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Xperia Play spins original PlayStation One ISOs via emulator hack
Android developer Yifan Lu has reverse engineered the Xperia Play's native PlayStation emulator to make it run ripped PSX ISOs. That means you're no longer limited to Crash Bandicoot or the handful of other PSX titles that have officially trickled out from Sony Ericsson. Instead, you can grab your original games from the attic, rip them into disc images, and bring them back to life on your Play. Er, assuming that's legal, of course. Perhaps you should move to Papua New Guinea before trying it. We've attached one of Lu's videos to prove that his tweaked emulator actually works. His custom ISO of choice? More Bandicoot.
ZodTTD makes PSX4Droid 3.0 free, claims Google booted him from Android Market
It's been one week since Google pulled the PSX4Droid emulator from the Android Market without warning, and today its lead developer has decided to take a stand -- ZodTTD's made a new version of the app free of charge, and is hosting it at his personal website as a downloadable APK. He now claims that not only did Google pull his app, the company has frozen his developer accounts, effectively restricting his ability to publish to (and profit from) the Android Market until this gets sorted out. We can't confirm his story at this point -- and we hear things may not be quite as cut-and-dried as he claims -- but we can tell you that if you happen to have a legally-obtained PlayStation BIOS and ROMs sitting around, you're only a few clicks away from being able to use them on your Android phone. Not a bad deal, eh? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Switched On: A suite segment for PlayStation games
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. One thing that has set Sony apart from its home console rivals has been the extended lifecycles of its hardware. Riding the momentum of a massive install base, both the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 each kept selling strong nearly a decade after their debut, and years after their respective successors were introduced. In fact, as late as 2009, Audiovox began offering a PS2 integrated into an aftermarket ovehead car video system with a 10" screen. Sony could pursue this strategy in home consoles because the PS2 was the runaway unit volume leader of its generation. Not so with the PSP. When Sony introduced the PlayStation Portable, it entered a portable console market with fierce, entrenched competition from the incumbent Nintendo, and the powerful widescreen handheld was outsold by the Nintendo DS and its later derivatives. Sony couldn't attain the market share it needed to steamroll existing competition. With Sony's announcements this week, however, the PlayStation purveyors seem to have found a way to take their one-two punch on the road with a strategy that takes the PSP and segments its evolution.
PlayStation turns 15: Share your memories
A lot of these anniversary posts are fairly cursory, but this one genuinely makes us feel pretty old. Fifteen years ago on this day, Sony gave North America the system that ushered in the modern era of console gaming: the PlayStation. We thought that this might be a fun opportunity to share some of your favorite memories of the Old Gray Play-dy, whether it be the first time you stunned monkeys in Ape Escape, creating carnage in Twisted Metal or shouting "You gotta believe!" along with PaRappa the Rapper. Happy birthday, big guy. Thanks for everything.
PSX4Droid brings spiky-haired protagonists to your Googlephone (video)
The HTC HD2 did it, and so did the iPhone 3GS (assuming you jailbroke), but now you can get your blocky amnesiac ex-SOLDIER action on Android courtesy of ZodTTD and yongzh. Their PSX4Droid app just launched on the Android Market for $5.99, and -- despite a few glitches -- it emulates PlayStation games like a charm, complete with multiple scaling modes and save states. Watch a Galaxy S rock the likes of Final Fantasy VII and Ridge Racer after the break, plus Crash Bandicoot on a Nexus One and some paired Wiimote action with a Dell Streak. Then, challenge yourself to adhere to intellectual property law instead of immediately hunting down ROMs and a BIOS file. We dare you. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
PlayStation emulator coming to Android, courtesy of yongzh and ZodTTD
If you don't know the names yongzh and ZodTTD, you can certainly be forgiven, but they're basically the cell phone emulation dream team -- where the former has been cranking out high-quality Nintendo and Sega emulators for Android, the latter is the one who brought PSX to iPhone, iPhone 3GS and the Palm Pre. Today, we hear they're collaborating on a PSX emulator for Android that's running faster than the 3GS version -- before Froyo's even factored into the equation -- and that when his domination over the PSX is complete, ZodTTD intends to begin work on an Nintendo 64 emulator for Android, and then VLC. Without letting our enthusiasm get the better of us, let's just say it's an exciting time to be an Android owner, to say the least.
iJoyPad demoed on iPhone 3GS, full screen PSX games looking rather sweet
The iJoyPad has been floating around for a bit now, but we've never seen a full demo of the add-on gamepad. Well, it's back in a video demoing its performance on an iPhone 3GS, using the psx4iphone emulator in full screen glory. The demo shows off Wipeout XL and Ridge Racer performing quite quickly and smoothly, and the iJoyPad itself seems totally functional -- and while it's a tiny bit clunky looking as far as we're concerned, we'd still like to swipe one for ourselves. Hit the read link for the video.
