Hacking the PSP Blog

Off-Topic: Microsoft Unveils Wireless Music Player + iPod Killer Strategy

So Microsoft may be the first to a mass-market wireless media device... well, after Sony's PSP, that is... Microsoft's product will be named Zune (at least, for now). I actually believe they can pull it off. They already have a great start on the name - it's not Wii.

Check out the article on CNet here.

PSP homebrew meets the rest of the world

PSPUpdates potsed about an article in T3 magazine about the homebrew software development on the PSP, making mention of ever popular PSPUpdates. Finally, PSP homebrew is getting wide recognition!

The PSP scene has been around and thriving for more than a year now, we have all been there to witness its dark genesis to our shores (PSP debuted to US with the then-dubbed "invincible firmware 1.50"), to its phoenix-like rebirth (when a group called PSP-DEV first come up with the swaploit and paved the way for the now "golden firmware 1.50"). After a few dark days of the dreaded updates, causing the scene to become somewhat a bit slow, the PSP is once again alive and kicking thanks to  the series of breakthroughs (discovery of kernel access, creation of downgraders, and firmware emulation) we've all been lovin'.

With these newer developments, the PSP's life is quickly revitalizing. That's why we've been noticing more and more newbie beginner questions, which are actually a good thing because it shows the interest is growing. It is then not surprising to see T3, considered as every gadgeteer's bible, featuring the perks of having a PSP in its July 2006 ish'. They even covered a full-feature story that serves as a walkthrough for those who are new with PSP homebrew.

The T3 story, all graced with blurbs like "There are hundreds of homebrews (non-commercial home-made applications) out there for the PSP" and "The homebrew scene has created everything from universal remote controls, Wi-Fi signal sniffers, PDA applications and, of course, emulators" runs a step-by-step process on how to install emulators on a PSP.

DrNicket tipped us that there was an article in the latest T3 magazine with PSPUpdates in it, so we went to buy a copy and check it out for ourselves. Let me tell ya, we were all smiles, not because PSPUpdates was in it, but because homebrew is finally getting more exposure -- a sign that the technology we all love is getting the recognition it deserves from the public.

The appreciation just doesn't just go out to the developers who worked so hard to bring us all these homebrew games, applications, emulators, and expolits, to the sites that spread the word about every development, but instead to the whole community as well. Yep, that includes you, my friend. PSP homebrew being publicized to a bigger population means more opportunities and possibilities for everyone. It informs more people, and with more people the broader our horizons will be.

Those currently developing could add creating programs for PSP to their resume (hey, if more people starts to recognize it, it'll get more respect), prompting more outside coders to take interest providing us with fresh ideas and creations. It'll also attract more interest from even those who are beginners to all of this, giving us more opportunities to rear future Fanjita, Edison Carter, Ditlew, Nem, Booster, Dark_Alex's etc. Add all of that up, and what do the rest of us get? A whole lotta load of more homebrew!

We here at QJ.Net definitely welcome this trend, as much as we welcome those who are new to the world of PSP and its currently limitless ever expanding possibilities. We are ecstatic that the media are spreading the word about what was once considered taboo, meanwhile we have to ask what your thoughts on this subject are. Let us know in the comments!

Source: PSPUpdates

Great new 3D Engine for homebrew developers! For Free!

This just in! A small team called LTE studios, headed up by SiberianSTAR, have been working on a free 3D engine for the Sony PSP. And today's the big day! They've just released the first demo of their product, which they've been working very hard on.

So you might not be a developer, and you might be wondering what the big deal is... Well, for starters, this will encourage a lot of developers to venture into making games. Until now, if you wanted to make a proper homebrew game, you would need an engine to handle everything. In case of 2d beat 'em ups, it was pretty simple. But if you wanted to create a proper 3D game, you'd need to program everything to handle all the data/models/sounds using an engine. And trust me, making a game engine is one of the hardest programming challenges.

Apart from finding a way to load/handle all the stuff, you also need to program the physics and a lot of other really technical details, just so that the separate objects can interact just the way you want. If you want an example, how about I give you one about a racing game. Suppose you're one of the guys behind Need For Speed; apart from building the cars, tracks and other things, you'd need to build an engine to actually make it possible to implement all that art and beauty into a game. Another example would be the Source engine made by Valve, or the Doom3 engine made by iD Software.

By now, I'll assume that you know quite a bit about making games. Which brings us back to this great piece of news. These guys have been working for months, to bring us an engine which almost any C/C++ homebrew game developer can use to make a fully fledged game. The talk gets a little technical now...Don't worry if you don't understand all the mumbo jumbo. If I were you, I'd expect a lot of great homebrew games coming out in a few weeks.

