NHL Gamecenter

[jmad 18]

I just watched a video previewing the PS3 app. It made it sound like it was available to download right now yet I cannot find it in the PStore. anybody else find it?

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

My only problem is that it will occasionally skip and sign me out automatically. Other than that, I like it.

[ShanahanMan 473]

App is now available under "media". It's simply amazing.....the answer to my prayers. No longer will I have to deal with setting up this and that to get the picture from my computer to the TV. It's just a click of a button now. Anyway, it works great, but just a heads up, you're gonna need a FAST connection to get HD quality and also, it takes about 3 or 4 mins per game for it to adjust to your connection, so don't be surprised if there are some skips and lags and changes in video quality when you a start a game......it clears up eventually.

Recommend!

[Aussie_Wing 354]

GCL is the best money I've ever spent. Amazing.

[crotty99 302]

GCL is the best money I've ever spent. Amazing.

Glad you're enjoying it, couldn't agree more!

Does anyone know if they will bring the ps3 app over for international customers? Currently it's only available in NA. Perhaps if I create a US PSN account I could get it that way...

[OzWing19 24]

I did some research and figured out how to get it going crotty. You're right, you need a US PSN account. Here's what I did:

1. Create a new PSN account and set your country to United States.

2. Address can be anything except you want to get the Suburb, State and Zip code correct. I used Foster City, California, 94404 but you can use whatever you want as long as it's real.

3. Once you're registered you will be able to access the US PSN Store. Go to Media and you'll find it in there.

4. You need to add money to your "wallet" and the only way to do this is by purchasing a US PSN Store Card. You can't use your credit card because the billing address is locked to the address you signed up to PSN with. Annoyingly stupid. I bought a $20 US PSN Store card from www.pcgamesupply.com - cost roughly $25 AUD. They give you a call a couple of minutes after the order is processed to verify the purchase and your details and the PSN Card is emailed straight after.

5. Once you've added the card to your wallet and you've purchased and downloaded the GCL app, load it up and you'll be prompted to link your PS3 with your GCL account. Pretty easy to do, tells you what website to go to do it and once that's done you're good to go.

You don't need to be signed into your US PSN account to access the app so you can use your AUS account with it no problem.

All in all, had it installed and working in like 15 minutes. Quality is great too. Nice upgrade from the 24" mac to the 42" telly.

[crotty99 302]

I did some research and figured out how to get it going crotty. You're right, you need a US PSN account. Here's what I did:

1. Create a new PSN account and set your country to United States.

2. Address can be anything except you want to get the Suburb, State and Zip code correct. I used Foster City, California, 94404 but you can use whatever you want as long as it's real.

3. Once you're registered you will be able to access the US PSN Store. Go to Media and you'll find it in there.

4. You need to add money to your "wallet" and the only way to do this is by purchasing a US PSN Store Card. You can't use your credit card because the billing address is locked to the address you signed up to PSN with. Annoyingly stupid. I bought a $20 US PSN Store card from www.pcgamesupply.com - cost roughly $25 AUD. They give you a call a couple of minutes after the order is processed to verify the purchase and your details and the PSN Card is emailed straight after.

5. Once you've added the card to your wallet and you've purchased and downloaded the GCL app, load it up and you'll be prompted to link your PS3 with your GCL account. Pretty easy to do, tells you what website to go to do it and once that's done you're good to go.

You don't need to be signed into your US PSN account to access the app so you can use your AUS account with it no problem.

All in all, had it installed and working in like 15 minutes. Quality is great too. Nice upgrade from the 24" mac to the 42" telly.

Legend

Going to go set it up for tomorrows game

[A.T.Hun 0]

I've been holding off trying GameCenter Live since I use Linux and didn't want to subscribe only to find out it wasn't going to work. Now that the PS3 app is out (which looks awesome), I'm thinking of taking the plunge. I have Versus on my cable system (in SD) and NBC (in HD) so that will be covered. I live 1/2 hour north of Green Bay, WI. I assume I won't run into any problems with blackouts, except possibly for games vs. the Wild. Any other GameCenter/Center Ice users in Wisconsin care to comment? I checked a couple of IP location sites and they get my city right.

