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Sony doesn't say 'no' to UMD-less PSP
Rumors about yet another iteration of the PlayStation Portable have been gaining momentum, some pegging it as a "PSP2," while others suggest an incremental update, a la the PSP Brite. Yesterday's claim by Shiny founder Dave Perry -- he knows someone who knows all about the new PSP and it doesn't have a UMD drive -- has been presented to and waffled at by Sony itself.Interviewed by MTV Multiplayer, John Koller, who heads up SCEA's marketing of PSP, said that he "Can't comment either way," but did add, "I will reiterate that the digital component is very important to us. That's all we can say at this point."Perry referred to the ostensibly new PSP model as a "fully digital online device;" one that would forgo UMDs in favor of downloadable, digitally distributed software. That said, Koller's comment already has us putting together our E3 2009 bingo cards.
PSP Firmware 5.03 addresses 'security vulnerabilities'
The latest PSP firmware update -- dubbed version 5.03 -- should be making its way onto your portable pal soon. According to Sony's blog, the update "improves system software stability during use of some features" and continues the trend of ambiguously altering unspecified thingies.More specific are the accompanying patch notes, which highlight the squashing of "security vulnerabilities in the system software." It seem likely that the infamous Gripshift exploit, which allowed the PSP-3000 to run homebrew application, has been eradicated. Where will the next buffer overflow come from? [Via PSP Fanboy]
Sony Asia introduces two new colors
There haven't been many color variations of the PSP-3000 series yet. That is, until now. Sony Asia has just revealed two new colors: Radiant Red and Vibrant Blue. Both models are part of a new series called "Carnival Color." No word on whether if these colors will make it to other territories. These two colorful systems will be available in Taiwan starting January 17th.[Via PSPHyper]
Exploit that works on the PSP Brite found in GripShift
Famous for its imperviousness to hackers, the PSP Brite has now been hacked by one MaTiAz over at lan.st. An exploit was supposedly found in the 2005 title GripShift and has been described as "a buffer overflow vulnerability when loading savegames [sic]." It is now available for download, as well as an accompanying new SDK. Remember however, this exploit doesn't grant the all-important kernal access. A video of this proof of concept in action, after the jump.[Via Engadget]
SCEE boss: PSP 2 not planned, PSP is devs' last pick
We hope you're content with the current PSP, scanlines and all. While most hardware makers have historically begun R&D on their next generation platforms just as – or even before – the current generation is hitting shelves, SCEE president, David Reeves, has said that Sony is not currently planning a PSP 2.Interviewed by MCV, Reeves admitted that, "there are currently no plans for a PSP2," adding, "I go to Tokyo quite a lot and no one has referred to it – I think they have their hands full at the moment."Reeves also addressed the thorny issue of PSP software (or, more specifically, the lack thereof), saying, "[PSP's] weakness...is its software." PlayStation's European boss chalks the situation up risky business, explaining of developers that "when it comes to placing their bets, have to choose PS3 and 360, then Wii, then DS, maybe even PS2 before PSP." He did not offer any details of how Sony is (hopefully) working to change this. Mr. Reeves, sir, you're not exactly instilling us with confidence.
PSP piracy down, but so are major releases
Speaking to MTV Multiplayer, SCEA hardware marketing boss John Koller admitted that piracy of PSP software is still very much a concern to the company, but that it's been less severe in recent weeks. "It's trending down right now, we've seen the piracy not be as prevalent in the last month to two months," Koller told the site, adding, "But it has been a problem for us."SCEA president Jack Tretton pointed to piracy as a chief factor in weak PSP software sales during E3. Looking at the past two months' worth of releases for the handheld, though, one would have to imagine that the decline in piracy can be attributed to the fact that there have been no recent, major PSP titles to, well, pirate. In fact, the holiday season will be devoid of a single new, triple-A year-end title for PSP ... something that has to be worrying Sony more than pirates right about now.
Heads up, hackers: PSP firmware 5.02 inbound
A small update on the PlayStation Blog could mean big-ish things for the PSP homebrew scene. SCEA's Eric Lempel reports that PSP firmware 5.02 is due soon, and that it "improves system software stability during use of some features, including the PlayStation Store." Which, as all conspiracy theorists know, is code for "We're going to break your custom firmware."Of course, for the majority of PSP owners, there will likely be some actual improvements to system stability. No amount of firmware magicks will ever be able to fix those darn scanlines on the PSP-3000 PSP Brite, though.
