ps2dev.org is down!

April 1st, 2007, 04:31 Posted By: RCON

I just tried to check the ps2dev.org forums and it is offline with this message:

-----
ps2dev.org offline
Due to an injunction ps2dev.org is indefinately offline.

I am not allowed to say anything else until I speak to my lawyers.

Oobles. aka David.
-----

Looks like an Aprils Fools Joke!!! DOH!

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Investigation of Firmware 3.30 dump

April 1st, 2007, 12:09 Posted By: wraggster

Vodkkaa posted some findings of a dump of the 3.30 firmware:

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Die Critters Die v0.5

April 1st, 2007, 13:19 Posted By: wraggster

New from the Darkside986:

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Ms Master 2.02f Compact

April 1st, 2007, 13:28 Posted By: wraggster

XsavioR has updated Ms Master to version 2.02f Compact. This is a program that allows you to back up and restore your PSP's memory stick data.

Heres whats new:

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PSP Kanjii V2.1

April 1st, 2007, 13:35 Posted By: wraggster

Sammy Fatnassi has updated PSP Kanji, the Kanjii learning tool for the PSP heres the release info:

-Added: Quiz mode for Katakana and Hiragana
-Added: Quiz in both direction (English<->Japanese)
-Added: Simple menu now available

Download and Give Feedback Via Comments

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XMB Emulator ALPHA 1

April 1st, 2007, 13:44 Posted By: wraggster

New from superskull85 comes what the coder calls an XMB Emulator, before anyone gets excited this is NOT a PSP Emulator for Windows , heres what the coder says:

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[Release] Dreamchip V4.0

April 1st, 2007, 14:07 Posted By: Zion

Via Zionmax


Well, after spending so much time over the last 3-4 weeks coding wandria. i decided to spend one hour on Dreamchip last night.

Now as far as i know the chip8 system is supposed to run at 30fps (might be wrong)

The emulator was running at 27fps last night, after the hour i got it running at 42fps. Feels normal speed to me at least now.

I still havnt done that filebrowser, as im too busy working with wandria to bother I just did this to prove to a few people (you know who you are hehe) that it can get to full speed without taking out the sdl

Changelog :

Put in Visable Fps Counter
up to 42fps

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PS3: April Fools Joke for Pro Evolution Soccer?

April 1st, 2007, 16:19 Posted By: mavsman4457

At long last, Konami have answered our prayers....

Link : http://community.eu.playstation.com/....php?p=1456184

Fully licensed leagues for :

English Premiership
English Championship
Primera Division
Serie A
Ligue 1
Bundesliga
Eredivisie
Bwin Portugese League
Turkish League
Scottish Premiership
Greek Superleague
Russian League
Israel League

Let's hope this isn't an April fools joke. I believe this would be the first football/soccer game for PS3.

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Mario "About PSP"

April 1st, 2007, 19:04 Posted By: buildit92

I found a way how to change the ABOUT PSP under your system settings. The way i did this was exracting the pictures from the RCO ( the USB wave effect). i edited it in paint. then i replaced it over the origanl RCO. The ABOUT PSP is now a bunch of diffrent mario pictures. it works well with the mario theme psp. there is only 1 thing flaw, which is were three icons disspaear, but im not sure if it is this RCO or something else. ill try to find out what it is. hope you like it.

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Sony UK Exec Says No to Smaller, Lighter PSP

April 1st, 2007, 20:47 Posted By: wraggster

news from Daily tech

Earlier this month, word of a smaller, lighter PlayStation Portable slipped the lips of Sony UK boss Ray Maguire. Specifically, Maguire said that the current PSP is just the “first iteration” of the handheld, and that an improved version will eventually follow.

Now, just two weeks after his initial comments, Maguire is taking it all back. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, he says, “As we sit here today, there is no next iteration of the PSP.”

“If you're referring to what was reported some weeks ago, I was referring to the fact that that's what we do as a company,” said Maguire. “We R&D everything. You only have to look at PlayStation and PlayStation 2 to see that's always in our mind.”

The PSP is constantly compared with the handheld market’s current leader, the Nintendo DS. Consumers may be expecting a revised PSP because Nintendo revised the original DS to the DS Lite, a smaller, lighter version of the original. Following Nintendo’s slick redesign, sales of the DS Lite skyrocketed, gaining the acceptance from even casual gamers.

Maguire speaks on the constant comparisons between PSP and DS Lite, saying, “They are two different devices for two different markets. It's comparing apples and oranges again, but because they are both portable it's probably a natural thing to do. The marketplace that we need to get into is the PS3 connectivity market.”

He continues, “From a PSP situation we have a wider split of third-party versus first-party than our competitors do, who are very much first-party developers. We've been putting quite a lot of energy behind PS3, now we'll be able to split some of those resources and go back to the PSP to make sure we've got some compelling games coming. As a criticism, yes, perhaps part of that is true. But we have a solution in place.”

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Watch: Final Fantasy Anniversary Trailer

April 1st, 2007, 21:44 Posted By: wraggster

via siliconera

A new trailer for Final Fantasy Anniversary has been released. Those familiar with Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II pretty much know what to expect from their new PSP updates along with other nice features that are exclusive to the PSP; but the most interesting part about the trailer is what it says at the end.

"And more…"

That alone implies that there may just be something else in store for the classic Final Fantasy games. Could it be that other entries in the series such as IV, V, and VI are going to get PSP cosmetic upgrades with luscious high resolution 16-bit graphics (or maybe nice cel-shaded graphics a la Jeanne d’Arc), or perhaps even the PSOne entries getting a new PSP upgrade? Better yet, could some of the PSOne entries be getting a DS remake? Who knows…limitless speculation afoot!

Watch the trailer and see for yourself. After all, the trailer does say "The World of Final Fantasy spread out across Playstation Portable."

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Theme Swapper 1.0

April 1st, 2007, 21:52 Posted By: wraggster

lucifer_v has posted a new version of his Theme Swapper app for the PSP:

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Dark_AleX is working on 3.30 OE

April 1st, 2007, 22:49 Posted By: burrito

Dark Alex is working on a new version of his custom firmware for the latest 3.30 release from Sony, despite what some sites say he has only just started on the 3.30 decrypter and so at the moment hes not too far along but he has said that he doesn't think it will take too long to complete.

Awesome, lets hope he releases soon

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$1.99, $4.99 and $9.99 PSP Games At Best Buy

April 2nd, 2007, 00:24 Posted By: wraggster

DCEmu User cartmandude14 posted some fantastic news of a deal he got at Bestbuy:

SPREAD THIS NEWS



firstly heres what he posted:

Heres his photo proof:



Awesome news for those of you living in the USA.

More details at the news thread here --> http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=58033

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Daedalus R10 Released - N64 Emulator for PSP - Mario 64 Full Speed

April 2nd, 2007, 02:08 Posted By: mikebeaver



UPDATE We can now confirm that Daedalus R10 runs Super Mario 64 at full speed smooth with frameskip 1

Here it is at long last the eagerly awaited R10 version of StrmnNrmn's N64 emu.
Heres what the read me has to say:-

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PCSX2 0.9.3 Released

April 2nd, 2007, 03:04 Posted By: JKKDARK

New release of the PlayStation 2 emulator for PC.

Well linux users, we promised we'd have you back and here is the living breathing proof!

Along with this release you have a couple of new plugins exclusively!
• ZeroPAD - New pad plugin based off Twinpad, PADWinkeyb and SSSPSX Pad.
• ZeroGS OGL - An OpenGL conversion of ZeroGS. No more GSSoft for you Wink

You also have available a 32bit and 64bit build for your pleasure, we do spoil you sometimes! Take note the 64bit version is far from finished!
The next release will be much quicker than the current implimentation... head over to the download section to grab it.

WINDOWS USERS:- I have some bad news for you, there will be no 0.9.3 for windows, BUT Before you go crying to mummy that weve been picking on you, you will see 0.9.4 very soon, we have some 64bit bugs in windows to sort out, along with some excellent fixes for games such as Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas so it will be worth the wait.

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Dragon Ball Z : Shin B Another Road US Version

April 2nd, 2007, 07:40 Posted By: wraggster

New from SuccessHK



There's certainly no shortage of Dragon Ball games. Fans of the franchise keep coming back for more, and fortunately for them, the games keep getting better and better. They're still a rather niche set of titles, but the mechanics are becoming solid enough that anyone who gives them a chance can find a good deal of fun within.

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Virtua Tennis 3 US Version

April 2nd, 2007, 07:42 Posted By: wraggster

New from SuccessHK



A portable version of the third entry (and second PSP match) in Sega's smash-hit tennis franchise.

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PSP:Ultimate PSP Portal V.1.1 Released

April 2nd, 2007, 12:31 Posted By: pspfreefiles

This File is Easy to Download and Shouldn't Take To Long to Get Running and Playing!

My New Ultimate PSP Update has been released

This Portal Contains

130 Flash Games

29 Apllications

Links To All The Best Sites

Every Released Demo

Ultimate PSP Live

Things That Have Changed From Last Version

More Demos

Smaller File

More Links

Broken Links Fixed

How to Install Ultimate PSP Version 1.1

First of all Unzip the file

Then add the Ultimate PSP folder into the folder on your PSP that is called Common

Then on yor psp browser type file:/psp/common/UltimatePSP/UltimatePSP.htm

Hope you like it Download here:thumbup:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/vh8paf

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"Time to reinvent Sonic" says Sega boss

April 2nd, 2007, 13:41 Posted By: wraggster

Speaking about the recently unveiled Nintendo-Sega collaboration, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, Jeffery said that we won't see another Sonic title on a next-gen platform for quite a while.

"We are actually undergoing a fairly considerable refresh of Sonic as an intellectual property, as a character," he told Newsweek.

"Sonic on the Wii is probably the first product that's come to market that reflects that. We're not going to be bringing another game out on the other platforms for quite some time, because we feel that it is time to reinvent Sonic, to make Sonic contemporary again. At the same time, even the recent 360 and PlayStation 3 games have sold extremely well."

via cvg

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We're back!! - LOAD Magazine issue 6

April 2nd, 2007, 15:56 Posted By: alias986

Now in PSP format as well as PC format!!

LOAD Magazine issue 6 is now available…



Interviewing The Colour, Delta Spirit and Monarchy Music, the latest albums, including Mando Diao, The Sounds and Arcade Fire. Films too, 300, Alpha Dog and Sublime amongst those reviewed. Art?? Yeah...there's a photo special on live music. TV too...a feature on the amazing US show Heroes, which will reach BBC2 in June. That's it then? Nope, we've got games again, Excite Truck amongst those reviewed.

The PSP format takes PSP a step further. Using purely the PSP screen size is limiting, so our new issue is the width of the screen but much taller. Simply set the jpeg viewer on your PSP to zoom mode, then flip through the pages and scroll up and down with the analog stick. LOAD has grown up. Literally!

As always it's free and easy to download:

PC version: http://www.loadmagazine.co.uk/magazi...zineissue6.pdf

PSP version: http://www.loadmagazine.co.uk/magazi...eissue6psp.zip

Enjoy...

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Sony clarifies release dates for PS3 titles

April 2nd, 2007, 18:54 Posted By: Shrygue

via Games Industry


Sony has denied that PS3 titles Lair and Heavenly Sword are due to arrive in May - despite a listing which says otherwise on the official PlayStation website.

Speaking to our sister site, Eurogamer.net, a spokesperson said, "Both those dates are wrong. We haven't got any release dates for those at the moment; they're just pencilled in for 2007."

Heavenly Sword is a third-person action game in development at Ninja Theory. It has been promoted as a flagship title for PlayStation 3 since it was unveiled at E3 2005.

Lair is being developed by Factor 5. It will see players taking to the skies on the back of a fire-breathing dragon, and is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious PS3 titles so far.

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Major record labels to supply tracks for Rock Band

April 2nd, 2007, 19:00 Posted By: Shrygue

via Games Industry


Electronic Arts has officially announced new PS3 and Xbox 360 title Rock Band, revealing that several key music publishers have already agreed to supply tracks for the game.

News of the title emerged earlier this morning, when it was reported that Rock Band is being developed with Harmonix and MTV and will use four instrument-themed controllers.

Now Electronic Arts has released an official statement confirming that "unprecedented deals" with record labels have already been signed. As a result, the game is set to feature "master recordings from the biggest songs and artists of all time", spanning "all genres of rock".

Several major music publishers will offer access to their track catalogues, including EMI Music Publishing and Warner/Chappell. Along with EMI Music and Warner Music Group's Rhino Entertainment, labels which have agreed to supply songs include Hollywood Records and Sony BMG plus Universal Music Enterprises.

"Our vision for Rock Band is to completely change the way people interact with and enjoy the music they love," said MTV executive Jeff Yapp.

"By joining forces with EA and the music industry’s largest record labels and publishers, we are striving to create a groundbreaking new platform that allows people to connect with their favorite music and artists in ways they never have before."

Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos commented, "Harmonix was founded to create new ways for everyone to experience the pleasure and satisfaction that comes from playing music. Our work on Guitar Hero was an instrumental step toward that goal.

"But Rock Band is Harmonix’s most ambitious project to date, and it will take music gameplay to an entirely new level. MTV has given us the freedom and the resources to really swing for the fences and make the game we’ve always wanted to make."

Rock Band is due out on PS3 and Xbox 360 this Christmas.

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Euro Charts: Resistance guns for the top

April 2nd, 2007, 19:09 Posted By: Shrygue

via Games Industry


The launch of the PlayStation 3 has seen Sony's first-party software invade the charts across Europe, with Resistance: Fall of Man taking the top position in Italy and Spain.

Although official chart positions are not yet available in Germany, Media Control GfK International has revealed that the three best-selling PS3 titles in the country are Resistance: Fall of Man, MotorStorm and F1 Championship Edition.

In the first week of release, 48,000 PlayStation 3 software units were sold in Germany. In comparison, the first week of Nintendo Wii software sales were 42,000, while Xbox 360 software shifted 33,000 units after one week on sale.

In Italy, MotorStorm was just ahead of F1 Championship Edition, at two and three respectively, while in Spain the positions were reversed.

Charts figures for the week ended March 25 show that Activision's Call of Duty 3, Ridge Racer 7 and Virtua Tennis 3 were also strong launch releases in the Spanish and Italian markets.

Square Enix's Final Fantasy XII continues to prove popular in Europe, while Disney's Spectrobes is also enjoying a strong run in the top ten.

The top ten best-selling games for Spain, Italy and Germany follow:

Spain, week ended March 25
1. Resistance: Fall of Man
2. F1 Championship Edition
3. MotorStorm
4. Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training
5. Virtua Tennis 3
6. Call of Duty 3
7. Spectrobes
8. Final Fantasy XII
9. Ridge Racer 7
10. Big Brain Academy

Italy, week ended March 25
1. Resistance: Fall of Man
2. MotorStorm
3. F1 Championship Edition
4. Ridge Racer 7
5. Final Fantasy XII
6. Virtua Tennis 3
7. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2
8. Call of Duty 3
9. Genji: Days of the Blade
10. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

Germany, week ended March 18
1. The Sims 2: Seasons
2. Final Fantasy XII
3. Mario Slam Basketball
4. Battlefield 2142: Northern Strike
5. Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training
6. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
7. Spectrobes
8. World of Warcraft
9. Test Drive Unlimited
10. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

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PS3 has flown past the 3 million mark!

