Friday, May 12, 2006 - Posts

Friday, May 12, 2006 10:13 PM

MotoGP to debut on PSP

Namco's virtual alternative to the high speed thrills of professional motor racing is heading to the PSP, with Sony confirming the release of a new MotoGP game specifically designed for the handheld.

It's currently being developed by the same team which brought MotoGP to the PS2 and Ridge Racer to the PSP, but Sony has yet to confirm an official release date for the game.

Fans of the sport should recognise the names of Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau - just two of the pros you can test your skills against in the new one-on-one racing mode. There are real life tracks, too, although Sony hasn't said which one yet. You can also expect a full championship season to get your teeth into and assorted wi-fi multiplayer modes for up to eight players. Hooray for m0t0rb1kes!


Source: Eurogamer
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Friday, May 12, 2006 10:06 PM

E3: Nyko shows off PSP accessories

Gaming peripheral maker Nyko has transitioned from a maker of game pads and other accessories for PCs and Macs to an accessory maker for Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP). Its PSP accessories include a device that allows you to display the contents of your PSP on a television screen.

The Play on TV Adaptor for PSP, contrary to its name, isn’t really meant to let you play games on your TV using the PSP. It’s more intended for watching movies on a TV. The device snaps on to the front of the PSP without modification and connects to the headphone jack and power port. The Play on TV Adaptor uses a CCD-based camera to display the image on the PSP. It charges the PSP while you play, and it outputs video and stereo audio to your TV or entertainment center using RCA cables. It costs $80 and is shipping now.

Also new for this year is the Power Tuner. The $20 adapter plugs into your vehicle’s cigarette lighter and provides power to the PSP; it also transmits the PSP’s audio to a nearby FM radio. The device has a three-position switch that lets you tune to three different FM frequencies.

The Charger Grip is a $20 accessory that snaps onto the back of the PSP. It provides hand grips similar to a Sony Dual Shock Analog controller — the controller Sony includes with the PlayStation 2. A Nyko rep said it’s more comfortable and likely to induce less hand fatigue than the PSP on its own. It also features a built-in lithium ion battery that offers up to an additional five hours of battery charge.

The $80 Theater Experience is an all-in-one case and speaker system that also sports an internal battery that provides up to seven additional hours of battery charge. It also features built-in speakers and the ability to prop the PSP up so you can watch movies and videos without removing it. If you’d prefer to use the PSP to play games but you still want to use the Theater Experience’s battery and speakers, Nyko also includes power and audio extension cables.

Source: MacWorld
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Friday, May 12, 2006 10:05 PM

Microsoft: No Xbox Handheld In The Works

Senior Regional Director of the Home and Entertainment Division (Northern & Eastern Europe) Neil Thompson, speaking to T3 magazine, has said Microsoft has no plans to step into the handheld market just yet. This in contrast to several rumors that Microsoft has a team already working on such a project.

“We’re not even thinking about that at the moment. Handhelds, in the way you would think about a handheld like a PSP? No.” Thompson stated. He went on to say, “the mobile phone market offers us a really good opportunity to capitalise on the hundreds of millions of handsets that are out there, and give people a chance to connect that with other entertainment experiences”.

Source: XBOX 365
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Friday, May 12, 2006 9:33 PM

StrmnNrmn Shares Dynamic Recompilation Progress for Daedalus Nintendo 64 Emulator

With only 24MB user memory plus 2MB vram to work with, the PSP must have been a difficult challenge for someone wishing to port an N64 emulator to the system. StrmnNrmn succeeded in doing it with his Daedalus N64 emulator, and he goes on to tell how he's done this amazing feat.

According to StrmnNrmn, the memory problem was solved when he added the ROM streaming code, which reduced the memory usage for an 8MB ROM image down to around 2MB. As he went on to explain, “Larger roms only use fractionally more ram (i.e. a few 100KB or so), so I've managed to free up around another 6MB to use for textures, audio and most importantly the dynarec engine.”

