Deniska`s Site Overhaul

October 1st, 2006, 01:42 Posted By: wraggster

Deniska the winner of the first 30 Day Coding Competition and the Neoflash 2006 Apps contest has had a hosted site on DCEmu for a long while now and tonight i have sorted out a seperate News and discussion forum for his ports.

What this means is that from now on all his PSP releases will show up as News on PSP News, which is great all round.

The links to all his releases are fixed too.

Check out all of Deniska`s releases at his site here --> http://deniska.dcemu.co.uk/

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Birdman's Font pack V10

October 1st, 2006, 03:53 Posted By: Birdman2078



This time around i dont know if i would even call this a font pack, but a font all-in-one pack. This pack now has everything you need for all of your font needs.

Features:
177 fonts
Registries for 2.0-2.8
X-flash for 1.5
Fonthacker program for 2.0-2.8
Devhook instructions
Ways to fix your own registries so you dont lost any settings.

With these additions this is an all on one pack.

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Ps2IRC v0.8 released

October 1st, 2006, 11:45 Posted By: wraggster

ubergeek42 has released a new version of PS2IRC, heres the release details:

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Pair of new Ace Combat trailers

October 1st, 2006, 11:51 Posted By: wraggster

Via PSPfanboy

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Super Mini putt - UPDATED RELEASE

October 1st, 2006, 11:56 Posted By: wraggster

PspFanatic has released a new Lua Golf game for the PSP. heres the details:

*UPDATE*
Ok now if you've seen my first release of this homebrew than you obviouslly know that the gfx were horrible. Not anymore. with some help from ikarius the gfx are looking pretty good. I also edit the bg color while playing and I made the hole and ball round instead of square. I also got the ball to move smoother and a bit quicker when you hit it.

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PSPTex 1.04

October 1st, 2006, 12:01 Posted By: wraggster

New release from hitchhikr

PSPTex is a save plugin for GIMP 2.2.x & 2.3.x allowing to create textures for the PlayStation Portable.

It can save raw RGBA (5650, 5551, 4444 or 8888) & indexed (T4, T8) textures (with 5650, 5551, 4444 or 8888 palette modes support) as well as DXTC (DXT1, DXT3, DXT5) compresssed ones, it supports the PSP textures swizzle mode and can generate mipmaps, it also have a color key feature to handle transparency and can convert grayscale pictures into alpha channel only textures.

v1.04:
- Fixed DXT1 compression and DXT3 fetching issues.
- Added an option to save pictures datas and palettes as source codes.

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PS1P WIP News Update - DCEMU Exclusive - PSOne Emu for PSP Coming Soon

October 1st, 2006, 12:06 Posted By: wraggster

Yesterday i recieved a new update to the progression of the unreleased PS1 Emulator for the PSP called PS1P, heres the news from the Anonymous Coder:

- Fullscreen. Looks just beautiful I cut a small slice at the top & bottom of the PS1 screen to reduce the distortion. Most games look perfectly fine since a real TV would also cut parts of the display.
- Several speed optimizations--should be noticeably faster.
- More compatibility--I can get past the car in FF8 now

Note that the GPU is still in software and there's no dynarec yet either.

No release date is know as of yet but you never know when a release will happen, as before DCEmu is the only place to get this news so if you see some faker posting that its gonna be released at such a time youll know its a lie.

Anyway i got a new beta to test

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CWCHEAT For Mac OS X v0.3.3

October 1st, 2006, 19:45 Posted By: splodger15

This is what Henry had to say:

I’ve got a new update for CWCheat! Here’s what’s new:

• Removed the ‘update cheat.db’ button from the Tools tab. CWCheat
will automatically update the database upon loading an older one.
• Added a new ‘Update cheat.db’ button. This one connects to the
CWCheat Server and retrieves the latest cheat.db file straight from
the source.
• Added menu items.

And coming soon in v0.4:

• Universal Binary release
• Replace the Tools tab with a Submit tab, allowing you to directly
submit cheats to the main cwcheat server.
• Add a preferences window, for things like auto-sorting, auto-
loading, auto updating, etc.

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OMG PS3 Kiosks Rock

October 1st, 2006, 20:44 Posted By: wraggster

Take a looky at the screenshot of the PS3 Kiosk. its massive.

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PSP Obsession

October 1st, 2006, 22:26 Posted By: wraggster

DreaDNoughT has posted a game that he did but never released, one where you run around and dodge the PSPs .

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BUG v1.0

October 1st, 2006, 22:38 Posted By: wraggster

Psp-maniac has posted a new game for the PSP, heres the info:

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Download: Riviera PSP movie

October 2nd, 2006, 09:47 Posted By: wraggster

Via Insert Credit:

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The PS3’s worst enemy

October 2nd, 2006, 09:54 Posted By: wraggster

Via the software pirate

Sony’s had a lot of problems stirring up excitement with the PS3. Manufacturing problems, launch shortages, high prices, lackluster launch titles (Metal Gear Solid 4 isn’t worthy a $660 investment) are just a few of the issues that have made gamers pretty nervous about getting Sony’s Grey Goose of a console. Fundamentally, none of these are the biggest problems the PS3 has to face. The PS3’s biggest problem hit me earlier today, when I was playing on my PS2.

The Playstation 3’s biggest problem is the Playstation 2.

Look at the release lineup for the PS2. Final Fantasy 12, God of War 2, Godhand, Phantasy Star Universe, and so on. Just this month we got the must-have Okami and the obscure-but-great Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria. These games are fun, they look beautiful, and they are adding more and more life to Sony’s battered workhorse of a platform. They might not look quite as good as Xbox 360 or upcoming PS3 titles, but they’re good enough to make the average gamer consider keeping their old system around for a few more months.

Sony hasn’t yet made a convincing argument that the PS3 is a worthy replacement to the PS2 yet. Yes, it can output to 1080p. Yes, it will have better online and storage abilities. But these are all features Sony has told us, not shown us.

Nintendo demonstrated just how the Virtual Console is going to work, what titles will be available, and what it’s going to cost us. We know we’re going to see some great classics on top of the various ports and exclusives in the Wii’s release lineup. Beyond that, we’ve seen the Wiimote in action, and though it could use some tightening up, there’s a whole lot of potential there. Sure, there’s still the Gamecube, but the Gamecube’s lineup is already dwindling, and it looks like Zelda: Twilight Princess and Super Paper Mario will be the last big names to hit the system.

Microsoft gave Xbox 360 XBLA, a great reason for fanboys to keep their systems on without a bunch of release titles. When Oblivion’s feeling tired, owners can tap into Street Fighter II, Geometry Wars, and loads of other classic and remix games through Live Arcade. The original Xbox did have Live, but the 360 added countless features and an interface that’s exponentially better than the original. The Xbox is still seeing its share of games coming out, but the 360 has already proven itself with a nice selection of exclusives and the unexpected greatness of XBLA.

The Playstation 3 has a lot of promises, Sony hasn’t actually shown us many of them. We know the technical merits. Metal Gear Solid 4 looks great, Assassin’s Creed looks great, White Knight looks freaking amazing. But beyond that… what does the system have to offer? Technically it should be at the top of the heap. Fastest, most graphical bells and whistles, HDMI output, 1080p support, all of those nifty features. But beyond that what do the system have? Sony hastily added a lot of “features� like the SIXAXIS tilt controller and some form of XBLA/VC downloadable game support, but we haven’t really seen them in action. Microsoft has proven the Xbox 360 to be a worthy successor to the Xbox. Nintendo has actually shown us what the Wii is capable of doing. Sony hasn’t done much more but promise technical superiority and demonstrate that the PS3 dwarfs Ken Kutaragi’s head.

Besides pretty graphics, the PS3 doesn’t look like it’s going to be that much better than the PS2. In the long run it might, but for now all Sony is offering is a bunch of lofty promises and a release list for the Playstation 2 will probably have more than one frugal gamer waiting a few months for a PS3 price drop and a few better titles. Unless they have a top-of-the-line high-def TV that can take HDMI and show 1080p, the PS3’s most impressive graphics abilities will probably be lost on most. Without an amazing and obscenely expensive display to go with the obscenely expensive console, the PS3 will be little more than a PS2 with Xbox 360 graphics.

Okami and Valkyrie Profile are out now. God of War 2, Godhand, Final Fantasy 12, and lots of other tasty titles are in the pipe. It’s still a good time to be a PS2 owner, and that makes it a bad time to sell the PS3.

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The GPS games: more details revealed

October 2nd, 2006, 10:12 Posted By: wraggster

News from PSPFanboy

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PSP Insider Issue 1

October 2nd, 2006, 10:17 Posted By: wraggster

PSP Insider have released a new mag for the PSP, heres the details:

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PSP Double Expand Memory Convertor Videos

October 2nd, 2006, 10:26 Posted By: wraggster

I broke the news last week about the PSP Double Expand Memory Convertor and it really caught on, so much that everyone followed my lead, well now theres 2 videos on Youtube of the device in action supposedly.

Heres the links




Heres More info about it just in case you missed my first article.



Product Features of SONY PSP PSP Double Expand Memory Convertor

This product is special manufacture and mainly use with PSP console.
Support any kinds of SD/MINI SD/MMC memory stick.
Double extend your PSP console memory capacity.
Compatible with 2-pieces of SD/MINI SD/MMC/Memory stick and convert use in PSP.
Easy set up and use.



More Description of SONY PSP PSP Double Expand Memory Convertor

PSP Memory Expansion Adapter lets your SD/mini SD and MMC card connect to PSP and you can use them for save-data such as photos

THe Memory Converter retails for USD 16.77 and can be brought from SuccessHK.

Im gonna try and review one asap

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PSPaperboy V1.0 alpha

October 2nd, 2006, 14:41 Posted By: lamo_PSP_king

ive released this game early to see what the general reaction is from everyone as to whether its worth continuing or not. its took me two days to make and is my first ever attempt at making an lua game so plz keep that in mind. its no were near finished as im working by myself on this. if i make a new version then im hoping to include
1. five new levels
2. dogs, go karts ai and collisions
3. better animations
4. more sound and
5. overall better gameplay with gamesave

hope you enjoy it

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Sonic Rivals (PSP) Shots

October 2nd, 2006, 17:17 Posted By: wraggster

Just released to the press have been 7 bits of character card artwork for the upcoming PSP game.

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Montana leaves its tag in Sony's award-winning B-Boy

October 2nd, 2006, 17:19 Posted By: wraggster

Hive, the wholly owned strategic communications subsidiary of leading independent in-game advertising specialist IGA Worldwide, has developed a product placement campaign for Montana, the spray can of choice for graffiti artists, in Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s hotly tipped breakdancing release B-Boy.

Available on PlayStation2 and PSP, B-Boy has been developed by FreeStyleGames, one of the UK’s leading independent studios, and has already picked up major accolades at this year’s E3 show including ‘Best Music Game’ (PSP and PS2) and ‘Most Innovative Game’ (PSP).

The game has been created in collaboration with DJ Hooch and international hip-hop legend ‘Crazy Legs’ from the Rock Steady Crew, who also features as in-game host.

With the success of the game riding on its authenticity, Hive worked closely with Montana to ensure that the brand’s product and values were incorporated sympathetically into the game environment.

“B-Boy represented a great opportunity for us to reach our target audience via an innovative advertising platform,� said Ruedi Glatz, CEO at Montana. “In this instance not only are there obvious synergies between our brand and the game but we felt that the method itself speaks volumes about our values – by using in-game advertising now we’re reinforcing our brand as innovative, forward-thinking and challenging mainstream thinking.�

In real life the spray paint specialist sponsors a graffiti team of five internationally renowned artists, known as the MONTANA WRITER TEAM. Original artwork by Montana’s team has been included in the game environment to further enhance its authenticity. The spray cans appear throughout the game helping to recreate a realistic hip-hop environment.

“This is a great example of a best practice in-game advertising campaign - Montana's spray cans are incorporated seamlessly into the game – and testament to Hive's experience and in-depth understanding of the gaming world," said Chris Lee, commercial director at FreeStyleGames. “Not only do well-executed product placement campaigns such as this one help the advertiser to reach an increasingly fragmented audience, they enhance the gamer's experience through a genuine and authentic representation of real world brands.�

“Working with both the games developer and the advertiser, we’re the guardians not only of the brands we represent but perhaps more importantly the gamer’s experience,� said Rachel Normal, MD at Hive. “It is critical that prospective players from the hip-hop community view the game as a sympathetic representation of their world, otherwise people simply won’t play. We’ve really enjoyed getting under the skin of B-boy culture to develop this campaign to ensure that the visuals enhance rather than disrupt the game play.�

B-Boy is due to be launched on October 6, 2006 on PlayStation2 and PSP.

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[PSP]Touch Screen in PSP's Future?

October 2nd, 2006, 18:47 Posted By: F9zDark

With the DS and its hugely successful touch screen, it seems only obvious that Sony may want to jump on this bandwagon. Er did I say Sony? Let me start over:

With the DS and its hugely successful touch screen, it seems only obvious that the homebrew/hacking community would bring a product to light that may be able to do just that.

While perusing the website for 0x89 found here @ http://0x89.org it came to my attention of a news update from harleyg.

Apparently harleyg and his team are working on a prototype touch screen for the PSP, which as the concept images indicate, is USB and mounts to the top of the PSP via the two screw holes on the sides of the USB port.

This brings forth many questions, most notably, how will this unit work? It seems obvious to me that the unit will work with 0x89, but mind you, details are sketchy at the moment.

Check out the news and concepts for yourself @ http://0x89.org/index2.php

Update

There was a FAQ released on the 0x89 forums about the PSP Touch Screen, it can be found here:

http://0x89.org/forum/index.php?topic=17.0

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Rainbow Six PSP delayed

October 2nd, 2006, 20:20 Posted By: wraggster

Ubisoft's PSP version of its squad-based shooter Rainbow Six: Vegas has been pushed back. Erm, bah? Originally planning to deploy on November 17, it'll now be stomping its special forces boots on December 8.

Screenshots showing Ubisoft's impressive efforts on Rainbow Six: Vegas for PSP recently hit these pages, along with news that the handheld iteration of the game features content and characters not appearing in the 'bigger' versions on PC and Xbox 360.

Via CVG

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ZOE returning for PS3?

October 2nd, 2006, 20:51 Posted By: wraggster

UK games magazine PSM3 is claiming that Zone of the Enders 3 will be released on PlayStation 3 in 2007.

Judging by the copy, a full announcement from Konami and Hideo Kojima is due next month, but beyond that all that's known is that "Kojima Studios" (presumably they mean Kojima Productions) is behind it.

We got in touch with Konami UK this morning to ask if they could confirm the game's existence, but we were told no, they cannot. Which is a bit of a shame, isn't it. We'll let you know when they inevitably do confirm it.

As for those of you who have no idea what we're blathering on about - Zone of the Enders, or ZOE, is a mech action game which ran for two instalments on PlayStation 2, and was arguably more convoluted and waffly, plot-wise, than even Metal Gear Solid has managed. Its return could herald the first game ever to fill a Blu-ray disc. With plain-text.