April 2nd, 2007, 20:10 Posted By: Shrygue

via PS3 Fanboy


Upon the European launch, we wrote up an article about the "before" sales of the PlayStation 3 and let you guys guess where the numbers would land, given another week. Well, we had a very professional brain fart (in the form of multiple tests, group presentations, and an annoying large paper) and decided to let the "after" post come... today. What did we find? Good stuff.

At least, according to VGCharts, the PlayStation 3 has surpassed the 3 million mark. What's neat, too, according to the same chart, is that the PS3 has sold more in Europe in the course of two weekends than it has sold in Japan in four months! We've got more good PS3 sales news as the day progresses, but it almost seems like a slow news day right now. When do you guys think the PS3 will break 4 million, now that things will slow down?

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Spain has sold 100,000 of its 110,000 PS3 consoles!

April 2nd, 2007, 20:19 Posted By: Shrygue

via PS3 Fanboy


In lieu of all the crazy implications that the PS3 isn't the coolest thing around, we're going to go ahead and say, "that, good sir, is at the very least a debatable subject to deliberate on... with dancing!" However, instead of inviting other people over for probably the most humiliating dance-off this side of the internet, we're just going to cast some news out there and hope a little fishy bites.

According to MeriStation, the PS3 has nearly sold out across all of Spain. They were allocated 110,000 units and have reportedly gone through 100,000 of them. Sony is planning to keep the supply up, granting Spain 20,000 units every week. In addition to this, the demand for the Blu-ray format has increased by 30% since the PS3's launch. Awesome, but not unexpected. It is awesome. I wish anything that I created would sell 100,000 copies. Eventually!

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GTA IV: The debate continues

April 2nd, 2007, 20:45 Posted By: Shrygue

via Computer and Video Games


Despite a stellar reception from the press, not everyone was completely satisfied with the bandwidth-burning GTA IV trailer that hit the internet with a bang last week.

Three main trends among complainers crammed our comments section over the weekend, including outcries over the "untreatable" Russian main character, complaints of "yet again" returning to Liberty City and erm, apparently some people don't think the visuals look up to par.

"Talk about an anti climax! I was waiting hours for this watching the clock count down. I was expecting to see something fun that would make me need a 360 or PS3 but meh... It's Liberty/New York in a contemporary setting - how boring", said CVG user GiarcYekrub. "The only positive I can see is the bilboards look funny but that lasts how long?"

Believe it or not, others were more harsh in their criticism: "Oh my god, what a letdown", Burnsyboy2004 posted on Friday. "It's set in Liberty City again which is crap, and you're some dirty Russian gangster. Looks like they have run out of ideas boys and girls. Same old game again then but with better graphics."

But obviously not everyone was as disappointed over the GTA IV debut. Buffers32 defended the trailer: "I don't know what some of you were looking at but personally I just saw some the best graphics in a video game ever. Soft shadows, real-time lighting, volumetric lighting, massive draw distance, incredible detail, beautiful water...what more do you want?"

Whitepony888 echoed Buffers' comments: "Although I've seen better graphics on the Xbox 360, I honestly never anticipated GTAIV to look quite so beautiful. I haven't wanted to play a game this much since the series first moved into full 3D."

"I'm just glad that you don't have to be an american this time!" Piped in fellow CVG forumite Kapt15. We're with you on that.

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Kojima "back to the drawing board" with MGS4

April 2nd, 2007, 21:09 Posted By: wraggster

At last weekend's GO3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Perth, Australia, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima spoke to a keen audience about how he will push the series forward with MGS4 on PS3.

"I went back to the drawing board, back to scratch", he said, according to Gamespot, "and looked at what I did for Metal Gear 1 and 2, and for Metal Gear Solid 1, 2, and 3".

He goes on to explain: "Now I can't make Snake go into space to do his stealth mission, and we've exhausted the concept of the place, so now I thought why not create a situation rather than a place? And then I thought of a battlezone or warzone as the situation where Snake has to sneak in. So MGS4's game concept is playing hide and seek within a certain situation."

Kojima detailed his vision of game that places the player in a the middle of a war between two armies. "To make it very simple, in the past Metal Gears, Snake was going into enemy environments--so everyone apart from Snake was an enemy. This time it's a warzone, so you have country A or country B, so Snake could interfere with either of the countries."

Interestingly, he says that this "does not necessarily mean that everyone is an enemy to Snake", suggesting Snake will have to work with or even sneak past allies - which makes us think of the CIA level in the original Splinter Cell game. "This creates a new tension in playing this new hide and seek," he promises.

Kojima also hopes to give Sony's shiny super console a fair old work out in some interesting ways, "for not only what you can see, but also psychological effects, or psychological battles, where it can affect your gameplay."

MGS4 is bound to kick ass, so whatever "psychological" stuff Kojima is thinking up, we hope he can get it done and whacked onto a Blu-ray disc for us to feed our PS3 with pronto. Q4 2007 is the current ETA.

via cvg

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PES6 PS3 patch coming soon

April 2nd, 2007, 21:17 Posted By: wraggster

via eurogamer

Those of you patiently waiting for a patch to let you play PES6 against your friends using your shiny new PS3 will be twiddling your thumbs a while longer, as Sony told Eurogamer this morning that we'd probably not see a fix until the next firmware update.

It's one of a handful of PS2 titles that has noticeable issues when running on the new console, prompting Konami to previously release a statement claiming that online play was incompatible due to the loss of internal hardware dedicated to PS3 emulation.

This emotion engine chip, the processor used in the PS2, was removed for PAL PlayStation 3 units. However, Sony promised that it would continue to support last generation of games with software updates to the system.

The most recent update was v1.6, which went live on 23rd March and significantly increased the amount of PS2 titles playable on the new console.

You can find a full list of those that work on Sony's backwards compatibility site, boasting around 1,240 golden oldies.

There's currently no news on when we can expect the next firmware update for PS3.

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Eidos May Have Set Bad PS3 Precedent

April 2nd, 2007, 21:18 Posted By: wraggster

via slashdot

Ars Technica opines on Eidos' decision to hold off on PS3 games until 2008. Though they make a point of mentioning all of the great steps forward Sony and the PS3 have taken in the last month or so (LittleBigPlanet, Home, the EU launch), they feel this decision may have ramifications for the console.

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NBA Street Homecourt

April 2nd, 2007, 21:50 Posted By: wraggster

New from Play Asia



features
Trick Remixer: This all-new trick system gives you the ball and puts it in your hand. Take control of your player's rhythm mixing quick tricks with elaborate moves using two trick buttons.
Game Breaker: Unleash a whole new set of over-the-top tricks and electrifying dunks, or watch in disbelief as your rival steals away the opportunity.
Take Your Game to New Heights: All-new dunk controls keep you engaged from take-off to throw down.
Showcase your Master Skills: The best NBA players have hidden master skills that separate them from the rest.
Become a Homecourt Hero: Go from an unknown talent to a playground legend and put your homecourt on the map by dominating courts from coast-to-coast.
Every Legend has a Beginning: The NBA's best all came from somewhere and many built their skills and reputations in their hometown playgrounds - including NBA Stars Carmelo Anthony and Richard Hamilton.
Fresh Create-a-player: New Create Player system allows you to quickly create avatars by melding your favorite NBA stars into the ultimate baller
That Girl's Got Game: Six of your favorite WNBA stars are featured for the first time ever, including Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Sheryl Swoopes.
Take Your Game Online*: Represent your homecourt online with your created player against the nation's greatest ballers-anywhere, anytime.

description
NBA STREET returns with a brand new game engine only possible with the power of next generation console systems, allowing the franchise to once again raise the bar with innovative gameplay and cutting edge visuals. With a new animation engine and control system, we put the ball in your hand and allow you to show off your own style by creating hundreds of tricks on the fly. Soar through the air to execute gravity-defying dunks and double dunks or step off the back of your teammate for a jump-off dunk.

NBA STREET Homecourt merges legendary playgrounds with the hometown courts of your favorite NBA stars, featuring 360 degrees of view. Plus, the NBA's best players are all rendered in meticulous detail, making true athlete likeness a reality and putting you up close and personal with every move and moment. Set roots in your own homecourt as an anonymous baller with big dreams. Earn a name for yourself and garner respect as you progress along your hometown journey and become a legend.

Any way you shake it, NBA Street Homecourt allows you to play like you never dreamed you could, right from the first time you pick up the controller.

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The Godfather: The Don's Edition

April 2nd, 2007, 21:54 Posted By: wraggster

New from Play Asia



features
The World of The Godfather: Experience a decade of the mafia in a living world New York City from 1945-55 with enhancements to racket truck heists, extortions, targeting, living world gameplay, and much more.
The Mean Streets of NYC are Even Meaner: The Godfather The Don's Edition on PlayStation 3 features more contract hits and 4 new rival family compounds to explore, control, and destroy.
Favors and Blackmail: "Someday, and that day may never come, I'll call upon you to do a service for me…." The way of favors is integral to the story line of The Godfather, perform all new ones for the Family or local businesses to gain greater reputation on the streets of NYC.
Give 'Em a Beat Down: Use your firearm as a smash-mouth melee weapon on the PS3. With the SIXAXIS controller, the Blackhand Control fighting power is in your hands; when you slam your controller, you slam your opponent.
Corleone Challenges: Race against the clock (and your rivals) to earn the highest score in challenges such as Road Rage, Killing Spree, and Safe Cracker.
Corleone Hit Squad: Advance up the criminal ladder in the Corleone Family and gain the ability to hire an entire Hit Squad for truly dangerous assignments. Seduce the "ladies" for a Femme Fatale to cover your back.
Explosive Death: Plant car bombs on stationary vehicles and watch the impressive explosions light up the sky.
Classic Film Moments: Take on film-based and original missions as you interact with classic characters and experience unforgettable moments from the film.
Put Yourself in The Godfather: Create your own mobster and get a piece of the action by putting yourself in a living, open-world New York City.
Choose Your Path: Earn respect and customize your character's abilities. Will you invest in the intimidation skills of the Enforcer or the negotiation skills of the Operator?
Persistent World: Interact freely with an assortment of characters. The characters remember your interactions-whether you were diplomatic, accommodating, or brutal-and will respond appropriately when you meet again.
Control New York: Your bid to take control of the Corleone Family and make New York City your own will be challenged by the other four families from the fiction: Tattaglia, Cuneo, Barzini, and Stracci.

description
A classic story about family, respect, and loyalty, Mario Puzo's The Godfather and the Paramount Pictures film based on that novel serve as the game's inspiration. The Godfather® The Don's Edition puts you at the center of the action in one of history's most revered cinematic masterpieces, allowing you to choose your path as you rise from lowly outsider to envied and feared Don in a living world 1945-1955 New York.

The Godfather The Don's Edition for PlayStation 3 offers countless choices for solving the family's problems with brutal violence, skillful diplomacy, or a cunning mix of both. Use your powers of loyalty and fear to earn respect through interactions with police, businessmen, racket bosses, other mobsters, and more. The decisions you make have lasting consequences, just as they do in the legendary mob underworld of The Godfather books and films.

The Godfather film featured many of Holly-wood's finest actors and several are contributing to the game's development. Actors lending their voices to add a dramatic and cinematic touch to the game include the late Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone, James Caan as Sonny Corleone, and Robert Duvall as consigliore Tom Hagen.

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DJ Max Portable 2 News

April 2nd, 2007, 21:57 Posted By: wraggster

News from Play Asia

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Feature: Talkin' Metal Gear With Hideo Kojima

April 2nd, 2007, 22:17 Posted By: Shrygue

via Kotaku


So Kojima's address at GO3 contained...not much, aside from a casual stroll down memory lane. Straight afterwards, though, I had a chance to sit down with Mr. Kojima (sadly, no tea OR biscuits) and talk Metal Gear, movies and "the rumble guy".

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Metal Gear. 20 years. It's a long time to be making the same game. So I ask him if he's surprised that he's still churning out Metal Gear games this far down the line. "I'm very surprised", he says. "Twenty years ago when I created my first one, I thought it'd just be over. To be more extreme, I didn't think the fist one would sell at all!".

Oh, but sell they did, and when games sell, you make more of them. "But I have kept making Metal Gear games", he says. "When I look back, while it looks like the same game, I've been adding new features and using new technology each time, so it's never felt like I've been making the same game."

This focus on new tech was a big part of his address, as with each advance in console hardware he says he was able to make fundamental changes to the series, culminating in the crazy wartime escapades of MGS4. "I have to say, the evolution of technology, that has helped me to keep 'creating' Metal Gear", he adds.

Since Metal Gear Solid 4 has come up, I do the polite thing and ask how it's coming along. "Its almost at the 'shooting stage' of creating a movie", Kojima says. "All the design and scenarios are finished, we're just completing the actual game".

It's been a long time coming, so it can't have been easy. Kojima agrees. "Nothing was easy", he says. "Everything has been hard, because we've set not just a high bar for ourselves but a number of bars. So there's nothing easy, everything is hard!"

With rumble having been a key aspect of the series thus far, I ask him his thoughts on the issue now that Sony and Immersion have made kissy-kissy. "I want to use rumble, yes", he says, "but it's a race against time. If it can make it in in time I'd like to use it, yes."

"The part that's troubling me, I cant really say...". He pauses. Oh, do go on: "...but we always designed the game without rumble, and I had great ideas without rumble, so if rumble comes back we have a decision to make whether to leave that new feature in or to take it out and replace it with rumble".

Could you patch it? A later update would at least give players the choice. "I want to implement it, rumble, yes", he says. "I'm not thinking about a patch, though". Oh. Well, early days, I guess. Maybe rumble and motion-sensing can't get along after all?

He won't say, but if he had to choose between the two, it looks like rumble would win out. His "other" idea doesn't have a nickname and a long-term relationship with the company. "Ever since MGS1 there was a specific guy, nicknamed the 'rumble creator', who worked on it for us", he says. "But he's been on a long vacation since we didn't think rumble was going to be in MGS4, so we're calling him back right now". Hmm. Long vacation sounds...ominous.

Moving on, I remind him of a comment he made last year comparing each of the three current consoles to "different kinds of dinner". Did he still think that was the case, now that all three are on the market? Nope. "They're more like a movie theatre metaphor", he says.

"The PS3 is like the theatre, it's a little bit high-priced but it has to be high quality as well. The 360 is a DVD, it still needs to be high quality but you need more variations, while the Wii is almost like a TV channel, because every game you have it with your family".

I look for a funny/revealing insight into the comment, then realise he's probably quite close to the mark. Still, by that admission, if the PS3 is Hollywood, is he feeling the heat of being the system's first big, exclusive title? "Yes, there is pressure", he admits, "but there is Final Fantasy XIII coming out as well, so it's not all me!".

Still on MGS4, I ask whether this really is the end. He's said repeatedly he wants to walk away at the end of this game, and the trailers seem to show everyone from the series getting together for one final shootout. So when MGS4 hits, will you hang up your boots? "Well, atually its really up to the users, its up to them to decide", he offers.

"If users want more Metal Gear, then I will probably step up as producer, like the James Bond series does", he says. "That way I can have new, upcoming directors making MGS while I oversee the project, and then perhaps I can move onto something new".

Something new, eh? Like your long, and oft-rumoured collaboration with Suda? "The collaboration with Suda is a little different", Kojima says. "It's something I've been thinking about for about 10 years now, but unfortunately can't concentrate on right now because we're so busy with MGS4".

