Lumines II's title song unveiled

After the devilishly catchy Lumines title song, Mondo Grosso's Shinin' - which often causes violent rows in the CVG office when attempted to be played aloud - we're a bit miffed by the sequel's erm, 'happy' front-runner.

Titled 'Heavenly Star', the song is performed by a Gorillaz-style virtual pop-act, Genki Rockets, using a fusion of different female voices, an expert-miming model and lyrics written by Mizuguchi-San himself. The music video is a bit like A-Ha's Take on Me, with a pencil-drawn singer prancing around rainbow-arched fields and comet-filled skies. The video will play in the background of Lumines II when Heavenly Star rolls round.

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Here's what Mizuguchi-San had to say about Heavenly Star in our recent interview:

"So the girl in the video, she is 17 years-old. She doesn't exist in this world; she's a future girl. She was born in outer space and she's never touched on this planet yet. This is kind of the big love song for the Earth; she's always dreaming of what kind of place Earth is. She knows the history and info from the high-tech, high-res media, but she's always dreaming about the real experience; wind on her face; rainbows - 'what is a rainbow?'. It's a kind of fresh, lovely song. (laughs)"

You can watch the full video now over on You Tube

Andy Robinson
September 29, 2006

Source: CVG

Dark_AleX's Homebrew Enabler updated to Rev.C! Now load all your user-mode homebrew in 2.71!

Dark_AleX and Mathieulh have formed a formidable partnership which doesn't look like it will slow down anytime soon. And yet again, Dark_AleX has updated his ground-breaking piece of work, the homebrew enabler for FW 2.71. The big feature in this latest version is the ability to launch static ELFs. To those who've just joined us, all the current homebrew is basically compiled as a static ELF. Up to this version, it was not possible to launch them, which meant that any homebrew which had to be run on 2.71 had to be re-compiled keeping a few guidelines in check.

With this new update, you can run almost all your user-mode homebrew. Here's the full changelog:

• User mode static ELF's are now starting to work. Tested with SNES TYL 0.3 (user mode version), PSPMaster and  CPS2PSP 1.0 (user mode version). Kernel mode static ELF's are still not supported, they are a very odd case in 1.XX of kernel code loaded to user memory. Kernel Homebrew for 2.71 has to be written with a user main ELF/PRX that load kernel PRX's. Note that the homebrew must be in a true PBP, not KXploited!.
• User mode PRX's could load other user mode PRX's, but kernel mode PRX's couldn't load user mode PRX's. This is fixed.
• Patched the firmware to allow it to understand the old SFO format(avoiding the error of data is corrupted).
• Added a small win32 binary that will give you a hint about if a homebrew can work or not in the current release. Note that this is only a hint.

Also remember that this version will happily run on the TA-082 PSPs, so everyone can join in the fun! If any of you have already been using an older version of the homebrew enabler, there are some specific instructions which you must follow to upgrade it:

"To update from HEN revision A to B, hard reset your psp (to make sure that hen is not running). Then copy the new files to the memory stick and run the tif. The new files will be automatically updated."

For those who're gonna be doing this hack for the first time, the instructions are included in the readme. Make sure to check it out before doing this hack. Since it modifies the flash, you have to take care. It has already been tested many times, and it will work properly. If you're still scared, you can even use the homebrew enabler as a Devhook mod. The files are included in the same file.

Finally, it has been known that some sites have been modifying homebrew for their personal glory. We have received word from Mathieulh that editing the files can possibly corrupt the eboot, or in worst cases, brick your PSP when using it. To make sure this doesn't happen, please download this file from either Dark_AleX's site, or from our download site linked below. We have the original file, directly, from Mathieulh's IRC channel and you can be rest-assured that our file is clean and safe. So without further ado, here's the download link below. Enjoy!

Download HERE (Acquired from Dark_AleX's site)

Source: PSPUpdates

Leaked Best Buy Strategic Planning Calendar?

A user from the NeoGAF forums by the name of Mrbob has posted a supposed copy of Best Buy's Strategic planning calender from their Planning Seminar for Playstation 3, Wii, Xbox 360 and PSP. The Playstation 3 and Wii section of the slide mentions the dates that the Kiosks will be in stores as well as dates for marketing strategies. So IF this is true the Playstation 3 kiosk should be rolled out on October 20th following with the Wii 's kiosk on October 29th.

It also looks like that when the PS3 and Wii hit it will make the 360 get "pushed" back to shelf display although they are adding an HD-DVD drive to the display. The only text that sticks out for the PSP is the start of the "Play Beyond" wireless marketing campaign. Just a reminder that this is in no way official and the only way to find out if it is true is to wait until the dates listed above. So go ahead and check out the image above by clicking the thumbnail and when the dates come in late October check your local Best Buy to see if the kiosks are there.



Source: PSPUpdates & NeoGAF

Off Topic: Zune details unzipped

Microsoft's 30GB Zune digital-media player will sell for $249 when it hits store shelves on Nov. 14, the company said Thursday as it released more details on the device.

The Zune's price will put it in direct competition with Apple Computer's latest 30GB iPod, which also costs $249.

To introduce the companion Zune Pass music service, the device will come preloaded with songs, music videos and film shorts from the store. A Zune Pass will cost $14.99 a month, or $44.97 for three months.

"It's clear that we are not going to see a pricing war at this predictable moment. They are not going to undercut Apple's prices. But given the lack of volume discount and the screen size and the Wi-Fi capability included on it, $249 is still an aggressive price point," said Michael Gartenberg, research director at JupiterResearch.

There will also be the option of purchasing individual songs through a system called Microsoft Points. The new Microsoft cash system will work by adding money to an account, as with a prepaid phone card. Points will then be deducted from the account with each purchase. A single song will cost 79 points, "the equivalent of 99 cents," according to Microsoft spokeswoman Kyrsa Dixon.

The point system is already used in the Xbox Live Marketplace, and Microsoft plans to host other online stores where Microsoft points can be redeemed, according to Katy Gentes, product marketing manager for Zune. In the United States, points are available in denominations of $5 for 400 points, $15 for 1,200, $25 for 2,000 and $50 for 4,000. That makes $1 worth about 80 points.

Gentes said this system will enable Microsoft to sell retail gift cards of Microsoft points that could then be split over different Microsoft online stores. It will also act as a common global currency for Microsoft products, according to Gentes.

Read the full text here...

