XMB
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In-game messaging info spotted on PS3 website
See that image above? Hard to miss, isn't it. This could be found on the official PlayStation website before it was taken down. A NeoGaffer reader did, however, manage to snap it before that happened, for our speculative pleasure. It's a bit blurry, so in case you're wondering it says the following: "Talk to others during game play, say hello anytime you're online, or have a video chat with an Eye camera; USB Camera or headset."Pulling an image off the official PlayStation website does seem a bit suspicious and this does advertise a feature that isn't currently available on the PS3. With GDC happening only next week, the timing fits (let's not forget it's a year ago when the Kotaku Home leak fiasco happened). Does this mean In-Game XMB is coming? Not necessarily, but it does bode well for in-game messaging - and let's be honest, isn't what 90% of you want In-Game XMB for anyway?[Via Ripten;Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
In-game XMB pics were fake; let's move on
Ever wonder why we sometimes don't write about news stories that are incredibly breaking and almost too good to be true? It's because we're realists and try to keep an objective mind. Or because things are usually too good to be true. Like screenshots of in-game XMB in action. Kotaku is exactly the same way -- except they actually took the initiative to call Sony and ask about the faked screenshots. Sony replied to them bluntly that the pictures were indeed fake and nothing is planned for the next firmware update as far as in-game XMB goes. Too bad.[via Digg]
CES 2008: PS3 in-game XMB promised this year
What good's a trade show without vague promises? Paul Purdy, repping Sony at CES, has done his part, "confirming" that an in-game XMB update for PlayStation 3 is due in the new year, reports TGR. When pressed for details, Purdy backpedaled and reaffirmed that Sony's CES presence was focused on hardware – hardware that, for the moment, lacks consistent multitasking features. (Let's not forget, some games already support the bells and whistles we'd hoped Sony would've included the last time a major update was pushed out.) [Via PS3 Fanboy]
In-game XMB in '08, swears Sony
Now, we love beating a dead horse as much as the next irate Amish farmer (don't be offended; most Amish don't use the internet so defending them would be kind of silly), but a lot of people don't like hearsay and rumor and tend to wait for official confirmation before busting out some bubbly and causing a catastrophe. We've got it for you, though -- at CES, Sony reps confirmed that in-game XMB is slated to hit your console as an update sometime in '08. It's a pretty rough confirmation, as there are still over 350 days left in 2008. That could mean a lot of waiting.What we have to point out is that other games technically have this feature -- Singstar has an in-game buddy list so you can check on your friends, messages, and the like. Super Stardust HD allows for custom soundtracks. This begs the question -- do we need in-game XMB across the board, or do developers just have to implement a feature in their titles to allow something similar? Older games can obviously get patched. Still, we suppose getting all the games at once under a universal update could be the best move.
PS3 firmware 2.00 hits tomorrow
Sure, 2.00 might sound like a magical milestone, but in reality there's not a whole lot here that's going to revolutionize your gaming experience, and sadly nothing yet to bring online communication and play to parity with Xbox Live and Xbox's handy dandy dashboard. That said, Sony is strengthening some of the PS3's unique features, like the new Remote Start function that lets you fire up your PS3 remotely when you're accessing it with your PSP, and playlists for music and photos. One of the biggest "additions" is DualShock 3 support, but that's so laughably last-gen that it's hardly worth noting. Sony is also packing in the ability to create and share your own Themes for XMB, and a news ticker that will eventually make way for the importing of your own RSS feeds. Sony also added a new XMB group to the main menu to pave the way for Home and other internets-friendly features, and -- oddly enough -- Canon printer support to really round out the package. The update will be available in the States tomorrow, November 8th.Update: PS3 Fanboy has some exclusive screenshots of the new interface.[Via Joystiq]
Home may completely replace the XMB
We've got a few more details on the upcoming release of Home for you today. They aren't the biggest announcements, but they're things that you're absolutely better off knowing. Some of them are disappointing, some of them are ambitious, but all of them deserve mentioning in a fancy bulleted list. Home is currently capped at 60 people per room, for frame-rate issue reasons. If we can put in our two cents, we recommend a Phantasy Star Universe approach for the rooms -- players, you know what we mean. Travel between zones is more straightforward than originally planned. You can run as well as walk, or just use the magical PSP interface to warp wherever you want. Many organizations desire Home to completely replace the XMB. That is, when you boot up your PS3, you start off in your room in Home. Work on Home will continue well into next year, so the product we get in October is in no way the final version of the program. These are all ambitious claims and we're looking forward to seeing what even the incomplete build will be able to do. Then we can gauge how well the other points will work out. How do you all feel about Home perhaps someday replacing the XMB altogether? Would you prefer the option, at least, to start up into Home upon turning the PS3 on?