PSP Brite isn't impervious to hackers
It didn't take long now, did it? As of last month, hackers and pirates have yet to to find a way to run custom firmware on the latest iteration of the PSP. Well, things have changed. Datel has unveiled to the world a "special mode battery" called the Lite Blue Tool which allows the PSP Brite to enter service mode. Once in service mode, you're home free, baby -- you can downgrade to the firmware version of your choice. The "crypto processor based battery" even has a built in LED power gauge and will sell for $29.99 come November 28th.[Via Engadget]
Ratchet & Clank bundle to include black PSP-3000
Out with one SKU, in with another. The 4GB PSP Entertainment Pack may be dead, but in its place is the Ratchet & Clank Entertainment Pack. Wait, what? Yes, looks like Sony is offering two versions of the R&C pack -- the current one offers a silver system and echochrome. The one releasing in December will include a black system and Everyday Shooter. Both will be available for $199.If that's not your style, you can try the black PSP Brite a la carte for $169. However, no release date has been set for the standalone system.[Via PlayStation]
Apple exec calls iPod Touch the 'future of gameplay'
If you still had any doubt over Apple's plans to launch an assault on the portable gaming industry, VP of iPod and iPhone Marketing Greg Joswiak has made the company's intentions a bit more obvious. In an interview with T3 magazine, Joswiak touts the iPod Touch as the "future of gameplay" (and notes that current handhelds, PSP and Nintendo DS, are "in the past"). Beyond the interface and the wireless App Store, Joswiak said, "The 3D graphic power here [iPod touch] is significantly greater than what you have here [picks up Nintendo DS]. So this allows people to do significantly higher quality games."It all sounds well and good, but Joswiak doesn't address the pink, polygonal elephant in the room: the games themselves. The platform and hardware is great, but Apple's catalog doesn't yet have the muscle nor brand recognition that's driving sales of the PSP and the Nintendo DS (whose Wrestling name, we might add, is "The Money Printer").It's worth noting that a recent study by the NPD Group suggests smartphone (and particularly iPhone) gaming is growing dramatically. Check out our comparison chart of the DSi, iPod Touch and PSP Brite.
Face to interlace: Up-close view of PSP Brite
Out of all the frightening images we've been subjected to this Halloween, this one easily ranks as the most terrifying. It's an intensely intimate view of the PSP Brite (or PSP-3000 if you want to get all technical) and the screen that's drawn some disapproving squints in recent weeks. The folks at Logic-Sunrise have apparently peered at the brighter screen (magnified by a factor of 40), pinning the blame for the perceived interlacing issue squarely on our ex-friend, the now horizontally lined, observable darker blue pixel. Oh, when we're done with you, pixel, you'll be all shades of black and ... well, blue.[Via Engadget]
PSP is on top of its game in Japan
It was unlikely the PSP would trump its awesome sales of nearly 160,000 units last week. Nevertheless, the PSP is once again on top, selling 60,467 units. Unfortunately, Sony's high-def console the PlayStation 3 was dead last, selling an abysmal 3,931 units. Look on the bright side though: during this week, Sony's current-gen hardware outsold all its competitors current-gen hardware combined.Hardware and software sales for the week of October 20th - October 26th: PSP -- 60,467 Wii -- 24,292 DS Lite -- 22,965 Xbox 360 -- 7,844 PS2 -- 6,962 PS3 -- 3,931
PSP-3000 proving to be difficult for hackers to crack
The PSP has proven to be quite the popular system among hackers and modders of all sorts, but it looks like Sony has turned the tables a bit with its latest PSP-3000 model (otherwise known as the PSP Brite), which has so far put up a stiff resistance against folks' attempts to put it to some decidedly unofficial uses. Among other things, the PSP-3000 has apparently completely shut shutting down the popular Pandora battery hack, and it's even managed to stifle new attempts by heavyweight modders like Dark Alex to crack it open. One modder, known only as Royginald, even went so far as to swap the PSP-3000's CPU out in favor of one from a PSP-2000, only to discover far too late that the 3000's new interlaced video made the entire setup quite useless. Maybe that's one of the "features" Sony was talking about?[Via PSP Fanboy]
Microscopic look at PSP-3000 reveals reasons behind interlacing
Logic Sunrise took a microscope to both the PSP-2000 and 3000 to see why the 3000 has interlacing issues. At 40X magnification, it's clear that the two screens have very different pixels. Can you see what some of the major differences are?The 3000 series has pixels aligned horizontally, not vertically. In addition, the blues of the 3000 are much darker. These two in tandem may be behind the interlacing "feature" of the 3000 screen.[Via Gizmodo]
PSP Brite is impervious to hackers
Sony's latest hardware revision, the PSP-3000 aka PSP Brite, is doing well in standing up against pirates, hackers and their tools. According to PSP World, previous exploits which allow access to kernel memory and firmware are now patched up -- no way getting in there now. Infamous hackers like Dark Alex have yet to find a way through the PSP Brite's new specs. Other hackers are getting frustrated; take Royginald from the Philippines who has swapped in the PSP Slim's CPU into a PSP Brite while keeping the screen and case intact. All that to run custom firmware and homebrew which doesn't even run properly because of signal output differences. We wonder if Sony has finally found a solution to its custom firmware woes.
