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Library of Congress finds unreleased 'Duke Nukem' code lurking in its catalog
When a video game studio cancels a project, the code tends to stay with the developers or else disappear into the void. Either way, you're unlikely to ever see it. However, the Library of Congress' David Gibson has unearthed a rare gem. While sifting through a stack of games destined for the archives, he found code and media assets for an unreleased PlayStation Portable version of Duke Nukem: Critical Mass. While Sony's many proprietary file formats made it tricky to poke around, homebrew tools were enough to uncover 3D models, music and textures, including those for Duke himself (shown here). And in case you're wondering, this is a first-of-a-kind discovery; to Gibson's knowledge, every other game in the Library has shipped.
Sony shuts down PSP Comic Store after October 30th, leaves most of us in the lurch for now
PSP Comic Store, we hardly knew ye. No really, we hardly knew ye -- which is probably why Sony is warning PSP owners that its comic book portal is shutting down after October 30th. Come Hallowe'en, we'll lose the option to download the necessary app or buy additional titles. Any currently owned comics will be available to download again until mid-January, but readers will be on their own to preserve existing libraries after that. Outside of Japan, that creates significant problems for literary PlayStation fans: while PS Vita owners in Sony's home country will get a Manga store and reader in October, there's no equivalent crutch for other countries (or any PSP owners) at this stage. The console maker is non-committal and says there's nothing it can discuss "at the moment," which to us is a hint that we shouldn't plan our reading hours around a PSP or PS Vita in the near future. [Thanks, Sooraj]
Sony's PlayStation Portable dropping by ¥3,000 to ¥13,800
Just because Sony's focus during the Tokyo Game Show is on its two newest consoles, the Vita and the PlayStation 3, doesn't mean the company's forgotten about the PlayStation Portable. During its press conference this evening, Sony dropped ¥3,000 (about $40) from the ¥16,800 (about $215) base price of the PSP in Japan, putting the console at ¥13,800 (about $176). It's unclear if any price drop will affect North American or European consumers, but we'll update as we find out more.
PSP gets its own homebrew online gaming network, outweighs Sony's own efforts (video)
Sony made much ado of the PSP's position as one of the first online gaming consoles, but unless your idea of online play involves Skype calls, there hasn't been a lot to go on since 2004. Team PRO is addressing that deficit through Prometheus, a completely community-driven rival to PSN. The hack lets PSP games with support for ad hoc WiFi play go online by wrapping the normal local-only multiplayer in an emulator library that broadcasts to other Prometheus players. It requires a second-generation or newer PSP as well as a wireless router that can expose the PSP in DMZ mode, but there's a live who's-playing board and even an in-game chat mode to coordinate that round of Fat Princess as it happens. Of course, using a wholly separate gaming network outside of Sony's rubric involves a whole lot of warranty-voiding risk; if you're willing to live on the edge, though, Internet games of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker or Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 will let you put off that possible PlayStation Vita purchase for a little longer.
PlayStation Vita shown running Sega Genesis titles (video)
Still mulling whether or not to pick yourself up a PlayStation Vita? Obsessed with retro gaming titles? If you answered "yes" to both, you should probably start socking away a few extra coins, buster. YouTube user frwololo has just upped a video showcasing the Half Byte Loader running the Picodrive emulator on Sony's PS Vita -- the first major proof that this kind of wizardry is indeed a possibility. The nuts and bolts of how it happened are being kept under wraps for now, and he seems certain that Sony's inbuilt security will make the mod unusable as soon as it's released. That said, there's still a lot of hope to be found in the clip just after the break, and c'mon -- who doesn't need a little hope to kick off a year where we're all supposed to perish?
PlayStation Vita won't play grandpa's games -- for now
While Sony confirmed that the PS Vita will be able to dive into the PSP's back-catalog from launch, it looks like it'll miss out on anything pre-millennium. An updated page from the PS Vita's Japanese site has backed up rumors that PSOne Classics and other "archive games" won't be available when the quad-core console arrives in Asian stores next month. However, it's not all bad news for anyone hoping to relive those jaggy-edged gaming triumphs of the late 90's -- the official response adds that plans for older titles will be announced in due course.
Timber! iOS and Android take 60 percent cut of mobile gaming dollars
The last time we reported on these figures, paid iOS and Android games were chipping away happily at the US market share of those two old oaks, Sony and Nintendo. Well, peer through the cloud of leaves and sawdust and you'll see that the job is done: the two newcomers will generate $500 million more than DS and PSP titles this year, according to stats from Flurry. Click past the break to see the trend since 2009 crystallized into a cold, hard pie chart. On the other hand, there's a bit of good news for everybody: the overall American mobile gaming market is growing at a rapid pace -- this year's total revenue of $3.3 billion represents a 25 percent increase on 2010, so new devices like the PlayStation Vita and the Transformer Prime should find plenty of room to take seed.