Candace Lombardi
September 28, 2006

Source: CNet News

Rumor: PS3 Connect and PSP Connectivity Tidbits

An EB Games employee sends word that the company, in conjunction with Sony, has launched a training website that is meant to get their sales people up to speed on all the Playstation 3 has to offer.

Most of the information on the site is already known, but there are a few tid-bits of note. First the page has this to say about PSP connectivity with the PS3:

The HDD will become a storage space for the massive amounts of media you will be sharing with your PSP (movies, music, TV shows, game content.).

That's right, they list TV shows, music and movies, which has me hoping that the PS3 will have the ability to stream television, music and movies directly to your PSP live over WiFi. That would be sooooo sweet.

There's also a bit on the site about Sony's online service for the PS3. Something we know next to nothing about.

Unfortunately, the information is presented in a laundry list. Instead of trying to figure it out and risk getting it wrong, I'm just going to present it here.

_PS3 ONLINE_ • *Communication/Community:* • *Voice/Video Chat* • *Messaging* • *Lobby/Matchmaking* • *Score/Ranking* • *Friend List/Avatar* • *Game data upload/download

• *Commerce: *
• *Shop (accessible from inside games)*
• *Content download*
• *Micro payment*
• *Subscription*
• *Entitlement (user access rights) management

A couple of things pop out to me. It sounds like it's going to offer just about everything that the Xbox 360's Live offers, though it's not clear what the interface will be like. I'm not too happy about that word subscription in that second batch of descriptors. And why are they calling Entitilements "user access rights"? I thought they were supposed to be like achievments, or did I miss something?

Well Sony only has a month and a half left to explain PSP conncectivity and PS3 online to us. I expect the info to hit something in the next few weeks.

Brian Crecente
September 28, 2006

Source: Kotaku

Off Topic: Could Apple Become Games Console King?

As summer turns to fall and the phosphor-lit leaves of the current stand of next-gen consoles begin to turn decidedly ‘This Gen,’ we already know that the scramble by Microsoft and Sony to put a digital Trojan horse into every living room in America has evolved into the greatest business story that never happened.

Microsoft had to redouble efforts to cover a weak 360 launch that saw the debut of the sweetest-$400-casual-game-platform-of-all-time rather than the Sony-killing muscle machine for which the geeks in Redmond had been bucking. And while PS3 delays, some deft management, and an impressive roster of upcoming releases looks to put the big green X back on track, the Microsoft army is still massing its troops.

For its part, Sony has clearly given up altogether on the idea of the PS3 as Trojan horse. Instead, it’s switched strats and gone into Blu-ray battering-ram mode. In both cases, these companies have shrieked so loudly and so long about their plans to capture the Holy Grail of Digital Convergence that pretty soon people are going to start lobbing cattle at them.

Maybe, then, Nintendo really got it right when it started dressing up the DS like an iPod.

Read the full text here...

Aaron Ruby
September 26, 2006

Source: Business Week

ESRB must play every game in its entirety says proposed legislation

The ESRB and their practices are back in the news with Republican Senator Sam Brownback trying to get the ball rolling on legislation that would force the ESRB to play an entire game before they give it a rating. At the present time, the ESRB simply watches video given to them by the developer that highlights the worst of the graphic content, and this new law would make the people working in game ratings pick up a controller themselves. 

“The current video game ratings system needs improvement,” Brownback said, “because reviewers do not see the full content of games and don’t even play the games they are supposed to rate. For video game ratings to be meaningful and worthy of a parent’s trust, the game ratings must be more objective and accurate.”

There are some obvious problems with this idea; how long would we have to wait for a game like World of Warcraft to be rated? How many more people would the ESRB have to hire and teach to play games? The hours involved in playing every single game all the way through are mind-boggling.

The thing that bothers me about all this noise (and it is noise) is that the ESRB is already doing a good job. There has been one issue with the Hot Coffee scandal and one case of rerating with Oblivion, but contrast that with the thousands of games that get released every year with no problem. Making very rare issues high-profile only to cite them as examples that the system is broken is a pretty shoddy way to try to force legislation on games.

Ben Kuchera
September 27, 2006

Source: Ars Technica

Screens From Activision Hits Remixed

PSPUpdates has posted screenshots from some of the games included in the upcoming title, Activision Hits Remixed, which is due in stores this Fall with a $19.99 price tag. Check them out below. Pre-sales are available at Amazon and EBGames.

Decathlon




Grand Prix




Private Eye




Stampede




Tennis



Via PSPUpdates

Enabling Wi-Fi in Epsilon BIOS

For those of you with U.P. modchips, Djhg2000 over at the QJ forums has come up with a couple different ways to enable Wi-Fi on the Epsilon BIOS. One way is using his Epsilon BIOS Wi-Fi Editor, which includes instuctions on how to use it. The other way is a bit more complicated. Check out his directions below or download his Epsilon BIOS Wi-Fi Editor from my homebrew software library.

Download HERE

   1. Start your 1.50 PSP
   2. Add you WiFi connection in the XMB (note that all connections will be copied)
   3. Load up FA
   4. Press L to sycle the command menu and highlight "Disk"
   5. Press R to execute command
   6. Highlight "BIOS 1" and press O
   7. Highlight "Resistry" and press O
   8. Scroll down until "system.ireg" is highlighted
   9. Press [_] twice to highlight "system.ireg" and "system.dreg"
  10. Make sure it says "ms0:/" inside the upper right field
          * If it isn't, press right and then go to "Disk" and execute, and then press left
  11. Cycle the command menu until "Copy" is highlighted
  12. Press R to execute
  13. Wait for the copy to finish and then shut it down
  14. Insert the MS Duo into your PSP with Epsilon BIOS
  15. Load up FA
  16. Press right to choose target folder
  17. Cycle the command menu to "Disk" and execute
  18. Note that the menu appears to the left this time
  19. Highlight "BIOS 1" and press O
  20. Highlight "Registry" and press O
  21. Now switch back to the source folder by pressing left
  22. Scroll down to "system.ireg" and press [_] twice to highlight the system files
  23. Cycle the command menu to "Copy" and execute
  24. Wait for the copy to finish and then reboot
  25. Test your connection in for example PVNC

Via PSPUpdates

MyQJ: PSX-P Emu writes to Flash1?

