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New PSP Entertainment Pack coming for $250
Buy.com is now taking pre-orders for the PSP Entertainment Pack. At $250 (the same cost of a Value Pack), it includes a PSP system, 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo, sampler UMD, ATV: Offroad Fury game and Lords of Dogtown UMD movie. Is it worth it? Let's find out: PSP Core System: $200 1GB Memory Stick Duo: $33 ATV Offroad Fury: $20 Lords of Dogtown: $26 The total price for all of these things combined is $279, which means you save $29 with the Combo, but honestly, unless you wanted to get all of those things, it's better off to get yourself the Core system and a Memory Stick of your choice.[Via Playstation.com Forums]
Cima Lab's new DVD player rocks DivX, card slots, and USB
We remember when $70 wouldn't even buy you a decent VCR, but oh, how times have changed. With upscaling DVD players -- not to mention next-gen optical formats Blu-ray and HD DVD -- currently all the rage, now that same $70 will buy you a device that not only plays DVDs but features memory card slots and a USB port as well. Coming in September for about 7,980 yen ($68 -- why, that's even less than 70 bucks!), the CDP-200UCR from Cima Laboratory will happily spin all of your plain jane DVDs and CDs, but ups the ante by including DivX, MP3, and WMA support as well. You're also getting 5.1 analog audio, an integrated card reader with SD / MMC, MemoryStick, and yes, even SmartMedia slots (do they even sell that format anymore?) plus a front-panel USB jack for piping in content from compatible devices. Sure this player may never make it Stateside, but its nice to know that our friends in Japan have all their bases covered.
Buffalo's "28-in-1" card reader
It looks like Buffalo hasn't met a memory card it didn't like, finding room for just about every format under the sun in it's new MCR-C12H/U2 series card reader, although they sure know how to stretch the definition of individual card types. Still, marketing hype aside, the so-called "28-in-1" reader packs support for most everything you could ask for, including seemingly every variation of SD, mini/microSD, xD, CompactFlash, and Memory Stick -- and, with the aid of a fresh firmware update, SDHC cards up to 4GB as well (making it a 29-in-1 reader if you follow Buffalo's logic). Our friends in Japan should be able to pick the reader up now, in their choice of four pretty tame colors, for ¥2,960 (about 25 bucks).[Via Akihabara News]
Sony sells Memory Sticks with movies ... so it does work then?
UMD movies aren't doing so hot nowadays, so why don't we experiment with movie playback from MemoryStick ... y'know, the way people have wanted it since day one? Sony, in their infinite wisdom, crippled video playback from MemoryStick on the PSP by barring playback at the handheld's scrumptious native resolution of 480*272 and instead maxing it out at 320*240 (QVGA). So instead of building an iTunes-like store where we could download movies and TV shows right into our little players, they asked us to pay for their proprietary and overpriced (but full resolution) UMD movies. Fine, so they screwed up. But here's their big chance to make it all up. They've created these simple, easy-to-use 1 and 2GB MemoryStick Entertainment Packs. It's simple, really: Buy the MSX-M1GSTEP or MSX-M2GSEP MemoryStick Entertainment Packs for $60 or $100, respectively at your local retailer. Load up the enclosed DVD into your (Windows-only?) computer and select one of four (pretty lousy) Sony Pictures movies. Use the enclosed code to unlock one (just one) of these movies, which can then be transferred to your PSP. Oooh, what to choose? Figure out how to transfer your movie using the PSP's arcane file system, since they still don't include the mediocre (but nevertheless shockingly absent) Media Manager software. Watch your movie straight from your MemoryStick in (what we assume is) delicious 480*272 resolution. You're happy, your battery is happy! Alright, so it's not iTunes simple, but they're trying. Next step: let us play our own movies on the damned thing in full-res. Do that, and I'll be whistling PSP all day long.See also:New TiVoToGo automates PSP support; low-res still[Via Engadget]
Sony offers flicks on Memory Sticks
It's probably a bit of a stretch to call this the beginning of the end of movies on UMD, but Sony is set to offer at least one other means of getting flicks onto your PSP. Starting next month, you'll be able to grab a bundle consisting of a Memory Stick and a DVD pre-loaded with four PSP-ready movies, along with a code that'll let you unlock and transfer one of 'em (just one) to your PSP. Available for your choosing are four classics of modern cinema: Hitch, S.W.A.T, The Grudge, and XXX: State of the Union, although it's not clear if you can buy additional codes to unlock all four movies. The bundles will be available with either 1GB or 2GB Memory Sticks for $60 and $100, respectively.[Thanks, Kevin]
Maxell announces SDHC-compliant card reader
Accessory manufacturers like Hitachi-owned Maxell must love new memory card formats almost as much as we hate them, because each tiny new card that hits the market requires a corresponding round of high-profit-margin peripherals to support it. We already knew that the new high-capacity SD version 2.0 (or SDHC) cards would not work in readers that don't support the FAT32 file format, so Maxell has leveraged this incompatibility to come up with a new 5-in-1 reader that will support the 4+GB cards when they hit the market, along with MMC, MemoryStick/MS Pro, and our old favorite, xD. Better known as the UA20-SDMSXD, the new reader will be available sometime this summer -- about the same time we're expecting the first SDHC cards from Panasonic.