4GB Piano Black PSP Brite bundle nixed, sticking with Ratchet & Clank pack
Already have Echochrome on PSP, Ratchet & Clank Size Matters on UMD, as well as the DVD and Blu-ray release of National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets? Yeah, us too (except for the National Treasure 2 part ... seriously, what's your problem?), which is why we're drinking early this morning. Sony's John Koller reports, via the PlayStation blog, that Sony has decided to nix the so-called PSP-3000 Core pack in favor of just one option: the already available Ratchet & Clank Entertainment Pack.The Core Pack was to be released in November with a 4GB Memory Stick (a boost from the R&C pack's 1GB stick), an Everday Shooter PlayStation Network voucher and, of course, a PSP Brite in sleek "Piano Black" instead of "Mystic Silver," all for the same $199.99 asking price. If you're really just waiting for a black PSP Brite, Koller says the Ratchet & Clank pack will be back in black (as well as silver) starting in December. Upshot: you can totally regift the stuff you don't want!%Gallery-30061%[Thanks, Gordon]
4GB PSP Entertainment Pack will no longer see release
When the PSP Brite was introduced, SCEA had plans for two bundles. The first, which is available in stores now, is the Ratchet & Clank Entertainment Pack, which includes a silver PSP-3000, 1GB Memory Stick, a copy of Ratchet & Clank and echochrome download for $199. The other option, which was originally supposed to be available in November was the 4GB Memory Entertainment Pack, which included a black PSP-3000, 4GB Memory Stick and a download of Everyday Shooter for $199.According to the PlayStation.blog, the 4GB Memory Entertainment Pack has been canceled before release. "SCEA has seen significant interest in the Ratchet & Clank Size Matters PSP Entertainment Pack in North America, which includes the updated PSP-3000. As a result, we will be streamlining our PSP hardware lineup and will no longer be offering the previously announced 4GB Memory PSP Entertainment Pack."Sounds like a bad PR spin to us, but we'll manage. The Ratchet bundle looks like a good deal -- and as the post notes, a 4GB Memory Stick can be found on the cheap at many retailers.
Sony simplifies PSP-3000 lineup, only offering one SKU
Hope all you would-be PSP buyers out there are into that PSP-3000 Ratchet & Clank Entertainment Pack that just went on sale a couple weeks ago, because it's going to be the only bundle available from here on out. That's the word straight from Sony, which says that "ongoing discussions" with retailers have led it to kill the previously-announced $169 4GB Memory PSP-3000 bundle in favor of offering a single SKU -- although the company helpfully points out that you can still score a 4GB PSP Memory Stick PRO Duo for an additional $45. Yeah, thanks for the tip, guys. The current Mystic Silver bundle will be joined by a Piano Black version sometime in December, so you're not totally limited option-wise, but we're not exactly pumped about throwing extra money at a game we don't necessarily want -- we'd happily drop the extra cash on a non-interlaced screen, however.
We talk about PSP-3000 in Play Magazine
Did you read Play issue #171? If you did, you would've noticed a certain someone from a certain PSP fan blog talking about the recently released PSP-3000 (aka PSP Brite). The blogger in question talks about whether or not Sony upgraded the PSP system too quickly, and why the lack of a second analog stick is no big deal. "A lot of people [said] that Sony should 'fix' the PSP by adding a second analogue stick," says Yoon. "But that would fundamentally change the system, and potentially lock out owners of older models from upcoming games. As it stands, PSP owners, from the 1000 to the 3000 series, are all able to play upcoming games."To download the featured article, click here (requires Acrobat Reader).
Sony expects PSP sales to exceed fiscal year forecast
It's not all doom and gloom in the Sony financial camp, as the manufacturer has announced (via Reuters) that PlayStation Portable sales for the fiscal year, ending March 2009, would exceed forecast figures. The PSP, which recently saw its second revision find success in Japan despite a screen scanline issue feature, is now expected to sell 16 million -- and not a previously expected 15 million -- units within the complete fiscal year. Thanks, one million additional, potential buyers![Via PSP Fanboy]