Also, if you just missed the end of the game, do you have to wait until it is archived to watch it?

Edited November 11, 2010 by A.T.Hun

[jmad 18]

I'm in Chicago and have no blackout problem. The video I watched said games were available 48 hours after they ended. But on the computer, I've sat down a few hours after the end and the full game is there to watch so I'm not sure how that works.

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

I've been holding off trying GameCenter Live since I use Linux and didn't want to subscribe only to find out it wasn't going to work. Now that the PS3 app is out (which looks awesome), I'm thinking of taking the plunge. I have Versus on my cable system (in SD) and NBC (in HD) so that will be covered. I live 1/2 hour north of Green Bay, WI. I assume I won't run into any problems with blackouts, except possibly for games vs. the Wild. Any other GameCenter/Center Ice users in Wisconsin care to comment? I checked a couple of IP location sites and they get my city right.

Also, if you just missed the end of the game, do you have to wait until it is archived to watch it?

I believe so.

[Guest CaliWingsNut]

I can't understand how something supported by advertising is somehow worth $160 otherwise.

For that much, you would think they wouldn't black out half the games and cut off any pre or post game... but they do.

You would think, with NHL access to all the game feeds, they would play it with your local announcers... Nope.

If I'm paying them $160, they've gotta come up with more. Because right now they are charging you to watch commercials.

[jmad 18]

Games are blacked out because the NHL has deals with the local channels to provide the games and those deals include exclusivity. The NHL can't turn around and compete with the station they just sold the rights to by selling the product directly to you.

[A.T.Hun 0]

You would think, with NHL access to all the game feeds, they would play it with your local announcers... Nope.

Actually, this year you can choose either the home or away broadcast.

I agree that the price is a bit steep. At least they sweeten the pot a bit by being able to watch any game from the previous two seasons and some historically important games going back to the 1960s. I don't know if I've ever seen a full game with Gordie Howe playing, for example. I'm in no-man's-land for hockey so I don't have much choice. I cannot get Center Ice or the NHL Network via my cable system. DirectTV would cause my bill to skyrocket. Actually, my cable system + GameCenter is cheaper than getting DirectTV without Center Ice.

I won't mind seeing the local commercials. They'll remind me of home.

[JoeBuddy 10]

Question: I have two PS3s in my house. Can I link my account to both PlayStations? Or is it after you link the account to one specific PS3 then it can't be changed ever again?

[A.T.Hun 0]

Question: I have two PS3s in my house. Can I link my account to both PlayStations? Or is it after you link the account to one specific PS3 then it can't be changed ever again?

Good question. You probably should call/email them. I've "only" got one PS3, so I can't comment.

I did, however, buy GameCenter tonight. I had a meeting at 7 P.M., so I watched the first bit and then used the pseudo-DVR features to catch up on the rest. My only gripe (which is minor) is that I wish they'd let you set a speed for it like you can on the PC version. Mine kept switching between the top speed and the next one down. Not a huge deal and it didn't really interfere with my enjoyment of the game. Seeing as I can only see the rare Wings game (and never in HD up to this point), seeing the first game I wanted to see in HD was a treat. The DVR-like features work nicely too.

Oh yeah, it worked great on my Linux box with the latest Firefox and the second Flash Square preview.

Edited November 12, 2010 by A.T.Hun

[OzWing19 24]

Good question. You probably should call/email them. I've "only" got one PS3, so I can't comment.

I did, however, buy GameCenter tonight. I had a meeting at 7 P.M., so I watched the first bit and then used the pseudo-DVR features to catch up on the rest. My only gripe (which is minor) is that I wish they'd let you set a speed for it like you can on the PC version. Mine kept switching between the top speed and the next one down. Not a huge deal and it didn't really interfere with my enjoyment of the game. Seeing as I can only see the rare Wings game (and never in HD up to this point), seeing the first game I wanted to see in HD was a treat. The DVR-like features work nicely too.

Oh yeah, it worked great on my Linux box with the latest Firefox and the second Flash Square preview.

Yeah that's the only issue I really have with it. It's in between minor and major for me. I'd prefer if it would buffer like 5 seconds worth of data so that if the download speeds drop for whatever reason it has enough data already downloaded so that it won't need to drop down to the lower quality.