From PSPUpdates:

PSX-P seems to getting into quite a bit of trouble. First it was reported that PSX-P is illegal because it is under the GLP license, and the source code was not released. Then it was rumored that the developers stole most of the code from PacManFans original PSX emulator. How can it ever get any worse for this emu?

Well, there have been rumors circulating the forums that the recently released emulator, PSX-P, is writing files to the flash1. By doing this, it appears to stop devhook from running properly. So does PSX-P secretly flash files to your PSP? And why does it? Here's a quote from LordSturm from the QJ forums..

"No I've done a bit of research on it's activities... It deliberatly modify's f1:/DH/registry/ files... A sick pratical joke, makes us wonder if they will operate differently soon. I fixed my problem by unflashing the flash1 registry, then reflashing it, and not using the psx emulator again... IT DOES FLASH TO FLASH1, period."

"You can test it, the flash 1 issue dosn't do any damage to your psp, but it does render devhook 0.46 useless if you have it flashed up."

DevHook LogoSo it seems that PSX-P does flash the flash1 bios on your PSP. LordStrum investigated even more and noticed that PSX-P switched his X-O buttons, and gave him a Japanese interface on his PSP. He can also no longer dump his flash1 to the 2.71 folder.

LordSturm notes that it seems that the emulator is doing this deliberately. Why? No one knows, but the best guess is some sort of revenge on DevHook's success. If this does turn out to be done on purpose, I think we can all agree that this is a new low in the homebrew scene.

This story is still developing, as we don't even know exactly why or what what the emu flashes. On the positive side, it doesn't brick you're PSP *phew*.

So this is just a warning to everyone. PSX-P flashes your PSP and stops devhook from running. If you use Devhook avoid using PSX-P for the time being.



[QJ.NET issued the following disclaimer with this post:]

The article above was created by a user on MyQJ and received enough Jumps to be automatically posted to PSP Updates. As such, it may not be accurate and does not reflect the opinions of QJ.NET or its staff.

Source: PSPUpdates & whitehawk @ MyQJ

J2ME Ported to PSP

DickyDick1969 has created a port of the J2ME, successfully creating a Java virtual machine for the PSP. Unfortunately, Sun will not let him distribute it (yet?). Here's what he had to say about it:

Yep, I made a small port of the j2me (K)VM, making my PSP capable of running JAVA programs.. It was a very easy port…. as the Sun KVM is easy to port. It was done in a jiffy… …

See my video of running these classes:

PeeJayStart.java
org/pimpware/Test.java

So why not sharing the stuff ?? (giving you a download link for example…)

It’s sad…

I asked SUN for permission for distributing my port and they said I could not (yet) distribute it for some (not to mention here) reasons. At least not now..

Source: dcemu.co.uk

Edia GPS navigation software gets mapped on the board

Sony homed-in on an official GPS unit (again, emphasis on "official") a month back. And aside from Deniska's Map This! v0.3 Mapviewer that came out just a few days ago there is no known software for GPS tracking. But now, there's a new player on the map - sorry for the pun.

The company is called Edia (after the FFVIII witch? har, har... ), and they're going to be the first ones to make use of the GPS add-on of Sony. They've come up with a GPS navigation system software for the PSP, and it will have maps of Japan with Point of Interest (POI) capabilities.

Yes, yes, we know. "Why Japan?" Well, it seems likely that America won't have the software anytime soon, but Japan's got first dibs on it. They're getting it as early as December of this year. Let's just all hope that Edia ports their software soon enough. A lot of you guys keep on commenting that one of the top reasons they bought their PSP was because of the GPS capabilities. With Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops coming out real soon, who could blame you?



Source: PSPUpdates

Homebrew Enabler for fw2.71 now ported to DevHook

It's well known that there are aftershocks after huge earthquakes. Although it's a funny analogy, it works perfectly in this situation. After the big earthquake by Dark_AleX with regards to the Devhook launcher port, he has been working on it non-stop to get new features in.

And today, we have one more feature, thanks to him. Many people I know won't be upgrading to 2.71 anytime soon. For some, it's the nostalgia of 1.5. Others are simply waiting for more homebrew on 2.71 before upgrading. Well, nothing to worry about, because Dark_AleX has just ported the Homebrew Enabler to Devhook. Now anyone who uses Devhook on their 1.5 firmware can replace a few files with the ones supplied below and have kernel mode homebrew from within 2.71 firmware on Devhook. While this might sound confusing a bit, it's not.

All you have to do is replace the dh folder with the one supplied in the file below. Once done, simply start Devhook and load 2.71 firmware. You will be able to run all your homebrew even inside Devhook now! Since this doesn't modify the flash in any way, you can safely perform this mod. Just make sure to keep a backup of your firmware dump. In case something doesn't work right with this mod, simply restore that backup. So without further ado, here's the Homebrew Enabler for Devhook!

Enjoy!

Download HERE

Source: PSPUpdates & Dark AleX

Devhook launcher port updated: 2.71 Flash support

Dark_AleX has just updated his Devhook launcher port to support 2.71 flashing. Clueless what it means? Stick with us here, we'll tell you what it does.

People might remember Booster's last version of Devhook before the whole mess. That version allowed people to flash a part of the firmware dump to the flash to speed up the loading of Devhooked firmware. While this was a bit dangerous, some people still tried it just to save those few extra seconds.

The previous version of the Devhook launcher did not support this because it was incompatible. It now seems that Dark_AleX has figured out how to accomplish the 2.71 devhook flash loading.

Here's what's in his readme:

"Note: i've hacked msreboot.bin in this version to have support of direct flash in 2.71.
However you cannot have direct flash 2.71 and 2.71 emulation at the same time (the emulation
of the rest of firmwares is not affected by this).

If for some reason you prefer emulate 2.71 in your 2.71 instead of the direct flash thing, just
go to the folder dh/kd in the root, and rename msreboot.bin to something else, and msreboot_original.bin
to msreboot.bin"

Download HERE

Source: PSPUpdates

TGS 2006: MGS GPS

Sony's GPS add-on for PSP (which lets the handheld connect to the Global Positioning System network to allow users to know exactly where they are in the world on a map or by coordinates) was big news when it was announced, but exact usage in games has been a big question for buyers. At TGS 2006, SCE had the GPS on hand and showed what it would do in a number of educational and service titles (including the Homestar Portable astronomy app and a version of the EDIA digital mapping program), but game use was shown only in tiny portions (and nothing playable, by the way -- in fact, the TGS demos were not even live, instead just showing rolling demos of what would have happened had the units been active.)