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Composers announced for Star Trek games

October 2nd, 2006, 21:35 Posted By: wraggster

Bethesda Softworks and Rednote Audio today announced Rod Abernethy and Jason Graves as the composers of the scores for its three upcoming games based on Star Trek. The duo, who previously wrote scores for Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII, Rise of the Kasai, and Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows, have written the symphonic music that will be heard in Star Trek: Legacy for the PC and Xbox 360, Star Trek: Tactical Assault for the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable, and Star Trek: Encounters for the PlayStation 2. Encounters beams into stores this week; Legacy and Tactical Assault will be ready next month

Via Gamespot

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Default Non TA-082's available in UK shops now!

October 2nd, 2006, 23:00 Posted By: Baboon

I've just completed a sucessful downdate for a mate's brand new PSP. The machine I sorted out was a factory 2.6 PSP and its not a TA-082... and the good news is that its brand new and bought from the shelf in 'Comet' in Marsh Mills, Plymouth, England. He bought it yesterday and theres plenty more in the store. Its the 1gb pack without any games for £218... so any UK gamers in the area get one now for a bargain homebrew system!

Ideal that theres still shops selling these versions of the PSP!



edit: Cool this is my first front page news entry!

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Gitaroo Man Lives This November

October 3rd, 2006, 00:14 Posted By: wraggster

Koei today announced that Gitaroo Man Lives! for the PSP-- the latest in the cult music game franchise -- will reach North America this fall.

Developed by Inis with help from music producer COIL and visual producer 326, Gitaroo Man Lives! builds on the rhythm-based action of the original Gitaroo Man, but offers rebalanced play for the PSP. The new title also adds Duet Mode for wireless co-op play, as well as supporting competitive two-player battles.

Gitaroo Man Lives! is scheduled to reach stores November 14. Dancing may be prohibited on municipal buses -- please consult local transit authorities.

Via IGN

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Stuff Mobile - October 2006

October 3rd, 2006, 00:38 Posted By: wraggster

Yunjin Kim is as cool as they come. What appears to be a rabid (or very amorous) squirrel has appeared on the set of her photo shoot, causing some of the crew to flee in fear. But the sexy star of the megahit TV show Lost just laughs. “So cute!� she says. “I love nature.� This and much more in this issue of Stuff mobile…

Download the Mag at Perooz

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XviD4PSP video converter for PSP and PC v4.032

October 3rd, 2006, 01:30 Posted By: wraggster

Winnydows has released an updated version of his video converter for PSP.

Heres whats new:

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ZionMax Coding Competition 2006

October 3rd, 2006, 01:45 Posted By: Zion

After only been open 2 days, ZionMax.com is having its very own coding competition!

The site is hosted by the emulation64 network

Main site/Front Page : Click Here

Forum (where submissions should be posted) : Click Here

This competition is for PSP Coding and Ds coding
Only submissions for those two consoles will be accepted

Here are the prizes for the competition :

1st Place =

Sega Dreamcast Console with 18 Games + 2 Controllers + 2 Vmu Units.
Games included are :

Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Jet Set Radio, Virtua Tennis 2, Resident Evil Code Veronica, Virtua Fighter 3tb, Metropolis Street Racer, Silent Scope, Virtua Stiker 2, NFL Blitz 2000, NBA Hoopz, Capcom vs SNK, Sega Smash Pack vol1, Ikaruga, Speed Devils, Crazy Taxi, Shenmue 2, Soul Calibur.

2nd Place =

Nintendo64 Console With 2 Games + 1 Gamepad + 1 Memory Card + 1 Rumble pack, Expansion Pack.

Games included are :

Legend of Zelda : Majora's Mask & Perfect Dark.

3rd Place =

Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Console with Games + 1 Controller

Games Included are :

Will check later and then post them

4th Place =

Nintendo Gameboy with Games + Charger

Games included are :

Will check later and then post them

Thanks for entering guys

Any Donations made to the competition are welcomed and thanked.

I will have the paypal donations link set up either today or tomorrow

These rules must be followed or your entry will not be accepted.

1. Entry's must be New or Updated Applications/Games.
2. Entry's must not contain copyrighted material, such as ripped sprites etc.
3. Maximum of 3 Entry's per user.

-----------Competition Info-------------

1. To see the prizes the competition is offering click Here

2. The competition will run from now 28th of September 2006 until the first of November 2006.
3. All entry's must be submitted before that date to be eligable for the prizes.
4. Prizes will be posted out a week after the winners have been announced.
5. Voting accounts for 50% of the final decision. The other 50% is decided by the judges.
6. Any users found guilty of rigging the votes will be kicked off the competition and not win a prize. (we all know why)
7. Prizes are only in single units (only one availible per position) so if you finish first you will win the first prize. Second wins the second place prize etc....there are no exeptions on this.
8. Releases must be posted here first, they can be posted on other sites after 2 days of submittance here.
9. Entrys must be submitted to ZionMax only.

--------------Notice about the prizes--------

Obviously these prizes are not new, and cannot be bought new due to them being out of production.

They are all in mint condition and in fully working order.

Edit : I had to repost this and delete the old one becuase the links + rules were wrong + All the site issues were very embarassing

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PSP: FW2.50 TA-082 SoftDown to 1.50

October 3rd, 2006, 04:35 Posted By: JOJAN_MOO

0okm posted the following on his site:

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Size It: PlayStation 3 vs. Xbox 360 vs. Wii vs. Nintendo NES

October 3rd, 2006, 11:12 Posted By: wraggster

Just how much living-room cabinet space are you going to have to sacrifice when you purchase a PlayStation 3 instead of a Nintendo Wii? Will your 1985 entertainment center fit your Xbox 360 in the same slot as a Nintendo NES?

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PS3 Controller's Name Revealed

October 3rd, 2006, 11:14 Posted By: wraggster

Sony's wireless PS3 controller has been dubbed SIXAXIS. The Bluetooth supported, USB outfitted controller will be packaged with the PLAYSTATION 3 or can be purchased in Japan for 5,000 yen (US $43) starting November 11th. It is possible to switch the SIXAXIS from wireless to wired controller via USB. According to SCEI, The wireless controller can be operated for up to 30 hours when fully charged.

That same day, Sony is also selling a USB Memory Card Adaptor. It will go for 1,500 (US $13) and can be used to transfer PS2 or PSX game data for the PS3 harddrive. Moreover, Sony announced sales data for the BD remote. Previously, we posted the system's Blu-ray Remote Controller. This will drop on December 7th for 3,600 yen (US $31).

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Here It Is, The PS3 Remote

October 3rd, 2006, 11:16 Posted By: wraggster

This I personally hadn't previously seen before. At CEATEC JAPAN 2006, Sony showed off the PLAYSTATION 3's remote control. It looks similar to the PS2 remote and guess what? It does pretty much the same thing! It's supposed to be used for toggling and video functions—in this case, watching Blu-ray discs. Looks like any old remote, no?

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PlayStation 3 Magazine hands-on video with ... PS3

October 3rd, 2006, 11:27 Posted By: wraggster

Folks over at the eponymous PSM3 Magazine were lucky enough to get their hands on a PlayStation 3. Apparently they were lucky enough to get their fingerprints all over it, too. These things are shinier than the black Nintendo DS, and will probably give rise to a slew of third-party, PS3-branded chamois cloths to keep them looking pristine.

These guys define the word bias, seeing as how they publish PlayStation 3 Magazine, but the machine does look powerful and, well ... shiny. The startup video looks impressive, especially the tuning orchestra-ish sound, although so was the one on the PS2. By the fifth time you booted that sucker up, you weren't paying attention to it. Remeber the simple PlayStation One startup? It was simple, to the point, and not too flashy. Everything now has to look like a music video. The XMB interface looks a lot more lackluster than expected, and looks miles behind the Xbox 360 dashboard. Although we're willing to give it the benefit of the doubt and assume it might be not be complete.

More Info

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New Releases for PSP from Play Asia

October 3rd, 2006, 11:36 Posted By: wraggster

Newly released today, heres the listing:

Gundam Battle Royale ASIA US$ 42.90
Mercury Meltdown US US$ 39.90
MotoGP US US$ 39.90
NBA 07 US N/A
Spectral Souls US US$ 39.90

More info / buy here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...9-en-84-n.html

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New Releases for PS2 from Play Asia

October 3rd, 2006, 11:39 Posted By: wraggster

Newly released today, heres the listing:

Guitarfreaks Arcade Style Controller US$ 249.00
Dragon Ball Z Sparking! US$ 64.90 .

More info / buy here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...9-en-84-n.html

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MTV Airs STACKED Masters Showdown

October 3rd, 2006, 11:58 Posted By: wraggster

Myelin Media announces that highlights of the MTV STACKEDTM Masters Showdown Tournament, the officially-sanctioned Texas Hold ‘em poker tournament for STACKEDTM with Daniel Negreanu , which officially aired on MTV on September 24 – 27, 2006, is now available for viewing at http://www.stacked.mtv.com.

The five finalists: Amber Dalton from San Antonio, Texas; Mark Caminong from Hollywood, CA; Michael Rose from Buffalo Grove, Illinois; Brennan Conley, from Monroeville, Pennsylvania; and Jared Sharp from Short Hills, New Jersey; fought their way to a Showdown in Las Vegas to face off against Daniel Negreanu at the final table. Tune in to see who wins and who goes home in this one-of-a-kind Texas Hold ‘em match-up!

"I was truly amazed by the quality mix of Texas Hold ‘em players and genuine enthusiasm of STACKED fans from all over the country,� said Negreanu. “It’s great to see players showcasing their talent and using STACKED single player mode to sharpen and improve their skills.�

“My favorite thing about playing STACKED is the realistic game playing by the AI,� said Michael Rose, one of this year’s eager participants. “Stacked is the best poker game available right now by far and is a great teaching tool for most inexperienced players who want to tighten up their game.�

MTV STACKEDTM Masters Tournaments are scheduled, live events where players can win Masters points depending on the buy-in, number of other players and, of course, how far they make it. The buy in amount for each level will reflect the level of skill for players who can enter – the higher the level, the greater the buy in amount. The lower level tournaments will be held more frequently than the higher level tournaments giving everyone a chance to play and build their bankrolls.

Top players were selected by earning placement on the leader board by accumulating Masters Points in official STACKED Masters Showdown Tournaments, and of that sample, five were selected to participate in the MTV STACKEDTM Masters Finale. For additional tournament information you can visit STACKED.mtv.com for the latest updates on tournament schedules, complete results for all MTV STACKED Masters Showdown Tournaments, player leaderboards, and detailed statistics for individual players.

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Namco Bandai Games America Inc. Announces Warhammer®: Battle for Atluma

October 3rd, 2006, 12:04 Posted By: wraggster

Leading video games publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. announced today that Warhammer®: Battle for Atluma™, a new collectible card game set in the popular Warhammer® world, will be launching on the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system this fall. This game of strategy and quick wits offers players more than 400 cards to collect, trade and ultimately use to vanquish their opponents.

“One of the more compelling card-based games to date, Warhammer: Battle for Atluma goes beyond simple player interaction and encourages an inclusive sense of community among players through head-to-head battles, card collecting, trading and strategy sessions,� said John Whitmore, Director of Internal/External Development at NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. “This unique dynamic coupled with the strategic, fast-paced nature of the game certainly sets Warhammer: Battle for Atluma apart from other games in its genre.�

Developed by JV Games, Warhammer: Battle for Atluma allows players to enter the Old World and battle their way through the vast armies of either the Grand Alliance or the evil Hordes of Darkness. Along the way, the secrets of Atluma will be revealed that will help shape future battles, but players will need to be decisive to outwit their opponent and secure the ultimate prize - the Atluma Crystal.

Exciting features of Warhammer: Battle for Atluma include:
Wireless multiplayer gameplay which allows players to battle a friend and trade cards by connecting wirelessly;
Life and death decisions which weigh heavily as players must carefully choose their battles. One wrong battle can lead an army to defeat, while one strategic victory can win new warriors from an opponent;
The ability to build a custom army deck that can stand the heat of combat. Players can access more than 90 different units through recruitment, conquest and trade;
An extensive tutorial system that helps beginners jump right into the action and start competing like a seasoned veteran.
Available this fall, Warhammer: Battle for Atluma is rated “T� for Teen by the ESRB. For more information about this title, please visit NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.’s official website at www.namcobandaigames.com.

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PS3 Game Prices

October 3rd, 2006, 12:08 Posted By: wraggster

PS3 launch game prices range from the unexpectedly low to the slightly higher than expected. At the low end are two mahjong games. Konami will release Mahjong Fight Club National Competition Edition at 5,229 yen. This is slightly higher than Koei's Mahjong Taikai IV, which will sell for 5040 yen. The Koei title is, incidentally, a new entry to the PS3's Japanese launch lineup.
Sega's launch title, Sega Golf Club, has been priced at 7,140 yen, as previously reported. So has Sonic the Hedgehog, which hits Japan on 12/21 at 7,140 yen.

Finally, we come to the high end of the launch lineup. Ridge Racer 7 and Gundam Target in Sight will both carry price points of 7,329 yen. This is actually the price that Konami charges for most of its PS2 games.

From Software will follow launch with the highest priced PS3 game of them all. As previously reported, Armored Core 4 will hit Japanese retail on 12/14 carrying, a price point of 8,190 yen. PS2 Armored Core games have carried this price in the past.

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Sony Japan announce three PS3 Peripherals

October 3rd, 2006, 12:10 Posted By: wraggster

The remote's official name is BD Remote Controller, apparently to indicate the device's convenience for Blu-Ray disk playback. Model number CECHZR1J, the Remote Control will cost 3,600 yen, but it won't be available until 12/7. The device will use Bluetooth to interact with the PS3.

Finally, the memory card reader, which will help you maintain your PS2 save game collection. Officially called the Memory Card Adapter, this device, model CECHZM1J, will retail for 1,500 yen when it sees release on 11/11. It connects to the PS3 via USB and accepts memory cards for both the PS2 and PlayStation. Once you've connected the device, you'll be able to transfer your save games to the PS3 hard disk, so you'll presumably only have to use this once.

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PiMPStreamer 0.75

October 3rd, 2006, 12:54 Posted By: wraggster

DickyDick1969 has once again updated his movie streaming app for the PSP, heres the news:

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Exclusive: Heavenly Star fan pack

October 3rd, 2006, 12:57 Posted By: wraggster

News from PSPFanboy

As you may already know, Lumines creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi has made a music video for the upcoming video-infused Lumines II. The catchy tune by Genki Rockets has been stuck in my head for the past few days, and I decided to share the love through this exclusive Heavenly Star fan pack. Included in this zip file are 20 PSP-formatted wallpapers, the song as an MP3 and a PSP-formatted version of the music video.

"While most of my creative energy has been devoted to video games, because music plays such an important role in them, it seemed ideal to create an original music video," Mizuguchi stated about his original creation. Lumines II hits stores on November 7th.

