Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - Posts

R.I.P., Acclaim

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Following the continuing sale of both the name and assets of bankrupted game publisher Acclaim, whose name has already returned to gaming thanks to former Activision executive Howard Marks, the final assets left over from repeated auctions of Acclaim assets are now being put on the block by David R. Maltz & Co.

According to an official notice from the auctioneer received by Gamasutra, the final auction for remaining Acclaim assets will take place on May 11, 2006 at 1:00 pm in the office of the auctioneer in Plainview, New York.

An official Acclaim IP sale website has again been set up, and this time the auction rights to all the games will be disposed of in bulk, after a December 2005 attempt to auction the rights individually apparently failed or was scrapped.

Although previous sales had disposed of a number of Acclaim's more well-known franchises, the list of more than 150 titles, similar to that published last September, reveals a number of notable games. However, a large majority of them would likely require the potential purchaser to also reach a new agreement with the license holder, making this potentially tricky.

In addition, some of the titles are clearly regional publishing agreements that may have expired, such as SKUs of Populous and Riven, but apparently valid and saleable Acclaim games and franchises include three versions of the Extreme G franchise (ending with PlayStation 2 title Extreme G 3 Racing), the cute platform titles Fur Fighters and Fur Fighters Revenge, plus the infamously-named Nintendo 64 title Iggy's Reckin' Balls.

Also listed is the notoriously suspect Rise Of The Robots franchise, and although unfinished titles such as Kung Faux and The Last Job are still up for auction, previously listed but crossed-out games including Interview With A Made Man, The Red Star, and Dave Mirra BMX 4 are now removed from the list.

Source: Gamasutra

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PSP Hacks Website Redesign Contest

A note from the PSP hacking site PSPHacks:

As a reminder, we’re accepting entries up until May 1st! - Posted: April 17, 2006 Contest time again folks! As you’re probably aware PSP Hacks is in need of a website overhaul - new logo, new design, etc… With that said we’re going to give away one (1) Neuros MPEG4 Recorder 2 to whomever creates the most beauteous design - courtesy of Neuros Technology. If you wish to participate the rules are simple: email your design to website-redesign@psp-hacks.com and within the body of the message include the answer to this very simple question: How many minutes of video can you record using the normal setting [with 1GB of storage]? If your design catches our eye and you answer correctly - you win! That easy. The deadline date for entries is May 1st and the winner will be selected shortly thereafter. Recap: the prize: Neuros MPEG4 Recorder 2 the rules: design something so spectacular it blows our faces off, and answer this question correctly: How many minutes of video can you record using the normal setting with the capacity of 1GB? send HTML/CSS template/design and answer to website-redesign@psp-hacks.com We’re not fussy with regard to the design - be creative - whatever you see fit. Cheers!


Source: PSP-hacks.com
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PlayStation Portable Gets Real Podcast Support

Sony has introduced an update for the PlayStation Portable, version 2.70, that adds support for downloading podcasts to the device for playing offline. Previously, the PSP only supported streaming media content.

It appears that Sony is avoiding use of the term podcast, though. In their information, podcasts are called "RSS Channels."

The update lets PSP users save audio podcasts from an RSS Channel (podcast feed) onto Memory Stick Duo media. Version 2.70 also adds support for Macromedia Flash Player 6 content.

The PSP now supports saving podcasts three ways:

  • Select only 1 item to save - Select the item that you want to save, and then select [Save] in the options menu.
  • Save items within a channel - Select the channel that contains the content you want to save, and then select [Save] in the options menu.
  • Select multiple channels and save items within those channels - Select the channels, and then select [Save Multiple] in the options menu.

A sample podcast and tutorial is available at the PlayStation site.

The update is for customers who own PSP (PlayStation Portable) system model number PSP-1001 sold in North America. The update is a free download from the Playstation site.

Source: Podcasting News

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Fanjita constructs FAQ on PSP v2.70 Firmware

v2.70 FAQ

The recent release of PSP Firmware v2.70 has made people wonder about the possible effect this new software could have on the future of Homebrew.

To clear up some of those questions, Fanjita evaluated the new firmware and constructed a quick FAQ:
  • Homebrew does not work on v2.7. The GTA exploit is thoroughly patched, and the TIFF exploit is still patched [Confirmed by QJ.NET already]. 
  • It's unknown when homebrew will be available on v2.7. A whole new exploit needs to be developed.
  • In Fanjita's opinion (shared with EdisonCarter) there is no future for the GTA exploit on v2.7.
  • LocoRoco is an encrypted, signed EBOOT. The only way to run homebrew in the same way is to get Sony's encryption key and sign the homebrew. This is impossible.
  • There could possibly be an exploit to be found in all the new function, e.g. flash player, AAC support, etc. Fanjita and his team are not currently working on one.
  • There might be an exploit to be found in another game. Fanjita and his team are not currently working on one.
  • There's no truth in the rumour that v2.7 has made Fanjita and his team angry, and that they are going to work on an ISO loader as revenge.
  • The LocoRoco demo REQUIRES v2.70, even if you hack the PARAM.SFO in the EBOOT. 
Following this, he drawn the conclusion that the firmware upgrade brings little benefits (therefore, it is not worth upgrading) due to slow support in regards to Macromedia Flash files and the possibility that we might not see v2.70 compatible homebrew for at least the next few months.

Read more at Fanjita's Place.