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops is, of course, one of two major games to make use of the GPS device (the other is Hot Shots Golf Portable.) Konami detailed out the features that this new GPS implementation provides the game. Instead of the GPS factoring into gameplay, the unit will in this game be helpful in use in the special Scavenger Hunt for comrades that MGS: PO uses in its HotSpot hiring feature. In the game, you can try to connect to local internet WiFi points, which will (even if you just ping the router) return powered-up characters to your game for use in the Comrade system. Various levels of characters are "stored" for various IP addresses and zones, so you'll never know what you'll get when you connect. The GPS, therefore, can be used to hook up with GPS satellites to determine where you are in the world and to perhaps guide you towards known HotSpots that might give you secret and powerful bonus characters.

As a gameplay feature, this implementation of GPS isn't much, but as a Geocaching stunt, it's pretty cool and it offers gamers a much better chance of finding good comrades. The GPS has not been officially announced for release in America, so Konami has not decided yet whether to carry the feature over exactly as is or what to do with this ability in the English-language version, but the Japanese game will feature it in its full capacity.

September 23, 2006

Source: IGN

LuaPlayer 0.16 Now With WiFi Scanning!

Youresam, the creator of the online Lua Library known to developers as netlib has released yet another online application today, this one being a LuaPlayer v0.16 modification which allows it to scan for WiFi access points! This is a modification and therefore LuaPlayer v0.16 is still required, this new file simply overwrites a few of the old files and adds the WiFi scanning function. For those developers interested in developing homebrew applications that may use these functions, here's the code:

• Wlan.scanInit() - Activates the wifi
• Wlan.scan() -Returns a table similar to System.listDirectory(), except you have .name, .mac, and .strength (EXAMPLE: gotscan = Wlan.scan(), gotscan[1].name is the first wireless points name)
• Wlan.scanTerm() -Turns off the wifi

Remember this though, do not try to use the Wlan.scanInit() if the Wlan switch on your PSP is off as this will crash the PSP. Have fun! It may not be as glorious as the XMB's WiFi scanning tool but it certainly does the job. Thanks for the tip TheMarioKarters!

Download HERE



Source: PSPUpdates

TGS 06: PSPs show their colors

TOKYO--While much of the focus at Sony Computer Entertainment's booth during the Tokyo Game Show was on the PlayStation 3, the company wasn't about to let attendees forget about its PlayStation Portable. In addition to showing off its latest games for the handheld and providing a demo download area, Sony had glassed-in showcases featuring a lineup of PSPs in new color variations.

Earlier this year, Sony Europe announced that it was releasing a pink PSP in the region in October. Now it appears that Sony Japan will follow suit, as it showed off a pink version of the PSP on the show floor. However, SCEJ is doing Japan one better, as a silver PSP was also on display. Both the silver and pink versions were confirmed to hit the Japanese market sometime soon. There was also a pink slimline PlayStation 2 (previously announced for Europe) on display, but Sony did not reveal if it too was being released in Japan.

Sony also took the opportunity to show off a few other stylish PSP color variations, although they were strictly prototypes and are not planned for release anywhere. One showcase had red, blue, and yellow PSPs, all with a metallic sheen, while another showcase featured two PSPs with different camouflage patterns. Sony did a similar multihued PSP blitz back at E3 2004 when the portable was first announced.

Hirohiko Niizumi
September 23, 2006









Source: Gamespot

Latest news about 0okm's TA-082 downgrader

I'm sure all of you TA-082ers have been waiting with bated breath for 0okm's downgrader. And I wouldn't blame you - 1.5 land is magical, if you know what I mean. Well, granted that with the few big news lately, 1.5 is slowly starting to lose its shine to firmware 2.71, you still have to realise that the bulk of homebrew is made for 1.5 and thus, will have a few problems in 2.71.

When 0okm's downgrader news spread on the internet, people became restless. A few weeks down the line though, and there's hardly any information from him. Was he successful? Did he run into some problems? Thank 0okm because his latest entry in his blog is a nice update to all his fans:

"encounters some difficulties in the programming :(
diligently to solve :)
Please wait :P

when "TA-082 SoftDown" Release
it can support FW2.71(Original FW2.50)
if your PSP is "Original FW2.50"
feel free update to FW2.71 :)"

So, there you have it. I bet he's probably finished about 70% of the coding. And I'd trust him to get this thing finished before long. The other good news is that his downgrader will be supported on firmware 2.71. So all you TA-082ers, feel free to update to 2.71! It's got loads of goodies lately and it's where the party could be within the next few months!



Source: PSPUpdates & 0okm

Homebrew Enabler for 2.71 (Revision B) Starts PSP Utopia

Dark_Alex must still be popping and sipping champagne, as he becomes the toast of the PSP scene with his latest offering, the 2.71 XMB Homebrew Launcher. In our humble opinion, we can all start dreaming of a future where all PSP firmwares have kernel mode homebrew launching direct from the XMB, because being able to launch homebrew from the Game Menu is just the dawning of a PSP Utopia.

Changelog:

Revision B (24 September)

• Some kernel PRX's didn't load because the kernel tried to load them to user partition. This problem affected DevHook.prx and some other kernel prx's. This problem has been fixed.

Revision B with better binary loader in the tiff (25 September)

• Changed the binary loader to use the one from tiffsdk 1.1 that has better stability. No changes on the core.

And in this Utopia there wouldn't be any copycats.

Here are some installation notes and reminders straight from Dark_Alex:

Update Instruction for people with revision A installed:

To update from HEN revision A to B, hard reset your psp (to make sure that hen is not running). Then copy the new files to the memory stick and run the tif. The new files will be automatically updated.

People without any version of hen installed, just follow the instructions below:


- Copy all contents inside MS_ROOT to the root of your memory stick.
- Go to the PHOTO viewer of the XMB and enter in the folder "HENB".
- If the psp just freeze, reboot your psp and try again. Currently the tiff is very unstable and it is only executed sometimes. I'll try to improve that in the future.

- The first time you run the program, you will see quickly a blue screen, and after that a screen that can be of two colors:

• Red: the files couldn't be written to the flash (it ha pens a few times). Just keep trying.
• Green: The files were written successfully. After that, the xmb will be rebooted. Now you can run the homebrew in format prepared for 2.71. (see details below).