Pity. So, Devil May Cry 4, going multiplatform. Thoughts? Comments? "I think it's up to each project, and the individual producer", he says. "If they want to take it multiplatform, they will". I'm going somewhere with this question, and he knows exactly where that is...

"But like I said, MGS4 is aimed for the movie theatre, it's aimed for the PS3, so the game's scenario and graphics need this theatre-type hardware. It's when a producer has a game that can work on the 'DVD level' that a game will go multiplatform", he says. Sorry kids. Your "OMGMGS4360" banners will have to come out another day.

Since we've opened up this can of worms, I may as well get his thoughts on it. Why, I ask, do you think this rumour simply refuses to go away? "Because 360 owners want it on 360, obviously", he quips.

Righto. Moving right along, I ask about Kojima Productions. Does having your own company make it easier to focus on games, or are you finding yourself caught up in boring business stuff?

"That's a very difficult question to answer, because I can't really say", he says. "It's both. It's now quicker, the speed of making games is faster. But at the same time, because of this speed you need to make tough business decisions quicker, so it's had both its good and its bad points".

Anyone who's sat through a good, hearty MGS talk-fest knows Kojima loves his movies. So I ask, if you had your time again, would you have still gone into games? Or would you have rather made movies for a crust?

"Well, if I could go back in time to the point where I hadn't created a game yet, and didn't know how much fun they were, then I would probably choose to become a movie director", Kojima says. "But, don't get me wrong, it's really fun to create games, and knowing how much fun games are I'd take the same path. I hope I can continue to create games for as long as I live".

But what about media outside of movies? Do you draw inspiration from books, comics and music? "Well, yes, everything", he says. "Novels, comics, it all effects me and inspires me. I only have 24 hours a day, so I listen to music while I work, I can read books when I get home and only after those, because they take so much time, do I watch movies. But they all inspire me".

And that was that. Charming fellow. And rad MGS4 shirt to boot.

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Disney's Meet the Robinsons US Version

April 2nd, 2007, 22:28 Posted By: wraggster

New from SuccessHK



Disney's Meet the Robinsons, based on the Walt Disney Pictures animated film, is a time-traveling action/adventure game. Players experience the adventure as Wilbur Robinson, helping him chase the dastardly Bowler Hat Guy and his diabolical robotic hat Doris through multiple timelines in an attempt to thwart their evil plans. The game weaves in and out of the film's plot, expanding the Robinson world and offering an all-new adventure. Wilbur will have a host of gadgets at his disposal as he battles enemies and solves puzzles while pursuing Bowler Hat Guy and trying not to alter the future

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Is the PlayStation 3 a Trojan horse to help sell Blu-ray films?

April 2nd, 2007, 22:53 Posted By: wraggster

via guardian

It certainly looks that way to us - particularly after talking to Matt Brown, executive vice president of Sony Pictures Europe, whose job it is to persuade us all to buy Blu-ray media. Formerly with Dreamworks, and steeped in films, Brown declares that "the future is high-definition TV" and that the PS3 - which at £425 in the UK is steeply priced for a games console, but comparatively cheap for a high-definition player (Blu-ray players in the UK cost more than £500) - is "the ultimate home entertainment device". All of which you'd expect him to say. But talking to Brown, it's clear that Sony is happy to take its financial lumps in terms of losses in the games console market if it means guaranteeing a win in the high-definition video war. And the best way to do that? Lose money selling the players, and rake it back by selling the "software" - games and especially films. In the long term, Sony has far more to gain from winning the DVD format wars than it stands to lose in the gaming ones, since it could keep making the PS3 for the next decade.

While the PS3 has not given Sony any clear advantage in the games field, it certainly has in the high-definition DVD market. At the Consumer Electronics Show in January, the HD DVD camp could claim 175,000 players sold in the US, well ahead of Blu-ray. But Sony can now claim a total of 1.8m PS3s sold worldwide (says nexgenwars.com).
Wood thus sounds confident when he claims: "Blu-ray discs are outselling HD DVD by three to one in the US." And, he adds, "if I do a good job then in six months we won't be having a conversation [about formats]. And the PS3 is going to help us do the job ... Potentially, we'll have 10 times more [Blu-ray] players [in the form of PS3s] out there by the end of the year." Projections for Sony by the research company Understanding & Solutions suggest there will be nearly 4m Blu-ray players (including PS3s) installed across Europe by the end of this year, compared to 55,000 HD DVD players; by the end of 2008, it forecasts 13.45m Blu-ray against 1.6m HD DVD drives (which will by then also include computers). For the US, it predicts a smaller gap - although still running 9 to 1 in favour of Blu-ray.

So is it game over for HD DVD? The HD DVD camp said at CES that owners of their players bought an average of 28 discs each, because they had chosen the format, rather than finding it bundled with their games console. Blu-ray owners hadn't bought many discs. But we remember a time when Netscape could claim to have many more people using its browser than Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Then Microsoft bundled the browser, and Netscape went pear-shaped. Someone at Sony has probably remembered their internet history, which says that victory goes to the most widely installed - not necessarily the most widely chosen.

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PSP price drop: Core pack down to $169.99 tomorrow

April 2nd, 2007, 23:35 Posted By: wraggster

via joystiq

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PSPRadio 1.18.1377 Released

April 3rd, 2007, 00:08 Posted By: burrito

Raf has released a new version of his WIfi streaming music app for the PSP, here's whats new:

NEW FEATURES
* (raf) TextUI: Msgbox now goes away after 3sec (not based on frames rendered anymore, but time).
* (raf) Core: (Supported by TextUI) Framerate configuration file is now set globally in PSPRadio.cfg (PLUGINSISPLAY_FPS)
* (raf) TextUI: Now uses GU more; which reduces flickering and improves framerate
* (raf) TextUI: Cleaned up the way stream time and info is displayed while on fullscreen visualization mode.

BUG FIXES

* (raf) Core: PSPRadio would crash on startup if the visualizer plugin was disabled.
* (raf) Core: PSPRadio would crash on startup if the SHOUTcast database (newdb.xml) file was empty.
* (raf) TextUI: Corrected problem where PSPRadio would crash when downloading the SHOUTcast database. (The problem was caused by lack of complete support for values -1 and -2 in the configuration files after the TextUI rendering changes.
* (raf) TextUI: Corrected problem that caused a crash when switching from TextUI3d to TextUI.
* (raf) Core: Corrected problem that caused a crash on restore from suspend mode when the wifi was enabled. Now it will also resume play.
* (raf) Core: Disabled UI rendering while shutting down; this makes sure the “shutting down” screen is not drawn over.

KNOWN BUGS

* (raf) TextUI: When switching skins all the text will disappear. This happens on occasion. Just move up or down for the text to re-render.

OE related Problems on this release

* (raf) Core: Static IP connections don’t work correctly. Seems the gateway is not used as it should. (Also, make sure CPU speed is 222 when establishing a WiFi connection). Possible solution, if you have a proxy server in your network, set it up in PSPRadio.cfg. A static IP may work then. (This is untested).

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Triple Triad PSP v0.4.20 - Groundbreaking MMO for the PSP Released

April 3rd, 2007, 00:55 Posted By: wraggster

Zero-one has finally released a public release of his Homebrew MMO game for the PSP, heres the full details from the readme file:



SPREAD THE WORD

# Triple Triad PSP README #

Homepage : http://www.psp-ita.com/tt (yet to come)
Forum : http://www.psp-ita.com/tt
PSP Python Homepage: http://python-psp.net/trac/

This is a PSP version of the game "Triple Triad" found in Final Fantasy VIII
Triple Triad PSP is not licensed or endorsed by Sony Computer or Square Enix.
This game is ditributed under GPL license, read license.txt for details.

# Installation #

To install the homebrew copy the python directory in the root of your MS,
and the two game directories to x:/PSP/GAME or x:/PSP/GAME150 if under custom firmware.

# Controls #

Cross - Select
Circle - Cancel
Square - Show help (if any available)
L + R - Take a screenshot
L - back (decrease card level list/circle thru invites)
R - forward (increase card level list/circle thru invites)
Select - Player filter
Start - Accept
Arrows - Cursor movement

# HOW TO play Triple Triad PSP on a Windows PC #

Triple Triad PSP can be played also on Windows.

Controls are:
Q = L
W = R
A = Square
S = Triangle
Z = Cross
X = Cirlce
C = Select
V = Start

1.Download Python from http://www.python.org/ftp/python/2.4.4/python-2.4.4.msi
2.Install Python with default settings
3.Download PyGame from http://pygame.org/ftp/pygame-1.7.1re...in32-py2.4.exe
4.Install PyGame with default settings
5.Download the mockup from: http://sakya.altervista.org/new/inde...up.rar&mode=go
6.Copy the directory __SCE__TripleTriadPSP to your PC (rename it as you want).
7.Unrar the files inside the mockup.rar in the __SCE__TripleTriadPSP directory.
8.Double click on the file script.py

# Triple Triad ONLINE #


From version 0.4.20 you can access a full, persistent world online.
You can create your account and play with friends from any part of the globe.
For an exaustive overview of the infrastructure possibilities please refer to our forum topics.

# HOW TO CONTRIBUTE #

Those first releases of TTPSP needs a huge amount of work:
Any help is appreciated in order to deliver the best gaming experience we can.

-Providing a fixed IP server mirror for multiplayer infrastructure.
-Traslating the client language in your own language (see missing languages above for reference)
-Reporting a bug (see the post in our forums @ www.psp-ita.com/tt)

...or just suggesting features you'd like to see!

# Triple Triad PSP TEAM #

Client Coding : Sakya
Server coding : Zero-One
Graphics : Peoplechamp
Nedra
Leviadragon
Lacri255
Sephzero
Musics : Lemuriamu


For comments & suggestions please post in our forums!

# Triple Triad Team would like to thank #

Jerome for the Python porting and for help
PSP-Ita.com forum for support
SiberianStar for his usefull help
Crackiron, Hydra, Guigiz, Kej@ for translations
Chaosflare From hosting the North American server mirror.

Ciao
Triple Triad Team

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Flash Agent H1 | The Best Xmb Editor

April 3rd, 2007, 01:41 Posted By: burrito

Hallo007 has released a new version of his Flash Agent XMB Editor for the PSP.



Heres whats new:

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PSP: Ms Master 2.04bBenchmark Released

April 3rd, 2007, 02:46 Posted By: burrito

via Exophase

New release of the App that backs up your memory sticks:

Im tired of waiting. Source is included. Here it is

Special thanks to Chilly Willy, couldn't have done it with out your help.

UPDATED:7:46pm 04/01
Cleaned up speed test code;
Added educational headers to explain

* back up ms
* restore ms
* bind ms to one of 3 backups
* template dumping for redundant backups
* Backup Gamesaves
* restore Gamesaves
* utils folder for easy backup / restore
* mycomputer right click options
* Dump Ms to Template dir
* restore MS from Template dir
* backup seplugins folder (right click menu)
* restore seplugins option (gui)
* * *new* added ability to change install dir
* * *new* made it so msbind icon doesn't reconfigure every time
* * *NEW* Timestamp on plugin , gamesave and template backups
* * *NEW* Ms Speed test Benchmark in gui options
Code optimizations

Yay Pictures!!

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Nomura Talks Kingdom Hearts Sequel

April 3rd, 2007, 02:59 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

With Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix + Re: Chain of Memories at last out in Japan, Tetsuya Nomura and crew can now devote all their energy to their next project. And that appears to be another Kingdom Hearts game, or at least another tie-up with Disney. But is it Kingdom Hearts III?

Speaking with Japan's Gemaga and Dengeki PlayStation publications, Nomura gave a few hints on the new project, which he's previously hinted would see formal announcement later this year.

Gemaga asked if the characters who appear in the new CG "secret movie" that has been added to Final Mix are from the new title. "They are people who have some relation to the new series. However the next title won't just be Kingdom Hearts III. If it were III, we wouldn't call it a new series."

Asked if Sora and Riku would make an appearance in the new game, he said with a laugh, "I can't say." He also hinted that the new game would have something to do with Xehanort, the main villain of the Kingdom Hearts series.

He was just as direct when Dengeki PlayStation asked for some details on the new title. "First, it's not Kingdom Hearts III. Of course, because we're calling it a 'new' series, it won't be KHIII. Also, it's a series, so it probably won't be just one title."

Nomura once again promised an announcement of the new game, whatever it may be, some time this year. In the meanwhile, he suggested that players attempt to unlock the Final Mix secret movie and starting imagining.

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Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Hands-on

April 3rd, 2007, 03:01 Posted By: wraggster

It's no secret that 2007 is going to be a big year for online shooters. Shadowrun, Unreal Tournament 3 and Team Fortress 2 are all to hit shelves before the year's end, and Splash Damage's Enemy Territory: Quake Wars will likely see retail release as well. We say likely because during a recent play session with the title, neither id Software nor Splash Damage representatives were willing to specify an exact date. Rather, they repeatedly told us it'll be done when it's done, and were focusing on a 2007 release for PC. As for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, little information was available. Console gamers can expect the versions to be content identical to the PC, and be finished when they're finished as well.

While id Software and Splash Damage were hesitant to talk about their high profile shooter competition, they were more than happy to talk about the PC version of Quake Wars. The game is structured much like Splash Damage's 2003 free multiplayer download Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. As either Strogg or Global Defense Force, you pick one of five classes, each with its own special abilities, and fan out with your team over each of the game's large maps. Before hopping in you'll need to review the map objectives, since they're more complicated than going prone under a flag until it's captured. On a map called Sewer, the GDF need to break the Strogg's hold on a sewage facility in Japan, a process undertaken in stages. First, the GDF need to send an Engineer class to construct an EMP disruptor outside the facility to gain access. Next, a few Soldier class players have to swarm the facility and plant explosives on sewer grates to bust into an underground area. Finally, to secure victory, a Covert Ops class is required to hack the plant's main controls.

Full Article at IGN

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More Darkness Impressions

April 3rd, 2007, 03:04 Posted By: wraggster

It's the middle of the afternoon and we're sitting in absolute pitch black trying to eat what feels and tastes like some kind of duck curry. The reason we're fondling round a plate in the dark is because we're about to get a long-awaited hands-on with The Darkness - 2K Games's upcoming comic-based supernatural shooter. Beforehand though, we're having lunch in a place called Dans Le Noir, a restaurant where you eat in absolute darkness, for larks. See what the event organisers did there? Those clever PR people.

Those black tendrils replace the HUB and show health/dark power.
Even with the crushing panic attacks, the numerous stains down our front - having blindly tackled a pudding - and the endless recurring flashbacks of stifling, claustrophobic horror every time we shut our eyes, it was still worth it. You see, The Darkness is shaping up to be one of this year's most imaginative titles - but then we'd expect nothing less from Starbreeze, developer of the excellent Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. Despite only playing a three-level demo, we came away from The Darkness feeling suitably impressed.

Full Article at IGN

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EMI deal allows PSP users to use iTunes?

April 3rd, 2007, 03:06 Posted By: wraggster

via pspfanboy

As reported on Engadget, Apple and EMI today announced their plans to offer music files without DRM protection on the iTunes Store. Although the new files will cost 30 cents more ($1.29), they will come at a much higher bitrate (256kbps) and will no longer have copyright protection. PSP-Vault intelligently points out that these unprotected files should work in PSP systems, as most firmware revisions allow the playback of AAC audio files.