Download at link above

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Metareview: Gangs of London

October 3rd, 2006, 12:58 Posted By: wraggster

Gangs of London is the biggest release for PSP this week. Sony's been hyping the game through extensive advertisements and elaborate contests. They even printed tons of demos so that people would pick up, play and think "man, this game is a winner." Unfortunately, the plan backfired as I got tons of comments from readers trashing the game. Chris Powell asked me what I thought and I called it "laughably bad." It looks like our negative first impressions of the game were right as the game has been ridiculed by critics the world over. Let's check out some reviews from all over the world:

Pocket Gamer UK (40/100) - "Don't put Gangs of London on anyone's Christmas list. Whether it's stealth, driving or shooting, the game feels limited and unengaging, is hampered by unresponsive controls and completely lacks the necessary polish of a modern production."
Sydney Morning Herald (60/100) - "With such clumsy controls, the limited intelligence of both friends and foes, and a lack of mission variety, most players would have a lot more fun with GTA Liberty City Stories."
GameZone (50/100) - "Gangs of London is a pretty dull game that can border on frustrating due to the clunky controls, lame missions and weak AI. Definitely more 'Swept Away' than 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'."
I'm somewhat disappointed at how this game turned out. If Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories wasn't around the corner, I'd be pretty upset.

Via PSPFanboy

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Weekly Special: Aedeus Memories Shinten Makai Generation of Chaos V for PSPâ„¢ US 10.90

October 3rd, 2006, 15:01 Posted By: wraggster



Play Asia are doing a weekly special, heres the info:

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Ubisoft AND Sega Bring Mind Quiz for the PSP

October 3rd, 2006, 15:24 Posted By: wraggster

Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest videogame publishers, announced that it will publish Mind Quiz, Sega’s hit brain training game in Europe. Mind Quiz, the PSP game, was a hit across Japan and will be available in stores in November 2006.

KEY FEATURES

Test calculation, reflex, judgement, and memory: All the exercises are qualified to exercise the brain with scientific experiments
How old is your brain? Featuring the Brain Age Checking Mode: Mind Quiz contains the new “Brain Age Checking Mode� this allows the player to evaluate their brain age by solving questions once a day
Intense fun: Set in a school setting, players can enjoy elements such as online gameplay and mock exams to evaluate strength. The game also features a ‘challenge mode’ and a ‘healing gallery’
Pick up and play: By using the PSP’s simple functionality, anyone can play Mind Quiz at any age. Begin training with school teachers, then try a variety of unique brain training programs and difficulty settings.
The latest addition to the blockbuster “Brain Trainer� Japanese series: Renamed “Mind Quiz� for Europe, the game is the best in the series yet. Supervised by Dr. Kawashima, the Japanese authority on Functional Brain Imaging, Mind Quiz helps to train and stimulate the brain.

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Metal Gear Solid 4 screen blowout!

October 3rd, 2006, 17:10 Posted By: wraggster

Metal Gear Solid 4 is without doubt one of the biggest games currently in development for PS3, and after being impressed by the latest gameplay footage that sneaked out last month we're more than happy to be thwapped in the face by 20 - yep, that's 20 - new screenshots this afternoon.

Solid Snake fans still have around a year to wait before MGS4 arrives, with it currently expected in Q4 2007. Still, you can ease that wait by checking out this heaping helping of new in-game pics. Enjoy.

Screens Here

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Let's play darts

October 3rd, 2006, 17:12 Posted By: wraggster

PDC World Championship Darts is coming this Christmas and it'll feature all the heavyweight champions of the oche, a smokey room and warm bitter on tap.

Look out for arrow-lobbing legends including Phil Taylor, Dennis Priestly, Wayne Mardle, Mark Dudbridge and Raymond Van Barneveld.

Check out the screens below while we organise a special event with Oxygen to see how accurate its darts game really is. More soon.

Screens Here

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8.0 inches Digital LCD Monitor for PStwo

October 3rd, 2006, 17:21 Posted By: wraggster



Divineo China have new for sale a 8.0 inches Digital LCD Monitor for PStwo, heres some more details:

Exclusively for use with the "Slim-line" PStwo console, the new 8 inches Digital LCD Monitor allows you to play your DVDs or PS2 games on the go! Featuring an impressive
8 inches TFT display, in-built Stereo Speakers, SRS 3D Surround Sound and even a Remote Control.

Specifications & extra information

Features
- 8.0 Inch (20.3cm) Active Matrix TFT Panel
- Wide 160 degree viewing angle
- Integral stereo speakers with stereo SRS? surround sound
- Remote Controller
- Two stereo earphone outputs
- 7 Inch Fantastic Monitor

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Sony exec predicts end of the road for discs

October 3rd, 2006, 17:28 Posted By: wraggster

Jamie MacDonald, VP of SCE Worldwide Studios Europe, has told GamesIndustry.biz that he believes digital distribution will overtake discs within the next five years.

Speaking after his keynote at GDC London this morning, MacDonald said the industry is currently experiencing a "paradigm shift" as the cost of games production increases and there is a move toward a "network-centric world". This, he argued, will have significant implications for the way developers make games, the revenue streams they are able to exploit and the way products are delivered.

"In five years' time, my belief is that the majority of content won't be delivered on disc. That has many implications for developers and the way we organise our industry," MacDonald said.

"It also brings with it great opportunities because it means you can touch your consumer in many different ways and at different times - it's not just a one-off relationship where a consumer buys a disc from the store.

"In terms of object sales, episodic content, in-game advertising and merchandising, there are many, many opportunities to have a relationship with the consumer - which is a great challenge to us as developers because that's not what we're used to."

This is not the first time a Sony executive has predicted the end of the road for disc formats. Back in August, Worldwide Studios president Phil Harrison said he would be "amazed" if the PlayStation 4 featured a disc drive - causing some observers to question the validity of launching the new Blu-ray format with PlayStation 3.

But according to MacDonald, "The thing about Blu-ray discs - and this is the crucial thing - is that not any time soon will you be able to download the amount of content you need for a big triple-A title down a typical 2, 4 meg broadband connection. That's not going to happen now or in the next year.

"So Blu-ray is absolutely needed for the high definition content in the games that we'll be producing. The network-enabled world, for the initial period, is much more about updated content, object sales, but also titles which are not these blockbuster titles."

The full interview with Jamie MacDonald will be published on GamesIndustry.biz later this week.

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PS3 Preorders at Lik Sang

October 3rd, 2006, 17:32 Posted By: wraggster



News from Lik Sang

Sony's PlayStation 3 is only one month away, with its official release date set to November 11 in Japan and November 17 in the USA.

Virtually place yourself in the waiting line at Japanese videogame shops and let Lik Sang do the dirty work for you. Conditions are quite flexible and there is strictly no money involved. No need to wait for the department store next door to finally get its stock a year later. The price at Lik-Sang.com will remain $0 until we have secured the best possible purchase prices, as many units as possible, and until further details emerge from our suppliers all around the world.

You'll also find a number of official launch titles for the same $0 pre-order price tag in our PlayStation 3 category, but please take into account that some of these games may still be delayed or new ones may get added by Sony to the official launch title list. In any case, you'll always have the final word of what games you want us to ship with your console. By the way, if you have already placed your Special Pre-Order, you can now head over to your my Account page and add them to your list.

Special Pre-Order Terms & Conditions:
1. Your pre-order is not binding and you can cancel at any time.
2. Once release and price details are known, you will receive an email that you need to confirm.
3. As long as you don't cancel, you will keep your position in the pre-order list.
4. Unit price and features are not confirmed and can change at any time.
5. Release date is not confirmed and might change.
6. The product is listed with a dummy price - your credit card is NOT charged.
7. All special pre-orders are limited to a maximum of 1 unit.
8. Depending on release schedule you will be offered choice between US and Japanese systems as Premium or Basic PS3 Pack.
9. Choices and changes are also allowed if several editions/colors are made available.
10. Confirmed launch titles can be added to your order; if a title is delayed, orders can be changed.
11. Again, you will not pay a penny until the minute we ship out your order.

Zip in, zip out, time to make a quick move if you want to catch one of the last remaining spots.

Extra note: Be prepared that the day-1 prices will be much higher than the manufacturers suggested retail price. Experienced and veteran hardcore gamers, who are not importing a system for the first time, know that buying a PS3 at launch or a PSP at launch is not the same thing as simply buying a mere PlayStation 3 or a random PSP off some supermarket shelf. You're paying for the privilege of getting it two months before the massive overflow. Especially with the long forecasted shortages (only 100.000 units for Japan at release date), MasterCard would call that 'priceless'. There is never enough of the good stuff on a launch day, and Lik Sang is required to pay premium pricing to get earlybird stock in sufficient levels for everybody. We can only extend these offers to you during the first couple of months, while waiting for the market to stabilize. But that's the beauty of the No Money Down Special Pre-Order system, you can always ignore day-1 prices and wait for a few more days, a few more weeks, or even several months, until the price goes down to an acceptable level. Without ever losing your pre-order position!

If You Have Already Placed Your Special Pre-Order

If you have already placed your Special Pre-Order Without any games or accessories, you may now head over to your My Account section and add available games to your order. Simply enter the Item Number in the blank field.

• Genji : Kamui Souran (Japanese) (Item No. 9660)
• Mahjong Kakutou Club (Japanese) (Item No. 9661)
• Mobile Suit Gundam : Target In Sight (Japanese) (Item No. 9662)
• Resistance : Jinrui Botsuraku no Hi (Japanese) (Item No. 9663)
• Sega Golf Club (Japanese) (Item No. 9664)
• Ridge Racer 7 (Japanese) (Item No. 9665)
• F.E.A.R (US) (Item No. 9666)
• Madden NFL 07 (US) (Item No. 9667)
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 (US) (Item No. 9668)
• Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas (US) (Item No. 9669)
• Call of Duty 3 (US) (Item No. 9670)
• Genji : Days of the Blade (US) (Item No. 9671)
• MotorStorm (US) (Item No. 9672)
• NBA 07 (US) (Item No. 9673)
• Need for Speed Carbon (US) (Item No. 9674)
• NHL 2K7 (US) (Item No. 9675)
• Resistance : Fall Of Man (US) (Item No. 9676)
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (US) (Item No. 9677)
• Untold Legends : Dark Kingdom (US) (Item No. 9678)

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Heavenly Sword launch 'unaffected' by PAL PS3 delay

October 3rd, 2006, 18:53 Posted By: wraggster

British developer Ninja Theory has confirmed PlayStation 3-exclusive fighter Heavenly Sword as a "launch window" release during a Game Developer Conference presentation in London, although the game will not make it out in America before the end of the year.

"We've always been a launch window title so it hasn't affected us at all," said Nina Kristensen, Ninja Theory's co-founder, answering a question on how Sony's PlayStation 3 delay in Europe had affected the release of the game.

"No, it's going to be next year," said Guy Midgley lead animator, speaking of the game's American launch, "but we haven't announced a specific date yet."

The presentation generally centred on the development of the game's extensive combat system, showing software used to compile what look to be intricate combat routines.

"We needed to do one-on-one combat, group combat and army combat," said lead programmer SaiTong Man. "Our main inspiration was Virtua Fighter and Soul Calibur... Our hero has three stances, but we decided to make each enemy a different stance. This makes the player think about the stance they need to be in to survive the encounter."

Much was shown of wire-frame combat, the presentation culminating in the most recent trailer made for the game.

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RPG Glory Final Fantasy XII US Version Shipping on PlayStation 2 by End of this Month

October 3rd, 2006, 18:58 Posted By: wraggster

News from Lik Sang

It's been half a decade since the last traditionally all-new Final Fantasy game was released on the PlayStation 2, and just as long since Square Enix officially announced FF XII was in development. If you've been waiting longer for the US edition though, now you're on the home stretch with just one month till your adventure kicks off. Stake your spot in the pre-order queue now, and as with all games here, Final Fantasy XII ships free right to your doorstep. If you already bought the Japanese edition however, English language aside, this new release includes 16:9 support and scenes cut from the first release due to rating issues.

With any game in development for so long there's always the question of whether or not it’ll live up to the hype. This epic also cost US$ 35 million to produce, but thankfully if Japan's heavily respected Famitsu Magazine is anything to go by, and it is, the title is truly everything you could wish for. Becoming only the sixth game in the publications twenty year history to score a perfect 40/40 review, back in March FF XII joined the elite ranks of Vagrant Story, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Soul Calibur, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and Nintendogs. With more than 63 million Final Fantasy games sold since 1987, Square Enix's franchise also only falls behind Mario and Pokémon in terms of worldwide popularity.



An Evil Empire vs. A Small Kingdom and Just A Few Heroes In-between

As big as a release is, every great adventure must start with a solid story. That of Final Fantasy XII takes place in a world called "Ivalice", also used in FF Tactics and Tactics Advance. During an age when magic was commonplace and airships plied the skies, the humes, bangaa, viera and moogles all called this land home. War however was on the horizon and seeking to strengthen its base of power, the great Archadian Empire began invading and subjugating its neighboring kingdoms one by one. The small Kingdom of Dalmasca was one such target.

When the occupying Archadian forces established a new consul in Dalmasca's Royal City of Rabanastre, it caught the attention of Vaan, an urchin living on the streets. To Vaan, the Empire was a hated enemy who had taken the life of his brother—his last surviving family member. Vaan hatched a plan to sneak into the castle housing the new consul and unburden him of one or two of his treasures. But before he would have the chance, Vaan got far more than he bargained for; a resistance movement of former Dalmascan soldiers rising up against the Archadian Empire was launching an assault! Amid the ensuing confusion that engulfed the castle, Vaan saw something he could scarcely believe. There, among the members of the resistance, was the figure of the sole remaining heir to the Dalmascan throne, the Princess Ashe, who'd been given up for missing...

The story follows Vaan, Ashe, Vaan's friend Penelo, the sky pirate Balthier, his partner Fran and many more on an adventure through Ivalice that traces the mysteries behind the Archadian Empire's invasion.



It's Final Fantasy, But Not As You Know It

Final Fantasy XII brings forth many drastic changes to the gameplay systems of adventures past, and beyond the location, the new title takes more from two other legendary Square Enix games, FF Tactics and Vagrant Story. Yasumi Matsuno, the man responsible for those two was the original choice for directing duties here, but part way through he had to pull out due to health problems. Despite this however, his vision certainly stayed on.

The art style for example is very reminiscent of Matsuno's works, which considering the visual mood of those was very memorable, it’s certainly a welcome shift. Taking place in the same world of Ivalice, you'll recognize several characters, the various races such as Bangaa, Viera, Nu Mou, Moogle, and Hume, plus there's an all new race to be seen, the pig-like Seeq. The two directors who took over include Hiroshi Minagawa, former art director of FF Tactics and Vagrant Story, and Hiroyuki Ito, who beyond various Final Fantasy releases, worked on Chrono Trigger, Grandia II, and even Super Mario RPG.