- As mentioned before, the patch will remain resident in memory, and even entering sleep mode won't delete it. Only a hardware reset will remove the program from memory.

- When you do a hardware reset, you'll have to run the tiff again. This time there won't be green or red screen, just a blue screen and xmb reboot, since this time there is no need to write to the flash.

Note: the files pspbtknf.txt, pspbtknf_game.txt, pspbtknf_updater, and systemctrl.prx in the root of the memory stick are only needed the first time the program is executed. After that you can delete those. However, don't delete patch.bin, h.bin and the folder with the tiff, since you will need those the next time you do a hard reset and want to run the program again.

Note 2: Once the program is loaded, it is independent of the memory stick contents. So you can freely swap memory sticks.

Download HERE

Source: PSPUpdates

Dark_Alex's 2.71 XMB Homebrew Launcher! Homebrew from the Game Menu!

Our PSP "scene" has been lucky enough to have some real legendary characters. First, we had groups like PSP-Dev, later on, MPH. We can't forget Fanjita and Ditlew, and now, joining their ranks at a blistering pace is none other than Dark_Alex. It seems the guy jumps from one big bombshell to the next.

Dark_Alex has just announced that he was busy making a 2.71 XMB homebrew launcher. Now you guys might be wondering how this might be different from Noobz' eLoader. Well, this is another bombshell guys! Dark_Alex has succeeded in being able to launch homebrew from the Game Menu in the PSP's XMB, or the Main menu as some might call it. Big news, huh? Well, it doesn't stop there! If Dark_Alex has his way, this will probably pave the way for kernel mode homebrew launching from the XMB itself!

But for now, the method is limited and can't load "standard" homebrew as we know it (static ELF files) and in order to make use of this XMB Loader, games will have to be ported or created in PRX form:

"Current homebrews are not supported. Since current homebrews are in static elf format, they won't run (they are rejected by the 2.71 kernel). Homebrews for 2.71 have to be in prx format. As mentioned before, homebrew has to be in prx format, at least atm. Furthermore, the main prx, the one in the pbp, has to be an user prx. However this user prx can load unsigned kernel modules from the memory stick, allowing kernel mode apps."

The great thing from the programmers' perspective is the fact that you can load unsigned kernel modules from the Memory Stick. This means that they will get all the freedom which 1.5 has offered until now. For developers who are interested in creating or porting existing programs to be "PRX compatible", you can find information and details in the readme, so we hope to see a flurry of compatible homebrew in the next few days!

You should be warned, this program does write to flash, so as with any flash memory-related programs, be very careful and use at your own risk even if the chances of bricking is extremely remote.

"This program enables homebrew to be run in 2.71 through the XMB. It makes a patch that remains
permanent until hardware reset. Sleep mode won't remove the patch.

Note: this program writes some small files in the flash, ONLY the first time is executed.
IT does NOT rewrite any existing file in the system, it writes new files, so the probabilities of
bricking are practically null."

But, there is a ray of hope. Dark_Alex has said that in future versions, he may patch the kernel to accept static ELFs. That would mean that 2.71 will be able to run all the homebrew which 1.5 is known for! Let's just hope that in the near future, 2.71 can dethrone 1.5 as the "golden firmware". Hey! It doesn't sound all that improbable now. With the great work of people like Dark_Alex and his friends, Fanjita and crew, we're well on our way to making firmware 2.71 the primary homebrew firmware!

Here's the proof-of-concept, directly from Dark_Alex's site. Again, you should be careful before running this since it writes to the flash. Please check out the readme before doing anything else, there's a lot of important information in there.

Download HERE

Source: PSPUpdates & Dark Alex

Making Video Games Accessible: Business Justifications and Design Considerations

From Gamasutra:

Game publishers and developers love to focus on features that will get their titles noticed by the mainstream gaming community, such as graphics and audio. But there is another audience, eager to take part in these games as well. These gamers come from the accessibility community—a community of people with disabilities, as well as those who care about their welfare.

This paper is for game content developers and producers who want to reach this market by adding basic accessibility features to help people with disabilities or impairments. The following topics will be discussed:

What is Accessibility?

Often, when people think of accessibility, they think of things like wheelchair ramps and closed captioning on television. This is because these sorts of accessibility features stand out and are used by those with obvious disabilities. However, accessibility features aren't designed just for those with the most severe disabilities. Among US computer users who range from 18 to 64 years old, 57% (74.2 million) are likely to benefit from the use of accessible technology due to disabilities and impairments that may impact computer use. ("The Market for Accessible Technology: The Wide Range of Abilities and Its Impact on Computer Use," Microsoft Corporation) Being able to turn up a payphone's volume allows people with mild hearing loss to use them. A hand rail on a flight of stairs allows a mobility-impaired person to climb them more easily.

Sometimes, regular features of a product end up being features that can help people with impairments. For instance, someone with a visual impairment can use the contrast settings on a television to make the screen easier to see. A person with Parkinson's disease can use one touch dialing to make it easier to make a telephone call.

Accessibility features generally tend to serve one of five types of disabilities:

• Vision - Blindness, inability to distinguish colors, blurred Vision, etc.

• Hearing - Hard-of-hearing, deafness.

• Speech - Speech impairments, language differences.

• Mobility - Wrist, arm, leg, and hand impairments.

• Cognitive - Learning impairments and reasoning challenges, including dyslexia.

In the context of video games, adding accessibility means making a title usable to someone with one of these disabilities.

Read the full text here...

Brannon Zahand
September 20, 2006

Source: Gamasutra

Daedalus "Spiff Up" v1.0

Daedalus "Spiff Up", a.k.a. Daedalus Wally, has got a new release for you all to enjoy! Making graphical changes on the popular N64 emulator Daedalus, Wally the developer is leaving the N64 emulator's optimizations to StrmnNrmn.

Some of the improvements that can be found are in Micro Machines, with now visible characters, and a slightly better map. For Super Smash Bros, the characters may look weird not having facial detail, but hey, at least now they're all in one piece. Besides, Wally the developer promised that it will be fixed in the future. Also enjoyable in the new release is the "fun to watch" intro and visible Nintendo logo.

The developer also notes that to get this game playable, you have to turn DYNAREC off. According to him, this doesn't seem to be getting ingame without support of PSPLink, but he swears it goes ingame. The screenshot above is testament to his claim.

