Hacking the PSP Blog

Off Topic: Kentucky libraries to offer video games

And you thought libraries were just for books. According to a report on Cincinnati.com, the Campbell County Public Library decided to expand its available material to the public by adding video games to its collection. Each of the county's three library branches will carry games for a different system, said Ramona Muhlberger, a public relations assistant for the library.

XBox 360 games will be available at the Fort Thomas branch, Nintendo Wii games at the Newport branch, and PlayStation 2 games at the Cold Spring branch. Each branch will also have a ratings board for parents to find out which age levels the games are recommended for.

Cold Spring Branch Manager Dave Anderson said that patrons of the libraries have been requesting video games for years. The library researched statistics on video game players and discovered people in their early 30smake up the biggest portion of the game playing population. Many of the games, such as the SpongeBob SquarePants and Kingdom Hearts series, will appeal to teens and young children, but older game players haven't been forgotten, thanks to titles such as Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007 and Tony Hawk's Project 8. Just don't expect to find games like Grand Theft Auto or Manhunt in the libraries.

"We won't be collecting the violent games with the harsh language," said Anderson.

The library is starting its collection with more than 50 games. According to Anderson, the games should be available for checkout starting within the next week or two.

David Chapman
April 10, 2007

Source: Game Almighty

If Sony Ericsson made a PlayStation Phone...

We mobile users are never satisfied. We're always looking forward to the next big handset, even when ours is still fairly new. It's partly down to the mobile industry itself, which makes its money from persuading us to upgrade to a new phone every 12-18 months with swankier features.

Sometimes, our lust for new handsets is just wishful thinking. Such is the case, presently, with the rumours surrounding Sony Ericsson making a PlayStation Phone (or PSP for short. Er... hang on...).

Could it happen? Read on for our analysis of how the rumours started, why a PlayStation Phone would fit logically into Sony Ericsson's handset strategy, and what we'd like to see from such a device if they do make it.

THE BACKGROUND

Rumours that Sony Ericsson might be planning a gaming phone first surfaced last September after a press conference in Sweden. The firm's senior VP of product and application planning, Rikko Sakaguchi, let slip that Sony Ericsson was "working on something" on the gaming front, but "the surprise must be kept for the future".

All went quiet for a few months, but then last week the rumours flared up again, after a post on Spanish blog Clipset. The gist: Sony Ericsson is planning to revamp the user interface on some of its phones to mirror the XMB menu bar system used on both PSP and PlayStation 3. And that this may be a sign of an imminent PlayStation-branded phone.

Read the full article here...

Stuart Dredge
April 10, 2007

Source: PocketGamer

Off Topic: Guinness World Records to produce videogame edition

Guinness World Records has announced plans to launch a new videogame edition of the famous annual book, featuring a wide range of game-related achievements and information.

The original records book was first published in 1955 and is today available in more than 100 countries, with over 3 million copies sold annually. The new book will be titled Guinness World Records - Videogame Edition 2008 and will be the first in a series of books focusing on specific topics.

It will include reviews of the 20 biggest games of the year, record scores and fastest times, hardware profiles, sales figures and technical achievements made by individual games.

The book will also answer questions such as which pro gamers earn the most money, what is the single highest score ever achieved in a game and which is the most successful games console of all time.

Guinness World Records is already putting together a team to work on the videogame edition, and GamesIndustry.biz editor Ellie Gibson has been appointed as official consultant.

"We reintroduced videogaming world records to our annual book a few years ago, and it’s proved to be one of the most popular sections with our core readers. It makes sense, therefore, to dedicate an entire annual to the subject," said Guinness World Records editor in chief Craig Glenday.

"Our record researchers are already scouring the videogaming community for superlatives, and the vast number of games, gamers, developers and platforms mean that we have an incredible pool of content to dip into each year. It's going to be a very exciting project."

Gibson added, "The news that Guinness World Records has decided to produce a book devoted to games is great for both gamers and the industry. It's another boost for the profile of gaming, and I'm very much looking forward to getting started."

The Guinness World Records - Videogame Edition 2008 will be officially unveiled on stand D505 at the London Book Fair, which takes place between April 16 - 18.

Matt Martin
April 11, 2007

Source: GamesIndustry.biz