[A.T.Hun 0]

Found out tonight that evidently I am within the blackout range for Wild games. Crazy since I live five hours away from the Twin Cities. Fox Sports Wisconsin does occasionally carry the Wild games, but not very often, especially not when the Bucks are on.

[Guest Howard He Do It?!]

It's about time! Well worth the wait though. The UI is clean and simple and the picture quality is amazing. The NHL is doing great things in terms of digital media.

[truebladearmy 33]

Hey everyone. Sorry to bore with another personal interest post. I am considering ordering NHL Gamecenter (the online version) this year to be able to watch every game. (1270 stream just isn't the same, sick of waiting for highlights on NHL.com). It's 159 bucks. I was wondering if anyone has experience with Gamecenter. Is it worth it? Did you have any problems? Are playoffs included with the subscription? Thanks everyone for any help. Only a few more days. Let's Go Wings!

I used it a few years ago, but they offered a lot less features back then.

At the time I was in Korea, and for the most part the feeds were about....eh...90% decent. Occasionally I'd get some lag, but the overall feed quality and speed was better than most of the free live feeds I've used. I liked being able to watch multiple games simultaneously, however. That was pretty cool.

Is it worth $159? I guess that depends on how much $159 is worth to you. If you plan to watch a lot of games, it's the most convenient reliable way of doing it. But if I remember correctly they still suffer some blackout restrictions. Some of the features seem nice, like if I'm not mistaken you can watch entire games "later" on, or "Condensed" games with all the breaks and fluff removed. And you get the advantages of all of NHL.com stat tracking and stuff.

When I purchased it the service didn't have nearly as many "perks" as it has now, but then again, when I used it, it was a huge pain in the ass to find reliable online feeds....which isn't as much of a problem anymore.

[Guest Howard He Do It?!]

The blackouts really are not that noticeable. The only blackout I have a problem with is the one concerning NHLN. Aside from that, I have FSN, I have VS and I have NBC. Broadcasters are going to protect their exclusivity rights, locally or nationally. It's part of the business of broadcasting hockey and it probably isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

[McAwesome 754]

Question: I have two PS3s in my house. Can I link my account to both PlayStations? Or is it after you link the account to one specific PS3 then it can't be changed ever again?

You can only link your account to one console at a time, but in the settings of the app you can unlink it at any time, and if you download the app on 2 consoles you can link and unlink as many times as you want.

Also, regarding the lack of a quality/bitrate setting, I emailed the developers and requested that be added, and I have also requested the specific requirements of the app as far as bandwidth is concerned so that we can inform users.

Obviously the app is still new and while it has been put through QA by our developers and the folks at Sony, there will still be some bugs to work out in the coming weeks. Any of you that have questions can feel free to PM me, but it seems like most of the people commenting on this thread have a pretty good handle on things.

[A.T.Hun 0]

I have to say that I'm really enjoying having GameCenter. The PS3 app could use some tweaking, but by and large I'm just thrilled to be able to watch HD hockey. I've found myself watching games between two teams that I otherwise would not care in the least about (e.g. Washington and Atlanta today). The ability to watch two games picture-in-picture or four games at the same time on the PC is cool, but I don't think the utility is great enough to make it worth adding to the PS3 app.

[crotty99 302]

Also, regarding the lack of a quality/bitrate setting, I emailed the developers and requested that be added, and I have also requested the specific requirements of the app as far as bandwidth is concerned so that we can inform users.

Finally got a chance to try out the PS3 app and it is very impressive once it settles down.

The ability to choose your own bitrate would be perfect. I hope they implement it.

[Guest Howard He Do It?!]

Anyone else having trouble with the PS3 app? It skips frames a lot and the bitrate is constantly changing. I know it's not my internet because GCL works perfect on my computer.

Edited November 17, 2010 by Howard He Do It?!

[jmad 18]

Yeah, I've had some problems with the frame rate. The 2nd period of the last game was horrible on the ps3 but fine when I switched to the comp. I sent our resident tech support a note on it. Hopefully it's something they can fix.