Read the rest at Lik Sang

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LocoRoco Plushes Won't Stop the Music

October 3rd, 2006, 19:12 Posted By: wraggster

Via Kotaku

Anne Packrat wrote to say that she made these LocoRoco plushes, mostly by hand, in a futile attempt to get the music to stop playing in her head. The plushes didn't stop the music in my head either, but they did make me giggle a little. I would love to take one of these and just bean the crap out of someone in the head with it while shouting the nonsense words as loud as I could. Yes, I have issues.

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Sony shares feel the heat

October 3rd, 2006, 22:19 Posted By: wraggster

Recent concerns about PS3's imminent launch and the stability of the console's hardware have caused Sony shares to drop 2.75 percent, according to a report on The Associated Press.

First up, in a report released yesterday, Macquarie Equities analyst David Gibson stated that PS3 units had to be reset frequently at this year's Tokyo Game Show, pointing the finger at overheating.

Sony, of course, has denied hardware issues with PS3 exist, with company spokesperson Nanako Kato saying the TGS phenomenon was likely caused by one-of-a-kind temperature irregularities, according to The AP.

Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (investment firm), chose to drop Sony's stock rating earlier today from 'buy' to 'neutral'. The reason? 1) confusion over PS3's release and 2) poor PSP sales may have a greater impact on Sony's earnings than expected.

As a result of all this, Sony's shares fell $1.11 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange to $38.98.

What will concern gamers though is the TGS 'overheating' matter. Should we be worried? Clarifying Sony's position on the issue, Nanako Kato said that roughly 200 PS3 units were positioned closely together and situated in kiosks with poor ventilation, which resulted in overheating problems.

"It's not a problem with the PlayStation 3 unit itself," Kato maintained. "For a normal player at home, there shouldn't be any problem."

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PS3 Overheating Problems

October 3rd, 2006, 22:44 Posted By: wraggster

It looks like we weren't the only ones to notice the Playstation 3's overheating during the Tokyo Game Show. Macquarie Equities analyst David Gibson also saw some PS3s locking up and having to be reset at the big show. And he didn't like what he saw:

"While the reason for this is unknown, we suspect it may be due to overheating as a result of enclosing the units and the high temperatures at the venue," Gibson wrote. "We are concerned that such a problem has occurred so close to full production and is clearly negative news for the company."
News of the glitches caused a 2.75 percent drop in Sony shares, says Business Week.

In Sony's defense, TGS was, by all accounts, a sweltering A/C-free pit and, so far, all next-gen hardware locks up. My Xbox 360 and debug unit both lock-up if I play them for too long without leaving my entertainment center doors open.

I won't know until I get my greedy little hands on one, but I suspect the PS3's overheating issues are about the same as the issues with the 360. I can't wait to heat my house with the PS360s when they're fully installed and running. I'm already heating my lounge with the Xbox 360 and Plamsa TV.

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PS3 Browser Control Details

October 3rd, 2006, 23:13 Posted By: wraggster

Japan's Impress Watch provided some impressions of browser use. Using the Six Axis controller (that's the PS3 controller's Official name, in case you just woke up), you move a cursor around with the left analogue stick and use the right stick to scroll the screen up and down. Circle is for making selections, with L1 and R1 serving as back and forward buttons. Links can be open in a second window, which lines up next to the current window. The windows can be toggled between using L2 and R2. The site reports that, thanks to the PS3's compatibility with high resolution monitors, webpages are easy to look at when browsing on the PS3.

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Codemasters Developing In-House Engine

October 3rd, 2006, 23:16 Posted By: wraggster

“Sony knew early on that it was going to be hard to get the very best out of the PS3 early on, so the Japan office commissioned a team in Europe to start devising new technology and tools,� said Cheshire. “What we were able to do is exploit something that Sony was developing internally, which we were the first to see – and since then we’ve worked very closely with Sony. It’s a two-way street.�

Unusually though, the Neon engine is intended to be cross platform, with Cheshire indicating that, “Sony said that was fine. Sony realises that the only way to make next-gen viable for everyone was to allow everyone to exploit technology�. The first game to use the engine will be rally game Colin McRae DIRT, expected on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

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[PS2] Lua Player Beta Released

October 3rd, 2006, 23:37 Posted By: wraggster

Evilo posted this news:

So, I think that despite all the current problems, this is the moment to release a first beta !

I'm only releasing the binary for now, as I still need to double-check the last modification I've done in the official SDK, commit them and then clean-up my code a little bit before putting it into the SVN

The player is almost compatible will all available lua games, and I started a compatibility thread at the froggies forum to report working games and/or required script modifications to make them working :
http://www.psxdev.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=126
I aso opened a thread to report bugs and problems with the player, so I would thank you to use it in case you encounter any issues/problems you could have :
http://www.psxdev.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=141
(The froggies forum is theorically a french forum, but I don't see any problems to post in english on the above threads, as nowadays we all understand and speak english more or less correctly!)

And finally, here is the first Beta version of the player :
luaplayer_ps2_0.20_beta1.zip

plus (hoping that the original author will agree) the DrMario game modified to run on the PS2 :
Dr. Mario 0.3_ps2_version.zip (the zip content has to be put under the "Applications" directory)

For information, I made the following changes to make DrMario running on the PS2 player :
- updated script to Lua 5.1
- remove pad:home()
- replaced pad:note() by pad:triangle()

I also modified the Lowser script and inverted X and O buttons (so [X] is used to select a directory/games and [O] to go back)

Please also read carefully the README provided in the zip file for information, and once again consider this release as a real first Beta version !

I hope you'll enjoy it as I do

evilo.

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Mercury Meltdown Slides into Stores

October 3rd, 2006, 23:39 Posted By: wraggster

Ignition Entertainment sent along word today that Mercury Meltdown -- the sequel to Mercury, the PSP's first liquid blob puzzle game -- is now shipping in North America, offering more than 160 new puzzles.

Mercury Meltdown features a new visual style, doubles the number of stages, adds a free-look camera, and offers new ways to control your mercury blob. Mercury Meltdown also offers two-player games, party games, game sharing, custom skins and downloadable content.

Via IGN

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PSNow! #11

October 3rd, 2006, 23:43 Posted By: wraggster

PSNow have released issue 11 of their magazine for the PSP, the magazine is in Spanish, check it out at the site here -- > http://www.psnow-online.com/

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PSP Revolution - Square Enix Style Released!!!

October 3rd, 2006, 23:45 Posted By: wraggster

Via Deviant PSP

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Remote Play" confirmed for PSP, PS3 connectivity

October 3rd, 2006, 23:48 Posted By: wraggster

News from PSPVault

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MyPspShell 1.0

October 4th, 2006, 00:01 Posted By: wraggster

Cpasjuste has released a new version of his shell for the PSP, heres the info:

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Gundam Battle Royale

October 4th, 2006, 07:26 Posted By: wraggster

New commercial PSP game released:



A follow up to Gundam Battle Tactics. Battle Royal adds a number of features to the core gameplay of Tactics, including wireless play in a battle royal mode for up to four players. Players can also take part in four-player cooperative missions, performing tasks such as hauling cargo and protecting the base. There are also find new Gundam properties represented through new units and characters. In addition to Mobile Suits, the game adds new support mecha and ships, which can also be used in battle. With the new machines comes new battle moves, including one tricky move where you send out a balloon replica of your mech in order to confuse your opponents.

More info /buy here --> http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?pro...9&lsaid=219793

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PS3 delay could harm publishers, notes analyst

October 4th, 2006, 17:20 Posted By: wraggster

The PAL delay of the PlayStation 3 could hurt revenues for publishers hoping to have taken advantage of a worldwide pre-Christmas launch of the console, with a potential 500,000 European gamers no longer viable consumers.

That's the opinion of UBS Investment Research analyst Michael Wallace, who also noted that the situation may prompt some publishers to delay the launch of their titles to take advantage of a larger market when the PS3 launches in March.

Wallace had expected Europe to receive 500,000 console units by Christmas, and noted that large publishers such as Activision may suffer from building their Q4 targets around the launch of the PlayStation 3.

Publishers that have hedged their bets with titles across multiple formats, including Nintendo's Wii, had a better chance of making up losses, said Wallace.

Shares in Sony fell yesterday by 2.75 per cent after another analyst, from Macquire Equities, issued a statement of concern about the PlayStation 3 units at this years' Tokyo Game Show which suffered from overheating problems.

"We are concerned that such a problem has occurred so close to full production and is clearly negative news for the company," said the firm.

Sony spokesperson Nanako Kato has since clarified the company's position to the Associated Press, stating that 200 units grouped closely together with little ventilation had caused the problems, and not any manufacturing fault.

"It's not a problem with the PlayStation 3 unit itself. For a normal player at home, there shouldn't be any problem," he said.

Yesterday investment firm Goldman Sachs lowered Sony's stock rating from 'buy' to 'neutral', amid concerns of disappointing PSP sales and confusion over the launch of the PlayStation 3.

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Sony denies PS3 overheating problems

October 4th, 2006, 17:24 Posted By: wraggster

Speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz Sony Europe has categorically denied reports that the PS3 hardware has suffered any problems due to overheating.

The rebuttal follows a report by Macquire Securities analyst David Gibson, who wrote that PS3 units at the Tokyo Game Show were overheating, causing concern over the stability of the console, which in turn caused Sony shares to tumble by 2.75 per cent yesterday.

"SCE can categorically deny that there's any problems with PS3 units overheating," said the company in a statement issued to GI.biz.

"As could be seen on the TGS floor by the tens of thousands of media and public attendees, both the hardware and software worked flawlessly," the statement concludes.

Sony has been suffering negative press since the company announced it would be delaying the European launch of the PlayStation 3 until March 2007, due to difficulties in producing a key component of the system.

The overheating rumours have also been fuelled by a recent recall of lithium ion batteries manufactured by Sony, which affected technology partners Dell, Toshiba and Apple.

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Games industry must make "fundamental shift" - Denny

October 4th, 2006, 17:25 Posted By: wraggster

Sony Worldwide Studios exec Michael Denny has warned that the games industry must be prepared to make huge changes as the digital era gets underway.

Speaking at the London Games Summit this afternoon, Denny described the industry as being "at a crossroads", with many people "undecided, perhaps even divided" over what the future holds.

He argued that the current console transition is taking place in a world very different from that of five or six years ago, before the arrival of the iPod and websites such as YouTube and My Space.

"Consumers have more choice, want better things and have louder voices," Denny said.

He went on to discuss the importance of user-created content and to observe that niche products will become more popular as distribution models change, stating, "The hit driven market will continue, but hits must compete with niche products... The era of one size fits all is ending."

According to Denny, the move into a new era will require "the most fundamental shift in planning, content creation and management that our industry has ever seen".

He described downloadable content as one of the "biggest weapons" developers and publishers have at their disposal, arguing that it can and should be used to "complement retail launches, encourage consumer loyalty and extend products' life cycle, helping to prevent trade-ins".

Sony's e-distribution initiative, which was first announced at this year's Develop conference, has been met with an "overwhelming" response from developers, according to Denny. He added that many studios are also highly enthusiastic about the possibilities opened up by the PS3's tilt controller and built-in hard drive.

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Junior GTA shots

October 4th, 2006, 17:33 Posted By: wraggster

Fresh off the screenshot conveyer belt, we've got new screens of Rockstar's junior-GTA, Canis Canem Edit

You can checkout our recent hands-on impressions here, where we wax lyrical on the first and second chapters of the game which lead through all kinds of playground mischief, including classics pranks such as student egging, teacher sling-shotting and flaming-bag-of-dog-poo related shenanigans.

Canis Canem Edit muscles into the shops on October 27 for PS2.

Full details at CVG

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Hirai defends PS3 pad

October 4th, 2006, 17:40 Posted By: wraggster

Sony chose not to include force feedback in its PlayStation 3 controller because it was worried how much it would have to charge for the resultant product.

That's according to SCEA boss Kaz Hirai, who told UK games website Kikizo that the decision not to include rumble features in addition to motion-sensing was a strategic, not a technical one.

"The issue is trying to isolate the vibration feature from the motion sensors," he said. "Is it technically feasible? Absolutely. But the balancing act that you need to do, is to be able to present the controller to the consumer at an affordable price."

Despite facing a backlash at E3, Hirai reckons that the extra cost involved in putting both in the same pad would have been "doing the consumer a huge disservice". You can make your own jokes about PlayStation 3 pricing here if you like.

Individual PS3 controllers, named "Sixaxis", will be sold for 5,000 yen in Japan, which is about 22 Hermajestycoins or 33 Euran-out-of-funny-ones-yesterdays.

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Analysts downgrade electronic giant's stock following reports of PS3 malfunctions at

October 4th, 2006, 17:56 Posted By: wraggster

Via Gamestop

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Analyst: Euro PS3 delay threatens US publishers

October 4th, 2006, 17:58 Posted By: wraggster

UBS Investment Research analyst Michael Wallace assessed the PlayStation 3 and Wii launch plans of a number of US publishers in a note to investors today, and not all of the news was positive. While Wallace noted that software sales were already up about 3 percent for the year so far (matching his original prediction for the full year), he warned that the delay of the European release of Sony's system may have a negative impact on some companies' bottom lines this year.

Wallace had expected Sony to ship about 500,000 PS3 systems to Europe by the end of the year, but with the system not expected to release there until March of 2007, he worries about the impact it will have on US publishers. Aside from having 500,000 less consumers to sell their games to, publishers may decide to delay games that had been expected this year into 2007 to take advantage of what will be a larger user base. However, Wallace doesn't specify any particular titles that would be in danger of this and notes that if Sony can ship 1.5 million PS3s to the US by year's end, it would make up for the shortfall of systems caused by the European delay.

As for which publishers face the biggest downside as a result of the delay, Wallace said that Activision has built its quarter around the PS3 launch more than other publishers and could suffer the largest downside as a result. While he expects Electronic Arts to have four or five PS3 games at launch compared to Activision's three, Wallace also said that EA has a more balanced portfolio for the quarter.

Even the caution about Activision is tempered with a note that the publisher could make up any losses in other areas of its business. Wallace said that Nintendo's expected 2 million Wii units available for the US by the end of the year is more than he expected. As a result, Activision and THQ are best positioned to take advantage of that, with five games and four games expected for the Wii launch, respectively. (Wallace does not issue reports on foreign publishers like France-based Ubisoft, which has announced a lineup of eight Wii titles and is expected to offer PS3 launch titles as well, including Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII.)

Wallace's list of expected Wii and PS3 launch titles from the publishers he covers is included below.

Activision
Call of Duty 3 (PS3, Wii)
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (PS3, Wii)
Tony Hawk's Project 8 (PS3)
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam (Wii)
World Series of Poker (Wii)
Rapala Tournament Fishing (Wii)

Atari
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 (Wii)

Electronic Arts
Madden NFL 07 (PS3, Wii)
Need for Speed Carbon (PS3, Wii)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 (PS3)
Fight Night Round 3 (PS3)
NBA Live 07 (PS3)

Midway
Ant Bully (Wii)
Happy Feet (Wii)
Rampage: Total Destruction (Wii)
The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy (Wii)

Take-Two
NBA 2K7 (PS3)
NHL 2K7 (PS3)
College Hoops 2K7 (PS3)

THQ
Cars (Wii)
SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature From the Krusty Krab (Wii)
Avatar: The Last Airbender (Wii)
Barnyard (Wii)

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Write a love letter to Sony, win a PS3

October 4th, 2006, 18:06 Posted By: wraggster

Yesterday evening, Sony announced that they're holding a contest for 10 all-expenses-paid trips to the PlayStation 3 premiere party on November 8 in Los Angeles. This party, they claim, will be so rad that attendees will brag to their grandchildren about attending it.

