Homebrew: New PSP Homebrew Releases for February 7, 2006

And here they are for today! We have a pretty good mix of applications, and even some great source code, but no real game updates today!

Applications
PSP Bassline - Bassline creation utility; eventually to be integrated with RCON's PSP Rhythm homebrew app.
PSPRadio v0.38.04wip - PSP shoutcast client "Work in progress" release for others to look at and possibly get involved with development.

Utilities
PSPInfo v0.1 - PSP Diagnostics and clocking tool.

Emulator Source Code
PLynx v0.9 Atari Lynx Emulator Source Code

Nincest 64 Port To PSP WIP News Update (Nintendo 64 Emulator)

PSmonkey Posted this news regarding the continuing development of the Nintendo 64 emulator for the PSP:

"Ermm, no major progress last night. I added more opcodes (bust-a-move keeps pushing for more opcodes), fixed a few read/write opcodes & cop1 opcodes. I sadly broke fire demo yet again but I think some stuff is more accureate now.

I talked to lac for a bit last night. I seems mario64 & other games are getting stuck because of the lack of interupts (n64 was heavly based on the idea of using threads, so mario is getting stuck in an idle thread when an interupt should have triggered another thread). So I will get going on interupts soon and hopefuly that should show more progress soon."

Nice to know hes still plugging away at it although you must remember, Rome wasnt built in a day and this emulator is a long term project so it could be a long wait but worthwhile in the end.

Source: PSP-News

PSP News 60 Day Coding Competition Starts Now

PSP News and the DCEmu Network are proud to announce the 3rd Coding Competition for the PSP and this time the Competition is for 60 Days instead of 30 and not only that but the top prize is a yummy GP2X Console which for any coder is a welcome addition to their collection, heres some details about the prize.

Gamepark Holdings has made the GP2X a system for anybody to develop emulators, games, applications, practically anything for! Having Linux as its operating system, SDL support and tools supplied by Gamepark Holdings should make developing for the GP2X a breeze. There is no doubt that there will be a large homebrewn scene with games, emulators, and applications made by talented developers. The GP32 is a great scene to be a part of, and the GP2X should be no different, if not better. Emulation is complimented with perfect button layout and resolution which might make the GP2X the new emulating king for the years to come.

So there you have it a great prize for any Homebrew fan, the rules can be found on the competition page here --> http://psp-news.dcemu.co.uk/psp60codingcomp.shtml

Good luck all and to those who havent seen our previous competitions, check out Here and Here.

Source: PSP-News

Convert OGM Files for the PSP

Dogstar has wrote a great guide for getting those annoying ogm files on to PSP. If your in to Anime like me then this is a useful little thing to read up on. Almost 90% of Anime I come across is in OGM format which is a lot harder to convert then your standard AVI file.

Check out the guide here.

Winning Eleven Coming to PSP (Soccer Game)

Konami releases Winning Eleven Soccer 9 on the PSP.

Konami announced today that World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 for PSP has shipped to retail stores nationwide. As fans gear up for an exciting year of soccer, the world's number one rated soccer video game franchise returns to the pitch with top quality simulation gameplay, new team management features and for the first time ever on a handheld system, providing fans with the most immersive and engaging portable soccer video game experience available.

"The release of Winning Eleven 9 is a true milestone for this hallowed soccer franchise, as the massive community of Winning Eleven enthusiasts can finally enjoy 'soccer on-the-go' with the PSP system version of the game," said Catherine Fowler, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "With all of its new features, in-depth gameplay and lifelike realism, Winning Eleven proves once again that it is the best playing and most authentic soccer video game in the industry."

Winning Eleven 9 contains a bunch of new features, including the Master League dynasty mode, new league teams, all-new formations such as "Wing Back" and "Second Striker," and wireless gameplay on the PSP. Rounding out the new features in Winning Eleven 9 is the Memorial Match, which allows gamers to save results from non-AI "VS." matches. Cumulative match records and winning points can be logged for up to 20 people.

World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 is rated "E" for Everyone and will retail for $39.99. We shall have a full review in the near future. Until then check out our full preview.





Source: PSPAdvanced

GTA 'sticks it to UK awards show

Golden Joysticks handed out in London; San Andreas steals 5, Resident Evil takes 4. PSP and Nintendo also recognized.

The Golden Joysticks, the UK's version of Spike TV's Video Game Awards, were handed out today in London. The winners are decided by gamers, and some 200,000 participants voted. Because of the show's tight seal on eligible games, a favorite of 2004 stole the show.

To vie for a Golden Joystick, a game must have been released between October 29, 2004, and October 28, 2005, in the UK. These requirements made this year's crop start off with a bang--as the much-heralded Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was released in the UK on October 29, 2004.

Just because it was the oldest game eligible for an award doesn't mean it gave ground to the new guys. In fact, quite the opposite. San Andreas took home five awards, including Joystick d'Or for Ultimate Game of the Year, PlayStation 2 Game of the Year, and Best Game Soundtrack.