For now, the option to purchase unprotected files will only apply to artists under the EMI label. Wikipedia lists many of the artists signed to the record giant. While it'll be great to have fully unrestricted access to music in the future, this is a great first step for PSP owners that want to purchase their music legally from a service other than Sony's failing Connect store.

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Personal Media Manager v2.92

April 3rd, 2007, 03:11 Posted By: wraggster

The Media manager gets another release and this time has support for PS3 too.

Heres whats new:

General:

Relook picture form
Add PS3 movie encoding
Manage picture:
Relook picture form
Manage movie:
Corrected some bugs MOV files encoding
Add PS3 movie encoding
Convert movie to PS3 format with bitrate and resolution selection : 640x480 to 1920x1072
Add PSP firmware 3.30 (with movie encoding on 720 x 480)
Configure path:
Add PS3 movie encoding
Add PSP firmware 3.30 (with movie encoding on 720 x 480)

Download Here

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Personal Media Manager v2.92

April 3rd, 2007, 03:11 Posted By: wraggster

The Media manager gets another release and this time has support for PS3 too.

Heres whats new:

General:

Relook picture form
Add PS3 movie encoding
Manage picture:
Relook picture form
Manage movie:
Corrected some bugs MOV files encoding
Add PS3 movie encoding
Convert movie to PS3 format with bitrate and resolution selection : 640x480 to 1920x1072
Add PSP firmware 3.30 (with movie encoding on 720 x 480)
Configure path:
Add PS3 movie encoding
Add PSP firmware 3.30 (with movie encoding on 720 x 480)

Download Here

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Openbor v2.061 Released

April 3rd, 2007, 03:30 Posted By: wraggster

Samurai X and co have updated the Open Beats of Rage port to the PSP.

Heres the main whats new:

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PSP LUA Software Studio --NEW! (April 1st Build)

April 3rd, 2007, 03:34 Posted By: wraggster

Maniac posted this news/release of his Software Studio for the PSP.

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Acidmods Strike again

April 3rd, 2007, 03:40 Posted By: wraggster

Foofoo posted this news at his site:

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Prince of Persia Rival Swords US Version

April 3rd, 2007, 07:35 Posted By: wraggster

New from SuccessHK



In Prince of Persia Rival Swords, the Prince makes his way home to Babylon, bearing with him Kaileena, the enigmatic Empress of Time, and unspeakable scars from the Island of Time. But instead of the peace he longs for, he finds his kingdom ravaged by war and Kaileena the target of a brutal plot. When she is kidnapped, the Prince tracks her to the palace ?only to see her murdered by a powerful enemy. Her death unleashes the Sands of Time, which strike the Prince and threaten to destroy everything he holds dear. Cast out on the streets, hunted as a fugitive, the Prince soon discovers that the Sands have tainted him, too. They have given rise to a deadly Dark Prince, whose spirit gradually possesses him.

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Test Drive Unlimited US Version

April 3rd, 2007, 07:38 Posted By: wraggster

New from SuccessHK



A portable version entry in the respected Test Drive franchise, based on Eden Studios' next-gen Test Drive Unlimited. Test Drive Unlimited system retain most of the core gameplay features of next-gen games, including endless miles of streaming Hawaiian roads, server-based online play, over 70 luxury supercars, multiplayer and single-player modes, player-created races, car upgrades and downloadable content. Packed with many of the world's most luxurious vehicles, more than one thousand miles of open Hawaiian roads, a challenging single player game and a host of online options for PSP, Test Drive Unlimited is M.O.O.R.: Massively Open Online Racing. In addition, enhancements have been made to the single player game with an Arcade Race mode for snack-sized play.

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Exclusive shots from the weird Dead Head Fred

April 3rd, 2007, 14:57 Posted By: wraggster

Twisted noir. That's what Dead Head Fred is described as, a weird third-person action-adventure heading to PSP that stars a headless detective who can stick on new bonces to tackle various situations. So, in fact, it's a bit like Worzel Gummidge - but even scarier, if that's actually possible.

We've got some exclusive screenshots from the game for you to check out. Don't lose your head!

Anyway, you play former sleuth Fred Neuman who's been brutally murdered - then resurrected in a bizarre scientific experiment - and is attempting to solve the crime. We're promised plenty of violence and humour as Fred tackles malformed mutants, ghoulish gangsters and crazy mob bosses on his quest for justice.

Dead Head Fred, developed by Vicious Cycle, is due out on PSP this summer.

Screens at CVG

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No cross-platform play for Quake Wars

April 3rd, 2007, 15:06 Posted By: wraggster

id Software has revealed that cross-platform play won't be a feature of the forthcoming Enemy Territory: Quake Wars.

"Console players will not play against PC players", id's Kevin Cloud told GameZone in a recent interview on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 multiplayer action game.

Cloud explained that it isn't a case that it can't be done, but obviously a serious challenge to deliver a level playing field across platforms, "Consoles require a certain [adaptation], and that wasn't something that we wanted to take on".

However, he did say that id wants to bring the Quake Wars console experience "up to speed with the PC version... We may do some adjustments to bots, but we want the experience to be the same on PC and consoles."

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars combines action with a dose of RTS-style features and finds Earth's Global Defence Force battling the Strogg war machine. It's expected to release later this year.

via cvg

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PSP price drop "US only" says Sony

April 3rd, 2007, 15:08 Posted By: wraggster

via cvg

Major US retailers, GameStop and EB Games, have today dropped the price of the PSP Core Packs by $30 from $199.99 to $169.99.

This is said to be part of plan to help PSP better compete with the DS, which is outselling the PSP by as much as than three-to-one in some regions. If it proves to be effective, we could hopefully see other retailers, maybe even in UK, follow suit.

However, there's no sign of a UK price drop from the current £150 tag, with a Sony representative this morning telling CVG "it's a US-only thing" at the moment.

The Core Pack is the most basic package, including only the PSP, the battery and the adaptor, lacking the 1GB Memory Stick and UMD that comes with the Entertainment Pack, which will continue to retail for $250.

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Silicone Grip Cover 3 *Black* for PS3

April 3rd, 2007, 15:15 Posted By: wraggster

New from Divineo China



Protect your Playstation 3 Six Axis controller while improving your grip with this silicon protective cover. Effective against scratches, small shocks, and sweaty hands! Available in Black or Clear version.

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Worms Open Warfare 2 pops up

April 3rd, 2007, 15:34 Posted By: wraggster

Via Eurogamer

THQ has confirmed in its latest release schedule that we'll be seeing more wriggly Worms on handhelds this summer.

Worms Open Warfare 2 is due to appear on DS and PSP in July - just four months after the arrival of the first game.

Unfortunately THQ was unable to offer us any comment on what we could expect to change in this offering, but it will almost certainly attempt to iron out problems that stopped the original reaching its full potential.

Also new to our hive-mind was a listing for DS title Drawn To Life, scribbled down for a September release.

Here you'll be challenged to grasp your stylus and populate the world with your creations, ranging from characters and animals, up to planets - literally painting the night sky.

You'll then be able to explore the entire world, battling through scrolling platform levels with your freshly made creations. And don't worry, if you're cack-handed like us, then you'll be pleased to know there are a slew of templates to use to get you started.

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Weekly Special: Sony's innovative game LocoRoco for PSP™ at US$14.99

April 3rd, 2007, 16:43 Posted By: wraggster

New weekly offer from Play Asia



Weekly Special: Sony's innovative action platform/puzzle mix LocoRoco for PSP™ at US$ 14.90 only - offer valid for 1 week

From the publisher: The peaceful world of the LocoRoco are under attack by the not-so-nice Moja Corps! These evil outer space creatures have come to take the LocoRoco from their land of blowing flowers, lively creatures and pastel scenery.

As the planet where the LocoRoco inhabit, you must move them through more than 40 levels of slippery slopes, teetering platforms and maze-like passages. The LocoRoco have the uncanny ability to fluidly "morph" to their landscape, so all you need is to tilt, roll and bounce the happy "blob-like" creatures to safety!

Sony's innovative PSP™ action platform/puzzle mix LocoRoco is now available at discounted US$ 14.90 only. This is the region free English/Chinese Asia release version of the game.

Game features:

Roll, Bounce and Tilt the LocoRoco through a vibrantly animated world.
Fluidly Morph to the Environment: Stay round to roll, become slim to squeeze through narrow passages, and disassemble into smaller LocoRoco to collectively pass through small crevasses and paths.
Eat to increase the size and quantity of LocoRoco and to gain access to secret areas and hidden rewards.
Simple Intuitive Gameplay: Just press the L and R buttons to tilt the landscape or bump the LocoRoco onto higher platforms and up hillsides.
Over 40 Stages of lush living landscapes: Roll across grassy plains and slippery slopes. Bounce and balance on teetering platforms.
Six Different Types of LocoRoco, each with unique voices and actions.
Captivating, light-hearted original songs communicate the joyous world of the LocoRoco.
Extras features include the customizable LocoHouse, three mini-games, and exciting wireless features.
As usually, this weekly special is valid for exactly 1 week (if not sold out earlier) and this time limited to a maximum purchase of 3 units per customer.

Buy from Play Asia

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Naruto Shippuuden: Narutimate Accel

April 3rd, 2007, 16:46 Posted By: wraggster

New for PS2:



Naruto Shippuuden: Narutimate Accel is a Japanese fighting game for the Playstation 2 based on the anime and manga series Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto. It is the fourth title in the Narutimate (Ultimate Ninja) series and the first Naruto game based on the Naruto Shippuuden anime series, which is based on the second part of the manga.

Like previous installments of the Narultimate series you're going to get to explore Konoha village. This time you are looking at the post time skip, Shippuuden world with a grown up Naruto. Exploration hasn't been a major focus of the Narultimate Hero series, but CyberConnect2 has always woven it in somehow. The core game is still a 2D fighter and includes the four main characters Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi and Deidara.

A first batch of Bandai's Naruto Shippuuden: Narutimate Accel for PlayStation2™ has arrived today, covering around 50% of all preorders. More supply will be dispatched from Japan tomorrow, however won't ship until coming Tuesday due to the long public holiday break between April 5th until April 9th.

Buy Naruto Shippuuden: Narutimate Accel

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Medal of Honor: Vanguard

April 3rd, 2007, 16:47 Posted By: wraggster

New for PS2:



features
True-to-life encounters test your strategies and reflexes on the battlefield.
Choose to run and gun in order to storm the Axis defenses, or use your sniper rifle to carefully pick off foes from behind cover.
Engage the enemy on the most visually stunning Medal of Honor battlefields to date. Listen Up, Soldier
Your allies provide the tactical info you need to survive in an explosive and ever-changing war zone.

description
Medal of Honor Vanguard is the latest video game from EA's acclaimed Medal of Honor™ franchise, credited with pioneering the WWII first-person shooter genre after its debut in 1999.

Join the ranks of the elite 82nd Airborne Division as Corporal Frank Keegan in Medal of Honor Vanguard. From Operation Husky on the shores of Sicily to your Operation Varsity airdrop inside Nazi Germany, you'll jump behind enemy lines to fight the epic WWII battles that turned America's first paratroopers into heroes of WWII. Choose from a variety of authentic, customizable weapons at your disposal, each with distinct characteristics. Featuring spectacular graphics and all-out combat intensity, Medal of Honor Vanguard makes you the driving force in the struggle to liberate Europe.

The Medal of Honor Vanguard development team continues to ensure that the ideals and integrity of the prestigious congressional Medal of Honor are accurately reflected in the game. The producers sought counsel from numerous expert sources to make certain the game is historically accurate and as true to the WWII experience as possible.

Buy Medal of Honor: Vanguard

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(Release) PSPirate´s Alarm Clock

April 3rd, 2007, 21:30 Posted By: mexicansnake

" PSPirate´s Alarm Clock V0.1 by:

"MEXICANSNAKE <---------------------------------- Main Coder.
"DEANAW22 <--------- Artist and coding helping.

The vacations started and I was bored so I coded this.



This is a new kind of clock alarm: a video game alarm .
We now that this app its really simple, but its really useful and fun.

It has animations, analog clock, digital clock, date, PSP version spoof, battery level indicator
etc etc etc...

The alarm´s signal is the sigle mode of PSPirates, dont worry the game will start in the
next 10 secs after the alarm is activated (you will listen a song).


You can Turn on / off the alarm.

Controls (Alarm):
- R => Alarm set : minutes
- L => Alarm set : hours
- Start => Turn on / off the alarm
- Select => Extit to the XMB

Controls (In Game):

- X => Shoot
- Start => Return to the main menu

We hope you like it.

Please post your comments!:thumbup:

This ONLY works on the PSP

Please report any bugs.

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Lair swoops in with 14 new screens

April 3rd, 2007, 22:01 Posted By: wraggster

Lair was one of the first playable games shown on PS3, with its impressive wide-open and detailed environments, and neat use of the Sixaxis tilt controls.

Here, we have 14 more screens showing off the beautiful water effects and the awesome detail on the dragons. And it looks better in motion on a nice big 1080p-enabled TV, believe us.

But we don't want to look at it no more. We want to play the full game, in which you fly around on huge dragons battling with other giant flying beasts in insanely chaotic battles. We enjoyed it when we got an early look at a playable demo.

It's no surprise that it's cool - it's being developed by Factor 5, the guys responsible for the awesome Rogue Squadron games on GameCube.

So when is it coming out? Not until September, according to the most recent release schedule. Hopefully the time being put into the game will help make sure it's as good as we hope when it finally does land on PS3.

Screens Here

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PS3 sales down 82 per cent

April 3rd, 2007, 22:09 Posted By: wraggster

Sales of the PlayStation 3 have dropped dramatically on the second week of release in the UK, with official Chart Track figures revealing a fall of 82 per cent, GamesIndustry.biz is reporting.

Chart Track data is gathered from 7000 UK retail outlets representing 90 per cent of the software market, including GAME, Gamestation, Play.com, Asda and HMV.

A spokesperson for Chart Track confirmed the figure to GamesIndustry.biz this afternoon, stating: "Yes, sales of PS3 hardware have dropped by 82 per cent."

Last week, Chart Track revealed that the PlayStation 3 had sold 165,000 units in the first two days following the launch, making it the fastest-selling home console in the UK.

"We publish the first week figures because there's such a clamour for them that we can't keep it a secret," said the spokesperson.

This week's software charts revealed that sales of the top two PlayStation 3 titles, Resistance: Fall of Man and MotorStorm, had dropped by over 60 per cent.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe declined to comment.

via eurogamer

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Shadow Hearts 3 coming to New World of Europe

April 3rd, 2007, 22:19 Posted By: wraggster

European fans of quirky Japanese role-playing games will be breathing a sigh of relief today because Shadow Hearts: From the New World is officially dated for Europe. After a wait of well over a year since the game released in North America and nearly two years since its debut in Japan, it seemed as if PAL regions might have been forgotten. Not so--the PlayStation 2 game is now penciled in for a May release date, courtesy of publishing company Ghostlight.

The game is the first in the Shadow Hearts series to switch location away from a European setting and into the New World of the Americas. Set in 1929, it focuses on a motley band of characters, including Johnny Garland, a 16-year-old private detective, and Shania, a Native American woman who possesses the ablility to fuse with powerful spirits.