Hyper-hyperbole aside, the contest rules do provide Sony fans with a unique opportunity to express their love for the PlayStation 3 in video, essay, poem, PowerPoint or any other creative format. The best entries will win prizes worth approximately $2,200, including a PlayStation 3.

Don't think that this is your ticket to securing one of the 400,000 PS3s allocated to North America for launch, however. Sony's fine print notes that winners should "please allow up to 20 weeks for delivery" of their consoles.

More Info

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Moto GP US ver.

October 4th, 2006, 18:26 Posted By: wraggster

New from SuccessHK



Product Features of SONY PSP Moto GP US ver.

International cast of 32 riders and their machines from the 2005 MotoGP season
Race on 8 of the most popular MotoGP courses
Test yourself in standard Arcade Mode, or live the life of a racer in full Season Mode
Unlock new videos and photos, plus extreme modes that keep the challenge coming

More Description of SONY PSP Moto GP US ver.

MotoGP will let players experience one of the most exhilarating and competitive motor sports in the world -- and gives them the chance to take on their friends in thrilling Wireless multiplayer races for up to eight players via Ad Hoc Mode. This is the first time the MotoGP championship has appeared on PSP, allowing fans to race against their biking heroes, including Italian legend Valentino Rossi and Spanish veteran Sete Gibernau, on some of the most exciting circuits in motor sport.

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HOT PXL Screenshots

October 4th, 2006, 18:31 Posted By: wraggster

Check out the latest screenshots of the HOT PXL games collection coming soon to PSP.

Screens Via Comments

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New PSP Bundle in Japan

October 4th, 2006, 18:45 Posted By: wraggster

News Via IGN

It's that time of the year again! Time to dress up as creatures from the underworld, sprinkle the hair with salt, and go around the neighborhood in search of fruits, nuts and sweets? Well... yes, almost. But before that, it's time for Sony's limited edition seasonal hardware bundle.

This year, with the PlayStation 2 on the way out, Sony's focusing on the PSP. The company announced today the 65% new Bonus Pack bundle. Set for release on 10/19, this limited edition package includes a PSP unit (either white or black), matching colored pouch, 1 gigabyte Memory Stick Pro Duo, USB cable, stand, AC adapter and battery pack.

The Bonus Pack is set at open pricing, which means we won't know its price until it hits retail. However, given that it's just like last year's Giga Pack, minus the remote control, headphones and cleaning cloth, it will likely cost below the Giga Pack's 31,290 yen price.

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Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories Hands-on

October 4th, 2006, 18:47 Posted By: wraggster

Heres an excerpt:

Rockstar's GTA series first hit the PSP last year with Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, and in a few short weeks the follow-up will hit Sony's portable powerhouse. We recently had a chance to get our grubby mitts on the latest build of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories to see how well the '80s have made their way to the PSP. Playing through three different missions, we managed to get behind the wheel of a buggy, ATV and a number of different cars, as well as put our hands on the flight stick of a helicopter.

One of the biggest questions surrounding Vice City Stories is regarding said helicopters. Specifically, how well they fly, how the controls work and how well the engine can handle drawing the massive world of Vice City. In short, the answer is anywhere from very well to fantastically. Despite requiring the system to draw the entirety of Vice City at essentially any time, the game still holds a very solid framerate. There's some pop-in to be sure, but it's not really any worse than we remember seeing from GTA: Vice City on the PS2. In other words, Rockstar has certainly upped the technical bar it set in the first game and the results are impressive.

The chopper's flight mechanic uses X and Square for throttle control while the analog stick pivots and tilts in any direction and L and R are used to turn. It took us a very short time to get used to the controls, and most of the learning curve simply has to do with how far or long you need to tilt or turn in order to shift direction. But functionally, it's about as natural as could be and really feels great. Good stuff here.

In one of the three missions we tried, we had a chance to hop aboard both an ATV and a dune buggy. The ATV is a squirrelly little rascal, quick to get going but not all too fast. It turns on a dime though, making it great for navigating through numerous pedestrians should you not want to up your civilian kill count. The dune buggy, on the other hand, is much faster and a little more maneuverable on sand than the ATV. Its physics properties combined with the rough and hilly beach that we were on made it feel "bumpy" in that you need to watch how far you're turning the wheels while in mid-air or you'll skip quickly to one side when your wheels touch down again. Slightly tricky stuff, but this is exactly how it should be.

Full Article

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Absolutely brutal banned PSP ad

October 4th, 2006, 18:51 Posted By: wraggster

Via PSPfanboy

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Super Spy 35 “The Hospital�

October 4th, 2006, 18:54 Posted By: wraggster

Matt Kindt’s on-line Super Spy comics are updated weekly! Each story is self-contained but read as a whole, they fit together to create a larger world. A world that also ties in to Kindt’s critically acclaimed graphic novel 2 Sisters: A Super Spy Graphic Novel from Top Shelf. Check back every week for a new story that is guaranteed to feature spies, pen-guns, cyanide pills and duplicitous shenanigans.

Download at Perooz

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Eidos Fires up Chili Con Carnage

October 4th, 2006, 22:39 Posted By: splodger15

Eidos has announced the sublimely named Chili Con Carnage - a third-person PSP "high action" Mexican shooter from Deadline Games, the developer behind Total Overdose.

Promising, "super spicy action, over-the-top, gravity-defying special moves", Chili Con Carnage sees Ramiro Cruz wreaking carnage on the seedy underworld of Los Toros as he attempts to avenge the assassination of his father, battling against the local kingpin Cesar Morales' drug cartel.

With 19 missions set across seven different locales, ranging from sprawling cities to dense jungle, Chili Con Carnage sees you pitting wits against "moustachioed mercenaries, megalomaniacal crime-lords and chemically mutated super-Mamas" across four different game modes covering both single-player and multiplayer misadventures.

According to Deadline Games' CEO Chris Mottes, "Eidos gave us the challenge to create the fastest and most gun crazy action game to be released on a handheld machine. And we have delivered Chili Con Carnage - a burning hot Mexican shooter with the biggest explosion frequency and the highest takedown rate you will ever experience on the PSP". He does tend to shout a bit, that one.

Those not hung over from too much tequila may recognize this game's lead gunslinger as that of the impressive but overlooked Total Overdose from last year.

Screens Via Comments

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PSP: "PSP FW2.50 TA-082 SoftDown STOP NOW :P" =(

October 4th, 2006, 22:51 Posted By: kando

from 0okm's blog:

PSP FW2.50 TA-082 SoftDown STOP NOW :P

someone try to crack my gMail account
and someone discredited me with ugly gossip
so PSP FW2.50 TA-082 SoftDown STOP NOW :P

All Donation was refunded
Thanks all of your Support

money, i have not much, but enough :P

PSP hack just my hobby :P

sad day, i say i was a donator, and i was very sad to see that refund =(

best of luck to him, i hope he is successful in whatever he does, but i hope this doesnt die completely, this project was very successful.

Link to 0okm's blog: http://0okm.blogspot.com

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PlayStation 3 games priced in Japan

October 5th, 2006, 00:04 Posted By: wraggster

Japanese gaming site Famitsu.com, the online branch of the popular game magazine Weekly Famitsu, has published pricing details for Japan on nine PlayStation 3 games. The games, four of which are due to be released as launch titles, range in price from 5,040 yen (approximately $43) for Mahjong Taikai IV to 8,190 yen (approximately $69) for Armored Core 4. A list of titles with Japanese prices and approximate dollar equivalents follows.

November 11, 2006:
Mah-Jong Fight Club (Konami, 5,229 yen / approx $44)
Sega Golfclub (Sega, 7140 yen / approx. $60)
Genji (Sony Computer Entertainment Japan, 5,980 yen / approx. $51)
Resistance: Fall of Man (Sony Computer Entertainment Japan, 5,980 yen / approx. $51)
Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight (Namco Bandai Games, 7,329 yen / approx. $62)
Ridge Racer 7 (Namco Bandai Games, 7,329 yen / approx. $62)


November 22, 2006:
Mah-Jong Taikai IV (Koei, 5,040 yen / approx. $43)

December 14, 2006:
Armored Core 4 (From Software, 8,190 yen / approx. $69)

December 21, 2006:
Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega, 7,140 yen / approx. $60)

Today's news comes just over a week after the Sony Style online store revealed the US prices of PS3 games. Unlike Japan, games for the platform were listed at a standard $59.99 price point for both first- and third-party titles. European and Australasian prices for PS3 games have not yet been revealed.

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Join the MGS treasure hunt

October 5th, 2006, 00:07 Posted By: wraggster

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, the team-based Metal Gear episode for PSP, will feature a location-specific download system that'll see you downloading special playable characters in different locations across the globe.

Originally thought to be tied into the PSP GPS add-on, Konami has revealed that the GPS receiver (which isn't confirmed for the UK) won't be required for this feature to work.

To get all the characters, you'll have to be a real jet-setter. At special PSP points around the world you'll be able to hook up and download a character - some are from MGS history, some are new - to add to your Portable Ops team. One character will be available in a location in London, for instance, while another might be downloadable in Manchester, Barcelona or Tokyo.

With Portable Ops not out until early next year, Konami is keeping schtum on who these special characters are but we'll continue to hunt down new info.

Via Gamesradar

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Dismantle A PSP In Five Minutes Or Less

October 5th, 2006, 00:13 Posted By: wraggster

Via Aeropause

No, this isn't some crazy new contest, this is a demonstration of how to install a PSP mod called PSPTV. It basically involves taking out every damn screw and peeling off every piece of adhesive. I'm sure there are people out there who have actually gone through this nightmare process, but I'll never be one of them.

I recommend viewing with the music off, because it loops to eternity.

Video Here --> http://www.youtube.com/v/6OtL7ZaRZsE

Thoughts ?

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Xbox 360 Intercooler Comes to PS3

October 5th, 2006, 00:28 Posted By: wraggster

The Intercooler, first released to keep the oven-hot Xbox 360 from baking your VCR, is coming to the equally hot Playstation 3.

Nyko says the PS3 Intercooler, which will sell for $20 to $30, will connect to the console's power port and vent system and then suck the hot air out of the system and blow it into your already hot bedroom or den. I'm telling ya, Microsoft and Sony need to start marketing their consoles as space heaters.

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Rumor: Gamestop PS3 Pre-Orders Based on 'Loyalty'

October 5th, 2006, 00:31 Posted By: wraggster

Every time I mention the PS3 preorder situation, I hypothesize that getting a console at launch (even if you preorder) will require cracking open another man's sternum with your bare hands, leaning back as a hiss of bloody steam spurts through the air, and then conquering his luckily purchased console as if it were a Hyperbornean woman. I was only half-kidding. But from an anonymous tipster comes this disquieting news, from a Gamestop manager:

Each gamestop store will receive an average of 6 systems (more for higher volume stores, less for dead stores). 1-2 systems can be given to employees at the store manager's discretion. The rest are given out to the store's "regulars". If a manager feels he has a customer who is very loyal (shops there often, reserves many things), they call them and ask them if they want to guarantee one of the remaining 4 consoles...and aparently all 4 of the remining consoles are handed out in this fashion.
Nepotism for the win! Looks like journalists won't be the only ones waiting 20 weeks for a PS3.

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[PSP]Release: PSPText Editor with IR Keyboard Support

October 5th, 2006, 07:29 Posted By: F9zDark

Background:

About a year ago, Agoln and DrPollo, were working and released (separately) an IR Keyboard Config/Driver program and a PSPTextEditor (called PSPTed). I, so enthused about the IR Keyboard bought it and gave Agoln's program a test run, and was amazed at how good it was.

Then I found PSPTed and immediately running it, contacted DrPollo(Source Forge name) to see about a joint venture, combining the two programs.

Well, a year later, I have finally held up my end of the deal (even though both parties ceased work on their respective programs).

Without further ado, I give you the readme:

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CWcheat v0.1.5

October 5th, 2006, 07:39 Posted By: wraggster

Weltall has released a new version of his cheat device, heres whats new:

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PSP Hi-Fi

October 5th, 2006, 17:26 Posted By: wraggster

Some new screenshots of the PSP Hifi from pinpoint has been released, the hifi retails for 199$

Screens Via Comments

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Codemasters announces Heatseeker, an explosive 21st Century military aerial combat

October 5th, 2006, 17:29 Posted By: wraggster

There's a fighter on your tail, but you've got an enemy in your sights – lock on! This is blow-you-away modern military air combat and you're in the pilot's seat


Delivering the fiercest collection of modern military jet fighters, Codemasters today announces Heatseeker, an original title that’s set to be the most explosive, destructive and exhilarating arcade aerial combat experience ever.

On target for take off in Q1 2007, Heatseeker will lead its attack on Wii™, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system and the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system.

Designed to be an incredible lock-on/shake-off experience, Heatseeker reinvents missile combat to give gamers a massive rush of destruction. Set to feature an incredible collection of current and near-future military fighter jets, Heatseeker’s arsenal includes the stealthy F-22™Raptor™, the classic F-15 Eagle, the cutting-edge F35® Lightening II®, and the aerodynamically advanced Russian SU-47 Berkut.

Says Andrew Wensley, Senior Producer for Heatseeker at Codemasters:
“If you like fast and furious action, and blowing everything in sight to bits, then Heatseeker is a dream come true. Expect the greatest military aircraft armed to the teeth with the latest hardware, big explosions, great smoke trails, and gung-ho heroics.�

Heatseeker is a joint development project between Codemasters and IR Gurus, the Australian studio behind the acclaimed historic air combat title, Heroes of the Pacific.

Says Ben Palmer, Executive Producer, IR Gurus
“The Heroes air combat engine is being advanced and getting armed to the teeth with the latest military hardware. It’s set in a realistic now-time world, that’s cohesive and believable, but the speed of play will feel like lightening�

Heatseeker will strap you into the pilot’s seat and deliver an exhilarating white-knuckle ride that’ll have you clutching the joypad as you engage in face-melting 6G turns and fight against a seemingly-impossible amount of airborne enemies.
And when you launch a strike, you’ll follow your missiles as they ruthlessly home in on their targets via the Impact Cam™. Delivering awesome cinematic 3rd-person camera cutaway scenes, the Impact Cam™ will reveal the results of your attack in all their devastating glory from all kinds of dynamic angles, complete with jaw-dropping explosions and smoke trails.

With missions across the US, down to the Caribbean, across Antarctica and into the Far East, it’ll be high-velocity combat all the way that’ll see you constantly switching from predator to prey as an enemy missiles lock on.