The undead were very much alive in the show as well, with Resident Evil 4 winning GameCube Game of the Year, Editor's Game of the Year, and (oddly enough) Best Film-Based Game of 2005. Resident Evil 5 took home the One to Watch for 2006, despite conventional wisdom pointing toward a 2007 release for the game.

Nintendo took home Publisher of the Year, thanks in part to Super Mario DS, the Handheld Game of the Year. Another Nintendo game, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, rode off with the One to Watch for Xmas award, despite the fact that it won't be released until April 2006 at the earliest.

Other winners include Halo 2 for Xbox Game of the Year, Half-Life 2 for PC Game of the Year, World of Warcraft for Online Game of the Year, and the PSP for Game Innovation of the Year.

And the winners are:

Ultimate Game of the Year: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
PlayStation 2 Game of the Year: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
GameCube Game of the Year: Resident Evil 4
Xbox Game of the Year: Halo 2
PC Game of the Year: Half-Life 2
The Carphone Warehouse Handheld Game of the Year: Super Mario 64 DS
Best Film-Based Game of 2005: Resident Evil 4
BBC Radio One - Colin and Edith's Best Game Soundtrack of 2005: Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
The Sun Online Online Game of the Year: World of Warcraft
Publisher of the Year: Nintendo
The In Stock Magazine Retailer of the Year: Play.com
The Game One Gaming Innovation of the Year: PSP
The MCV One to Watch for Xmas: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The Sun's One to Watch for 2006: Resident Evil 5
Hero of 2005: CJ from Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
Villain of 2005: Officer Tenpenny from Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
The Girl's Choice for 2005: The Sims 2
Editor's Game of the Year: Resident Evil 4
Unsung Hero of the Year: Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy in the US)

By Tim Surette -- GameSpot

Source: GameSpot

Sony quiet on PSP email and GPS

The US PlayStation Magazine's reporting that Sony's going to launch a PSP email service and release a GPS adapter - both before the end of 2006.

In a cutting scanned onto forums Stateside, the magazine claims that "Sony Mail" will be a built-in email program installed through a firmware update.

It doesn't sound like your average mess of POP3/IMAP setup pages and return-to address worries though; Sony Mail will apparently use a manufacturing ID unique to your PSP as an identifier, and then allow you to associate a name with that account.

Presumably it'll then communicate with the wider world using some sort of server-side mail voodoo.

GPS, meanwhile, will be available through a USB adapter - similar to the one shown at E3 2004. There'll be a UMD featuring software and street data, with updates to the data released on separate UMDs.

At least, that's what the magazine says. We know Sony's mentioned both email and GPS before, but right now the company isn't prepared to confirm PSM's report, which cites "sources familiar with the PSP's US product management".

"We don't have any further information at the moment on any further PSP services/peripherals. We'll make an official announcement when there is more news," said a Sony UK spokesperson.

Source: EuroGamer

First Look: Major League Baseball 2K6 for PSP

Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max hits stores

Almost 20 years after the original Street Fighter landed on arcade machines, Capcom’s most recognized franchise has finally made its way to the PSP. Along with your usual favorites fighters, Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max adds four new characters to the mix: Yun, Maki, Eagle and Ingrid from Capcom Fighting Evolution. Retailing at $39.99, this is a no brainer for Capcom and consumers alike. Here’s what Capcom had to say about today’s launch:

Utilizing the PSP system's superior performance and technology, Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max features new content specifically designed for the system. A gameplay mode new to the Street Fighter Alpha series, Variable Battle Mode, has been implemented to allow real-time tag team brawls. Tag out and the second fighter enters performing a jump attack, a move useful for escaping tight situations. Yun, Maki and Eagle, from Capcom vs. SNK 2, as well as Ingrid from Capcom Fighting Evolution, enter the arena and are perfectly reproduced with all new original storylines. Versus battles heat up with the Wi-Fi League Battle Mode that allow a maximum of eight players to duke it out in round-robin mini tournaments.
 
Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max delivers the same compelling experience that players have come to expect from the series. Gamers can choose an ‘ism’ to govern a characters ability to perform powerful combo moves and select from a host of different gameplay modes which offer endless replay value.  Arcade Mode pits the player in a series of matches against CPU controlled opponents. In Survival Mode, battle against a series of enemies until getting KO’d. Dramatic Battle Mode lets players team up with a CPU controlled character to fight an enemy.  Fight the final boss in Final Battle Mode.  Play alone or with friends in four network modes: Go mano-a-mano with any playable character in Versus Mode. Select a team of three characters and engage in a series of team battles with Team Battle Mode.  In Versus Dramatic Battle Mode, mix and match the combinations of brawlers as gamers can stack the deck against an opponent with 2 characters-on-1 character matches. Participate in infinite tag team competitions with Verses Variable Battle Mode.