Johnny witnesses an evil demon coming through a "window" whilst working on a missing person's case and becomes determined to discover the truth behind the apparition. His quest takes him to locations including New York, Las Vegas, and Roswell.

Shadow Hearts: From the New World also features the judgment ring system, as used in the previous two series incarnations, and adds the stock system, where characters can build up power to use special attacks and perform powerful combo attacks.

Developed by Azure, the game was originally released on July 23, 2005, in Japan and on March 7, 2006, in the US. It will be arriving in PAL regions in May 2007.

via gamespot

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PSP firmware 3.30 OE Release in 48-72 hours

April 3rd, 2007, 22:53 Posted By: burrito

via PspGen

SPREAD THIS NEWS

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Radiant new screens from Tales of the World

April 4th, 2007, 07:40 Posted By: wraggster

Namco Bandai just sent us some screenshots of Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology, reminding us that this action RPG is only a few months away. Fans will love seeing their favorite Tales stars return in this fan service-filled title. In addition, the US release will feature slight gameplay tweaks from the original.

Check past the cut to see ten more screenshots from the English build of the game.

Screens/News at PSPfanboy

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Official: SCEA Drops Price on PSP

April 4th, 2007, 07:41 Posted By: wraggster

Another viewpoint on the recent pricedrop from gamedaily:

If you've been waiting for a price drop before picking up Sony's PSP, you're in luck. Effective today, SCEA has slashed the price on its portable to $169.99. Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian believes this will have a modest effect on overall PSP sales.


In honor of the PSP's second anniversary, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) has indeed cut the price on its portable by $30. This was strongly rumored yesterday. The PSP Core Pack will now retail for $169.99 across North America. In conjunction with this price drop, SCEA also announced that it's adding both Daxter and Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror to the PSP "Greatest Hits" collection.


"We have always been passionate about making great entertainment accessible to everyone, and the new price for PSP, as well as the continued growth of the 'Greatest Hits' library, reflect our ongoing commitment to supporting and expanding the PSP community," commented Jack Tretton, president and CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "We are pleased that we are able to engineer savings for the consumer at this stage of PSP's lifecycle, allowing more individuals to experience PSP for the first time. In particular, we have recently seen a steady rise in the number of teens adopting PSP as their primary handheld entertainment system, and we expect the new price will accelerate that trend."


Sony noted that through December 31, 2006, hardware shipments for PSP rose to 25 million worldwide while software shipments increased to over 90 million units. Although the PSP is trailing the Nintendo DS, Sony is confident in its portable business and hopes to see more growth in 2007 with titles from franchises like God of War, Ratchet & Clank, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs, and Syphon Filter.


"Ready At Dawn couldn't be more pleased with our success bringing Daxter to the PSP platform last year, and now we have another opportunity to blow away expectations of what a developer can accomplish on a portable when Kratos hits the 'small screen' in God of War," said Didier Malenfant, co-founder and president, Ready At Dawn Studios. "PSP is an ideal platform for us to work on because we have a high level of freedom to be creative, and we can deliver gameplay experiences that rival ones you'd get from a computer entertainment system."


Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Markets is somewhat encouraged by the PSP price cut, noting that the lower price should give the PSP a "shot in the arm." He said, "Importantly, this is the first formal price cut on the PSP since its launch in March 2005 (core model launched in March 2006). Sony is planning to support the pricing move with a new print and online marketing campaign targeted at young adults and teens... We expect a modest step-up in PSP unit sales during an otherwise seasonally slower period for the video game industry. We note that a Wal-Mart promotion on Black Friday last year generated significant sales volume for the PSP at a discounted price of $169, providing one indication of potential consumer demand. We also believe the potential release of Gran Turismo for the PSP in 2H2007 could further boost unit sales. In terms of software, we believe hardware price cuts can positively affect game sales with an expanding installed base as well as additional foot traffic in retail stores."


Sebastian added, "It is too early to conclude whether Sony's pricing action will cause game developers to increase the pipeline of new PSP titles; however, several publishers publicly called on Sony to lower the PSP price and broaden the consumer end market. At the new $169 price, we note that the PSP is still $40 higher than Nintendo's DS."

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Daxter and Syphon Filter added to Greatest Hits

April 4th, 2007, 07:44 Posted By: wraggster

via pspfanboy

The $30 price drop isn't exclusive to GameStop/EB Games--it's universal. But, that's not where the savings end. Sony has also added two more games to PSP's Greatest Hits lineup: Daxter and Syphon Filter.

According to the press release, "We have always been passionate about making great entertainment accessible to everyone, and the new price for PSP, as well as the continued growth of the 'Greatest Hits' library, reflect our ongoing commitment to supporting and expanding the PSP community," said Jack Tretton, president and CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "We are pleased that we are able to engineer savings for the consumer at this stage of PSP's lifecycle, allowing more individuals to experience PSP for the first time. In particular, we have recently seen a steady rise in the number of teens adopting PSP as their primary handheld entertainment system, and we expect the new price will accelerate that trend."

Sony also reminds players that the future of PSP is quite bright, especially with the upcoming God of War: "Ready At Dawn couldn't be more pleased with our success bringing Daxter to the PSP platform last year, and now we have another opportunity to blow away expectations of what a developer can accomplish on a portable when Kratos hits the 'small screen' in God of War," said Didier Malenfant, co-founder and president, Ready At Dawn Studios. "PSP is an ideal platform for us to work on because we have a high level of freedom to be creative, and we can deliver gameplay experiences that rival ones you'd get from a computer entertainment system."

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PS3 auction goes horribly wrong

April 4th, 2007, 12:39 Posted By: wraggster

The column should have appeared in Edge magazine, but as its author explains, "my column has been pulled from the next issue, because it was felt to be too much of a personal attack on a certain individual."

We've had a look as Mr Biffo has posted the entire article on his website and we believe it to be more on the embarrassing side of things rather than a full-on personal attack on the Sony head of studios Phil Harrison.

The story involves Phil Harrison, PS3 and a Marillion gig in Amsterdam. Intrigued? Hit this link for what is bound to be Mr Biffo's most read page EVER!

via cvg

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Wii outsells PS3 2-to-1 in Japan

April 4th, 2007, 12:41 Posted By: wraggster

A research report has revealed that Nintendo Wii is outselling PS3 more than 2-to-1 in Japan.

The Enterbrain report says that Nintendo has sold 1.95 million units of Wii as of March 25. The console launched in Japan December 2, 2006 last year. Sony, on the other hand, has sold 812,000 of its latest console since November 11.

Bloomberg says that "As the PlayStation 3 loses market share in Japan, it becomes more difficult for Sony to recoup investment in the machine."

If there was ever a time when PS3 needed some killer games to come along, it's got to be now. Especially with reports flying around the web that sales in the UK of the machine have fallen drastically since launch on March 23.

via cvg

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Publishers urged Sony to cut PSP price, says analyst

April 4th, 2007, 12:44 Posted By: wraggster

Following yesterday's news that Sony has docked a fistful of dollars off the US price of PSP, comes an analyst saying that a PSP price cut is just the "shot in the arm" it needed.

Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian clearly welcomes the move and hopes to see a lot more activity surrounding the handheld moving forward. "This is the first formal price cut on the PSP since its launch in March 2005, he said in a report on GameDaily.

Sony now plans support the move with a new marketing campaign aimed squarely at young adults and teens: "We expect a modest step-up in PSP unit sales during an otherwise seasonally slower period for the video game industry. We also believe the potential release of Gran Turismo for the PSP in 2H2007 could further boost unit sales." If GT PSP ever comes pout, we're sure it would sell a couple of units, it's not like you're going to be playing GT5 on PS3 for while is it?

So, in summing up, "It is too early to conclude whether Sony's pricing action will cause game developers to increase the pipeline of new PSP titles; however, several publishers publicly called on Sony to lower the PSP price and broaden the consumer end market. At the new $169 price, we note that the PSP is still $40 higher than Nintendo's DS."

via cvg

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Crave spells out new DS, PSP game

April 4th, 2007, 13:05 Posted By: wraggster

via gamespot

With the success of puzzle games like Sudoku and brain-teasing games such as Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day, publishers are looking to capitalize on gamers' new interest in their noggins. The next subject invading handhelds appears to be spelling, as Crave is getting set to test gamers' orthography.

The publisher has announced Spelling Challenges and More! for the DS and PlayStation Portable. The game is due out this summer and will retail for $19.99.

The game will feature a game show mode hosted by Mr. Niceguy, who will award prizes and cash for correct answers. Other modes include a variety of word games revolving around the 25,000 words in Spelling Challenges and More!'s memory.

It wouldn't be a proper spelling challenge without a little competition. Gamers can also try their hand at Ubisoft's Spelling Spree, due out in June on the DS and Wii.

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PS3: GTA IV Trailer - Ten things you didn't see

April 4th, 2007, 13:24 Posted By: Tree

Computer and video games

The internet was grinded to a halt last night by the arrival of the first massive trailer of this year's biggest game, the legendary fourth instalment of Grand Theft Auto. Hit this link and download it now, in case you've just woken up.

After pushing our office hours to the very limit and wrestling with old Captain Bandwidth to get at the biggest video size possible, we've dissected to the GTA IV trailer thoroughly and picked out all of its little secrets you may have missed the first time around.

So magnifying glass in hand, here's what we've discovered...


It's Liberty City!
Despite internet reports claiming otherwise, GTA IV is indeed set (at least partially) in Liberty City - or more likely Liberty State, the area beyond Liberty City. If you're still not convinced, you can see the words 'Liberty City' plastered on a docked tanker in the trailer, a ferry and of course there's also a glimpse of the 'LCPD' patrolling the GTA IV streets.

As you can see from the comparison screenshots at the bottom of the page, the layout of GTA IV's Liberty City seems to resemble we remember from the PS2 - though obviously there's a whole lot of extra detail washed onto the streets.

As for what's beyond the walls of the famous GTA III locale, the trailer confirms GTA versions of the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty and a fun park including rollercoaster, which were all missing from the PS2 instalment.

The time setting
While there's already plenty of debate over what time setting the next game takes place in, there are plenty of cues in the trailer to suggest a modern day setting for GTA IV.

The vehicles in the trailer all look pretty 2007 to us - including a BMW look-a-like and a sports car that has a very post-2000 design. There are also plenty of advertisements plastered around Liberty City that also cropped-up in the 90s-set GTA III, including Burger Shot and Cluckin' Bell.


Is that really the main Character?
The narrator in the trailer is a Russian character whose background seems to revolve around murder, smuggling and erm, selling people. The internet is already shouting from the electronic rooftops that this Eastern European chap will be the main protagonist in GTA IV, but really the trailer confirms nothing of the sort.

What it does confirms is that the story will somehow bring Eastern Europeans into the equations, which leads us to wonder what's happened to the Leone kingpins from GTA III.


Hit the water
Multiple-viewings make the GTA IV trailer's emphasis on water-based travel even more apparent; there are shots of bridges, ferry ports, a dock and some of the prettiest water effects we've seen to date in a sandbox game.

A realistically floating buoy 16 seconds in seems to suggest dynamic water physics for the fourth instalment, and of course you can see the gorgeous refraction effects later on in the trailer. A spot of boating for GTA IV seems a near-cert then, but - for as much as we hope - we just can't see jet-skiing going down in the Liberty City harbour.

Cast Your RAGE
As has always been heavily assumed, the next GTA ditches Renderware to make use of the graphically-spectacular Table Tennis RAGE engine (Rockstar Advanced Game Engine).

The confirmation comes from a Rockstar representative who told Gamespot: "We can confirm that all footage in the trailer was captured directly from 720p gameplay running real time in our Rage engine on a next-gen gaming console."

And the engine seems to be working well for the series - as you can see from the trailer tech-wise GTA IV is looking very impressive.


Super Pedestrian
We're expecting lots of advancements in how realistically the inhabitants of Liberty City live and work, but already there are a number of improvements on show in the short teaser.

At the beginning of the video you can see that the driver of the blue sports car is adjusting his rear-view mirror - a very nice touch indeed that we would never have seen working on the PS2. The pedestrians on the streets also have fully-modelled faces and carry groceries and books, which certainly adds a more realistic vibe to surroundings that the aimlessly-walking residents in GTA III.

The funny is back!
Oldschool movie buffs will recognize the spoof reference in the GTA IV trailer straight away; the music is from Godfrey Reggio's Koyaanisqatsi, a dialogue-less documentary film from the early eighties that mixed landscape footage with a rolling soundtrack. The music, in case your wondering, is a piece from minimalist composer Philip Glass, who created the music for Koyaanisqatsi.

Further proving that GTA hasn't lost it's trademark humour are the plethora of fake adverts available for glimpse in the video, including upcoming TV show "America's Next Top Hooker" and "Sprunk", a beverage we probably won't picking up on the next trip round Tesco.

You can checkout the Koyaanisqatsi trailer here. Anyone for a cool glass of "Piswasser"?


Visit Vice City!
Keen-eyed viewers with seriously-ninja Photoshop skills will notice an interesting in-game ad five seconds into the trailer. On the top left of the shot just above the wall is a sign that says "Visit Vice City - $300", leading many internet forums to explode with messages of "OMG!!11 MULTIPLE CITIEZ IN GTAIV!1"

So yeah, we might be getting a tiny bit ahead of ourselves taking this tiniest of glimpses as evidence that GTA IV will contain multiple, country-wide locals, but what would be more next-gen than a trip to all three cities that we've explored so vigorously on PS2? Having said that, would Vice City even look like Vice City in a modern day setting?


Doc Oc attacks!
Another one for the eagle-eyed among us is the brief glimpse of a cable car travelling behind a bridge 30 seconds in to the trailer, leading us to fantasise over the Spider-Man-style mischief we could have jumping around fighting an imaginary Doctor Octopus.

Having said that, we're hoping Spidey's influence stretches all over GTA IV; we just can't look at that massive Crysler building without planning a Crackdown-style route up to the top, and it would be an absolute crime if we can't base-jump from one of those skyscrapers.

Clever birds
Going from the trailer, we can see that the birds and pigeons in GTA IV are detailed and have some sort of behaviour system going on - which should please virtual game hunters everywhere.

In one scene you can see a seagull flying underneath a bridge, and in another we get a glimpse of two pigeons sitting on a statue. Will we be able to chase those dirty flying-rats through the streets? Pick them out of the skies with high-calibre rifles? At this point we'd bet money on it. (CVG doesn't condone the harming of pigeons).

Thanks to GTAForums.com for comparison shots (that have been stripped from the trailer). If you want to see the better quality shots, hit this link.

See anything we may have missed? Let the world know below.

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Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai Another Road

April 4th, 2007, 13:28 Posted By: wraggster



New from Play Asia

Dragon Ball Z® Shin Budokai™: Another Road takes the intense fighting dynamics made popular in the 2006 PSP® hit game, Dragon Ball Z Shin Budokai™, and takes it to new heights with exciting features to please long-time Dragon Ball fans and those new to the franchise. Dragon Ball Z Shin Budokai™: Another Road offers a completely new story following the favorite character, Trunks on his adventures fighting against his rival Majin Buu in the future. With thrilling combative gameplay such as counter-attacks, super high-speed bouts, flight and Ki energy management, gamers will have the power to play heroes and villains from the worlds of the DBZ, Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball movies. The game also features an improved camera system for more dynamic battles and an improved fighting system with over 50 additional fighting skills and ultimate attacks, allowing for a smoother battle experience.