However, constrained memory was not the only problem. There were also issues with speed. Running at 4-5fps max, the Daedalus developer admits that the emulator is 'unusably slow'. With the dynamic recompiler, he assures that there will be improvement – although 'it's too early for [him] to tell how much of an improvement it's going to bring on the PSP in the long run'.

In his blog, StrmnNrmn gave a progress report on the N64 emulator's new dynarec engine: “I'm at the state where I'm successfully capturing 'hot-traces' from the rom as it runs. In order to work the bugs out of the system, I'm then simulating the execution of these traces to see whether everything is working as expected. It also lets me collect a few stats like how many instructions will end up being executed through the native fragment cache rather than being interpreted, and roughly how much memory is going to be consumed.”

And the results are looking good, he says. Although not running a native code yet, “the emulator runs almost as quickly with the 'simulated' dynarec enabled as it does running entirely through the interpreter.” Though it may seem like a regression rather than a progression, StrmnNrmn made it plain that this is a significant improvement: it indicates that the dynarec engine won't take up much CPU load. This may actually mean that running on a native code, 'the dynarec engine will only be using a fractional part of the CPU'.

There were other significant results. Daedalus developer wrote, “...you don't actually need to recompile much code to get a sizable portion of the rom executing natively. In my tests with Mario, typically around 90% of the instructions executed are going through the fragment cache rather than the interpreter. Importantly this is with only around 64,000 instructions in 700-1000 fragments. I think this will mean I'll be able to get away with a 1-2MB code buffer on the PSP.”

StrmnNrmn is currently “ironing out a couple of bugs with the fragment 'simulator'” but has promised to work on generating native code once the problems have been fixed. Kudos, StrmnNrmn and more power to your Daedalus updates.

Source: PSPUpdates
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Friday, May 12, 2006 9:32 PM

PS3 Interface Looks Just Like PSP's

Well, another bit of hot news from E3. Someone videotaped the PS3's interface in action. And it looks just like the PSP's XMB/Interface. Keep your ears open, a lot of important information is exchanged.

  • There is the User Personalization thing, with your photo shown along with your username.
  • If you'll see properly, you'll also notice the Keyboard/Mouse settings
  • Apart from the normal Music, Movie, Game, Web Browser icons, there's also the Friends icon which means that there will be some integration into the User Interface itself.
  • And, there's that infamous Network Update icon. Does that mean that it will be able to support new things in the future like the PSP's firmware updates? Only time will tell.
And just for the record, I don't see any Location Free reference in there. So that bit of functionality, which had been speculated in the past, is most probably not present at this stage.

See the video here.

Source: PSPUpdates
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Friday, May 12, 2006 9:31 PM

Traxion Announced - Your gameplay will depend on the music you listen to!

TRAXION


These days we're finally getting to see some really original games after the expected onslaught of rehashed ports and totally unimaginative shooters. And a fine example of that would be TRAXION.

For the first time ever, you'll be able to play dozens of games on your PSP where you can use your own music to actually change each one. Using your own MP3 files or the hot music loaded within the game itself, Traxion will analyse your favorite tunes and create personalized game experiences based on the music you choose. Be it rock, rap, classical or jazz (yes, even polka!), every song present will present unique gameplay accompanied by a dazzling visual and sensory experience. Play the same game to different music and enjoy it in a different, personalized way every time you play!

The following features have been announced:
  • Play along as Traxion analyzes your choice of tunes to generate unique gameplay, new challenges and custom levels.
  • A variety of arcade-style games, light show effects, and interactive displays bring your music to life.
  • You can experiment with your music library to get high scores, play along to your favorite album, or just dip into a quick song while waiting for the bus.
  • When using your own MP3 files, change games at any time with no break in the music, or change songs in the middle of a game you've already begun. You can also play a single game continuously over multiple MP3 files or automatically switch games with each new track. You're always in control!
Each of the 20-plus games features its own specific goals and challenges. A few of them include the following:
  • Vortex: Switch left and right between lanes as you guide a bouncing ball down a twisting, swooping, diving musical staff. Avoid obstacles and collect notes that arrive in time with the music.
  • Beatdrop: Destroy colored blocks at the top of the screen by adding more from the bottom. Plan ahead and create longer chains of blocks, or cause combo-boosting cascades of well-placed blocks. Watch out! The wall is continually rebuilt from above as more beats arrive.
  • Karate-oke: Fight your music in this collage-based parody of classic martial arts films. Use a combination of three different attacks and defensive stances to fight a series of musically generated opponents.
In addition to more than 20 games, Traxion will also serve as a music organizer for your PSP. The release is scheduled for Fall 2006.