Throughout the game’s campaigns, you’ll be proving your right to fly with the best. Are you good enough to advance ahead of your fellow pilots and stay top? Can you throw your aircraft to the floor, twist and turn, and punch out counter measures as you pull as many Gs as necessary to out-manoeuvre the missile? Basically, are you good enough to stay alive?

Putting you right in the centre of the action, Heatseeker will deliver the latest fighters, current conflicts, black ops, grey and white missions and a constant stream of macho military radio traffic to build the atmosphere. Heatseeker will launch Q1 2007 for Wii™, PlayStation®2 system and the PSP® system. Aspiring fighter pilots can sign up for additional and exclusive briefings online at www.codemasters.com/heatseeker

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Sony looks to re-brand identity

October 5th, 2006, 17:39 Posted By: wraggster

Sony is looking to re-brand itself in the wake recent troubles and negative publicity in an effort to regain its rep as a first-class electronics giant.

According to a report on marketing-focussed website Mad.co.uk, the company is currently seeking an advertising agency to produce a new corporate branding campaign, and has already hired in a consultancy firm to look at its positioning and brand identity.

Part of the negative publicity Sony has been subjected to has focussed on PS3, of course. Only recently the company had to defend itself following concerns raised about hardware stability and possible overheating issues with the console.

Its announced delay of the release of PS3 in Europe to March 2007 didn't exactly go down too well either.

Via CVG

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Play PS2 in high-def

October 5th, 2006, 17:41 Posted By: wraggster

Normally, when hooked up to a HDTV the PS2 would produce a hideously blurry picture. But the Xploder HDTV Player disc fixes this problem, allowing you to play any PS2 game in pin-sharp resolutions.

For those who are on their tech-speak, this disc allows you to put the PS2 into 480p, 576p, 720p and 1080i modes. That's high-res, for the techno newbies out there. It also includes VGA support, so you can hook your PS2 up to a PC monitor.

All you do is plonk the CD into the PS2 and up pops a menu screen. Set your desired resolution, insert your game and off you go. We tested it with two Sony HDTVs, both running OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast. With the HDTV Player pre-loaded on one PS2, the difference was immediately noticeable. We're talking Xbox 360 sharpness, and absolutely no effect on frame-rates at all.

It works simply by unlocking a high-def mode that already exists within the PS2's hardware. The Xploder HDTV Player comes bundled with a PS2 component cable needed for a HD signal, and will hit shops for £29.99.

An exact release has not yet been set, but it's due to hit shops before the end of October.

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Mercury Meltdown

October 5th, 2006, 17:52 Posted By: wraggster

New commercial PSP game released:



Once again taking control of the liquid Mercury ‘blob’, players must avoid various obstacles and hazards to reach the end goal. The Mercury blob itself has now been given an overhaul and has 4 varying ‘states’ – Normal, Solid, Fast and Slow. These states allow for larger more complex levels, which in turn mean a greater challenge and more enjoyment to be had for the player.

More info / buy here --> http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?pro...4&lsaid=219793

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PSP brain-trainer due in Nov

October 5th, 2006, 18:26 Posted By: splodger15

SEGA's PlayStation Portable brain training game is heading to Europe this November courtesy of Ubisoft.

Renamed Mind Quiz for us over here, it sounds ostensibly similar in theme and format to Nintendo's Brain Age games - and even builds on the work of the same chap, Dr. Kawashima.

Like the DS game, your calculations, reflexes, judgement and memory are tested, and there's an option to try and solve a daily series of problems, from which the age of your brain is then computed.

Online and challenge modes are among the other bits and pieces that complete the set.

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PSP Rail passenger beaten up by gang

October 5th, 2006, 18:52 Posted By: wraggster

DETECTIVES are hunting a gang of youths suspected of robbing an office worker on a train and leaving him unconscious on the platform.

The teenagers were captured on camera entering Finsbury Park railway station at around 11am on Sunday, September 10.

Police believe that soon afterwards they got on an overland train heading north towards Hornsey, and beat up a man who was sitting alone having boarded at King's Cross.

The 22-year administrative assistant, who is originally from Hong Kong, was playing his PlayStation Portable when he was surrounded by a group of four or five youths.

One of them snatched the games machine from his hand, but when he tried to get it back the whole gang jumped in and began punching him in the face and body.

The train pulled into Hornsey station and the youths got off, but the victim bravely followed and grabbed hold of one of them.

He was then set upon again, punched repeatedly in the head and knocked unconscious. The gang fled leaving the man laid out on the platform, before other passengers came to his aid.

He was taken to hospital for treatment but released later that day.

Detective Sergeant Alan Bardsley, of the British Transport Police, said: "This was a vicious gang attack on a lone traveller.

"The intention was to steal his property and they were quite prepared to use violence to obtain it.

"The victim was quite badly beaten up and we're very keen to catch the people responsible to prevent them doing this to anyone else."

Lets hope someone gives the youths a kicking or more one day

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Gamestop Manager expects ugly PS3 Launch

October 5th, 2006, 18:57 Posted By: wraggster

A confession from a Gamestop manager:

"I asked the regional manager about PS3 preorders," one told me "and he paused and then said he can't answer the question. He said there is a plan, but they can't talk about it; we should know in a week to two weeks." He started to sound tired, "Sony just didn't seem like they had a plan with the show. No plan at all. Barely a mention of the PS3, and almost nothing playable. On the other hand, I waited two hours for Gears of War. There is a feeling that Nintendo and Microsoft really set out to wow us, and Sony didn't have much to show. There was a PS3 under glass you could look at, and that's about it."

The difference between HD-DVD and Blu Ray was striking as well. "Blu-ray had a tiny presence in the very back of the show floor, while Microsoft had large displays and surround sound systems in their hospitality suite so you can take a look at what their HD-DVD drives would look like. It was impressive, and gave the feeling that HD-DVD was real and Blu-ray wasn't ready for the show."

I asked him his feelings going into the PS3 launch with no word on allocations or preorders, and no news on what will happen towards the holidays. "It's going to be ugly, there is no way this launch is going to go well."

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Immersion CEO: Rumble + Motion Not Cost Prohibitive

October 5th, 2006, 18:58 Posted By: wraggster

Victor Viegas (right), CEO of haptic technology specialist Immersion Corporation, has told GameDaily BIZ that rumble could be included with motion sensing in the PS3 controller without cost rising significantly, which is contrary to comments made by Kaz Hirai.


In response to SCEA president Kaz Hirai's recent comments regarding Sony's decision to include motion sensing but not force feedback in its PlayStation 3 controllers because it would not be affordable for the consumer, Immersion Corporation CEO Vic Viegas got in touch with GameDaily BIZ to give us his opinion on these technologies and if cost would really be a problem.


"I was really surprised when they initially said it wasn't technically possible and I'm probably even more surprised now... [Kaz Hirai's] really saying two things. One is that it's technically possible but that the cost is prohibitive—which again I find astounding—and the second thing he's saying is that they're making a decision to go with this tilt control in place of rumble because they think that's what consumers will appreciate in their gameplay. So, on those two issues again I'm very surprised and shocked because I don't believe either to be the case," Viegas said.


[ "[Sony's] making a decision on behalf of their customer... and to blame the cost of vibration does not seem to be a genuine statement." ]



He continued, "If you remember, the day after they announced they were going to take vibration out of their controller I said that we'd be happy to work with them to solve the technical problem, and our engineers in less than a day had come up with three solutions; one is filtering and the other is processing and neither one is incrementally an increase in the cost. Both are using software to filter out the different commands—tilt vs. vibration—so that both can work side by side, and neither solution will add an increase to the cost of the system... We knew how to technically solve their problems and now we know how to do it without adding any incremental cost."


Viegas then pointed out that a third-party peripheral maker called eDimensional has already created a PS2 controller, the G-Pad Pro, that incorporates both motion sensing and vibration and goes for the retail price of just $29.95, so he doesn't understand Sony's cost argument.


Viegas also cited the results of an Immersion-sponsored survey from Ipsos that indicated most gamers seem to prefer rumble over motion sensing. Sony doesn't believe rumble is as important as motion, however. "It runs completely contradictory to the Ipsos studies and every other study we've conducted... In reality, holding the controller and using the tilt technology to control the game, I have a hard time believing it's going to enhance any game; at a minimum it probably could be used in a driving or flying game, but I just don't see how it plays in any of these other games," Viegas said. "[Sony's] making a decision on behalf of their customer that they're going to decide which features they're going to include and to blame the cost of vibration does not seem to be a genuine statement and I don't think it's in favor of the gamers who obviously like this technology."


While many gamers would love to see Immersion and Sony just settle their differences and work to include vibration into the PS3 pad, it doesn't appear as if the two parties are even talking with one another currently. "The litigation is not our primary focus but if Sony wanted to talk about how to implement rumble technology, paying a license, figure out ways to reduce cost or even enhance the capability with our next-generation technology I would for the most part be available at a day's notice. I'm ready to meet with them and try to work out this issue because at the end of the day it's the gamer that really seems to be suffering," Viegas said. "So I'm happy to try to resolve it but it's hard to have a one-way discussion if the other party is not willing acknowledge the rights that we have under our patent portfolio and all of the brilliance that our engineers have developed over the years."


Some have brought up the idea of a third-party company, like the aforementioned eDimensional, possibly offering a PS3 controller that does actually include both motion and rumble features, but the problem, Viegas explained, is that the PS3 may not support it. "It appears that Sony has not yet ruled out a third-party solution... but if [developers] don't support vibration in the game, that's going to cause a problem," he said. "The controller would have no commands to receive from the gameplay. Sony's in some control there and Sony's also in control of the console, so they can filter out vibration commands; essentially if they don't want vibration they can shut it down and it appears that's what they're doing and as a result companies like eDimensional who are licensed to provide vibration controllers and could otherwise do this, if they don't obtain the support from Sony it just isn't going to happen."


Finally, Viegas also gave us an update on the status of the lawsuit and Sony's appeal, which is still pending. "The appeal was fully briefed, so all the parties wrote up a document that described their position and yesterday in Washington, D.C. the federal court of appeals had a hearing where Sony, Immersion and another party ISLLC came together and presented roughly one hour, answered questions and presented to this panel of three judges... And they would take the information that was discussed yesterday and would then theoretically write an opinion. They could choose to just decide whether this is affirmed over overturned, but most likely they'll write an opinion and we hope that a decision is made around the first quarter of next year," he said.


"In theory, if the appeal concludes and they reaffirm what occurred in front of the judge and jury then we would be aggressively working for this injunction and at the same time willing to try to settle and resolve it. I think [Sony] would have to either stop selling their [DualShock] products or disable the capability because otherwise they'd be infringing," Viegas concluded.

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Unzip/Unrar utility source

October 5th, 2006, 19:17 Posted By: wraggster

AnonymousTipster posted this news:

I meant to do this earlier, but nonetheless, here is the source code to my .zip and .rar extraction application I released a few months ago.

http://www.anonymoustipster.com/Tips...ar03source.zip

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PSP sold for over $2000 on eBay

October 5th, 2006, 19:23 Posted By: wraggster

Via PSPFanboy

Someone may have made a very valuable mistake on eBay. A PSP Value Pack was just sold for $2,025. Even with the free accessories and games, the hapless buyer overspent thousands of dollars. It looks like a pretty shady buyer by the name of karahsmama forced the bid up to $2000 and the winning buyer foolishly outbid by $25 on top of the inflated bid. Even more suspicious is how the seller has no reviews... Was this a scam? Or was it pure stupidity? (Most likely, it was both.)

Screenshot Via Comments

Holy cow, some one has to be feeeling silly now

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Visiting Day PSP

October 5th, 2006, 19:30 Posted By: wraggster

Mike Bithell has released a new Flash game (for firmware 2.70 +), heres the details:

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XTREME PSP Mag i016 Out Now!

October 5th, 2006, 19:31 Posted By: wraggster

Issue 16 of the XTREME PSP Magazine has just been released. This issue is packed with over 90 pages of great content including previews of Work Time Fun, Pro Evolution Soccer 6 and Ridge Racer 2, plus reviews of Gangs of London, Super Monkey Ball Adventure and more.

You will also find all the usual content including news, tips and cheats, wallpapers and a all new homebrew feature.

Download Here

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MAXIM Mobile - October 2006

October 5th, 2006, 19:35 Posted By: wraggster

Dressed to kill… Femme Fatale Vanessa Minnillo will have you begging for mercy. Plus the Girls of Deal or No Deal. A million bucks, massive ratings, and 26 silver briefcases. Yup, the girls of Deal or No Deal are cleared for takeoff. All this and more in this issue of MAXIM Mobile.

Download at Perooz

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Valhalla Knights gear up for North American PSPs

October 5th, 2006, 21:32 Posted By: splodger15

Xseed Games said yesterday they acquired the North American publishing rights for Valhalla Knights, an action RPG for the PlayStation Portable. The title will be released sometime in the first quarter of next year and was originally created by the development team K2. Features of this game, as described in a press release, are outlined below:

Customizable characters give each player a unique experience - select from five races (human, dwarf, halfling, elf, machine) and eight different job classes (Fighter, Mage, Priest, Thief, Knight, Samurai, Ninja, Anchor)
Complete quests to earn more gold to help recruit new party members or upgrade equipment

Enjoy the vast selection of weapons, armors, and accessories which also become visible on the in-game models when equipped

Real-time battles in which the player can switch between controlling any of the six party members on the fly

Highly detailed indoor and outdoor environments such as forests, dungeons, tunnels, castles, and an old ninja village

Encounter up to 150 different types of monsters, including dragons, giants, vampires, ghosts and enemy samurais

Network Play - Team up with other players in multi-player modes

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Generic Downgrader for 2.71

October 5th, 2006, 23:20 Posted By: wraggster

Dark Alex has released a new downgrader for the PSP, heres the release details:

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Super BotV0.2

October 5th, 2006, 23:31 Posted By: wraggster

New Lua Game from blairbi7ch, heres the details:

Download Here

via blairbi7ch

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Virtual Tape Recorder V5

October 5th, 2006, 23:36 Posted By: wraggster

Art has released a newversion of his Virtual Tape Recorder for the PSP, heres whats new:

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Logitech announces ChillStream controller for the PS3

October 5th, 2006, 23:48 Posted By: wraggster

Those prolific peripheral purveyors over at Logitech are putting that exclusive AirFlow tech of theirs to good use. They've just announced their new ChillStream controller for the PlayStation 3, which along with adding some always welcome fan-based cooling to the controller, might add some much-needed heft to the gamepad as well. Logitech is also announcing PS3 compatibility for a good swath of their PS2 peripherals, such as their Driving Force Pro wheel and USB headset. The new ChillStream controller will be out when the PS3 launches in November, and will run you $40 -- the same as the Xbox 360 version which dropped in September.

