games shown.  Both previously announced Resident Evil games, Mario and Sonic at the London Olympic Games, Ace Combat 3D, Tetris Online, Cave Story 3D, Driver Renegade, Pac-Man and Galaga Dimensions, Tekken 3D, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D.
12:42pm - Recapping eShop now.  Going through the Pokemon Pokedex 3D.  To fill it out, you'll need to trade with friends, find special AR markers and cards, and other ways.  A free download for all 3DS users after picking up the eShop firmware update.
12:45pm - Project Cafe is dubbed "Wii U"
12:48pm - Trailer shows.  Showing features allowing you to stream your game to the controller while someone else watches TV.
12:49pm - Controller contains a front and rear camera, and does contain the touch screen as rumored.  The thing looks HUGE in the demo hands.  Iwata back on stage.
12:58pm - Smash Brothers announced for 3DS and Wii U and they can interact.  No timeline given.
12:59pm - Reggie back on stage to show a trailer for Wii U games/concepts.
1:00pm - New play mechanic using the rear camera.  The Wii U can display a piece of the big screen on it's own screen.
1:02pm - First announced title for Wii U is "Lego City Stories".  Will be released for 3DS as well.
1:04pm - Developer video on screen showing many developers commenting on the new system.
1:05pm - Darksiders II (launch title), Tekken, Batman Arkham City, Assassin's Creed, and Ghost Recon Online announced for the Wii U.
1:06pm - Darksiders II trailer running on Wii U now showing.
1:07pm - Dirt, Aliens Colonial Marines, Metro Last Light, and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge now show on the sizzle real along with some of the previously announced titles.
1:10pm - EA CEO John Riccitello joins Reggie and Iwata on stage.  Announces EA games will be coming to Wii U.
1:11pm - Specifically mentions or screen behind him shows Madden, Battlefield 3, FIFA, Need for Speed, Harry Potter, and the Sims.
1:15pm - Reggie back to the stage to close the show.  Another look at the new Wii U controller in a woman's hand... SHEESH that thing is HUGE!
1:15pm - Conference ends.

Editorial: Time For a Mea Culpa

Much like Irrational's Ken Levine on stage tonight, I have to eat some of my own words.  In the wake of the PSN outage, I was an angry, angry PlayStation customer.  My identity was put at risk, I was lied to, and for a while completely ignored.  Then the truth came out, and Sony offered it's apology in the form of their Welcome Back program.  While I still maintain that this program was self serving PR, the complete shocker to even myself is how they actually got my attention again.  Not by the continued apologies, not by the Welcome Back program, but with this:

Yes friends, the NGP was revealed tonight as the PlayStation Vita.  I'm calling it the PSV, because it's nice and short, and still sounds like "PSP".  Astoundingly, it was announced as arriving this holiday season, and at the unbelievably reasonable price of $249 for the Wi-Fi model, and $299 for the AT&T 3G equipped model.  In addition, some rather cool games were demoed, and to sum things up nicely, my jaw is on the floor overall.

In my original editorial on the Welcome Back program, I stated that you've got to vote with your dollars when dealing with companies in America.  In that case, I was extremely dissatisfied, and prepared to take my dollars elsewhere.  On the flip side, you've also got to support what you want to keep around as well.  It's in that spirit that I admit that I've got to back track on my original stance.  Despite Sony's complete incompetence at handling the PSN situation, they've turned around and done something very, very right here.  If anything can unseat Nintendo as the king of dedicated portable gaming, this is the piece of hardware that will do it.  Priced at the same point, and with a wider array of features that will work for every gamer, the PSV has the potential to breathe life back into the dedicated portable gaming market that iOS devices had put on life support.

It's hard to admit that you may have been a bit rash in your decision making, but I'll gladly eat my words in this case.  This is a step in the right direction for portable gaming, and in my opinion will be the definitive platform for dedicated portable gaming for years to come.

NGP Officially Named the PlayStation Vita, Priced at $249 and Coming This Holiday Season

Contrary to the last price announcement Sony made where everyone asked "Are you serious?!?", this one was with positive disbelief rather than the negative variety.  In what's easily been the announcement of E3 to this point, Kaz Hirai dropped a nuke on Nintendo and revealed that the PlayStation Vita would be released this holiday season at an entry price point of $249 for the Wi-Fi only model.  The PSV (as I'll be calling it) will come equipped with 3G on arguably the nation's most terrible network, AT&T, for 50 more clams.  Despite the AT&T announcement which was openly groaned at by those in attendance, this was an absolute dagger to the 3DS.  Same price point, but with a much larger feature set to allow developers a myriad of opportunities.  Get your dollars ready... you'll need a pre-order for any prayer of securing one of these come this Christmas!