Source: PSPUpdates

Take Two's Total Value Estimated - PSP Estimated as Main Target for GTA

Jason Kraft and Chris Kwak, research analysts, have done a little digging to answer the age old question, “How much is Grand Theft Auto” worth? As everyone is aware, the lawsuits against parent company Take-Two interactive, have caused a lot of controversy around the GTA series. Rumors are circulating that the company may even be for sale, which makes this analysis even more timely.

The anylists anticipate only 2 next gen versions of the GTA franchise in the next 5 years. The main number of anticipated releases for GTA is apparently aimed at the PSP:

“there is potential for up to six PSP titles (five, post Liberty City Stories) over the next five years," continuing, "Take-Two could develop unique PSP games between major next-gen console releases or ports of existing titles. Shorter development cycles on PSP enable Take-Two to release PSP titles more frequently. The regularity with which Take-Two releases GTA titles on PSP will be critical to the franchise’s revenue growth in the next-gen cycle and underlies our revenue growth forecast."

After all is said and done, everything is factored in, and all options are weighed, Jason Kraft and Chris Kwak are concluding that the Grand Theft Auto franchise is currently worth about $900 million, or $10-$13 per share. Removing the $1.52 per share of cash reserves, the remainder of Take-Two is worth $1.71-$4.71 per share. Those numbers show GTA as being worth 62%-81% of Take-Twos total value.

Source: PSPUpdates

February PSP Game Release Dates

• February 14, 2006 - Exit
• February 21, 2006 - EA Sports Fight Night Round 3
• February 27, 2006 - MX vs. ATV Unleashed: On the Edge
• February 28, 2006 - Generation of Chaos
• February 28, 2006 - SpongeBob SquarePants: The Yellow Avenger
• February 28, 2006 - MLB '06: The Show
• February 28, 2006 - FIFA Street 2
• February 28, 2006 - Street Supremacy

Source: IGN

Micro Memory Madness - Sony's new Flash Memory Format

As if the massive amounts of Memory Stick formats weren’t enough, now Sony is complicating matters even more by adding a new design into the mix – the Memory Stick Micro (M2). About a quarter of the size of  the PSP’s Memory Stick Duo, the main feature that Sony is touting on this one is its “controlled eject function to prevent users losing the media”. So in order to make it harder to lose they’ve made it even smaller? Genius.

What does this mean for the PSP? Given that the M2 has been designed as dual-voltage media, it is compatible with the Memory Stick Pro line of products so we could see a “Duo Adapter” at some point in the near future. Even more appealing is that thought that the release of a new format will drive down prices on the expensive Memory Stick Duo our PSP’s desire. The M2 will be available in 256MB and 512MB versions in March, with the 1GB stick following behind in May.

Source: PSPUpdates

Hori Releases PSP Privacy Filter

Tired of people peeking over your shoulder as you view your top secret nuclear device plans on your PSP? Annoyed with onlookers when you’re trying to analyze your snapshots from your latest alien abduction? Hate it when… alright, let’s drop the act. You just don’t want other people to know you’ve got adult content on your handheld. Hori shares your concerns. That’s why they’ve released the Portable Privacy Filter which will keep anyone off to the side in the dark as to what you’re doing with your PSP. Not only does it get the job done, but it’s removable so you can take it off and put it on again whenever you need it. The Portable Privacy Filter is currently available at Play-Asia.com for about $10.

Source: PSPUpdates

Interview with Pursuit Force Producer

Guns? Check. High speed chases? Check. Vehicles for every terrain you can think of? Check. Now you’re ready to join the squad as you try to tidy up organized crime plaguing Capitol City in Pursuit Force. But not so fast, you still have to wait until next month before you can get behind the wheel of this upcoming PSP game. But to keep you interested GameZone interviewed producer Ryan Hamlyn about the challenges and triumphs in creating this highly anticipated title.

I think the challenges that we faced weren’t necessarily specific to the PSP, but rather, they were challenges that teams face on every platform. Does the player have enough control of the vehicle? Does the vehicle handle realistically/semi-realistically? Does the player truly get a sense of speed? If you can overcome those challenges, the gameplay should be in a very good position.

[Read full interview]

$12 Off UMDs at Amazon!

$12 off of 2 UMD's at Amazon

We’ve recieved several emails this evening about a deal at Amazon.com where you can get $12 dollars off of a purchase of 2 UMD’s from this list by using the promotional code SPHEUMDFEB67 at checkout. You’d think this would be a bargain bin affair, but think again! There’s quite a few new and decent releases to be had, such as Hitch, Stealth, and Dave Chappelle: For What It’s Worth. Not to mention a few of my favorite classics Labyrinth, Mad Max and The Dark Crystal. I admit it, I have a problem when it comes to David Bowie, Tina Turner, and various muppets all sporting the same hairdo.

Source: PSPUpdates