Source: PSPUpdates
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Friday, May 12, 2006 9:31 PM

LocoRoco Designer Interviewed

Tsutomu Kouno


Tsutomu Kouno, the Director of one of the most promising PSP games, LocoRoco, took some time off to answer some questions. The questions mainly revolved around his personal details and his opinions on gaming. Plus, there are a few questions about the making of Loco Roco and its future.

So without taking up more time, I'll present the interview:


About you

What is your name, age and country of origin?
Tsutomu Kouno, 33 years old, Japan.

How long have you been interested in gaming?
When I was an elementary school kid, I had my parents buy me a computer. I created some games using BASIC programming language and had my friends play them. At that time, I was really into text adventure games.

What was your first job?
After graduation from college, I joined SCE and worked on an RPG title for PS1 called “Legend of Dragoon.” For that title, I did map planning. After that I worked on PS2 title called “ICO” and also handled map planning.

What made you want to design a computer game?
When I was a kid, I felt unlimited possibilities as I created various kinds of games, and that made me want to design. I felt that depending on ideas, anything could be possible.

Who is your favourite LocoRoco character?
They are Chuppa, Nyokki, Mojya


About gaming in general.

What is your favourite game?
Monster Hunter (PS2 & PSP), Tactics Orga (Super Famicom), Black &White (PC), Age of Empires (PC)

What do you think are the key ingredients for a successful game?
This is something that I personally feel, but an image with great impact is essential to be a successful game. Without it, even if we air a commercial on TV, no one pays attention to it and no one remembers. Therefore, I feel that image that is evocative enough is necessary to attract as many people as possible. I think there could be many different ways (to create such image), but I am always thinking to see if I could use various new techniques that are not related to games and the latest function of CG software, etc.
Another important thing is, this is really obvious, but to make games fun and interesting, I feel that it is necessary to analyze games that I immersed myself in long time ago and combine the fun and interesting parts with technologies that are currently available.
Evocative images attract many people and create an interesting game. If these are realized, I believe that a game will succeed.

What do you think are the specific challenges of designing a game for PSP?
Since PSP can be carried anywhere in the world, I tried to make the game simple as much as possible so that anyone can enjoy even if you don’t speak certain languages.


The making of LocoRoco

Where did you get the inspiration for LocoRoco?
I often draw pictures on my PDA when riding on a train, and those pictures are the beginning. Most of the sub characters including Chuppa, Nyokki, and Mojya are from those drawings that I made on PDA. The AI of LocoRoco is based on the program that I created when I was a student.

What was your first ‘LocoRoco’ thought, i.e did you think of the characters, the scenery or the rolling mechanic first?
Drawings that I made are the bases. I think I used to draw many LocoRoco piling up struggling in a cave, or laughing, or wandering around alone. Later I started to draw pictures where land is tilted and LocoRoco was being rolled.

What is your favourite part of the game?
My favourite part is actions by multiple LocoRoco. Although the part has nothing much to do with the game play, this is what I most wanted to do. Watching LocoRoco gather to sing and pile up is really fun. Also their actions are not determined by certain motion data so you can never be bored watching them.

I also love the background music of the game. To keep the same music across the world, I created LocoRoco language myself and wrote the lyrics. LocoRoco sings as they roll, and the chorus is added / decreased depending on the number of LocoRoco so the song constantly changes. I believe focusing on such part that looks pointless is actually important.

Tell us a bit about the background of the team you worked with.
Since I drew up a project, members had gathered from different teams separately.

What next for LocoRoco?
I have several ideas but nothing has been decided…

Source: PSPUpdates
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