Rumor: Sony to reveal massive changes to the XMB and PS Store at E3
It seems every couple weeks we get another rumored list of new features/changes for upcoming firmware releases. They rarely come true and are usually quickly debunked, but are kind of fun regardless. Still, this most recent rumor is pretty juicy and comes from a PS3 Forums regular. Supposedly Sony is going to be showing off a huge overhaul to the XMB and the PlayStation store at E3, with heavy Home integration and the implementation of several features that have been long request. We've broken down the info into tasty little bulleted tidbits: Folder support for all sections of the XMB including Games, allowing you to organize your plethora of demos/ps1 titles/PSN games. User Profile page accessible directly from the XMB that shows off the your gamerscore, profile info and trophies. The page will also be viewable in your Home apartment. PlayStation Store is getting completely redesigned to make it more console accessible and to pave the way for the additional content Sony plans to release by the end of the year (videos, movies, music, etc). You'll be able to select your trophies for use as a t-shirt graphic in Home so everybody can check out your Loco Roco skillz without having to go to your house. A lot of the things mentioned sound reasonable. For example, the PlayStation Store will have to be revamped if Sony wants to offer a wide range of content there. As it is, it's unbelievably slow and really isn't conducive to prolonged sessions of browsing through content. Also, Phil Harrison has previously mentioned increased integration between Home and XMB, and Eric Lempel recently commented that Sony is indeed working on a gamerscore type of system. But still, take this rumor with a big ol' salt lick -- at least we won't have to wait long to find out if it's true![Thanks Joe!]
Ask PS3 Fanboy: Volume 1
Welcome to the inaugural addition of Ask PS3 Fanboy, the feature where we do our very best to answer your pressing questions. Don't be shy! You can e-mail me anytime at colin.torretta@weblogsinc.com and we'll put your question in the running for our next Ask PS3 Fanboy segment. Sorry for the initial delay, but this will be a weekly special ever Sunday -- so ask away!Q: Is there an effect solution for playing Guitar Hero on the PS3?A: There is currently no device that offers a 100% support for Guitar Hero 1 and 2, though Pelican has recently released an adapter that provides maybe 70-80% compatability. According to reviews, the adapter works flawless on Guitar Hero but has some issues on its sequel. Unfortunately, you cannot do hammer-ons or pull-offs in Guitar Hero 2 while using the adapter -- making it more or less impossible to play the harder difficult levels of the game. You don't really need to do hammer-ons or pull-offs for the earlier levels so it's not a complete deal killer but definitely annoying. Also, while the Pelican adapter supports Dualshock controllers, it doesn't support rumble at all which is a bit of a bummer. Q: Have you heard anything about Afrika recently?A: Very little has been heard about Afrika since it was announced, though three months ago Phil Harrison did mention it briefly in an interview with British gaming site Pro-G. He didn't get into specifics, but did say that he's seen the game and that it's coming along nicely. Unfortunately, he was being very coy about the whole thing so there wasn't a lot to get out of the interview. As for release date, the last time Sony talked about the release date of Afrika, they were saying it will still be coming out in 2007. I think it would be a safe bet that we'll get another taste of Afrika come the mini-E3 next month -- but don't expect an avalanche of info. According to my completely unscientific guesstimates, I'd say TGS '07 will be the big unveiling with a 2008 launch.More questions after the jump!
PS3 firmware 2.00 details leaked?