Source: PSPUpdates

posted by Auri with 0 Comments

2.70 Firmware Features New Album Art System

We received notification via email (thanks, yoyoboymartin!) of a new feature in Firmware 2.70 that went unmentioned by Sony regarding the MP3 player. Before, in order to assign album art, you had to use a program like Sonic Stage to embed it within the MP3 file. Now, with the new version out (2.70), you can simply put the JPEG file in the same folder as the music, creating the art for the playlist. Very useful when trying to organize your music, but more importantly... Could this lead to a new exploit? While it would be pretty silly of Sony to make the same mistake twice, all you hackers out there in forum-land will surely take a look at this and see what you can do!

Source: PSPUpdates

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Sony PSP cooling fan

Sony PSP cooling fan

Some people are really creative in inventing accessories for the PSP.

A Japanese vendor called GameBank is listing a "PSP cooling fan" in their product catalog:
http://gamebank-web.com/ec/store.asp?code_syosai=432625

The fan goes for 980 yen (~$8.35), and is fastened to the top of your PSP by screwing it into the holes on either side of your USB port. It has an internal rechargable battery, and can be recharged using the same charger as you use for your PSP. Recharging takes 3 hours.


So usually you would ask for the sense of this. My first idea on this was: stupid! But when you get to the point that the fan is not to prevent oberheating of the console but to prevent your buttons and hands from getting sweaty while playing the idea becomes not that bad...

Source: PSP-Vault

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Lumines sequel confirmed

According to an E3 video preview hosted by Steve Truitt and Diane Mizota of PlayStation Underground, a Lumines sequel is in development and will likely be (officially) revealed at E3. About one minute into the video, Truitt confirms, "The PSP system is revolutionizing portable gaming with titles like ... Lumines 2." There you have it, folks.

See the video here.

[Thanks Justin; via Modojo]

Source: Joystiq

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Homebrew: New PSP Homebrew Releases for April 24, 2006

Games
Chicken Hunter (stable version) - Bock bock bock bock.
Net Tic Tac Toe for PSP - Play Tic-Tac-Toe against a Nintendo DS with your PSP!
Net Tic Tac Toe for DS - Play Tic-Tac-Toe against a PSP with your Nintendo DS!
Vexed v1.1 - Port of the popular game.
PSPool v0.1b - Pool simulator (the game, not the big hole with water in it) for the PSP.

Applications
PiMPStreamer v0.31 - The popular video streaming app has been updated again!
PSP Office v0.1 - An office application suite for the PSP. Obviously an early beta, but very cool!
PSP Rhythm - Make your own soundtracks on your PSP. There's a lot more in the forums: tutorials, sample projects and more. Go there and see!

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Sony PSP Firmware 2.70 Released for U.S. and Japan!

For those enjoying homebrew, DO NOT UPGRADE! It has been confirmed the GTA exploit for 2.60 does not work on this firmware.

Sony's back again with a new firmware release for US and Japanese PSP's. Some dread firmware updates, while others embrace it. Sony has added a few things to the 2.7 system software update for the PSP that will touch on many things which gamers have categorically requested since the first release, including a few that they didn't.

A note to keep in mind about this release. As you may recall from previous firmware releases, Sony tends to enjoy modifying their newly released firmwares to prevent gamers from playing homebrew and other unlicensed software on the PSP. From past experience we know to expect this, so before upgrading your system if you still hold homebrew close to your heart, as currently all PSP's are able to play homebrew, 2.61 and 2.70 currently withstanding.

Update: We have confirmed that the GTA exploit does NOT work with 2.7 Firmware, so if you enjoy playing homebrew it is advised that you do not upgrade to continue using all the great homebrew applications, games and emulation the PSP community has to offer.

There are quite a few updates in this release so hold on to your hats as we take you down the rabbit hole. To break the ice we start off with a few networking updates, notably the largest update would be including partial Flash 6 support. Flash support is a great way to add a few games and movies to your PSP collection on the go, the only noteable issue with integrated Flash support is that some functions are "not supported" in addition to the obvious fact that Flash 6 is somewhat outdated.

Another nice addition for this PSP firmware is audio files are now easily available from your Memory Stick after grabbing your latest podcast [rss]. On that note, music extensions for AAC have also been updated.

Download : [ PSP 2.7 Firmware (USA) ]
Download : [ PSP 2.7 Firmware (Japanese) ]

Source: PSPUpdates

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Europe now has 2.70 Firmware!

For those enjoying homebrew, DON'T UPGRADE TO 2.70 as it has been confirmed the GTA exploit for 2.60 does not work on this firmware.

I just got home to sit down and relax with my PSP, thinking what the new features Japan and US are having with their PSP's, when I decided to check for my update. It seems that we in the UK, and Europe I presume, now have the update to 2.70. As reported already, the new firmware implements a host of new features:


[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.
Source: PSPUpdates

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PSP Multiple Firmware Hack

PSP


Well, it's always been a dream for PSP hackers to somehow have full control over the firmware. It's been possible indirectly using Firmware Loaders like the ones made by MPH or SXT. But it's still emulation. And the available resources for actually trying hacks are pretty less since most of the memory is used up by the PSP's actual firmware.

Well, not any more. A guy called 0okm has been able to use an external 32MB Samsung NAND chip to boot firmware. Can't figure out what I'm saying ? Well, for starters, how about being able to boot your PSP using an external source ? Yep, it might just be possible. But, it comes at a big risk. So it's still one of those "Do not try this thing at home" situations for most of us.

Read the full article here.

Source: PS2Dev via PSPUpdates

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