For the programmers, here are a few technical details/features:

• 3D Engine
• Mixed 2D + 3D
• Powerful and customizable 2D GUI
• Character animation system
• Particle effects
• Billboards
• Dynamic Lights
• Powerful 2D with alpha, blend, etc..
• Six image formats supported
• Eight mesh formats supported
• Fonts support
• Collision and physics integrated
• Powerful terrain system
• and much more...

Read through the list and you'll notice a lot of pretty awesome stuff in there. There's features in there which are mirrored around in a lot of paid and pretty expensive engines. I'm sure everyone here is curious to see the engine working. You're in luck! The LTE studios guys have been kind enough to provide a demo of the engine; a kind of a proof of concept, if you will... The final version, or the SDK will be released soon.

SiberianSTAR would like to thank Ky@ for his work on the editor, Jeremy Fitzhardinge for PSPGL, and PSMonkey. Oh, and by the way, thanks to PSMonkey for the heads-up too!

Download HERE!!!

Source: PSPUpdates

Getting to Know My PSP (Again)

Brian Ashcraft at Kotaku talks about cuddling up with his PSP again after losing his DS in Japan. It seems as like even though he became very attached to his DS, Sony's portable still holds a special place in his heart. Check out the full text below.

Forgive the LiveJournal confession: Until yesterday, I didn't have a DS. Well, I did have a DS, a regular one, which was left at that squalid hotel Gawker Media put us up in. I don't know how even the likes of Xbox dood J Allard, Mario nerd Cliffy B and Final Fantasy mustache Hironobu Sakaguchi were able to stay there. Booze, perhaps.

Tech overload Joel Johnson located my DS (in the fridge, oddly) and promptly sent it to me in Japan. I never got it, and as we speak, some mailman is getting his jollies on the Brain Training cartridge I left in portable.

Know I purchased the PSP on launch day, stood in line and everything. There are games that I really love for the Sony portable, but sadly, we grew apart. Up on the shelf the PSP went. Now, without that Nintendo portable to distract me, I could really sit down and enjoy the PlayStation Portable. Because, as we all know, insane fanboyism comes from owning only one system. That, and too much NutraSweet.

From E3 until yesterday, I played with the PSP every damn day. It really is a fantastic little machine. Sure, there are shortcomings, blah, blah, blah, but really, the machine is slick. And besides, that was the only the only handheld I had. That made it even rader. The PSP provided a quality, portable gaming experience, so I couldn't have given a hoot about the DS. Rather, I could give a hoot about it. I just couldn't buy one in DS-sold-out Japan. Heh.

Now, that I've got my DS, things between me and my PSP seemed unstable again. Well, yesterday, they did. I feared we're going to start seeing other people: me touching that Pink Lite doohickey and the PSP kicking it with the dust bunnies. That hasn't really happened (as of today), and I've been switching between both systems, trying to get the best of both worlds as they say. Whomever "they" are.

So, is the PSP dead? For the last two months at casa del Ashcraft, it sure wasn't. Hope the same's true for the next two.


Brian Ashcraft
July 21, 2006

Source: Kotaku

Comic-Con 2006: PSP aka PS3 Remote

If you took the time to attend Sony's PSP University at the San Diego Comic Con this morning here is the only news of note you missed.

Turns out the PSP will work as a remote for the PS3. According to the speaker it will have additional functionality and interactivity with Sony's next-gen PlayStation 3, but more details weren't revealed.
Other info and bullet points you missed (not much news to anyone who has kept up):

• Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and Pursuit Force are "great games" and "great reasons to own a PSP."
• Ads for PSP Greatest Hits Collection which will be released on July 25.
• Clips from upcoming games like Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters, U.S. Navy S.E.A.L.S. Fireteam Bravo 2, and Gangs of London (all of which look pretty cool).
• Movie Trailers of movies coming to UMD format like Napoleon Dynamite and Office Space
• PSP's firmware update next Thursday will offer RSS Video feed support for its web browser (it already supports RSS audio feed)
• Thursday's firmware update will also have a demo of World Tour Soccer 2
• There are no plans to improve text entry on the PSP and no plans for a first-party keyboard
• Sony is in discussion with wireless providers to create more internet hotspots for your PSP to connect easily to the web
• Video out is something they know is important and are working on getting done
• Sony Connect is working on a way to provide downloadable movies (similar to the music they currently provide), but are held up trying to find a system to protect intellectual properties

If you stuck around through to the end of class Sony handed out 32MB Memory Sticks with demos and game trailers, too. Score!

Kathleen Sanders
July 21, 2006

Source: IGN