Sony's Kazuo Hirai: liveblog from AsiaD!
We're back! AsiaD's concluding today, but we've got a couple of big hitters left on the schedule. Kicking things off this morning -- yeah, it's morning, we're in the future -- is Sony's Executive Deputy President, Kazuo Hirai, and we're guessing he'll be shooting it straight regarding the PS Vita, those nasty "outages" and whatever else he feels like keeping us abreast on. Join us after the break for the blow-by-blow!
In case you didn't know, PS Vita will play nice with PSP in ad-hoc mode
Check out this tasty morsel of PS Vita info making the rounds: you'll be able to face your PSP-totin' friends via ad-hoc mode with games you've snagged from the PS Store (so long as the title supports it). We must've been so enamored by those vibrant PS Vitas at TGS that we missed this sweet bite courtesy of Sony PlayStation Japan. Sure, it doesn't kill the sting of its three to five hour battery life, but hey, we'll just consider it another justification for picking up the hot little number once it hits shelves.
Sony announces WiFi-less PSP E-1000, hits Europe this fall for €99
Sony had more than just a PS3 price cut to reveal at its Gamescom press conference today: it also announced that it will be releasing a new budget-priced PSP model that sports a new design and curiously ditches the WiFi capability that the PSP has had since its debut. No word of a North American release just yet, but folks in Europe will be able to pick it up this fall for €99 (or about $140, though we're guessing the actual US price would come in below that; the standard PSP-3000 currently demands €130 in Europe). Hit the gallery below for a closer look. Update: Sony has now also confirmed that the device will be dubbed the PSP E-1000, and that it will indeed only be available in PAL territories.%Gallery-130775%
Sony's PlayStation Vita goes up for pre-order at Best Buy Canada
It's been a long time coming, but it's finally here -- or at least its pre-order page is. Sony's hotly anticipated PlayStation Vita has been on our minds since January, and now it's making its Canadian North American pre-order debut via Best Buy Canada. The product pages for both the WiFi-only and 3G editions list a release date of March 30th -- which lines up with previous reports that the console won't be gracing your stocking this Christmas -- but we'd take that estimate with a heaping fistful of salt. If you're itching to throw down some Canadian dollars, however, feel free to hop on over to the source to secure yours now.[Thanks, Silverfox]
Sony PlayStation Vita clears the FCC hurdle, gets tantalizingly close to US release
That label up there may not look like much, but the WiFi test report shown after the break makes one thing exceptionally clear: Sony's PlayStation Vita just cleared FCC testing. For those unfamiliar with the process, this is widely regarded as the final step before a consumer electronics device is shipped to retailers here in the States, and given that "fall" date we've been hearing about, it sure looks as if Sony's on pace to keep its promise. So, you did save room on this year's wish list for yet another console... right?
PlayStation Vita out in October, says Blockbuster UK flyer
Blockbuster may have had its share of trouble here in the States, but that doesn't mean its British brother isn't doing well enough to have (and leak) a big-shot release date or two. According to a flyer brandishing the Blockbuster logo and that good 'ol co.uk extension, the PlayStation Vita will land in the United Kingdom on October 28th. That's ominously close to Halloween -- not that we're suggesting anybody is having pre-holiday PSV boot-shakes, or anything -- and the flyer's fall release prediction squares up nicely with Sony's "end of 2011" launch window. As always, we suggest taking rumors and leaks such as this with a grain of salt -- but considering Sony's sinkable record regarding loose lips, we'd understand a low sodium approach. Hit the break to get a peek at the Blockbuster UK flyer -- ready and waiting for your judgement.