Sony E3 Press Conference Liveblog

We're live with Sony in a few minutes here!  I'm going to do my best, as I'll have a cantankerous child to put to bed during the conference, so there may be some misses and lag.  Hopefully he's an angel...  Anyhow, again, check the live video at IGN or at the PlayStation Blog.

8:00pm - Conference should have started... hopefully hackers haven't hacked Sony's clock...
8:07pm - And we're finally live!  Christina Lee of Pulse fame, and Jeff Rubenstein of the Playstation Blog are kicking off the pre-show.
8:13pm - And Rey Gutierrez is unceremoniously cut to get to the real show...
8:15pm - ...which still has yet to start.
8:16pm - And now we're live...
8:18pm - Sizzle reel still playing... saw some unrecognized God of War footage in there along with many of the new games we're expecting.  New God of War?
8:19pm - Of course, some Mortal Kombat in there too, so maybe not so much.
8:20pm - Jack Tretton is taking the stage!
8:21pm - Immediately addressing PSN outage.
8:31pm - Back from taking care of the kid, and it looks like we've got Uncharted 3!
8:34pm - We're in a ship that is slowly sinking, and we've got some great level morphing on the fly.
8:36pm - Great trailer, and releasing 11-1-11, in 3D as well as 2D.
8:37pm - Resistance 3 takes the stage.
8:43pm - God of War Origins (remastered PSP games) and Ico/Shadow of the Colossus collection are announced as being released in 3D.
8:45pm - Announcing the PS3 ability to use the 3D to display different screens to different players.  Releasing bundle with a set of glasses, HDMI cable, Resistance 3, and HD screen for $499.
8:47pm - NBA 2K12 up next.
8:48pm - NBA "on the Move" announced, allows you to use the Move controller for a kind of weird casual experience.  Calls Kobe Bryant to the stage to demo?!?
8:50pm - Kobe talking a LOT of junk for a guy that got unceremoniously swept out of the playoffs :-)
8:52pm - New title introduced from the developers that made Sports Champions.  "Medieval Moves: Deadmund's Quest" is being demoed in 3D.
8:55pm - You can clearly see the sword/shield, throwing stars, and bow and arrow mechanics were pretty much lifted wholesale from the Gladiator, Disc Golf, and Archery events of Sports Champions.
8:56pm - As usual, it appears that this 100% motion game is on rails.
8:58pm - Now it's time for Infamous 2, releasing tomorrow.
9:00pm - Announcing the ability to create User Generated Content with Move on Infamous 2 in the Fall.  In addition, LittleBigPlanet 2 will be getting Move support as well.
9:01pm - Starhawk trailer now hits the screen.
9:04pm - Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time trailer now on screen.
9:06pm - Eve Online CEO on stage...
9:07pm - "Dust 514" will be an online persistent shooter that interfaces with the Eve Online PC MMO.  This can be played on PS3 or NGP!
9:09pm - Trailer completes, which was pretty cool, and a closed beta will start late this year with release early next year.
9:10pm - Enter Bioshock Infinite!
9:11pm - About a minute of gameplay is shown, and Ken Levine takes the stage.
9:12pm - Levine is talking about him making a comment about Move not being the greatest thing in the world and being contacted by Sony.
9:13pm - Bioshock Infinite will support the Move..
9:14pm - Levine pulls an NGP from his pocket and mentions that Irrational has a Bioshock project brewing for it.
9:15pm - Infinite will come with the original Bioshock on the disc.
9:18pm - EA has three exclusive offers.  SSX Mt. Fuji map will only be on PS3.  Need For Speed: The Run will contain seven additional supercars only on PS3.  Lastly, Battlefield 3.  The PS3 version will include Battlefield 1943 on the disc.  (I can hear Greg Miller now... Old game is old!)
9:20pm - Kazuo Hirai is now on stage... NGP time I bet!
9:21pm - "They learned a lot during the recent PSN outage."
9:22pm - Talking about PlayStation Suite first, recapping info already released, and not giving any more either.
9:24pm - Official name of the NGP is Playstation Vita (vee-ta).
9:26pm - The PS Vita will have Wi-Fi only and 3G models.  The 3G model is locked to the AT&T network.  The groan from the audience was noticeable.
9:29pm - Live demo of Uncharted: Golden Abyss now on display.
9:32pm - Uncharted is showing that you can use multiple ways of controller input to accomplish the same thing.  Don't like the fancy new touch controls?  Fine, keep using the traditional stick controls.  Looks like they're wise to the fact that not everyone will want to use the touch option.
9:34pm - Looks very smooth... controls incredibly well, and is everything you'd look for in an Uncharted game.
9:35pm - Now on to "Ruin", which appears to be a third person hack and slash RPG for the PS Vita.
9:37pm - Ruin will also have a PS3 SKU, and the save from either will be sent to the cloud and can be picked up on the other platform where you left off.
9:40pm - ModNation Racers introduced for PS Vita.  Built specifically for the Vita, it is not compatible with either the existing PS3 or PSP versions.
9:43pm - Vita users will have access to all of the user content created for the PS3 version of ModNation Racers from day 1 of release.
9:45pm - LittleBigPlanet announced for PS Vita.
9:48pm - Street Fighter x Tekken announced for PS Vita, trailer follows.
9:50pm - Cole from Infamous will be joining the roster!
9:52pm - Sizzle reel for the many PS Vita games currently in development.
9:56pm - Vita will be released in time for this year's holiday season.  The Wifi model will be $249, and the 3G model will be $299.  GREAT pricing!
9:58pm - Jack Tretton returns to the stage.  Kaz mocked Jack's tie when he came out, Jack now cracks back about the Ridge Racer line from years back!
10:00pm - End of conference.