Brace yourselves PS3 jockeys, a 2.00 firmware update is rumored for release. The full details were apparently inadvertently posted on Sony's PS3 press site (and subsequently removed) but not before being snagged and then posted to the official PlayStation user forums by a veteran contributer. While we have no way of validating the source, regular contributers to the forum are in a tizzy since the person behind the original post has gotten it right before. So what's in store? Well, we're talkin' 34 new features or enhancements including XMB access during gameplay. Yeah, thought you'd like that one. Other notables include RSS channel support, new photo effects and custom wallpapers, and enhancements for PS1 and PS2 compatibility. Sorry, still no DVD upscaling but who knows, it's only a rumor for now which unfortunately lacks any mention of availability.[Via Next-Gen Gamer, thanks cloudstrife13]Update: Ruh roh, looks like the post has been pulled and this called a hoax. Thanks for riding the rumor-go-round with us, everybody. See you next time. [Via GearFuse]
So you want to change those game backgrounds, do ya?
So, some of you might be wondering why those crazy screenshots pop up whenever you highlight a game on your XMB (that's Cross Media Bar for the uninitiated). You know, where the music plays or whatever? Seems like somebody had a little fun with their PS3, hacking into those backgrounds and giving them a little more... substance. But how did he do it? Linux? Some clever manipulation of the controls? A trick of the trade, no doubt. Check out the video, tell us what you think. Perhaps you could even take a humorous picture of yourself in a bathtub, playing with a large amount of rubber ducks and use that as the image that pops up. That would be funlarious.[Good work, Adam!]
Certificate Utility removed in firmware 3.40
The Korean PlayStation website has announced the arrival of yet another update to PSP's official firmware. However, unlike previous updates, this revision will actually remove some functionality from the system. We've translated the text--it appears "Certificate Utility" will no longer appear on the XMB. Rather, the information used to be available in this section will be embedded directly into the games downloaded from the PLAYSTATION Store. This is a rather minor, but puzzling change.According to the Korean website, the firmware will be released tomorrow, 4/19.[Via PSP Hacks]
Get the XMB on the PS3 at any time, petition-style!
With a little over 2,000 signatures, it seems like the majority of PlayStation 3 owners have signed this petition already (har, har, har... if you can't laugh at yourself, you'll never smile at others or some such saying). What's the petition say? Here you go, baby birds:"Sony, we want access to the XMB in game including custom soundtracks. At GDC 06 you showed access to the XMB, and so did early dev kits but they haven't made it to the final console. Early research suggested PS3 reserves 64mb of the main RAM for the XMB, but we currently have no access to the XMB at all. Please add this through a firmware upgrade to the PS3." Ending with a sincerely, the undersigned, you know it's official.This would be a fantastic feature -- the ability to toss on some music mid-game, send a message, search the web for clues/other stuff made specifically for a game to get you more involved... among other things. Would you want to see this feature? What else could it bring to the table? Oh, and... sign the petition if you want to. But petitions hardly ever work.
PSP phone rumor resurfaces
Ever since Sony Ericsson's Rikko Sakaguchi went on record saying a PlayStation Phone (also abbreviated PSP) was a possibility, the internet has been wild with speculation. Some fans have taken liberty to design their own, and some Chinese bootleg companies have also taken fancy at the idea. According to Spanish-language site Clipset, their "insider" reports that the next line of phones from Sony Ericsson will feature the Emmy Award-winning XMB, the same navigation system used by PSP, PS3 and other high-end Sony electronics.Theoretically, gaming could expand to the phones, creating a truly synergetic device. Because there's no verifiable source, take this rumor with a large grain of salt. However, if this does come to fruition, let's hope it's better than this. And this.[Via digg]
Reminder: turn 'on' your PS3 tonight for Folding@home foldathon
Wanna discover a cure for cancer while you sleep? Or solve the mysteries of Alzheimer's in your dreams? Perhaps unfold the complexities of Parkinson's even as the drool beings to seep into your pillow? Then tonight, before you tuck yourself in, remember to power on your PlayStation 3 and launch the Folding@home application, joining PS3 owners everywhere as we commit our consoles' processors to the first-ever Sunday Night Foldathon.Note: After installing 1.6 Firmware, Folding@home can be downloaded from the Network tab in the XMB menu. The application requires 250MB of hard drive space. Once launched, the application will automatically download a work unit from Stanford University and begin computation. If you're feeling a pang of gamer camaraderie, hit triangle, select identity, and join existing team #57516. All set? 'Kay, this is your cue to hit the lights and let Cell do the rest -- while you rest. Sweet dreams.[Via PS3 Fanboy]%Gallery-2118%
Fan transforms his PSP into a Mario-loving paradise
What's the first thing a zealous Nintendo fan does when he gets a PSP? Why, turn it into a Mario-worshipping shrine, of course! Mr. Shizzy has created an XMB modification for users of 3.03 OE-C firmware. Everything about the PSP interface has been changed, from icons, to sounds, to the waves in the background. It may be a bit gaudy for my tastes, but it's impressive nonetheless. To download this homebrew-only conversion, head over to DCEmu. Warning: because crucial files are overwritten in the process, you have a chance of bricking your PSP. Use at your own risk!Video of the XMB in action, provided after the cut.