Sony's PlayStation Vita official: $249 for WiFi, $299 for 3G
Details about Sony's new handheld have been trickling out for months in the form of spec sheets and fantastic footage of its quad core capabilities. All that, and we still didn't know how much she'd cost or when we could get our grubby paws around one. Thankfully for those tuned in at E3, said mystery is a mystery no more -- the Vita will be listed at $249 for the WiFi-only model, or $299 for the 3G version. Sony's Kaz Hirai confirmed will be available exclusively through AT&T, with both models shipping worldwide toward the end of 2011. For those of you camped out overseas, prices are set for ¥24,980 (WiFi) and ¥29,980 (3G) in Japan, while those closer to that other pond will see tags of €249 and €299.The device, also known as the PS Vita, offers up six-axis motion sensors, dual analog controls (proper ones, with thumbsticks), front- and rear-facing cameras, an OLED touchscreen, and a touchpad on the back, too. The company showed off a number of top-tier titles, including Uncharted: Golden Abyss, a hack-and-slash RPG called Ruin, a new ModNation Racers, LittleBigPlanet, and Street Fighter x Tekken, each showing off plenty of motion and touch interactivity... things that we couldn't be more elated to try for ourselves in due time. They're all looking quite good, and honestly a bit more advanced than what the 3DS has delivered so far -- for the same money.Update: Check out our hands-on impressions from E3!%Gallery-125550%
Sony NGP may become 'PS Vita,' give us 100 percent of our RDI of handheld gaming
If you're like us, you've been spending most of your time in the lead up to E3 scouring the source code of gaming company sites searching for clues about next week's announcements. We happened to miss Sony's "Vita" namedrop in the code of a post about the "future of handhelds," but one reader managed to catch it before the company removed it completely. The inclusion of the name is the latest in a series of slip ups that lend credence to the notion that the decidedly generic Next Generation Portable title isn't the official name for the company's less investment heavy handheld. There's certainly the possibility that Sony was using the name PS Vita while developing the device internally, though mentions seem to be popping up more and more as we push closer to the big event. Either way, we're certain to get a big dose of vitamin Sony in a matter of days.
Sony to remaster select PSP titles for PlayStation 3, allow cross-device continuous gameplay
As much as you love your PSP, we suspect that its low graphics definition is starting to bug even the most devoted fans. Sure, you can wait for the almighty NGP, but for the time being, Sony's offering the next best thing for you game connoisseurs: the PSP Remaster series for PlayStation 3. As the name says for itself, Sony will be porting select portable game titles to the PS3 in high-def Blu-ray flavor, and some may even come with new add-on content plus stereoscopic 3D support. But that's not all: gamers will also be able to share game save data between the two platforms, meaning you can pick up where you left off on your preferred device. Pretty neat, though it'll be interesting to see how much Sony and the studios wants to charge for what are essentially the same games you already own. The first PSP Remaster title announced is Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, but this is only heading to Japan at an unknown date -- gamers in other countries will just have to keep squinting at the PSP for now.
PlayStation Network restoration spreads across the world (update)
Now that North America has been thoroughly blanketed in the beautiful green light of a working PlayStation Network, it's time for other countries to sign on too, and the first out of the gate are the United Kingdom, Ireland and unspecified nations in the Middle East. Sony's official PlayStation Europe Twitter account reports that parts of the EMEA are beginning to light up now, and while there's no convenient map for you to monitor the rollout this time around, you can still get updates straight from the source -- follow the Twitter feed at our source link and Sony should let you know when to get your game on. Update: Looks like it's not just the EMEA, as PSN's spreading across the world -- as of noon PST, it's lighting up the smiles of bereaved gamers and music lovers in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and South America as well. Update 2: We're hearing that the UK, Ireland and the Middle East actually went dark again for a tad, but now they should be up again. Update 3: Sony's having a bit of difficulty getting millions of passwords reset in such a short time, due to a number of things, including ISPs that are automatically blocking or delaying the huge influx of email password change requests. Give it time, folks.
PSP Go to America: I'm not dead (yet)
It looks like proclamations of the PSP Go's demise may have been a bit premature. While it does appear that Japan and Europe are giving up on the downloadable content-only device, Sony of America told our good friends at Joystiq that the UMD-less PSP is still a "go" in North America. Production and sales will continue, presumably until we can get our greasy paws on the NGP this holiday season.
Sony said to have stopped PSP Go production, curiously fails to deny it
Oh, what tangled webs of non-denials we all weave. A Japanese blogger working for an official Sony retail partner has reported intel from the PlayStation maker that production of its PSP Go handheld has been halted. Moreover, the Sony Style Japan online store no longer lists the portable and searching for it provides no results. You can only access its product page via a direct link (provided below), but even that shows it as out of stock. So, what has Sony got to say on the matter to allay fears that its troubled console lives on? Well, demand for "current generation PSPs" will continue to be met, apparently, and the NGP is going be really, really awesome when it launches at the end of the year. Hey, if there's zero demand for the PSP Go and you produce zero PSP Go units, then you are technically matching supply to demand. Well played, Sony, well played.
3DS outsold by PSP in Japan, gets dumped for a dating sim
When a new console launches you expect it to hit the ground with a big "thwomp" that knocks the competition aside. Nintendo's 3DS, however, has had something of a softer landing. It released in Japan on February 26th and had been positioned high and proud at the top of the sales charts. However, it's already been usurped by the humble PSP, which according to Media Create sold 58,075 units in the week of March 28th to April 3rd. The 3DS, meanwhile, sold 42,979. This is in large part thanks to PSP dating sim Amagami, an old PS2 game that's just been re-released for the portable. It seems nostalgia trumps 3D wizardry again, and with the PSP getting cheaper in Europe this week, the competition is even getting tougher.