Microsoft E3 Press Conference Liveblog

For those of you that can, you should certainly tune into the live feeds that are being provided by Microsoft or IGN.  However, if you can't, or you want my version of what's happening on those feeds, then stick around and I'll spin you a yarn.  Keep it locked here and I'll get you live updates of what's happening!  I'll also note if any of my predictions are confirmed or debunked as well.  I'll be hopefully able to do this for Sony and Nintendo too, but the timing of those conferences gets a bit dicey for me.

12:25pm - Microsoft stream is live, and we have a view of the main very green stage (SHOCKER!) with the video screens rotating Kinect, avatar, and 360 (S) media.


12:30pm - Conference kicks off with Modern Warfare 3 Trailer!
12:31pm - Check that, this is LIVE gameplay, and the demo player's controller died in the middle.  Great start :-)
12:33pm - We're seeing a level beginning with the player using a powered submersible.  Liking my chances of my MW3 map exclusive announcement.
12:35pm - Player plants explosives on a gigantic sub shown just outside of a devastated New York City.
12:37pm - Player is racking up some dudes on the sub, we see another of the slow mo sequences introduced in MW2.
12:40pm - Chase scene on a small raft filled with explosions.  Michael Bay is tearing up with pride somewhere.
12:41pm - Demo ends getting a great view of a destroyed NYC and Robert Bowling and Glenn from Sledgehammer games take the stage and pat themselves on the back.  Well, Glenn does anyhow... Bowling doesn't say a word.