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Sony's PSP-compatible SRS-U10 universal speaker

October 5th, 2006, 23:51 Posted By: wraggster

Via Engadget

Sony PSP owners, take heart -- you've been given some fairly awful excuses for PSP sound systems in your day, while Apple's little white cash cow has gotten the pick of the litter. To remedy that imbalance, Sony itself is finally stepping up to the plate and releasing the PSP-friendly SRS-U10 speaker. Instead of modeling itself after an iPod HiFi experiment gone terribly wrong, Sony has dropped an oh-so-glamorous docking speaker station for your PSP, DAP of choice, or essentially anything with an audio output. But before you go and get too giddy, however, we should point out this impressive looking device boasts just 3.6 watts of power, although it does dock and charge your PSP whether pumping tunes or not. While further details (like when this thing will hit stores) aren't yet known, it's probably safe to assume that it'll cost substantially more than any poor (style-conscious) soul should be asked to pay -- but hey, that's Sony for ya.

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Sims 2 Pets brings Hilary Duff home

October 5th, 2006, 23:55 Posted By: wraggster

Via Gamestop

The Sims 2 Pets has really been packing in the star power. So far, the game is getting musical contributions from teen pop duo AJ & Aly, sexed-up girl group Pussycat Dolls, alterna-rockers The Flaming Lips, nerdcore group Hot Chip, and others.

Now the game is moving beyond just the audio stylings of well-known musical artists. Electronic Arts today announced that actress-turned-pop-singer Hilary Duff will be featured as a playable character in The Sims 2 Pets. In keeping with the theme of the game, Duff's real-life Chihuahua, Lola, will also be included in the Pets.

Duff and Lola will "appear in different scenes on each of the [game's] platforms" and will be fully interactive. Players will be able to dress up Duff and maker her do their bidding, or have their own created Sims characters mingle with her.

The Sims 2 Pets will be released on the PC, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and DS on October 17. PSP and Game Boy Advance versions will ship later this year.

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XviD4PSP video converter for PSP and PC v4.033

October 6th, 2006, 00:11 Posted By: wraggster

Winnydows has released a new version of his Video Converter for the PSP, heres whats new:

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SensitivePSP v1

October 6th, 2006, 01:23 Posted By: wraggster

Jamie fuller posted this news/release:

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Sony won't cut PSP price in '06

October 6th, 2006, 07:32 Posted By: wraggster

Sony Corp does not expect to cut the U.S. price of its PSP handheld game system for the rest of 2006, and the number of available games will nearly double to about 230 in that time, Sony said on Thursday.

Sony introduced the PSP, or PlayStation Portable, in 2005 in a bundled package that included several accessories and has sold some 5.5 million units in the United States. Currently it sells the device for $200 without some original add-ons, as well as a $250 package including the device, a movie and a memory card.

"We don't necessarily see the need to cut the price," John Koller, a product manager at Sony Computer Entertainment, told Reuters. "We need to offer broader value and introduce new consumers to what the PSP can do."

PSP -- which offers interactive video games, digital music and video and lets users surf the Web -- faces a tough challenge in the market for pocket-sized media devices such as Nintendo's DS and Apple Computer Inc.'s (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) iPod. Critics have suggested a dearth of compelling games has hurt demand.

But Koller says there will be about 110 new titles available by the end of 2006, bringing the roster to about 230. Moreover, Koller added that since the PSP is a diverse system, with the ability to play games, download video and enjoy media, its does not compare directly to the other handheld systems.

He added that Sony would soon detail how the PSP would integrate with Sony's highly anticipated next-generation game console, the PlayStation 3, which is due in November.

Via reuters

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Gangs Of London

October 6th, 2006, 07:35 Posted By: wraggster

Newly released at Lik Sang:



Action meets strategy as you take on London's fiercest gangs in a bid for domination of the capital. With the opportunity to play as one of five gangs, you have to use brains and brawn to overcome the rival criminal factions and gain control of the city's underworld. Become the guv'nor of the Cockney, Triad, Yardie, Russian or Pakistani gangs and take on the capital over a number of unique and challenging game modes: Core Action Game - Choose the gang you want to lead, be prepared to fight dirty and use your head to stay one step ahead of the competition. Each mission is separated with stunning graphic-novel style narratives that guide you through the background story of criminal masterminds fighting for the right to be called Mr Big - London's number one gangster. Gangs of London also offers a turn-based strategy game which brings something completely new to PSP. Using a combination of skill, nerve and chance, gamers can take on up to four other gamers on a single PSP - or compete against the PSP controlled AI. Free Roaming mode allows you to explore and tackle the streets of London on your own terms – take your pick of character, vehicle, weapons, mission objectives, weather conditions and police levels, but be careful when exploring enemy turf.

More info / buy here --> http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?pro...3&lsaid=219793

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Scarface: Money. Power. Respect

October 6th, 2006, 07:37 Posted By: wraggster

New commercial PSP game released:



Scarface: Money. Power. Respect is a unique game designed specifically for the PSP system that combines turn-based strategy gameplay with real-time combat. It allow gamers to relive Tony Montana's epic rise to power in the drug-fueled world of 1983 Miami. The game thrusts players into a deep and engaging strategy game as Tony Montana, where the goal is to battle and defeat competing drug cartels and conquer Miami turf-by-turf, eventually becoming the one-and-only Kingpin of the city. Featuring both single- and multi-player modes, Scarface: Money. Power. Respect. will challenge players to make critical strategic decisions to rise from humble beginnings to directing an army of henchmen and hired gunmen through detailed scenarios of conquest and domination. In the story-based single-player mode, gamers complete a series of missions based on scenes from the original movie to conquer "turfs" in Miami. Players need to direct large-scale citywide strategic commands to complete their conquest as well as direct street-level real-time combat. The game challenges gamers to handle larger territory, additional adversaries and new profit-making opportunities through increased drug trafficking. The wireless multi-player mode pits up-to-four gamers playing as criminal cartels in a race to make money and conquer turf. The multi-player battle begins with a "Land Grab," where each cartel lays claim to their share of Miami.

More info / buy here --> http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?pro...6&lsaid=219793

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Exchange Rate Beta

October 6th, 2006, 07:44 Posted By: lmtlmt

exchange rate generator beta


tells you how much currency is in american
4 different currencies
AUD australian
GBP british pound
UERO ueropean
USD american

if youve selected GBP it will tell you how much( you choose frome 1,10,50,100,200,500) $50 american is in GBP.

points
1 still in early stages.
2 no real engine
3 not very efficient code, but works
4 somebody else could probably make a better one (but hasnt)

controls
cross = $1
circle = $10
triangle = $50
square = $100
r trigger = $200
l trigger = $500
down = change currency type
start = exit

future releases will add more currenies.
this are just rough estimates as exchange rates are continuosly changing
right now it only exchanges those 3 into american
but in future releases you will have more power over the currencies.

please leave comments :->

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PSP : Official dress-up concepts

October 6th, 2006, 11:41 Posted By: happy_mak

At TGS, there were some dress-ups of the PSP with various stickers of game titles. These have been uploaded to the playstation.jp site here. Take a look. Interesting...
10886
Though it is a Japanese page, move your cursor on to the right side icons and you should get a good idea.

I would no doubt choose LocoRoco... its been only yesterday that i finished all levels with 20 LocoRoco!!

I uploaded a few in-game snaps of LocoRoco here if you are interested

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New L.A. Noire footage

October 6th, 2006, 16:47 Posted By: wraggster

After its teasing reveal last week, Rockstar and Team Bondi have released the first proper trailer of L.A. Noire.

L.A. Noire takes place in a "perfectly-recreated" Los Angeles with a "post-war backdrop of corruption, drugs and jazz", and this latest trailer shows that the game certainly has a moody atmosphere to fit.

L.A. Noire was originally revealed in 2004 for the PS3, and originally published by Sony. With this in mind, we think its safe to assume that at least one of the platform's the game is heading for will be Sony's.

Stay tuned for more on L.A. Noire as we get it.

Movie Here

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PSP - Homebrew in Go Play issue 10

October 6th, 2006, 16:50 Posted By: SteveV2

Here's some scans found in a magazine about a Master System emulator, GBA in the works, 2.80 firmware cracked and so on. Many well known names in the article!

There's even a step by step guide to set up PSPMaster

I ripped the pages out of the mag for best results so I hope you enjoy the read

Hope you don't mind the large scans, 300dpi.

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CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XV - Europeans "don't mind" waiting for Sony products

October 6th, 2006, 17:02 Posted By: wraggster

Via Engadget

Alright Sony, this is just getting ridiculous. It's not like you guys haven't been a featured guest in this series before, but we had no idea it was such an honor. The third "CE-Oh no" moment for Sony this week came out of the mouth of SCE World Europe VP, Jamie MacDonald, who was asked: "What would you say to consumers who like Sony and want to buy your products, but perhaps feel that because they're in Europe they're always last in line?" Apparently Jamie feels little love for his whiny constituency, since his clueless response was thus: "European consumers have shown that historically they don't mind that, because they end up buying as many PlayStations, if not more, than the US and Japan. In Europe, it doesn't seem that the release of our platforms after the US and Japan - in the long run - affects how consumers feel." We're not even sure how to respond to that, so we'll continue with more "CE-Oh no" sound bite gold from our pal Jamie. In response to a query about Sony's UMD failure, he stated: "I think you'll find in general the market for movies on discs of any type is not particularly great at the moment." Again, we really have nothing to add, so we'll just hit up one more sound bite for good time's sake. When asked about the Wii60 concept, where prospective next-gen buyers compare the price of purchasing an Xbox 360 and a Nintendo Wii to the cost of the PS3 alone, Jamie further demonstrated his ignorance: "To be honest, I haven't heard that." Not a banner day for Sony PR by a long shot, but at least they're not trying to hide their seeming disdain for consumers and plain logic.

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CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XIV : Lack of rumble keeps PS3 controller "affordable"

October 6th, 2006, 17:15 Posted By: wraggster

It's time again for one of our favorite segments, CE-Oh no he didn't! For this week's episode, we're going to talk a little bit about the PS3. Now, we all know that the new PS3 isn't going bring the rumble to our favorite upcoming Sony gaming console. But what we didn't know was why -- yes, yes there were claims that it had to do with interference of motion sensing, or lawsuits from Immersion, but we hadn't gotten a clear reason straight from the horse's mouth, particularly when surveys suggest fans would be willing to pay for it. However, a recent interview by GameDaily Biz with SCEA prez Kaz Hirai says that it's yet another reason altogether:

"Is it technically feasible? Absolutely. But the balancing act that you need to do, is to be able to present the controller to the consumer at an affordable price."

Affordable? Please. Joystiq points out that a G-Pad Pro for the PS2, which has motion sensing and vibration, costs $30, a whole Lincoln higher than the Dual Shock. C'mon Kaz, can't you at least be straight with us? Now of course, this is from the same folks who said that just a few months ago said that the $500 PS3 was "too cheap," and is well worth the markup compared to the Wii, but backtracked when the company recently dropped the price in Japan. Maybe that means the prices of the controllers are going to come down too?

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European gamers 'don't mind' launch delays - Sony VP

October 6th, 2006, 17:17 Posted By: wraggster

SCE Worldwide Europe VP Jamie MacDonald reckons that Europe will quickly get over the delay between the US and Japanese launches of PlayStation 3 next month and its European debut next March.

When asked by our sister site GamesIndustry.biz what he'd say to European consumers who feel they're always last in line for new consoles, MacDonald said, "European consumers have shown that historically they don't mind [the delays], because they end up buying as many PlayStations, if not more, than the US and Japan."

"In Europe, it doesn't seem that the release of our platforms after the US and Japan - in the long run - affects how consumers feel."

"If we were sitting here in five years' time, I don't think we'd really think about or notice that PlayStation 3 was four or five months later in Europe. I think in the long run, PlayStation 3 will succeed because of the great product it is and the great software we make for it," he added, when asked how he felt the delay would affect Sony's chances in the next-gen battle.

MacDonald's frank assessment of the situation is likely to raise hackles with, well, you (you're already sharpening your keyboard, aren't you?), but generally speaking he certainly shared Sony UK boss Ray Maguire's perspective on the announcement, around a month ago, that the console's European release would be delayed until March.

At the time, Maguire admitted that Sony UK was "extremely disappointed" by the delay. "We can truly empathise with everyone who was looking forward to PS3's imminent release. We will however be working tirelessly to ensure that the March 2007 launch is the biggest and best in the company's history," he added.

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No PSP price cut plans

October 6th, 2006, 17:34 Posted By: wraggster

More price cut news this time from Eurogamer

Sony has no immediate plans to cut the price of PlayStation Portable in Europe or the United States, the company said today.

"We've got no plans to cut the price of PSP at this moment in time," a spokesperson for Sony UK told Eurogamer this afternoon, responding to similar comments made by the company's US arm overnight.

Pointing to the combination of movie, music, photo, internet and games support now offered by the latest updates to PSP system software, the spokesperson said the handheld "still represents great value for money".

Earlier Sony Computer Entertainment America's John Koller told Reuters, "We don't necessarily see the need to cut the price," pointing instead to a need to "introduce new consumers to what the PSP can do."

That's despite ongoing criticism of the platform's software line-up, which many observers feel compares unfavourably to strong offerings on the DS platform.

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Why Sony Needs a 'Major Nelson'

October 6th, 2006, 17:39 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft's 'Major Nelson' and executive Peter Moore have been visible representatives of the 360 console for well over a year now. 'Grandfather of Gaming' Shigeru Miyamoto and asskicking Reggie Fils-Aime have have preached the Wii concept through good writeups and bad name jokes. Sony ... well, Sony has Ken Kutaragi, Phil Harrison, and Kaz Hirai. They say helpful things like 'we don't care', and 'disks won't matter', and (my personal favorite) 'the PS3 is a computer'. RPG Site has a compelling argument stating that Sony needs a Major Nelson to cut through this crazy executive talk, and reconnect the company with real gamers. From the article:
"While it's not something that appeals to every group of people that play games - the casual market and kids, for example, the existence of these people allows the part of the market that is most opinionated - the core gamers, those who have a very clear opinion on what they want and what is good and bad - to interact with somebody who can actually bring about change. Hell, on a lesser note, it even gives the fanboys someone to worship."

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Star Wars: Lethal Alliance

October 6th, 2006, 19:17 Posted By: splodger15

Star Wars: Lethal Alliance immerses players in an adventure that takes place between Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV A New Hope. Gamers will engage in collaborative gameplay as they embody both Twi'lek Rianna Saren and her security droid Zeeo. Hired by the Rebel Alliance, this deadly duo must work together to infiltrate Imperial planets and fight legions of evil fiends. Our heroes' ultimate goal: Uncover the Empire's most deadly secret -- the Death Star.

Tons of screens via comments

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Crytek confident it could port Crysis to consoles

October 6th, 2006, 19:43 Posted By: wraggster

Crytek's lead artist, Michael Khaimzon, has revealed that the developer could confidently port highly-anticipated PC title Crysis to PS3 and Xbox 360 - although there are no current plans to do so.

Speaking to our sister site GamesIndustry.biz, Khaimzon said, "I don’t think there would be any problem to convert anything we work on to the next-gen consoles if we decided to.

"We have enough power here, with programmers and artists, to be able to do such a thing. It's just a matter of making the decision."