Using a portable Ad-hoc network, Dragon Ball Z® Shin Budokai: Another Road allows explosive wireless two-player battles with 24 playable characters with in-game transformations to more powerful forms. With the improved fighting system and high-speed Ad-hoc battles, Dragon Ball fans can enjoy in single-player or multi-player modes the completely new “what if” scenario of Trunks future adventures.

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College Hoops 2K7 US Version

April 4th, 2007, 13:46 Posted By: wraggster

New from SuccessHK

Remember all PS3 Games are REGION FREE



Shoot for the Final Four with the 2007 entry in Visual Concepts' and 2K Sports' college b-ball game. Leadership makes a difference this year, as team chemistry plays a vital role in a team's performance--especially come tournament time. The college atmosphere is fully realized with updated mascots, improved crowd interaction and more fight songs. Also featured are over 325 NCAA Division 1 schools and a deep legacy mode.

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Full Auto 2: Battlelines US Version

April 4th, 2007, 13:47 Posted By: wraggster

New from SuccessHK

Remember all PS3 Games are REGION FREE



Combine raw horsepower with awesome firepower in a race that demands both precision aim and breakneck speed. Fierce combat-racing ensues as you strategically use destruction to win races as well as leave massive devastation in your wake. Players can destroy the environment to dynamically change track conditions to block competitors, open new paths, or crush opponents with falling debris caused by well-timed missiles. Full Auto 2: Battlelines has been fully re-designed over the original, introducing a new Arena Mode featuring team play and six different levels. Across 20 regular combat-racing tracks, players can get behind the wheel of 25 different vehicles ranging from classic muscle cars and low riders to monstrous SUVs and industrial vehicles, each of which can be customized with more than 20 explosive weapons as well as multiple paint schemes and wheel styles.

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The Godfather: The Don's Edition Asian Version Engish

April 4th, 2007, 13:48 Posted By: wraggster

New from SuccessHK

Remember all PS3 Games are REGION FREE



The book by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola's classic film serve as dual inspirations for Electronic Arts' action/adventure The Godfather. In it gamers can join the Corleone family to exploit loyalties and fear as they rise through the ranks to become Don in 20th century New York City. Carry out orders, earn respect, and make the Big Apple all your own. This expanded edition for PlayStation 3 offers brand new ways to go from Street Soldier to Don as you gain control of the streets of New York. Follow the path an Enforcer or Operator; each with its own unique perks and abilities to earn. Now you can chat up specific characters to get the skinny on dirty cops, take down two additional revised compounds of rival Families, execute five new contract hits, and call in larger Corleone Hit Squads when the going gets tough.

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NBA Street Homecourt Asian Version English

April 4th, 2007, 13:50 Posted By: wraggster

New from SuccessHK

Remember all PS3 Games are REGION FREE



A next-gen entry in EA's rim-rockin', arcade-style street ball game. This entry in the franchise still allows you to throw down and go to town on others like any other NBA Street meet, but its focus is all about basketball giving hope to the streets that the sport is known in. Downtown streets are dangerous, and cities aren't always safe. There're villains, sure. But also, we've got heroes. And this game is about the heroes, the ballers whose skills on the court inspire those not sure which way to turn in life. In 3-on-3 basketball play, you battle to earn respect for your hometown. The ultimate goal is to beat NBA superstars from their hometown courts to the legendary parks across the land, finally putting your neighborhood on the map. Become a streetball legend, 90 feet at a time.

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Marvel: Ultimate Alliance US Version

April 4th, 2007, 13:52 Posted By: wraggster

New from SuccessHK

Remember all PS3 Games are Region Free



In this superhero-filled action-RPG, players assume the roles of more than 20 Marvel Super Heroes including Spider-Man, Wolverine, Blade and Captain America, and through their actions determine the fate of both planet Earth and the Marvel universe. The game features total team customization, where players create their own team name, icon and vehicle, as well as establish their team reputation as they play throughout the story. Battle the world’s most notorious Marvel Super Villains in the air, underwater, and on the ground, using grappling, blocking and dodging moves, and even environmental objects as one and two-handed weapons. The storyline is designed open, and the missions that you choose to accept affect the outcome of the Marvel Universe. Also featured are competitive and co-operative multiplayer modes.

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Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords US Version

April 4th, 2007, 13:55 Posted By: wraggster

New from SuccessHK



Set in the Warlords universe, Puzzle Quest challenges gamers to create, develop and customize the ultimate hero to save the land of Etheria from the evil Lord Bane. In order to advance, players battle in turn-based, head-to-head "match-three" style puzzle games in one of three gameplay modes: Single-player, Instant Action, and Multiplayer.

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No Oz PSP Price Drop Announcement

April 4th, 2007, 15:37 Posted By: wraggster

Our US brethren posted news earlier today confirming a price drop for the PSP in the United States. The PSP Core Pack will slide from US $199.99 to US $169.99, or at today's exchange rate, from AU $246.29 to AU $209.32, which, no matter which way you look at it, leaves Australia's AU $349.95 for the PSP Base Pack and AU $399.95 for the Value Pack looking in desperate need of some price trimming.

Unfortunately, there's no indication of a local price drop. A Sony Australia representative told us that "We have no announcements to make about PSP in the Australian market at this time." You'll be the first to know if anything changes.

via ign

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No PSP Price Drop in Japan

April 4th, 2007, 15:38 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

You've probably read by now that the price of the PSP core pack in the US has gone down by a cool 30 greens to $169.99. This, of course, doesn't mean much to the more sensible gamers out there who prefer to import from Japan where all things, except for the super ultra nationalist politicians, are superior. So the question is, will the Japanese version of the PSP go down in price as well?

The folks over at Impress Watch decided to unlock the hard-hitting journalist hats today and ask that very question to Sony Computer Entertainment. "This is something that is decided for each market," responded a PR rep with the company. "We do not have plans to drop the price in Japan."

If anything, we were expecting a price drop to have come first in Japan, where the DS has shipped 15 million units to the PSP's five. With the PSP on somewhat of an upswing due to Monster Hunter's strong sales, don't be too surprised if you see a cheaper unit at Japanese retail shortly

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Pocket Pool Hands-on

April 4th, 2007, 15:42 Posted By: wraggster

via IGN

The most popular bar game around is making its way to the PlayStation Portable in the form of Pocket Pool. After undergoing a number of name changes before landing on the simplistic (and suggestive) title, Pocket Pool gives gamers the chance to rack up a set of balls and attempt to unlock a number of prizes. These prizes are the game's catch and are what will likely draw most of its crowd. No, this is not a game for the kids, nor for anyone who shies away from the sleazier side of gaming.

Pocket Pool offers a number of game modes. From classic 8, 9, 10 and 15 ball games to straight pool to Snooker to Killer (a.k.a. Cutthroat), you'll find almost anything you want to play here. WiFi options are available as well, allowing you the option to play with more than one player, as unfortunately there isn't a hot seat option available for allowing two players to play on one system.

The game's controls are set up in an odd manner, though it doesn't take long to get used to them. The L and R buttons switch between different camera positions, including a down-the-stick shot and an overhead view of the action. A highlighted path shows where the struck cue will go, though there aren't any "result" paths that show what will happen once you come in contact with another ball.

The face buttons bring up a number of different shot options, like placement on the ball, power and so forth. The power meter is set by hand rather than pulsing like what you might find in a golf game, making it easier to dial in exactly how hard you want to hit. To actually strike the ball, you need to have Circle held down to bring up the power meter, and then press right on the D-Pad. Yes, it's a little odd, though it does prevent you from accidentally hitting the ball when you didn't mean to. We guess that's good.

The game's physics are a little questionable, especially when set to the default settings. You're given three options for "speed", which properly translates to inertia and follow-through. At the slowest level, coming into contact with another ball will pretty much stop the cue ball dead in its tracks. We once sliced another ball at full strength just on its edge to cut it at a 90 degree angle, and the cue came to a dead stop. At the fastest speed level, things behave quite a bit more realistically, though we're not too fond of the table physics at this point as it can sometimes feel trickier to sink a ball than it should.

Easy shot.While many of the game types pit you against a computer player, a few are based on points, time or something of that nature. Bonus 9 Balls has you racking up points for each ball sunk over a maximum of 20 shots, while Time Attack has you clear a table as quickly as possible. You can come back again and again to better your score and try and unlock more stuff, which brings us to the unlockables...

While the actual pool element of the game is what you'll be spending most of your time playing, we have a feeling that many people who purchase this game will also spend plenty of time in the game's "other" main option, the Gallery. In addition to earning different sets of balls, differently-colored sticks and those sorts of things, you'll also unlock a number of photos and videos of nameless, half-naked models. No, there's no nudity here, so those of you looking for that sort of thing are probably best left to your own on the Intarweb rather than looking for skin in a PSP title.

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Spider-Man 3 Hands-on

April 4th, 2007, 15:43 Posted By: wraggster

The reaction to Activision and Treyarch's Spider-Man 3 game trailer has been less than stellar. "It's Spider-Man 2 with better graphics," fanboys have screamed across the Internet, but after a day in the Activision offices and some hands-on time with the wall crawler, I can tell you, folks are selling this game short.

"You can see that we've really redone the city from the ground up," said Will Townsend, associate producer on Spider-Man 3 as he maneuvered Spider-Man around New York -- a New York that's 2.5 times bigger than it was Spider-Man 2. "It's been his office before, but now, it's his playground."

Grab your tights, everything you loved about Spider-Man 2 is back; sandbox gameplay, Bruce Campbell's biting wit, secret tokens, villains, the Daily Bugle... and the stuff you hated about Spider-Man 2 is gone.

Full article at IGN

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Things to do with the money you saved with the PSP price drop

April 4th, 2007, 15:47 Posted By: wraggster

via pspfanboy

Anyone getting the PSP Core for $169 is saving themselves a nice $30 off the previous regular retail price. With savings like that, some new PSP owners may be wondering what to do with the money saved. Being the helpful folks we are, we're going to give you a few suggestions.

Buy a PSP game (after all, you need something to play in your new handheld)
Buy a memory stick (because a PSP without a memory stick is a sad PSP)
Get a travel case (so you can take it all on the go
Buy a Japanese Adult UMD (you know why already)

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PsPModkit V 2.0

April 4th, 2007, 15:52 Posted By: wraggster

Mhorpheox posted this new release:

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PSP Studio Max v 1.0

April 4th, 2007, 15:56 Posted By: wraggster

New from reanimate is a new version of his PSP Game Maker.

Heres the release notes:

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Devhook Firmware Installer v0.6h

April 4th, 2007, 16:01 Posted By: wraggster

New from Sleepy

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Sleep'n'Wake PSP 1.0

April 4th, 2007, 16:07 Posted By: wraggster

New release from Mk2k:

Hi, I'm MK2k and just want to let you all know that i finally release my first PSP Homebrew - Sleep'n'Wake PSP 1.0.

This is a little app for the PSP which gives you the possibility to doze off with your favourite chill-out music playing silently and wake up with some loud and hard music (or even with the beep.wake.mp3 in the package) with volume maxed at a predefined time.

Features so far:
- Full cbr/vbr/abr 8kbps-320kbps 44.1kHz MP3 support
- MP3 can be of arbitrary length
- Manage different playlists for Sleep and Wake modes
-> add / remove mp3s
-> save / load playlists
- In Sleep mode you can set a special, more silent volume
- Wake mode is entered at a preset time with volume maxed (you can always adjust the maximum volume with the VOL + and - keys)
- Write yourself a message which will be displayed in Wake mode
- USB Mass Storage can be enabled/disabled within the app

View the snw.readthis.txt in the .zip file for further instructions.

The app is entirely developed in C and has been tested for 3 weeks for reliability.

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via mk2k

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RosettaShard - PSP Interpreter for The Rosetta Stone and custom flashcards as well

April 4th, 2007, 16:12 Posted By: wraggster

New from foebea:

Description of program: An application which has been long desired by some. This will allow you to use some of the more popular tools from the Rosetta Stone language learning tool while on the go. This early version includes 8 flashcards with sound. The flashcard images are royalty free images and the vocal work was done by my mom. This will allow you to see what the purpose of this application is, and with any luck, those of you who have not heard of The Rosetta Stone might check them out. They really are the best for language learning.

In order to make this program even more useful the final version will include a custom layout designer for creation of many types of games and quizes and fully customizable controls. Stay tuned for much more to come.

Just copy to the psp and run the program. Choose Quickstart to get into the demonstration. Once all 8 flashcards are done it automatically goes back to the menu. From the menu you can hit home twice to exit. In the flashcards, press CIRCLE to exit.

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Is This the PSP Phone ?

April 4th, 2007, 16:15 Posted By: wraggster

Heres a screenshot;



Spread the Word



Heres a translation from clipset

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PlayStation 3 hardware sales plummet 82 per cent

April 4th, 2007, 21:03 Posted By: Shrygue

via Games Industry


Sales of the PlayStation 3 have dropped dramatically on the second week of release in the UK, with official Chart Track figures revealing a fall of 82 per cent.

Chart Track data is gathered from 7000 UK retail outlets representing 90 per cent of the software market, including GAME, Gamestation, Play.com, Asda and HMV.

A spokesperson for Chart Track confirmed the figure to GamesIndustry.biz this afternoon, stating: "Yes, sales of PS3 hardware have dropped by 82 per cent."

Last week, Chart Track revealed that the PlayStation 3 had sold 165,000 units in the first two days following the launch, making it the fastest-selling home console in the UK.

"We publish the first week figures because there's such a clamour for them that we can't keep it a secret," said the spokesperson.

This week's software charts revealed that sales of the top two PlayStation 3 titles, Resistance: Fall of Man and MotorStorm, had dropped by over 60 per cent.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe declined to comment.

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Killzone Infrastructure gets delayed, but now supports headset

April 4th, 2007, 21:11 Posted By: Shrygue

via PSP Fanboy


Killzone fans want Infrastructure support--and they want it now! Unfortunately, it appears that this downloadable addition has been delayed yet again. According to a PlayStation forum post, "We still have too many bugs that need fixing before we can be 100% happy with the patch. We want it to be as good as possible and releasing it right now would not be fair on you guys, so we have decided to postpoine is a couple of weeks."

In the midst of bad news, there's still some good: the single-player extension will be free, and the multiplayer mode will support microphone use, so you can taunt other players online: "Good news is, we have the all clear to make Chapter 5 a free download. We have been expecting this and have been 99.9% sure it would be, but we could not announce it without the blessing of the higher ups. Also I want to confirm that it will allow Voice comms for those with headsets, but that is all I want to tell you about it right now. "

This Killzone patch can not come soon enough.

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Why was Calling All Cars delayed so much?

April 4th, 2007, 21:23 Posted By: Shrygue

via PS3 Fanboy


The Full Moon Show, an Insomniac podcast, recently released "Episode 2" where they interviewed some guy who called himself David Jaffe or something like that. Ever heard of this lout? He thought he could explain why Calling All Cars, made by this other guy named... hmm... well, shoot, we completely forgot! Was it something like Javid Daffe? Either way, here's the explanation from the man himself.

