Hacking the PSP Blog

Play a DS against PSP on Tic Tac Toe!

Flagon has released his project Net Tic Tac Toe for both PSP and DS. I bet you know what Tic Tac Toe is, so I won't have to explain anything about the gameplay. However, this homebrew lets you play between a PSP and a DS. Currently the IP address is hard-coded into the source, so you can only launch it on two handhelds and wait for them to establish a game.

Download the PSP version here.
Download the DS version here.

Download the source code here.

Source: Flagon's Home Page

European Konami Release List

April 2006
Pro Evolution 5 (Price Drop) [PS2]

May 2006
The Silent Hill Experience [PSP]
Metal Gear Acid 2 [PSP]
Silent hill Collection [PS2]
Rumble Roses XX [360]

June 2006
Dragon Booster [NDS]

Summer 2006
Gradius Collection [PSP]
Ys - The Ark of Napishtim [PSP]
Street Supremacy [PSP]

Third Quarter 2006
Online Chess Kingdoms (Working Title) [PSP]
Steel Horizon (Working Title) [PSP/NDS]
Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel [PSP]
Pocket Racers [PS2]
Suikoden V [PS2]

Fourth Quarter 2006
Silent Hill Original Sin  [PSP]
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin [NDS]

To Be Announced
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence [PS2]

All dates are obviously subject to change, but they should be a good indication of when you can expect to see these titles. Or so we hope!

Source: PSPUpdates

More PSP 2.70 Update Details

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has announced the version 2.70 system software update for Japanese PSP (Model PSP-1000). This update is slated for 14:00, April 25, GMT+9:00 (1:00AM, April 25, EDT). Here are the details of this update:

  
[Network]

• [Internet Browser] now supports Macromedia Flash contents playback.
  *You need to enable the Flash contents playback in the [System Settings].
  *The version of the flash player is Macromedia Flash Player 6 (a part of the functions is not supported).
• The settings of the [Internet Browser] is added into [Settings] -> [Connection Settings]
• The audio contents from channels in the [RSS Channel] section now can be saved into your memory stick.
• [Auto] option added to [Rate Change] in [Location Free Player].
  *More about the Location Free base station can be found [here].

 
[Music]

• Added file extension to playable AAC format.

 
[Settings]

• Added [Enable Flash Player] in [System Settings].
  *To change this option, you need to connect to the internet.
• "Simplified Chinese" and "Traditional Chinese" added to [System Settings] -> [System Language].
• Added [RSS Channel Settings].
• Added [UMD Video L & R Button] into [Video Settings].

[Others]

• Fixed some issues when using a memory stick with more than 2GB free space.
  *This problem has not happened among the memory sticks sold in Japan until April 24.

So, there you got it. And please note that the old warning is still there:

"CAUTION: This update is only for customers who obtained PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) for Japan (PSP-1000 series). Upon completion of preparing, we will announce update information for the other countries/areas customers via SCE Group Web Site or other channels . For these customers who obtained PSP® in the other countries/areas, please DO NOT update PSP® through this web site. There are no guarantee of proper operation of the other PSP®."

You won't void your warranty, but it's not cool to do so in Sony's opinion. ;-)

Thanks for the email heads-up, Kynadr!

Source: PSPUpdates

LocoRoco demo out tomorrow - Will *require* Firmware 2.70 to run

Japanese PSPs Get 2.7 Firmware Update! Flash Support Included!

(Of course we all know this means homebrew will not work on 2.70 - but that doesn't mean it never will! And don't forget - you don't have to upgrade! -Auri)

Sony has announced that it will release a firmware update, v2.7, to owners of its PSP game handheld in Japan starting on April 25. The update includes long-awaited support for Macromedia Flash 6 for the PSP web browser, and the company has announced that Flash Player 6 is also included with the update.

Once enabled, the addition of Flash 6 support makes the PSP a much more viable web browser, allowing users to visit websites that use embedded Flash content, which were previously unreadable on the game handheld.

The update will also include additional support for Apple's AAC music format, the preferred file format for Apple's iTunes software (although it is believed that protected AAC files will still only be compatible with Apple's iPod), as well as the ability to save podcasts directly to the PSP's memory stick. Some menu items have been reorganized as a result of this latest update as well. Finally, the update allows users to select both Simplified and Traditional Chinese as the PSP's native language.

This update is expected to be released in other regions as well, although no release date has been announced at this time. The previous update, to Version 2.6 in November 2005, added features including WMA support and an RSS channel.



Source: Gamasutra

REVIEW: SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo

If Xbox owners had Halo 2 as a first-party title to gun down their enemies online, there's little doubt that the PlayStation2 equivalent is Zipper Interactive's third person tactical military shooter SOCOM US Navy SEALs series. First released on PlayStation2s in Europe during 2003, the franchise's PSP debut aims to bring the same strong tactical shooter experience with engaging multiplayer options to the portable platform.

Beginning in the Chilean countryside, Fireteam Bravo's campaign features fourteen missions that take players from Chile, across the Atlantic to three other areas: Poland, Morocco, and South Asia. Dropping the standard four-man SOCOM team, Fireteam Bravo consists of two soldiers codenamed Sandman and Lonestar, with players controlling the former and issuing orders to the latter. Tied into the storyline of SOCOM 3: US Navy SEALs, which has been released simultaneously on PlayStation2, the links between the two titles go a little deeper than just a parallel storyline with skins and weapons becoming unlocked when such 'Cross-Talk' missions are accomplished. Visually the game of course retains that SOCOM style with a sufficient amount of detail paid to the characters, though some of the animations in Fireteam Bravo do seem a little rough around the edges at times. There's a variety in the maps across the four locations, and the game also benefits from the widescreen of the PSP, which means that the various HUD elements never feel like they clutter the view.

Read the entire review here.