Sony's 7.2 megapixel Cybershot DSC-W70 reviewed
Wasn't it just a few years ago that $300 wouldn't buy you much of a digital camera? How times have changed, because these days, you can not only score a compact 7.2 megapixel model for under three C-notes, but a good one at that -- especially if it's the Sony DSC-W70, says Digital Camera Review. We've known all about the W70 since before this year's Photo Marketing Association show, where it was introduced along with four other Cybershot models, but this one really seems hit that sweet spot of providing the most features for the least amount of dough. As you probably recall, the W70 sports a 3x optical zoom and 2.5-inch display, along with 54MB of internal memory and a 300-plus-shot battery in a case barely bigger than a deck of cards, yet according to DCR, still manages to capture quality images with good color accuracy, white balance, and detail -- although it does produce visible noise at ISO settings above 200. Still, with almost no shutter lag, ergonomic controls, and intuitive menus, the W70 sounds like a serious contender for consumers looking for a hassle-free model that takes a good picture at a fair price -- which is probably, like, most of them.
SanDisk RapidGX Memory Stick PRO Duo cards trump Sony
If you want something done right, you'd better do it yourself. That's SanDisk's thinking anyways, with their new RapidGX Memory Stick PRO Duo cards they're showing at E3. The cards do the usual Memory Stick PRO Duo thing, namely providing music, movies and other content for PSP owners, but they include a bit of SanDisk special sauce performance enhancements to speed file transfers up to 15MB per second, double the normal rates for PRO Duo cards. Seems like they just got tired of Sony's limitations in the Memory Stick tech, and figured a way to improve it themselves. The 1GB card is all that's available right now, and it retails for $85. The price -- for a limited time only -- includes for free SanDisk's new MicroMate high-speed card reader to help the RapidGX hit its maximum speeds, and also includes PSP loader software to maximize space and convert files.
Cheaper PS3 loses HDMI, slots, Wi-Fi, 40GB
As you can see above, there are a few things different between the two PS3 SKUs planned. (Hint: the obvious alterations concern high-def output and wireless connectivity -- though Bluetooth controllers should work just fine with both, with or without any chrome case highlighting.)So what's HDMI, built-in multimedia card-reader slots, wireless internet connectivity, and an extra 40 gigabytes' hard disk space worth to you? $100? Now that Sony's gone with the 2-SKU approach with its next-gen hardware (a la the Xbox 360's premium and "Core" systems), we can expect some tough consumer choices after six months -- with console shortages possibly for another six months after that -- as $100 separates the base $499 and premium $599 versions of Sony's "Clear Black" hope.HDMI is important to those who want to take full advantage of Blu-ray high def and have the new screens to use it; MemoryStick, SD, and CompactFlash slots would be nice for the PS3 memory-card users and those will run multimedia on the system; Wi-Fi's the only way to avoid stringing ethernet cables for online access; and 360 owners might appreciate the full 60GB available to potential buyers of the premium PS3 model. Neither model comes with a second HDMI port; thankfully, one should hopefully be all most users need. The details are laid out in a feature-comparison table at the end of Sony's official PS3 hardware press release, available in both Adobe Reader and Microsoft Word formats. Determine what's most important to your PS3 ambitions there.[Image pieced together from the PlayStation.com forums; thanks, Guru]
Sony brings TV to PSP, with limits
JapanChronicles.com has the scoop on Sony's Portable TV service (P-TV), which is currently available to PSP users in Japan. Despite offering valuable content (downloadable PSP-formatted videos), the P-TV service is flawed. All of the videos are DRM-protected and only accessible for a limited amount of time (ranging from 5–30 days) — each video must be bought separately (some videos are free).If Sony wants to stay competitive with services like iTunes, the company will have to give downloaders full ownership of downloaded video or move to a fixed low-cost subscription fee. That is, either sell users videos to download and keep, or charge them a monthly fee that will grant access to all (or part) of the video library, giving users a limited time to watch a downloaded video, but also permitting them unlimited monthly downloads. Given the Memory Sticks' limited storage capacity, users should also be given the opportunity to archive content on a PC.
SCEA: PSP price drop to $199 on March 22nd; EyeToy, GPS, and PSone game-download support coming later
As noted in our earlier story on the PS3's worldwide launch in November, the PSP will drop in price to $199 in the U.S. on March 22nd.According to an official PR announcement from SCEA, this basic package with PSP, AC adaptor, and battery will also retail for $229.99 CND (for our friends up north).Highlights include classic PSone games for download onto Memory Sticks, web browser compatibility with Flash, a silver USB EyeToy camera for video and voice-over-IP chat in September, and GPS support for games like Hot Shots Golf as well. Europe will get their basic PSPs for 199 Euros on the same date, while Japan will get a new white SKU on April 15th.See also: PS3 worldwide in November PSP-specific page from IGN; second IGN page with other pricing info New PSP Value Packs revealed [with bundled games for Europe] Rumor: New PSP to get a built-in camera and 4GB of flash