During their extensive playtesting, there were instances where one player would just blow away the other players, creating a gap in score that kept growing to silly amounts. Sensing that it would draw away from the fun, Jaffe retreated to some devs who worked on older, arcade-style games for some coding help. Enter the image of Jaffe conversing with a Council of Elders in Developerland. Jaffe and crew are currently testing out some of the strategies for fixing the issue as given by these other developers. At least he's trying to make it fair for everyone, right?

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More pictures from Crisis Core and FF Anniversary

April 4th, 2007, 21:29 Posted By: Shrygue

via PSP Fanboy


Final Fantasy fans are getting a lot of love on their PSPs. Square has a handful of new images from their upcoming Crisis Core and Final Fantasy Anniversary projects. This is just the beginning of Square's support on the system, with a surprise announcement supposedly coming on May 12th. Hopefully, all will be well, but according to The Magic Box, there is an unconfirmed rumor that most of Square's handheld lineup has been delayed, including Final Fantasy Tactics and Crisis Core.


Screenshots can be viewed here. Leave feedback via comments.

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PS3: Rumor finally squashed, MGS4 to stay PS3 exclusive

April 4th, 2007, 21:42 Posted By: 808

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Worried about Folding@Home? Don't be!

April 4th, 2007, 21:55 Posted By: Shrygue

via PS3 Fanboy


This interview with Vijay Pande, one of the gentlemen behind Folding@Home, is getting kind of old but there are a couple of points worth pointing out. Mainly concerning running Folding@Home on the PS3 -- some people have been running "stress tests" to see how Sony's console can handle the program over extended periods. Those people can stop, because they'll be doing that forever. In any case, the PS3-specific questions were answered by SCEA 's Richard Marks (who's doing a stress test himself). Let's list it up!

Is it safe to leave the PS3 folding for 24/7?

• Yes. There's no indication that the PS3 has problems over long periods of folding... but of course, you should ventilate the darn thing so it won't overheat.

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Are you ready for 3.3 OE?

April 5th, 2007, 02:37 Posted By: tophead420

I got to wondering about the new customfirmware and thought to myself am I ready to upgrade yet? The answer is no. Why you might ask? Cause I dont have the 3.3 update. So how many of you are already getting prepared for 3.3 OE? I myself am downloading the 3.3 update right now and getting my 1.5 update ready so I can be ready to upgrade once I find out that 3.3 OE is released (that and if it supports custom icons) I recommend getting prepared early so you can be ready to upgrade ASAP. So how many of us are you ready to upgrade to 3.3 OE? Once this update is complete I'm ready. How about you?

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Daedalus R11 plans

April 5th, 2007, 03:29 Posted By: blackrave

Via StrmnNrmn

I had planned on posting this update on Monday, but I've spent the last couple of nights catching up on a few games that I've not had chance to play since they were released (Crackdown on the 360 and Afterburner : Black Falcon on the PSP for the curious

For R11 I'm hoping to fix the Expansion Pak support for once and for all. Memory is currently very tight, so I need to look at shaving off a few hundered KB here and there. Almost all the memory Daedalus uses is allocated up front - there are very few dynamic allocations at runtime, with the biggest culprit being the texture cache. So for R11 I want to introduce a pooled allocator for the texture cache, which will mean that when it runs out of memory, you just get white textures appearing rather than a hard crash.

The other feature I want to improve in R11 is the way that global settings and per-rom settings are handled. At the moment Daedalus discards any changes to settings that you make when you restart your PSP, and it can be incredibly tedious setting things up every time you run a game. This is quite a small feature to add, but I think it will make the emulator much nicer to use.

Behind the scenes, I want to spend a short while working on some scripts to handle packaging new releases for distribution. Current I do all of this by hand, and it's one of the things I least enjoy about the project. Hopefully, the more automated I can make this, the more frequently I'm likely to release builds

I'd like to get all these changes done and release R11 within a couple of weeks. I have a couple of busy weekends coming up, so I'm not going to specify an exact date. You can expect it before May though (I'll try not to be a couple of days late this time

R11 is essentially going to be a compatibility release - hopefully the Expansion Pak support will lead to a few more roms running (Majora's Mask being one I've already verified). Looking further ahead, R12 will be back to concentrating on speed (as it happened, R10 achieved a 10-15% speedup without having implemented the majority of the optimisations I had planned

-StrmnNrmn

PS Off to Spain again over the Easter bank holiday weekend. Back on Tuesday

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For PSP, a New Focus On Teen Market

April 5th, 2007, 07:40 Posted By: wraggster

via wired

Sony is shifting its marketing focus for the PSP platform to the 13-17 year old demographic, with a new marketing campaign titled "Dude, Get Your Own."

I spoke with PSP senior product manager John Koller this afternoon about the PSP's recent price cut, and he says that the move towards the teen market is based on who's buying the system:

Most of our registered owners database stats have shown the 13-17 year old consumers far outpacing other groups in terms of purchase. The intend-to-purchase crowd is living mostly in that group as well. We're looking to expand beyond where we've been. PSP started as a device to appeal to 18-34 year-olds, but north of 26-27.

"There were a few reasons," says Koller, for dropping the PSP's price now. First, Sony "received some savings on the cost of goods, which we wanted to get to the consumer." Second, "Wal-Mart sold 110,000 units in five days on Black Friday [last year] when they dropped the price to $169." Finally, the aforementioned shift to the 13-17 year old market.

The desire to more directly target that 13-17 year-old market was what led to the All I Want For Christmas Is A PSP campaign last year, Koller said. "That campaign clearly did not work," he said, but it was an attempt to "identify ways of speaking and marketing to that 13-17 year-old consumer. It was an effort to be able to target that individual in a more quiet manner and not go out and promote it and have it be something that was found. The way it was done is not correct... In the future, we'll be more clear and transparent to the consumer."

Going forward, Sony will unveil the "Dude, Get Your Own" campaign.

The idea this year, says Koller, is to "break out of the home cycle." A significant amount of PSP users in that 13-17 group play the device at home. "The teens that are doign this value the ability to utilize the portability," Koller notes paradoxically. By portability, he clarifies, he means "I can play it upstairs while my parents are watching the TV downstairs."

This, of course, is of little value to adults with their own apartments and TV sets. For teens, it is a big draw, which is one reason for the high sales in that group.

But Sony wants them to get it out of the house and "into more of a lifestyle focus." That's the reason for adding the T-Mobile hotspot functionality that Sony touted last month. Koller says that Sony will "regularly launch" firmware updates this year with functionality that is strongly directed at that 13-17 market, although he could not reveal details on any of them.

Sony has found that more and more PSP owners are using the device for multimedia applications, specifically, downloading music and movies from their PC to the PSP. "There's a lot of that," says Koller. In fact, Sony says the "second most valued use of PSP" is as a music playback device. "Music shot up substantially" over the holiday season, he says.

As for releasing a new hardware redesign of PSP that includes more onboard storage, Koller would not say.

In the meantime, Sony isn't giving up on the embattled UMD movie format, although -- again -- they're going after that teen market with "more targeted content, rather than the kitchen sink approach," says Koller. "What we're seeing from studios is that they are establishing what that content needs to be, primarily action and comedy. They're calibrating that towards what the consumer is."

As far as gaming goes, "there are a few titles we're looking at as hardware drivers this year" -- from God of War to SOCOM to "a number of third-party exclusives" which Koller declined to name. Third party makers, though, are on board with the demographic shift, he says. "They're very aware of the direction that owner registrations have been going in. You'll see a lot more teen-oriented titles launching."

Even with the software release list waning, Sony's American branch still remains committed to delivering unique PSP experiences. "We really want to be able to identify ways to set the software apart from console software. Consumers don't want a mobile version" of a game they can play at home, says Koller. God of War on PSP will be "entirely different than anything you can play on consoles."

Finally, I asked what Phil Harrison was referring to when he lumped the PSP in with his "Game 3.0" concept of user-generated, dynamic, ever-changing content. "The PSP, within the PlayStation brand, sits as kind of the cultural object of desire, the ability to take that content with you elsewhere outside the living room," says Koller. "With a number of initiatives coming out, they'll be able to use the PSP in new and exciting ways."

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PSPee commercial demonstrates wee joke

April 5th, 2007, 12:44 Posted By: wraggster

via pspfanboy

Two men. One bathroom. "Can I play with it?"

Sony's managed to capture a little bit of that Nintendo magic in this commercial for PSP. While we find it hilarious, critical inquiry forces us to ask: Who's creepier? The guy playing the system, or the guy taking a peek? Certainly, a debate for the ages. We can only hope that our readers aren't so enamored by their PSPs that they do the same as this unfortunate bloke.

Video Here

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KeyCleaner v1.0

April 5th, 2007, 12:47 Posted By: wraggster

New from Chilly Willy

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Grand Theft Auto KIller

April 5th, 2007, 12:50 Posted By: wraggster

Via this is london

A teenager who was crazed by high-strength cannabis butchered a grandmother after 'voices in his head' told him to stab a woman.

Ezekiel Maxwell, a paranoid schizophrenic, launched the horrific attack after years of smoking super-strength 'skunk weed'.

The 17-year-old claimed 'gangster voices' from the ultra-violent computer game Grand Theft Auto had set him on a mission to stab a black woman.

He is the second teenage cannabis addict in a month to be found guilty of killing others after smoking the substance. Thomas Palmer, 18, was jailed for life for murdering his two friends with a hunting knife near their homes in Wokingham, Berkshire.

Maxwell prowled the streets with a kitchen knife until he came across Carmelita Tulloch

Maxwell prowled the streets with a kitchen knife until he came across Carmelita Tulloch as she walked to her job at a photocopying firm.

He stabbed her seven times, leaving her to die in a pool of blood as he fled home to his family. The case highlights the dangers of the highly potent 'skunk'.

The number of under-18s treated for smoking the drug has doubled to nearly 10,000 in a year and medical experts said the link between it and mental health problems is now impossible to ignore.

Maxwell attacked 51-year-old Mrs Tulloch on September 5 last year after a night smoking skunk and playing Grand Theft Auto.

He believed he was one of the principal characters called Carl Johnson, who carries a knife in the Playstation game, Croydon Crown Court was told.

Judge Warwick McKinnon said it was "a vile and quite senseless killing of an entirely innocent woman".

Simon Denison, prosecuting, told the court: "Maxwell had been planning to stab a woman for seven days, it had to be a black Afro-Caribbean woman. He didn't know why he had done it, he just had to do it."

"He described the voices as taking over his thoughts and his body. They made him do things like cut his hair so he looked more like a gangster.

"Maxwell said in the months before the killing he was playing Grand Theft Auto to the exclusion of anything else.

"He had smoked cannabis the night before, he took a knife from the kitchen and went out to stab someone. After he stabbed Mrs Tulloch he ran home and told his mother what he had done.

"The psychiatric assessment is that he is a great risk to others and will be for many years."

Maxwell lived 500 yards away from Mrs Tulloch on the same housing estate in Kennington, South London. He attacked her within five minutes walk of her home.

The youngster started smoking cannabis and skunk as well as taking cocaine at 14. He had previously been given cautions for possessing cannabis and has two convictions for mugging and assault.

Maxwell said he started hearing voices after smoking the drug and was referred to a psychiatric team by his GP in June last year.

He was prescribed anti-psychotic drugs and his case was reviewed four times. It was due to be considered again the day after he attacked Mrs Tulloch.

Instead, Maxwell went to a police station with his uncle and solicitor and handed himself in. He told officers: "I am given medication for my head and eyes, I don't know why I have been told to take this medication. I have not taken it for two weeks.

"On September 4 I played Grand Theft Auto until late. When I got up I felt a bit unhappy and aggressive. "I went out of the house at about 10am."

"I have a knife with me. I didn't know why I had a knife, I saw a woman, I stabbed her with the knife, I stabbed her three times, there was a lot of blood. After I stabbed the woman I ran home."

Inspiration: Maxwell was obsessed with violent computer game Grand Theft Auto

Maxwell has since been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Yesterday he was detained indefinitely under the Mental Health Act after pleading guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Paul Jenkins, chief executive of mental health charity Rethink, said: 'While there can be several triggers for mental illness, we know that if used by people under 18, cannabis doubles the risk of psychosis.

Professor John Henry, a clinical toxicologist, said: "People are beginning to realise that cannabis is not the puff and relax substance that people used to use."

Studies show there is an increased instance of schizophrenia in cannabis users, in some people as much as a ten-Marjorie Wallace, Chief Executive of mental health charity SANE, said: "This has all the hallmarks of similar stories where a paranoid schizophrenic has not taken medication but has used cannabis.

"Cannabis, especially skunk, can act as a trigger to psychotic relapse in which someone may lose touch with reality and become a serious risk to himself and others.

"We expect the inquiry into this case will reveal the same faultlines underlying many of the 55 homicides involving mental illness each year."

Mrs Tulloch, a receptionist, was married to Prince, 42, and had two adult daughters, Claudia and Andrea, from a previous marriage and a threeyearold granddaughter called Tianna.

Her sister Carol Smith said: "Someone has to take responsibility, how can he commit a crime like that and no one is responsible?

"There need to be regular check-ups for people like him."

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XviD4PSP v4.111

April 5th, 2007, 12:52 Posted By: wraggster

New release of the Video Converter for the PSP by Winnydows:

Heres a description:

Video converter
for PSP, iPOD and PC

Easy use and high quality program for converting videos for PSP, iPOD and PC.

Import formats:
AVI DIVX ASF MPG MPE MPEG VOB TS M2P D2V MOV QT 3GP HDMOV RM RAM RMVB RPX SMI SMIL MKV OGM WMV DVR-MS PMP FLV.

Export formats:
PMP AVC, MP4 PSP 2.80, MP4 PSP 480, MP4 iPod, MP4 iPod 640, MP4 PS3, MP4, AVI, AVI DV PAL, AVI DV NTSC, MPG, MPEG-2 PAL, MPEG-2 NTSC, FLV.

Heres whats new:

4.111 changes:

Fixed many old and new bugs.
ForceFilm work again.
Now possible select subtitles from MKV and OGM.
Sound extraction from MKV and OGM now work correct.
Now possible fix aspect with changing window size.

Download Here

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Korea gets Monster Hunter swag

April 5th, 2007, 12:55 Posted By: wraggster

via pspfanboy



Doesn't that Monster Hunter bracelet look hot? In celebration of the Korean release of the insanely popular RPG, one random purchaser of the game was treated to one of the sexiest pieces of swag we've seen. According to Ruliweb, ten others were treated to some impressive action figures.

However, no one walked away empty-handed. Like the Japanese, Koreans were treated to other swag items for pre-ordering. Early adopters received some premium posters.

Capcom hasn't announced any incentives for the impending US release. But, if we're lucky enough, we'll also be able to get our hands on some swag of this caliber.

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New Recovery

April 5th, 2007, 12:58 Posted By: wraggster

kgsws has released a new app called New Recovery:

Heres the details:

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SCEP-CheatMaster 0.7 pre release

April 5th, 2007, 13:01 Posted By: wraggster

Via 2alien

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Xebra 070404 released

April 5th, 2007, 15:56 Posted By: JKKDARK

New update of the PlayStation emulator for PC

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PlayStation 3 causes record retail spike in Australia

April 5th, 2007, 19:44 Posted By: Shrygue

via Games Industry


New figures released by Sony Computer Entertainment Australia have revealed that more than 27,000 PlayStation 3 units were sold in the region during the first ten days after launch.

