By clicking on their PlayStation Home icon on the PlayStation Network column of XMB, users will be able to update PlayStation Home to 1.05. Users who are online with PlayStation Home will need to log-off and click on PlayStation Home icon.

The reason for this maintenance is to ease the difficulty some people are having accessing PlayStation Home due to the high demand for the service.

Additionally, as part of version 1.04, the voice chat feature within PlayStation Home will be temporarily suspended. As soon as we are ready to resume the voice chat feature, we will inform you via PlayStation.com and PlayStation.Blog. In the meantime, we encourage users to make use of the Wireless Keypad for PLAYSTATION 3 or any USB or Bluetooth-enabled keyboard for text chat and also the “phone friend” features to communicate within PlayStation Home.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you and kindly ask for your understanding.

You’ve probably heard his name before – Kutaragi was the man who got the PlayStation ball rolling in 1994, and presided over Sony Computer Entertainment during the release of the PlayStation 2, the best-selling in-home game system in history (more than 120 million units shipped worldwide).

This week at the annual D.I.C.E. Summit, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), presented Ken Kutaragi with its coveted 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award.

It’s very safe to say that if not for Ken Kutaragi, you would not be enjoying Uncharted or God of War, looking forward to games like Metal Gear Solid 4 or LittleBigPlanet, or even reading this blog. For more information on this award, click here. Also, here’s the video about Kutaragi that played at the presentation.

Big thanks to GameSpot for the video!!

If you’re going to be in the Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado area through January 27th, you’re invited to stop by the PlayStation tent. This is your chance to play Gran Turismo 5 Prologue; we’re showing new code that has never seen before in the US. What’s more, PlayStation fans will have the opportunity to play directly against some of their favorite X Games athletes.

PlayStation is hosting a hands-on game competition featuring Winter X Games champions Gretchen Bleiler (2007 Winter X Games Gold and Olympic Silver medalist for snowboarding), Simon Dumont (2007 X Games Silver medalist for skiing) and Tucker Hibbert (2007 X Games Gold Medalist for snowmobiling). See if these athletes are as skilled with the SIXAXIS as they are on the hill!

The PlayStation tent will also feature soon-to-be released Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice and futuristic, anti-gravity racer wipEout PULSE. Brand new third party titles Burnout Paradise (along with the PLAYSTATION Eye) and NFL Tour will be playable on PLAYSTATION 3 in the VIP and athlete lounges. Also, PSPs on-site will feature the new Internet Radio functionality via AOL’s SHOUTCast.

Hope to see you there!

It doesn’t snow in San Francisco, but that’s the place to be to see competitive snowboarding, ski jumps, and to get hands-on with cool, new and upcoming PlayStation games.

PlayStation has two gaming tents set up at this weekend’s Icer Air event, featuring titles like Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground and SingStar Amped. The tents will also allow attendees access to our latest PSP game that is launching next week: SOCOM: Tactical Strike. Also, check out PLAYSTATION Network’s PAIN (very popular with the extreme sports fans at the PlayStation Pro).

So in between witnessing wakeboarding in McCovey Cove, pro skate competition on the PlayStation vert ramp (San Francisco is the city where Tony Hawk pulled off the first-ever 900), and seeing Mos Def & Talib Kweli perform – drop by and see us!

And we’ve got a special code for you PlayStation fans – type in promotion code “ia07psp” (without the quotes) and receive a special Underground Member discount for $10.00 off all tickets Saturday and Sunday. Click here for tickets and more info.

Hi I’m Abigail Murphy, just stopping in to give you the scoop on the PlayStation Pro, which took place this past weekend at the Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida. For those who aren’t familiar, the PlayStation Pro is the fifth and final stop of the AST Dew Tour, the pro action sports tour that features skateboarding, BMX, and freestyle motocross.

On Wednesday, PlayStation kicked off the event by donating $5,000 each to the Orlando After School All-Stars & The OC Club. The donations were given in hopes of providing the children of the Orlando more opportunities to get involved in action sports. AST Dew Tour Pro Skateboarders Anthony Furlong, Jean Postec and Andy McDonald held a clinic with 30 kids from these clubs on the Fresh Park course. Along with the clinic, The PlayStation Experience truck was on-site at the Festival Village for all the kids to test out the latest and greatest videogames for PlayStation.

The PlayStation Experience was packed all weekend, with kids looking to check out the best in action sports…and videogaming! People went insane over the upcoming PlayStation Network title PAIN. It’s no surprise, as PAIN is a game of crash and burn, after all.

The AST Dew Tour competition went on throughout the weekend. Here are the results:

AST Dew Cup Champions
Skateboard Park: Ryan Sheckler
Skateboard Vert: Shaun White
FMX: Nate Adams
BMX Vert: Jamie Bestwick
BMX Park: Daniel Dhers
BMX Dirt: Ryan Nyquist

All Dew Cup Champions were awarded on Sunday night, after a weekend filled with incredible competitions. PlayStation was also on hand to crown the 2007 PlayStation Trick of the Year winner…Mike Spinner. Mike’s 1080 in BMX Park won him the PlayStation Trick of the Week honors in Portland and has now won him the ultimate prize – the 2007 PlayStation Trick of the Year. Mike will be looking forward to a $10,000 check, a PLAYSTATION®3, and library of games. Congrats Mike!

We took a ton of pictures at the PlayStation Pro, click here to visit our gallery.