Khaimzon's comments will only fan the flames of rumour which surround Crysis - a first-person shooter already wowing consumers and critics alike - that publisher Electronic Arts may bring the game to home consoles after release on PC early next year.

Discussing whether the team at Crytek would be interested in working on the next-generation of home consoles, Khaimzon added: "I'm pretty sure it would be interesting for us to do stuff on the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.

"We would just have to see how much of a sacrifice to the game we'd have to make. Or whether there would be a sacrifice at all, maybe we could find a way to make the game look exactly the same as it does on PC on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3."

When asked directly whether there was a possibility that Crysis would appear on home consoles, Khaimzon replied: "There might be, the decision isn't mine to make. I don’t know of any official plans to do so, but I know there are rumours and talk, but I couldn't say anything concrete."

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Open Season

October 6th, 2006, 19:59 Posted By: wraggster

New commercial release for the PSP, heres the details:



features
Play as Boog and Elliott and relive the movie adventure!
Interact with Beth, Shaw, and all your animal favorites from the Open Season film!
Throw skunk bombs, hurl rabbits, use acorn-firing squirrels, and pull outrageous woodland pranks to scare the pants off the hunters!
Roll in a giant snowball, ride the rapids on a floating outhouse, zip through tunnels in a crazy mine cart ride, and take on more madcap adventures as Boog discovers how to get wild, animal-style!
Challenge your friends in hilarious four-player mini-games!

description
Take a Walk on the Wild Side!

Team up with a cast of crazy critters, unleashing your animal instincts in Open Seasonâ„¢, the game - a riotous romp in the great outdoors where the rowdy brood of forest animals turns the tables on a bunch of unsuspecting hunters.

When a domesticated grizzly named Boog gets lured into leaving the creature comforts of home by a fast-talking mule deer named Elliot, he finds himself lost in the woods just three days before hunting season. Forced to "rough it" in the great outdoors, Boog goes native, rallying all the forest animals to take back their home and send the hunters packing.

More info /buy here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1m6n.html

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When will it be safe to buy a PS3?

October 6th, 2006, 20:06 Posted By: wraggster

Any day now, Gamestop and EB Games will start accepting preorders on the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii, both of which are due to hit just before Thanksgiving. Supplies of both systems will be limited, with the PS3 being in particularly short supply, as Sony currently plans to ship only 400,000 units to North America. There will be plenty of press along with the usual midnight launch events that feature a couple of guys at the front of the line who've camped out for two days on the street to secure their spots. And CNET will probably have to fight to get review units in time to have reviews posted on the day each system hits stores.

That's all a given. But so, too, is the ugly fact there's a reasonable chance that some of the early units may not be glitch-free or, more probably, could end up with shorter life expectancy rates than, well, expected.


Early Xbox 360 models had a high failure rate. Take the Xbox 360. Just in the last couple of months, I've spoken to several people who were among the first to purchase the 360 and have now had to send their units back to Microsoft for repair. Because it was outside the warranty, and they hadn't bothered to purchase an extended service agreement, the cost for the fix was $150--until Microsoft recently agreed to make repairs for free on any units manufactured before January 1, 2006. (If you shelled out money for a fix, you can, in theory, get a refund.) As Tor Thorsen writes in his news piece for Gamespot, "Microsoft has now apparently admitted that the initial shipments of Xbox 360s were failing at a greater than normal rate."

No one's releasing any hard numbers, but in my little informal poll, three out of the six people I know who got an early Xbox 360 have had their systems fail. That's not good. Sony, too, faced some negative publicity when it had problems with dead pixels on the screens of its early PSP units. And there was also an issue with the button response on some systems. On a personal level, my early PSP unit, while it does have three dead pixels, is still working fine. But I use it only a few hours a week.

These type of first-gen kinks are de rigueur across the electronics industry. Toshiba's first-gen HD-DVD players are notoriously slow and have gone through multiple firmware upgrades to rid them of certain bugs. Samsung's BD-P1000 Blu-ray player is still awaiting a promised firmware upgrade to correct a chip flaw that delivers overly soft image quality. Sony, meanwhile, offered a service solution for owners of early KDS-60A2000 HDTVs that shipped with settings that didn't maximize the set's native 1080p resolution. And Apple began bundling its first-generation iPod Nanos with a cheap but effective slip case, but only after several weeks of mounting complaints that the player was overly prone to scratching.

Ideally, companies should try to isolate software issues from the hardware. It's hard to expect a major manufacturer such as Toshiba or Sony to say, essentially, "hey, you're buying a beta product today, but we're going to be regularly improving it with software upgrades." While Philips doesn't advertise it, the internal firmware of its new generation of flat-panels TVs can be upgraded with a USB thumbdrive. And we've seen manufacturers such as Slingbox, TiVo, and Sonos offer subtle to dramatic improvements over time with software updates.

One problem, of course, is that the average consumer isn't necessarily prepared--or is intimidated by the idea of having to upgrade a product with a file he or she needs to find on the Internet and either burn to a DVD or CD or download to some sort of flash memory. The best possible scenario is for products to have more transparent Internet connections and update themselves without any assistance from their owners. This is essentially what happens with devices that are always online. Cable and satellite companies, for instance, are always pushing new software updates to their set-top boxes and DVRs. The same is true for the Xbox 360, via its Xbox Live service. It's also what will happen with the PS3 and the Wii, both of which are touting more robust online connectivity than previous Sony and Nintendo consoles. And that's yet another reason to consider both of them to be beta products when they launch in November.

The bigger problem is that, if the hardware itself is flawed, as is the case with the early Xbox 360 units and their overheating problems (it remains to be seen whether later units will also fail at alarmingly high rates). I'm not suggesting it's a sure bet that Sony's going to have issues with the PS3, but I'd feel comfortable wagering a small amount of money that, with a product this advanced that's crammed into a small box that also features a new chip, you may have a few too many lemons in its early crop. In other words, I'm in no hurry to buy a PS3, even if I could somehow make sure I was near the top of the preorder list.


To make a high-tech omelette, you're bound to break a few eggs. Yeah, I know an admonition to steer clear of first-generation products is hardly a revelation for tech heads. But for everyone prepared to berate me for stating the obvious, consider how many tens of thousands (or more?) of eager gaming fans--or indulgent parents--will be paying double, triple, or even higher multiples on eBay to secure one of these potentially dicey boxes before December 25.

Of course, if you're worried about buying a lemon, the simplest thing to do is buy an extended warranty. But when you're already paying $600 for a game console--which doesn't even include a game--tacking on anything extra just seems too painful. With a more affordable console like the Wii, which will start at $250, I can see taking a chance on an early unit, especially if you're a Nintendo fan boy--or girl--who needs a Zelda fix or a parent who has to endure the incessant whines of your children begging for a new system. But I wouldn't buy a Wii anywhere near launch either. Heck, half of its appeal is that it can play old games from other Nintendo systems. And they're not going anywhere.

So when will it be safe to buy a PS3? I say by the middle of '07. Give Sony six months to get the factories humming and the bugs sorted out, and for a compelling game or two to arrive. Or, if you're really smart, wait for the price drop $100 and for Blu-ray discs to cost the same as DVDs. But that might not be until 2008.

Via Cnet

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PS3 Overheating - The Truth

October 6th, 2006, 20:07 Posted By: wraggster

News via psm3

Hi. Dan G here again. (Thinks: Must get someone else to do the blog later on today...). Just wanted to post this early morning blog to settle a situation that has been gathering momentum on the net.


The question is: Does PS3 get hot? Not just 'hot' but 'dangerously' hot or hot enough to cause a malfunction. It has been reported in other circles that machines at the Tokyo Game Show were expiring dut to heat. It has even been suggested that this issue has played a part in the recent dip in Sony's share price.


OK. Here's the independent, non-Sony approved truth. We've played a PS3, for a day, in a room, with it on a table in front of us. At no stage did anyone comment about the noise it made (ie, next to none). And a collegue put his hand behind the machine after it had been running for a few hours and felt warm air being quietly and safely extracted via a fan via the vents at the back of the machine. The surface of the machine remained at room temperature with a small portion at the back being 'warm'. Not hot - 'warm'.


So, the PSM3 independent verdict here is that - quote - "PS3 generates less heat and noise than the combination of 360 and powerbrick".

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PS3's Powerhouse Cell CPU to feature on Mobiles?

October 6th, 2006, 20:09 Posted By: wraggster

A roadmap for the processor on display by Toshiba at this week's Ceatec show in Japan shows a more powerful version of the chip under development for 2007. While details of the chip were not available, a source close to Toshiba said that the new device will be manufactured using more advanced 65-nanometer production technology. The current chips are being made on a 90nm line and the switch will mean lower power consumption and increased performance.

Looking further ahead the roadmap calls for further increases in power between next year and the end of the decade. At the same time "mid-class" versions of the processor are also envisaged for 2008 and beyond and a mobile version in 2010.

The Cell chip is the product of a joint development project by Toshiba, IBM, Sony and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI). Each chip contains a main processor and eight sub-processors to deliver about 200G Flops (floating point operations per second) of power.

It will make its consumer debut next month when SCEI puts the PlayStation 3 on sale in Japan and the U.S. but Toshiba has plans for the chip in other parts of the living room.

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Sony to lose $560m on PS3 and burning batteries

October 6th, 2006, 20:14 Posted By: wraggster

Sony will lose at least $560m from its predicted earnings this year as it pays for huge battery recalls and a price cut for its PlayStation 3 games console, analysts believe.

The company has also been hit by allegations that it knew its notebook PC batteries could catch fire a year ago, but failed to understand the magnitude of the problem.

The mounting cost of problems with notebook batteries and the PlayStation 3 will cut Sony's expected $1.1bn profits in half this year.

This figure could rise further, according to industry analysts, particularly if PC vendors or consumers take legal action against Sony. Five major notebook vendors have so far announced battery recalls.

"These issues raise questions about the positioning of rechargeable battery operations, which have no part in Sony's vertically integrated model, and of the Cell processor, which is supposed to be a core part of the structure," said Nomura Securities analyst Eiichi Katayama.

A global recall of some 10 million lithium ion notebook PC batteries is likely to cost Sony almost $340m, even assuming that the company avoids expensive legal action related to the issue, Nomura estimates.

In addition, a decision to slash the price of the PlayStation 3 in Sony's strong home market will cost a total of $220m, the analyst predicts.

In a further shock to Sony, a Japanese newspaper has alleged that the company knew almost a year ago that its batteries could catch fire, but failed to appreciate the seriousness of the problem.

Sony first became aware of the battery problem in December 2005, when a Dell notebook caught fire in Japan, the Daily Yomiuri reported, citing unnamed Dell and Sony representatives.

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GTA Vice City Stories Update - Vice City Stories Rated M for Mature

October 6th, 2006, 21:29 Posted By: wraggster

Via GTAportable.com

The official Vice City Stories website has been updated today with its rating for North American users. Rated M for Mature by the ESRB, Vice City Stories is only suitable for those age 17 and older. The description of the content given are Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language and Sexual content, as well as Use of Drugs.

The rather unsurprising rating in North America joins that of the UK/European's 18+ rating, and the German 16+ and Australian MA15+. The German version is said to receive some censorships, that include the removal of prostitution, animations of head shots, and not being able to interact with corpses (hitting or kicking them).

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Dynasty Warriors Vol. 2 Goes Gold

October 6th, 2006, 21:30 Posted By: wraggster

Koei announced today that Dynasty Warriors Volume 2 has gone gold and begun production for Sony's PSP.

Based on Luo Guanzhong's historical novel of Ancient China, Dynasty Warriors Vol 2 let's players guide ancient Chinese warriors through battle on more than 50 stages and 31 maps. This title also offers a wireless multiplayer for up to four people.

Developed by Koei's own Omega Force, Dynasty Warriors Vol. 2 ships to North American retail shelves October 24.

Via IGN

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Need for Speed Carbon Developer Blog

October 6th, 2006, 21:31 Posted By: wraggster

Feature from IGN, heres an excerpt:

Hi everyone, I'm Matt Tomporowski, the Lead Designer for NFS Carbon Own the City. When I write out my name and title like that, it sounds like I must have a dream job. You know what? I really do have a dream job. I get to create the video game that I want. I know that I'm a really lucky guy to get to do this.

If you've played or read the reviews for NFS Carbon Own the City (or NFS OTC as I like to call it,) you'll notice a couple of things. First, this game is REALLY different from Carbon on PS2 or the Next Gen consoles. There's an important reason for that and I'll get into that shortly. Second, you'll notice that NFS OTC is a lot bigger than our past NFS efforts on PSP (heck, we even built an entire open world just for the PSP!) there are reasons for this too that I'm going to get into down below.

Full Article

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The Reinvention of Water Physics in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

October 6th, 2006, 21:33 Posted By: wraggster

Feature from IGN, heres an excerpt:

While some Next-Gen titles cannot figure out ways to incorporate motorcycles and flying vehicles, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories for the PSP has taken the watery backdrop of Vice City and expanded on it enormously. From the moment you enter the world of Vice City, one thing becomes clear. More than any other Grand Theft Auto metropolis, Vice City is defined by the water surrounding it. In developing the latest installment of Grand Theft Auto for the PSP, the team at Rockstar Leeds went to great lengths retooling the aquatic playground of Vice City.

Full Article

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Dream enhancements in Disgaea PSP

October 6th, 2006, 21:41 Posted By: wraggster

Via Siliconera

A few weeks ago, Nippon Ichi announced that they’d be porting Disgaea, their most popular title, to the PSP. While an American release is still up in the air, Nippon Ichi has stated they’ll probably be adding some additional content to the re-release. Unfortunately, they haven’t revealed any concrete bonuses.

More at the link above

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Oblivion: first magazine scan found

October 6th, 2006, 21:43 Posted By: wraggster

Via pspfanboy

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Sony Computer Entertainment Europe wins Five BAFTA Awards

October 7th, 2006, 02:04 Posted By: wraggster

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) scooped 5 BAFTA British Academy Video Games Awards to become the most successful software developer at an event held in London last night.

LocoRoco (Sony Computer Entertainment's Japan Studio) picked up two awards for best Children’s game and best Character while Shadow of the Colossus (Sony Computer Entertainment's Japan Studio) also picked up a double for best Action and Adventure and Artistic Achievement. BUZZ! – The BIG Quiz (SCEE/Relentless Software) was awarded top honours for best Casual and Social game.

"On behalf of the development teams who worked so hard to push the limits of creativity and innovation, I’d like to thank the members of the Academy for recognising these titles. It’s a great honour and inspiration to our entire development organisation,� said Phil Harrison, President, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios.

In total SCEE had eight titles and a total of 20 nominations across 13 of the 17 categories.

The British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA) is the United Kingdom’s leading organisation dedicated to the recognition and promotion of excellence in the fields of the moving image. The BAFTA British Academy Video Games Awards recognise artistic, creative and technical innovation within all aspects of the video games industry and are now poised to be the global benchmark for excellence in video games. 2006 is the debut year for the awards.

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PS3 Ad in New York