We speculated in our review of the new iPod touch that Apple had designs on more than just consumption of music and video, and now an interview with company VP of iPod and iPhone product marketing Greg Joswiak all but confirms that sights are set on the gaming market. In a conversation with T3, Joswiak boasts that the devices are breaking through as a viable alternative to established handhelds (such as the PSP or DS) due mostly in part to competitive software pricing and the company's content delivery system. While much of the interview focuses on iPod sales figures, it does delve into more detailed comparisons of platforms, with Joswiak stating, "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." While it's not unusual to hear Apple's honchos hyping their products like they just skipped across some water to heal a few lepers, it is a new trend to see the company aggressively going after gaming platform mainstays so directly. With Sony and Nintendo just getting up to speed on non-traditional content delivery, Apple may find an edge come holiday season with casual gamers -- the real question is whether the hardcore will bite.

[Via Eurogamer; Thanks, Zach M.]

You know those complaints about the ugly, old-school looking interlacing lines that many (ourselves included) have reported seeing on the new PSP-3000? The specific issue has been uncovered -- but not by Sony. A group of concerned French gamers with a 40x microscope think it all comes down to that most mellow of colors: blue. LCDs are comprised of RGB pixels that, combined, form all the rainbow of hues in between. As you can see in the picture above, the PSP-2000's LCD (left) used pixels in a vertical orientation, and the blue pixels were fairly light in color. On the PSP-3000 (right), the pixels are now arranged horizontally, and the blue ones are far darker than before. The dark horizontal lines result in the heinous interlacing, an effect that any Command & Conquer player will tell you wasn't even cool in the 90's. Sony's already called this a "feature" and not a flaw, so if you absolutely must buy a PSP this holiday season the folks at Logic-Sunrise who took the above pics recommend you buy an older 2000-series -- while you still can.

[Thanks Pierce]

There's seamless, and then there's Foo's PSP mod. Easily one of the most remarkably clean gaming mods we've seen to date, this here hack involved an old socket originally intended for a cellphone, steady hands and an unwanted Super Nintendo controller (we're simplifying things, but work with us here). In the end, the mod left a nearly-flush port on the rear of the handheld where a hacked SNES controller could be plugged in for input, and better still, the connector doubled as a PSP kickstand. The whole concept was conceived after someone with limited use of one hand contacted Foo for help; needless to say, this workaround now has that individual in business. Hop on past the break to see it in action.

[Via Hack-A-Day]

Seriously, calm down a minute. Your world has not just gotten infinitely better, although hearing the words "PlayStation" and "open platform" in the same phrase may make you think otherwise. In a relatively quiet announcement made at Casual Connect in Kiev, Ukraine, Sony Europe's George Bain proclaimed that developers would "no longer have to submit a game for content approval," effectively making the PS2 "an open platform." He pointed out examples from Russia and India, noting that they could now "create low-development cost titles and release them in their market." In all honesty, we have our doubts that this decision will make any real waves in North America, though Bain did mention a "global approval system" to replace the separated processes currently serving Europe, Japan and America. Now, if SCEA comes out and says something similar about the PS3, then you'll hear some real excitement in our voice.

[Via Joystiq, image courtesy of GamesAreFun]

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 first caught wind of a slightly revamped PSP months ago, and the long-awaited handheld -- complete with a new, fancier and in some cases more dreadful display -- finally hit US shelves this month. For those that picked one of these up and have spent some quality time digging into the latest firmware, how are you liking things? Particularly for those that upgraded, are you pleased with the new build? Are you being plagued with those mysterious screen problems features? Could you stand to see a few more things tweaked for the PSP-4000? We suspect there will be quite a few mixed messages flying in this one, so let's get those comments rolling.

Ruh roh. Seems that swanky new LCD on Sony's PSP-3000 could be garnering more complaints than anything else. If you'll recall, the aforesaid system was touted as having a brighter, better screen than the PSP-2000, but now the PlayStation forums are filling up with irate PSP-3000 buyers who are experiencing unexplained scanlines and totally peculiar interlacing problems. As you can see above, the 3000's screen looks noticeably worse than that of the 2000, and while we always hope that these issues are contained, we have at least one Engadget staffer and a Joystiq comrade who can attest to this being real. SCEA has been contacted and is currently "looking into" the matter -- we won't dare say that r-word just yet, but this doesn't look particularly good on the surface. We'll keep you posted.

[Via Joystiq]

Update: A Japanese Sony Computer Entertainment representative has informed us that the interlacing-like lines are just "features" of the new LCD, and currently, there are no plans to fix it with a future software update since it is in the hardware.

Now that the PSP-3000 (or PSP Brite, as our Joystiq friends like to call it) has hit the streets, it was only natural for its innards to be splayed for all the world to see -- it's all part of the circle of life, or some similarly cliche lyric. We wouldn't really know where to begin running through these parts and figuring out what's new, but Impress Watch says it's pretty much the LCD getting all the love here, and that otherwise they're seeing way fewer internal changes than they saw when Sony released the PSP-2000. Sounds about right to us, but we're really just in it for the senseless violence of it all.

[Via PSP Fanboy]

"Soon-ish" has turned to "now-ish." PSP owners eager to get their minds into the PlayStation Network (and thus, the PS Store) right on their handheld can now do so... right after they suck down the freshly released firmware 5.0, of course. Aside from the obvious changes, the PlayStation format software can now be output in full-screen size on a connected device, the sleep timer feature can now be used under [Music], the system automatically reverts to USB mode when a USB cable is connected and the [Original] theme has been redesigned. Get it while the gettin's good.

Given that a PSP-3000 Ratchet & Clank Entertainment Pack managed to sneak out a few days back (and, you know, being that today's the official launch day and all), you shouldn't be too floored to hear that the altogether brighter PlayStation Portable is now available across North America. 'Course, you'll have to fork over $199.99 for the aforementioned bundle if you want it today -- the less-frills black PSP-3000 kit (with just a 4GB Memory Stick) should be around next month.

Good news, PSP fans -- the PlayStation Store is closer than ever to hitting your handheld, and we've got the video to prove it. Sony has hosted up a clip to give us all a better idea of what firmware 5.0 has in store for the PSP, and while there aren't any real surprises, it's always good to get a sneak peek. We're told that users will soon be able to create an account and access the PlayStation Network right on the PlayStation Portable, and the PS Store access is the same as on the PS3. Enough chatter -- give the video a look in the read link.