As reported by IT Wire, PS3 also dominated the all-formats software sales chart for the week commencing March 19. Nine out of the top ten titles were PS3 games, with Resistance: Fall of Man at number one followed by Motorstorm and F1.

Activision's Call of Duty was in fourth place, while PlayStation 2 exclusive Final Fantasy XII - the only non-PS3 title in the chart - was at number five. Need for Speed: Carbon and Ridge Racer 7 went in at six and seven followed by Fight Night Round 3 and Virtua Fighter 5, with Virtua Tennis rounding out the chart at number ten.

According to data trackers GfK, the launch of PS3 on March 23 resulted in a significant boost in videogame sales for the Australian market. "Our data revealed that in a matter of just ten days the PlayStation 3 created a spike in retail spending not previously witnessed at the launch of any other console in Australia," commented GfK's Daniel Morse.

"This spending continued into the second week of trading, resulting in sales of 27,083 PlayStation 3 consoles in just ten days."

SCE Australia managing director Michael Ephraim added, "Following a great launch for the PS3 across the country, it’s very satisfying for us to see that our close planning with retail and channel partners has ensured that all consumers wanting to get their hands on a PS3."

The PS3's predecessor is also continuing to sell well in Australia, with nearly 8000 PlayStation 2 consoles sold between March 19 and March 26.

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Expect lay-offs at Take Two, warns analyst

April 5th, 2007, 20:03 Posted By: Shrygue

via Games Industry


Echoing comments from new Take Two boss Strauss Zelnick earlier this week, analyst firm AG Edwards expects redundancies at the Rockstar parent company.

The research firm also predicts that Take Two will be looking seriously at it's third-party relationships and it may sell off its distribution division, Jack of All Games.

"Lowering headcount, particularly at under-performing studios, evaluation of third-party vendor relationships and real estate costs, and a more stringent green light process," are all on the near-future agenda according to AG Edwards.

As highlighted by other analysts and the publisher itself, diversification into sports titles and other markets in recent years has not helped the company financially, says the analyst.

"We are cautious on Take Two's prospect considering there is still a reliance on the Grand Theft Auto franchise and the company has been unable to leverage diversification efforts into increased profitability," warned the firm.

Earlier this week Zelnick revealed that redundancies are a possibility, as the company looks to streamline its operations to please investors.

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Evolution scores European No. 1 with Motorstorm

April 5th, 2007, 20:07 Posted By: Shrygue

via Games Industry


Having already achieved number one positions in the US and Japanese software sales charts, PlayStation 3 exclusive Motorstorm has also secured the top spot in Europe.

Developed by Runcorn-based Evolution Studios, Motorstorm was launched alongside Sony's new console in all three territories. Although it was beaten to pole position in the UK by fellow first-party title Resistance: Fall of Man, the game has scored a number one across Europe overall - just as it went straight to the top when PS3 launched in Japan and North America.

"To see Motorstorm top the European, the Japanese and the US PlayStation 3 charts is just fantastic," said Evolution boss Martin Kenwright.

"Developing Motorstorm to a standard we were all happy with was certainly a challenge - but the team here really delivered. Evolution has a reputation for delivering high quality racing titles, but the consensus was to come up with something really special for Sony’s new hardware.

"We’re delighted that the public has agreed with the press and made Motorstorm a worldwide number one PlayStation 3 title."

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FBI investigates gambling in Second Life

April 5th, 2007, 20:16 Posted By: Shrygue

via Computer and Video Games


The virtual online PC life simulator, Second Life, which is often compared to Sony's upcoming PS3 Home network, is under investigation by the FBI on the legality of its virtual gambling features.

Virtual casinos within Second Life allow gamers to gamble using the game's currency, the Linden Dollar, which is exchanged for real life US dollars.

Linden Labs, the creators of Second Life, have invited FBI Agents to poke around these virtual casinos, seeking legal guidance after heavy restrictions on internet gambling were introduced in the US last year.

Most lawyers deem that gambling with Linden Dollars in Second Life violates US anti-gambling laws, reports news.com.

Speaking of said laws, A New York lawyer, who studied the issues of gambling in virtual worlds, said: "What they did was go after the processors, and made it a crime to process payments that relate to online gambling sites. Linden could potentially be held as the same sort of processor."

"It's not always clear to us whether a 3D simulation of a casino is the same thing as a casino, legally speaking, and it's not clear to the law enforcement authorities we have asked," said Linden Lab's vice president of business affairs, Ginsu Yoon.

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FFXIII playable demo planned

April 5th, 2007, 20:18 Posted By: Shrygue

via Computer and Video Games


There's rumoured to be a playable demo of Square Enix's highly anticipated Final Fantasy XIII in the pipes for release to the PlayStation Network later on in the year.

Square Enix has yet to respond to the rumour, which originated in the US mag EGM, which says, "Xbox Live may be the download hotspot this spring (thanks in large part to the Halo 3 multiplayer demo), but late this year the honour will go to the PlayStation Network. We hear that Square Enix will release a demo of its highly anticipated role-playing game via Sony's online marketplace."

We'll update the story as soon as Square Enix Europe gets back to us. And here it is: "I'm afraid I can't comment on the playable demo of FFXIII at present," a spokesperson told CVG this afternoon.

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Gran Turismo HD 1.2, GTA 4 trailer to hit PS Network today

April 5th, 2007, 20:25 Posted By: Shrygue

via Joystiq




Sony has sent word of their new offerings for the US PlayStation Network today. Most importantly for racing fans, Gran Turismo HD Concept will be upgraded for free to version 1.2, which enables force feedback through Logitech steering wheel peripherals. (European gamers have been enjoying GTHD 1.2 since the console's launch in the region.)

The Grand Theft Auto IV trailer is also available for download in high definition, as is the Armored Core 4 video. Microsoft's Peter Moore, proud that Xbox Live got the GTAIV trailer up before Sony, has added yet another tattoo on his arm to add to his collection of AAA-titled inkings.

All of the content will be available free of charge and should be online sometime today.

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PS3-Wii gap narrowing, still a battle though

April 5th, 2007, 21:13 Posted By: Shrygue

via PS3 Fanboy


Famitsu publisher Enterbrain decided to toss out some numbers regarding the PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii. Seems the Wii is outselling the PS3 by two to one in Japan. Now, now, put those jeers and stabbing comments away, ladies and gents. Two to one... in Japan. Japan, where the Wii is incredibly huge. Just two to one. Monetarily, the two are on equal grounds. Numerically, it's double. The gap used to be much, much larger -- slightly beyond the four to one ratio by the end of January.

Does this mean the fad for the Wii is dying down? Or that the PS3 is picking up sales? We can't say that "everyone already has a Wii now" because look at the sales of the Nintendo DS -- always on top of the sales charts. Maybe Nintendo is severely limiting supply. Whatever the case, it's good to know that the gap is narrowing and as more games come out for both systems, we'll see a much tighter struggle for market power in Japan.

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JAJAH brings VoIP to PSP

April 5th, 2007, 21:58 Posted By: wraggster

via engadget



Despite chatter of impending PSP voice functionality from players such as Vonage, Xten, and of course Sony itself, VoIP is one area in which the DS has been trumping its Japanese rival -- until now, that is. That's right, Skype-rival JAJAH has just announced that its free or low-cost service is available immediately to PSP users, and instead of having to download a standalone application, everything is handled through the web broswer: contacts appear as links, and simply clicking one or typing in a phone number initiates the call. What's more, the company is promising impending compatibility with all three current-gen living room consoles, along with the older-but-still-kicking PlayStation 2. Alright Sony, now that someone's given you a kick in the pants, you finally gonna bring that hot VoIP action over here from Japan?

More Info

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Is the PS3 in a race against time?

April 5th, 2007, 22:10 Posted By: Shrygue

via PS3 Fanboy


In all fairness, if you're racing against time, you can't possible expect to win. How can you beat time? It's already where you're trying to go, because when you get there, it's... whatever. Time is a silly concept. Over at Reuters, a lengthy topic was posted regarding the future of the PlayStation 3. We'll outline the main points of argument they make and you can make your own arguments afterwards!

• To succeed, the PS3 needs to hold onto third-party titles. (We may add... timed exclusives would be best)
• The demand for HDTV's is skyrocketing -- that will hold a major advantage over, say, the Wii in the living room of the future.
• The PS3 launch almost mirrors the PS2 launch -- initial supply troubles, lack of impressive titles, complaints about the difficulty to program for... but look at how the PS2 turned out.
• Cut the PS3's price!
• Have a strong, stable series of games!

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Wipeout Pulse racing to PSPs

April 5th, 2007, 22:10 Posted By: wraggster

When the PlayStation Portable launched in March 2005, one of the better reviewed launch titles was Wipeout Pure, a portable version of Sony's popular racing series. Today, Sony announced that the franchise is returning to its handheld with the upcoming Wipeout Pulse.

The new game is currently in development by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's Studio Liverpool, which is also working on a PlayStation 3 edition of the Wipeout franchise. Wipeout Pulse will be a PSP exclusive and is due out in September.

As is tradition with the series, gamers will race along at high speeds in futuristic vehicles outfitted with weapons. New to the franchise with Pulse is a mag-strip, a part of the track that locks the vehicles onto the track, allowing them to race through loops, 90-degree-angled parts of the track, and steep drops.

There will be seven different modes, wireless support, 24 new tracks, and eight teams. Sony promises that downloadable content will be available immediately when the game is released. The game's soundtrack features tracks from Stanton Warriors, Loco Dice, and Mason, but players can opt to play their own MP3 files from a memory stick.

via gamespot

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Fate/Stay Night fighting game by Capcom and Cavia

April 5th, 2007, 22:15 Posted By: wraggster

via insert credit

Capcom has announced a new action fighting game called Fate/Tiger Colosseum for the PSP. The game is currently being worked on by Cavia. Fate/Tiger Colosseum is based on the famous best-selling eroge Fate/Stay Night by Type-moon.

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Mr. Bean Gets A Game

April 5th, 2007, 22:18 Posted By: wraggster

via kotaku

Rowan Atkinson has played many excellent roles in his lifetime...Black Adder immediately comes to mind, but the one he'll be remembered for forever is Mr. Bean, and now the bumbling man-child is getting his very own PlayStation 2 game courtesy of Blast! Entertainment.

My fellow Americans - Yes, I know this makes no sense, but he's still very big over in the UK, where his new movie Mr. Bean's Holiday just knocked 300 off the top of the box-office charts.

The game is to be based off of the Mr. Bean animated series, and will feature the character traversing 3D levels while searching for his lost teddy. Sounds like a blast of a children's game that will never see the light of day outside of Europe

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New stuff hits the PS-Store... lots of new stuff!

April 5th, 2007, 23:14 Posted By: Shrygue

via PS3 Fanboy


Well, everybody's PS-Store probably looks a little different nowadays, what with the European and US and Japan and Hong Kong all handing out different stuff at different times... however! We're pretty sure we've got a good list for the US and EU stores on what's new. Let's get crackin'.

US

• Armored Core 4 demo
• GTAIV teaser video: "Things Will Be Different"
• Stardust movie trailer (if anyone else is a fan of Neil Gaiman, you should be giddy with excitement... although my favorite of his has to be Neverwhere, hands down. American Gods is a very close second)
• Other movie trailers: Are We Done Yet? and Perfect Stranger.

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Xtream Lua Dev Comp

April 5th, 2007, 23:48 Posted By: wraggster

The Xtream Website has posted that they have announced the start of a new Lua coding comp for DS and PSP.

Heres the french to english translation:

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The History Channel: Great Battles of Rome Invades

April 6th, 2007, 00:48 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

Koch Media announced today that it had struck a deal with Black Bean Games to develop another historical battle simulation in the form of The History Channel: Great Battles of Rome.

Players will step in the boots of a Roman legionnaire and lead a series of campaigns against Barbarian hordes and rival states. Players will be able to fully experience the building of one of history's greatest Empires.

"This game has given us the opportunity to bring a great television brand to life in the interactive entertainment arena. The blending of dramatic video footage from The History Channel with fast paced gameplay delivers a unique and authentic experience that will have mass appeal," added Chris Mehers of Black Bean Games.

The History Channel: Great Battles of Rome will be available on PlayStation 2, PSP, and PC in May 2007 in the UK, with a North American release following on June 12.

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UK Stores Cut PS3 Price

April 6th, 2007, 00:51 Posted By: wraggster

Two major UK retailers have cut the price of the PlayStation 3 less than two weeks after the launch of the console. WH Smith and Play.com have slashed the price of the machine from £424.99 to £399.99.

WH Smith advertised the drop in The Sun newspaper, no doubt to catch the attention of parents looking to get their kids something a bit more special than a chocolate egg this Easter. Whereas, Play.com is offering the console for the same price but is also throwing in an HDMI cable and a copy of Click on Blu-ray.

At the time of writing no other retailers have folowed suit, although many are expected to. And while WH Smith's offer is scheduled to end on April 19, Play.com is offering the console for £399.99 for the forseable future.

Additionally, tomorrow - Good Friday - the console price craziness is set to continue, with Play.com telling us that it's planning to offer the Core Xbox 360 for just £149.99 - £50 lower than the RRP - and is dropping the price of the Premium Xbox 360 from £279.99 to £249.99. You'll have to be quick though because the offer only lasts until April 10 and stock is likely to be extremely limited.

Via ign

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FolksSoul links PS3 and PSP together

April 6th, 2007, 01:00 Posted By: wraggster

A Japanese store listing for the upcoming PLAYSTATION 3 RPG, FolksSoul, showcases some of the game's myriad of features: 720p visuals, 7.1 Dolby Digital Sound and PSP connectivity. Wait, what was that last bit again? Connectivity between PSP and PS3 has always been hinted at before, but we haven't seen an actual game utilize it in a meaningful way. (The PSP also had connectivity features with certain PlayStation 2 games, but the feature was used quite sparingly.)

How will the upcoming PS3 game, FolksSoul, connect with PSP? It's unclear right now. However, if one looks back at the history of this intriguing RPG, one can see that it was originally titled Monster Kingdom: Unknown Realms. Does that name ring a bell? It should. The first Monster Kingdom was a PSP-exclusive RPG. As revealed in our interview with Atlus, Monster Kingdom was always meant to become a larger franchise. Could this cult RPG be part of the connection we're looking for?

via pspfanboy

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FolksSoul links PS3 and PSP together

April 6th, 2007, 01:00 Posted By: wraggster

A Japanese store listing for the upcoming PLAYSTATION 3 RPG, FolksSoul, showcases some of the game's myriad of features: 720p visuals, 7.1 Dolby Digital Sound and PSP connectivity. Wait, what was that last bit again? Connectivity between PSP and PS3 has always been hinted at before, but we haven't seen an actual game utilize it in a meaningful way. (The PSP also had connectivity features with certain PlayStation 2 games, but the feature was used quite sparingly.)

How will the upcoming PS3 game, FolksSoul, connect with PSP? It's unclear right now. However, if one looks back at the history of this intriguing RPG, one can see that it was originally titled Monster Kingdom: Unknown Realms. Does that name ring a bell? It should. The first Monster Kingdom was a PSP-exclusive RPG. As revealed in our interview with Atlus, Monster Kingdom was always meant to become a larger franchise. Could this cult RPG be part of the connection we're looking for?

via pspfanboy