Here's a list of the other changes from Wally:

• World is not enough: Not many fixes here except the carpet is red where you start and walls have less black dots, this needs more experience
• Diddy Kong Racing: Some Text at start
• I'm trying to figure out why it stays blue,
• I think it has something to do with the way the blending is done
• These fixes may fix some other problems in some other games, however its not guaranteed.

So basically, while there are many graphical fixes to share, there isn't much optimizations done. Wally admits that there sure is still a lot to learn, a lot to implement, but definitely it will all be done (within this lifetime, hopefully). So check out this Nintendo 64 Emulator for the PSP.

By the way, a little caveat from Wally: Please do not ask how to add graphics. He says that it would make it hard for himself and StrmmNrmm "when it comes to 100000 separated Daedalus builds. Also explaining every fine detail to you is impossible". Besides, he is not a professional encoder, so there. The fixes are also not related to speed, speedups, or compatibility.

Plus, Wally says v.10 of his Daedalus "Spiff up" is all thanks to:

sRoon - Providing mux files and feedback
Infernomax - Testing & feedback & Mux files
Briggzy11 - Testing & feedback & Mux files
Video_Freak - Testing & Feedback
Tatsujin - Providing mux files and feedback
SkaterDude - Gave me the idea of adding graphics
Yourself - For viewing this

Download HERE



Source: PSPUpdates

Ubisoft execs not happy with recent information leak

Regarding that little boo-boo that some Ubisoft personnel recently made, the game company has finally broken its silence and has expressed a lot of dissatisfaction about the entire information leak. To quote from the Ubisoft executives:

We are clearly displeased that confidential information from Ubisoft has been distributed on the internet. The publication of this type of information can only be harmful to the game development process and we will take all steps necessary to prevent this from happening in the future. We are still investigating the events that lead to this information leak and at this time have no further comment.

To recap those who may not have heard of it yet, some sleepy personnel over at the Ubisoft offices recently uploaded a .rar file onto their FTP server that contained up to 2GB worth of concept art, screenshots, and other assets for PSP game titles, some of which are yet unannounced. Titles that were spied among the said material included:

• Assassin's Creed
• Farcry 2
• Farcry PSP
• Farcry Wii
• Lost
• Naruto
• OpenSeason
• Prince of Persia
• RB6: Vegas
• Rocky PSP
• Splinter Cell 4
• Splinter Cell 5
• Surf's Up
• Star Wars PSP
• Shaun White (Snowboarding game)
• TMNT
• TMNT GBA

Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately), Ubisoft was quick to find this leak and the offending file was immediately removed from their servers to prevent the further spreading of supposedly confidential material. So much for the element of surprise, but that's okay since it's rather impossible to not love the company who has brought us the Prince of Persia trilogy for the PS2 and will soon be bringing us Assassin's Creed. However, how this will affect their strategies for the said games can only be guessed.

As for the person who has placed the confidential information online whether deliberately or accidentally... Well, he really shouldn't have used up all his Sands of Time in one go. It would have been really handy right now.

Source: PSPUpdates

"Drink Up!" - New eLoader v0.99 "Märzenbier" Released with 2.70 and 2.71 Kernel Support!

The Noobz team has done it again with their developer’s mysterious magic that brought us all the previous eLoaders. eLoader is the famous 2.0-2.60 program that enables consumers to execute homebrew on their PSP with little trouble at all. This new version of eLoader however has been a huge leap in the homebrew scene as two new firmwares are fully supported – 2.70 and 2.71.

Yes, that is absolutely, positively a correct and valid statement! 2.70 and 2.71 are now supported by this new eLoader – Märzenbier. Along with a new name as all eLoaders – it has also been announced that 2.5-2.71 will support kernel mode with some exceptions. I believe the developers themselves handle this technological situation better than I would, so please take the time to read what they have had to said about kernel mode –

As well as support for the v2.7 firmwares, there is also limited kernel mode support on v2.5-v2.71. This means that the .init program section (which contains functions declared with the 'constructor' attribute) will be called in kernel-mode for homebrew built with the kernel mode attribute. Note that you cannot create kernel-mode threads from the init functions in this release, due to security checks in the firmware.

If you are wondering which programs work with this new eLoader on the new firmwares, please take the time to read the compatability list located below as marked -

Download eLoader 0.99 Zip
Download eLoader 0.99 Windows Installer
2.70 Compatibility List
2.71 Compatibility List

Source: PSPUpdates

Map This! v0.3 Mapviewer

Everyone remembers Deniska's homebrew, right? Yeah, his work's been welcomed by a lot of you guys, and here's an update to be welcomed even more. It's Map This! v0.03 Mapviewer, and it gets better and better. We gave you a video before, and even a tutorial. It's right about time (and place) to give a version upgrade.

Lots of new stuff for you guys to tinker around with:

• Multiple POI icons support - a few types of POI can now be merged in one file for simultaneous display.
• POI files: removed icon size definition (the size is read from the image itself, this should be backwards compatible with prev definition though..).
• speed up in menu responses
• NMEA buffer increased to 1024 - this may help some GPS devices map size bug fixed. Now it should support maps up to 1024x1024
• Basic trip computer in gps mode. Display of elapsed time, distance and average speed.
• Set mark. In gps mode, displays distance & direction to mark.
• Scrollable menus in map/poi selectors: ability to display/scroll through up to 100 items.
• Numerous improvements in gmdl tool by in7ane: new map/poi sources added, POI converter, custom map import, routing tool, etc.
• Ability to disable top info bar and scale for maps with custom scales and projections: just remove coords.txt

There are other new stuff, especially about the config file, in the readme, so we suggest you guys read that too. Besides, the installation is pretty tricky, but if you read our past coverages (the links above) and the readme file, you'll be fine. He's even got a wiki site! But, if all else fails, just comment here about your problems and everyone can help each other out.

Download HERE



Source: PSPUpdates & Deniska

Splinter Cell 5, Far Cry 2 Leaked

Someone's having a very bad day at French publishing giant, Ubisoft this morning, as 2GB (yes, 2GB) worth of top-secret images somehow found its way onto the internet, detailing unannounced games like Splinter Cell 5 and Far Cry 2.

The images, which we obviously can't post if we want to hold on to our houses, include new looks at already-announced titles like the gorgeous Assassins Creed, as well as the first confirmation and looks at titles like Far Cry PSP, Rocky PSP and Shaun White snowboarding.