Hacker brings PlayStation to the Pre
We can't tell you the number of times we've been on a train or bus and thought, "Wow, I really wish I was playing (insert your favorite PSX game here, though we're going to assume it's Pepsiman because of course it is)." Engadget reports that super hacker ZodTTD has heard our silent prayer and brought PlayStation 1 emulation to the Palm Pre.It's not quite perfect yet (and not just because you have to play the thing with a keyboard), but at least we know our dream of bringing refreshing Pepsi-Cola to the children of the world on the go is just a bit closer to fruition.
The question of emulators
Gizmodo recently posted this video, which is beautiful to any PSX-era gamers: it's Final Fantasy VII running right on the iPhone, like buttah thanks to the 3GS hardware. How is this possible? Through the magic of emulation -- ever since computers got powerful enough to pretend to be other computers, people have resurrected old consoles and hardware by writing code that makes old games and software think its right at home in the computer it belongs in (an old NES system, a Genesis, or even a Playstation or Nintendo 64). As a result, by loading up ROMs into an emulator program, you can play old games you can't find (at least working) in the store any more.But the problem, as it usually does, lies in the legality. Even though those games are hard to find, companies still often own the copyrights on them (Square, for example, just released FFVII in an official emulator on the PSP, and they wouldn't be very happy with someone else releasing it on the iPhone). So while it's very easy for someone to write software that pretends to be an old NES (and there are lots of jailbroken apps around that will do just that), it's not easy to get all the rights and legal sign-offs to make it legit. Legit enough for Apple to keep it in the App Store, anyway. And while the video Gizmodo shows is awesome, and is possible on a jailbroken phone, it's not likely we'll ever see that app make it through Apple's approval. Not to mention that even when people jump through the legal hoops, Apple isn't happy with running other systems' code on their hardware anyway. Lame.That doesn't mean that the old games are gone forever -- there are certainly emulators of open-sourced or expired hardware on the App Store (here's one for Chip-8), and obviously there's a commercial reason for companies who do own the copyrights on popular games to bring them into the App Store officially. But as great as it would be to have a GBA emulator that automatically played any GBA game ROMs you loaded into it, that kind of stuff will have to stay in the jailbreak underground for now.
Resident Evil: Director's Cut coming to PSN May 28
Before they were tentacle-headed mutant monstrosities, zombies in the Resident Evil series were simply zombies. They had no fanatic tendencies, nor zealous leader -- only a penchant for devouring brains and mindlessly shambling. It was a simpler time -- and as some would argue, a better time.If you're looking to relive this golden undead era, but lack the proper disc-based media to do so, we've got great news -- as hinted at by a recent ESRB rating, Resident Evil: Director's Cut is coming to the PSN on May 28 (otherwise known as next Thursday) for $9.99. We can't wait -- though we wish it had support for trophies. We like to consider ourselves the master of unlocking trophies. (We feel dirty.)
Castlevania Chronicles will appear on the PS Store today
As the ESRB predicted, Castlevania Chronicles will make its debut on the US PSN later today. Wired got word that the PlayStation uno remake of the 1993 Sharp X68000 title will come in the form of a PS Store download. The remake features improved graphics, remixed music, level redesigns as well as a rendered introduction and ending. At one point, this rare game would have fetched a rather fabulous price on eBay, but now gamers won't have to pay big bucks to join in on the Dracula hunting fun -- instead, the price of admission will be a recession-friendly $5.99.Way better than Castlevania Judgement, we'll give you that.%Gallery-39688%
Lego console wars: NES vs. PSX... fight!
The been-there-done-that competition of the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii are a total yawn this holiday season, so we thought we'd give you a console war with a few more interlocking plastic building blocks mixed in to keep things interesting. These two otherwise-unrelated case mods each bring their own strengths to the competition: while the Lego PSX mod might be more technically impressive, it looks totally amateurish next to the classy Lego NES stylings. But, like with all things in life, there can only be one winner. This is America, after all.Read - PlayStation in a LEGO castleRead - Console Nintendo NES LEGO Red Project CaseMod
WiiSX: Play PSone games on your Wii
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Watch_PSone_games_being_played_on_Wii'; Though it's been doing the rounds in the homebrew community for roughly six weeks, WiiSX is still very much a work-in-progress, but one with huge potential. As a PSone emulator for the GameCube and Wii that loads ISO files from an SD card (DVD and USB implementation is planned), WiiSX could eventually grant owners of Ninty's white box access to around 8,000 games, including titles that many regard as some of the best ever. The idea of playing Final Fantasy VII on a Nintendo-branded console would probably make a few people weak at the knees.During an interview with tehskeen last month, co-creator Emu_Kidid (Sepp256 and TehPola are the other names behind this) admitted that sound still needs to be implemented and "numerous bugs" zapped, but it looks pretty playable to us in the video above! Indeed, interviewer brakken reports that "the emulator can handle some games and runs at a very playable speed." As for when it will be ready, Emu_Kidid is hoping to have an initial preview release out before the end of 2008.Assuming this exciting project does come to fruition, which PS1 title (which we strongly advise you should already own, obviously) would you try out first?[Thanks, Rengifo!]