12:43pm - Don Mattrick is now on stage for Microsoft.
12:44pm - Mattrick leaves, and Crystal Dynamics is now on stage with the Tomb Raider reboot.  Again, live demo time!
12:46pm - We're treated to Lara hanging upside down in basically a straight jacket needing to escape a predicament.  Followed by some walking and (shudder) a couple of quicktime events.
12:47pm - So far, this is a really underwhelming demo for a game I was really looking forward to.
12:50pm - Tomb Raider demo is at a merciful end, and Peter Moore takes the stage for EA.
12;51pm - Madden, Tiger, FIFA getting Kinect support.
12:52pm - Sims and Hasbro Family game night also getting Kinect support.  Bioware takes the stage.  It's Mass Effect 3 time!!!
12:53pm - Confirmed that Mass Effect 3 supports Kinect, specifically voice recognition.  LIVE demo time!
12:54pm - HOLY BALLS!  You can make your responses by just speaking them!  Talk about role playing!!!!
12:55pm - Of course, you can also speak commands to your squad mates, getting them to move to formation or use powers.
12:57pm - Ghost Recon Future Soldier time.  Yves Guillemot takes the stage.
12:59pm - Showing off Kinect support.  Very cool weapon customization demo.
1:01pm - Ugh... looks to be Kinect ONLY title, Mass Effect shows how to use Kinect for hardcore, this game shows how not to.
1:02pm - Guillemot announces all future Tom Clancy games will "leverage Kinect".  Xbox Live's Mark Whitten now takes the stage.
1:04pm - Microsoft is demoing a new Xbox Experience centered around Kinect.  Not really a surprise given the disjointed nature of the current Kinect Hub.
1:05pm - YouTube announced for Xbox Live.  Way to make it into the 20th century guys!
1:06pm - Bing now on Xbox, with ability to speak searches for providers that the 360 supports.  This is a very good way to actually find things in the Xbox Live Marketplace, as well as the Zune Marketplace if that's your bag.
1:07pm - Live TV coming to 360.
1:08pm - Fall dashboard update will contain the "New New Xbox Experience".
1:09pm - Dana White from UFC now on stage.  UFC live events coming to 360 with interactive elements!  Big sports win for the 360.
1:11pm - Phil Spencer from Microsoft now on stage.
1:12pm - Here come the 360 exclusives.  Kicking of with Gears 3.
1:13pm - Cliff Bleszinski is on stage!  No lancer this time though...
1:14pm - Cliffy calls Ice-T to the stage to play a live demo with him.
1:15pm - Fighting a gigantic pissed off sea creature.  Reminiscent of the Resistance 2 demo Sony gave a while back.
1:18pm -Crytek logo appears.
1:19pm - Kinect game from Crytek incoming.  "Ryse" a first person fighter based on ancient Rome.
1:20pm - Halo music comes up.
1:21pm - As expected, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary announced.  Dated for November 15th, 2011.
1:22pm - Turn 10 and Forza 4 are up next.
1:23pm - Appears to have Top Gear sponsorship from a logo in the clip.  Coming October 11th.
1:25pm - Peter Molyneux takes the stage, logo for "Fable: The Journey" is behind him.
1:26pm - The age of Heroes has ended according to the trailer.  We get our best look at Theresa yet.  But her face is still mostly covered.  Now onto a live demo where the player is controlling a horse carriage.  Completely Kinect controlled.  This section is an on-rails shooter.
1:28pm - Color me unimpressed if this is the direction Fable is going.  Phil Spencer is back on stage.
1:29pm - Minecraft is announced for 360 with Kinect support.  Coming "This Winter".
1:30pm - Kinect Disneyland adventures is coming.  A virtual Disney park.
1:32pm - Wow... this demo may be worse than "Skittles".  "Fist bump!"
1:33pm - Kinect Star Wars is up!
1:37pm - Showing the drawbacks of a Kinect only game now, this is pretty much pure on rails (not a) shooter.
1:38pm - Tim Schafer from Double Fine on stage with Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster.
1:40pm - Live demo with a "Father and Son".  Child looks pretty young, somewhat impressive Kinect appears to be recognizing him without much problem.  This is a perfect Kinect kids game.  One I may have fun with my son with in the near future.
1:42pm - Due out "this fall".
1:43pm - Kudo Tsunoda, Kinect Director is on stage.
1:44pm - Kinect Fun Labs is announced.  New addition to the dash available to all Live (assuming this means free members too) subscribers.  Basically these are the types of experiments that turn into games, and you get to see them early.
1:45pm - First thing showed is "Kinect Me" and shows Kinect creating an avatar from what you're currently wearing and your look.  It was VERY good in the example.
1:46pm - Finger tracking is now demoed.  Nifty demo, but all flash and no substance really.  Looking forward to seeing how this eventually gets used.
1:47pm - Object capture up next.  Shows a pillow looking thing being captured and brought into the game.  Reminds me a bit of the Milo demo where he could read the paper.
1:49pm - Fun Labs is live TODAY.  Cut to trailer for Kinect Sports Season Two.
1:50pm - Sports contained include Tennis, Football, Golf, Skiing.  Demoing Golf and Football.  Kinect Sports now includes voice commands.
1:54pm - Harmonix is now on stage with Dance Central 2.  New voice controls and a campaign.  In addition, all previous Dance Central songs can be imported into the game.  Now demoing simultaneous multiplayer dancing.
1:56pm - Back to Don Mattrick.  Recap time.
1:58pm - Announces a "New Trilogy" for Xbox 360.  Cue trailer... Master Chief is back in Halo 4.  Dated "Holiday 2012".  Yup, couldn't let that cash cow die!
2:00pm - End of conference.

Case of the Disappearing Free Games

So the PlayStation Store is up, the Welcome Back program is live, and all is good right?  That is, until you try to redeem your new free games.  Many reports have been coming in that after "purchasing" "Free Game 1" or "Free Game 2" that the option simply disappears from the menu.  Fret not dear reader, all is not lost.  There is a workaround if this occurs:

• Bring up your XMB and go to the PlayStation Network column.
• Select Account Management
• Select Transaction Management
• Select Services List
• Select SCEA Promotions

From there, you should then see "Free Game 1" and/or "Free Game 2".  Select the desired link and click the link to pick your game.  Note, that during this whole process you'll likely run into plenty of errors due to the 77 million or so people trying to do the same thing you are.  But if you're persistent enough, you'll win the ability to wait for your games to download!