But by far the hottest images in the leaked batch are those showing art from the next Splinter Cell, called Splinter Cell Conviction, an all-new Prince of Persia and a sequel to Crytek's Far Cry.

There's a treasure trove of top-secret game details revealed in the images (which we erm, saw on a mate's PC) including Far Cry 2's multiple 'urban, desert and jungle' environments, and Splinter Cell Conviction's Washington DC locales. Far Cry 2 also appears to include a destructible weapon system, along with some distinctly 'next-gen' visuals - although it's pure speculation at this point what system the game is heading for.

When we contacted Ubisoft, we were expectedly given a very big "no comment." Perhaps, with X06 only seven days away, some of these images will become public domain within the week. Until then; sit tight and don't do anything naughty.

Andy Robinson
September 21, 2006

Source: CVG

Off Topic: Grand Theft Auto Fan Charged With Car Theft

A Canadian man's apparent fondness for the video game "Grand Theft Auto" has led to his arrest in connection with an auto theft, police said on Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Shylo Kujawski -- who has "Grand Theft Auto" prominently tattooed on his back -- was spotted acting suspiciously in a Vancouver suburb where several stolen cars had been reported.

Using the tattoo to identify Kujawski as a convicted auto thief, police said they then set up a stakeout that nabbed him attempting drive away in a stolen car.

Police said during the stakeout they also watched Kujawski thwart his own attempt to drive away in another stolen vehicle by accidentally disabling the car with the owner's steering wheel lock.

Kujawski, of no fixed address, has been charged with possession of stolen property in connection with an auto theft, as well as breach of probation and driving while suspended.

Source: Reuters UK

PSP Hi-Fi turns your PSP into a rockin' stereo

Gamexpert has unveiled the PSP Hi-Fi, the first of many add-ons for consoles and handhelds that they are promising under the brand name Phase 4.

The PSP Hi-Fi is a docking station that turns your PSP into a home stereo. The music you have stored on your handheld can be enjoyed at a high volume thanks to a 23W RMS stereo amplifier and speaker. A sub-woofer faces down for ‘maximum bass extension’ and a two-way speaker system brings on the noise.

Although the PSP Hi-Fi looks very much like Apple's HiFi, the quality is unknown. This should be available in the next few weeks for about $375.

T.O. Whenham
September 20, 2006




Source: Mobile Magazine

HDTV Add-On For Notebook Computers

It's an itty-bitty HDTV (kinda): Pinnacle Systems' new PCTV HD Pro Stick, introduced today, is tiny, as it should be if the company expects you to carry it around in your notebook bag. It connects via USB to your computer and to either a cable television--er, cable, or to an included mini over-the-air HDTV antenna on the other end.

Pinnacle says the software that comes with the Stick offers "comprehensive" digital video recorder functionality and the ability to save shows directly to DVD, should your laptop have a DVD burner, or to an iPod or Sony PSP (should you have one of those). It comes with a small remote control, too. The Pinnacle product will cost $130 when it ships in October.

Alan Stafford
September 20, 2006




Source: PC World

What Came First, the Violence or the Video Game?

On September 13th, a 25-year-old man walked into Dawson College in Montreal and went on a shooting spree that took at least one life and wounded 19 people.  News outlets were quick to point out that the gunman, who died in a shootout with police, enjoyed violent video games.  Headlines pointed to a link between the rampage and the games the murderer played.

Back in 1989 another 25-year-old, Marc Lepine, killed 14 people in a similar incident at another Montreal college.  Unfortunately, there was no large-scale Internet or GTA to blame at the time.  If violent games had been available back then, would a violence-obsessed Lepine have played them?  Would they have been to blame?

Montreal is the only link in these two cases, but I’d feel like an idiot claiming it meant anything at all.  Charles Whitman killed 16 people and wounded 31 at the University of Texas in 1966.  The Columbine Massacre that took 13 lives is so named for the school it took place in.  As a real-life parent, should I take this as proof that my child should avoid school?  It is the one overarching link in all these cases.

Read the full text here...

Nelson Rodriguez

Source: Planet Xbox 360

Guidelines For Kernel Mode Homebrew in 2.5/6 TIFF eLoader

0okm has just released instructions enabling developers to make kernel mode applications in Firmwares 2.5/6 which would run using the eLoader. In case anyone's wondering, we did have kernel mode access on those firmwares, but it could only be done using HitchHikr's exploit in the GTA game.

Although the instructions themselves are nothing more than a small piece of code, it's very obvious that it's very useful for all the people in the community. Firstly, you don't need to wait for GTA to load up. Secondly, this is a big boon for all those who're stuck with a patched UMD, or do not have one.

Surprisingly, the instructions are very easy for even the most "noobiest" of programmers:

main.c
add line extern void kernel_ent(u32 Temp);
and write Kernel access in a function
use kernel_ent((u32) &your_function) to call it

Makefile
in line OBJS add kernel_ex.o
in line LIBS add -lpspvshbridge

0okm has also ported the original proof-of-concept which demonstrated kernel mode access on the 2.5/6 GTA exploit. Further, he has also bundled the source, so that all you budding programmers can have a look at it. Also thanks to Jordan in #noobzOT for the heads-up!

Download HERE

Source:  PSPUpdates & 0okm

USB Modification for the U.P. Modchip

"Jordan," a QJ.net user, has recorded a little video showing off this USB modification for the Undiluted Platinum modchip. The quality isn't all that great but you'll get the idea of his modification. he's essentially made hole in the side of his PSP for the U.P.'s usb connector to be easily accessible. Goodwork Jordan. Check out the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1BhidRhPjw

Via PSPUpdates

Sega gets Deep Fried

Before it was purchased by Electronic Arts in 2002, Black Box Games worked on a number of games for Sega, including Sega Soccer Slam and NHL 2K. Now a new studio formed by ex-Black Box developers has signed on to make games for the publisher.

Sega today announced that it has tapped Vancouver-based Deep Fried Entertainment to work on PlayStation Portable games. Deep Fried was founded in June 2005 by five former Black Box developers with experience working on games like MDK2, NFL Gameday, Baldur's Gate, and the Need for Speed: Underground series.

The move continues a pair of Sega trends: a growing interest in external game development and more ties with Western developers. Sega has recently acquired Western studios The Creative Assembly, Secret Level, and Sports Interactive, and has signed development deals with Silicon Knights, Bizarre Creations, Obsidian Entertainment, Monolith Productions, Planet Moon Studios, and Pseudo Interactive.