Top 5: Mega Man Games
You know, I told myself (and others) that I wasn't going to do this. But I can't ignore it. Today is the day that Mega Man makes his glorious return. Like a modern V-day, the blue bomber is coming home and completing his duty of pleasing the hardcore enthusiasts. With a rarely-seen level of excitement and anticipation being dispersed by the gaming community, we might as well have Mega Man slowly ride the streets through a ticker-tape parade seated on top of a convertible. I didn't want to stir the pot by declaring what the best Mega Man games are due to some sacred cows surrounding the topic. But ignoring honesty for the sake of peace and comfort would be committing a great disservice to us all. We decided to take a look at the highlights of the Mega Man series. Any title in the expansive universe was acceptable. But let's be honest: there's only going to be games from the original and X series (as if Mega Man Star Force stood a chance). And with any luck, today's release will find its way onto this list. Here's a heads-up: you might not agree with these choices. I did my best to provide arguments of why every game belongs on this list and in the order that it does. In the interests of intelligent debate, please do the same in your rebuttals. NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up.
Driver coming to PSN on Aug. 14
You may not be old enough to remember it, but a decade ago when it was first released, Driver felt like a revelation. A game where cars were used for more than racing each other and roadblasting? Unheard of! But there it was, all new and fresh and full of promise, and you'll get to experience the feeling once again on Aug. 14 when the PlayStation title arrives on PSN.Sadly, you'll also get to experience the "honey why is the controller in the TV?"-level frustration that's been a series hallmark. Here's hoping the game's still good enough to hold up.
PSX emulator goes public, runs 3D on the iPhone surprisingly well
This is why I'm looking forward to 2008 more than anything else-- MacNN reports that psx4iphone, the Playstation (PS1 or PSX) emulator for the iPhone has now gone public. The files are available for download, and we're told that the emulator should be available on Installer.app soon (if not already-- this news dropped over the weekend).There's no official word about playability (as you can tell from the video above, it is running, but not in a state where you could actually play it), but work is still being done. What this does tell us, fortunately, is that it's possible to run 3D on the iPhone. And as MacNN says, that means there are big things ahead when the official SDK drops in February. Of course, we still don't know what the dev kit will be made of (and who will get to use it), but if this is what can be done unofficially, I can't wait to see what will be done with an official SDK.[Via MacNN]
Japanese PlayStation Store update is full of PSX love
While America has gotten a fantastic amount of new content in their PlayStation Store weekly update, Japan's update is no slouch either. Sporting fourteen new PlayStation titles that can be played on your PSP or PS3, they continue to get showered in retro love. Here's the full list of updates:PlayStation titles: Ape Escape Athena –Awakening From The Ordinary Life- ECHO NIGHT Crash Bandicoot 2 Gakkou de Atta Kowai Hanashi S King's Field 2 Major Wave Series : The Conveni 2 Major Wave Series Arcade Hits: Sonic Wings Special Memorial * Series: Sunsoft Vol. 2: Route-16 Turbo & Atlantis no Nazo Ore no Ryouri Prismaticallization Sanyo Pachinko Paradise 5 Shinsou Kaiten: Wanwan Umi Monogatari: Sanyo Pachinko Paradise DX WipEout Downloadable Content Ninja Gaiden: Sigma Survival Mode Folksoul DLC My Summer Vacation DLC [Via N4G]
Original Nintendo/Sony PlayStation prototype found
The Sony PlayStation was, in the distant past, devised as a collaboration with Nintendo: a CD system that also played Super Famicom cartridges. The two parted ways in a less than amicable fashion before the system was produced, and then the PlayStation went on to become the system that Nintendo fanboys would simultaneously hate and own. Somehow, a near-complete prototype of a standalone PlayStation system has appeared, as reported by Game Rave. They don't give any information, stating "Real updates coming very, very soon" but it's enough to look at the thing. There are also pictures of a much earlier prototype of the SNES CD add-on. It's a little scary to think of how games may have developed if this product had been successful. Instead of the 3D boom, would we all be playing FMV games now? Or 2D platformers with really good music?[Via Insert Credit]
GDC07: Classic Suda 51 weirdness hitting the DS
Suda 51's first games as part of Grasshopper Manufacture are being remade for the DS. The games, called The Silver Case and The Silver Case Ward 25, were originally released for the Playstation and mobile phones, respectively. Suda revealed this fact during his GDC keynote "Punk's Not Dead".Both are graphical text adventures; Ward 25 uses static art and the original Silver Case uses full-motion video. Unfortunately, because of the amount of text that would have to be translated, Suda isn't sure the remakes will be released outside Japan. Someone tell him that American DS players love graphical text adventures! And tell him that we <3 Grasshopper Manufacture too.
New PSone games available for Japan
Six new PlayStation One games are available for Japanese PS3 owners. They include:
