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Tech Hunters: The PlayStation and the rise of 3D gaming
In the early nineties, the console market was rising to prominence. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and Sega Mega Drive were popular but were largely dismissed as kid's toys because they featured tiny red and green plumbers and spiky blue hedgehogs. However, that all changed with with the launch of the Sony PlayStation, which featured three-dimensional gameplay and gave millions their first taste of 32-bit gaming. The original PlayStation was a big risk for Sony. It had never developed a computer game, let alone a complete system. In 1991, the company was reeling from a failed partnership with Nintendo -- which would have resulted in it supplying CD-ROM technology for the popular SNES -- so it decided to go it alone. Back then, console makers like Nintendo, SEGA and Atari would develop their own titles in order to showcase what their platforms could do. Sony didn't have its own game development studio, but it did promise powerful new features and flexibility for developers thanks to its disc-based architecture. With the chance to render 3D worlds and deliver stereo CD-quality sound, games studios jumped on board and the rest, as they say, was history. In this episode of Tech Hunters, Julia Hardy traces the history of the console that made gaming the massive industry it is today and takes a look at giving the trailblazing system a modern makeover.
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.
PlayStation One games appear in Android Market, predictably restricted to Xperia Play (update)
If there was one thing that bothered us most about the Xperia Play, it was the dearth of original PlayStation games we could, you know, play on it. That's getting a shot in the arm tonight with the introduction of five PS One titles to the Android Market: Syphon Filter, MediEvil, Cool Boarders 2, Destruction Derby, and Jumping Flash. Each is priced at £3.99 in the UK, with the first two games on the list also being available in five languages. That pricing translates to $6.38 when the games are accessed from the US, but we imagine the final pricing may differ once the Xperia Play lands stateside. And yes, the Xperia Play will be your only way to access these for now (R800i is its codename), leaving the rest of us Android PS One lovers with a bunch of games to envy and one less emulator to enjoy. The Android giveth, and the Android taketh away. Update: Sony Ericsson wants you to know that since the Xperia Play is, in fact, an Android handset, it won't be restricted to just those five PS One games -- it will also feature quite a few titles that you can also find on the Android Market and even a few temporary exclusives like Backstab and Dungeon Defenders Second Wave. Still, it's a little light on actual PlayStation gaming... See the full list in the press release after the break.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play review
The PlayStation Phone. We've had quite the intimate history with this gamepad-equipped slider, learning of its secretive existence way back in August and then handling a prototype unit in January, so you'll forgive us for feeling sentimental and still entertaining our pet name for it. The Sony Ericsson marketing gurus renamed it the Xperia Play when it finally went official at MWC this year, but the PlayStation connection remains as strong as ever. Aside from the D-pad, iconic game keys, and two touchpads, this device comes with a little app named PlayStation Pocket, which will be serving up dollops of classic PlayStation One gaming to all those with a taste for it. Yes, the Sony influence is strong with this one, and the Android Market will be joining the fun with Xperia Play-optimized titles from third-party developers. So all we really need to know now is whether the Android smartphone underpinning this smash-bang fusion of old and new school entertainment happens to be any good. Shall we get Started? %Gallery-119806%
PlayStation Suite coming to Tegra 2 devices
NVIDIA's Tegra Zone app, freshly launched this month, has become the source for a nifty little bit of Sony-related news: the PS Suite that is currently slated to deliver PlayStation One games to the Xperia Play is coming to Tegra 2 devices. Of course, if you're keeping up with your Sony tablet exclusives, you'd already know that the company's expected to unveil a Tegra 2 slate this year, so don't go assuming that your Xoom will necessarily get the PlayStation Certified badge. On a separate note, we're also hearing this expansion of supported hardware will be followed up with the eventual addition of PlayStation 2 games to the Suite. Those are clearly not on the immediate horizon and we suspect Sony might be waiting for quad-core mobile chips -- such as the one within its upcoming NGP -- to hit the market before rolling the last-gen console's wares out to pockets and messenger bags across the world. [Thanks, Onno] Update: Upon further investigation, we've been unable to confirm the claim about PS2 games being on Sony's PS Suite roadmap. Android and Me reports it to have come from NVIDIA, but the original Tegra Zone post makes no reference to PS2 games. We've updated the post to reflect this.