Sega did not disclose what project the Deep Fried team is working on or when it's expected to be released.

Brendan Sinclair
September 18, 2006

Source: Gamespot

Wrapstar Announces PSP Vinyl Skin Design Contest

The London-based company Wrapstar is issuing a call to all creative souls out there since they are launching a competition. The creator of the most innovative PSP skin design will walk away with a free PSP, which will bear the winning design, as well as two game titles to play on it.

Wrapstar is known for manufacturing protective and decorative vinyl skins for PSP and NDS units, as well as other gadgets and game consoles. These skins are of the adhesive type and can be removed easily without leaving glue marks.

The closing date of the competition is on November 1, 2006. The winner will be announced on the Wrapstar website by November 10, so better get started on that drawing board.



Source: PSPUpdates & Wrapstar

Refurbished PSPs $149 @ eCost

eCost has refurbished Sony PSP core systems for $149. They are currently in stock and come with a 30 day parts and labor warranty. If you don't mind a rurbished unit then check out this deal. The price is only valid while supplies last.

Check it out here...

Source: eCost

PSP Hacking 101 Episode 19.5: Pro Audio Recorder

Pox from PSP Hacking 101 was first on the comment section to express his approval on Art's extraordinary homebrew called Virtual Tape Recorder. This 'brew allows you to record audio directly into your memory stick instead of being stored in your RAM. This sparked PSP Hacking 101 Team's interest and has turned one good idea into a great one.

Pox and Mitrovarr document how you can turn your PSP into a mean recording machine. All you need is a bit of ingenuity coupled with soldering skills, and you've got yourself a pretty cool mod. If you're not very confident about your soldering skills, then better to find someone that do, because you don't want to miss out on this.

The test recordings yielded very impressive, professional-sounding results. So if you want an inexpensive recording system or just looking for the next hack to try, this instructional video is a must download. Plus the socks theater at the end of the video was rather entertaining.

Thanks a whole lot to Oliver H. for sharing this information.

Download for PSP
Download for PC (WMA)



Source: PSPUpdates & PSP Hacking 101

Launch Lua scripts directly from iR Shell

You may have thought that with the release of iR Shell v2.2 final a few days ago, the program would no longer be updated, thus leaving us with no iR Shell features to look forward to. Well, if you did you were wrong. Kajo5 from the iR Shell forums has released an iR Shell plugin for Lua scripts to launch directly from within iR shell. This means that you no longer have to launch a separate program in order to run Lua games/applications. Here's what Kajo5 said:

"This is my first try to post something so hello everybody.  I created an external EBOOT that loads LUAPLAYER.PBP and automatically launches the lua script selected in iR Shell. I made an external EBOOT and didn't modify the Lua code itself because I think updating and changing Lua versions should be a lot easier now."

This plugin uses Lua Player v0.16 with netlib support which is probably the most stable version of Lua player out at the moment. Just make sure you remember to add the plugin suffix '.lua' and application slot 8 in using iR Shell configurator (press R+Start to run). With so many options, plugins and features why would you ever want to return to the PSPs XMB?

Download HERE



Source: PSPUpdates

Hacking the PSP mentioned in PC Magazine!

Thanks to Chris for calling me up today and telling me! Hacking the PSP was mentioned in this month's PC Magazine, along with a book I co-authored, Hacking Digital Cameras. Cool deal! Check out the issue on the newstands!

Best,

-Auri

A New Version of DevHook in the Works?

According to a post on the Max Console forums, we could be seeing a new version of DevHook in the not too distant future. This comes as a surprise since the developer of of DevHook was issued a cease and desist by Sony at the beginning of August. While it's just a rumor at this point, I'm sure we all hope that this one's true. Here's what Zeus had to say about it on the Max Console forums:

Great news! We've been notified that Booster is hard at work on a new release of Devhook, we might get lucky next week but a confirmed release date is not available yet. The grand plan is to release Devhook one day as custom firmware, but it's unclear when this will happen, the next release should feature firmware v2.8 support only. It's good to hear Booster is alive and well.

Source: Max Console Forums

iVideoToGo Movie File Converter for PSPs and Video iPods

The iVideoToGo, from InterVideo, is a downloadable video library organizer and file converter that will convert your various video files (DVD, etc.) into MP4 formats for the PSP and video iPod. This program'snot satisfied with simply converting or compressing files, however. It can encode higher-resolution MP4 files so they can be viewed at a higher quality on TV screens. It will read and compress a wide variety of file formats, such as DVD-Video, AVI, H.264, MPEG, WMV, MOV, DivX, ASF, DVR-MS, and 3GP. And it also supports H.264, the latest high-quality, high-compression file format.

It is designed for ease of use. The Platinum version of the program features automatic synchronization between the PC and the iPod or PSP. It will even batch-convert a library of files while you're asleep or otherwise occupied, all ready to be uploaded into your device when you get back.

The iVideoToGo Platinum is available for $29.95 from the product website.

System Requirements (minimum)

• Intel® Pentium® III 600 MHz
• 128 MB system memory
• Windows® 2000/XP
• Windows® compatible sound card that supports 48KHz Playback (PCI recommended)
• 800x600, 16-bit color display
• 50 MB (iVideoToGo only); 100 MB (iVideoToGo and Third-party tools)
• CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, DVD-RAM drive
• DirectX® 9
• (PSP firmware version 2 and above to enable MP4/H.264 AVC support)

Source: PSPUpdates & InterVideo

The Neuros Video Recorder Competition

From PSPUpdates:

Just yesterday we reviewed the Neuros Video Recorder and gave it a hearty thumbs up for its ease of use and flexibility  at the end of the review we teased that we'd be letting  you guys know how to get your hands on one for free, and we promised that we'd let you know how to win one for free, and that it would be easy. So here are the details folks.

Here's what you have to do. Find a humorous screengrab or screenshot from a TV show, movie or videogame and add a caption to it that makes everyone here at the QJ Labs laugh their butts off. That's it, that's all you have to do. But it has to be clever, be smart and above all be funny. I want to see tears streaming down Jake's eyes, I want to see Justin laughing so hard he snorts milk out his nose, just be "teh funny!"

Rules and Regulations

Yup there are rules, every contest has to have rules, and this one's no different.

• All entries must be submitted to