Hacking the PSP Blog

"Ready at Dawn" boss calls PSP developers lazy

PSP devs must stop making excuses, says Ready At Dawn boss.

President Didier Malenfant of the studio Ready At Dawn, which is releasing its first game Daxter this week, claims that studios and developers for the PSP need to stop making excuses for their games.

"Everything is compromised, and it bugs the hell out of me when you hear a lot of developers saying, 'Well, we can't do this that way because it's a handheld game,' or 'We can't do this because it doesn't have a second analog stick.'" "Those are all excuses," Malenfant continued - mentioning the fact that the original PlayStation controller didn't have any analog sticks, "And there were great games on that."

Daxter is set to hit stores March 14. Expect a full review in the near future.

Source: PSPAdvanced via GameIndustryBiz.

Microsoft to Offer PSP, iPod Video Downloads via new "10" Service (sorta)

10 is a new Microsoft video project, which aims to be the hipper and cooler younger sibling of the nerdy Channel 9. Microsoft's Jeff Sandquist calls 10 a "sister site" of Channel 9. So what is 10? Basically it appears to be a daily shot of video blogging from Microsoft that will cover new Internet technologies - not necessarily Microsoft software, but there'll undoubtedly always be some kind of connection. Sandquist described it on the intro post to 10:

"Every weekday at 10:00 am (PST) we’ll update this site with a new video that highlights people, their passions and often the technology they are using. At the end of each week we compile these videos into a full length show with some extra surprises for you."

I watched the first show, where "Tina and Laura take a tour of KEXP 90.3, an independent radio station that streams live over the internet." It's offered in QuickTime format or as a WMV, iPod and PSP download. It was a slick and well-edited 4-minute video piece, hosted by two extroverted young blond women - Laura Foy and Tina Wood, who used to be on TechTV. Both are now Microsoft employees (they "drank the juice" as Tina put it in the comments). The camera was trendily jerky - a la all those crime tv shows - and there was funky music in the background throughout. The video was of a professional quality and wouldn't have looked out of place on MTV, but it was also faux-sloppy enough to pass for YouTube kewl.

Read the whole article on ZDnet.

Lavod Pocketplay: Competition for the PSP? MP3 Player? Game Player? What is it?

The PocketPlay handheld from Lavod can't quite make up its mind. Making its debut across Europe in April, the device lets users play digital audio files along with a selection of Sega classic games. Although not much solid information about the PocketPlay series is available (such as, crucially, its price), we can't help but wonder how it will be received.

If you're bored with the Solitaire and Breakout clones that came with your iPod, then perhaps the retro games on the PocketPlay will soothe your gaming withdrawal symptoms while you wait for a bus. However, if you're the sort to get itchy when away from a console for too long, you've probably already got a DS or PSP; if you're really into your retro games, you've probably got something else that will play them already. Combining the buzzwords "portable", "retro" and "MP3" might work, especially if the price point is attractive, but we're not convinced just yet.



Source: Joystiq

Studio exec. tells PSP developers to quit making excuses

President Didier Malenfant of the studio Ready At Dawn, which is releasing its first game Daxter this week, claims that studios and developers for the PSP need to stop making excuses for their games.

"Everything is compromised, and it bugs the hell out of me when you hear a lot of developers saying, 'Well, we can't do this that way because it's a handheld game,' or 'We can't do this because it doesn't have a second analog stick.'" "Those are all excuses," Malenfant continued - mentioning the fact that the original PlayStation controller didn't have any analog sticks, "And there were great games on that."

Daxter is set for a release on March 14. The game has been rated "E" for Everyone by the ESRB and will sell for $39.99.

Source: PSPWorld

PSP to get "Real 3D" with Metal Gear Acid 2

From News.com:

Metal Gear Acid was one of the PSP's most popular launch titles. It combined stealth action and turned-based strategy with collectible card games for a unique and fun experience. Metal Gear Acid 2 comes out at the end of the month, and fans of the series are going to get something new with the sequel.

The Solid Eye system is a peripheral that clamps onto a PSP and gives a three-dimensional view of the game. The Solid Eye displays slightly different images in each eye to produce a 3D effect. Gamers will be able to play Metal Gear Acid 2 in full 3D and can even watch 3D movies included in the UMD, such as 3D cutscenes from Metal Gear Solid 3, and a 3D version of the trailer for the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4 for the PlayStation 3.

The peripheral looks really bulky, and we'll have to see for ourselves if it even adds anything to the game. Thankfully, Konami is planning to sell Metal Gear Acid 2, Solid Eye included, for the standard PSP game price of $40, and the entire game will be playable without the Solid Eye attachment.

Sony readies PSP-friendly MemoryStick video recorder

Sony is gearing up to help Japanese PlayStation Portable owners get more video content onto their handheld gadgets. The consumer electronics giant has announced a digital video recorder that stores programmes on MemoryStick in a PSP-friendly format.

If all this sounds familiar, it's because US-based Neuros Audio has been offering just such a unit since late 2005 - we reviewed it here - an upgrade from an earlier version of its MPEG Video Recorder tweaked to provide MemoryStick support and better video quality.

Sony's alternative, the MSVR-A10, appears to have fewer recording options: according to an Akihabara News story, it does 320 x 240 video using the MPEG 4 AVC - ie. H.264 - codec. Neuros' product encodes for the PSP's widescreen and can do 640 x 480 for better playback on a TV.

Sony's machine, by contrast, provides a wealth of video and audio I/O ports, allowing users to connect an array of devices as source systems. Interestingly, the MSVR-A10 isn't specifically branded to favour the PSP, suggesting the company is offering the unit as a VCR alternative rather than a PSP source or a PVR - store you favourite shows on memory card rather than tape or disc. There's no hard drive on board, and no support for HD, apparently.

The MSVR-A10 costs around ¥25,500 ($215/£124). ®

Source: Reg Hardware

Homebrew Releases for March 13, 2006

Some really cool games today, and two file managements apps. Try 'em out!

Games
DC Pang v0.3 - A clone of the game Pang, now with wireless support.
Miner PSP v0.0.4 - A port of the old DOS game.
Super Mario Memory Game - A take-off of the classic game "Memory."

Utilities
Lua Remo File Browser v0.5 Beta
PSP Filer v0.7

PSP Magazines
PSP Authority Issue 2

Tiger Direct Selling PSPs for $189!

I was cruising around and found this deal on Tiger Direct's web site:



Apparently the deal ends at noon on March 14 (in the U.S.) - but what a great deal!

Here's the link:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=1904366&sku=E334-1000&CMP=ILC-FPM03

-Auri