Sony's new BRAVIA LCD models, with IVL support
In addition to new micro-displays and the Internet Video Link streaming device, Sony also announced seven BRAVIA LCD sets today. There are two 1080p-capable displays in 40- and 46-inch sizes (KDL-46V3000 and KDL-40V3000), three 720p sets in 26, 40, and 46 inches (KDL-26S3000, KDL-40S3000, and KDL-46S3000), and a pair of 32-inch models (KDL-32S3000 and KDL-32XBR4). The V-series 1080p sets can accept 1080/60p and 24p signals via their HDMI or component inputs, and have the advanced Bravia EX engine for higher-quality upconversion. The 32-inch XBR model has three of the 1080/60p/24p HDMI inputs, and uses Sony's Motionflow 120Hz motion compensation, which creates unique frames to help eliminate blurring and motion artifacts. All the sets have 10-bit color for more capable color gradients, Bravia's video processing engine, and Theatre Sync for control connection between compatible devices. The displays also utilize Sony's XMB Xross Media Bar interface. The XBR and S-series models will be available this spring, while the other sets will come out in the summer -- pricing has not been announced for any of these models.%Gallery-1826%
XMB-ify your PC screensaver
Pictured above: my Desktop, with Agent Orange's XMB screensaver. It's a pretty nifty concept, inspired by the PSP and PS3's patented Cross Media Bar. This is a must-have for any Sony fanboy and can be found via DCEmu (registration required). For those of you that are hesitant on registration, feel free to download it directly here.
New XMB-enabled handheld, not from Sony
Sony's PSP and PS3 are both defined by their award-winning XMB interface. Sony seems eager to expand the number of products that use the XMB, as seen by its introduction to the Bravia line of televisions. However, a new portable device that uses Cross Media Bar navigation isn't coming from Sony.MobiBLU's D5 video player combines the distinct look of the PSP's XMB and merges it with a clickwheel a la Zune. Do you smell a patent infringement lawsuit coming?[Via PlayStation]
Sony wins an Emmy for the XMB [Update 1]
You probably heard the news by now: Sony won an Emmy. In fact, they won two. One for their "revolutionary" SIXAXIS DualShock controller ... and another for the Cross Media Bar, or XMB, for short. This navigation system, first introduced in the PSX, allows users to quickly scroll through a variety of media types, like Photo, Music, Videos and Games. It was made popular by the PSP, and is currently used by the PS3, and will expand to the Bravia line of televisions.Sony's new PR head, David Karraker is pictured, undoubtedly trying to shoot a fireball at fellow Emmy-winners, Nintendo.[Via PSP-Vault][Update 1: Okay, so Sony got the award for the DualShock. Crazy, huh?]
Hot tools for the PSone emu user
Dark_Alex's hack of Sony's official PSone emulator has really revamped the PSP homebrew scene. There are two new programs available for those of you that are converting your own PSone games. First is the PopStation GUI creator, which allows you to make those nifty loading screens that appear in the XMB before choosing a PSone game. It's a simple, and whole-heartedly welcomed program.Next up is an updated version of CW Cheat, which allows you to play around with various cheats and hacks in your favorite PSone games. Not only will it let you cheat, but it'll also let you take screenshots in-game, adjust the clock speed, and shoot fire out of your mouth more.While these programs will enhance the experience of PSone games on the PSP, they're almost useless for people like me that have lost the original discs--Sony's official PlayStation Store is where I'll have to get my fix. C'mon, Sony! Don't let the homebrew scene outdo you yet again!
