Qore Invites To Home Beta For Annual Subscribers Only. Sorry if you got ants in your pants about the next issue of Qore serving as your digital gateway to the public Home beta program. PlayStation Underground members have written to let us know that the invitation in the upcoming "issue" will be for annual subscribers only. Three bucks isn't enough to buy your way into Home, folks. Sorry! Thanks to Jeremy and Mike for the shout out.

Next Qore Opens Door To Home. According to the pitch for the next issue of Qore — Sony's digital magazine on PlayStation Network — subscribers and single issue buyers will get access to the closed beta for PlayStation Home. Since Home has been "guaranteed" to hit PlayStation 3s by end of year, you might have a hard time justifying the spend — but if you're dying to get in, here's one more way. [via PS3Fanboy]

SCEA has the PlayStation.Blog, it's great, Europe sadly hasn't followed suit. SCEA has Qore, it's rubbish, and whaddya know, Europe is following suit! SCEE have signed a deal with Future Publishing that will see an "on-console, weekly digital magazine available exclusively through the PlayStation Network". Before you ask, yes, they're claiming the content will be editorial in nature, with demos and DLC - concerningly for people hoping the PSN remains "free" - also on the menu. It'll be offered in the UK first, in early 2009, with other European territories to follow.

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Looks like Motorstorm: Pacific Rift's pre-release demo isn't strictly limited to the Qore subscribing elite. We've heard from many a tipster that Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has been sending out invites for the demo version of the Motorstorm sequel, freeing it from its shackles as a strictly pay-to-play demo. That means you should definitely check your inbox, your spam filter and get in touch with your friends across the pond. They might have a spare for you. Thanks to everyone who sent this in — Philip took the first place tip spot and gets the Kotaku no-prize.

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This won't go down well with the Qore-hating brigade. Especially if you're also a MotorStorm fan. It's been revealed that as part of the upcoming fourth episode of Sony's paid-for PS3 "editorial" program, both annual subscribers and individual purchasers of the episode will be given access to the MotorStorm 2 demo a month before anyone else. If you were ever worried that Qore would be Sony's way of easing the PSN into a premium service divide like that which separates Xbox Live, now's the time to start worrying a little more.

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GameSpot's latest episode of their weekly On The Spot show has Namco Bandai marketing manager In Joon Hwang showing off the PlayStation 3 exclusive Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm in action. The game basically takes the fighting from the previous Ultimate Ninja titles and moves it into a 3D arena. The game features 25 characters (*sigh*) along with support character who drop in to help out.

It looks great, but how does it play? We'll know soon enough, as a playable demo will be coming out around E3 in July, initially available exclusively to Qore subscribers and then released to the unwashed masses a couple weeks later.

Update: Good old YouTube. Thanks Kumuasata!

Hit the link for the full episode of On The Spot.

On The Spot for 6/26/08 [GameSpot - Thanks xpowerdumpx!]

After a delay, Sony's PLAYSTATION Store *finally* upated, and Qore is available. According to PlayStation.Blog:

Qore Episode 001: June, 2008 ($AU 3.12 Issue, $AU 26.06 Annual Subscription)
Qore: Presented by The PLAYSTATION Network is a monthly interactive video production covering the world of PlayStation. Qore provides its audience with exclusive behind-the-scenes access to developers and their games, from both the SCE Worldwide Studios and the third-party community, where the audience member can control and direct the content.
File size: 1.53 GB

Those of you who downloaded, feel free to put impressions in the comments section. Or not. Your choice!

Update Live [PlayStation.Blog Thanks everyone who sent this in!]

I'm still not sold on Qore (which launched today, fyi). Not even close. The concept of paying Sony so they can market stuff to me? That just does not compute. Especially when an annual subscription costs you $US 25, which is $US 25 more than you should be paying for company-produced trailers and "previews". Guess someone at Sony has anticipated that line of thought, though, and decided that in order to sweeten the deal, anyone opting for a 12-month subscription to the service will get a free copy of David Jaffe's Calling All Cars. That sound better to you? No? Oh...

Qore [Playstation.com]

Sony just announced monthly interactive gaming program "Qore: Presented by the PLAYSTATION Network." HD PS3 gaming program Qore (pronounced "Core") will feature exclusive news, interviews and previews as well as behind-the-scenes look at PS titles — not to mention game demos and betas, "game add-ons" and other downloadable content. The show kicks off Thursday, June 5th, and the first episode features SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Secret Agent Clank, Soul Calibur 4 and Afro Samurai, plus new Blu-ray trailers, an exclusive SOCOM: Confrontation theme with an invitation to the SOCOM: Confrontation beta. From Sony's PlayStation.Blog:

To get Qore, simply log onto PSN and go to the PLAYSTATION Store, as you would purchase any other form of downloadable content. Once the single Episode or annual subscription is purchased, that month's episode will be downloaded under the "Game" heading on the Cross Media Bar (XMB). Users who purchase the "Qore Annual Subscription" will notice only that month's episode is available to download. The following month, the new episode will automatically appear in your download list. The introductory price for Qore is $US 2.99 for a single episode and $US 24.99 for an annual subscription of 13 episodes, using your PLAYSTATION Network wallet.

Yep! All that exclusive content (from the platform holder nonetheless!) will set you back $US 2.99 each or $US 24.99 for the year. Hit the jump for a trailer with the show's host Veronica Belmont.

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Sony Computer Entertainment America recently filed a trademark for a product named "Qore," but we don't expect to necessarily see a game coming to the PlayStation 3 or PSP with that name. Instead of the standard description "computer game software and video game software" services—as in the case with the recent filing for The Last Guy, a planned PlayStation Network release—the trademark filed for Qore protects against "computer services, namely, providing interactive online magazine and entertainment services in the field of video games."

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